World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Right now, the world is at war. Five million people have already died in Europe, and the war is still spreading. Many people are asking: What about Lanfang? Should we join the war? My answer is: Lanfang's army has only one mission—to defend Lanfang."

Chen Feng raised his voice slightly:

"We will not invade others, but we will never allow others to invade us. We will not initiate war, but we will never fear war. If anyone threatens our security, if anyone infringes upon our interests, if anyone harms our people—then the Lanfang army will give the most resolute response!"

The first applause rang out. It wasn't the enthusiastic kind, but rather a deep, powerful sound, like war drums.

Chen Feng raised his hand, and the applause stopped.

"The fifteen generals who are being awarded ranks today are about to be deployed to different locations. Borneo, Basra, Kuwait, Oman... there are our oil fields, our ports, and our compatriots. Your mission is to protect these places, so that the people of Lanfang can live in peace and Lanfang's economy can continue to develop."

He looked at Wang Guojian: "General Wang, you are going to Borneo. There are oil fields there with an annual output of three million tons, and the largest shipyard in Asia. Your mission is not passive defense, but to make anyone who covets that place think twice before taking action."

Wang Guojianzheng: "I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Chen Feng nodded, then turned his gaze to the other generals:

"Each of you must remember: you are commanding either Chinese or Arab divisions. But in my eyes, they are all Lanfang soldiers. There is no distinction of ethnicity, only the difference of loyalty and courage. What I want you to do is to gain the trust of the soldiers, and to gain the trust of soldiers of different ethnicities among each other. Only a united army is an invincible army."

He took a step back and nodded to the master of ceremonies.

The conferment ceremony begins.

Chen Feng personally pinned the rank of Major General on each general. After each pinning, he shook hands with the recipient and said a brief but powerful sentence:

"Wang Guojian: Borneo is now in your hands."

Liu Zhenjie: Armored forces are like the blade; they must be sharpened to be sharp.

Chen Keyu: Political work cannot be relaxed.

……

Shen Peng: The reserve team must be ready to be deployed at any time and capable of winning.

Fifteen people, fifteen sentences. Each sentence was tailored to their specific task.

After the ceremony, Chen Feng walked back to the microphone.

"Finally, I want to say to all soldiers: History is undergoing tremendous changes. The old order is collapsing, and new forces are rising. Lanfang, as a newly emerging nation, we cannot choose the era we were born into, but we can choose what role we play in this era."

His voice echoed across the square:

"The role we choose is not hegemony, not conqueror, but defender—defender of our hard-won peace, defender of our right to equal development, and defender of the dignity of every Lanfang person."

"This role is not easy. We will face pressure, threats, and even war. But as long as we are united, as long as we are determined, and as long as we remember why we are fighting—then no matter what lies ahead, Lanfang can overcome it."

He stood at attention and saluted.

Three thousand people salute at the same time.

The military band played the national anthem again. To the stirring melody, Chen Feng stepped down from the reviewing stand and got into his car.

As the car started, Wang Wenwu, sitting beside him, said softly, "Well said."

Chen Feng watched the rapidly retreating soldiers outside the window without saying a word.

He was thinking of Wilson, of London, of Berlin, of Tokyo. The world is like a giant chessboard, each country is a piece, and the players are playing a game that concerns the fate of billions of people.

His next step was Borneo. He was going to see Saionji Kinmochi and Yamamoto Gonnohyōe.

We must teach the land of cherry blossoms one last lesson.

The car drove out of the Army Headquarters and headed towards the port. The "Huaihe" had been fully fueled and replenished with supplies, and would be able to set sail early tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, in faraway Washington, Lieutenant General Rodman was preparing his way to Dubai.

The two shipping routes will converge in the Persian Gulf.

The next chapter of history is about to begin.

The underground command center of the military headquarters building.

The atmosphere here was completely different from the solemnity of the square. There were no flags, no music, only cold steel, flashing indicator lights, and the deep hum of machinery. In the center of the command center, a huge sand table almost occupied the entire room, meticulously depicting the terrain from the Middle East to Southeast Asia.

Chen Feng had changed out of his formal dress and into a plain dark green military uniform. Fifteen newly appointed major generals sat on chairs around the sand table, each with a thick folder spread out in front of them. Chief of the General Staff Zhou Hongwen (the newly revised name) stood beside the sand table, holding a thin pointer stick in his hand.

"Let's begin," Chen Feng said, his voice exceptionally clear in the enclosed space.

Zhou Hongwen nodded and pointed the pointer to the location of Borneo on the sand table.

"General Wang, General Yang, General Fan—your defense zones." The indicator stick moved, "The total strength of the Borneo garrison is three divisions. Among them, Wang Guojian's 5th Division and Yang Guoyan's 6th Division are Chinese divisions, and Fan Pupu's 27th Division is an Arab division. The total strength is 54,000 men."

He marked several key points on the sand table:

"The primary focus of defense is the oil fields here." The indicator points to the coastal area of ​​North Borneo, "producing 8,000 tons of crude oil per day, accounting for 40 percent of Lanfang's total output. Oil wells, refineries, storage tanks, oil terminals—all these facilities must be protected by a comprehensive defense system."

Wang Guojian stood up and walked to the sand table: "My plan is to establish a three-layered defense perimeter centered on the oil field. The outermost layer is a mobile patrol team equipped with armored vehicles and motorcycles, with a patrol radius of fifty kilometers. The middle layer consists of fixed outposts and artillery positions, controlling all access roads. The innermost layer is the direct defense of core facilities, with a company of soldiers on duty 24 hours a day at each key node."

"What about air defense?" Chen Feng asked.

"Thirty-six 75mm anti-aircraft guns and twelve anti-aircraft machine gun positions have been deployed around the oil field. In addition, the Air Force has pledged to deploy a fighter squadron in Borneo, ready to intercept at any time."

Chen Feng looked at Yang Guoyan: "What is the mission of your Sixth Division?"

Yang Guoyan also stood up: "The Sixth Division is responsible for the defense of southern Borneo and the inland areas, with a focus on the shipyards and military industrial complexes here." He pointed to another area on the sand table, "At the same time, it serves as the island's mobile reserve. If enemy activity occurs in any direction, our division can complete assembly and maneuver within six hours."

"General Fan, where is your Arab division?"

Fan Pupu's answer was concise: "My division is stationed on the east coast, responsible for coastal defense and anti-landing operations training. At the same time... we are also conducting pilot projects for ethnic integration."