novelAbuy Chapter 178 Preparations for the Fuxing High-Speed Railway
Chapter 178 Preparations for the Fuxing High-Speed Railway
Pontianak Port, 6:30 a.m.
Captain Lin Hai of the battlecruiser "Fuxing" stood on the bridge, holding the encrypted telegram sent directly from Dubai at three o'clock in the morning.
The telegram was very simple, consisting of only three sentences:
Cancel the Singapore visit and prepare to travel to Qingdao immediately.
The visit must be high-profile and public; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will arrange for journalists to accompany the ship.
This voyage may involve special risks, and your ship must maintain the highest level of combat readiness.
Lin Hai read the telegram again, then struck a match, watching the paper curl, blacken, and turn to ash in the copper ashtray. The port outside the window began to awaken, the sounds of loading and unloading cargo echoing from the docks. Several seagulls landed on the railing outside the bridge, tilting their heads to examine the motionless human figure.
"Report!"
The voice of the deputy captain, Chen Qiming, rang out from behind.
"Captain, the engine room reports that the piping in boiler number three requires seal replacement, which will take at least forty-eight hours. And... Qingdao? Isn't that German territory? If we go there now, won't it cause diplomatic problems...?"
"Deputy Chief Chen," Lin Haisheng turned around, his voice calm but authoritative, "an order is an order. Have the chief engineer resolve the issue within twelve hours, using spare parts or directly from the shore warehouse. In twelve hours, I want to see all boilers operating at full capacity."
Chen Qiming opened his mouth, but finally stood at attention and said, "Yes, sir!"
"Also," Lin Haisheng walked to the nautical chart table, pointing to the route from Pontianak to Qingdao, "inform the navigator that I need to see three alternative route options within two hours. These must take into account potential adverse weather conditions, mechanical failures... and hostile interception."
The last four words were spoken very softly, but Chen Qiming's pupils visibly contracted.
"Captain, you mean...?"
"I didn't say anything." Lin Haisheng interrupted him, taking another document from the drawer. "This is the latest combat readiness assessment for the ship's personnel. Notify all department heads to hold an emergency meeting at 10:00 AM. Also..." He paused, "and prepare the officers and soldiers mentally. This voyage might not be so... peaceful."
After Chen Qiming left, Lin Haisheng stood alone on the bridge for a long time. He walked to the observation window on the starboard side and looked at the outlines of other ships in the harbor—two Omaha-class cruisers were refueling, and a submarine had just returned to port after completing night training, leaving its wake on the water.
"Captain Lin."
A gentle voice came from behind. Lin Haisheng didn't need to turn around to know who it was—Zhao Wenyuan, the director of the ship's political department, a forty-year-old former private tutor who was now one of the best ideological workers in the Navy's political department.
"Director Zhao," Lin Haisheng turned around, "Did you see the order?"
"I see." Zhao Wenyuan walked to his side, and the two looked out at the harbor from the window. "And I suspect this is more than just an ordinary visit."
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
"First, for a normal diplomatic visit, we usually get two weeks or even a month's notice in advance so we can make full preparations, including diplomatic etiquette training, gift preparation, and so on. This time it's too rushed." Zhao Wenyuan pushed up his glasses. "Second, Qingdao is a sensitive area now. If war breaks out in Europe, Germany's colonies there will be the target of everyone's attacks. Going there at this time is like adding fuel to the fire."
Lin Hai didn't deny it, but simply asked, "Then why do you think the higher-ups are doing this?"
Zhao Wenyuan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I couldn't sleep last night, tossing and turning. I remembered a line from Sun Tzu's Art of War: 'The skillful strategist brings the enemy to his own ends, not the other way around.' If taking the initiative is risky, it's better to let the enemy make the first move and then look for weaknesses in their actions."
"You mean..." Lin Haisheng's eyes lit up.
“I mean,” Zhao Wenyuan lowered his voice even further, “we might be bait. A big, tempting bait that makes the enemy want to take a bite.”
The two looked at each other for a few seconds and saw the same judgment in each other's eyes.
"If that's the case," Lin Hai looked at the nautical chart again, "then we need to make this bait tempting enough, but not so tempting that it can actually be swallowed whole."
"Therefore, we need the highest level of combat readiness." Zhao Wenyuan nodded. "It's not just about weapons and equipment, but also the psychological preparedness of the officers and soldiers. I will convey this message to everyone in an appropriate way at today's meeting—we are embarking on this voyage with a special mission."
At 10 a.m., the officers' conference room on the Fuxing bullet train was packed with people. More than twenty officers of lieutenant rank and above sat around a long table, all eyes fixed on Lin Haisheng.
"Gentlemen," Lin Hai said, standing at the head of the table, cutting straight to the point without any preamble, "According to the latest order from the Naval Headquarters, our ship will cancel the original plan to visit Singapore and instead proceed to Qingdao for a friendly visit to the German Far East Fleet."
A low commotion arose in the conference room.
"Captain," gunnery officer Wang Zhenguo was the first to raise his hand. This former artilleryman had a booming voice, "Wouldn't going to Qingdao now be too sensitive? The fighting has already broken out in Europe, and Japan is eyeing Shandong covetously. If we get involved now..."
"This is the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and also the order of the Navy," Lin Haisheng replied calmly. "Our mission is to carry it out. However..." He looked around at everyone, "Commander Wang Qiang mentioned something—a sensitive period. Therefore, for this voyage, I have requested that the entire ship enter a level three combat readiness state."
"Level 3 combat readiness?" Chief Engineer Liu Mingde frowned. "That means all the main and secondary guns must be ready to fire at any time, ammunition must be loaded in advance, and the boilers must be kept at at least 80% pressure... Such long-distance voyages will greatly increase fuel consumption."
"I've already coordinated the fuel issue. The Navy Logistics Department will replenish all our oil and coal tanks within 24 hours." Lin Haisheng opened the folder in front of him. "More importantly, we need to assess the personnel status. Starting today, all leave is canceled, and everyone must be on duty. We will conduct two combat readiness drills every day, including damage control, artillery drills, and air defense exercises."
He looked at Navigation Officer Zhou Zhiwei: "Navigation Officer Zhou, has the route plan been finalized?"
"We're out, Captain." Zhou Zhiwei stood up, walked to the nautical chart on the wall, and pointed to a line drawn in red with his pointer. "Starting from Pontianak, we'll pass north of the Natuna Islands, enter the South China Sea, then cross the Taiwan Strait, enter the East China Sea, and finally arrive at Qingdao. The entire journey is about 2,400 nautical miles, and at an economical speed of 15 knots, it will take six and a half days."
"The Taiwan Strait..." Communications officer Li Jing murmured. This female officer was one of the few female officers on the ship. "It's very close to Japanese-controlled territory."
"Yes, so we need to remain highly vigilant," Lin Haisheng continued. "The communications department must monitor public radio channels around the clock, especially frequencies commonly used by the Japanese Navy. The radar room must have double shifts—although our radar is still quite primitive, it's better than the naked eye." (Since the Bismarck battleship was equipped with radar, it was included here.)
Radar officer Zhang Hao nodded: "Understood, Captain. I will personally oversee the night shift."
"Okay." Lin Haisheng closed the folder. "One last point—this mission may not go smoothly. I require every department head to prepare contingency plans for any unforeseen circumstances. The Political Department will assist everyone in conducting ideological work among the officers and soldiers. Before the meeting is adjourned, are there any further questions?"
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds. Then, a young voice rang out.