Ch. 69: Intervention
12:40 PM, July 9th, 1926, Forbidden City, Peking, China
Inside their makeshift command center, the Warlords could be seen looking over a map of Northeastern China that was laid out on the table. Placed on the Bohai Sea were figurines representing the Kkachi and the naval and aerial forces sent to attack it. Additionally, several figurines representing land forces were placed along the coast of the Shandong Peninsula.
It was then an officer carrying some papers walked up to them and saluted.
"Urgent report from General Wu Peifu. Chiang Kai-shek and the NRA have just launched a massive invasion from the South."
"WHAT!" yelled out General Yu yelled out as he and the other Warlords focused their attention on the officer. "Where are they invading from!"
"According to all the reports, the NRA are flooding into the Hunan province from both the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. They've already overrun the forces stationed along the border and are currently pushing back what remaining forces we have. Wu has therefore requested additional forces be sent down to counter the invasion."
"Why does he need additional forces?" Yu frustratingly asked. "Surely he has enough to at least hold them off."
"Wu has reported that due to attacks from the Guomonjun in the Northwest, he doesn't have any forces he can spare to reinforce the South." the officer reported.
"Are you kidding me!? Doesn't Wu realize we are already using all the resources we have to chase down Zero and retrieve the Premier?
Meanwhile another officer carrying a message approached General Zhao and whispered something into his ear.
"What do you mean they are retreating?!" Zhao yelled out.
"What is it General?" Yu asked.
"I just received a report that the fleet and squadrons we sent to pursue Zero have failed in their mission and are currently retreating." Zhao said.
"Retreating? What kind of losses have they faced?" General Wang asked.
"Heavy ones. The two fleets and squadrons we sent have essentially been obliterated."
"That's just great!" General Li bellowed as the smoke he was inhaling from the cigar blew out of his nostrils. "Not only have we failed to stop Zero and retrieve the Premier, but we also have weakened our Southern defenses by allocating our resources to the North. Bet you this was Zero's plan all along."
"I don't know about that." General Ma added. "If I had just spent tons of resources to infiltrate a highly secure location and kidnap the Premier, the last thing I want to be is bait."
"Whether or not Chiang's invasion was part of Zero's plan is irrelevant at this point!" General Yang emphasized. "As we speak NRA forces are making more territorial gains while Zero is getting further away. It is therefore imperative we do something immediately."
"We're already aware of that." General Guo replied. "However you seem to fail to realize that we don't have enough resources to reinforce our Southern forces against Chiang and pursue Zero. Failure to stop both will effectively mean the end of us."
"Guo is right." Zhao replied. "If we continue focusing our resources on catching Zero, then Chiang and the NRA will surely overrun us in the South and eventually make their way to Peking. However, if we send all forces here in the North to reinforce the lines in the South, then Zero will get away and expose all the secret agreements in the treaty to the international community, which will likely lead to the British, French, and Americans withdrawing their support."
"And if they withdraw their support, then Japan will definitely be forced to scrap the treaty." Wang added.
"So it looks like we have to make a choice." Yang added. "I say we go focus our resources on Chiang."
"Weren't you just listening?!" Li yelled. "If Zero gets away we will be diplomatically isolated and lose all the financial and material aide promised to us by the Japanese!"
"I'm quite aware of that. However we stand to lose more if we let Chiang continue to trample over our forces in the South. Besides, if we play our cards right, it is possible we could mitigate some of the damage to our reputations should the treaty be shared in its entirety."
"But if we don't get that foreign assistance, then the chances of this nation being unified under our control is reduced substantially." Wang added. "Also don't forget all of our respective superiors have sacrificed much time and resources with the expectation of being paid a fortune."
"Those fortunes will be worthless if we lose all of our land and have no political power!" Ma replied.
"Gentleman!" Yu interjected. "There's absolutely no need for all this bickering. You all fail to realize we can still maintain our pursuit of Zero without compromising our ability to counter Chiang and his invading army."
Yu then grabbed a plotting rod and leaned across the war map laid out on the table. Using the rod, he moved a majority of the figurines representing Chinese forces placed along the Shandong Peninsula to the Hunan province in the South.
"All we need to do is redeploy three quarter of the forces stationed in the Northeast to the Hunan province in the South. By my estimates that should be enough to effectively counter the NRA while also leaving enough up here to deal with Zero."
"And how do you suppose we catch Zero with such a small force?" Zhao asked. "The fleets and squadron that we sent earlier were the only forces available that had a chance of catching Zero. The only other forces we can send that can get the job done are stationed in the South."
"That's where you're wrong." Yu answered. "We actually have several forces in the North we can utilize. All it takes is one phone call and some convincing to use them."
Yu then walked to and picked up one of the telephones in the room.
"This is General Yu Jingyi. I want you to connect me to the Japanese Embassy. It's extremely urgent."
1:43 PM, Bohai Sea
Inside the Kkachi's hangar, the humming of power drills, the banging of hammers, and the crackling of welding torches filled the air as teams of mechanics tirelessly worked on repairing the planes and parts of the hull that were damaged in the earlier battle.
Meanwhile Kae, who was still wearing her flight uniform, approached Park and Roh, who could be seen leaning on a nearby wall talking to one another.
"Ah Kae! How did the Hongyeon fare up there?" Park asked.
"Not too bad." Kae answered. "The fuselage and the wings were unsurprisingly peppered with bullet holes so those had to be patched up. Engine did suffer some damage, most notably to its fuel injector and spark plugs. However the mechanics told me they can have that fixed in an hour or so."
"You definitely came out better than I did. A whole chunk of the rudder on my plane was blown off in the battle. It's pretty much a miracle I was still able to maneuver a safe landing."
"Well I had no problem shooting those bastards out of the sky. In fact my plane practically came out of that battle unscathed." Roh boasted.
"Strange because if I recall correctly you were constantly being chased around like a rabbit being hunted." Kae replied.
"Also I heard that when you landed your plane the engine was partially on fire, one of the wings was barely attached, and one of the wheels had broken off." Park added.
"Oh just shut up!" an annoyed Roh snapped back as both Kae and Park laughed.
"Anyway all that fighting definitely made me hungry. You guys want to head down to the mess deck and get a bite to eat?" Kae asked.
Both Park and Roh nodded in agreement and proceeded to follow her out of the hangar.
As they were walking down the hallway, they saw Jeong step out of one of the cabins.
"Hey Jeong!" Kae called out.
"Oh! Hey guys." Jeong replied. "How was it out there?"
"A slight challenge, but nothing we haven't handled before. Fortunately our losses in aircraft were fairly minimal and most of the pilots have survived." Kae answered. "Anyway, how has things been on your end?"
"Nothing special. Still babysitting for the Premier."
Kae then stepped towards the door to the room Jeong stepped out of and peered through the door window. Inside she could see Premier Du nervously hunched over and sitting on the cabin bed. An officer keeping surveillance could also be seen sitting in a chair across from him.
"How has he been since we took him in?"
"He's been pretty quiet the entire time." Jeong replied. "I suspect he's still shaken up from the stunt we pulled back in Peking."
"Hopefully the recent battle didn't traumatize him further." Park replied. "We need him to be astute and focused when we bring him back to Shanghai."
"The Premier did start to panic like a madman when the first shots were heard. Fortunately we were able to restrain and calm him down before things got out of control."
"So where are you heading now?" Kae asked.
"To the mess hall. As you can see the Premier is still stressed and exhausted from everything that has occurred. Figured some food and water would make him feel better."
"We're heading to the mess deck too. Perhaps you would like to join us?"
"Sure."
Jeong then accompanied Kae, Park, and Roh while they continued to walk down the hallway towards the direction of the mess deck.
"So, how did each of you fare out there?"
"Well start with Jo. As always his story is the shortest." Park humorously replied.
"Jackass." Roh angrily muttered under his breath.
On the bridge, numerous officers could be seen all over carrying out multiple tasks. These ranged from surveying the horizon with their binoculars and plotting the ship's coordinates on maps to managing the ship's controls and monitoring communications. Meanwhile, Zero was on the telephone receiving updates on the ship's repairs.
"The ship is still only moving at 60% of it's full speed. What is going on down there?" Zero asked.
"There are still a handful of pipes that need to replaced. As a result we needed to shut down one of the boilers." an engineer on the other end of the phone reported.
"Get those pipes replaced as soon as possible. It is imperative that we be at full speed."
Zero then hung up the phone, flipped a switch, and turned a knob before picking it up once more.
"This is Zero. How are the repairs on and around the flight deck going?"
"I would say ok overall." the officer overseeing the repairs outside reported. "We've cleared the runway of most of the debris, fixed the arresting gear, and patched up as many holes we as we were able to. Of course there's very little we can about the anti-aircraft and naval guns that were destroyed or damaged beyond repair."
"Continue cleaning up the runway and repair any gun that is salvageable. While it is extremely unlikely at this point, we must be prepared for another strike by the enemy."
Hanging up the phone again, Zero then approached Gang, who was looking over several nautical charts laid out on a table while holding onto a compass and a slide ruler.
"So, how's it looking?"
"The previous battle naturally caused us to slow down and change our course significantly." Gang answered as he pointed to the ship's current position on the map. "However, as you can see we've managed to get the ship back on it's original course."
Zero took a closer look at the map and saw numerous lines, arcs, and numbers representing the ship's projected course drawn on it.
"Continue to maintain original course through the Bohai Strait and into the Yellow Sea unless otherwise alerted." Zero replied before walking away.
While walking across the bridge, he was then approached by Jo, who was holding a clipboard in his hand.
"Zero, just got an urgent call from the medical bay. They just said that they are being overwhelmed with casualties and do not have enough personnel."
"Transfer one third of the remaining active gun crewmen to the medical bay for assistance." ordered Zero.
"Won't that compromise our defensive capabilities?" Jo asked.
"Our defensive capabilities have already been compromised with the destruction of several of our naval guns. Relocating men that can't defend the ship won't make a difference."
"Very well. I'll let the crew know immediately." Jo replied as he slightly nodded his head and backed away.
Once Jo left, Zero continued to walk across the bridge until he reached the captain's chair. He then sat down in it and gave out a sigh of relief.
Seeing Zero sitting in the captain's chair across the room, Kim Gu stepped away from what he was doing and approached him.
"Everything ok?"
"I'm doing fine." Zero answered. "Just got a lot on my plate right now."
"I suggest you should go to your cabin and rest. Me and the others in the meantime can handle overseeing the navigation and repairs."
"I'm afraid I can't do that. The situation can change at any moment, meaning I must be ready to respond at all times. Also the crew's morale would drop should they see their commander leave his post for something so trivial."
"With all due respect sir, but even commanders need moments to rest and recuperate. Also I would argue a commander that shows signs of fatigue and exhaustion while on duty is even more demoralizing." Kim Gu replied.
"My presence and leadership here is of the utmost importance to seeing this operation be successful." Zero reiterated. "However I will take your advice into consideration and ask for some tea to be brought up. That should at least rejuvenate me."
"Thank you."
"Warships spotted dead ahead!" yelled one of the spotters looking through his binoculars.
"What?!" Zero blurted out loud as he and Kim Gu rushed towards the bow-side windows to ascertain the situation.
"What kind of warships?"
"From what I can tell they were battlecruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats. They've all assumed a line astern formation and are currently blocking our path." the spotter reported.
"I don't understand how this is possible. According to our intelligence, the Chinese don't have the naval resources in the area to carry out a second attack." said Kim Gu.
"Are you able to identify the ships?" Zero asked the spotter.
"Give me a second!" the spotter answered as he carefully scanned the ships in the distance. "Oh dear god!"
"What is it officer?"
"Sir, it appears the ships blocking our path are waving the Union Jack!" the spotter anxiously replied.
"The Union Jack?" a shocked Zero said out loud. "You're telling me these ships belong to the British Royal Navy?"
Wanting to see the situation himself, Zero ordered the spotter to hand over his pair of binoculars. When he looked through them he could immediately see several battlecruisers, destroyers, and torpedo boats lined behind one another in a parallel line. He also could see the British Union Jack fluttering on the masts of the ships.
"Where the hell did all these ships come from?" Kim Gu asked as he scanned the horizon with his pair of binoculars.
"They all must've been stationed at Port Edward." Zero answered. "The British port is located east of here, which would explain how they were able to get into position and cut us off so quickly."
"But why have they decided now to intervene? I mean they shouldn't be able to be here seeing how we are still in Chinese territorial waters."
"You're absolutely right. However, they have somehow found a legal way to get involved and avoid a diplomatic incident. Perhaps they..."
"Japanese warships spotted approaching us off the port side!" yelled another spotter.
"What?!" Zero blurted as he walked over to the port-side window.
Through his binoculars he could see three destroyers bearing the Rising Sun flag heading towards their current position.
"Just as I suspected."
"Pardon me?" Kim Gu asked.
"The Warlords are attempting to contain us once again by attacking us. However, due to the losses they suffered from their first attempt along with the fact they are facing Chiang's invasion in the south, they don't have the resources to spare for a second attack." Zero explained. "As a result they were forced to call in foreign assistance to make up for the resource shortage."
Suddenly the sounds of multiple naval guns firing could be heard in the distance.
"ENEMY SHIPS HAVE JUST FIRED UPON US! PREPARE FOR..." yelled a spotted before several shells narrowly avoided the Kkachi and impacted the ocean.
"BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!" reverberated through the air as the shells exploded around the aircraft carrier. Each explosion created a large, colossal plume of water to erupt from the ocean. Due to its proximity to the explosions, the crew and officers inside the Kkachi momentarily had trouble keeping balance as the force of the explosions and the waves hitting it caused the ship to vibrate.
"HELMSMAN! HARD TO STARBOARD!" Zero yelled out. The helmsman without hesitation swiftly turned the ship wheel to the right. Meanwhile another officer pushed a lever on the engine-order telegraph to alert the engineers below to have the engines run at full speed.
The Kkachi as a result began to make a hard right turn to the south as both the British and Japanese ships continued to fire at it. Despite all the shells being fired upon it, all of them narrowly kept missing the carrier as it began to turn.
"They're not hitting us!" Gang loudly noted.
"Of course they aren't. They too know we have the Premier on board. The last thing they want is to have his blood on their hands." Zero replied.
It was then the sound of an ear shattering explosion ripped through the air as a large ball of fire could be seen outside rising into the air. Wanting to investigate, Zero pushed aside several officers and rushed to the window overlooking the runway.
Upon looking outside he could see a giant hole in what used to be part of the runway. Surrounding it was twisted, charred metal, several smaller puncture holes, and tiny pieces of flaming debris. Additionally thick, black smoke could be seen rising from the impact site.
"Hangar bay has reported several casualties! They also report the hydraulic system powering both the catapults and the flight decks elevators has suffered severe damage!" an officer announced.
"Zero, do you want us to fire back on them with the remaining guns?" Jo asked.
"Negative. We do not have the firepower or resources to effectively take them on. We shall continue with our current course and evade."
As the ship continued to shake and vibrate due to all the shells exploding around it, Kae, struggling to maintain her balance, appeared on the bridge and approached Zero.
"Zero, I just heard we are being attacked by the British and the Japanese. Is that true?" she asked.
"Unfortunately it is." he answered. "Apparently they are pursuing us from the North and East in what seems to be an attempt to corner us. To make matters worst, the runway and the hydraulic system has suffer extreme damage."
"Damn it. That means we can't launch the planes."
In the meantime two more shells directly hit the Kkachi's runway while a third one hit the hull.
"So if we can't fight back, how do you plan to get us out of here?" Kae asked as she leaned on a railing.
"I'll have the ship continue to sail South. Hopefully that will entice the British and Japanese to pursue us and leave their positions. Once that occurs we'll immediately loop back up North. With both the British and the Japanese pursuing us from the South, we'll continue to sail eastward through the Bohai Strait." Zero explained as he traced the Kkachi's projected movements with his finger on a map.
"That's definitely a small window of opportunity."
"It's the best thing we can do at the moment."
"Zero! More Japanese warships have been spotted approaching us from the starboard side!" Gang interrupted. "Also it appears the flagship is the Hiba!"
"The Hiba?" Zero said out loud in disbelief as he peered through his binoculars once more.
In the distance he could see the large Japanese destroyer accompanied by several small patrol boats coming towards them from the West.
"Isn't the Hiba the destroyer that was used to escort the Prime Minister to the treaty signing ceremony?" Kae asked.
"It was." Kim Gu answered. "Which means Daisuke, Matsuda, and Nishimura are most likely on board as well."
"Hirohito's elite officers? If they were sent wouldn't that mean..." Kae replied.
"That Hirohito is now directly getting involved with this fight." Kim Gu added. "Once again he's pulling strings behind the scenes to make things much more difficult for us.
"To make matters worst he's completely blocked off our remaining escape path." Gang added. "The Hiba will intercept our path by the time we can turn the entire ship around."
"What do you want us to instead Zero?" Kim Gu asked as another explosion rocked the entire ship.
Zero then silently thought to himself as he quickly tried to come up with another plan.
Observing the battle from the Hiba's bridge, Daisuke could see the Kkachi sailing in the distance. Numerous splashes surrounded the giant carrier as countless shells continued to narrowly miss and explode. Due to being occasionally hit, the Kkachi could also be seen gushing out some black smoke while it's hull and runway showed signs of damage.
"Looks like we've caught up with the Black Army." Daisuke yelled out. "Seems like they've already started to show signs of fatigue."
"Excellent!" Matsuda, who was standing next to the Hiba's captain, replied. "We now have Zero contained."
"Do you want us to increase speed sir?" the Captain asked.
"Negative. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hirohito explicitly instructed us to synchronize our speed with the rest of the fleet and maintain distance with the enemy. Our mission is only to hinder their movements so the Warlords will have a shot with retrieving the Premier.
"I assume you already have something in mind?"
"We'll aim the Hiba's main gun at the enemy ship and fire a single shot. If we hit them in the right spot, then we should be able to severely cripple their operations without completely destroying them."
"I hope you know what you're doing. Because if we accidentally blow it up and kill the Premier, then we're going to have a diplomatic nightmare."
"Trust me Captain, everything is under control." Matusda assured. "Besides, Nishimura is overseeing all naval gun operations. If there's anyone who can make clean, accurate shots, it's her."
"Very well." the Captain acknowledged before he started relaying orders to the rest of the crew.
"Daisuke! What's the enemy's current position and speed?" Matsuda asked.
"Enemy is currently 45 degrees off the starboard bow and is moving at approximately 15 knots!"
Matsuda then walked over to one of the many speaking tubes connected on the wall and relayed the information he just received.
Stationed in the gun house, Nishimura could be seen listening to a speaking tube and receiving Matsuda's message.
"So one shot only?" she stoically asked.
"That's is correct." Matsuda replied. "We just need to put them out of commission. Think you can do that without any difficulty?"
"Just give me a second to readjust the gun. I know the perfect spot where to hit them."
"Very well. You may fire when ready."
After acknowledging her orders, Nishimura looked through the gun sight and observed the Kkachi's movements in the distance. Meanwhile several gunners hoisted a large armor-piercing high explosive shell and several gunpowder bags onto the loading tray. With everything in place, a ramming mechanism was activated in order to push the shell and the bags of gunpowder into the barrel.
Once the breechblock was closed, Nishimura instructed the gunners to slightly adjust the position of the turret and the angle of the gun. Wanting to hit the Kkachi's engines, she continued to adjust the turret and gun so that the reticle of the gun sight aligned with the area of the hull below what appeared to be the smoke exhaust ports. Accounting for the ship's speed and trajectory, she then ordered the gun to slightly turn so the reticle was aiming at the bow instead.
"Fire!"
A sudden "BOOOM!" echoed through the air as the shell shot out of the Hiba's gun and rapidly flew through the air.
Inside the Kkachi's engine room, teams of engineers could be seen either monitoring or maintaining the ship's turbine engines and boilers. Within a blink of an eye, many of them found themselves being knocked off their feet, consumed by fire, or hit with debris as the shell shot from the Hiba's gun ripped right through the hull and exploded.
Meanwhile, Zero and everyone else on the bridge instantly lost their balance and fell to the ground as the carrier violently rocked back and forth due to the force of the explosion.
"Is everyone alright?!" Kim Gu asked as he slowly got up.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Kae yelled.
"Felt like we suffered a direct hit!" Jo answered as he saw thick, black smoke rise from the side of the carrier.
"Can you tell where the shot came from?" Kim Gu asked.
"Give me a sec." Jo replied as he analyzed the horizon and the maps on a nearby table. "Based on the impact location and the force of that explosion, that shot could only have had come from the Hiba."
"So Hirohito's personal forces have finally decided to take a potshot at us." Zero added.
Suddenly the entire carrier shook again as another explosion could be felt coming from below.
"Were we hit again?!" Kim Gu asked.
"I don't think so!." Zero replied. "That explosion didn't feel like it came from a shell!"
"Zero! Our speed is significantly decreasing!" Gang reported.
"What?!"
Zero then ran towards the one of the phones hanging on the wall and picked it up.
"Engine room, what's the status down there?!"
"It's an absolute disaster down here!" the engineer answered at the top of his lungs. "It seems like a shell managed to penetrate the hull and explode, immediately destroying several boilers and killing a dozen or so men down here! The damage also caused a chain reaction that resulted in several more boilers suddenly exploding! As a result, we had no choice but to shut down most of the remaining boilers in order to prevent them from exploding as well. "
"That explains the second explosion we felt along with the sudden drop in speed." Zero thought to himself.
"What about the remaining boilers and crew members down there? Are they still operational?"
"The remaining boilers and pipelines, while not destroyed, have suffered heavy damage and require extensive repairs! As for the crew, most of them are putting out the fires or recovering the wounded!"
"How long do you think the repairs are going to take?"
"That's pretty hard to tell as of the moment. We still got several fires that need to be extinguished, many more wounded that need to be retrieved, and lots of debris that needs to be cleaned up."
"Just give me your best estimate."
"Assuming all the things I just listed are dealt with within the next five minutes, repairing the remaining boilers and pipelines could take about 5 hours at best."
"Continue to have the men extinguish the fires. Meanwhile, order half of the men retrieving the wounded to focus on repairs instead. I want that repair time to be reduced at least by half."
"Are you sure about that?!" the engineer asked. "Shouldn't our priority be trying to save the wounded?!"
"It is imperative that we keep our speed up so that we can escape the enemy." Zero answered.
"But even after all repairs are complete, we will still only have a small handful of boilers to provide steam! The engines will only be able to operate with about 40% efficiency at max!"
"Just fix the boilers and engines as quickly as possible." Zero ordered before hanging up the phone and returning to the others.
"So how bad is it?" Gang asked.
"Not good. Seems like the enemy managed to directly hit the engine room and destroy or damage a majority of our boilers. As a result this ship is effectively paralyzed until repairs can be made."
"What do you plan to do now?" Kae asked.
Suddenly silence filled the air as the sound of shells impacting and exploding all around the Kkachi immediately ceased.
"Strange. Seems like the enemy stopped firing at us." Jo noted.
The silence was then interrupted by the sound of the ship's phones ringing. An officer standing nearby answered it. The sailor on the other end then reported what he saw.
"Zero, spotters outside have just reported that the enemy ships have ceased pursuing us."
"What?" Zero replied as he walked to the officer and grabbed the phone out of his hand. "This is Zero. Explain to me what is going on out there."
"All of the Japanese and British ships that have been chasing us have suddenly appear to have reduced their speed simultaneously and are instead turning to reform the line of battle from East to West."
"Continue to keep an eye on them and relay their current positions to navigation." Zero ordered before hanging up the phone and walking to the map.
"Give me an update on our current location."
"As you can see we're currently located in middle of this bay." Gang explained as he pointed to the Kkachi's location on the map. "We are currently surrounded by cliffs in the West, South, and East. Meanwhile the Japanese and British ships have formed a line across the entire entrance of the bay, effectively trapping us."
"That explains why they suddenly slowed down and stopped attacking. It further proves that their only intent is to simply contain us so that the Warlords have the opportunity to rescue the Premier."
"But how exactly are they going to do that?" Kae asked. "We already defeated whatever naval and air forces they had in the region."
"Perhaps they're buying time for the Warlords so that they can relocate naval and air forces from the south." Kim Gu suggested.
"But they are also fighting Chiang and the NRA in the south." Jo pointed out. "I highly doubt they are going to compromise their southern front."
"Well it seems like they already have something planned. Otherwise, they wouldn't have trapped us in this specific location." Kae noted.
Then seemingly out of nowhere the sound of a large naval gun firing could be heard in the distance. It was then followed by two colossal pillars of water rising adjacent to the Kkachi. Due to it's proximity, the force of the explosion caused the aircraft carrier to momentarily list back and forth. As a result everyone on board once again clung onto the closest thing they could find in order to maintain their balance.
"Have they decided to resume firing at us?" Gang asked.
"Jo, can you determine where that shot came from?" Zero requested.
"Give a me sec!" Jo replied as he looked over the map and made some calculations based on the sound of the previous explosions and the shells' observed trajectories.
"What the? That's strange." he replied.
"What is it?"
"According to my calculations, those previous shots came from the the West."
"The West? But all the enemy ships are located in the North. The only thing West of us are those cliffs." a slightly baffled Zero pointed out as he pointed to them out the window.
Suddenly he noticed something extremely large on top of the cliff in the distance. Using his binoculars he could see a large super heavy twin turret naval gun similar to those seen on battleships on top of the cliff. Looking nearby he could also see what appeared to be soldiers removing camouflage tarps and revealing numerous coastal artillery batteries.
"So that's how the Warlords plan to deal with us." he muttered to himself.
"What do you see Zero?" Kim Gu asked.
"The reason why the Warlords wanted us to trapped here specifically is because they have coastal fortifications nearby, hence how that last shot was able to come from the West."
Upon hearing what Zero said, everyone rushed to the window and used their binoculars to see the coastal fortifications located on top of and alongside the cliff.
"Damn it! How the hell did we miss something as big as that?" Kae asked.
"It looks like the the Warlords had all the guns hidden under camouflaged tarp. That would explain how they managed to evade our detection." Zero explained.
"We need to get far away as quickly as possible. That super heavy gun alone could easily destroy this entire ship with just a few direct shots." Jo added.
"But the boilers haven't been fully repaired. Without them, starting up the engine won't be possible." Gang added. "Zero, I hate to say this, but surrendering to the Warlords is starting to appear to be our only option."
"You're definitely right in saying that we have been put in check from several of the enemy's pieces. However, as long as we have the Premier on board, the Warlords aren't going to destroy this ship."
"Sir, the enemy appears to be trying to communicate with us via signal lamp!" an officer looking at the coastal fortifications through his binoculars reported.
Looking outside, Zero could see a faint light flicker repeatedly in the distance.
"What are they saying?"
"They are saying "Enemy...vessel...this...is...General...Yu...Jingyi...On...behalf...of...the...Warlords...we...would...like...to...negotiate...terms of peace...at...the...following...radio...frequency..."" the officer said out loud as he deciphered the Morse code signals.
Once the Warlords provided the radio frequency, Zero picked up one of the phones hanging on the wall.
"Dietrich, put the ship's radio on the following frequency. Seems like the Warlords want to have a chat with us." Zero ordered. "Also connect the radio to the PA system. I want the whole crew to be privy of this conversation."
"Will do!" Dietrich replied.
Zero then provided him with the frequency sent by the Warlords. Dietrich then flipped several switches and turned a few knobs on the radio so it's frequency matched the one the Warlords' gave them.
Within the coastal fortification was a large cement room that served as the new command center for the Warlords. Like the one they were using earlier, it had a colossal situation map of China situated on a table in the center of the room. Numerous soldiers could also be seen monitoring radio stations, answering telephone calls, relaying messages to the Warlords, or observing the smoking Kkachi in the distance via a stepped embrasure. Because the only source of natural light came through the embrasure, the room was entirely illuminated by several lamps lining the wall and ceiling.
"General, just picked up a transmission from the enemy vessel. It appears to be Zero." one of the radio operators announced.
"So he actually called." General Yu said to himself as he put on a headset and grabbed the microphone from the radio operator.
Meanwhile the other Warlords put on headsets of their own so they could listen in on the conversation.
"This is General Yu Jingyi of the Fengtian Clique. Am I speaking to Zero, leader of the Black Army?"
"This is Zero. I am calling you in regards to your offer of negotiation."
"Zero, it's truly a privilege to finally be able to speak to the so-called "Man who Creates Miracles" himself." Yu replied. "However, before we talk any further, me and my colleagues must know the status and well being of the Premier."
"Give me a moment."
Zero then ordered to have the Premier brought up to the bridge. Within a few seconds, Jeong could be seen escorting the shaken and nervous Premier onto the bridge. He was then handed the phone by Zero and told to explain his status to the Warlords. The Premier reluctantly nodded his head and raised the phone to his ear and mouth.
"This is Admiral Du Xigui, Acting President and Premier of the Republic of China. I am currently unharmed and being kept under good care."
Once he was done speaking, Zero took back the phone.
"As you can see the Premier is still alive and in good health." Zero answered. "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Me and my colleagues would like to talk to you about the terms of you surrendering the Premier and the copy of the treaty you stole." Yu answered.
"And why would I do that?"
"You seriously ask why?" General Zhao replied into the microphone Yu was holding. "Are you not aware that the Japanese and British have trapped you?"
"Also we can tell your ship is currently out of commission." General Guo added. "You're essentially a sitting duck for our massive guns."
"And if you think we are too preoccupied with Chiang Kai-shek's forces, you are sadly mistaken." General Li said as he puffed on his cigar. "Thanks to the assistance by the Japanese and the British, we were able to send enough forces down South to deal with him."
"To summarize Zero, you have nowhere to go and we can easily obliterate you." Yu replied.
"However, the Premier is still on board, meaning you can't destroy this ship if you want to get him back alive." Zero answered.
"That is true, which is why we have all decided to make some concessions."
"What exactly did you have in mind?"
"You will release the Premier and return the copy of the treaty you stole. You will also agree to be our prisoner and be handed over to the Japanese where you will be tried for your transgressions. In exchange, your ship will be spared and the entire crew will be granted asylum."
"Don't listen to them. They can't be trusted. Besides, we are all committed to follow where you go and..." Kae whispered to Zero before he silenced her by raising his hand.
"You can assure the safety of my crew and ensure their protection if I agree to your terms?" Zero asked.
"Me, along with the other generals present, give you our word." Yu answered.
"I see. Do you mind if you give me some time to think this over?"
"We will give you one hour for your answer."
"Very well." Zero replied before hanging up the phone.
"This is insane Zero. I can't believe you think we would let you stay behind and get be captured just so we could all possibly escape." Kae reiterated. "Also the Warlords have already shown they can't be trusted by hiding those secret provisions in the treaty. As far as I see it, everything that comes out of their mouth is worthless."
"I have to agree with her." said Kim Gu. "Even if they grant us asylum, there's nothing stopping them from breaking their promise and extraditing us back to Japan."
"Additionally your surrender and imprisonment by the Japanese would be a huge morale loss for the Black Army and the Korean people." Dietrich added.
"I know that." Zero replied. "However, you should all remember that Zero is not a person but a symbol for freedom and justice. The Black Army and all what it stands for will continue to live on even if I am killed or captured. That is why I rather see you all survive and continue fighting."
"You truly aren't serious about accepting their offer?" Gang asked.
"After analyzing the situation multiple times, I am afraid accepting their offer might be the best option we can take."
Everyone on the bridge silently looked down in despair upon hearing Zero's explanation.
"But before we do that, there's a few things I would like to do first." Zero added. "Dietrich, what's the status of the radio?"
"The radio is doing fine and the long-range communications system is still intact."
"I want you and Ronan to increase the radio's amplification to the absolute max. Also alert all our broadcast outposts all over China to do the same."
"That's a pretty tall order you're making. We'll need to shut down many services in order to provide enough electrical power to the radio on this ship and at each of our broadcast outposts to achieve maximum amplification. We'll also need some time to reconfigure the settings and jury-rig the components needed to handle such a task."
"Just get it done within the next hour."
Dietrich nodded his head and headed to the radio room.
"Gang, keep an eye out on the repair situation. In fact order all available pilots who are not seriously injured to assist with the repairs. I need the boilers operational as soon as possible." ordered Zero. "As for you Jo, I want you to continue to keeping an eye on the enemy in case they decide to surprise us with anything."
"Sir!" both Gang and Jo said as they saluted before they scrambled to their positions.
"Zero, what do you need me to do?" Kae asked.
"Go down below and assist the others with the boiler repairs."
Kae nodded her head and quickly headed to the boiler room down below.
"So I assume you have an alternate plan besides surrendering?" Kim Gu asked.
"Indeed. I had predicted there was a possibility we would be cornered. As a result, I had prepared a plan to implement should we find ourselves in that situation." Zero answered. "When implemented, we should be able to escape and effectively turn the tables against the Warlords." Zero answered.
"What makes you so certain your plan will succeed?"
"Let's just say I successfully pulled off a similar stunt in the past."
Author's Notes: The Warlords, with the assistance of the Japanese and the British, have successfully cornered and crippled the Kkachi. As a result, the Warlords can afford to send forces to the South and push back against the NRA invasion led by Chiang Kai-shek. Despite the odds appearing to be tremendously against him, Zero claims he has a plan ready specifically for this situation. The only question is what exactly it is.
Am really curious to hear people's thoughts and predictions. Also curious to see if people can identify the counterparts and references to the original anime series (ex. the intervention of the Hiba and the rest of the Japanese/British navy, Nishimura firing the Hiba's powerful main gun, the Warlords' coastal fortification, the Kkachi's incapacitation, etc.) I inserted in this chapter.