World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"President, you mean that what we do is one thing, and what slogans we shout is another."

"The two don't have to be the same." Chen Feng nodded. "The British can intercept and inspect neutral ships on the high seas, but they have no right to prevent a neutral fleet from conducting normal training in international waters. As long as we don't openly supply the Germans, and as long as our supply ships don't deliver oil to German warships in front of the British, they have no reason to take action."

Litt added from the side, "Moreover, Scheer is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, far from any British ports. Even if the British suspect something, they can't send their main fleet to intercept it—their main force has just been decimated, and the rest are busy defending their homeland."

Zhang Zhen thought for a moment and then asked, "But the British will block us in the Suez Canal."

"Yes," Chen Feng said, "but they don't dare to actually block it."

Why?

"Because they're unsure." Chen Feng stood up and walked to the window. "They're unsure if we're really just going for training. They're unsure if blocking us will completely push Lanfang towards Germany. They're unsure how many cards we have in our hand—the existence of the Nagato is still unknown to them."

He turned around: "So they'll let us through. They'll let us through through gritted teeth. They'll let us through while cursing, and they'll let us through while cursing."

Zhang Zhen remained silent for a few seconds.

He was thinking about a question. A question he had to ask.

"Commander-in-Chief," he finally spoke, "are you sure you want to do this? It's a gamble. A gamble that the British won't dare to act, a gamble that the Milicians won't take advantage of the situation, a gamble that Scheer can hold out until we arrive."

Chen Feng stared at him for a long time.

"General Zhang," he said, "do you know which sentence in Scheer's telegram I admire most?"

Zhang Zhen shook his head.

"It wasn't 'I beg your country for help,'" Chen Feng said. "It was 'If it's inconvenient to intervene openly, at least inform us of the nearest supply sea area.' Scher knew we were watching and waiting for an opportunity. He didn't ask us to get involved in the fighting, he just asked us to give him a way out."

He paused for a moment, then said, "A person like that is worth taking a gamble on."

Zhang Zhen stood at attention: "Commander-in-Chief, Zhang Zhen obeys the order."

"We're leaving in three days," Chen Feng said. "Li Te, is the engineering team ready?"

Li Te nodded: "Thirty marine engineers, twenty hull engineers, and ten fire control experts are ready to go. They all volunteered."

"Tell them," Chen Feng said, "that they might not come back. The Germans' situation might be worse than we imagine. Nobody knows if those two Bismarck-class ships will even make it out of the Atlantic alive. If they sink with the Germans..."

Li Te paused for a moment, then said, "They know. They all signed the volunteer forms. Everything that needed to be arranged at home has been taken care of."

Chen Feng nodded.

He looked out the window at the giant ship still under the spotlight and said softly, "The Nagato won't be commissioned for another two months. Until then, the Huaihe and Zhujiang are our trump cards in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Zhang Zhen, don't let them all be wiped out."

Chang Chen stood at attention: "Yes, sir!"

"Also," Chen Feng walked back to the chart table, pointing to the Mediterranean exit, "after passing Gibraltar, maintain radio silence. I'll have someone update Scheer's coordinates daily. Once we reach the rendezvous point, stay for a maximum of three days. After three days, regardless of whether the repairs are complete or not, we must return."

Chang Chen paused for a moment, then asked, "What if it's not fixed?"

Chen Feng looked at him and said, "Then let them figure it out themselves. We can't stay in the Atlantic for too long; the British will react."

Zhang Zhen was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Understood."

Chen Feng glanced at the clock on the wall—4:20 a.m.

"It's almost dawn," he said. "Go back and get ready."

Zhang Zhen and Li Te stood at attention, saluted, and turned to leave the conference room.

After the door closed, Chen Feng stood alone in front of the chart table, looking at the unfolded world map.

His fingers traced the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, finally stopping at that tiny dot in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

There, two German warships were waiting to die.

There, Lanfang's fleet is about to set sail.

There, a game that would change the course of the war had just begun.

At 2 p.m. on February 22, Tirpitz entered his study at Sanssouci Palace.

Wilhelm II stood by the window, his back to the door, gazing at the gray sky outside. Berlin doesn't get snow in February, but the sky is always gray, as gray as lead, as gray as iron, as gray as a monument of an old era.

"Your Majesty." Tirpitz stood at the door and bowed slightly.

Wilhelm II did not turn around: "Alfred, you've arrived. Sit down."

Tirpitz did not sit. He walked to the desk, stood still, and waited for the emperor to speak.

Wilhelm II finally turned around. The fervor of yesterday was gone from his face, replaced by a suppressed excitement—like a flame suppressed beneath the surface of water, still burning, only the flame was invisible.

"Alfred," he walked back to his desk, placing his hands on the tabletop, "when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow, Your Majesty, we will take a special train to Vienna, then enter the Ottoman Empire, and finally arrive in Dubai. The entire journey will take approximately eight days."

Wilhelm II nodded: "Eight days. You will see Chen Feng in eight days."

He paused. "Alfred, I didn't sleep a wink last night. I was thinking about what to say when I saw Chen Feng."

Tirpitz remained silent. He knew the emperor didn't need him to speak, only to listen.

"I've thought about this a lot," Wilhelm II continued. "I'm thinking about what Germany can offer Lanfang. Colonies? New Guinea, Nauru, Samoa—all to them. Trade privileges? Lanfang merchant ships can freely enter and exit all German ports, with tariffs halved. Technology sharing? Germany's submarine technology, gunpowder technology, optical technology—we can discuss it if they want it."

He raised his head: "But after thinking about it for a long time, I feel that these are not what Chen Feng wants most."

Tirpitz finally spoke: "What does His Majesty think he wants?"

Wilhelm II remained silent for a few seconds.

"He wants time," he said. "I've thought about it for a long time and finally figured it out. I've studied repeatedly what Chen Feng said to Wilson in Hawaii. He said, 'When Meilika is eliminated, Lanfang will also be eliminated.' But he said 'will also be eliminated,' not 'at the same time.'"

He walked to the window, his back to Tirpitz: "The difference is that he wants Milicás to come off the field only after she has already left it, not when Germany needs her most."

Tirpitz remained silent for a few seconds.

"Your Majesty, you are right," he said. "What Lanfang wants is not colonies, but balance. They want us and Britain to wear each other down, Germany and France to wear each other down, and then they will step in to clean up the mess after everyone is almost exhausted."