Chapter 571: Blockade of the Miyako Strait
"General, the Japanese across from us have raised white flags. Are they surrendering?" Gleis' adjutant, Moers, looked in surprise at the twenty or so small ships that remained.
Gleis sneered, "Heh, now they drop the act. Since when do fishermen raise white flags to warships? If they'd just sailed away earlier, we wouldn't have been able to confirm their identities so easily."
Moers asked, "Then does this mean the Japanese really want to surrender?"
Gleis shook his head. "Don't jump to conclusions. If this is a surrender, then the main Japanese force must've already retreated. What remains is a tiny group. Think about it—why didn't they withdraw with the rest?"
"Maybe they stayed to negotiate. After all, we have a general idea of Japan's ambitions. They clearly haven't given up on the Southern Ryukyus. It's not like they'd abandon their interests the moment we arrived."
Gleis replied, "Impossible. If this were about negotiations, they wouldn't have retreated first. They'd talk first and withdraw later if talks failed."
He was unaware of Japan's tradition of subordinates defying superiors, so he couldn't quite grasp Takamori Morita's intentions.
"Should we let them approach to see what they're up to?" Moers asked.
Gleis was thinking the same. After all, East Africa held the advantage, and he wasn't worried about tricks. Plus, he was curious to see what the enemy commander had in mind.
So Gleis ordered, "Send out a communication boat—let our men approach them..."
As he spoke the word "approach," a sudden realization struck him. "Approach... approach..." Something clicked in his mind.
"Wait. Moers, do you think those little fishing boats could pose a threat to us?"
"General, of course not—unless we just stand still and let them shoot at us. Their cannons might pose a threat to merchant ships, but we're on armored cruisers. Even if they hit a critical spot, we'd have time to respond and sink them first."
"You're right. But cannons don't care about logic. We can't afford even a small risk. If something goes wrong, we'd be the laughingstock of the world!" Gleis said seriously.
Moers picked up on his tone and asked, "General, have you sensed something?"
Gleis replied with a question: "Is there any way the Japanese could make us sit still and not fight back—or prevent us from retaliating?"
Moers fell silent, knowing Gleis wouldn't bring this up without reason. After thinking, he answered, "General, you're suggesting they might be faking a surrender?"
Gleis was pleased. "Exactly. Our ships are advanced, but as the saying goes, small boats turn faster. That's our weakness—and their advantage."
Moers continued, "So if the Japanese approach, we might not react in time. At close range, our weapons might be ineffective—or worse, cause friendly fire."
Gleis added, "It's a bold theory. The chance of success is probably just one percent. Would they really try something that suicidal?"
The answer was yes. Even damaging one ironclad would be a huge blow to East Africa. Gleis knew that even if the Japanese fleet were wiped out, losing a single ship would hurt East Africa more—economically and militarily.
"Even our oldest sail-powered ships are still proper warships. The Japanese are using repurposed fishing boats," Moers said.
Since annexing the Sultanate of Zanzibar, East Africa had inherited its shipyards and naval force. That's why it still operated some sail-powered ships. While outdated, they helped train skilled laborers—a benefit for East Africa.
Two such ships were part of this expedition. Though old, they had been upgraded with modern tech and couldn't be underestimated.
"So General Gleis, what should we do? Accept their surrender—or how should we handle it?"
"Of course we accept. But while we offer hope, we'll be ready to crush them. If their intentions are honest, fine. If not, we'll send them to rest at the bottom of the Pacific," Gleis said coldly.
Soon, an East African boat was launched to negotiate with Morita's crew: "We accept your surrender. But under East African Naval Code, you must remain 500 meters from our ships."
Takamori Morita thought it over. It wasn't ideal, but not terrible either. He believed East Africa wouldn't expect such boldness from Japan—to attack warships with fishing boats.
"I agree to the conditions, but I have one request. I wish to speak directly with your commanding officer."
"You're not qualified!"
"Here's my ID. I'm Takamori Morita, a lieutenant commander in the Japanese Navy. I'll come alone, on your boat. My fleet won't follow."
"Fine. But we'll hold onto your ID."
"No problem."
Morita boarded the East African boat and headed toward the Partridge. Before leaving, he gave his subordinate Nakata Jirō a look—an unspoken signal to begin the plan.
He was risking his life to further mislead the East Africans—no one gambles with their life lightly.
But what he didn't notice was that after he departed, the East African Navy started repositioning. Gunboats closed in on the Partridge, and the other two ironclads spread out.
Nakata Jirō noticed the movement but, with Morita already gone, had no choice but to continue the plan—and convince himself the East Africans hadn't figured it out.
The Japanese boats began approaching Partridge, but now targeted gunboats instead of the ironclads.
Once East Africa completed their deployment, Morita noticed something was off. The strange smiles of the East African sailors gave it away—something was wrong.
Meanwhile, the Japanese ships accelerated toward Partridge. But East African gunboats, seemingly anticipating the move, intercepted them and took position in front of the flagship.
Both sides opened fire almost simultaneously. The Japanese boats were no match for the gunboats. Though they scored a few hits, most were blocked.
Realizing his plan had failed, Morita was devastated—forced to watch as his men were blown to pieces.
"Japan's Navy has attacked East Africa's fleet. The incident is now undeniable. I hereby order the complete blockade of the Miyako Strait. Japanese ships are forbidden to enter!" Gleis announced, triumphant.
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