Deng Shiyang frowned after listening. He thought for a moment before asking Harrowby, "What about Mozambique? Can you use your connections to deal with the local government?"

"That’s unlikely. Although many African officials who don't know who Obama is are familiar with 'Franklin,' this isn’t about smuggling across borders; it’s a military operation targeting a neighboring country. In Africa, where power struggles are particularly sensitive, assembling a group of armed men and several helicopters would definitely not escape the local government's attention. Unless the country changes its foreign policy, it’s impossible to allow actions that could cause conflict between two nations."

"What about Lesotho? Have you considered it?" Keith interjected, speaking somewhat unclearly.

Deng Shiyang glanced over and saw that the plate in front of him was already full of empty oyster shells.

Harrowby took a sip of champagne and replied, "During the reign of King Mswati III, relations with the Lesotho royal family were good. Moreover, the patrolling of Sehlabathebe National Park involves Western contractors, so negotiation shouldn’t be an issue."

"Lesotho is too far, over 300 miles." But Deng Shiyang immediately poured cold water on their idea.

He glanced at Harrowby, who looked confused, and continued to explain, "Swaziland has a high elevation. Fully loaded helicopters departing from Lesotho wouldn’t have enough fuel for a return journey—they could only land in Swaziland or South Africa. If we intend to hold the presidential palace, we need helicopters to transport supplies, and if we can’t hold it, we also need helicopters to evacuate those trapped inside."

Keith thought for a moment and asked, "What about the Mi-26?"

"The Mi-26 has sufficient range and payload, but landing in the presidential palace wouldn’t be easy. However, we can consider it as a backup plan," Deng Shiyang said, glancing at Harrowby.

Harrowby shrugged and replied, "Regular transport might be possible, but those aviation companies probably won’t lease helicopters for a coup."

Deng Shiyang looked disappointed and murmured softly to himself, "Does this mean we still have to go by land?"

"We’re not at the point of giving up yet." Keith had already consumed most of a plate of oysters. He took a big gulp of water and then said, "I just thought of a way."

"What way?" the two asked in unison.

"It’s just a preliminary idea." Keith smiled slyly, seemingly teasing them, and then turned to Harrowby, saying, "To determine if this plan is feasible, I need some intelligence."

"No problem." Harrowby put down his glass, walked to the desk, and took out a pen and a black leather notebook from the drawer.

He opened the notebook, clicked the button at the end of the pen, and asked, "What do you need to know?"

"First, the locations of all radar stations within Swaziland, as well as their detection ranges."

"Second, I need a report on Mozambique’s naval and air forces."

"Third, intelligence on the air defense system in Maputo Province. I want to know the locations and attack ranges of all radar stations, surface-to-air missiles, and anti-aircraft gun positions."

Keith watched as Harrowby finished taking notes in the notebook and then asked, "How long will it take?"

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"The first two are easy; I can give you that information tomorrow." He paused before adding, "But the last one is more troublesome—probably two days. No, make it three days."

Keith nodded and said, "Alright, let's meet again tomorrow. If my idea is feasible, I'll let you know."

"Alright." Seeing that Keith didn’t want to say more, the other two didn’t press him, turning their attention to the food and drinks covering the table.

The dinner ended at nine in the evening. Without any desire for leisure, Deng Shiyang returned to his room, took a hot bath, and then went to bed.

The next morning, Harrowby called the two to his room.

Usually impeccably dressed, Harrowby was in a robe, his face showing fatigue. He gestured toward the living room sofa, then walked to the coffee table, picked up a coffee cup and two A4 pages held together with a paperclip.

He yawned, took a sip of coffee, and handed the two pages to Keith, saying, "This is the report on Mozambique’s navy and air force. I stayed up all night to get it."

Keith took the report, read it, and then handed it to Deng Shiyang, saying, "It’s about what I expected; the plan seems feasible."

After listening, Deng Shiyang also read through the report.

The report was brief, as there wasn't much content to include. Mozambique's navy and air force were both pitifully small.

The country’s navy had only three small coastal patrol boats, which was hardly sufficient for its 1,500-mile-long coastline. Even the capital had only one patrol boat stationed at Cape Santa Maria, responsible for patrolling Maputo Bay and nearby waters.

Mozambique’s air force had 45 planes and helicopters, but only 30 were operational. Among these were 20 old MiG fighters—five MiG-17Fs and fifteen MiG-21MFs. Additionally, there were four Mi-24 armed helicopters and six Mi-8 multipurpose helicopters capable of carrying weapons.

Deng Shiyang had roughly guessed Keith’s plan. He put the report on the coffee table and asked in a probing tone, "You’re not planning to set up the forward base at sea, are you?"

"Got it!"

Keith raised his head, his face full of pride, and answered, "During the Falklands War, the Royal Navy converted freighters into helicopter carriers for Harrier jets and Wessex helicopters. So I thought, if it’s impossible to establish a base on land, why not convert a simple carrier? I did the calculations last night: from Mozambique’s exclusive economic zone, it’s less than 150 miles to Swaziland. A medium helicopter with a full tank of fuel can easily make the round trip, and in case of an accident, it’s easy to escape to international waters."

Harrowby yawned and rubbed his bloodshot eyes with his hand, saying, "It’s a good idea, but renting and converting a ship isn’t a small expense..."

"Forget the budget. We need a feasible plan first. If it doesn’t work, then money doesn’t matter." Keith interrupted him, asking, "Did you get information on Swaziland’s radar stations?"

"Yes, I called the former king’s aide last night." Harrowby walked to the desk, pressed a button on a laptop connected to a TV. The plasma screen showed a satellite image with two red markers and a light yellow sector-shaped area nearby.

He picked up a fax on the desk and cleared his throat, reading, "During Mozambique’s civil war, Swaziland established a radar station in the mountainous area near Parara, but it was closed in 2001. Currently, there are two radar stations in Swaziland: one at Matsapha Airport and the other in the Lugogo district, inside the under-construction Sikhupe International Airport. Reportedly, radar and navigation equipment had mostly been installed there before the coup."

Keith walked to the TV, stared at the image for a while, and then asked, "Besides these two radar stations, are there any other air defense facilities in Swaziland?"

"Swaziland’s air force purchased three Arava attack aircraft from Israel thirty years ago. One crashed in 1980, and the other two were converted for transport and training purposes in 1997, eventually retired in 2002, and are now stored at the northern Mhlume Air Force base."

"What’s the condition of those planes?"

"According to the former king's aide, maintenance during their service was sloppy, and they haven’t flown since retirement."

Keith nodded and said to the other two, "It seems the feasibility of launching from the sea is quite high. As long as we avoid Mozambique’s air defense systems, we can enter Swaziland from the air."

"Wait!"

At this point, Deng Shiyang, who had been silently staring at the TV screen, spoke up. He pointed at Matsapha Airport and said, "If this schematic is correct, we’ll enter its radar detection range before we even arrive."

Annotations:

Benjamin Franklin: A famous American politician and scientist, one of the key leaders of the American Revolution. His portrait appears on the $100 bill.

Maputo Province (Província de Cidade de Maputo): A southern province of Mozambique, bordered by Swaziland to the west, South Africa to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the east. Its capital, Maputo, is also the country’s capital.

Lugogo: An administrative district in eastern Swaziland, with its capital at Siteki.

Sikhupe Airport: An airport in the Lugogo district, Swaziland's new international airport under construction.