World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"clear."

"Wang Wenwu, intelligence on the German and Ottoman delegations."

Wang Wenwu opened another document: "On the German side, the representative is General Erich von Falkenhahn, the Chief of the General Staff. Wilhelm II originally wanted to send a special envoy, but Falkenhahn insisted on coming in person—the pressure on the Western Front is too great, and he urgently needs a way to break the deadlock. Accompanying him are the Director of the Ordnance Bureau, the Inspector General of Army Technology, and... a mysterious figure whose identity our intelligence agents have not yet confirmed."

"On the Ottoman side, nominally the Minister of War, Enver Pasha, led the expedition, but in reality, the decision-making was made by Grand Vizier Said Halim Pasha. Sultan Mehmed V was seriously ill, and real power was in the hands of these two men. Enver was radical and wanted to save the empire through military adventures; Halim was pragmatic and knew that the empire needed compromise."

Chen Feng pondered for a moment: "In other words, there are internal divisions within the Ottoman Empire. Enver might be unwilling to cede land rights, while Halim might be more pragmatic. Which side will the Germans take?"

"Falkingham was only concerned with the western front," Dai Yunong analyzed. "As long as the Ottoman Empire could be stabilized and the Turks could continue to contain Russia and Britain, he didn't care about ceding some 'peripheral territories.' Moreover, Mesopotamia was too far away for Germany and had no practical value."

"Okay." Chen Feng stood up and walked to the electronic display screen. The screen lit up, displaying a tripartite relationship diagram of the Istanbul talks, as well as various possible scenarios.

"Now let's define our objectives." His voice echoed in the strategy room. "At the Istanbul talks, we aim to achieve three outcomes:

"First, sell tanks to Germany and sign long-term research and development contracts to further embed the Lanfang military-industrial complex into the German war machine. The price can be negotiated, but it must be paid for in gold, technology patents, and post-war trade privileges."

"Second, we signed the 'Military Assistance and Resource Development Agreement' with the Ottoman Empire. In exchange for arming ten modern army divisions, we obtained long-term concessions for the development of parts of Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf coast. Note that this was not a cession, but a concession—we acknowledged the Ottoman Empire's nominal sovereignty, but effectively controlled resource extraction and security."

"Third, and most importantly—" Chen Feng turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "—we need to create an atmosphere where Lanfang's intervention can establish a 'firewall' in the Middle East, preventing Britain from further dismembering the Ottoman Empire. This is in Germany's interest (preserving its Eastern ally), in the Ottoman Empire's interest (survival), and even... to some extent in Britain's interest (avoiding direct conflict with Lanfang and focusing its efforts on dealing with Germany).

Wang Wenwu quickly took notes, but his brow was furrowed: "Commander-in-Chief, this sounds... too idealistic. How could the British tolerate us entering their sphere of influence?"

"Because time is on our side." Chen Feng walked back to his seat. "What Britain is most afraid of right now? It's Germany breaking through the Western Front, us completely siding with the Germans, and a revolution breaking out domestically. Under these three pressures, Lanfang, which is far from Europe, does not pose a direct threat to India for the time being, and may even help stabilize the Middle East, is not a high priority."

He paused, then emphasized, "Remember, great power rivalry isn't black and white; it's a combination of countless gray areas. What we need to occupy is that gray area—'neither completely hostile nor completely friendly, but temporarily useful to you.' Within this area, we can grow, we can expand, and we can wait for a better opportunity."

Silence fell over the strategy room. Everyone realized that the president was painting an extremely complex and dangerous picture. But undeniably, it was also an alluring one—if successful, Lanfang would leap from a regional power to a global chess player.

"Finally," Chen Feng glanced at his pocket watch, "after I depart, work in the country will continue as usual. Minister Liu, expedite the design of the 'new' battleship; I want to see a model by the end of the year. The army expansion plan will continue, but be mindful of the pace and avoid attracting excessive attention from the outside world. Minister Wang, maintain 'constructive ambiguity' in diplomacy; to all probing questions, reply that 'Lanfang is willing to contribute to world peace.'"

He put away the documents and stood up: "Any other questions?"

Wang Wenwu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "President, what if... what if Britain really stops us at all costs? What if the Istanbul talks break down, or even escalate into confrontation?"

Chen Feng was silent for a few seconds. Then, he walked to the wall and lightly touched the location of Lanfang on the world map—the ruby-like mark in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

"Minister Wang, do you know what we had when Lanfang was founded?" he asked, but without waiting for an answer, "A desert, hundreds of thousands of hungry immigrants, and pessimistic views from all over the world. But we built a port, factories, a navy, and this country."

He turned around, his gaze sharp: "Because we never place our hopes on the mercy of others, but only on our own strength and calculations. If the British really want to fight, then let them fight. But they will find that, in Asia, 10,000 kilometers away from their homeland, facing a country with a world-class navy, rapidly industrializing, and with no way out, the cost of confrontation is prohibitively high."

He concluded, "And that's the essence of deterrence—not that you can win, but that you make your opponent feel they can't win, or that winning is too costly. Now, we're going to Istanbul to tell everyone this new deterrence equation."

After speaking, Chen Feng strode out of the strategy room. In the corridor, guards stood at attention and saluted. Outside the window, Dubai Harbour shimmered in the afternoon sun, and the silhouettes of the "Dingyuan" and "Zhenyuan" stood silently between the sea and sky like two steel peaks.

At 4:00 PM, Chen Feng boarded the special train bound for Istanbul.

On a westbound train, at 9 p.m. on August 18, 1916

The rhythmic clatter of wheels on the rails echoed through the night. The special train consisted of eight carriages: Chen Feng's carriage was in the middle, with a guard carriage in front and behind him, the rest carrying accompanying personnel, communication equipment, and a specially reinforced freight car loaded with classified documents. The train sped westward at 80 kilometers per hour, the endless desert of the Arabian Peninsula stretching out before the windows, the sand dunes resembling frozen waves under the moonlight.

Chen Feng's carriage was meticulously designed. The front half served as an office, complete with a desk, filing cabinets, a safe, and a large, retractable map table; the rear half contained a bedroom and a small toilet. The walls were covered with soundproofing material, the carpet was thick, and the lighting was soft. It was more of a mobile command post than a carriage.

At this moment, Chen Feng sat at his desk, with a detailed map of the Ottoman Empire spread out in front of him, especially the Mesopotamian and Persian Gulf regions. He marked it with red and blue pencils, and next to him were a geological survey report, a map of tribal distribution, a map of British military deployments, and a newly translated coded telegram.

The coded telegram came from a "deep throat" lurking in London: "The British Cabinet discussed the situation in the Middle East today. The War Office advocated a hardline stance, the Admiralty worried about fighting on two fronts, and the Foreign Office favored limited compromise. Significant differences existed, and no consensus was reached. Key figures: Lord Kitchener's stance was ambiguous, Sir Grey favored negotiations, and the King remained silent."