World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

"Coffee." Chief of Staff Colonel Henry Crowley approached with a steaming cup of coffee. "General, you've been standing for four hours."

Jericho took the coffee without saying a word. He walked to the starboard window, raised his binoculars, and looked northwest—towards Dubai—where there was nothing on the horizon yet.

Crowley stood behind him and said softly, "General, perhaps the Germans won't come out today. Perhaps they'll need to repair the walls for a few more days."

"No," Jellicoe said, putting down his binoculars. "The Lanfang people only gave them seven days. Today is the last day. They will definitely come out."

He walked back to the chart table and bent down to look at the densely marked Arabian Sea chart. The symbols of the twelve capital ships formed a huge semicircle around the Dubai port exit—HMS King George V, HMS Centurion, and HMS Ajax were on the innermost side; HMS Revenge, HMS Ramirez, HMS Royal Oak, HMS Sovereign, and HMS Conqueror were in the middle; and the two high-speed battlecruisers, HMS Renown and HMS Repulse, were cruising on the outermost side.

This was the largest force the Royal Navy could muster in the Indian Ocean. Twelve capital ships, plus fifteen destroyers, eight cruisers, and six supply ships, were enough to trap those two German warships in the Arabian Sea and slowly wear them down.

"General," the sonar officer's voice came from the corner, tinged with tension, "Contact! To the northwest, about 45 nautical miles away, two large warships, heading 130, speed about 18 knots."

Jericho whirled around and rushed into the sonar room in three strides.

"Eighteen sections..." Jericho muttered to himself, "They're slowing down. Trying to sneak past."

Crowley leaned closer: "General, it could also be a Lanfang warship. They also have Bismarck-class ships."

Jericho was silent for three seconds.

He knew Crowley was right. The Lanfang forces had four Bismarck-class ships docked in Dubai—the Huaihe, the Zhujiang, the Dingyuan, and the Zhiyuan. It was indeed possible that the Lanfang forces would send ships out for training at this time.

But the timing was too coincidental. The Germans had just finished repairs, and the Lanfang team was already out training?

"Order the Renown and Repulse to advance and scout ahead," Jellicoe said. "Maintain radio silence and make only visual confirmations. Do not approach, and do not alert the enemy."

"yes!"

The order was given. Communication lights flashed, signaling the message to the battlecruisers patrolling on either side.

Five minutes later, HMS Renown and HMS Repulse accelerated simultaneously, bursting out from the left and right flanks of the British fleet, increasing their speed to twenty-six knots, and disappearing into the night to the northwest.

Jellicoe stood by the window, watching the two ships grow smaller and smaller, and a strange premonition welled up inside him.

almost.

It'll be here soon.

At 5:00 AM, on the bridge of the Huaihe ship.

Zhang Zhen stood by the porthole, also holding up his binoculars and looking southeast. It was still pitch black there, with only a faint line of dawn breaking where the sea met the sky.

"General," the radar officer's voice came through, "Several ships detected to the southeast. We are currently assessing them... at least fifteen. Two high-speed ships are approaching, at a speed of approximately 26 knots, at a distance of about 30 nautical miles."

Zhang Zhen's hand paused on the binoculars for a moment.

Twenty-six knots. That's the speed of a battlecruiser. The British sent a high-speed ship to confirm it.

"Keep quiet at all stations," he said. "Main guns must be kept at zero elevation. No one is allowed to make any provocative moves."

"yes!"

The order was given. Responses came through the loudspeakers from each battle station, their voices low, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Zhang Zhen turned around and looked at the reporters in the corner of the bridge.

Reporter Fang, along with his three companions, had already set up their cameras, lenses pointed southeast. Their faces showed no fear, only a focused gaze Zhang Zhen was very familiar with—the look of a hunter waiting for its prey.

"Reporter Fang," Zhang Zhen walked over, "when the British open fire, you all lie down immediately. A few seconds of filming is enough; your lives are at stake."

Reporter Fang looked up and smiled: "General, don't worry. I've filmed wars for twenty years, and I know that shells don't discriminate. But we must capture the first moment—that's evidence."

He paused, then patted the camera beside him: "The latest Kodak model, shutter speed of one-thousandth of a second. It can capture the smoke from the British firing, the trajectory of the shells, and the moment they hit the water."

Zhang Zhen nodded and walked back to the porthole.

He raised his binoculars again and looked southeast.

On the horizon, the two rapidly moving black dots were becoming faintly visible. Those were HMS Renown and HMS Repulse, the British Navy's proudest battlecruisers, charging toward them at a speed of twenty-six knots.

The Pearl River was about 5,000 meters to the left and rear of the Huaihe, equally quiet and silent. Zhou Zhenguo must have seen the two British ships as well, and was probably waiting as well.

What are you waiting for?

Wait for the British to make a mistake.

Wait for the British to open that door themselves.

At 5:20 a.m., on the bridge of the HMS Renown.

Captain Robert Layton held up his binoculars, staring intently at the two giant ships slowly sailing ahead.

The distance had been reduced to twenty nautical miles. Dawn was dispelling the darkness, and the outlines of the two ships were becoming clearer—long hulls, tall bridges, and the iconic twin-gun turret layout.

Bismarck class.

Captain Layton had served in the Royal Navy for thirty years and had seen countless blueprints and photographs of warships. He knew this outline all too well—it was the Germans' deadliest weapon, the nightmare of the HMS Hood, and a thorn in the Royal Navy's side.

but……

He increased the magnification of his binoculars and carefully observed the masts of the two ships.

There was no national flag.

The mast was empty; nothing was hanging on it.

"Captain," the first mate's voice came from behind, "they're not flying their national flags."

Layton nodded. "I saw it."

"So... is he German or from Lanfang?"

Layton was silent for three seconds.

The German warships left Dubai without flying their national flag, attempting to slip away unnoticed. This logic makes sense.

Lanfang's warships go to sea for training without flying their national flag? That's against regulations. Which country's warships go to sea without flying their national flag? That would violate international law.

"Signal the flagship," Layton said. "Visually confirmed, two Bismarck-class ships, not flying any flags. Moving southeast at eighteen knots. Requesting instructions."

The signalman raised the signal light. The light flashed, transmitting the message to the distant HMS King George V.

Thirty seconds later, the flagship replied: "Maintain surveillance, do not expose yourself. Await orders."

Layton put down his binoculars, a surge of barely suppressed excitement welling up inside him.

If it were a German, if the flagship had given the order to fire, if he could have watched those two Bismarck-class ships sink to the bottom of the sea...

He shook his head, trying to banish those thoughts from his mind.

Now, all we can do is wait.