Chapter 160: They

Chen Qiming raised his hand: "General, if… I mean if the British or Japanese fleet suddenly appears, what should we do?"

The question silenced the conference room.

Everyone knows that the Netherlands' rule in the East Indies is backed by the British. If the British Far East fleet moves north from Singapore to intervene, the situation becomes complicated.

Li Te was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Submarine forces have already been deployed in the Strait of Malacca and the Sunda Strait. If a third‑party fleet appears, we will know at once. The President has issued a clear order: anyone who blocks our overseas protection operation is an enemy. No warning is needed for the enemy."

That was said very plainly.

"Understood." Chen Qiming sat down.

"Good." Li Te glanced at the chart one last time, "Everyone, we have prepared for three years for today. Not for invasion, but to return home. Not for revenge, but for justice. Remember that, and also remember—on the battlefield, softness will kill your troops. Fire when you must, hesitate not."

He straightened his back:

"Now, return to your respective ships. At nine I want to hear the Dutch reply. At ten I want to see our flag raised on Borneo's soil. Dismissed!"

The officers filed out, their footsteps echoing on the steel deck.

Li Te was the last to leave the conference room. He walked to the bridge railing, leaning on the rail. The sky was fully bright, the sunrise rose from the horizon, tinting the heavens orange‑red. The fleet was cutting through deep‑blue water, a long white wake trailing behind.

Sa La He came over, handing him a cup of coffee: "General, you haven't slept all night."

"Can't sleep." Li Te took the coffee, took a sip, scalding and bitter, "Sa La He, you are Arab. What do you think… with us making such a big show to help the Chinese reclaim their homeland, how would your people feel?"

The young man thought a moment, then said: "General, my father was a shepherd who never saw the sea in his life. That year, an immigrant ship from Lanfang reached the coast near our tribe. The people on the ship said they had founded a new nation where everyone could go to school, receive medical care, and earn a living by merit."

He looked toward the distant sea:

"My father didn't believe it, but I did. I slipped away, walked three days to Dubai. At first I lugged packages at the dock, later I passed the naval academy entrance exam. Now I am the navigation officer of the Chang Jiang. My sister studies medicine at Dubai University, my brother works as a technician in a steel mill."

"So?" Li Te asked.

"So this is not just a Chinese matter, it is all of ours." Sa La He said seriously, "If today the Dutch can shoot Chinese at will, tomorrow they can shoot Arabs at will. Lanfang protects the rights of 'people', not the rights of a particular ethnicity. I am proud to take part in this operation."

Li Te looked at the young Arab officer and suddenly laughed.

"What does your father think now?"

"He came to see me last year, I took him to tour the Chang Jiang." Sa La He also laughed, "He touched the 380 mm gun barrel, his hand kept shaking. Later he said: 'Son, you chose the right path. This is better than tending sheep.'"

Both men laughed. Their laughter drifted in the morning breeze.

At 7:50, the lookout tower reported: "Land sighted ahead! Bearing 150, distance about twenty‑five nautical miles!"

Li Te raised the binoculars. At the far end of his view, a deep‑green coastline emerged. That was Borneo, Lanfang's homeland, the lost home of forty‑four years ago.

He lowered the binoculars and took a deep breath.

"All fleet, battle‑readiness level one!"

At exactly 9:00 a. m., Kun Dian Port.

In the telegram room of the Dutch East Indies Governor's Office, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed about to drip water.

Governor Fan De Weierde was a sixty‑year‑old fat man, his face flushed with an unhealthy red hue—the result of chronic drinking and the tropical climate. He clutched a freshly translated telegram, his fingers trembling.

The telegram came from a Dutch patrol boat outside the harbor, containing only a short line: "Detected an unknown fleet, massive in Scale, including at least four large warships. Distance from port about fifteen nautical miles, closing in."

"Unknown fleet?" Fan De Weierde threw the telegram onto the table, "In what sense unknown? What flag? Which country?"

"Report, Governor, the patrol boat said… can't see clearly." the communications officer whispered, "The opponent has no flag hoisted; all ships are painted deep gray, hard to discern in the morning fog. But judging by the silhouette, the flagship's size… extremely large, larger than our Seven Provinces."

The Seven Provinces is the Dutch Far East fleet's newest battleship, launched in 1909, displacing fifteen thousand tons, armed with two 280 mm Main Gun. If something is larger than it…

"British?" Fan De Weierde frowned, "Or the Japanese?"

"Neither." Far East fleet commander Major General Fan De Kapelen shook his head, "The British Far East fleet's main force is in Singapore; if they moved we'd know. The Japanese Combined Fleet is even less likely; their exercise area is in the East Sea."

"Then who could it be? It can't possibly be…"

Before the sentence finished, another signalman rushed in, his face ashen.

"Governor! General! The fleet outside the harbor… they sent a clear‑text telegram!"

"Read!"

The signalman swallowed, trembled, and read: "To the Dutch East Indies authorities: At three o'clock this morning, your troops and police in Kun Dian opened fire without cause on a peaceful assembly, killing seven and wounding over twenty. This act seriously violates international law and humanitarian principles. Our Lanfang Republic Special Mixed Fleet is now ordered to protect overseas Chinese and demands that you immediately: 1) release all detained Chinese; 2) hand over the firing troops for trial; 3) guarantee no similar incidents occur. Reply within one hour, otherwise we will take necessary measures. Signed: Commander of the Lanfang Republic Naval Special Mixed Fleet, Li Te."

The telegram was finished being read.

The room fell into death‑like silence.

Fan De Weierde opened his mouth, like a fish out of water. Fan De Kapelen's complexion shifted from red to white, from white to blue.

"Lanfang…" the Governor finally forced out a voice, "that… that Chinese state in the Persian Gulf? How could they…"

"They had a fleet…" Kapelen said bitterly, "Back then they … but we didn't expect… we didn't expect they would… really come."

"What now?" Fan De Weierde slumped in his chair, "One hour… they only gave one hour…"

"Governor, we… we cannot agree!" the colonial government secretary‑general shouted, "This is blatant aggression! If we accept their terms, our prestige in the East Indies will be completely ruined! How will the other colonies view us?"