Chapter 184: We Need Them to Believe the Restoration Ship Is Truly Alone

"Four Bismarck Class battleships, two Hood Class battlecruisers. One of the Hood Class is the Restoration Ship, and the other, the Recovery Ship, should currently be in Dubai. Intelligence indicates all four Bismarck Class ships are in the Persian Gulf."

"So even if they want to set a trap, the only ship they can mobilize is the Recovery Ship," Kato analyzed. "One Recovery Ship, plus the Restoration Ship—two battlecruisers. We have four Kongo Class ships. Two against four is still our advantage."

"But what if all four Bismarck Class ships come?" Shimoda pressed. "Even though intelligence shows them in the Persian Gulf, warships can move. If the Lanfang people secretly moved the Bismarck Class to the South China Sea..."

This time Kato did not immediately refute. He walked back to the nautical chart and carefully studied that route, looking at the vast waters surrounding it.

"Four Bismarck Class ships, with a total displacement exceeding 160,000 tons—they are the core strength of the Lanfang Navy," he said slowly. "If they truly deploy in full, then what we face is not an ambush battle, but a naval decisive battle that will determine the fate of both nations."

"Then we..."

"Then we must fight even more." Kato's voice suddenly turned resolute. "Because if all four Bismarck Class ships really do come, it means Lanfang has staked everything they have. If we can defeat them at sea, Lanfang will completely lose its naval power, and the entire country will fall into our arms like a ripe fruit."

He looked at Shimoda, his eyes gleaming with a near-fanatical light. "Shimoda-kun, do you understand? This is not a crisis—it is an opportunity. A chance bestowed by heaven for the Empire to resolve all problems in one stroke. So regardless of whether there is an ambush behind the Restoration Ship, regardless of whether the Lanfang people have set a trap, we must strike, we must fight, we must win."

Shimoda looked at his superior and suddenly felt a chill. It was not the calm of analyzing tactics in a war room, but a gambler's madness—the madness of staking everything on a single hand of cards.

But he said nothing, only stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, sir. I understand."

Dubai time, two in the afternoon.

Chen Feng stood in the underground command center of the Naval Headquarters, facing the enormous electronic nautical chart. Many more markers now appeared on it—not just the red dot representing the Restoration Ship and the four blue dots representing the Bismarck formation, but over a dozen green dots scattered around the Japanese archipelago.

"The deployment of the submarine forces." Zhou Tieshan stood to one side, report in hand. "Per your orders, we transferred twelve U-IX type submarines from the Borneo submarine base, divided into four squads of three each. They are all now in position."

Chen Feng carefully examined the positions of those green dots: off Yokosuka, off Kure, off Sasebo, off Maizuru. The entry and exit channels of the four main Japanese naval ports were all under tight surveillance.

"Lurking depth?" he asked.

"150 meters during the day; at night they surface to periscope depth to charge and ventilate," Zhou Tieshan replied. "All submarines carry enough oxygen to sustain seventy-two hours of submerged navigation, and battery endurance at four knots is eighty nautical miles."

"Weapon configuration?"

"Each submarine is equipped with six 533mm torpedo tubes, four forward and two aft, carrying a total of twenty torpedoes. All are the latest Jiaolong-3 thermal torpedoes, with a speed of forty-five knots, a range of 8,000 meters, and a warhead charge of 300 kilograms of TNT."

Chen Feng nodded, his gaze not leaving the nautical chart. "What are the orders?"

"Orders have been issued: maintain concealment and continuously monitor the movements of the Japanese naval ports. If the main force of the Combined Fleet is detected leaving port, report immediately. If..." Zhou Tieshan paused. "If a naval battle breaks out and Japanese warships are damaged and return to port, upon confirming they have lost most of their combat capability, they may seize the opportunity to finish them off."

The words "finish them off" were spoken very softly, but in the quiet command center they were heard with perfect clarity.

Li Te stood on the other side, his brow tightly furrowed. "President, isn't this deployment... too risky? Submarines operating outside Japanese ports—once discovered, it would be a serious diplomatic incident. Moreover, if we defeat the Combined Fleet in the East China Sea, these submarines might not be needed at all."

"Not needing them would be best," Chen Feng replied calmly. "But we must consider the worst-case scenario—what if the naval battle doesn't achieve the expected results, what if Japanese warships are damaged but don't sink and escape back to their home ports. Then these submarines are our final insurance."

He walked to the console and called up detailed nautical charts of the four Japanese naval ports.

"You see, Yokosuka has only two main channels, with water depth sufficient for submarines to lurk. Kure and Sasebo have similar conditions. As long as we hold these chokepoints, any vessel entering or leaving port cannot escape the submarines' eyes." Chen Feng tapped several key positions with his finger. "Furthermore, submarine torpedoes at close range may be even more lethal against damaged warships than a battleship's Main Gun."

Li Te was silent for a moment and had to admit that this deployment was tactically sound. But he still worried: "If the submarines are detected by antisubmarine vessels during the attack..."

"That would mean the Japanese Navy still has the capacity to organize antisubmarine operations, meaning our naval battle did not achieve a decisive victory." Chen Feng turned around, looking at Li Te and Zhou Tieshan. "At that point, we would need to reassess the entire strategy."

The command center fell quiet. Only the hum of machinery and the faint sounds of dots blinking on the electronic nautical chart remained.

"President," Zhou Tieshan broke the silence, "there is new intelligence from Tokyo. Kato Tomosaburo convened a war conference at Yokosuka this morning, and the Combined Fleet's capital ships have begun final preparations for departure. According to insider information, they plan to set out tomorrow before dawn."

"Scale?"

"At least four Kongo Class ships, plus a considerable number of cruisers and destroyers. Total strength... exceeds the Scale we anticipated."

Chen Feng's eyes narrowed. "Four Kongo Class ships against one Restoration Ship. They certainly think highly of us."

"So your judgment was correct." Li Te's voice was somewhat dry. "The Japanese really do intend to strike with lethal force."

"Then let them come." Chen Feng walked back to the nautical chart, looking at the red dot representing the Restoration Ship. "Tell Lin Hai that the latest intelligence indicates Japan may deploy four capital ships. Have him prepare for the worst."

"Four ships..." Li Te drew a sharp breath. "No matter how powerful the Restoration Ship is, it cannot simultaneously deal with four Kongo Class ships. Should we have the Bismarck formation close in ahead of time?"

"No." Chen Feng shook his head. "Not yet. If the Bismarck formation is exposed too early, the Japanese might cancel the operation. We need them to take the bait—we need them to believe the Restoration Ship is truly alone."