Chapter 316: If They Dare to Detain, Then We Fight

He walked to the desk, picked up a fountain pen, and pulled out a blank telegram sheet.

"So, I must tell them they've got it wrong."

He began to write, the pen tip rustling on the paper. Everyone held their breath.

The telegram was short, but each character felt like it was dredged from an ice cellar:

"To Major General Li Te of the Galae Expeditionary Fleet and to the Yingguo and Faguo authorities:

Every Chinese on the European battlefields, regardless of location or occupation, is a blood‑related compatriot of concern to the Lanfang Republic.

If any authority's obstruction causes the death or injury of any Chinese laborer, Lanfang will regard it as a provocation against all Chinese and reserve the right to take all necessary measures.

Including but not limited to: full military intervention in the European war, severing all economic and trade ties with the relevant nations, and adopting any other enforceable countermeasures.

This is not a negotiation, but an ultimatum. A clear response must be given within three hours.

President Chen Feng of the Lanfang Republic"

After finishing, Chen Feng signed his name and the date, then handed it to Chen Wenya: "Send it out with the highest classification and the fastest speed. Also copy the London Yingguo government, the Paris Faguo government, and the North X North X government. I want the whole world to see this telegram at the same moment."

"President!" Wang Wenwu stood up, "This... this is almost a declaration of war!"

"Then we declare war," Chen Feng said, looking at him. "Minister Wang, tell me, if we concede today, what will happen tomorrow?"

Wang Wenwu was speechless.

"Tomorrow, 150,000 compatriots will be sent to the battlefield and die in European soil. The day after, the whole world will know that Lanfang's promise to 'protect compatriots' is empty words. Two days later, our Chinese in the South Ocean and overseas diaspora will lose their last sense of security—if even their own nation doesn't protect them, who will regard them as human?"

Chen Feng's voice rose higher: "We've built the nation for ten years, painstakingly establishing some prestige and dignity. If we shrink back on this matter today, all our efforts will vanish!"

Zhou Tieshan also stood up: "I support the President. The army can fight at any time!"

Zhang Zhen nodded: "The navy is already in position; the air force, though not fully formed, can dispatch bombers for deterrent strikes."

Liu Qinian and Li Yongguang exchanged a worried glance but said nothing. They knew that words now were useless.

Chen Wenya took the telegram to leave, but Chen Feng called her back: "Wait. Send another, a private encrypted message to Li Te."

He pulled out another sheet and wrote a few words:

"Go ahead, if the sky falls I'll hold it up. Remember, you have forty million Chinese behind you." (That should represent it, I guess.)

Both telegrams were sent out. The conference room fell into dead silence.

Outside, Dubai's sunshine was brilliant and the harbor's ships came and went like a tapestry. Yet in this room, everyone felt the shadow of war—not the trench warfare of Europe, but a full‑scale conflict that could reshape the world order.

Wang Wenwu broke the silence: "President, if... if Yingguo and Faguo truly refuse to concede?"

"Then we will intervene in the European war," Chen Feng said calmly, "send volunteer forces, supply weapons, even... directly attack Yingguo's colonies in Asia."

"But we aren't ready yet..."

"War never arrives when you are fully prepared," Chen Feng said, walking to the window. "But fortunately, Yingguo and Faguo are also unprepared. They are fighting Deguo forces on the Western Front, entangled with the Turks on the Eastern Front, and battling Deguo submarines in the Atlantic. Would they dare to open another front in the Far East at this moment?"

He turned around: "I bet they won't dare."

"But what if..."

"If they dare, then we fight," Chen Feng's gaze was unwavering, "a war to secure worldwide recognition of Chinese dignity—worth it."

He looked at everyone: "Gentlemen, I know this decision is risky. It could ruin a decade of Lanfang's development in an instant. But please consider—why did we build this nation? To give Chinese a place where they can hold their heads high. If today we don't even dare to protect our compatriots, what meaning does this country have?"

No one answered. Yet the same resolve shone in everyone's eyes.

The clock on the wall ticked. The three‑hour countdown to the ultimatum had already begun.

London, 11 a. m. (London is four hours behind Dubai and one hour behind Faguo).

In the emergency conference room of the Foreign Ministry building, smoke swirled. Six people sat around the long table: Foreign Minister Edward Gray, Navy Minister John Jellico, Army Minister Kichinna, Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, Finance Minister Lauhe George, and the ambassador to France, Francis Bertie, who had just rushed back from Paris.

On the table lay two telegrams: one an urgent report from the Galae Port garrison, the other Chen Feng's ultimatum.

"Gentlemen," Prime Minister Asquith began, the 63‑year‑old Liberal Party leader looking weary, "We have once again been cornered by that Chen Feng."

Kichinna burst out first: "Who does he think he is?! An Asian nouveau riche daring to issue an ultimatum to the British Empire?! We should sink those two ships at once and show Lanfang who truly rules the world!"

Jellico said coldly: "And then? Then Lanfang declares war on us, their fleet attacks our colonies in the Far East, and all our Asian trade routes are cut off. At the same time, the Deguo high seas fleet will seize the opportunity and launch a major offensive in the North Sea. Army Minister, do you think we can win two wars simultaneously?"

Kichinna glared at him: "So we just surrender? Let the whole world see the British Empire as a joke?"

"It's not surrender, it's reality!" Jellico raised his voice, "I've served in the navy for forty years; I know our limits! Our main fleet must keep an eye on Deguo forces, the Mediterranean fleet must deal with the Turks, the Indian Ocean fleet must protect the supply lines; where else do we have strength to fight Lanfang in the Far East?"

Gray, the Foreign Minister, rubbed his temples: "Jellico is right. More importantly, it's a moral issue—Chen Feng's telegram has already spread worldwide. If we persist in detaining laborers and cause a conflict, which side will international opinion take?"

Lauhe George—this shrewd Welshman, a future Prime Minister—tapped the table: "Let me analyze this from an economic standpoint. Lanfang is now a key supplier of rubber, tin, and oil for us. Cutting off trade would affect our military‑industrial production. Moreover, their share of the Asian financial market is growing; a full sanction would also hit London's banking sector."

He paused: "Conversely, if we release the workers, what's the loss? One hundred and fifty thousand laborers would indeed affect Western Front logistics, but we can supplement from India and Africa. Moreover, we could demand compensation from the North X government—or have Lanfang compensate."