Chapter 440: British Bastard, I'm Eyeing Mesopotamia!

Dubai, Presidential Palace underground strategy room, August 18, 1916, 2:30 PM

The air‑conditioning system emitted a low hum, keeping the interior at a cool 22 °C. This is the true nerve center of the Lanfang Republic; the walls are half‑meter‑thick reinforced concrete, all communication lines are independently encrypted, and the air is triple‑filtered. The only decoration is a massive world map on the wall and an electronic display covering the entire wall—a rare high‑tech product of the era.

Chen Feng entered the strategy room to find the core staff already assembled: Wang Wenwu, Liu Yongfu who had just rushed from the induction ceremony, Rear Admiral Li Te, Zhang Zhen and three others, six people in total, seated around the central oval conference table, with maps, documents and telegrams spread out on it.

"Let's begin," Chen Feng sat in the chief seat without small talk. "Time is tight; I have to catch a train in four hours."

Wang Wenwu reported first: "Follow‑up to the Cairo conference. The Yingguo side has confirmed acceptance of our proposal; the diplomatic note was formally delivered this morning. Two Hood‑class battlecruisers will be delivered on credit, seven destroyers sold for cash, total price one million six hundred fifty‑five thousand pounds, with a fifty‑thousand‑pound down payment already received. The handover location is set for Singapore on September 1."

"What about the technology transfer part?" Chen Feng asked.

Liu Yongfu took the floor: "The Yingguo‑sent technical reception team list has arrived—forty‑five people, including twelve naval engineers, eight artillery experts, ten engine specialists, the rest operators and maintenance staff. They request the full fire‑control computer data and radar design schematics."

"Give them," Chen Feng said without hesitation. "But deliver in stages. First the operation manuals and maintenance guides; after they settle the balance, hand over the core design drawings and the rest once the entire transaction is complete. Provide only the basic versions; keep the most advanced ones back!"

"Will this affect our credibility?" Wang Wenwu asked, somewhat worried.

Chen Feng shook his head. "It's a commercial norm. Moreover, the Yingguo people do the same—they sell warships to the Sakura Nation without ever providing the latest technology, preparing a 'simplified version.' The simplified version is sufficient for Yingguo to operate and maintain normally, but any reverse‑engineering or upgrade will encounter obstacles."

Liu Yongfu's eyes lit up. "Understood. We'll tweak the critical interfaces and communication protocols so they can only use our spare parts and upgrade services."

"Right," Chen Feng nodded. "We need to make them dependent. Next, Zhou Tieshan, the Defense Ministry, will evaluate Yingguo's recent activities."

Zhou Tieshan opened the folder: "Yingguo's offensive on the Somme has stalled; in the past week it advanced less than five hundred meters, with casualties exceeding eighty thousand. Domestic anti‑war sentiment is rising; London and Manchester both saw anti‑war demonstrations last weekend."

Chen Feng nodded.

He turned to the world map, his finger landing on the Osman Diguo: "The Istanbul talks are the key to our next‑stage strategy. Minister Wang, the situation in Osman Diguo."

Although Wang Wenwu heads the Foreign Ministry, everyone in diplomacy knows his reach extends from Berlin to London, from Tokyo to Washington, with his eyes everywhere.

"The Osman Diguo is on the brink of collapse," Wang Wenwu said calmly, though the information was massive. "Caucasus front: Russian forces are advancing; the Osman Diguo's Ninth Group Army lost forty thousand men last month. Palestine front: Yingguo forces moved north from Egypt, already occupying most of the Sinai Peninsula, threatening Gaza. Mesopotamia front: Yingguo‑Indian troops have encircled Kut; sixty thousand Osman Diguo defenders are about to run out of supplies."

He paused, then added: "The most critical factor is internal. Arab tribal uprisings have expanded; Mecca's Sharif Hussein publicly declared separation from Osman Diguo last month, establishing an 'Arab Kingdom' with Yingguo's support and arms aid. The imperial treasury is bankrupt; soldiers haven't been paid for three months, and Anatolian villages are suffering famine."

Li Te frowned. "Is such an ally still valuable...?"

"Yes," Chen Feng took over. "But not as an ally, as an asset. A dying empire will be willing to trade future rights for a lifesaving remedy now. Our job is to be the one selling that remedy."

He drew a circle on Osman Diguo's territory: "Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf coast. Its value lies not in the land or the people, but in what's beneath the ground."

"Oil?" Liu Yongfu asked.

"Correct," Chen Feng nodded. "Ten years ago, we discovered a massive oil field in Persia. Geological studies show Mesopotamia's structure is similar to Persia's, likely holding even larger reserves. Moreover, it's near the coast, making transport easy. Whoever controls the oil here controls the energy lifeline for the next fifty years."

Wang Wenwu jotted quickly: "But the Yingguo people are already there. The Mesopotamia campaign has lasted two years; Yingguo‑Indian forces are advancing steadily."

"So we must buy time," Chen Feng's finger moved across the map. "Yingguo aims to seize all of Mesopotamia, then control the Persian Gulf and link to India. But they are tied down on the Western Front, lacking troops, advancing slowly. If we, under the banner of 'assisting Osman,' move in first and establish a factual presence..."

"Yingguo will strongly oppose," Zhang Zhen said bluntly. "It could even spark a conflict."

"Therefore they need to compromise," Chen Feng said, looking at the Foreign Minister. "That is the core of the Istanbul talks—we must work with the Deguo, creating a dilemma for Yingguo: either accept Lanfang's presence in Mesopotamia in exchange for Lanfang's promise not to intervene directly in the European war nor further arm Deguo; or refuse, and watch us sell more advanced tanks, aircraft, and heavy artillery to Deguo, perhaps even dispatch volunteer troops to the Western Front."

Wang Wenwu frowned. "Will Yingguo believe this threat...?"

"Half believe, half doubt," Chen Feng analyzed calmly. "But that's enough. Diplomatic games aren't gambling; they're probability calculations. As long as Yingguo thinks there's a thirty‑percent chance we would truly side with Deguo, they'll hesitate. Hesitation gives us room to maneuver."

He turned to Liu Yongfu. "How is the demonstration of Tank One coming along?"

Industrial Minister Wang Lixin reported immediately: "Two prototype vehicles have arrived at a secret test site outside Istanbul. Vehicle One is the basic model; Vehicle Two is the improved version. Demonstration items include crossing a 2.5‑meter trench, breaching four layers of barbed wire, destroying a concrete machine‑gun bunker, and firing on the move. The technical team conducted thirty‑seven rehearsals, all successful."

"What will the Deguo see?"

"They'll see hope for breaking trench warfare," Liu Yongfu's eyes gleamed. "Tank One's armor can stop machine‑gun bullets, roll over barbed wire, and cross a standard trench. Though slow and with reliability issues, the concept is proven. If the French‑British see this, they'll go crazy wanting it."

Chen Feng nodded. "Good. Remember, during the demonstration deliberately expose some issues—engine overheating, tracks shedding, steering sluggishness. Make the Deguo feel this is still a prototype needing extensive refinement. Only then will they invest in further R&D and grant us more orders and resources."