Empire Conquest
Chapter 197 - 193: Sowing Discord

Chapter 197: Chapter 193: Sowing Discord

"What do you think?" Although Rofuss had an answer in mind, he still asked Hale. In front of Hale, there was no need to pretend to be profound.

Within Rofuss’s team, Secretary of State Hale had the most solid standing.

Seven years ago, when Rofuss won his first election, Hale was his think tank and right-hand man, who later became Secretary of State. During the second election, Hale continued to assist Rofuss. This year, Hale stepped forward once again, using the pretext of international tensions to lobby the veterans of the Democracy Party, convincing them to support Rofuss’s third run for presidency. So far, nearly half of the founding fathers had been persuaded by Hale.

If Rofuss were to be elected president for the third time, Hale would be the first he’d thank.

In fact, Rofuss had been hesitant about running for a third term. Even the founding fathers had only served two terms as president before. It was Hale who convinced Rofuss to break with over a century’s tradition and run for a third term.

This showed that Hale was Rofuss’s most trusted confidant.

"If you ask me, none of them are any good," Hale said with a laugh, before adding, "Still, we are no better ourselves. Before this, who would have thought that the Liangxia Empire was prepared, that the Liangxia Navy, despite being ambushed, not only wasn’t destroyed by the Saiyi Navy but also launched an immediate reprisal and ultimately achieved a sweeping victory. Who would have thought that the ’Eastern Maginot’ and the ’38th Degree Defense Line’, which was solid as a rock and previously unbreachable even with the sacrifice of millions of soldiers, would be breached in just two days. The army from Gaozhou actually opened their gates to the enemy, and hundreds of thousands of troops failed to defend the city. Put yourself in their shoes; it’s indeed frightening."

"It’s shocking."

Hale didn’t pick up the conversation; either way, it meant the same thing.

"Just like you said, we have a problem, a huge problem."

With that, Rofuss let out a heavy sigh.

Hale still didn’t respond. He was well aware of what the president was trying to convey.

Setting aside the impacts of isolationism and the Great Depression for a moment, the military strength alone was a huge issue!

In Hale’s words, compared to the great powers that were always on guard for danger and had to be cautious at every turn, the Newland Federation was like a fattened pig in a pen.

The Sunset Ocean to the east and the East Ocean to the west formed two natural barriers.

Decades ago, after defeating the already declining Sban Empire with the Liangxia Empire, there hadn’t been a strong enemy beyond their borders.

The Newland Federation’s unique and unrivaled geographical location allowed for strategic safety that other great powers could only dream of, without needing to maintain a powerful military. With the two oceans providing isolation and protection, even if the outside world was in complete turmoil, the Newland Federation wouldn’t face much threat.

Moreover, the Newland Federation was vast and had plenty of resources.

This meant that even if they closed their doors, they could still develop normally.

In the past, the Newland Federation indeed closed its doors and developed on its own for over a hundred years, building from nothing a global industrial system second only to a few. In truth, it was only after tensions with the Sban Empire escalated that the Newland Federation shifted its focus beyond the Gu Continent.

Even now, the Newland Federation needed only a navy strong enough to match any adversary to ensure domestic security.

In fact, this had been the Newland Federation’s basic defense strategy for the past twenty years.

The Navy maintained first-rate standards while the Army was left to its own devices.

At present, the Newland Army only boasted two hundred thousand troops!

Strip away the generals, officers, and administrative personnel, and the actual soldiers ready to bear arms and fight might not even amount to one hundred and fifty thousand.

What was that?

Compared to the Liangxia Army, it was nothing.

With its own military force so weak, how could the Newland Federation convince other countries?

Tell the other great powers to rush forward while we cheer from the back?

That would clearly be a joke!

Although no one dared doubt the Newland Federation’s potential for war, likewise no one believed that the current Newland Federation had any standing to contend with the Liangxia Empire.

Furthermore, where does the Newland Federation find the drive to contend for dominance?

Since it doesn’t, on what basis can it issue orders to other Great Powers?

Let alone the Locke Republic, Tiaoman Empire, and Luosha Federation, even the Bulan Kingdom is full of concerns, which is why they proposed certain conditions.

After a moment of silence, Hale spoke up, "With the current situation, we just count each day as we get by."

Rofuss didn’t respond and continued to frown.

"If we’re talking about whom we can count on now, it’s only the Bulan Kingdom."

"Are you saying that the Liangxia Empire will march into the Fan Flame Ocean?"

"Not might, but certainly," Hale let out a breath and continued, "As long as the ’Aid Bill’ passes, I’m confident I can persuade the Bulan Kingdom to implement a strategic embargo. Then, if we can bring the Luosha Federation on board, we might be able to force the Liangxia Empire to enter the Fan Flame Ocean ahead of schedule."

Rofuss nodded, understanding that Hale was talking about oil.

"To be frank, the number one issue right now is how to win over the Luosha Federation."

"Why do we need to win over the Luosha Federation?"

Upon hearing Rofuss say this, Hale immediately furrowed his brows.

"According to what you said at the beginning, just divide and conquer."

"This..."

"As long as we convince the Luosha Federation that the Liangxia Empire would cast them aside for a better option when presented, that should be enough to prompt them to take action."

"The problem is, where’s the better option? At least from the current situation, the Liangxia Empire has no reason to abandon the Luosha Federation in favor of so-called traditional friendship. At least until they defeat the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom and control the West East Ocean, the Liangxia Empire will try their best to avoid fighting on two fronts."

"Does it have to be the Tiaoman Empire?" As he said this, Rofuss revealed a smug smile.

"Other than the Tiaoman Empire, where could..."

Before he could finish, Hale’s eyes widened, looking at Rofuss – who sat across from him, still smiling – with utter shock and disbelief.

If there were another person in the room, Hale would have thought he misheard.

Rofuss was talking about the Newland Federation!

In terms of economic strength, only the Liangxia Empire and the Newland Federation ranked ahead of the Tiaoman Empire. When it came to global influence, only the Newland Federation could rival the Liangxia Empire. Even if we talk about military strength, the Newland Federation is the only Great Power qualified to surpass the Tiaoman Empire.

Indeed, only the Newland Federation could stand on equal footing with the Liangxia Empire.

That is why some call the Liangxia Empire and the Newland Federation "super hegemons," distinguishing them from traditional Great Powers like the Bulan Kingdom.

From this perspective, if one could ally with the Newland Federation, even if they couldn’t dominate the globe, the Liangxia Empire could sweep through the entire World Island.

Then would they need allies like the Luosha Federation?

"Remember, we need a sufficient reason for going to war," Rofuss reminded Hale, who was still deep in thought. "Never underestimate Xue Yuanzheng; he can see right through our little schemes, so don’t expect the Liangxia Empire to fall for it. It’s enough if we can shake the Luosha Federation."

"This will take time."

"Then we’d better hurry."

Hale immediately nodded in agreement, then stood up to take his leave.

"Don’t forget to use the initiative that Xue Yuanzheng proposed last year," Rofuss added.

Hale was momentarily startled, but he quickly caught on and nodded to show he understood Rofuss’s point.