nashuaworldcup Chapter 83: Even if our entire Mediterranean fleet were combined, we might not be able to defeat the
Chapter 83: Even if our entire Mediterranean fleet were combined, we might not be able to defeat the
Wang Wenwu stared at him for a few seconds, then turned around: "Captain Li Te."
"exist."
"Turn on the ship's public address system at maximum volume."
"Yes."
A few minutes later, the loudspeaker on the "Guangfu" ship blared. Not at the dock, but towards the area outside the harbor where the Chinese were gathered.
Wang Wenwu's voice, amplified by a loudspeaker, echoed over the port of Colombo:
"Fellow countrymen of the Lanfang Republic! We have heard your cries and seen your flag! We cannot go ashore today, but please remember—"
He paused, letting the sea breeze carry his voice further:
"Lanfang is still here! Lanfang's warships can sail to Colombo, and they can sail to any place in the world where Chinese people are being bullied! Please take care, live well, and live with your heads held high! One day, we will walk onto this land with our heads held high and shake hands with you!"
There was a moment of silence outside the port.
Then, a long-suppressed cry erupted. Hundreds of meters away, you could see people jumping, waving, and crying.
The governor's face turned ashen: "Mr. Wang, this is incitement!"
"No," Wang Wenwu said calmly, "I'm just stating the facts."
He turned and descended the gangway, walked up to the governor, and lowered his voice:
"Your Excellency, I know you received orders from London to intimidate us. But I also want you to understand one thing—"
He pointed to the giant ship behind him:
"This ship has eight 381mm main guns. The weight of one shell is enough for all the rifle bullets in your men's hands combined. If we're unhappy, we can paralyze Djibouti Port for a month without even going ashore."
The governor's face turned pale.
"Of course," Wang Wenwu's tone softened, "we're here to reason, not to fight. We'll leave once we've replenished our freshwater supply. As for our compatriots on shore... if they suffer any injustice because of what happened today, I guarantee that next time there won't just be one boat."
After he finished speaking, he turned and went back to the ship.
Freshwater replenishment took only two hours. Upon departure, the British cruiser caught up again, but this time the distance was greater—fifteen nautical miles.
Looking at the British warships receding into the distance from the bridge, Li Te said, "They're scared."
“It’s not fear,” Wang Wenwu said, standing beside him, “it’s a reassessment. The British are calculating how much we’ll pay for angering them.”
"Have you gotten the result yet?"
"You'll find out soon."
The chase in the Gulf of Aden became a classic episode in this voyage.
That afternoon, the HMS Reconstruction cruised at 20 knots. Three British cruisers were following it side-by-side, ten nautical miles to its port side, for the past four days.
Lee Teuk suddenly said, "Let's play with them."
He ordered: "Engine room, increase speed to 28 knots for twenty minutes. Then suddenly reduce to 15 knots."
The command was executed.
The "Revival" accelerated suddenly, its bow rising and its stern widening abruptly. In just a few minutes, it had left the British cruiser five nautical miles behind. The British ship chased desperately, its funnels billowing black smoke, but the distance continued to widen.
Twenty minutes later, the "Kuangfu" suddenly slowed down.
The British cruisers were caught off guard and overtook them. By the time they managed to turn back, they were already twenty nautical miles behind.
On the bridge, the young Shui Shui couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Be serious," Li Te said, but a smile played on his lips. "Signal them: Do you need our ship to wait?"
The British reply this time was swift and simple: "No need. Have a safe voyage."
Then, the three cruisers turned and headed toward the port of Aden—they stopped following.
"I admit defeat," Wang Wenwu said.
"It's not admitting defeat, it's saving face." Li Te watched the departing ship. "If we keep following them, their boilers will explode."
The communications officer ran over again: "Captain, we just intercepted a telegram from the British fleet. It's addressed to London."
"content?"
"It's a long story, but to sum it up in one sentence: The actual speed of the 'Kuangfu' ship far exceeded expectations, and its tactical advantage was difficult to overcome. We recommend a reassessment of the overall strategy."
Wang Wenwu and Li Te exchanged glances.
"This is the effect we wanted," Wang Wenwu said. "Let them tell London themselves: force won't work, we need to find a different approach."
When the Suez Canal toll bill arrived, even Wang Wenwu raised an eyebrow.
"Fifty thousand pounds?" he looked at the telegram. "Five times the usual rate?"
"The canal authority's explanation was: 'Special passage fee for oversized vessels,'" the communications officer said. "They also said that if we didn't accept it, we could detour around the Cape of Good Hope."
Li Te sneered, "Going around the Cape of Good Hope will add eight thousand nautical miles and twenty days to the journey. They knew we had to go this way."
"Should we give it to them or not?" Wang Wenwu asked.
"Here you go," Li Te said. "The young master said that the money spent now will be paid back tenfold in the future."
He signed off on it, then added: "Tell the finance department to keep a separate account. The account name will be 'Suez Toll – Liability'."
The traffic arrangements are even more troublesome.
The Canal Authority required that the "Guangfu" pass through alone late at night, clearing ten kilometers of waterway before and after it. All other vessels were to dock and wait, with Lanfang to compensate for any losses incurred.
"This is deliberately making things difficult." Wang Wenwu finished reading the terms and conditions. "Passing through at night, visibility is poor, and the canal is so narrow that a slight mistake could cause a runaway."
"But they didn't expect one thing," Li Te said, pointing to the design drawings, "'Kuangfu' has a full set of electric searchlights and side rangefinders. It can see much better at night than during the day."
He ordered: "The entire ship is on high alert. Double the manpower in all positions, the engine room is ready to reverse at any time, and the helmsman is replaced with the most experienced veteran. We want to show the British what modern ship handling is all about."
The passage time is set for midnight.
By 11 p.m., the northern entrance to the Suez Canal had been cleared out.
Searchlights on both banks were turned on, illuminating the waterway as if it were daytime. All the British garrison troops were on duty, with a sentry post every fifty meters, soldiers standing with guns at the ready, their eyes fixed on the approaching behemoth on the river.
"My God..."
Inside the outpost, the young Lieutenant Charles put down his binoculars, his voice hoarse.
He had attended the launching ceremony of the "Intrepid" and thought it was the most magnificent warship in the world. But now, this thing in front of him made the "Intrepid" look like a toy.
It was at least a third longer. Its width was almost the same as the canal. The superstructure towered high, and the outlines of its four main gun turrets resembled four steel castles under the searchlights. Most terrifying of all was its quietness—such a massive hull approached, yet the engine's sound was deep and steady, completely devoid of the roar of a coal-fired boiler.
"Lieutenant," the soldier next to me whispered, "was this really made by Chinese people?"
"That's what the intelligence says." Charles raised his binoculars again. "The Persian Gulf, a place called Lanfang."
"How...did they do that?"
"I don't know," Charles said honestly. "But I do know one thing—if this ship belongs to the enemy, our entire Mediterranean fleet combined might not be able to defeat it."
The soldier fell silent.