Chapter 295: Do You Dare to Fight?

"Then economic sanctions!" Ji Qin Na turned to Ge Lei, "Cut off their trade routes, freeze their assets in London, and prohibit Yingguo companies from doing business with them!"

Ge Lei shook his head: "Lanfang's main trade partners are Deguo and the United States; they have few assets in London. Moreover, they control Malay rubber and tin mines, Borneo oil—resources urgently needed for the war. If we sanction them, they can simply turn to Deguo, or… raise their prices to our country."

"So we just watch?" Ji Qin Na's voice was full of resentment, "Watch an Yazhou country ride on our heads?"

The silent Colonel Han Mi Er Dun spoke up: "Sir, I served in the Sakura Nation for three years and have studied Lanfang's rise. The terrifying aspect of this country is not its military strength—though that is already frightening—but its strategic thinking."

Everyone looked at him.

Han Mi Er Dun stood up and walked to the world map on the wall: "Every step they take lands on the optimal point. After the 1905 Russo‑Japanese War, the Sakura Nation expanded; the West ignored Yazhou, and they founded a state in the Persian Gulf. In 1911, the Great East turmoil, they seized the chance to infiltrate Malay. In 1914, when Europe went to war, they immediately seized the opportunity and became war middlemen."

He pointed at Dubai on the map: "Now, they earn Deguo's money on one side, steal Deguo's technology on another, and use the Sakura Nation's life. And they themselves have paid almost no price."

"What are they after?" Ji Qin Na asked.

"They aim for the future," Han Mi Er Dun said, "Chen Feng sees farther than anyone. Everything he does now is to lay out post‑war plans. When we and Deguo are both exhausted, he will become the Yazhou hegemon, even… a new player on the world chessboard."

Ge Lei closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The firewood in the fireplace crackled.

"Ka Ming," he opened his eyes, "do we have any inside contacts in Lanfang's high command?"

"There's one, low‑level, in the Foreign Ministry," Ka Ming said, "but Chen Feng's core circle is solid as iron. Those people have followed him since the founding, with extremely high loyalty."

"Jie Li Ke, if… I mean if we have to take military action against Lanfang, how long does the navy need to prepare?"

Jie Li Ke thought for a full minute: "Divert four capital ships, plus accompanying cruisers and destroyers, to form a task force. Preparation will take at least three months. But the premise is that Deguo's high‑sea fleet makes no major moves during that period—this cannot be guaranteed."

Ge Lei nodded, turning to Ji Qin Na: "What about the army? If we need to land in Borneo?"

Ji Qin Na gave a wry smile: "Pull two divisions from India, plus one division from the Australia‑New Zealand Corps, totaling forty thousand troops. But an amphibious assault requires the navy to have full sea control, and… we can no longer draw more forces from Europe."

Silence fell again.

Finally, Ge Lei made a decision: "Issue the strongest diplomatic protest to Lanfang. Send Brigadier General Jie La De to Dubai to confront Chen Feng in person. The wording must be tough, but… leave room."

"Leave room?" Ji Qin Na was puzzled, "What does that mean?"

"It means," Ge Lei said word for word, "we need to let them know we're angry, but not push them completely toward Deguo. Before we defeat the Deguo, we need… stability in Yazhou."

He looked out the window; the fog over the Thames was lifting, and London's sky remained lead‑gray.

"Tell Jie La De to take a good look at what kind of person Chen Feng really is. We need a more precise assessment before we can decide… how to treat this emerging nation after the war."

At the same time, Dubai, the presidential palace's top balcony.

Chen Feng wore a white linen shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, holding a cup of freshly brewed coffee. At six a. m., the sun had not fully risen, but the eastern horizon was already a pale egg‑white.

From his standing spot, he could overlook the whole Dubai harbor. The port area was brightly lit, cranes loading and unloading cargo, ships coming and going—a bustling scene. Farther away, the new district's construction sites were dotted with tower cranes, and the sound of pile drivers drifted faintly.

Ten Mech years. He has been in this world for over a decade now.

"President, up so early?"

Wang Wenwu's voice came from behind. The Foreign Minister had also risen early, holding a telegram.

"Can't sleep," Chen Feng said without turning, "London should have responded by now, right?"

"Just received a secret telegram," Wang Wenwu walked to his side, "British Military Intelligence Section 6 obtained the detailed contents of our technology exchange with Deguo. White Hall held an emergency meeting this morning, chaired personally by Foreign Minister Ge Lei."

"What was their attitude?"

"Angry, extremely angry," Wang Wenwu said, "but… they seem not to plan immediate military action. Naval Minister Jie Li Ke thinks the risk is too high."

Chen Feng took a sip of coffee, the bitterness spreading on his tongue: "What about Ji Qin Na? That big‑bearded man should be advocating war, right?"

"Yes, but Ge Lei held him back," Wang Wenwu paused, "they decided to send Consul General Jie La De, Brigadier General, over, to protest to you in person. The telegram said Jie La De left Singapore at noon today, expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon."

"Jie La De…" Chen Feng recalled his file, "served in the Boer War, ten years in India, transferred three years ago to be Consul General in Lanfang. He has a hard‑line personality, a typical imperial officer, but not stupid."

"How should we respond?"

Chen Feng turned and walked back inside, with Wang Wenwu following. The office was large, three walls lined with bookshelves, and in the center a massive rose‑wood desk, on which sat a globe, a telephone, and a stack of documents.

"Call Zhou Tieshan, and Zhang Zhen—if he's at the port."

Ten minutes later, Zhou Tieshan and Rear Admiral Zhang Zhen arrived. Zhang Zhen had rushed back from Keelung a few days earlier, his face still bearing fatigue.

"You all know the situation, right?" Chen Feng gestured for them to sit.

"Understood," Zhou Tieshan nodded, "the Yingguo are coming to raise an army and prosecute."

"What do you think?"

Zhou Tieshan thought for a moment: "From a military standpoint, we are not afraid. Four Bismarck Class ships have already achieved combat readiness, four new ones are under construction. The air force is not yet formed, but shore‑based aviation can cover the entire Persian Gulf. If the Yingguo want to fight, they must draw a fleet from the homeland, and Deguo will not miss this opportunity."