World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"That's just sophistry!" Major Harris couldn't help but interject.

Chen Feng looked at him, his gaze still calm: "Major, if you buy a knife in a London shop and then use it to injure someone, is it the shop's responsibility or yours?"

Harris was speechless for a moment.

"Thirdly, regarding the arms trade," Chen Feng continued, "Lanfang Arsenal is a legitimate military-industrial enterprise. Our weapons and equipment are sold all over the world. The German government is one of our clients, nothing more. We also sell weapons to other countries—should I list them?"

Gerald sneered: "For example?"

"For example, the Kingdom of Siam ordered two hundred light machine guns from us last year. The Chilean Navy ordered two destroyers. And... oh, by the way, the British East India Company purchased five hundred tons of special steel from us last August through a Singaporean agent for the maintenance of its warships. General, are you aware of this deal?"

Gerald's expression changed. He didn't know.

"Look," Chen Feng spread his hands, "this is business. Buyers pay, sellers supply goods. We don't care who the buyer is, we only care if the check can be cashed."

"But Germany is at war with us!" Gerald raised his voice. "Your weapons are killing British soldiers!"

"General," Chen Feng's tone remained calm, "if we follow this logic, then Britain's purchase of American steel, France's purchase of Russian grain, and Germany's purchase of Swedish iron ore are all indirectly killing people. That's how war works; it turns the entire world into a giant supply chain. Every country is on this chain, and no one can remain unaffected."

He paused, then leaned forward: "Do you know how much Lanfang's total foreign trade was last year? Eight hundred million Lanfang dollars. Of that, trade with Germany accounted for 15%, trade with Britain and its colonies accounted for 20%, trade with the United States accounted for 25%, and trade with other neutral countries accounted for 40%. You see, Germany is just one of our many clients."

Gerald stared at him: "So you mean, Lanfang has no political stance whatsoever, he's just a pure businessman?"

"You could say that," Chen Feng nodded. "In Lanfang's eyes, the whole world is a customer. The German mark, the pound, the dollar, and the franc all have equal purchasing power in Dubai's banks. We don't care who's on the currency; we only care how much it can buy."

These words were so blunt that even Wang Wenwu felt somewhat uncomfortable. But Chen Feng spoke frankly, as if stating a perfectly natural truth.

"And what about technology exchange?" Gerard pressed. "Germany transferring core military technology to you—is that also a commercial transaction?"

"Of course," Chen Feng smiled. "We exchanged advanced artillery design and production technology for some German industrial technology. It was an equal exchange, each getting what they needed. The Germans got the weapons and equipment they desperately needed, and we got the opportunity to upgrade our industrial level. A win-win situation."

"But those technologies are the result of centuries of industrial revolution in Europe!"

"So what?" Chen Feng raised an eyebrow. "Knowledge and technology should be the common wealth of all humankind, not monopolized by any one country or race. The Germans are willing to share, and we are willing to learn. What's wrong with that?"

Gerald fell silent. He found all his accusations pale in comparison to Chen Feng's "business logic." This Chinese leader, with an almost shameless pragmatism, deconstructed all political and moral considerations.

"Your Excellency," Gerald finally said, "your theory will not work in London. Parliament and the people will not accept that our soldiers are bleeding and dying on the front lines while you are making money doing business with the enemy in the rear."

"That's your problem, not ours." Chen Feng's tone turned colder. "General, let me put it more clearly. Lanfang is a newly emerging country. We need to develop, we need to survive. In the war in Europe, we saw an opportunity—not a political opportunity, but a commercial one. We seized it, that's all."

He stood up and walked to the world map on the wall: "You see, the world is vast. Europe is at war, Asia is developing, and the Americas are watching. Every country has its own path to follow. Lanfang's path is to establish itself as a nation through commerce and prosper through trade. We do not seek territorial expansion, nor do we interfere in the internal affairs of other countries; we only do business."

Gerald also stood up: "But what if your business harms our interests?"

"Then offer even better terms." Chen Feng turned to look at him. "General, as I said, we are businessmen. What do businessmen value most? Profit. If Britain can offer a better price than Germany, we can do business with Britain. Weapons? Supplies? Transportation? Even... intelligence?"

He spoke the last two words very softly, but Gerrard heard them clearly.

The room fell silent again. Wang Wenwu and Zhou Tieshan exchanged a glance; neither of them had expected Chen Feng to be so blunt.

"This is a provocation, Your Excellency the President," Gerald said coldly.

"No, I'm stating the facts." Chen Feng returned to his seat. "General Gerald, please go back and tell London: Lanfang is neither an enemy of Britain nor an enemy of Germany. We are simply a merchant nation seeking survival and development in this chaotic world. If Britain is willing to consider us a business partner, we can cooperate. If Britain insists on treating us as an enemy..."

He paused, his voice still calm, but each word struck the table like a nail:

"Then Lanfang will also make a corresponding choice. And I can guarantee that that choice will not be what the British Empire wants to see."

The meeting ended at 5 p.m. Gerald declined the dinner invitation and returned directly to the USS Carlisle.

In the cruiser's captain's cabin, Gerald sat at his desk, the report sheet in front of him still blank. Vice Consul Thomson and Major Harris sat opposite him, both with grave expressions.

"General, how should we write it?" Thomson asked.

Gerald didn't answer. He lit a cigar, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. The smoke swirled in the dim light.

"What do you think of Chen Feng?" he suddenly asked.

Major Harris spoke first: "Arrogant, cunning, and utterly devoid of moral principles. He treats war as a business and soldiers' lives as commodities. Typical Eastern shrewd businessman mentality."

Thomson hesitated for a moment: "But I must admit, his logic... is hard to refute. If we were in his shoes, we might have made the same choice. Lanfang needed to expand, and the war in Europe provided an opportunity. He seized it."

"So you think he's right?" Harris asked, displeased.