lerbook Chapter 86 International Shock
Chapter 86 International Shock
Two weeks later.
Shanghai. Longhua Road Garrison Command.
Chen Zijun sat in his study, a stack of today's newspapers on the coffee table in front of him.
Every newspaper's front page headline discusses the same thing.
"Ghosts of the East China Sea! Two destroyers from Japan's Third Fleet mysteriously sank in international waters!"
"Mysterious underwater forces severely damage the Japanese flagship Tama! Sato's fate is unknown!"
"A dramatic shift in the Far East's maritime power structure? Major powers urgently summon ambassadors for consultations!"
Chen Zijun picked up the teacup and took a sip.
Newspaper reports aren't always entirely accurate. But the core facts are correct.
Three days ago. In international waters of the East China Sea. 3:00 AM.
Heinrich led U-93 on its third sortie.
This time, it wasn't reconnaissance.
Two torpedoes. One hit the engine room of the destroyer "Hayabusa," snapping its keel on the spot. The second hit below the ammunition magazine of the "Asagao," causing it to explode.
The two destroyers sank to the bottom of the sea within forty seconds.
In the chaos, the flagship Tama was grazed by a third torpedo, tearing a twelve-meter-long gash across the waterline. Sato was thrown onto the deck in the explosion, breaking three of his ribs.
U-93 did not surface at all.
Nobody saw it.
Not a single bubble was left.
It was as if an invisible hand was reaching up from the seabed and strangling the Japanese fleet across the entire East China Sea.
Chen Zijun put down his teacup.
Shen Li pushed open the door and walked in.
"Young Marshal, the British Consul Bardon and the American Consul Cunningham have arrived. They say they have urgent business to discuss with you."
"Tell them to wait ten minutes."
"They said...we can't wait."
Chen Zijun's lips curled slightly.
"Then let them wait fifteen minutes."
Shen Li's lips twitched, and he turned and left.
……
Fifteen minutes later.
study.
Baldon and Cunningham walked in side by side.
Neither of them looked too good.
Bardon was wearing a sharp three-piece suit, but his tie was tied tighter than usual, and beads of sweat hadn't been wiped from his temples. His right hand was unconsciously clenched into a fist on his outside thigh.
Cunningham was slightly better. The American gentleman at least maintained a smile, but it was three times more stiff than usual.
"Please have a seat, both of you." Chen Zijun gestured to the sofa opposite him. "Tea or coffee?"
"General Chen." Bardon didn't sit down. His voice was low, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "I need an explanation."
"Explain what?"
"Three days ago. In international waters of the East China Sea. Two Japanese destroyers sank. The Tama was severely damaged." Balton tapped his finger on the coffee table. "Our intelligence has ruled out the possibility of mines. So there's only one explanation."
He stared intently into Chen Zijun's eyes.
"submarine."
Chen Zijun picked up his teacup and slowly blew on it.
"Sir Baldon, I read all of this in the newspapers."
"General Chen!" Barton's voice rose half an octave. "The British Empire operates over forty merchant ships in the East China Sea! What will happen to my merchant ships if there's an unidentified submarine operating recklessly on the seabed of the East China Sea?"
"What does this have to do with me?" Chen Zijun's tone was as indifferent as plain water.
Baldon's face turned a deep purplish-red.
Cunningham spoke up at that moment.
"General Chen," his tone softened considerably, "we're not here to interrogate you. We're here to seek cooperation."
"cooperate?"
“Yes.” Cunningham pulled a document from his briefcase. “The commercial shipping routes between the United States and Great Britain in the East China Sea contribute more than 30 million pounds in trade to both countries annually. If the East China Sea becomes a war zone, our losses will be astronomical.”
He pushed the documents in front of Chen Zijun.
"We hope that whoever this 'deep-sea ghost' is, we can guarantee the safety of British and American merchant ships. In return, we can discuss certain... mutually beneficial terms."
Chen Zijun picked up the document, flipped through it, and then put it down.
"Mr. Cunningham," he said calmly, "you just mentioned that the East China Sea has an annual trade volume of thirty million pounds."
"Yes."
"Thirty million. That's your money. But who's guaranteeing the safety of this shipping route?"
Cunningham paused for a moment.
"It used to be the British Royal Navy's Far East Fleet." Chen Zijun stood up and walked to the nautical charts in the study. "But now, Satoda has deployed the Japanese fleet to blockade the East China Sea, and your Far East Fleet hasn't even uttered a sound. Isn't that right?"
Baldon's face turned even redder.
"In fact, Sato has seized twelve of your merchant ships in the past month. Four of them are under the British flag." Chen Zijun turned to look at Baldon. "Did you protest?"
Baldon fell silent.
"They protested," Chen Zijun answered for him. "They sent three diplomatic notes. And what happened? The Japanese ignored them completely."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
Chen Zijun sat back down in his chair and crossed his legs.
"So, Mr. Cunningham, you mean—you want me to ensure the safety of this route?"
Cunningham hesitated for a moment.
"If you can do it."
"I can do it," Chen Zijun replied crisply. "But there's no such thing as a free lunch."
He stretched out one hand, his five fingers spread wide.
"500,000 pounds per month. Security fees for the shipping route. 300,000 for Britain, 200,000 for the United States. I guarantee that no Japanese warship will dare to approach the entire maritime trade route from Wusongkou to Fuzhou."
Baldon nearly jumped off the sofa.
"Five hundred thousand pounds! General Chen, this is extortion!"
"Sir Baldon," Chen Zijun's voice suddenly turned cold. "You earn thirty million a year in the East China Sea. I'll only charge you three million six hundred thousand. That's twelve percent for security costs. In London, what's the premium your Lloyd's Insurance Company pays for war zone shipping routes? Twenty-five percent."
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I've already given you a 50% discount."
Baldon opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Cunningham sighed beside him.
"General Chen, please allow me to discuss this with Sir Barton."
"Please go ahead." Chen Zijun picked up his teacup. "I'll give you three days. After three days, the price will rise to 600,000."
The faces of both consuls twitched simultaneously.
……
After Baldon and Cunningham left.
Shen Li walked in, holding an urgent coded telegram in his hand.
"Young Marshal, news from Tokyo."
Chen Zijun took it.
"Sato was recalled to Tokyo. The Emperor was furious and ordered him to commit seppuku as an apology."
Chen Zijun's expression remained unchanged.
"continue."
Shen Li took a deep breath.
"Emergency transfer order from the Combined Fleet. Newly appointed Commander of the Third Fleet, Rear Admiral... Tamon Yamaguchi."
Chen Zijun's fingers paused slightly.
Yamaguchi is well-informed.
He knew that name all too well.
In the later Battle of Midway, it was this man who led the aircraft carrier Hiryu in a desperate counterattack against the annihilation of his allies, severely damaging the Yorktown. A renowned admiral, he went down with his ship.
A truly ruthless character.
It's not comparable to Satoda's empty-headed spearhead.
Chen Zijun placed the telegram on the table.
"What did you bring?"
"One Kongo-class battlecruiser. Two Nagara-class light cruisers. Four special-type destroyers." Shen Li's voice was somewhat strained. "Twice the size of Satoda's fleet."
Chen Zijun stood up and walked to the window.
Outside the window, the lights on the Huangpu River resembled a long golden dragon.
"Okay." His voice was soft. "We've got someone who can really fight."
He turned around.
"Tell Heinrich. The wolf pack continues training. The real prey is coming."