World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

Chapter 82 The Great Ship's Westward Journey: The Shock of Suez

On the morning of the seventh day, the dock was once again crowded with people.

This time there were no cheers, only silence. People watched silently as the officers and soldiers of the "Guangfu" boarded the ship in formation, and watched Wang Wenwu lead his team—thirty-two people, carrying uniform black briefcases and wearing dark gray Zhongshan suits or naval uniforms.

Chen Feng stood by the gangway and handed Wang Wenwu a sealed file folder.

"There are three documents inside." He lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear. "The red cover is the public condition to the British. The blue cover is our bottom line. The white cover... is something we can 'accidentally' reveal to the British if they cause trouble."

Wang Wenwu took it; it felt heavy in his hand. "What's inside the white cover?"

"Some design sketches of a simplified version of the 'Recovery-class'." Chen Feng smiled faintly. "Its performance is 30% stronger than the 'Dreadnought,' but 30% weaker than our full version. Fisher would have sleepless nights if he saw this."

"Understood."

"Remember," Chen Feng looked at him, "we're not going there to beg for recognition. We're going there to tell them: this table now has a place for us. If they won't give it up, we'll just bring our own chairs and sit down."

Wang Wenwu nodded, turned around, and stepped onto the gangway.

Halfway there, he turned back: "Young Master, what if the negotiations break down?"

Chen Feng stood on the dock, with a city of 300,000 people behind him. Smoke billowed from the power plant's chimneys, the dull thud of forging hammers echoed from the steel mill, and further away, the desert was being conquered inch by inch by the railway.

"Then come back," he said. "We have plenty of time; they can't afford to waste it."

The whistle sounded.

Standing on the bridge, Li Te spoke into the megaphone: "Attention all personnel, prepare for departure. Engine room, power preheating. Navigation department, check the course. All departments report on readiness."

The sound traveled back from the lower levels of the cabins, layer by layer:

"Engine room ready! Four steam turbines on standby, oil-fired boilers at normal pressure!"

"Navigation department is ready! Route planned: via Colombo, Aden, Suez, to the Mediterranean!"

"Armored units are ready! Main guns have one-third of their ammunition reserves, secondary guns are fully prepared!"

"Communications department is ready! Radio frequency bands are clear!"

Lee Te looked at the increasingly smaller figure on the dock and raised his hand in salute.

Then he turned around and said, "Untie the moorings, set sail."

On the fourth day after leaving port, the "Guangfu" sailed into the depths of the Indian Ocean.

Wang Wenwu convened the first voyage meeting in the officers' mess. Thirty-two people crowded around a long table, and the sea outside the porthole was a dark, almost black, blue.

"This is a summary of the European intelligence we've obtained." Wang Wenwu pushed a stack of documents over. "Everyone needs to memorize it. The British section is especially important—who advocates peace, who advocates war, who wants to win us over, and who wants to suppress us."

A young diplomat raised his hand: "Minister Wang, will the British really sit down and talk? They lost face in Java."

"It's precisely because they've lost face that they have to talk." Wang Wenwu tapped the table. "For three hundred years, the British Empire wasn't best at fighting, but at calculating. When the cost of war exceeds the cost of negotiation, they will negotiate."

He opened the British section of the archives:

"Prime Minister Campbell-Bannaman, a Liberal, favors a peaceful resolution to colonial disputes but is pressured by radicals within his party. Foreign Secretary, the Marquess of Longston, an old aristocrat, the de facto ruler, pragmatic but arrogant. First Lord of the Admiralty, Fisher—this man requires special attention."

Everyone looked up.

"Fischer is a technocrat by training, and all he cares about is naval superiority. He pushed forward the 'Dauntless' project, and now he's being crushed by our 'Restoration'. He only has two options: either try to catch up or find a way to acquire the technology." Wang Wenwu paused, "Judging from the intelligence, he chose the latter."

"Will he demand technology transfer?"

"Not only that." Wang Wenwu closed the file. "He might propose joint shipbuilding or even joint design. Remember our bottom line: we won't give out core secrets, but we can sell finished products, or... sell next-generation technology."

The meeting lasted for three hours.

At the end, Li Te came down from the bridge and happened to run into the crowd leaving the meeting.

"Are you done talking?" he asked Wang Wenwu.

"It's just the beginning." Wang Wenwu rubbed his temples. "The waters of Europe are much deeper than the Indian Ocean."

The two men walked to the porthole. Outside, two fleets were sailing side by side in the distance—three British cruisers flying the flag of the Far East Fleet.

"We've been following them all the way," Li Te said. "We've been following them since they came out of the Indian Ocean, maintaining a distance of ten nautical miles, neither getting too close nor too far away."

"Surveillance?"

"It's also a learning experience," Li Te said, pointing to one of the ships. "Look at the observation post on its bridge; the telescope is always pointed at us. They're recording speed, turning radius, smokestack emissions—every detail they can see."

"Let them see," Wang Wenwu said. "Once they see it, they'll realize just how big the gap is."

Just then, the communications officer ran over: "Captain, the British fleet has sent a light signal."

"What did you say?"

"Inquire about our speed and destination."

Li Te and Wang Wenwu exchanged a glance.

"Reply to them," Litt said. "Speed ​​18 knots, destination London. Also, should we slow down and wait?"

The communications soldier paused for a moment, then understood, suppressing a laugh: "Yes, sir!"

The traffic light beeped. A few minutes later, the reply came.

The communications officer translated: "The British ship replied: No need to slow down, we can keep up. And wish you a pleasant voyage."

"Enjoyable?" Li Te laughed. "Then let them follow."

He turned to the megaphone and ordered, "Engine room, increase speed to 22 knots. Increase slowly, don't make it too obvious."

"yes!"

The ship "Kuangfu" trembled slightly, and the speedometer needle began to shift to the right. The smoke from the chimneys became lighter—this was the advantage of oil-fired boilers: high thermal efficiency and complete combustion.

In the distance, thick black smoke suddenly billowed from the smokestacks of a British cruiser.

They were chasing desperately.

The stopover in Colombo lasted 24 hours.

The British Governor of Djibouti personally went to the dock—not to welcome him, but to raise an alarm. The harbor was cleared of all other ships, and an armed soldier stood every ten meters along the shore.

"Mr. Wang, according to the colonial security regulations, your ship can only replenish fresh water and cannot carry out any other activities." The governor was a fat man in his fifties, wearing a white tropical uniform and sweating profusely. "Personnel are not allowed to go ashore unless there is special permission."

Wang Wenwu stood at the top of the gangway, looking down at him: "Your Excellency, we are just passing by."

"That's good." The governor wiped his sweat. "Also, there's a group of... local Chinese gathered outside the port. I've ordered the police to disperse them, but for safety's sake, I advise you not to contact them."

Wang Wenwu looked in the direction he was pointing.

Outside the port fence, a dense crowd of people stood. Their faces were obscured, but many handmade yellow dragon flags were waving. Police formed a human wall to block them, and shoving occurred intermittently.

"They came to welcome us," Wang Wenwu said.

"Perhaps, but gathering violates the Colonial Assembly Act." The governor's tone hardened. "Please understand, we must maintain order."