Colonel Handuya truly did not want to clash with Maihati, because Maihati was related to the Sultan. No matter what, his backing was powerful. If Maihati badmouthed him before the Sultan in the future, he would be in serious trouble!
But this time, the reason he had gone against Chen Mo's orders was that such an order truly defied common sense. If Chen Mo had told him to leave Long City and sail through the Strait of Malacca, there would have been no issue.
Whether it was Chen Mo's identity and background or his status and position, even if the original orders were bent slightly, Colonel Handuya could obey them. However, Malaysia's foreign policy was one of friendship with neighboring countries. Naturally, it maintained good relations with Vietnam as well, so that its borders could remain stable without requiring defenses.
Every member of the navy knew this policy, yet today, he had heard Chen Mo issue such an order. Would that not violate a policy decided long ago?
Therefore, under uncertain circumstances—especially since Chen Mo did not have the verbal code or password for overseas orders—Colonel Handuya naturally needed to contact the country and verify the order.
Of course, if the order was genuine, he would apologize to Chen Mo. If it was false, he would immediately withdraw and return home. As for Chen Mo, he could do as he pleased. At most, Colonel Handuya would detain him aboard the ship and release him as soon as they reached shore.
There might be something here that he did not know about. Perhaps it was caused by a power struggle among the higher-ups. Colonel Handuya naturally did not want to get involved. It was better to protect himself wisely.
Colonel Handuya had calculated things well enough, but he had misjudged one