Chapter 645: The Chinese Are Cunning, Cunning

Tirpitz listened, the corner of his mouth twitched.

He wanted to say "the Chinese are cunning, cunning," but didn't utter it. He only looked at Chen Feng with a hint of awe in his eyes—this man had calculated every step.

Zhang Zhen stepped forward: "President, I'll go."

Chen Feng looked at him.

"Huaihe is my flagship; I know it best," Zhang Zhen said, "Moreover, this kind of mission needs a commander who can adapt on the fly. After the Yingguo open fire, how to fight, when to show weakness, when to counterattack, when to let reporters capture the most 'suitable' footage—these all require on‑scene judgment."

Chen Feng was silent for three seconds, then nodded.

"Fine. Prepare, and depart at dawn tomorrow. Huaihe and Zhujiang will sail without flags, at eighteen knots, eastward along the regular Arabian Sea route. The Yingguo will certainly intercept."

He paused: "Remember, the reporters must not get hurt. They are the audience of this drama, and also witnesses."

Zhang Zhen stood at attention: "Yes!"

"Also," Chen Feng added, "after hostilities begin, you may counterattack, but not at full strength. Show weakness, make the Yingguo think 'German battleships are nothing special', let them become more excited and more invested as they fight. Wait until all their attention is on you—"

"Bismarck appears," Zhang Zhen continued, "President, I understand."

He saluted, turned, and strode out of the conference room. As the door shut, She Er saw his silhouette stretch long in the corridor light, like a sword about to be drawn.

The conference room fell silent again.

Chen Feng turned to She Er.

"General She Er, your mission is simpler than Zhang Zhen's, yet harder."

She Er sat upright: "President, please speak."

"Set sail six hours later, flying the German flag, full speed into the battle," Chen Feng said. "When you appear, Huaihe and Zhujiang will have been steaming for over four hours, and the Yingguo fleet will surely have taken damage. What you must do is—"

"Make the Yingguo convinced that the two ships they are fighting are German battleships," She Er took over, "and we are here to support them."

Chen Feng nodded.

"Thus Jielike's perception will be completely scrambled. He will think there are two groups of German battleships—one he's been battling for four hours and still resisting, another just rushed from Dubai to assist. He will frantically wonder why the Germans have two Bismarck‑class ships, and which two are real."

Tirpitz let out a soft laugh.

"Then, when he finally reacts," the Marshal said, "the whole world will already have seen the photos taken by reporters on Huaihe. The Yingguo's accusation of attacking a neutral nation cannot be washed away."

She Er looked at Chen Feng, silent for three seconds.

Then he stood, stood at attention, and gave Chen Feng a standard Prussian salute.

【5​5】 "President Chen," he said, his voice steady and strong, "German battleships will unconditionally cooperate with Lanfang. This is what you deserve."

"President Chen," he said, his voice steady and strong, "Deguo warships will unconditionally cooperate with Lanfang. This is what you deserve."

Chen Feng stood and returned the salute.

"General She Er, remember," he said, "once you appear, don't hit too hard. If the Yingguo retreats, let them. The goal of this battle isn't to annihilate the Yingguo fleet, but to put the charge of 'undeclared war' on them. As long as that goal is met, everything else can wait."

She Er nodded: "Understood."

Tirpitz also stood. The Marshal walked to She Er's side and patted his shoulder.

"She Er," he said, "is your ship ready?"

"Ready, Marshal. Ninety‑five percent combat power."

At four o'clock in the morning, the meeting ended.

Wang Wenwu and Li Te left first to coordinate communications and intelligence. Only Chen Feng, Tirpitz, and She Er remained in the conference room.

Chen Feng walked to the window, watching the sky about to break dawn.

"General She Er," he suddenly asked, "are you afraid of death?"

She Er stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head.

"Not at all, President. Since the day I enlisted, I've never been afraid."

Chen Feng turned around, looking at him.

"What about your crew? Twelve hundred men, and you're not afraid they'll die?"

She Er was silent.

Chen Feng walked back to the table and sat down.

"On Huaihe there are eight hundred Lanfang sailors; on Zhujiang also eight hundred. They will all die—maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe in this battle. Zhang Zhen knows, Zhou Zhen guo knows, those sailors know as well. Yet they still went."

He paused: "Do you know why?"

She Er gave no answer.

"Because they believe Lanfang's future requires people to fight for it," Chen Feng said, "just as your crew believes in you, willing to follow you to the Atlantic to die."

He stood and walked to She Er's front.

"So, return alive," he said, "with your ship, with your men, return alive. Lanfang needs you, Deguo needs you as well."

She Er looked into Chen Feng's eyes.

Those eyes were calm, but beneath the calm She Er saw something else.

It was responsibility.

Only someone bearing millions of lives on his shoulders has that gaze.

"President," She Er said, "I will."

Chen Feng nodded, turning to Tirpitz.

"Marshal, is there anything else you wish to say?"

Tirpitz was silent for a long while.

Then he spoke, his voice hoarse:

"President Chen, Germany still owes Lanfang this lifetime."

Chen Feng shook his head.

"Marshal, you're wrong," he said, "this isn't a debt. It's mutual need. Deguo needs Lanfang to help you survive, Lanfang needs Deguo to help us hold back the Yingguo. Each takes what they need, that's all."

He paused: "In international politics there are no eternal friends, nor eternal enemies. But at least at this moment, we are friends."

Tirpitz looked at him, his eyes slightly reddened.

Then he extended his hand.

Chen Feng grasped it.

The two hands clasped together, and after three seconds they separated.

"It's almost dawn," Chen Feng said, "Let's go back and prepare."

She Er and Tirpitz walked side by side out of the conference room, along the long corridor toward the main gate.

The corridor was quiet, only the two of their footsteps echoing. Outside, the sea surface of the Persian Gulf was turning a pale hue, and it was almost dawn.

She Er finally couldn't hold back, "Marshal, what do you think of President Chen...?"

Tirpitz did not answer immediately.

After walking a dozen steps, he finally spoke.

"Intelligent," he said, "very intelligent."

She Er nodded, "This scheme has the Yingguo calculated to the last detail. Someone like Jielike will definitely fire. By the time he realizes the mistake, it'll be too late."

Tirpitz stopped, looking at the sea outside that was growing brighter.

"She Er," he said, "Do you know why I'm worried?"

She Er shook their head.

"Because he's too clever," Tirpitz said, "Every step is accounted for, every detail considered, every possibility has a contingency. An opponent like that, if an enemy, would keep one awake at night."

He turned, looking at She Er, "Fortunately, he's a friend now."

She Er thought for a moment, and said, "Marshal, do you think he'll remain a friend forever?"

Tirpitz was silent for a few seconds.

"I don't know," he said, "In international politics, there are no eternal friends. But as long as Deguo is useful, he'll continue to be a friend."

He kept walking forward, and She Er followed.

When they reached the gate, Tirpitz suddenly stopped, turned back and glanced at the conference room door deep in the corridor that had already closed.

"She Er," he whispered in German, "The Chinese are cunning, cunning indeed."

She Er was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing.

"Marshal, your words..."

"I'm praising them," Tirpitz said, "In this era, overly honest people don't live long. Cunning is what lets one survive."

He pushed open the door and stepped into the morning light outside.

She Er followed behind, but in their mind the old Marshal's words kept echoing.

The Chinese, cunning, cunning indeed.

He thought, this is probably Tirpitz's highest praise of Chen Feng.