Chapter 63

"Guests for the negotiation." Li Te smiled, "Because when force cannot solve the problem, wise people choose to talk. And the President said, when the other side is willing to sit down and talk, we have already won half."

Night deepened, Mumbai Port gradually grew quiet. But in every corner of this port, in London's conference room, in Paris's foreign ministry, in Dubai's command center, countless people knew——

Tonight, no one sleeps.

Because the world has changed.

Persian Gulf, Dubai Port administrative building,

The conference room windows were thrown open, the salty sea wind poured in, fluttering the sea charts and documents spread on the table. Chen Feng stood at the head of the long conference table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface. His gaze swept over everyone present—Wang Bo, Liu Yongfu, Li Mingyuan, and the several department heads who had just rushed back from the front.

The clock on the wall pointed to seven o'clock sharp.

"Let's begin." Chen Feng's voice calm, "Wang Bo, first tell us what cards we have in hand."

Wang Bo put on his reading glasses, opened the thick ledger: "As of this morning at six o'clock, the direct consumption of the Restoration Ship's Indian Ocean operation is as follows: fuel oil eight hundred fifty tons, food supplies four tons, fresh water replenishment five hundred tons. Total cost, including purchases in Mumbai, amounts to about four thousand pounds."

He paused, turned to the next page:

"Indirect benefits: first, the down payment for Deguo's second batch of orders, three million six hundred thousand pounds of gold, has been fully credited to the Swiss bank account. Second, the down payment for Faguo's order, one million nine hundred thousand pounds, half gold half franc, is undergoing customs clearance. Third, through Wang Wenwu's operations in Singapore, we have secured a five-year purchasing right for three copper mines in Chile, at a price fifteen percent below market."

Chen Feng nodded: "Expenditure four thousand, income five million five hundred thousand. A very profitable business. But money is not the most important—continue."

"Intelligence aspect." Li Mingyuan took over the talk, "The Dragon Eye Network's reports from London, Paris, and Berlin summarized: the British cabinet has split, the warhawks' voices are weakening. The French are elated, the Germans are sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight. Moreover…" He produced an encrypted telegram: "The Japanese 'Spring Day Maru', after leaving the Arabian Sea, suddenly changed course for Batavia. We suspect they may be trying to gather information via the Dutch channel."

"Dutch." Chen Feng repeated the word, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "They will inevitably jump out. Continue monitoring, but for now do not provoke them."

He walked to the huge world map on the wall and picked up a pointer.

"Gentlemen, what we are to discuss today is not how to respond to Yingguo's blockade—that is already past tense." The pointer tapped on Mumbai's position, "The appearance of the Restoration Ship there means the blockade strategy has completely collapsed. Yingguo now faces two options: either escalate the conflict, or sit down to talk."

Liu Yongfu frowned: "Escalate the conflict? Do they have the guts?"

"None." Chen Feng said firmly, "But they want to save face. So next, London will convey a message through the Faguo, hoping for a 'low-key handling' of this matter. They will propose negotiations, the location possibly in Paris, or possibly in London. And the content of the negotiations…"

He moved the pointer, drawing across the Indian Ocean, stopping at the Persian Gulf.

"On the surface it is discussing 'navigation safety' and 'trade rules'. In reality it is bargaining: how much can Yingguo tolerate us? What can we gain from Yingguo?"

Li Mingyuan asked: "President, what is our bottom line?"

"Three." Chen Feng raised three fingers, "First, fully restore trade, with prices not exceeding pre-crisis levels. Second, Yingguo's tacit approval of our 'dispute' with the Dutch in the South Ocean—note, it is tacit approval, not support. Third, allow Lanfang to establish a commercial office in London, enjoying basic diplomatic courtesies."

Low murmurs rose in the conference room. These three demands each touch the bottom line of the British Empire.

"Will they agree?" someone doubted.

"If they disagree, we will just keep sending the Restoration Ship out for a spin." Chen Feng smiled, "Next stop, Singapore. Then Hong Kong. After that… perhaps go to Australia to have a look. Let Yingguo do the math: is it a smaller loss to agree to our demands, or to let a warship they cannot catch or defeat constantly loiter in their own backyard, causing greater loss?"

Wang Bo hesitated a moment: "Young Master, won't this be… too forceful? I fear Yingguo will be driven to desperation."

"Won't." Chen Feng shook his head, "Wang Bo, have you studied Yingguo's history? This empire endured three hundred years not by brute force but by calculation. They will grow angry, they will roar, but in the end they will choose the path most beneficial to them."

He walked back to his seat, hands braced on the table:

"Moreover, what we are to discuss today is not how to negotiate with Yingguo people—that is Wang Wenwu's job. What we are to discuss is, after the negotiations, where Lanfang should go."

Everyone's gaze focused on him.

"Gentlemen, the Restoration Ship's Indian Ocean voyage has three purposes." Chen Feng said slowly, "First, to break the blockade, which everyone has seen. Second, to display strength to overseas Chinese, which is already underway. But the third…… is the most important."

He paused, letting each word be clear:

"The third purpose, is testing."

"Testing?"

"Testing Yingguo's actual control in the Indian Ocean, testing their reaction speed, testing their decision-making model under pressure." Chen Feng's eyes turned sharp, "Every report Li Te sent back, I have examined carefully. From the Yingguo fleet's discovery of the Restoration Ship, to adjusting deployment, to requesting instructions from London, each step's reaction time and decision logic tells us one thing——"

He pointed the pointer heavily at the center of the Indian Ocean:

"This empire has grown old. Its muscles remain, but its nerves are slow, its joints stiff, its thinking ossified. It is accustomed to speaking with cannons, but when its cannons are inferior to others', it does not know what to do."

The conference room was so quiet one could hear breathing.

"So, after the negotiations, we must do three things." Chen Feng raised three fingers, "First, fully fulfill the Faguo-Deguo orders, build reputation, accumulate funds. Second, launch the South Ocean Spark Plan—not to strike back now, but to begin preparations. Third, begin designing the concept for the next-generation main warship."

Liu Yongfu's eyes lit up: "Next-generation? Isn't the Leopard Class already ahead?"

"Being ahead is temporary." Chen Feng looked at him, "Liu Chief Engineer, what do you think Yingguo people are doing now? They are desperately studying every detail of the Restoration Ship, mobilizing all shipyards to accelerate warship construction, and in laboratories day and night overcoming technical challenges. At most three years, they will catch up."

He walked to the window, looking toward the direction of the outer harbor:

"So we must run faster. The Leopard Class is our first-generation advantage product, but we need second and third generations. Fuel boilers need improvement, guns need to be larger, armor needs to be thicker, speed needs to be faster…… and, not just warships."

He turned around:

"Wang Bo, from Deguo's second batch of advance payments, allocate one million pounds to establish the 'Future Technology Fund'. Dedicated to investing in several directions: aircraft engines, radio communications, synthetic fuels, special alloys. We want to lay out the next decade before others notice. As for the drawings and data, I will find a way, but we also need talent to figure things out."

Wang Bo recorded quickly, his hand trembling slightly. One million pounds—this is almost twice Lanfang's total expenditure over the past three years.

"Young Master, with this much money, isn't it too risky……"

"Not taking risks is the greatest risk." Chen Feng interrupted him, "Wang Bo, think about it: if we do not invest money in R&D now, how will we deal with Yingguo people catching up in three years? How will we deal with American and Japanese people catching up in five years? By then, what will we rely on to survive? What will we rely on to return home?"

His voice echoed in the conference room:

"Technological advantage is our only chip. Lose it, and we will revert to Lanfang a century ago—a group with ideals and passion but no strength, exiles ultimately drowned by history."

Everyone fell silent.