Chapter 281: Excellent Consumables

"What is it?"

"Shell." Ludengdaofu said, "This type of artillery uses dedicated ammunition and is not compatible with any guns of the German or Russian armies. The Japanese army must purchase shells from Lanfang, and according to intelligence, Lanfang's pricing for shells… is quite substantial."

The conference room fell silent. The officers, all intelligent men, immediately grasped the implication.

"So," Ai Xihoen concluded, "Lanfang has supplied a weapon system that is flawed by design and requires a continual consumption of dedicated ammunition. The Sakura Nation troops are trapped in this system, just like…" He thought for a moment, finding a metaphor, "like someone who buys a razor must constantly purchase proprietary blades."

"Very apt," Xingdengbao nodded, "but that is not our primary concern. Ludengdaofu, continue."

Ludengdaofu returned to the map and said, "Putting equipment issues aside, the Japanese army's actual contribution in this campaign is considerable. In the frontal defensive battle in the Augustov Forest area, they withstood successive attacks by three Russian divisions for 72 hours, creating the conditions for encirclement."

He paused, "The cost was nearly twenty thousand casualties, but the mission was indeed completed. The Russian commander Lun Ning Kamp, in his testimony after being captured, mentioned that the Japanese army's tenacious defense disrupted his retreat plan; he called it 'incomprehensible madness.'"

"Madness, but effective," Xingdengbao said, "Then, what is the conclusion? Do we continue to employ them?"

The officers began to debate. Voices gradually rose, and the divergence of opinions was evident.

"Their casualty rate is too high! At this pace, four divisions will be wiped out in three months!"

"But the Russian casualties are higher! One Sakura Nation soldier can replace two or even three Russian soldiers; from a war of attrition standpoint, that's cost‑effective."

"We are soldiers, not accountants! We cannot calculate lives like that!"

"War is calculation! The Eastern Front loses several thousand each day; we must consider efficiency!"

The argument continued for over ten minutes. In the end, everyone's gaze turned to Xingdengbao.

The senior general rose slowly, both hands braced on the table, his eyes scanning each face.

"Gentlemen," he said, "I know you are torn between morality and efficiency. But remember, this is a war that concerns Deguo's survival. Yingguo forces are on the Western Front, Faguo forces are on the Western Front, the Russian army is on the Eastern Front—we face three great powers simultaneously."

His voice was calm, but each word struck the table like a hammer:

"The Sakura Nation has arrived, with a hundred thousand troops. They are willing to fight in the toughest sectors, to endure high casualties, and…" He glanced at Ludengdaofu, "and they can indeed fight. At this moment, those qualities are more important than perfect tactics or fine equipment."

Xingdengbao straightened up:

"Therefore my decision is: continue to employ Japanese units, but adjust their deployment. Let them take on defensive and assault tasks, but not serve as the primary maneuver force. At the same time, demand that Lanfang improve weapon supply—this is not a request, it is a demand. If they wish to keep earning this money, they must provide more reliable products."

"What about the Sakura Nation?" Ludengdaofu asked, "They are sustaining massive casualties; will they…"

"They will continue," Xingdengbao interrupted, his tone firm, "because they need money. The Xiyuan Temple Cabinet now relies on our Marks to buy grain, pay reparations, and keep the government running. This transaction, they cannot stop."

He walked to the window, looking at the streets of Insterburg outside. Snow was still falling, the city a wash of gray‑white.

"War changes everyone, changes everything," Xingdengbao whispered, more like talking to himself, "Deguo, Sakura Nation, Lanfang… we each play our part in this game. And the game's cost…"

He did not finish.

But everyone in the conference room understood. The price was the frozen corpses in the Mazuri Lake region, the mutilated limbs in the Augustov Forest, and twenty‑five thousand Sakura Nation youths who would never return home.

Ludengdaofu gathered his papers, and as he prepared to leave the conference room, Ai Xihoen stepped beside him.

"Eri Xi," the general lowered his voice, "to be honest, how do you view these people?"

Ludengdaofu halted, pondering for a few seconds.

"They are excellent soldiers, He Erman. Brave, resilient, obedient," he said, "but also tragic pawns. Sold by their own country to distant lands, bleeding for another's war, and the money they earn is used to pay the enemies who defeated them."

He paused, his voice dropping further:

"Sometimes I wonder, if Deguo loses this war, might there come a day when we also…"

"Don't say that," Ai Xihoen interrupted, but his tone held no reproach, only deep fatigue.

The two silently exited the conference room. In the hallway, a young staff officer was posting the latest battle report, its headline in bold German: "Eastern Front Grand Victory! Russian 20th Army Annihilated!"

Ludengdaofu glanced at it, then moved on.

What the battle report omits is that the victory's bill has only just begun to be tallied.

Warm breezes from the Persian Gulf drifted through the open window, rustling the documents on the desk. Chen Feng wore no coat, only a white shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows, standing before a massive East Asian map in contemplation.

A knock sounded.

"Come in."

Wang Wenwu pushed the door open, cradling a thick stack of files. The foreign minister appeared thinner than a few months earlier, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deeper, yet his eyes remained bright and sharp.

"President, the Eastern Front battle report compilation, and… the first batch of settlement data."

Chen Feng turned, walking to the spacious mahogany desk, "Tell me."

Wang Wenwu opened the top folder, "The Augustov Campaign has concluded; the Japanese performance met expectations. This is an informal assessment copy from the German command, obtained at some cost by our intelligence operatives."

Chen Feng took the documents, scanning them rapidly. His reading speed was astonishing, almost ten lines per glance. Minutes later, he set the papers down, a faint, barely perceptible smile curling his mouth.

"Casualties twenty‑five thousand… ten percent higher than we projected," Chen Feng said, "but Xingdengbao's assessment is apt: 'Excellent consumables.'"

The phrase was cold, yet Wang Wenwu was accustomed to Chen Feng's bluntness. He opened the second folder:

"This is the Ordnance Bureau's weapon combat evaluation report. It comes from three sources: the Japanese army's own battlefield records, feedback from our stationed technical observers, and the German side's assessment."

Chen Feng took the thicker document, reading it more carefully this time. When he turned to a certain page, he paused, tapping his finger on the page.

"'Defective submachine gun continuous fire failure rate 37%'… that figure is a bit high."

"Indeed," Wang Wenwu nodded, "the battlefield conditions are harsh; severe cold causes metal brittleness, and the soldiers' handling is insufficiently practiced. Yet the Ordnance Bureau believes the primary issue is a cooling design flaw."

"What improvement plans do they have?"

"Two schemes are under study," Wang Wenwu turned to the back of the report, "First, increase the heat‑sink surface area, though it adds weight; second, adopt a quick‑change barrel design, though it raises manufacturing cost."

Chen Feng thought for a few seconds, "Tell the Ordnance Bureau to adopt scheme two. Costs may rise by up to fifteen percent, but barrel replacement time must not exceed thirty seconds."