That afternoon, Li Guang was rebuffed at the naval headquarters in Nanjing. With a major battle imminent, Li Guang was told that the navy had no need for torpedoes. He was ultimately expelled from the naval command.
This was utterly ridiculous, leaving Li Guang both angry and amused. He had heard that during the War of Resistance against Japan, the Chinese navy used manpower to push mines to bomb Japanese warships; if torpedoes existed, there was no way they could use manpower to push mines. (Chinese soldiers who had studied in Japan often referred to torpedoes as mines.)
However, a dramatic change occurred that evening when Admiral Chen Shaokuan, Minister of the Navy, personally located the cargo ship Ariane.
A general of the highest rank in the country—this was a truly important figur
