Empire Conquest
Chapter 190 - 186: Divine Assistance Attack

Chapter 190: Chapter 186: Divine Assistance Attack

When only three people remained, Gui Boyong opened a bottle of champagne and handed it to Bai Zhizhan.

As Bai Zhizhan reached for a glass, Gui Boyong had already taken out an envelope. Since Bai Zhizhan was pouring the champagne, Gui Boyong gave the envelope to Li Yunxiang.

"This is the latest war dispatch sent by seaplane last night by General He."

Bai Zhizhan paused, evidently not understanding.

What kind of war dispatch would need to be delivered by seaplane?

Previously, even the sensitive news that Liu Xiangzhen led the Special Mixed Group to turn back from the northern waters of the Flame Sea had been transmitted by radio.

"It’s an Army war dispatch." Li Yunxiang had already finished reading and handed over the paper to Bai Zhizhan as he picked up his glass and drained it in one gulp.

Bai Zhizhan took a closer look and immediately furrowed his brows.

It indeed was an Army war dispatch.

The reason for delivering it by seaplane was not for fear of enemy decryption but because this dispatch should not have been sent to the Fleet Commander of the Domestic Fleet.

Since it was unrelated to the operational activities of the Domestic Fleet, there was no need to inform the Fleet Commander of the Domestic Fleet.

Three days ago, in the early hours of the 26th, the Emperor officially declared war on the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, and the Imperial Guard Army stationed on the Ice Storm Peninsula launched an attack. With four Armored Divisions taking turns leading the charge, they were unstoppable. Because the Saiyi Army had not anticipated that the Empire’s Army would launch an attack at this time, that is, before the Imperial Navy had secured command of the seas, they were unprepared for the possible assault.

In just two days, by yesterday morning, the vanguard of the Empire’s Army had struck Gaozhou, the Capital of Lower High Kingdom, supported by the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

At this point, the Empire’s Army had only employed two Armored Divisions—in reality, just one, as another was on the east coast of the peninsula.

As for the previously prepared Reserve Team, it remained a reserve.

Presumably, due to the rapid collapse of the frontline, the Saiyi troops guarding Gaozhou had no time to react, not to mention organize any resistance. When the vanguard of the Imperial Guard Army approached the outskirts of Gaozhou, a Lower High military unit even left the city in formation to welcome the "friendly forces" retreating from the frontline.

As for this unit, they immediately switched sides, welcoming the "royal troops" into the city of Gaozhou.

Now, many of Bai Zhizhan’s questions had been answered.

To say that the Imperial Guard’s Armored Forces took down Gaozhou on the 26th was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, becoming the key factor forcing Takano into taking desperate measures.

Consider that, without victory at sea, the Saiyi Army would inevitably be driven out of the Ice Storm Peninsula.

Actually, even if the result was a stalemate, as long as the Imperial Navy controlled Watcher Strait and had free access to and from the East Ocean, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom would lose the Ice Storm Peninsula.

That was exactly why Takano had no room to retreat.

"Why weren’t we informed at the time?" Since Bai Zhizhan was still engrossed in reading the dispatch, Li Yunxiang was the first to ask.

"The Armored Forces only entered Gaozhou on the 26th and completed their occupation by early this morning."

Hearing Gui Boyong’s explanation, Li Yunxiang pursed his lips.

The reason seemed a bit far-fetched, but it was somewhat plausible.

"The pilot who delivered the message said the slogan of the Armored Forces of the Imperial Guard is ’home for porridge.’"

"What does that mean?" Bai Zhizhan finished reading the short dispatch, which only mentioned a few key points and events. It could at best be considered a brief.

And that was enough. After all, Bai Zhizhan and the others were not very knowledgeable about the Army’s operational activities. Even if a detailed war report had been sent, they might not have understood it. Although Li Yunxiang came from the Army, he was in the Air Force, which had little relation to the Armored Forces currently making rapid advances on the Ice Storm Peninsula.

"Laba porridge."

Upon Gui Boyong’s explanation, Bai Zhizhan immediately understood.

It was already the end of December. With the New Year festival in mid-February, it seemed the Armored Forces of the Imperial Guard intended to end the battle within twenty days.

Could they accomplish that?

Bai Zhizhan didn’t make any profound statements.

He was a Navy General, not an Army one.

Although he felt it was unlikely, after all, ground combat was worlds apart from naval combat, and the Ice Storm Peninsula was known for its complex terrain and severe weather conditions, the Imperial Guard Armored Forces had advanced tens of kilometers in just two days, even seizing Gaozhou in one fell swoop. He really couldn’t say that anything was impossible. According to the advance speed of the past two days, sweeping the entire Ice Storm Peninsula would only take about ten days or so.

"You all know the Frontline Commander,"

"Lian Xusheng?" Bai Zhizhan immediately thought of him, and as he asked the question, he glanced at Li Yunxiang who was sitting beside him.

Bai Zhizhan indeed knew Lian Xusheng, but in terms of relationship, Li Yunxiang was Lian Xusheng’s buddy.

In fact, it was Li Yunxiang who had introduced Bai Zhizhan to Lian Xusheng back in the day, and strictly speaking, they could barely be considered relatives by marriage.

Gui Boyong nodded and said, "He is now the overall Frontline Commander. He led the vanguard forces to Gaozhou in two days, then called out the slogan ’Time to go home and drink porridge.’ Given this situation, it’s likely that he will also command the operation to advance into Buju."

As Gui Boyong spoke, his gaze also turned towards Li Yunxiang.

Bai Zhizhan felt very awkward, not knowing what to say.

The Army’s rapid progress on the Ice Storm Peninsula might not be a good thing.

To say, just as the naval battle in the early hours of the 28th resulted in the death of Takano, the Army’s capture of Gaozhou on the 26th was also outside of the plan.

According to the original plan, the Imperial Guard only needed to capture Gaozhou before January 10th of next year.

Moreover, there was no need to conquer the Ice Storm Peninsula before the Laba Festival, before the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, or the end of February.

An overly rapid advance could lead to many problems.

The most prominent of these was the failure of logistics to keep up!

This was the first issue considered when devising battle plans.

In the Ice Storm Peninsula, let alone railways, there are hardly any decent roads, and in winter heavy snow often blocks the mountains, making logistics extremely difficult.

Ground transportation was unreliable, leaving reliance solely on the Navy, with the Navy arranging for ships to transport supplies.

Here was the problem!

To rely on maritime transport, it was necessary to secure sea control and maintain it, meaning not only deploying a fleet but also attacking harbors and airfields in the western region of the Saiyi homeland.

With what shall we strike?

The Fleet, and specifically, the Special Mixed Fleet!

If everything went according to the original plan, the Navy would have had plenty of time to capture Tuk Fortress before the Army made a significant breakthrough.

According to Bai Zhizhan’s plan, even if they couldn’t capture Tuk Fortress, they could at least annihilate the Saiyi Fleet there.

Then they could march into the Saiyi homeland without any worries for the rear.

The current problem was that the Army was advancing too swiftly, and the Navy needed to provide support, definitely without the ability to attack Tuk Fortress as originally planned.

From any angle, the few available carriers had to be concentrated to strike at the western region of the Saiyi homeland.

Before the large-scale military operations on the Ice Storm Peninsula conclude, the Navy should not expect to embark on other endeavors.

This was simply a godsend!

Bai Zhizhan was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say, as if all external factors were pushing the situation in a direction unfavorable for the Domestic Fleet.

"What do you want me to do?" Li Yunxiang asked very directly.

He was straightforward by nature, disliking beating around the bush.

Since Gui Boyong had made a point to mention Lian Xusheng, it was certainly related to him.

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