Chapter 180: I Have Seventy Percent Certainty

Kato Tomosaburo answered immediately: "We need at least two Kongo Class battleships, plus four or more cruisers and destroyers. Although the Kongo Class's 356mm guns are slightly weaker than Fuxing's 381mm guns, with two against one and the advantage of surprise, we have a seventy percent chance of inflicting heavy damage in the first salvo."

"Seventy percent..." Yashiro Rokuro murmured thoughtfully. "And the other thirty percent?"

"The other thirty percent is that Fuxing might escape before being completely sunk, relying on its excellent protection and speed," Kato Tomosaburo said candidly. "But even so, as long as we can inflict serious damage and force it out of battle, that would be a tremendous victory. A heavily damaged capital ship would take at least half a year to repair, and it would severely damage Lanfang Navy's morale."

Yashiro Rokuro's fingers tapped lightly on the desktop — a habit of his before making major decisions.

"Kato-kun," he suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question, "if we sink Fuxing in the East China Sea, what would Lanfang do?"

"They would be furious and seek revenge," Kato answered crisply. "But without Fuxing, their navy would have only one Hood Class and four Bismarck Class battleships left. Our Combined Fleet has ten capital ships with a total tonnage of six hundred thousand tons. In a frontal decisive battle, we would still hold the advantage."

"Moreover," Intelligence Minister Yamamoto added, "the war in Europe is escalating. Yingguo has already announced the dispatch of an expeditionary force to Faguo, and Faguo is also pulling troops from its colonies. It won't be long before the Yingguo Far East Fleet is weakened and Faguo's garrison in Indochina is reduced. By then, there will be no power in the entire Far East capable of checking us."

Yashiro Rokuro nodded slowly, but doubt still lingered in his eyes. "And diplomatically? How would Yingguo and the United States react?"

"Yingguo has its own problems to deal with right now." The representative dispatched from the Foreign Ministry, a councilor surnamed Yoshida, spoke up. "Sir Grey was just complaining in the House of Commons yesterday that Deguo's submarine warfare in the North Sea has already threatened Yingguo's maritime lifeline. What they care about most right now is the European battlefield. As long as we don't infringe on Yingguo's core interests in the Far East, they won't fall out with Japan over Lanfang."

"And the United States?"

"The Americans adhere to the Monroe Doctrine; their focus is on the Western Hemisphere," Councilor Yoshida had clearly done his homework. "Moreover, isolationist sentiment runs strong domestically. Unless we directly attack American territory or ships, Washington will at most issue a few diplomatic protests."

Yashiro Rokuro listened to everyone's statements, then closed his eyes and fell silent for a full minute.

When he reopened his eyes, the hesitation was gone, replaced by the decisiveness characteristic of a military man.

"Then, the operational plan is approved in principle." His voice was steady and forceful. "Kato-kun, you will be fully responsible for formulating the detailed plan. The requirements are as follows: First, surprise must be guaranteed — Lanfang must not detect anything in advance. Second, the combat area must be in international waters, to avoid giving other countries a pretext for intervention. Third, once battle is joined, the objective is total annihilation — no escape."

"Yes, sir!" Kato Tomosaburo stood at attention and saluted.

"One more thing," Yashiro Rokuro added. "The entire operation will be codenamed 'Sakura.' Knowledge of this codename is restricted to the people in this room. Any act of leaking information will be treated as treason."

"Understood!"

"Dismissed. Kato-kun, stay behind."

The officers filed out one by one, until only Yashiro Rokuro and Kato Tomosaburo remained.

Yashiro Rokuro walked to the window and looked out at the scene in the Navy Ministry courtyard. In the courtyard, several young officers were striding past, their military boots striking the flagstone path in a crisp, rhythmic cadence.

"Kato-kun," Yashiro Rokuro said without turning around, "you understand clearly that once this battle begins, there is no turning back."

"Yes, Minister." Kato Tomosaburo stood half a step behind him, his voice respectful but firm. "But the Imperial Navy has waited forty years for this day. From the Sino-Japanese War to the Russo-Japanese War, every victory has advanced the Empire one step forward. Now the Europeans are fighting among themselves — this is an opportunity bestowed by Heaven upon the Empire."

"Opportunity..." Yashiro Rokuro repeated the word softly. "Yes, opportunity. But if you fail to grasp it, it becomes disaster."

He turned and looked Kato Tomosaburo straight in the eyes. "You said seventy percent certainty just now. I want you to raise it to ninety percent. Not damaged — sunk. Not possible — certain."

Kato Tomosaburo felt the pressure in that gaze, but he did not flinch. "Minister, I will personally command this operation. If it fails, I am willing to bear full responsibility."

"Responsibility?" Yashiro Rokuro gave a bitter smile. "If it fails, it won't be something you and I can settle by taking responsibility. It would mean the Empire simultaneously facing an enraged Lanfang and the Yingguo and Americans watching like tigers from the sidelines. By then..."

He did not finish, but Kato Tomosaburo understood.

"So it will not fail," Kato said, emphasizing every word. "The hundred thousand officers and men of the Combined Fleet, from top to bottom, will guarantee it with their lives."

"Yashiro. Refine the plan. Consider every possibility. Three days from now, I want to see a complete operational plan."

"Yes, sir!"

Kato saluted and turned to leave. The sound of his military boots on the floor echoed through the empty corridor.

Yashiro Rokuro looked out the window again. The sunlight was fine, and the few cherry trees in the courtyard grew lush and green. Though it was not the season for cherry blossoms, he seemed to already see those falling petals.

Cherry blossoms — beautiful and fleeting.

Was the Empire's national fortune any different?

Dubai time, six in the evening.

Chen Feng stood before the large electronic nautical chart in the Naval Command Center's operations room — "electronic" in name only, as it was actually just a lighting system installed beneath a glass panel that could illuminate different areas to simulate ship positions.

On the chart, along the route from Kunming to Qingdao, a red light point was moving slowly — that was the simulated Fuxing. About fifty nautical miles behind it, four blue light points were arranged in a diamond formation — those were four Bismarck Class battleships.

Li Te stood beside Chen Feng, holding the latest intelligence summary.

"President, Fuxing has completed all departure preparations. Lin Haisheng reports that the entire vessel has entered third-level combat readiness, and has in fact already reached second-level combat readiness standards." He pointed at the red light point on the chart. "According to plan, it will depart port at six tomorrow morning. The press corps arranged by the Foreign Ministry boarded the ship this afternoon, including reporters from the Lanfang Daily, the South Ocean Times, and two foreign wire services."

"How much do the reporters know?"

"Only that this is a 'demonstration of Lanfang naval power' — a friendly visit," Li Te replied. "Lin Hai will control the information and won't let them come into contact with sensitive content."