World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

He paused, then continued, "However, we can adjust the plan. Tell Bismarck's group to shorten the distance to forty nautical miles. At the same time, order the submarine force to report to headquarters immediately once the main force of the Combined Fleet has confirmed leaving port. We need to monitor their every move."

"Yes!" Zhou Tieshan immediately went to relay the order.

Li Te remained standing, gazing at the dots on the nautical chart. The red Fuxing bullet train slowly sailed north in the South China Sea, the blue Bismarck formation followed quietly behind, and a group of green submarines lurked around the Japanese archipelago. And somewhere in the East China Sea, the yellow dots representing the Japanese Combined Fleet were about to appear—if the intelligence was accurate, there would be at least four, or even more.

"Commander-in-Chief," he asked softly, "what do you think our chances of winning are?"

Chen Feng didn't answer immediately. He walked to the window and looked at the blazing sunlight outside. In Dubai's summer, the temperature could soar to fifty degrees Celsius, but what he felt now was not heat, but a chilling clarity.

"Li Te, have you ever played cards?" he suddenly asked an unrelated question.

"Playing cards? I played that when I was a kid..."

"At the poker table, the most important thing isn't what cards you have in your hand, but knowing what cards your opponents have, and what cards they think you have." Chen Feng turned around, his gaze sharp. "The Japanese thought the Fuxing was an isolated ship, that we didn't know their plans, and that this was an easy, one-sided hunt. That's the first layer of knowledge they had."

"And we know their plan, how many men they will send, and where they will ambush them. That's the second layer."

"Then, they might guess that we are prepared, and they might suspect that there is an ambush behind the Fuxing. But they will still choose to attack because they feel that even if there is an ambush, they can handle it. This is the third layer."

Chen Feng walked back to the nautical chart and pointed to the blue dot representing the Bismarck formation: "The real fourth layer is—we know they might have guessed there was an ambush, so we prepared not only four Bismarck-class ships, but also twelve submarines waiting on Japan's doorstep. If they win the naval battle, these submarines will intercept and kill any damaged ships returning to port. If they lose, these submarines will block their escape route."

He looked at Li Te: "Now tell me, what are the odds of winning?"

Li Te opened his mouth, only to realize he couldn't answer the question. This wasn't a simple comparison of troop strength, nor a numbers game on paper. It was a multi-layered psychological game, each step built upon the opponent's judgment and counter-judgment.

"I don't know, President," he finally admitted honestly, "but I believe we are better prepared than they are."

"That's enough." Chen Feng patted him on the shoulder. "In war, the side that is well-prepared doesn't always win. But the side that is poorly prepared almost always loses."

The phone rang. Li Te answered it, listened for a few words, and his expression changed.

"President, the Fuxing aircraft carrier reports that their radar detected an unidentified underwater contact at a distance of 30 nautical miles and they are tracking them. They suspect it is a Japanese submarine."

Chen Feng's eyes narrowed immediately: "Order the Fuxing to maintain its course and speed, and not to react. At the same time, notify the Bismarck formation to be alert for underwater threats. If it is confirmed to be a Japanese submarine, do not attack before it launches an attack."

"Why not launch a preemptive attack?" Li Te asked, puzzled. "If we let the Japanese submarines keep following us, our location will be completely exposed."

"We need to expose them." Chen Feng's explanation was unexpected. "If the Japanese submarines discover the Fuxing and keep tracking it, Tokyo will be even more convinced that the Fuxing is an isolated ship—because without escort ships, they will only allow enemy submarines to approach their capital ships. This will strengthen their confidence and make them more determined to carry out the ambush plan."

Li Te suddenly realized, but a new worry arose: "But what if the Japanese submarines launch an attack..."

"Then we'll proceed according to the contingency plan." Chen Feng's tone was calm. "The Fuxing has sophisticated anti-submarine equipment and enough speed to evade submarines. Moreover, if Japanese submarines dare to attack, it would be tantamount to declaring war in advance. At that point, we'd have ample reason to have the Bismarck formation intervene ahead of schedule."

The order was relayed. Ten minutes later, the Fuxing replied: the unidentified underwater contact was still being tracked, but showed no signs of attack. The ship was prepared for anti-submarine warfare.

As Chen Feng looked at the report, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Looks like the fish has really taken the bait."

Late at night.

Somewhere in the South China Sea, the Fuxing high-speed train sailed through the night. To conserve fuel, only the essential navigation lights remained on board, the massive hull appearing as a blurry black silhouette in the moonlight. On the bridge, Lin Hai and the deputy captain, Chen Qiming, took turns on watch, having not slept for twenty-four hours.

"Captain, why don't you go and get some rest?" Chen Qiming advised. "I'll take the night shift."

Lin Hai shook his head, his eyes fixed on the radar screen. The dot of light representing the unidentified underwater contact was still thirty nautical miles away, following it at a leisurely pace.

"No need, I can't sleep." He took a sip of strong tea. "Besides, if something happens, I'll have to be on the bridge."

Knowing he couldn't persuade him otherwise, Chen Qiming stopped insisting. He walked to the observation window and looked out at the dark sea. The moon was obscured by clouds, and the sea was shrouded in darkness, with only the white wake of the ship's bow cutting through the waves faintly visible in the night.

"Captain," he suddenly asked, "do you think we'll be able to return safely this time?"

Lin Haisheng did not answer immediately. He put down his teacup, walked to Chen Qiming's side, and the two stood side by side looking at the dark sea.

"Deputy Commander Chen, how many years have you been in the army?"

"Six years, Captain. I've been on the Fuxing since graduating from the Naval Academy."

"Then you should know that there is never a 100% safe profession in the navy." Lin Haisheng's voice was calm. "Wind and waves, mechanical failure, human error, or even just bad luck can cause a ship and hundreds of people to disappear at sea. The only thing we can do is to be as prepared as possible and then leave the rest to God."

He paused, then continued, "But this time is different. This time it's not a natural disaster, it's a man-made one. We know there might be traps ahead, but we still have to go in. Why?"

Chen Qiming thought for a moment: "Because of orders?"

"Not entirely," Lin Haisheng shook his head. "Because sometimes, retreating is more dangerous than advancing. If we don't go to Qingdao out of fear, Japan will think we are weak and will become more aggressive. Today they dare to ambush us in international waters, tomorrow they will dare to shell our ports, and the day after tomorrow they will dare to land on our land."

He turned around and looked at the tracking dot on the radar screen: "So this battle must be fought. Not to win, but to show them—Lanfang's warships are not to be moved at will. Lanfang's territorial waters are not to be entered at will."