novelAbuy Chapter 176 The Movements of the Combined Fleet
Chapter 176 The Movements of the Combined Fleet
"Well then," Shigenobu Okuma finally made his decision, "the Cabinet agrees in principle to the Navy Ministry's plan: to prioritize resolving the Lanfang threat. However, the specific timing and operational plan need to be formulated in detail."
He looked at Yashiro Rokuro: "Regarding the navy, you are fully responsible for formulating the operational plan. As for the army," he then looked at Okaichinosuke, "prepare for the landing on Borneo. Once the navy achieves victory, the army must be able to seize key ports and resource-producing areas as quickly as possible."
"Yes!" the two military ministers replied simultaneously, bowing their heads.
"Kato-kun," Ōkuma Shigenobu turned to the Foreign Minister, "I'm entrusting the diplomatic work to you. Closely monitor the situation in Europe, especially the movements of the British Far East Fleet. At the same time, maintain a facade of friendliness towards Lanfang; don't let them become suspicious prematurely."
"clear."
The meeting lasted another hour, discussing many details. By the time the attendees gradually left, it was already dusk.
Yashiro Rokuro and Okaichinosuke walked side by side along the corridor of the Akasaka Imperial Villa. The setting sun cast long shadows of them.
"Yashiro-kun," Okaichi suddenly spoke, his voice much softer than in the conference room, "are you really confident you can defeat the Lanfang Navy? I've heard their Bismarck-class destroyers... are incredibly powerful."
Yashiro Rokuro stopped and looked at the hydrangeas in full bloom in the courtyard.
"Okaichi-kun, have you ever hunted?" He didn't answer directly.
"I used to go there often when I was young."
"Then you should know that no matter how ferocious a wild boar is, once it falls into a trap, it will only be able to struggle for its life." Yashiro Rokuro turned his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes behind his glasses. "What we need to do now is dig a large enough trap for the Lanfang Navy. And fortunately, the war in Europe has already attracted the attention of hunters all over the world."
Dubai time, 11 PM.
The lights were still on in the top-floor office of the administration building. Chen Feng stood by the window, a cup of tea that had gone cold, gazing at the sleeping city. In the distance, the port lighthouse rotated rhythmically, its beams slicing across the night sky.
A knock came at the door.
"Enter."
Wang Wenwu pushed open the door and came in, holding a new telegram in his hand: "Commander-in-Chief, Berlin has replied."
"How so?"
"They agreed to all our conditions in principle, including technology transfer and written commitments regarding Japan. But they demanded an increase in oil supplies to 300,000 barrels per month, and..." Wang Wenwu paused, "and demanded that we allow German merchant ships to conduct 'necessary repairs and resupply' at the port of Lanfang."
Chen Feng turned around, a cold smile on his face: "Necessary repairs and supplies? This is giving the raiding ship the green light."
"An attack ship?"
"If war breaks out, the German Navy will send raiding ships disguised as merchant vessels to attack Allied merchant ships in the oceans." Chen Feng walked back to his desk, put down his teacup, and said, "They need neutral ports to rest, refuel, and replenish their ammunition. They used to use Spanish ports, but now... they've set their sights on ours."
Wang Wenwu's expression changed: "This is too dangerous! If Britain discovers this, we will be immediately listed as an enemy country."
"So we can't agree." Chen Feng sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples. He had been working for sixteen hours straight, and his temples were throbbing. "Reply to Berlin: Oil production can be increased to 300,000 barrels, with a 10% price increase. But port usage rights are absolutely out of the question; that's a red line."
"What if they insist?"
"Then tell them we'll go talk to the British." Chen Feng's voice was calm, but his words carried great weight. "The British Admiralty will certainly be happy to buy out our oil production for the next year at a higher price."
Wang Wenwu noted down the instructions, but did not leave immediately. He hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Commander-in-Chief, there's something I feel is amiss."
"explain."
"The Security Bureau monitored that radio communications at the Japanese Consulate in the UK had tripled in the past 72 hours. Although most of them were encrypted messages, judging from the signal length and transmission frequency, at least half of them were sent to the Ministry of the Navy and the Combined Fleet Command."
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes.
"Furthermore," Wang Wenwu continued, "our trading company in Nagasaki reported that the naval ports of Kure and Yokosuka have been unusually busy these past few days, with several capital ships undergoing 'emergency departure preparations.' According to the original plan, the Kongo-class ships should be undergoing their annual maintenance at this time."
The room was quiet for a few seconds. The hum of the air conditioner was particularly clear.
"Where is Zhou Tieshan?" Chen Feng suddenly asked.
"At the communications center, he was waiting for more detailed intelligence to be sent back from Tokyo."
"Call him up. And Little, if he's at Naval Headquarters, call him up too."
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Tieshan and Li Te arrived. Zhou Tieshan was holding a folder, his expression even more grave than in the afternoon; Li Te was wearing a naval uniform, clearly having come directly from headquarters.
"Is there any news from Tokyo?" Chen Feng asked Zhou Tieshan directly.
"Yes, but it's not final confirmation yet." Zhou Tieshan opened the folder. "One of our informants, who infiltrated the Navy Ministry, risked his life six hours ago to deliver a message: 'Cherry blossoms will bloom in the South China Sea.'"
"Cherry blossoms will bloom in the South China Sea..." Li Te repeated the sentence, his expression gradually changing. "This is... the code name for a naval operational plan?"
"Very likely." Zhou Tieshan nodded. "Our cryptography experts analyzed the sentence and concluded that 'cherry blossoms' refers to the Joint Fleet, and 'South China Sea' does not refer to the South China Sea in a geographical sense, but rather to... our Lanfang."
The temperature in the office seemed to drop several degrees instantly.
Chen Feng stood up from his chair and slowly walked to the world map. His gaze moved back and forth between Tokyo and Dubai, finally settling on the vast blue sea.
"Li Te," he said without turning around, "if you were the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, what tactics would you choose to defeat us at sea?"
Li Te walked to the map and pondered for a moment: "If I were the Japanese commander, considering the superior quality of our individual ships, I would never seek a direct fleet battle. I would choose..." He drew several arrows on the map with his finger, "to divide our forces to lure the enemy, concentrate our superior forces to annihilate a portion of our forces first, and then defeat them one by one."
"Be more specific."
"For example," Li Te pointed to a spot in the East China Sea, "a rapid deployment team could be sent out to feign an attack on our sea lanes or a key target, luring some of our ships into action. Then, in a pre-arranged ambush area, our main fleet could surround and annihilate them. Once we lose one or two of our main warships, the balance of power would be reversed."