World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

The following morning, the British Consulate in Dubai delivered a formal protest note to the Lanfang Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The note was strongly worded, accusing Lanfang of violating international law by allowing warships of belligerent nations to remain in neutral ports for more than 24 hours, and demanding that Lanfang immediately expel the German warships, otherwise Britain would take all necessary measures to protect its own interests.

Chen Feng was drinking tea in his office when he saw the note.

He read it once and laughed.

"All necessary measures." He handed the note to Little beside him. "What measures do you think they will take?"

Li Te took the note and glanced at it.

"Sending warships to blockade the Persian Gulf?" he asked. "How many of them do they still have operational?"

Chen Feng stood up and walked to the window.

"We just received intelligence yesterday," he said. "The Revenge and Conqueror have entered Mumbai harbor and are undergoing repairs. The King George V, Centurion, and Ajax are en route from the Mediterranean. The Renown and Repulse are also on their way."

He turned around: "Ten ships. Within a month, the British can assemble ten capital ships in the Arabian Sea."

Lee Te was silent for a second.

"Commander-in-Chief, then we..."

"We're not going to do anything," Chen Feng interrupted him. "Let them assemble."

He walked back to the table and sat down.

"Let the British protest if they want. Let them gather if they want. Let them impose a blockade if they want." He picked up his teacup. "As long as they don't dare to fight, no matter how loudly they shout, it's useless."

Li Te looked at him: "Are you sure they won't dare to fight?"

Chen Feng smiled.

"Chief of Staff," he said, "think about what the consequences would be if the British declared war on Lanfang now?"

Litt thought for a moment: "We will side with Germany. Six Bismarck-class battleships will join the German Navy. The Nagato will enter service ahead of schedule. The British supply lines throughout the Indian and Atlantic Oceans will be cut off."

"Yes." Chen Feng nodded. "The British understand this better than we do. So all they can do is protest, rally, and intimidate. But when it comes to actually taking action—they don't have the guts."

He put down his teacup: "Go and send a reply note. Say that the German warship is undergoing emergency repairs in Dubai, which is entirely in accordance with international law. It will leave port immediately after the repairs are completed. If the Royal Navy has any ships that need repairs, Lanfang can also provide the same service—at fair prices, no cheating on anyone, young or old."

Leeteuk paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Commander-in-Chief, what's wrong...?"

"It'll infuriate them," Chen Feng said.

On the afternoon of the third day, Scheer went to Pier No. 3 to watch the engineers work.

The breach in the Bismarck's side had been cut into a regular square. Several workers were welding a new steel plate onto it. Sparks flew everywhere, landing on the sea with a hissing sound.

Engineer Tang stood to the side, holding blueprints in his hand, occasionally offering pointers.

Scher walked over and stood beside him.

"Engineer Tang," he said, "how's the progress?"

Tang turned his head, saw it was him, and nodded.

"General, things are going more smoothly than expected." He pointed to the breach. "This will be welded tonight. We'll do a watertight test tomorrow, and if there are no problems, we can fill it with water the day after."

He then pointed to Turret B: "The hydraulic lines have been replaced. Pressure testing is underway, and it should be completed this afternoon."

Scher looked at the workers. They were shirtless, their skin glistening with sweat, but their movements were skilled; the welding torches in their hands were as precise as paintbrushes.

"Engineer Tang," he said, "how many of you are there?"

"The Dubai shipyard has three thousand full-time workers," Tang said. "If needed, we can bring in workers from other factories. Lanfang has invested a lot of money here."

Scher remained silent for a few seconds.

"Engineer Tang," he finally said, "did you come here voluntarily?"

Tang paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, General."

Why?

Tang thought for a moment.

"General," he said, "the Bismarck-class battleships were designed by us. I spent three years drawing these blueprints. I know every line, every figure by heart. They fight in the Atlantic like...like my children fighting out there."

He paused, then said, "If a child is injured, how can a father not go to help?"

Scher looked at him.

Looking at that face covered in grease, and those focused and determined eyes.

"Engineer Tang," he said, "thank you."

Tang shook his head.

"General, you don't need to thank me," he said. "Your best thanks are simply to return alive and continue fighting the British."

Mumbai Port, a British naval base.

Admiral De Robeck stood on the bridge of the flagship HMS King George V, watching the ever-growing number of warships in the harbor.

HMS King George V, his flagship, has just arrived from the Mediterranean. HMS Centurion and HMS Ajax are close behind. HMS Revenge and HMS Conqueror are undergoing repairs in dry dock and will be ready to sail in three days. HMS Ramirez and HMS Sovereign are en route from Singapore. HMS Renown and HMS Repulse have rounded the Cape of Good Hope and will arrive within a week.

Ten ships.

Ten capital ships.

With the addition of destroyers, cruisers, and supply ships, this will be the largest fleet ever assembled by the Royal Navy in the Indian Ocean.

"Commander," the chief of staff approached, "reconnaissance reports that the Germans are still in Dubai harbor, with no sign of setting sail. Repair work appears to be ongoing."

De Robbec nodded.

"Let them fix it," he said. "The longer they fix it, the better."

The chief of staff paused for a moment, then asked, "Commander?"

De Robbec walked to the chart table and pointed to the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

"If they come out now, we only have seven operational ships. Seven against two, we have a numerical advantage, but we can't catch up. They can still escape."

His finger moved toward the location of Dubai Port.

"But the longer they stay inside, the more of our fleet we can have. A week later, ten ships. Ten against two, we can divide our forces to blockade them, we can ambush them, we can leave them nowhere to escape."

He looked up: "Let them fix it. When they come out, they'll be greeted by ten British battleships."

On the afternoon of the seventh day, the repairs on the Bismarck were completed.

Engineer Tang, along with Scheer, examined every single battle wound.

The hydraulic system of turret B has been restored to normal, and the rate of fire has reached two rounds per minute. The breach on the starboard side has been repaired, and the watertightness test has been passed. The radio room below the bridge has been repaired, and both the main and backup antennas are operational. The damage to the secondary gun deck has also been repaired, and the secondary guns can fire normally.

"General," Engineer Tang said, "the Bismarck can now run at thirty knots and fire twelve salvos. Compared to before the war, its combat effectiveness has recovered to more than ninety-five percent."

Scher nodded.

He looked at the giant ship, at its hull gleaming in the setting sun, and at the busy crew members on deck.

Seven days ago, it fled into this port in a sorry state, wounded and disheveled.

Seven days later, it was completely renewed and ready to fight again.