African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 584: Chapter 262 Blockade of Miyako Strait

”General, the Japanese on the other side are waving a white flag. Are they surrendering?” Morse, General Gleiss’s adjutant, looked somewhat surprised at the twenty or so small boats left behind.

Gleiss sneered, ”Haha, now they’re not pretending. Where have you seen fishermen waving white flags at warships? Wouldn’t it have been better for them to just leave earlier? This further confirms their identity.”

Morse said, ”Does that mean the Japanese now genuinely want to surrender?”

Gleiss shook his head and said, ”Don’t jump to conclusions. If they were surrendering, the retreating force was definitely the main force of the Japanese. Only a very small portion remains now. Think carefully, why are they not keeping in step with the main force?”

”Perhaps they wanted to stay behind to negotiate. After all, we’re somewhat aware of the Japanese intentions. They definitely won’t give up the interests in the southern Ryukyu Islands just because we arrived.”

Gleiss: ”Impossible. If it were negotiations, there would be no need to retreat at the beginning. If the negotiations fail, then retreating later wouldn’t be too late.”

He didn’t understand the Japanese military’s tradition of challenging authority, so he couldn’t fully grasp Takahashi Morita’s intentions.

”Should we let them aboard to see what their exact intentions are?” Morse inquired.

Hmm, Gleiss also had this inclination. After all, we hold the advantage now, and there’s no fear of any tricks from the opposite side. Moreover, Gleiss wanted to understand the strategy of the opposing commander.

Therefore, Gleiss ordered, ”Dispatch a communication boat to approach them...”

As he spoke about approaching, a sudden burst of insight struck Gleiss’s mind, ”Approach, approach...” What did he subconsciously associate this with?

”Wait a moment, Morse, do you think those small fishing boats pose any threat to us?” Gleiss asked Morse.

”Your Excellency, General, certainly not, unless we stand there without retaliation, letting them bomb us around. Besides, their cannons are hardly more menacing than threatening merchant ships. We are armored cruisers. Even if they hit a crucial spot on the ship, it might not instantly harm us. By then, we would have long sunk them.”

”You’re right, but cannons are irrational, and we can’t take any risks. If we suffer an upset in the gutter, we would become the world’s biggest joke!” Gleiss sternly stated.

Morse heard the underlying meaning in Gleiss’s words, so he asked, ”Your Excellency, General, did you notice something?”

Gleiss didn’t directly answer this question but instead asked, ”Do you think the Japanese have a way to do as you mentioned: making us stand still and take a beating or leaving us no means to counteract them?”

Morse knew that Gleiss wouldn’t speak without reason, so he was sure there was something he hadn’t considered, and he began to ponder.

He soon came up with an idea: ”General, are you suggesting the Japanese might be feigning surrender?”

Gleiss was pleased to see Morse following the thread of his thoughts, saying, ”That’s right. Our warships are indeed advanced, but as the saying goes, smaller boats are easier to maneuver, which speaks to our disadvantage and the Japanese advantage.”

Morse continued, ”So, if the Japanese approached our ships, our response speed might not match their small boats. That’s our flaw, especially if they get close; our weapons might not be effectively deployed and could even cause accidental harm to our own.”

Gleiss: ”Is this a bold speculation? You should know that the success rate of such a ploy is likely only one percent. Do you think the Japanese would actually dare attempt this?”

This is almost equivalent to a suicide mission. Even if they could damage the Ironclad Ship, East Africa’s other warships could make up for it. East Africa might suffer losses, but the opposing side would absolutely be obliterated.

”This isn’t a question of life or death, rather whether the cost is disproportionate. In my view, even if our fleet were to lose a ship, it’s far more disadvantageous than the opposing force being annihilated. Even the most outdated sailing warships are legitimate military vessels, whereas the Japanese vessels are all temporarily converted from fishing and merchant ships.” Morse said.

Since East Africa annexed the Sultanate of Zanzibar, the shipyard on Zanzibar Island naturally became part of East Africa’s assets, and the Zanzibar navy was fully integrated into the East African navy. Thus, East Africa’s navy still retained many sailing warships, which may be somewhat outdated against other nations, but they have some advantages over declining maritime states like Portugal. At the time, Portugal was the main opponent of the Oman navy. With new technical support, it was revived from its deathbed. Of course, wooden ships are now a sunset industry, but they can be used to cultivate a mature workforce, which is beneficial for East Africa.

This is also why there are two sailing warships in the expedition fleet this time. Although they are sailing warships, they are equipped with lots of new technology, so it’s not possible for them to be calculated against by the Japanese.

”General Gleiss, what should we do? Should we accept the Japanese surrender, or how should we accept it?”

”We certainly should accept it, but we must give them hope while simultaneously crushing it completely. Of course, if they don’t harbor such thoughts, it’s better. Otherwise, let them forever sleep at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean!” Gleiss said viciously.

Soon, the East African communication boat was launched and began negotiations with Takahashi Morita: ”We’ve accepted your surrender, but according to East African Naval regulations, you can only remain in the area 500 meters away.”

Takahashi Morita thought carefully; this distance wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t too bad either. His main intention was to ambush East Africa unexpectedly. East Africa probably wouldn’t expect him to have the audacity to use small fishing boats to challenge East Africa’s large warships.

So he said, ”I agree to the terms for returning home, but I have one request: I want to directly meet with your highest commander.”

”You aren’t qualified enough!”

”This is my identification. I am Lieutenant Commander Takahashi Morita of the Japanese Navy. Rest assured, I will be alone, boarding your small boat to come over, and our vessel will not follow.”

”Alright! But we must hold onto your identification first.”

”No problem!”

Then Takahashi Morita boarded the East African communication boat with East African sailors heading towards the ”Zhegu” and, before departing, he signaled to his subordinate Nakata Noriaki to proceed with the plan.

Takahashi Morita’s gamble with his life was meant to further lull the East African Navy. After all, no one would casually take risks with their own life.

But Takahashi Morita didn’t notice that after he boarded and traveled a while, the East African Navy began mobilizing, with gunboats approaching the ”Zhegu,” while two other Ironclad Ships started moving to either side.

Nakata Noriaki was the first to notice the East African Navy’s abnormal movements, but with the commander already gone with East Africa, he could only bravely proceed according to the plan, simultaneously convincing himself that East Africans couldn’t possibly uncover their plan.

The Japanese began maneuvering their vessels toward the ”Zhegu,” but instead of targeting the three parallel Ironclad Ships, they now aimed at the gunboats.

After completing their deployment, Takahashi Morita also discovered the East African Navy’s flaw. Seeing the strange smiles on the nearby East African sailors, he knew things weren’t going well.

By this time, the Japanese fleet had started their actions, accelerating towards the ”Zhegu,” but the East African gunboats seemed to have anticipated their moves and moved head-on against the Japanese boats, covering the front of the ”Zhegu.”

Both sides almost fired simultaneously. Japanese small boats were no match for East African gunboats, and although some shells hit, they were mostly blocked by the gunboats.

Takahashi Morita, knowing the plan was exposed, looked ashen and could only watch helplessly as his subordinates were sent to their graves one by one by East African artillery.

”The Japanese Navy’s sneak attack on the East African Navy is a fait accompli. I hereby order that from this day forth, the Miyako Strait is blockaded, and Japanese ships are prohibited from entering!” Gleiss said excitedly.