Chapter 294: London's Fury and Dubai's Abacus

London, January 12, 1916, early morning.

The mist over the Thames had not yet fully lifted, and the gas lamps on Whitehall Street cast a dim yellow glow through the haze. At this hour most Londoners were still asleep, but the office of Foreign Minister Edward Gray was already brightly lit.

The air in the room seemed to have solidified. The fire in the fireplace burned fiercely, yet it could not dispel the bone‑chilling cold.

Gray stood by the window, his back to the other five people in the room. He was sixty‑four, had served as Foreign Minister for ten years, and had weathered countless diplomatic crises, yet the report delivered to his desk this morning gave him an unprecedented shock.

"Gentlemen," he turned, his voice unusually calm, "who can tell me how much exaggeration is in this report?"

Four people sat at the long conference table: the head of MI6, Sir Mansfield Ka Ming, Navy Minister John Jellicoe, Army Minister Ji Qin Na, and Colonel Han Mi Er Dun, recently recalled from the Far East where he served as the former military attaché in Japan.

Sir Ka Ming cleared his throat; the fifty‑eight‑year‑old intelligence chief had a face that people forgot after a glance—his greatest asset. Yet at this moment his expression was unusually solemn.

"Minister, this report has been cross‑verified through three independent channels," Ka Ming's voice seemed to come from deep in his throat. "Our commercial intelligence officer in Shanghai, our naval observer in Singapore, and a German ordnance clerk we bribed in Berlin have provided information that matches perfectly."

He lifted the thick document on the table: "The Lanfang Republic, a Chinese state only twelve years old, is intervening in the European war with astonishing depth. What they are doing goes far beyond the transport of Cherry Blossom Nation mercenaries we previously knew."

Admiral Jellicoe— the fifty‑three‑year‑old head of the navy— furrowed his brow. "Be specific, Ka Ming. To what extent?"

"Three aspects," Ka Ming opened the file. "First, military transport. In the past eight months the Lanfang fleet has shipped over 150,000 Cherry Blossom Nation soldiers to Germany, and the number is still rising. They possess at least eight million‑ton class converted troop transports, and the escort fleet includes two Bismarck Class battleships, four Omaha Class cruisers, and an unspecified number of destroyers and submarines."

Lord Ji Qin Na— the army minister with a distinctive beard— hammered the table with his sturdy fingers. "We already know about the Cherry Blossom Nation. Tell us something we don't know."

"Second, weapons trade," Ka Ming turned the page. "The German army on the Eastern Front has equipped a new 105 mm howitzer whose performance far exceeds our comparable models. Technical analysis shows its design is completely different from existing German systems, bearing obvious… Asian characteristics. Our engineers believe it originates from Lanfang."

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Third," Ka Ming's voice dropped further, "technology transfer. According to intelligence from the Berlin line, Lanfang and Germany reached a large‑scale technology exchange agreement last April. Germany offered optics, metallurgy, engine and radio technology in return for Lanfang's weapons and production capacity."

"Optics? Zeiss technology?" Jellicoe snapped his head up. "They're mad? That's the Empire's core secret!"

"Moreover," Ka Ming closed the file, "there's Krupp's special steel‑smelting process, high‑pressure diesel injection systems, and even… copies of the submarine infinite‑production combat manual."

"Bang!"

Ji Qin Na slammed a fist onto the table, splattering ink everywhere. "Treason! This is treason! The Germans sold the Empire's assets for a few guns?!"

Gray moved to the edge of the table, palms on its surface, leaning forward. "Ka Ming, are you sure of this intelligence's accuracy? Could the Germans be foolish enough to hand core technology to an Asian nation?"

"Very certain, Minister," Ka Ming said. "We have a summary of the German General Staff meeting minutes. Ludengdaofu personally approved the deal, and Wilhelm II nodded."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, based on our intelligence from Borneo, Lanfang's industrial zone has shown an abnormal technological breakthrough in the past six months. Their shipyards have begun using a new welding technique, the steel quality in their ordnance factories has noticeably improved, and there are signs they are developing some kind of aircraft."

"Aircraft?" Jellicoe raised an eyebrow. "Like a Zeppelin?"

"No, more like… a machine with fixed wings. Details are still unclear, but Lanfang has built a massive secret base in the Persian Gulf mountain region, with extremely high defensive ratings."

Gray slowly rose to his feet and walked to the fireplace. The flames cast flickering shadows across his face.

"Gentlemen," he said, "you understand what this means, don't you?"

Ji Qin Na sneered, "This means that the yellow‑skinned monkey named Chen Feng is profiting from our war. He sells weapons to the Germans, killing our lads; he sells weapons to the Cherry Blossom Nation, sending them to the Eastern Front to die for money; then he uses the profits to develop himself and even steals Europe's most advanced technology. What a shrewd businessman!"

"Please watch your language, Ji Qin Na," Gray frowned. "We are conducting strategic analysis, not racial slurs."

"I am stating facts!" Ji Qin Na rose, his tall frame casting a huge shadow in the light. "Ten years ago Chen Feng was a refugee merchant; now he controls half of Southeast Asia, has defeated the Cherry Blossom Nation navy, and still dares to support Germany under our very noses! Who does he think he is?!"

Jellicoe was comparatively calmer: "The question is, what can we do? Military options?"

The room fell silent again. Everyone looked at the navy minister.

Jellicoe picked up a pencil and did rapid calculations on the paper: "The core of the Lanfang navy consists of four Bismarck Class battleships, standard displacement 41,000 tons, Main Guns eight 380 mm, speed thirty knots. We currently have, in Singapore, the Vengeance and Determination, two Vengeance‑class battleships, displacement 28,000 tons, Main Guns eight 381 mm, speed twenty‑two knots."

He looked up: "On paper, one‑on‑one we have the advantage. But the problem is Lanfang's battleships are newer, faster, and… we don't know their tactical proficiency. A full‑process analysis of the East Sea naval battle shows Lanfang navy commander Zhang Zhen's command art is exceptionally high."

"You mean we can't win?" Ji Qin Na said, displeased.

"What I mean is the risk is extremely high," Jellicoe corrected. "To defeat the Lanfang navy in the Far East, we would need to pull at least four capital ships from our home fleet. Meanwhile the German high‑seas fleet sits across the North Sea, ready to strike at any moment. This is a classic two‑front operation, which the navy ministry cannot accept."