World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Akashi turned away, no longer looking. He took a military knife from the drawer—a gift from Tianhuang when he was promoted to lieutenant general. The scabbard was engraved with a chrysanthemum emblem, and the blade gleamed coldly.

He stroked the scabbard, a resolute glint in his eyes.

But in the end, he didn't draw the knife. He simply wrapped it carefully and put it in his suitcase.

Seppuku is easy. But to live and bring back the experience, to tell the Sakura Kingdom why they failed and how to avoid losing more—that is harder than death, but also more important.

"Get the boat ready," he said to his secretary. "Let's go."

Outside the window, the cargo ship of Lanfang sounded its horn again. The sound was loud and confident, as if announcing the arrival of a new era.

People from the old era could only leave silently.

It was 11 p.m. at the Presidential Palace in Dubai. Chen Feng had just finished a meeting with German Ambassador Müller. The two talked for two hours and finalized the framework for the "Sakura Country Labor Export Plan".

"His Majesty Wilhelm will be pleased," Major General Müller said before leaving. "Four to six Sakura Divisions, 100,000 troops, are enough to open up the situation on the Eastern Front. Money is not a problem; Germany has gold."

"That's good." Chen Feng shook hands with him. "We'll decide on the specific details after I discuss it with Prime Minister Saionji."

After seeing Muller off, Chen Feng went out onto the balcony. The Dubai night was warm and pleasant, the sea breeze from the Persian Gulf carried a salty scent, and the lights of the distant harbor stretched out like a scattered galaxy.

Wang Wenwu walked over and handed him a cup of hot tea: "Commander-in-Chief, it's getting late, you should rest."

"I can't sleep," Chen Feng said, taking the tea. "I'm thinking about Japan."

"Japan has already signed a peace treaty; it can't turn the tide."

"I'm not afraid of them turning the tables," Chen Feng shook his head. "I'm thinking... are we not ruthless enough?"

Wang Wenwu was taken aback. This was the first time he had heard Chen Feng say something like this.

"They brought this on themselves," Wang Wenwu said. "If they had won, they would have been even more ruthless."

"I know." Chen Feng took a sip of tea. "But governing a country is different from fighting a war. In war, you have to be ruthless and completely annihilate the enemy. In governing a country, you have to leave room for maneuver and give your opponents a way out. If you push them too hard, they will become desperate and do something rash; if you give them a way out, they will become a stable partner."

He paused, then continued, "What I'm worried about is that if we push Japan to the brink, extremist forces will emerge within their ranks. People like that Army Captain Takeda who shot the naval officer... there will be more and more of them. If that happens, Japan will be in internal strife, and we'll be in even more trouble."

Wang Wenwu pondered: "So you mean...?"

"The labor export plan needs to be packaged better," Chen Feng said. "It's not about 'selling soldiers,' it's about 'international labor cooperation.' It's not about Germany hiring Japanese soldiers, it's about the Japanese 'volunteer army' assisting Germany in 'maintaining peace in Europe.' The wages need to be high, the benefits need to be good, and the compensation need to be sufficient. We need to make the Japanese soldiers feel that they are earning money for their country, not being cannon fodder."

Will Saionji cooperate?

"He will," Chen Feng said confidently. "He's a realist; he knows this is the only way out for Japan right now. And... I'm going to give him a taste of his own medicine."

He looked northeast, towards the land of cherry blossoms. It must be past midnight in Tokyo right now, right? Saionji Kinmochi was probably still awake, reviewing those despairing documents.

"Actually, I really admire Saionji," Chen Feng suddenly said. "She's in her fifties, she could be enjoying her retirement, but instead she's cleaning up this mess. That sense of responsibility isn't something everyone has."

"You want to be friends with him?" Wang Wenwu asked.

"No." Chen Feng shook his head. "Politicians don't have friends, they only have partners with interests. But good partners with interests should respect and understand each other. That's the kind of relationship I have with Saionji."

The clock tower in the distance chimed twelve times. A new day had begun.

For Lanfang, this was a day of continued rise.

For the land of cherry blossoms, this was a day of hardship and struggle for survival.

But for history, it was just another ordinary day—one that, in countless days, witnessed the rise and fall of empires, the change of nations, and the transfer of power.

Chen Feng took one last look at the night sky, then turned and went inside.

The door closed. The Dubai night remained warm and hopeful.

Meanwhile, in faraway Tokyo, dawn was just breaking. The snow-covered city was a pristine white, like a blank sheet of paper, waiting to be inscribed with new history.

This time, however, the ones writing history are no longer the people of Japan.