World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Jackson took a deep drag of his cigar, letting the pungent smoke linger in his lungs for a moment before slowly exhaling. Through the smoke, London outside the window appeared hazy and unreal. This capital of a world empire, this city that had never been breached by foreign enemies, now filled him with an unprecedented sense of vulnerability.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and in entered First Lord of the Admiralty Arthur Balfour and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral David Beatty. Beatty, forty-five, was one of the youngest admirals in the Royal Navy, a hero of the Battle of Jutland, and a strong contender for the next First Lord of the Sea. He was tall and sturdy, with sharp eyes, and always carried an almost arrogant confidence—but today, that confidence was tinged with something else.

"Henry," Balfour said, sitting down on the sofa and rubbing his temples, "Have you seen the reply from Japan?"

"I saw it." Jackson turned and walked to his desk. "Shameless, but clever. They know we can't do anything to them right now."

Betty walked to the world map and pointed to the Far East: "We need to reassess the strategic balance in the Far East. If Japan completely sides with Germany, their fleet in Asia, though not strong, is enough to threaten our shipping lanes. What's more troublesome is that they can provide supplies and maintenance for the German Far East fleet."

"Japan won't completely side with Germany," Balfour shook his head. "They're just doing business. They fight for whoever pays them. There's no loyalty in that kind of country, only self-interest."

"That's even more dangerous," Betty said coldly. "A lack of loyalty means that today they might help Germany for money, and tomorrow they might help us—or anyone else—for money. Such a country is unpredictable and untrustworthy."

Jackson sat back in his chair, placing his hands on the table: "Gentlemen, while the problems in Japan are indeed serious, in my view, the problems in Lanfang are more pressing. Chen Feng is playing a dangerous game, and we still haven't figured out his ultimate goal."

He opened the intelligence assessment report and pointed to a page: "The Bismarck-class ships are at least five years ahead of us in terms of technology. Electric propulsion, integrated fire control, sloped armor... Our designers also proposed these concepts, but Lanfang has already built them, and four at once. Two were given to Germany, and two were kept for ourselves."

Betty frowned: "Years ago, it was already evident that Lanfang's shipbuilding technology had surpassed ours!"

"In certain key areas, yes," Jackson readily admitted. "This is not a disgrace, it's a fact. We must face it. And, according to our intelligence at the Dubai shipyard, Lanfang is building more than just battleships. They have at least six new cruisers and twelve destroyers being launched. Their industrial capacity... is growing at a terrifying rate."

Balfour lit a cigarette: "So Chen Feng's ambitions might not just be about doing business?"

"Would a country with a world-class navy and rapid industrialization be content to be nothing more than an arms dealer?" Jackson countered. "Think of the United States. Thirty years ago, the US was also selling resources and agricultural products. And now? Their industrial output has surpassed that of Britain, their navy is expanding, and their president, Wilson, talks about a 'new world order' all the time."

He paused, his tone heavy: "Lanfang could be the next America. But what's more dangerous is that Lanfang is in Asia, closer to our India, Australia, and Malaya. And Chen Feng... he's too smart, too calm, and too good at seizing opportunities."

The room fell into deep thought. The bells of St. Martin's Church rang out from outside the window; it was eleven in the morning.

"Therefore, His Majesty must go to Cairo," Balfour finally said. "We must meet Chen Feng in person and find out what he's really up to. What does he want? Money? Territory? Or... the power to reshape the world order?"

Betty walked to the desk and placed her hands on the surface. "Gentlemen," she said, "please allow me to be frank. The meeting with Chen Feng is important, but we cannot place all our hopes on diplomacy. The Royal Navy must prepare for the worst."

He pointed to the North Sea on the map: "If, and I mean if, Lanfang ultimately chooses to side with Germany, what will happen? The German High Seas Fleet plus two Bismarck-class destroyers, plus the support fleet that Lanfang's navy might send... the balance of power in the North Sea will be completely broken. Admiral Jellicoe's large fleet may no longer have an absolute advantage."

This possibility caused the room temperature to drop sharply.

Jackson nodded slowly. "You're right, Betty. So, while His Majesty the King meets with Chen Feng, the Navy must prepare for two scenarios. First, accelerate the construction of new battleships; we must have our own super warships. Second, develop contingency plans: how should we respond if the Lanfang Navy appears in the North Sea?"

"There's a third point," Belfort added, "to strengthen intelligence. We need more intelligence on Lanfang's internal decision-making. Who are the people in Chen Feng's inner circle? What are the weaknesses in their military-industrial complex? Are there any internal conflicts we can exploit?"

Betty suddenly remembered something: "Speaking of intelligence... our informant in Wilhelmshaven reported that the Germans discovered some 'interesting' things after taking possession of those two Bismarck-class ships."

"What's going on?"

"Before the handover, Lanfang removed some key equipment from the warship. This included the core module of the fire control computer, the transmitter of the new radar, and a 'stabilization system' that was supposedly able to significantly improve the main gun's hit rate. German engineers are trying to reverse engineer it, but progress is slow." A cold smile appeared on Betty's lips. "It seems Chen Feng doesn't completely trust the Germans either. He's keeping a backup plan."

Jackson and Belfort exchanged a glance, both seeing the deep thought in each other's eyes.

"This shows that Chen Feng is indeed doing business, not forming an alliance," Belfort analyzed. "He sells products to the Germans, but not core technologies. This means that the relationship between Lanfang and Germany is still a transactional one, not a strategic partnership."

"But it also means that Lanfang's technological reserves are deeper than we imagined," Jackson added. "They have more advanced versions, they just haven't released them for sale."

Betty straightened up: "So, when we meet with Chen Feng, perhaps we can probe... whether he'd be willing to sell us some 'more advanced' technology? Or at least a 'complete' Bismarck-class destroyer?"

This proposal is very bold. To purchase the most advanced weapons technology from a country that could become an adversary?

But during wartime, pragmatism takes precedence over everything else.

"Write it down," Jackson told his secretary. "It's one of the potential topics for negotiations with Lan Fang. But it's not a high priority. The primary objective is to figure out Chen Feng's strategic intentions."

The secretary quickly took notes.