"This is the price of a modern war!" There were no cheers in the Politburo meeting for the smooth execution of the military operation to liberate Taiwan. Firstly, the war had not yet been fully won. Secondly, the figures on the data sheet were somewhat "shocking."

An industrial nation possesses great production capacity, but its consumption is also a terrifying astronomical figure. A battleship sailing for a day consumes more oil than the entire Zhengzhou City uses in a day. The operation of the Task Force and the airborne troops had already consumed the entire annual oil usage of Zhengzhou City. Of course, this was also because there were not many cars and tractors at present.

"If such a war lasts for half a year or a year, what kind of consumption will that be?" Chen Ke said. "Of course, this doesn't mean I oppose a war that should be fought. I just want to introduce this situation to everyone."

The more astute comrades in the Politburo had already thought of a problem: China's oil supply issue. After the discovery of the Daqing Oilfield, production had soared. Thanks to the efforts of oil workers represented by model worker Comrade Wang Xijin, China finally had a truly large oilfield and its own oil base. However, the Dutch East Indies itself produced oil. After fighting Japan, what would the attitude of the Dutch East Indies be? How would the British, who controlled Middle Eastern crude oil, consider future Sino-British relations? And what about the attitude of the United States, another oil supplier for China?

The keener comrades had already sniffed the stronger scent of war in Chen Ke's words. Either do it or don't do it; don't try with a half-hearted attitude. This was the People's Party's way of doing things. China would not let the Netherlands off the hook.

Foreign Minister Li Runshi broke the temporary silence of the Politburo meeting. "How long do we need to prepare?"

"Three years!" Chen Ke replied.

This remark caused a stir in the Politburo. Even without mentioning specific names, most comrades in the Politburo knew exactly who the subject was. The tone for the real foreign war had been set now.

The Dutch East Indies authorities did not know that Chen Ke had already set a timeline. They only received news on June 8th about the military conflict between China and Japan in Taiwan. The Dutch were not too surprised; they had suffered the same blow in Taiwan more than two hundred years ago. What surprised the Dutch was that China had actually taken action. They were frightened by China's decisive reaction.

A hundred years ago, the world might have gone to war at the drop of a hat, but that was a hundred years ago. After experiencing the tragic European war, Europeans' fear of war had greatly increased. At the same time, war was becoming increasingly expensive, an expense that a small country like the Netherlands could not bear at all.

The Dutch East Indies Navy only had two light cruisers, a few destroyers, and a dozen old frigates. Such a meager naval force had no resistance against the Chinese Task Force that had appeared on the edge of the Dutch East Indies a few months ago. Having been at sea for so many years, how could the Dutch not know the strategic significance of Taiwan? The maritime encirclement against China, recently constructed by Japan, Britain, and the Netherlands, mainly relied on Japan's naval power. Once Taiwan was retaken by China, this encirclement would dissolve on its own.

On the evening of June 10th, the Dutch envoy rushed to Singapore to seek an audience with the British Governor of Singapore.

The British received the news a day earlier than the Dutch, getting it on June 7th. The turn of events also stunned the British. As pragmatic British diplomats, they hadn't expected China's reaction to be so tough. Britain had its own fleet in the Western Pacific, and if they transferred the Indian Ocean Fleet, they could also have naval superiority over China.

The problem was that Britain bordered China. Once a war started, it couldn't just be fought at sea. China was not Japan; their Ministry of the Navy and Ministry of the Army did not display a life-or-death struggle posture. The Governor of Singapore did not have the authority to provoke a full-scale war between China and Britain. The British could only give perfunctory responses to the Dutch envoy. After all, Britain had only prohibited China from conducting deposit business in British Southeast Asia and had not done anything to directly anger China like the Netherlands had. Even if China knew Britain was the instigator behind the scenes, what could they do? Moreover, Britain wasn't even the mastermind behind the scenes.

The Dutch representative was not stupid either. He suggested, "Let our two countries' fleets in the Western Pacific go to the vicinity of Taiwan to observe the battle together."

This idea couldn't be called a bad one. The Dutch had also realized that Britain couldn't truly participate in the war. But when a "quasi-ally" was being beaten up, it would be unjustifiable if the British didn't show up. A "shit-stirrer" also had obligations, which was to show up at all times. If Britain stood by with folded arms while China pummeled Japan, it would be tantamount to fully acknowledging China's dominance in the Far East. As the world's boss and a global shit-stirrer that had to have a finger in every pie, if Britain did this, it would chill the hearts of its brothers.

At this moment, Britain had to show up at least. If Japan happened to gain maritime superiority, the warships of the two "onlooker" countries could immediately join the fray and throw some punches. Even if Japan suffered a crushing defeat, Britain and the Netherlands would have at least appeared, existed, and had "certain influence."

The Governor of Singapore did not reject this suggestion. Even if the Dutch hadn't proposed it, the British were considering doing so. It's hard to be the boss! The more one contracts, the more one must exist; standing by is equivalent to fleeing in panic. So by June 11th, the British and Dutch fleets quickly assembled and began heading north towards Taiwan on June 12th.

This was not the first time Britain had observed a naval battle between China and Japan. They had observed once during the First Sino-Japanese War, so this was technically the second time. During the First Sino-Japanese War, Britain's evaluation of the Chinese Beiyang Fleet was not too bad, believing that the Chinese fleet had actually completed its mission. The problem lay in China's command of the war, which was trash.

What kind of performance would China's rebuilt fleet have this time? The British naval commander, sitting on the HMS *Warspite*, the flagship of the Far East Fleet strengthened in 1931, pondered this question. This war between China and Japan over Taiwan was different from the last one. In the last war, China's army collapsed, leading to a total defeat. However, the People's Party Army's series of campaigns against Japan in recent years had proven that the Japanese Army was no match for the Chinese Army. So, the role played by the Japanese Navy this time was quite consistent with the role of the Beiyang Fleet back then. Relying on the Japanese Navy to cut off China's maritime passage to Taiwan, and then transporting a large number of troops to land on Taiwan to resolve the Chinese Army that had already landed on Taiwan with superior forces.

So where would the focus of the struggle be? The British fleet commander's gaze fell on the Kaohsiung area in southern Taiwan. According to internal information provided by the British Minister to Japan, China had landed in southern Taiwan, and this campaign was unfolding from south to north. The naval battle between China and Japan would inevitably unfold in this area.

Facts proved the British fleet commander correct. On June 13th, reconnaissance planes taking off from the British fleet's aircraft carrier HMS *Hermes* reported that the navies of China and Japan were engaging in a fierce battle near Taiwan Island. And the Chinese fleet, seemingly no match for the Japanese fleet, was retreating to the south. The British fleet commander was delighted. had he actually caught up with such a good thing? If it could really be so, Britain's "observation" this time would be too valuable.

Sure enough, after continuing north for a while, they saw two fleets, one behind the other, moving from the northeast to the southwest. In the lead was a fleet centered on a Chinese battleship, and closely pursuing behind was the Japanese fleet. The Chinese battleship was a modified vessel imported from the United States. According to the data known to the British, its speed did not exceed 26 knots, and its artillery was very average. At this moment, the Chinese fleet centered on this battleship was fleeing at full speed.

Chasing behind were Japan's three *Kongō*-class battleships. According to the British Air Force report, they should be the *Kongō*, *Hiei*, and *Haruna*. The British Navy understood completely now; it was impossible to win a one-on-three duel. The Chinese fleet's choice to flee in panic was completely correct. However, the British Air Force also saw a strange thing. The *Haruna*'s superstructure had obviously taken a few hits, and the smoke hadn't cleared yet. The *Hiei* was also not unscathed; if observed carefully, there were marks on its hull too. Relatively speaking, the Chinese battleship showed no signs of damage. The Chinese battleship's bow cut through the waves, and judging from its running posture, the entire warship was in excellent condition. Even upon discovering the British fleet, the Chinese warship showed no signs of pausing and continued to run for its life along the original course.

Britain couldn't block the Chinese fleet's path directly; doing so would be equivalent to directly participating in the war. The combined fleet of Britain and the Netherlands began to change direction to follow this chase at sea. From the observed results, the Chinese warship didn't start fleeing immediately after seeing the Japanese Navy, but had engaged in combat and achieved certain results. China's reconstituted navy was young enough, and it was surprising that such a young navy could achieve such a level.

Naval personnel couldn't help but feel their blood boil when they saw a naval battle. All observation posts were filled with British and Dutch naval officers and soldiers. Everyone pointed and gestured, guessing the outcome of this chase. Some of the more frivolous ones even opened betting pools.

Just as this group of guys was watching the fun, a violent explosion suddenly occurred on the port side of the Japanese Navy flagship *Kongō*, which was charging at the very back. The explosion didn't happen just once; a moment later, another violent explosion occurred on the left side of the *Kongō*. The *Kongō*'s speed immediately slowed down. The British naval officers immediately analyzed clearly that this was the result of a torpedo attack. There were no other warships near the Japanese Navy, so it must be torpedoes fired by submarines.

The Chinese battleship also observed this situation. The battleship, which had been fleeing in a straight line, quickly turned hard to starboard, carving a beautiful white arc on the sea surface. It was actually turning back to fight the Japanese Navy.

"What a beautiful trajectory!" the observation officer on the mast couldn't help but praise. For a behemoth like a battleship to perform such a maneuver, if one had to describe it, it was like the acrobatics of a nimble elephant. On the azure sea, a snow-white arc trajectory dozens of meters wide looked indescribably beautiful no matter how one looked at it; it was the perfect combination of power and mobility.

The Japanese battleship charging at the very front was the *Hiei*. The observers on the *Hiei* also saw the *Kongō* being hit, so the ship's speed began to slow down. However, just at this moment, the *Hiei* also suffered a close-range torpedo attack. The torpedo was fired from the rear flank and directly hit the *Hiei*'s propeller. After two explosions triggered sky-high water columns, the *Hiei* lost most of its power, and its speed dropped rapidly.

And this disaster didn't end there. Ten minutes later, the right part of the *Hiei*'s front hull was hit by several more torpedoes in succession. Under such fierce blows, explosions were heard continuously from inside the hull of this 26,000-plus-ton warship, and the entire hull began to list to the right.

The British fleet commander was stunned by the sudden change before his eyes. He had already realized that China must have ambushed submarines. Feigning flight was to lure the Japanese Navy into the submarine's encirclement. But submarines were slow and couldn't catch up with the speed of battleships. On the vast sea, it was difficult to determine position. How exactly did the Chinese determine their course so precisely?

At this time, the *Haruna*, the middle of the three battleships which had already been hit, began to change course and proceeded in response to the Chinese battleship's turn direction. Firstly, it was to engage the Chinese battleship, and secondly, it was to avoid the Chinese submarines whose location was unknown as soon as possible.

Just then, the *Haruna* also suffered a close-range torpedo attack. The helmsman performed outstandingly, managing to dodge two torpedoes coming from the front left, but failed to dodge the four torpedoes coming from the rear. One torpedo hit the *Haruna*'s propeller from the rear. Like the *Hiei*, it lost power. Relying on inertia and the remaining propeller, it continued to move forward. Besides a greatly reduced speed, its course could no longer be changed.

The battle had taken such a sudden turn that the combined fleet of Britain and the Netherlands was stunned. Every warship ordered its observation posts to diligently search for the location of submarine periscopes. Especially the places where torpedoes might have just originated were the focus of the observers of the two fleets. But no matter how they looked, apart from the waves and the oil leaking from the three Japanese warships, there were no suspicious signs at all on the sea surface.

With three Japanese battleships damaged, the Chinese fleet, led by the Chinese battleship, completed its turn and bore down menacingly on the Japanese fleet, no longer fleeing in panic like a short while ago. The Japanese battleships used their remaining power to make a final effort. Not only did they fire continuously, but they also began to release smoke screens to reduce the possibility of being discovered.

This should have been a very wise choice, but the British fleet commander didn't necessarily judge it so. Smoke screens could obscure the Japanese fleet's silhouette, but they could also obscure the Japanese fleet's vision. Now, the most dangerous thing for the Japanese fleet might not be the naval guns of the Chinese battleship, but the Chinese submarine force that had not yet revealed itself. Sure enough, just as the British fleet commander expected, most of the officers in the "onlooking" British fleet had grave expressions. They gripped their binoculars tightly, trying hard to look into the battlefield where smoke was beginning to fill the air, striving to see the subsequent battle situation clearly.

Only one captain had uncontrollable joy on his face. He had purely been bored out of his mind just now and bet on the big upset of the Chinese Navy completely wiping out the Japanese fleet. Apart from him, no one else had bet on this obviously unreliable option. Now, looking at it, the possibility of the captain making a fortune had risen from 0% in a straight line. The captain was full of anticipation in his heart, hoping that the Chinese submarine force would continue to work hard and perform up to their standard. After all, to make money from odds of 1:500, one might not encounter such a chance once in a lifetime.