World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Albert Station was in chaos.

The train had just come to a stop when the carriage doors were flung open. Soldiers stumbled out and collapsed on the platform. The three-day, three-night journey had been crammed into the stuffy freight cars, with no hot water and only rock-hard black bread for food. Many suffered from motion sickness and vomiting, while many more suffered from splitting headaches due to lack of oxygen.

Shiba Goro was the first to get off the train. He forced himself to stand up straight and walked toward the German liaison officer who had come to greet him.

"General Chai, welcome to the Somme." The liaison officer was a young captain with blond hair and blue eyes, speaking fluent Japanese. "I am Captain von Stein, and I am here to receive your unit. General Bello has instructed that your unit may rest here for twenty-four hours before taking over the second line of defense, sections B3 to B7."

"Map," Shiba Goro said hoarsely.

Captain Stein unfolded the map. The second line of defense was located five kilometers behind the first line, built upon a series of low hills. Sections B3 to B7 were an open wheat field with almost no natural cover.

"The terrain here..." Shiba Goro frowned.

"Yes, General, it's not ideal," Stein admitted. "But it's an order. The German troops are defending areas with more complex terrain, and here... your unit's defensive perseverance is needed."

The implication is clear: you are expendable resources and should be placed in the most vulnerable spot.

Shiba Goro didn't argue. Arguing was pointless. He turned to look at his troops: the soldiers huddled on the platform like refugees, some vomiting, some crying, and many just staring blankly at the sky.

"Assemble the troops," he told Chief of Staff Matsumoto. "Find a place to settle them. Let them rest as much as possible."

"Division Commander, there aren't enough barracks..."

"Then let's sleep in the open! It's better than a stuffy freight car!"

In a grove of trees east of the station, the 3rd Division managed to settle down. The soldiers cut down branches to build makeshift shelters, dug toilets, and used mess kits to collect rainwater for boiling—the first time in three days they had hot water to drink.

Imamura's squad was assigned a spot under a large oak tree. The five men sat back to back, none of them wanting to speak. Kobayashi took out the last bit of food from his backpack: half a chocolate bar, which he had traded with a German soldier in Verdun. He broke it into five small pieces and distributed them to everyone.

The chocolate melted in my mouth, sweet to the point of being bitter.

"Corporal," Kobayashi suddenly said, "if we die here, will our bodies be transported back to Japan?"

Imamura looked at him but did not answer.

"I want to be taken back," Kobayashi continued calmly. "I want to be buried on the hillside of my hometown, facing the sea. That way, every morning when the sun rises from the sea, I can see the light."

Sergeant Yoshida snorted: "Don't think about that useless stuff. People like us who die here in foreign uniforms won't even have our names remembered. At most, we'll have another memorial tablet in the shrine with 'Overseas War Dead' written on it—who knows where you died or why you died?"

"But……"

"No buts." Yoshida interrupted him rudely. "Eat and then go to sleep. Tomorrow we need to build fortifications, and then wait for the British to attack. Live one day at a time, and don't think about anything else."

Night fell. A campfire was lit in the woods, but it was quickly stopped by a German patrol—the light would give away their position. The soldiers could only sit in the darkness, listening to the faint sounds of artillery fire in the distance.

That's the British testing their weapons. The battle is about to begin.

In Dubai, Chen Feng received intelligence briefings from both London and Berlin.

The London report detailed the preparations for the British Somme offensive: over fifty divisions, 2,900 artillery pieces, and a planned general offensive on July 28. The report concluded with an MI6 assessment: "A victory in this battle would greatly relieve the pressure at Verdun and force Germany to adopt a full-scale defensive posture on the Western Front."

Intelligence in Berlin focused on the German response: "The Germans are employing a 'flexible defense' tactic, leaving only guard troops in the first line of defense. It has been confirmed that the remnants of eight Japanese divisions (approximately 150,000 men) have been transferred to the Somme region and deployed in the most vulnerable areas. The commander of the Second Army, Bello, is 'cautiously optimistic' about the prospects of the campaign, but privately stated that 'there is a serious shortage of troops, especially infantry.'"

Two reports lay on Chen Feng's desk. He picked up a red pen and drew two lines on the western front map: one running north from the Somme, representing the main British offensive; the other running northwest from Verdun, representing the German reinforcement route. The two lines intersected in the Somme region, forming a large X.

"Perfect point of consumption," Chen Feng murmured to himself.

Wang Wenwu stood behind him: "President, Minister Liu Yongfu's report has also arrived. The 'Prototype No. 1' has completed all tests, revealing thirty-seven problems, but the core functions have been successfully verified. He asked if we can begin small-batch trial production?"

"Okay," Chen Feng nodded, "but don't equip the troops with the vehicles produced yet. Store them all and wait for the right opportunity."

"The timing is..."

"When the Somme becomes a second Verdun," Chen Feng walked to the window, looking at the night view of Dubai Port, "when the Germans realize that no matter how many troops they deploy, they cannot break the stalemate of trench warfare. Only then will they truly yearn for a new weapon that can roll over barbed wire, cross trenches, and break through machine gun fire."

He turned around, his eyes flashing calmly in the lamplight: "Inform our channels in Berlin that we can start 'casually' revealing some information. Say that Lanfang has made 'exciting progress' in the development of 'special vehicles' that can operate in 'the most complex terrains' and overcome 'obstacles that traditional means of transport cannot overcome'."

"With such vague wording, how can Germans understand it?"

"Those who truly need it will understand," Chen Feng smiled slightly. "The commanders of Verdun and the Somme face barbed wire, trenches, and machine guns every day. Just mentioning these words will trigger their associations. And once those associations are made... they will come to us on their own initiative."

After taking notes, Wang Wenwu hesitated for a moment: "Commander-in-Chief, the Japanese army this time... will likely suffer a devastating blow. 150,000 men facing 2,900 British cannons..."

Chen Feng was silent for a few seconds, then walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of water—he had long since given up drinking, but he habitually picked up a glass when he was thinking.

"Minister Wang, do you remember me telling you what war is?"

"You mean mathematics."

"Yes, cruel mathematics." Chen Feng looked at the clear water in his glass. "The casualties of the Japanese troops are a known variable. Their sacrifice will make Germany even more eager to find a way out of this predicament. And the way out is in our warehouses, on our blueprints."

He put down his cup, his voice as calm as if he were stating a weather forecast: "Prepare the draft contract. When the Battle of the Somme reaches its most intense point, we'll go to Berlin. This time, we'll not only sell products, but also technology transfer, production licenses, and a framework for cooperation over the next ten years."