World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Zhou Zhenguo took a telegram from his briefcase: "Just received news that the first batch of 50,000 people has boarded the ship at Yokosuka Port. They are expected to arrive in Borneo the day after tomorrow morning. The remaining 50,000 people will arrive in two batches within five days."

Chen Feng looked at him: "Have you met Yamamoto Kazuo?" (Couldn't think of any Japanese names, so I just used random ones)

"Not yet. He's still in Yokosuka, waiting for the first batch of ships to arrive. But we've already communicated by telegram, and his stance is very clear: the soldiers of Japan will obey Lanfang's command."

Chen Feng remained silent for a few seconds.

Japan. Ten years ago, they were enemies. Now they're allies.

History is a strange thing.

"Tell Yamamoto Kazuo," he said, "that Lanfang will provide all the equipment, rations, and medicine for the soldiers of the Sakura Kingdom. But there is one condition: they must obey orders. On the battlefield, troops that do not follow orders are more terrifying than the enemy."

Zhou Zhenguo nodded: "I will pass it on."

Chen Feng then tapped the location of Singapore on the map again.

"The Zhenyuan and Jiyuan will set sail first and cruise in the waters between Borneo and Singapore, so the British can see them. Let them keep them up at night and guess when we're going to attack. But remember, no attack is allowed before I give the order."

Zhou Zhenguo asked, "What about the landing troops?"

"Wait there. Wait for my orders."

"The fifth front: the ocean-going fleet."

Chen Feng drew a line along the Red Sea with his pencil, pointing towards the southern entrance of the Suez Canal.

"General Li."

Li Te stood up.

"You will concurrently serve as the commander of the ocean-going fleet, leading the Dingyuan, Zhiyuan, and Changmen into the Red Sea to cooperate with Zhao Dengyu in deterring the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt."

Li Te looked at the map: "What are the specific tasks?"

"Deterrence, not war," Chen Feng said. "Let the British troops stationed in Egypt see our warships and keep them awake at night. But don't fire first. Your guns can be aimed at their positions, but your fingers must not pull the trigger."

Li nodded: "Understood. But what if they fire first?"

Chen Feng looked at him and remained silent for a second.

"Then fight back. But don't make the first move."

"The sixth front: the guerrilla fleet."

Chen Feng pointed his pencil into the depths of the Indian Ocean.

"Sher has already set off."

He looked at the naval staff officer: "Where are they now?"

The staff officer stood up: "The 3 a.m. telegram says the Bismarck and Tirpitz have sailed out of the Persian Gulf and entered the Arabian Sea. They are expected to reach the vicinity of the west coast of India this evening."

"Where is Jellicoe's fleet?"

"Still in Mumbai. Intelligence indicates that all three Avenger-class and two Queen Elizabeth-class ships are undergoing emergency repairs. They won't be able to set sail for at least another week."

Chen Feng nodded.

"Tell Sher that his mission is to keep a close watch on Jellicoe. Once the British fleet comes out, engage them, but don't engage in a decisive battle. Wear them down, hold them off, and then deal with them all at once when our main force arrives."

Staff log: "Yes, sir."

"The seventh front: Australia's reserve team."

Chen Feng's pencil eventually landed on the vast landmass of Australia.

"Fourth and Fifth Divisions, from this moment on, enter Level One combat readiness. All equipment, supplies, and personnel are ready to board the ships at any time."

He looked at the army staff officer: "Where are they now?"

"The Fourth Division is in Borneo, and the Fifth Division is in Kuwait. They have both received orders and are assembling at the port."

"What about training?"

"We are conducting amphibious landing training. There are drills every day, and the soldiers are already familiar with the procedures for boarding, disembarking, and landing on the beach."

Chen Feng nodded.

"Tell them that once we achieve a decisive victory in the Indian Ocean, it will be their turn. Australia is the last piece of British territory in the Pacific. Take it, and Britain will be completely out of Asia."

He put down his pencil, walked back to his seat, and sat down.

There was a three-second silence in the conference room.

Li Te was the first to speak: "Commander-in-Chief, this is... total war."

Chen Feng looked at him and nodded.

Yes. Total war.

He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the sky was beginning to lighten, and the outline of Dubai Harbour was gradually becoming clearer in the morning light.

"The British thought that killing 127 of our men would be enough, and they could just pay some compensation. They were wrong."

He turned around and looked at everyone present.

"This battle is not for revenge, but to ensure that for the next hundred years, no one will dare to touch the people of Lanfang."

"If you're going to fight, you have to fight them hard. Fight them until they kneel down, until they beg for mercy, until they never dare to send their warships to Asia again."

His gaze swept across every face.

"Are you all ready?"

Everyone stood up at the same time.

"Ready!"

The sound echoed in the conference room.

Chen Feng nodded.

"Let's begin then."

At 9:00 AM, Hordasa, 300 kilometers east of the Sinai Peninsula.

Zhao Dengyu stood outside the temporary command post, looking at the long steel dragon that was moving in the distance.

That was the tank unit of the 1st Mechanized Infantry Division. More than fifty Panzer II tanks, lined up in a single column, were heading towards the assembly point. The roar of their engines could be heard several kilometers away, and the dust kicked up by their tracks blotted out the sun, making them look like a giant yellow dragon crawling across the ground.

Chief of Staff Li Tiejun stood beside him, holding a folder in his hand.

"Commander, the vanguard of the 2nd Division has arrived and is setting up camp on the east side. The 3rd Division is expected to arrive at 3 p.m. The 7th, 8th, and 9th Divisions are still on their way and will all arrive by tomorrow morning at the earliest."

Zhao Dengyu nodded without saying anything.

He looked at the tanks, the armored vehicles, trucks, and supply trucks following behind them, and the soldiers sitting in them. The soldiers were tanned dark, their faces covered in dust, but their eyes shone brightly—the kind of eyes only those going to war would have.

"Old Li," he finally spoke, "tell me, what are the British doing right now?"

Li Tiejun thought for a moment: "They should be reinforcing the defenses of the Suez Canal. With such a large commotion on our side, their reconnaissance planes must have spotted us."

"It's good that they've seen it," Zhao Dengyu said. "Let them see it, make them nervous, make them move all their troops to the canal. By the time we actually attack, they'll have been waiting for days, exhausted and scared, making it the best time to strike."

Li Tiejun laughed: "Commander, this is psychological warfare."

"Any kind of battle is fine, as long as we can win."

In the distance, a jeep sped up and stopped in front of the command post. A communications soldier jumped out and ran over to salute.

"Commander, an urgent telegram from the Commander-in-Chief!"

Zhao Dengyu took the telegram, glanced at it, and then handed it to Li Tiejun.

After reading it, Li Tiejun frowned slightly: "'No crossing the canal before my order'... Commander, are you telling us to wait?"

Zhao Dengyu nodded.

"Wait. But it won't be in vain."

He turned and walked into the command post, standing before the enormous map of Sinai. On the map, the Suez Canal stretched out like a thin blue line, separating the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.