World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

The officers fell into thought. After a few minutes, Wang Zhenguo was the first to nod: "The sir is right. We are the winners now, and winners don't need to take risks."

"But the deterrence must be strong enough," Li Qiang added. "I suggest that we could conduct limited shelling of individual minor ports, destroy some obvious military facilities, and demonstrate our capabilities and resolve."

"Agreed." Zhang Zhen nodded. "The General Staff will formulate a plan regarding the specific objectives. Now, all ships, return to preparations. In two hours, the formation will maneuver northward. Omaha Formation, is your mission clear?"

Chen Haifeng stood up at attention: "Clear! Pursue, harass, but don't engage in direct combat."

"Okay. Meeting adjourned."

The officers left one after another. Zhang Zhen stood alone in front of the nautical chart, staring at the dense markings on it. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the table as his mind raced through various possibilities and solutions.

"Sir." Vice Captain Chen Qiming walked in, holding a cup of hot tea. "Have some. You haven't rested since last night."

Zhang Zhen took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "Old Chen, how long do you think this victory of ours will last?"

Chen Qiming paused for a moment, then laughed: "What, you're more worried now that you've won?"

"It's not worry, it's reflection." Zhang Zhen walked to the window, looking at the ships organizing the rescue efforts outside. "Japan has lost this time, but they won't accept it. Germany is deeply involved in the war in Europe, and Britain, France, and Russia are all caught up in it. The world is being reshuffled, and we've just gotten a good hand. But how we play it next is the key."

"That's not something we should worry about. The President and the Cabinet will take care of those things."

"But as the commander-in-chief at the front, I have to consider this." Zhang Zhen turned around. "Every decision I make will affect subsequent diplomacy and strategy. For example, right now, if we push too hard, Japan might take a desperate gamble and mobilize all its forces to fight us to the death. If we loosen our grip too much, they'll feel they still have a chance and won't negotiate seriously."

Chen Qiming was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you think this current approach is appropriate?"

"I hope it's appropriate." Zhang Zhen put down his teacup. "But war is never a one-sided affair. We also need to see how Tokyo reacts."

Just then, the communications officer arrived again, this time with a rather strange expression.

"Sir, we have just intercepted some of the Japanese radio communications and have already deciphered them."

"content?"

"It seems... the Tokyo Naval Ministry is inquiring about the positions and status of the ships. Judging from the tone of the message, they seem... unaware of the specific battle situation."

Zhang Zhen and Chen Qiming exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

"They didn't know?" Chen Qiming couldn't believe it. "Four Kongo-class destroyers sank, and they didn't know?"

"It's possible that all communications were cut off, or that the surviving ships were afraid to report it," Zhang Zhen analyzed. "It's also possible that Tokyo didn't want to believe it."

He approached the communications officer: "Can you pinpoint the location from which the message was being transmitted?"

"The general location is Tokyo, but the exact location cannot be determined."

Zhang Zhen pondered for a few seconds, then gave a meaningful smile: "It seems Tokyo is in more chaos than we imagined. Order all ships to speed up rescue and reorganization efforts. We need to put a knife to their throats before the Japanese can react."

"yes!"

After the communications officer left, Chen Qiming looked at Zhang Zhen and asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"Give Tokyo some time," Chang Chen said. "Let them slowly process this terrible news. Then, when they are at their most confused and desperate, we'll show up at their doorstep. That's when we'll have the biggest bargaining chips."

Outside the window, a lifeboat was recovering survivors who had fallen into the water. A Japanese sailor was pulled onto the ship. He knelt on the deck, looked at the burning wreckage on the sea, and suddenly burst into tears.

The cries carried on the sea breeze, mournful and desperate.

Zhang Zhen looked in that direction and said softly, "The war is over for some. But for others, it's just beginning."

U-19 submarine, 10:20 AM, in the northern part of the East China Sea.

The submarine was hot and humid inside, the air thick with the smells of engine oil, sweat, and electrolyte. Captain Li Wenbin lay face down in front of the periscope, his eyes fixed on the eyepiece.

Outside, the sea presented a horrific scene.

The battleship Hanoi was listing at more than 30 degrees, its bow raised high, revealing its rusted hull. The two destroyers were spinning aimlessly on the surface of the sea, launching lifeboats to rescue those in the water while frantically dropping depth charges into the surrounding waters.

But those depth charges were dropped haphazardly, mostly to vent panic.

"Captain, sonar reports: continuous explosions are coming from inside the Hanoi, possibly caused by flooding triggering ammunition detonation," the sonar officer reported.

Li Wenbin nodded and continued to observe. He saw the stern of the Hanoi begin to sink, the propeller emerging from the water and still slowly turning. More sailors jumped into the sea from the tilting deck, like dumplings being dropped into boiling water.

"Record: At 10:22 AM, the Japanese battleship Kawachi sank. Location of sinking: 30°18'N, 128°37'E."

"Yes."

The first mate approached and whispered, "Captain, should we... fire a few more torpedoes to make sure it sinks completely?"

Li Wenbin lowered the periscope, and the submarine submerged back to a safe depth. He shook his head: "No need. At that angle of inclination, coupled with an internal explosion, it won't survive. We have a limited number of torpedoes; we need to save them for more valuable targets."

He walked to the chart table and looked at the main Japanese shipping routes marked on it: "According to pre-war intelligence, there were two main routes for escaping back to the Japanese mainland from the East China Sea. One route passed through the Tsushima Strait, and the other passed through the Ryukyu Islands. The Kawachi took the Tsushima Strait route, which means that most of the fleeing Japanese ships would probably choose this shortest route."

"Shall we continue our ambush along this route?"

"No." Li Wenbin moved his finger across the nautical chart. "The Japanese aren't stupid. They'll be alerted if the Hanoi is ambushed here. I estimate the remaining ships will simply change course, either scattering or taking a detour."

He thought for a moment and then gave the order: "Send a message to U-22 and U-25, instructing them to move northeast and monitor the southern entrance of the Tsushima Strait. We will move west to the waters north of the Ryukyu Islands. The three submarines will form a fan-shaped surveillance network, ensuring we can detect the Japanese ships no matter which route they take."

"clear!"

The order was relayed. U-19 began to turn, its electric motors humming softly. Inside the submarine, the officers and men, though exhausted, were in high spirits. The recent sinking of a battleship had them all in a state of excitement.

"Captain," the chief engineer approached with a smile, "we really deserve the credit for this battle. You'll at least get promoted to lieutenant colonel when we get back, right?"

Li Wenbin smiled and said, "The war isn't over yet. We'll talk about it when we get back."

But he knew in his heart the significance of this battle. The submarine force had always been a relatively marginal branch of the Lanfang Navy; the officers and men on the capital ships privately called them "underwater rats." But today, they proved their worth with their victory.