Empire Conquest
Chapter 112 - 108: Make Noise in the East, Then Strike in the West

Chapter 112: Chapter 108: Make Noise in the East, Then Strike in the West

"Li, Li..."

The communications officer who charged into the command bridge shouting loudly was obviously startled when he saw Bai Zhizhan and immediately froze in place.

Do I look that frightening?

Bai Zhizhan was speechless and took the initiative to walk over to the communications officer.

"Commander, I..."

"Give it to me."

The communications officer snapped back to reality, swallowed hard, and handed the tightly held telegram to Bai Zhizhan.

His name is Zhang Xiaohua, right?

Bai Zhizhan just nodded without indulging in small talk. He casually put down his coffee cup and took the telegram.

Over the years, Bai Zhizhan still held immense respect for He Yongxing. What he admired most about him was his ability to remember every person he had ever met, and he could call out their names during a reunion as if they were long-lost friends, not just strangers who had met once.

Bai Zhizhan could remember the communications officer not only because he had seen him several times but also because of his rather unusual name.

What kind of parents would name their son "Xiaohua"?

Being teased and nicknamed "School Beauty" by playmates, classmates, and friends since childhood must have left a huge psychological shadow.

Of course, Bai Zhizhan thought that anyone’s name was just a code, and in this era, there were numerous uneducated parents.

While Bai Zhizhan was reading the telegram, Li Mingbo woke up.

Seeing the coffee cup in front of him, he didn’t ask any questions and just picked it up and gulped it down. Immediately after, his whole face contorted in agony, and he definitely regretted it deeply, probably cursing to himself because it was a triple-strength black coffee!

Not even on this battleship, possibly not within the entire fleet, could anyone drink such bitter coffee, similar to the bitterness of Coptis water, but there was one person who could.

"Bai, I mean, you really should be careful where you place things. It’s quite easy to cause a disaster!"

So, Li Mingbo drank Bai Zhizhan’s coffee, and it was Bai Zhizhan’s fault.

Bai Zhizhan didn’t respond, turned around, and handed the telegram to Li Mingbo.

Seeing Bai Zhizhan’s serious face, and the presence of the communications officer, Li Mingbo sensed that something was seriously wrong, stopped complaining, and also put down his coffee cup.

The telegram was the latest intelligence from Navy headquarters.

In Saiyi, on the western portion of the mainland at Long Sorrow, a relatively small Army unit was embarking on ships, estimated to set sail on the night of the 25th, or at the latest, at dawn on the 26th.

According to intelligence estimates, this ground force’s destination was the North and South Sado Islands.

At most, there was one division, with troop strength between ten to fifteen thousand men, primarily infantry with only a few dozen small-caliber mountain artillery pieces.

Additionally, there were many pieces of engineering equipment waiting to be loaded in the port.

If the transport fleet were to set off on the night of the 25th, they would reach the Watcher Strait by the afternoon of the 27th, and could land on both the north side of Guard Island and the south side of Wang Island that same night. Although with this small amount of troops, there would be no way to blockade the strait, it would still pose a threat to the ships passing through.

Crucially, this was an absolutely intolerable military occupation.

Remember, before the end of the last great war, specifically before the Seba Conference convened, the Liangxia Empire and the Alliance Group under the ceasefire agreement had clearly stipulated that the North and South Sado Islands would be a demilitarized zone. Both sides agreed to withdraw their troops after the ceasefire and neither was to station troops there. Subsequently, during the Seba Conference, the control over the North and South Sado Islands was explicitly defined, to be administered by the International Alliance. At the end of the forty-nine-year trusteeship period, the local residents would decide their own fate, whether to establish a state or to affiliate with a particular country.

This point was crucial.

Before this, the North and South Sado Islands were still legally a part of the Liangxia Empire and were the only overseas territory retained by the Empire after the war.

From a strategic perspective, not only were the North and South Sado Islands the last barrier of the empire in the direction of the East Ocean but they were also a stepping stone for advancing into the East Ocean and vying for global domination.

As for their value, they surpassed the total of all other overseas territories combined!

It was precisely for this reason that the Empire, even after abandoning almost all overseas territories, refused to give up the North and South Sado Islands.

In addition, the North and South Sado Islands were the first overseas territory acquired by gunfire as the Empire began to expand outward during its ascent.

It was from here that the Liangxia Empire gradually ascended to the pinnacle of the world.

According to the words of the then Grand Secretary Tang Zude, it related to the "dignity" of the Empire.

Now, the Empire’s "dignity" was about to be violated.

The telegram was very clear: Ensure the unimpeded passage of the Watcher Strait, make every effort to prevent the Saiyi Army from occupying the North and South Sado Islands, and find a way to completely annihilate the permanent fleet of Saiyi.

"What are they trying to pull off, Bai?"

"What do you think?"

Li Mingbo paused, then smiled bitterly. "Bai, that question of yours. If I could figure it out, would I still be just a Nautical Advisor?"

Indeed, Li Mingbo’s greatest strength was his self-awareness.

Due to his background not being from a regular academic path, plus being recommended by Bai Zhizhan, Li Mingbo would never show off his intelligence in front of Bai.

At that moment, Bai Zhizhan had calmed down.

"If you ask me, this is a feint."

"Vivid?"

Bai rolled his eyes and said, "The ’feint’ in ’feinting east and striking west,’ and this ’striking west’ would necessarily involve the fleeing permanent fleet."

"Has Takano not given up and plans to fight us to the death?" asked Li Mingbo, scratching his head, still somewhat confused.

"Bai, it’s just a metaphor!"

"A metaphor for what?"

Bai Zhizhan was completely speechless and no longer paid attention to the still-confused Li Mingbo. He turned and walked towards the Nautical Chart Table positioned at the center of the Command Bridge.

Compared to the "Longjiang" class, the "Imperial Capital" class had a more spacious Command Bridge and had reverted to the traditional Nautical Chart Table.

Clearly, when making this adjustment, the engineers of the Ship Design Institute definitely did not seek the opinions of the Navy personnel, especially the commander of the Special Mixed Fleet. For Bai Zhizhan, who was accustomed to standing while viewing the chart board, bending over to look down was uncomfortable, mainly because it could cause back pain over time.

Of course, using the Nautical Chart Table allowed more flexibility in positioning and adjusting various markers.

In situations where the battlefield is complex, utilizing the Nautical Chart Table—more precisely, the abundant markers—enables the commander to grasp the overall situation at a glance. When engaging in meticulous logical reasoning, using intuitive markers is definitely simpler and more convenient than performing intricate operations on the chart.

After a while, Bai Zhizhan nodded slightly and a smile appeared on his face.

"Figured it out?"

Bai looked up and saw the coffee cup handed to him, filled with fragrant black coffee, and then nodded at Li Mingbo.

This was the freshly ground black coffee that Li Mingbo had the staff procure.

Moreover, Bai Zhizhan had been standing next to the Nautical Chart Table for a considerable length of time, long enough for the duty soldier to leisurely brew the freshly ground coffee to a boil.

"Bai, where do you think those four slow-moving Battleships are?"

After tasting it, Bai put down his coffee cup. The flavor was nice, though a bit hot.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Then, where will they go next?"

"This..." Li Mingbo pretended to understand, but Bai’s further questioning revealed his ignorance.

Bai smiled but did not continue the conversation, instead sipping his coffee as if savoring tea, as though it were Jade Dew stolen from the banquet of the Queen Mother.

He was in a good mood, a positive sign.

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