Chapter 644: The Whole World Will See That the British Empire Started the War

"This is natural," Chen Feng said, "the Yingguo will give us this excuse."

The crowd was stunned.

Chen Feng stood up and walked to the huge chart on the wall. His finger pointed to the center of the Arabian Sea, where a string of red ship symbols was marked.

"How many capital ships have the Yingguo gathered here?" he asked.

Zhang Zhen came over, looking at the red symbols: "Latest intel: twelve ships. King George V, Centurion, Ajax, Vengeance, Ramis, Royal Oak, Monarch, Conqueror… plus Prestige and Counterattack, two battlecruisers. Total twelve."

"What is their objective?" Chen Feng asked.

Zhang Zhen was momentarily stunned, then his gaze fell on the lower right corner of the chart—Dubai Port.

"They want…" his pupils narrowed slightly, "they want to surround and beat the Bismarck and Tirpitz!"

Chen Feng nodded.

Shel's brows furrowed—twelve against two; the Yingguo were determined to keep them in the Arabian Sea.

"Exactly." Chen Feng walked back to the table but did not sit, instead looking at Shel and Tirpitz, "The Yingguo have gathered twelve capital ships in the Arabian Sea, waiting for the moment the Bismarck and Tirpitz depart. They intend to use absolute numerical superiority in international waters to surround and annihilate you."

Tirpitz's voice was hoarse: "President Chen, if that's the case, we can only… break eastward, into the deep Indian Ocean. The Yingguo can't catch us."

"They can't catch us, but they can block," Chen Feng said, "Twelve ships split into three groups, sealing off every exit of the Arabian Sea. How long will your fuel last? One month? Two months? What if it runs out?"

Tirpitz fell silent.

Chen Feng continued, "Moreover, if you leave, the Yingguo fleet will stay here. Their goal is not only to annihilate you but also to control the Arabian Sea and protect their supply lines. If you depart, they win."

Shel couldn't help but speak, "President, what do you mean?"

Chen Feng looked at him and said something that shocked everyone:

"The Bismarck and Tirpitz were built by our Lanfang."

The conference room fell silent for a second.

Shel's mind raced—he knew those two ships were built by Lanfang; when they were received in Kiel, Lanfang's engineers had come along. But Chen Feng bringing it up now…

"Their original names," Chen Feng said deliberately, "were Chang Jiang and Huang He."

Li Te's eyes widened sharply—he was the navy commander, of course knowing what that meant. The two Bismarck Class ships sold to Deguo had indeed been taken out of Lanfang's active navy roster,

"Huai He, Zhu Jiang," Chen Feng continued, "as well as Ding Yuan and Zhi Yuan, are all Bismarck Class. Visually, there is almost no difference—same hull, same turret layout, same bridge structure."

He paused, his gaze sweeping everyone present: "The only difference is the flag they fly."

Wang Wenwu was the first to react.

He sprang to his feet, voice trembling: "President, you mean… let the Huai He and Zhu Jiang…"

Chen Feng nodded.

Zhang Zhen also understood. He rushed to the chart, drawing a circle over the Arabian Sea: "Let the Huai He and Zhu Jiang depart without flying a national flag, so the Yingguo think the ships leaving are the Bismarck and Tirpitz. As long as the Yingguo act…"

"As soon as the Yingguo act," Chen Feng continued, "Lanfang will have the perfect pretext for war—the Yingguo will attack without a declaration, brazenly striking a neutral nation's warship. The whole world will see that the British Empire started the war."

Li Te inhaled a cold breath.

He thought for three seconds, then said, "President, this plan… is too risky. The Huai He and Zhu Jiang are only two ships, the Yingguo have twelve. What if they can't hold out…"

"They can hold," Chen Feng said, "You know the Bismarck Class armor and firepower better than I do. The Huai He and Zhu Jiang also have fire‑control radar; the Yingguo's optical rangefinders at this distance are just ornaments. Without radar, two against twelve can't win, but lasting a few hours is no problem."

He looked at Zhang Zhen: "Just hold out until the Bismarck and Tirpitz appear."

Shel's heart hammered.

Let him take the stage?

Chen Feng turned to him: "General Shel, I need your fleet to hoist the German flag and depart six hours after the Huai He sets sail. Six hours is enough for the Yingguo to enter combat mode, enough for them to focus all attention on those two 'Bismarck Class' ships. When they start fighting, you rush over at full speed—"

"The Yingguo will realize," Tirpitz took over, his voice gaining a hint of warmth, "the two ships they're firing at aren't flying the German flag. The real German flag is rising behind them."

Chen Feng nodded.

Shel stood up and walked to the chart. He stared at the spot marking the Yingguo fleet and then at Dubai Port, silently calculating distance and time in his mind.

"Six hours," he said, "if the Yingguo fleet pursues at full speed, they should move southeast. The Bismarck and Tirpitz departing from Dubai at thirty knots can enter the battlefield in… about four and a half hours."

He turned, looking at Chen Feng: "President, if the Yingguo act too early, the Huai He and Zhu Jiang need to hold for four and a half hours. That time…"

"The Huai He and Zhu Jiang can hold for four and a half hours," Zhang Zhen's voice came from beside him.

Shel looked at him.

There was no hesitation on Zhang Zhen's face: "My ships, my men, can hold for four and a half hours, no problem."

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.

Li Te broke the silence: "President, the Huai He and Zhu Jiang departing without a flag… what's the reason? Why doesn't the Lanfang fleet fly a flag when it trains and departs?"

"That's the point," Chen Feng said, "Not flying a flag is to make the Yingguo misjudge. The German ships have just been repaired and try to slip away without a flag—this logic the Yingguo will fill in themselves. Someone like Jelikoe, seeing two Bismarck Class ships leaving Dubai without flags, will instantly think 'the Germans are trying to sneak through.'"

He paused: "Moreover, our press conference is on the Huai He."

"Press?" Wang Wenwu was taken aback.

Chen Feng nodded: "Reporters from Lanfang's major newspapers, with the best cameras. They'll capture the first instant the Yingguo fire, the shells hitting the Huai He, and the grim sight of a Lanfang battleship being struck."

His voice grew cold: "Then those photos will appear in every newspaper in London, Paris, Berlin, and New York. I've already thought up the headline—'The British Empire Attacks a Neutral Lanfang Without Declaration.'"