World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Submarines." Chen Feng walked back to the control panel and pulled up a map of submarine deployments around the Japanese archipelago. "There are currently twelve submarines on standby outside Japanese ports. I need to deploy six more around the ambush area in the East China Sea."

He drew six dots on the nautical chart, distributed in the east, south, and west directions of the anticipated battle zone.

"The mission of these submarines was not to participate in the main battle, but to monitor and intercept from the perimeter. If the Japanese fleet defeated or severely damaged the Fuxing and retreated, these submarines would intercept and kill the damaged Japanese ships. If the Japanese fleet was defeated by Bismarck's formation and attempted to escape, these submarines would block their retreat."

Li Te quickly calculated: "That's eighteen submarines... almost two-thirds of our submarine force. Won't such a large-scale movement affect the defense of other sea areas?"

"We can temporarily reduce submarine patrols around Borneo and compensate with surface ships and aircraft," Chen Feng decided. "In this battle, we must ensure absolute victory. We must not only win, but win decisively, to break the backbone of the Japanese navy and make them dare not even think of attacking us for ten years."

Zhou Tieshan memorized all the orders, but he was still somewhat worried: "Commander-in-Chief, what if... what if we lose this battle? What if the Fuxing is sunk, and the Bismarck formation can't turn the tide..."

"Then activate the backup plan." Chen Feng's answer was surprisingly calm. "All remaining ships will retreat to Borneo, relying on shore-based air force and coastal artillery for defense. At the same time, we will release evidence to the international community of Japan's unprovoked attack on our friendly visiting warships and garner diplomatic support."

He looked at Li Te and Zhou Tieshan: "But that was the last resort. I believe in our navy, I believe in Lin Hai, I believe in the commanders of the Bismarck fleet. We will not lose this battle."

The order was given. Soon, six U-IX submarines quietly departed from their Borneo base and headed towards the East China Sea. They would reach their designated positions within forty-eight hours, lying in wait like ghosts in the deep sea, awaiting their prey.

South China Sea, Fuxing battlecruiser, 10:00 AM.

Lin Hai stood on the bridge, holding the encrypted telegram he had just received. The telegram was long, detailing the deployment of the Japanese Combined Fleet, the expected ambush locations, and the latest operational orders.

After reading it, he handed the telegram to Political Commissar Zhao Wenyuan, and then walked to the nautical chart table.

Navigation officer Zhou Zhiwei had already marked all the information on the nautical chart: the current position of the Fuxing, the expected route, the possible position of the Japanese fleet, and the area of ​​sea that would be shrouded in dense fog three days later.

"Captain," Zhou Zhiwei's voice was tense, "if the intelligence is accurate, four Kongo-class destroyers... can we really handle them?"

Lin Hai did not answer immediately. He picked up a compass and began measuring distances and calculating time on the nautical chart.

"Commander Zhou, how far is it from our current location to the designated sea area?"

"Approximately 1,200 nautical miles, Captain. At a speed of 15 knots, it will take three days and four hours."

"What if we increase the speed to twenty knots?"

"That would increase fuel consumption by 40 percent and increase mechanical wear and tear. But we can arrive in two and a half days."

Lin Hai thought for a few seconds: "Then let's increase the speed to eighteen knots. It'll be faster than originally planned, but won't consume too much fuel. Tell the chief engineer to gradually increase the speed starting at noon."

"yes!"

After reading the telegram, Zhao Wenyuan walked to Lin Hai's side, his expression grave: "Captain, headquarters is using us as bait. And it's bait that's very likely to be devoured."

"I know," Lin Hai said calmly, "but bait can also be barbed."

He pointed to the area of ​​dense fog on the nautical chart: "You see, the command judged that the Japanese would choose to attack in the fog. Why? Because the fog can conceal their approach, but it also limits their observation and aiming. In the dense fog, the firepower advantage of the four ships may not be fully utilized, because it is difficult to achieve effective concentrated fire."

"But our situation is the same," Zhao Wenyuan pointed out. "We can't see clearly either."

"That's why we need to prepare in advance." Lin Hai turned to communications officer Li Jing and said, "Notify the entire ship that a pre-battle preparation meeting will be held at 2 PM this afternoon. All department heads should attend. We need to develop a detailed operational plan, taking into account both the worst-case and best-case scenarios."

"Yes, Captain."

At 2 p.m., the officers' conference room on the Fuxing bullet train was packed. The atmosphere was even more tense than when it departed three days earlier, because everyone knew what they were about to face.

Lin Hai stood in the main seat and, without any preamble, got straight to the point.

"Gentlemen, according to the latest intelligence from headquarters, the Japanese Combined Fleet has been deployed. Four Kongo-class battleships, six cruisers, and eight destroyers. Their objective is clear—to sink the Fuxing in the East China Sea before we arrive in Qingdao."

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

Gunnery Commander Wang Zhenguo was the first to stand up: "Four Kongo-class... Captains, we..."

"We have a Fuxing-class destroyer," Lin Hai interrupted him, his voice firm. "It displaces 45,000 tons, has eight 381mm main guns, and its thickest armor is twelve inches thick. The Kongo-class destroyer displaces 32,000 tons, has eight 356mm main guns, and its thickest armor is only eight inches thick. In a single-ship comparison, we have the advantage."

"But there are four of them!" Chief Engineer Liu Mingde couldn't help but exclaim.

"So we need tactics." Lin Hai walked to the nautical chart on the wall. "Headquarters predicts that the Japanese fleet will choose to launch its attack in dense fog. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for us."

He picked up the compass and pointed to the nautical chart: "In dense fog, long-range shelling is pointless. For the Japanese to guarantee a hit, they must get within 10,000 meters. And that distance is exactly within the optimal range of our main guns."

"But Captain," Navigation Officer Zhou Zhiwei questioned, "how will we spot them in the fog? By the time we see them, they might be too close."

"Use radar," Lin Hai replied. "Although our fire control radar is not yet fully mature, its detection range in fog can reach fifteen nautical miles, much farther than optical observation. The Japanese don't have radar, or even if they do, its performance is far inferior to ours. This is our technological advantage."

He looked at Radar Officer Zhang Hao: "Radar Officer Zhang, is your equipment ready?"

"Ready, Captain." Zhang Hao stood up. "We have conducted a full inspection and calibration of the radar. In the simulation test, the detection range against large surface targets reached eighteen nautical miles, with a ranging accuracy of plus or minus two hundred meters. Performance will decrease in dense fog, but it is expected to maintain an effective detection range of twelve nautical miles."

"Very good." Lin Hai nodded, then looked at Gunner Wang Zhenguo, "Gunner Wang, if the radar provides target parameters, how long can you complete aiming and firing?"