World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Ludendorff was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"It can't be held. Britain has at most 200,000 troops stationed in India, and they have to be divided among various places. Japan and Lanfang together have at least 1.5 million troops. If they attack from both the east and the west, India will surely fall."

Tirpitz nodded: "Yes. If India is lost, Britain is completely finished in Asia."

He turned to look at Wilhelm II.

"Your Majesty, what I mean is—we can wait. Wait until Lanfang takes India, wait until the main force of the Sakura Kingdom is freed up, wait until our allies become stronger."

Wilhelm II looked at him: "How long?"

"At the fastest, three months; at the slowest, six months."

"And what about six months from now?"

Tirpitz's voice was soft, but every word was as heavy as a stone.

"Six months later, Lanfang will be able to deploy hundreds of thousands of troops to support the European battlefield."

The meeting room fell silent once again.

Hundreds of thousands of Lanfang troops. This phrase weighs like a boulder on everyone's heart.

Hindenburg was the first to react. He looked at Tirpitz, a sharp glint in his cloudy eyes.

"Marshal Tirpitz, would the Lanfang Federation be willing to send troops to Europe to help us?"

Tirpitz nodded: "Yes."

"Why should they?" Hindenburg's voice rose a half-octave. "Lanfang is halfway around the world from us, we don't share a border, and we have no direct conflict of interest. Why should they help us fight?"

Tirpitz looked at him calmly.

"Hindenburg, do you remember when Lanfang helped us transport troops from the Japanese Empire to fight in the war?"

Hindenburg paused for a moment.

"That's different. That was transportation, logistical support. This is sending troops—hundreds of thousands of soldiers, crossing half the globe, to Europe to shed blood for us. Do you think Chen Feng would do something so unprofitable?"

Tirpitz remained silent for a few seconds.

"Hindenburg, you don't understand Chen Feng. He's not the kind of person who only focuses on immediate gains."

He walked up to the map and pointed to Europe.

"Look, if the British lose, who will be happiest? It's us. But if the British collapse completely, who will rise? It's Lanfang. Chen Feng understands better than anyone that letting Germany fall will not benefit Lanfang. A multipolar world is in Lanfang's best interest."

Hindenburg shook his head.

"Tirpitz, you've only been in Lanfang for a few days and you've already been brainwashed? Chen Feng is a politician, not a philanthropist. Every decision he makes is for Lanfang's benefit. Sending hundreds of thousands of troops to Europe—what good does that do for Lanfang?"

"Yes," Tirpitz said, "after the war."

"After the war?"

"Yes. After the war." Tirpitz pointed to the map. "After the war, someone will need to rebuild Europe. Who will rebuild it? Lanfang. They have industrial capacity, capital, and goods. But if they didn't participate in the war, they would have no say in the peace conference. They wouldn't get a single penny of the post-war distribution of benefits."

He paused, then spoke even softer.

"Hindenburg, Chen Feng once told me something—'If it's not on the table, it's on the menu.' Do you understand what that means?"

Hindenburg fell silent.

Tirpitz continued, "For Lanfang to become a world power, it must participate in world affairs. Sending troops to Europe is their pledge of allegiance. After the war, they will sit at the head of the negotiating table with Britain, France, and Merika to redraw the world map."

Ludendorff suddenly spoke up: "Marshal, your intelligence says that Chen Feng's next target is Australia."

Tirpitz nodded: "Yes."

"With such a large territory as Australia, wouldn't they need to commit their main forces?"

Tirpitz laughed. That kind of laugh made Ludendorff feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"Ludendorff, have you ever been to Australia?"

Ludendorff shook his head.

“I’ve been there,” Tirpitz said. “In 1910, I visited Sydney as a representative of the German Navy. Australia is vast and sparsely populated, about the size of Europe, with a population of only five million. How many British troops were stationed there? Less than fifty thousand.”

He pointed to the huge landmass on the map.

"Fifty thousand troops are simply not enough to defend the entire continent. Lanfang only needs to deploy thirty to fifty thousand men to land at a few key ports to occupy the whole of Australia. The rest is just mopping up the remaining enemy forces—there is no need for hundreds of thousands of troops at all."

Hindenburg stared at him: "You mean, Chen Feng will move the main force to India, and then from India to Europe?"

Tirpitz nodded.

"After the Indian campaign, the combined forces of Lanfang and Japan had at least 800,000 troops available for maneuver. 800,000 men, plus our main force, would be enough to drive the Anglo-French forces back into the sea."

The debate lasted for an hour.

Hindenburg insisted on not believing the Italians, Tirpitz insisted on waiting for news from Lanfang, Ludendorff wavered between the two, and Bateman listened silently without saying a word.

Wilhelm II sat in the main seat, listening to the arguments, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

He recalled three years earlier, when the war had just broken out. Back then, everyone said it would be over before Christmas. Back then, everyone said the German army was invincible. Back then, everyone said the Allies wouldn't last six months.

Three years have passed.

Three Christmases have passed, and the war continues. The German army is indeed invincible, but the enemy has not been defeated either. The Allied Powers have indeed held out for six months, and are still holding out.

Three million German youths died on the battlefield. German cities were filled with starving people. Workers were striking in German factories. The German treasury had no money left to pay military salaries.

He needs a victory. A decisive victory.

Italy's defection was that opportunity.

But he also knew Hindenburg was right. The Italians were indeed untrustworthy. They had betrayed them once two years ago, and again a year ago. Who could guarantee they were sincere this time?

Outside the window, the sun was gradually setting in the west. Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows on the floor.

Wilhelm II finally spoke.

That's enough.

The meeting room fell silent. All four people stared at him.

Wilhelm II stood up and walked to the map. He stared at the European continent, densely marked with red and blue pencils, for a long time.

Then he turned and looked at Hindenburg.

"Marshal, you should go to Italy yourself."

Hindenburg paused, then asked, "Your Majesty?"

"Go and talk to Boseli. Talk in detail, see how sincere they really are." Wilhelm II's voice was calm. "Tell them that Germany needs to see action, not empty words."

Hindenburg was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Your Majesty, what if they ask us what action we need?"

Wilhelm II thought for a moment.

"Let them prove their loyalty. War against France, war against Britain—let their hands be stained with blood. Only then can we trust them."

Hindenburg nodded.

"And also," Wilhelm II looked at Tirpitz, "you continue to maintain contact with Lanfang. Tell them that Germany needs to know their timeline: when they can take India, and when they can send troops to Europe."

Tirpitz nodded: "Understood."

Wilhelm II walked back to his seat and sat down. He looked somewhat tired, but the light in his eyes remained.

"Meeting adjourned. Hindenburg, please prepare to depart tomorrow."

The four people stood up and filed out.

Only Wilhelm II remained in the conference room.