Empire Conquest
Chapter 199 - 195: Losing Temper

Chapter 199: Chapter 195: Losing Temper

When he arrived at the Navy headquarters, it was already nearly noon. After meeting with the Commander-in-chief and the Chief of General Staff, Bai Zhizhan finally had some free time.

However, there was only a short while available, just enough to have lunch.

Throughout the afternoon, Bai Zhizhan was busy dealing with matters related to the Fleet.

Previously, tasks like reporting operational losses and applying for commendations for meritorious officers and soldiers were handled by Li Mingbo, and Bai Zhizhan seldom needed to intervene.

Unfortunately, Li Mingbo hadn’t returned, so this time Bai Zhizhan had to handle them himself.

Fortunately, the staff at the headquarters were all familiar with Bai Zhizhan, which saved him a lot of trouble and unnecessary detours.

Then came the evening meeting.

The meeting was scheduled at night because Liu Xiangzhen had only arrived in the afternoon.

As for why Liu Xiangzhen arrived only in the afternoon and not a few days earlier, the Navy headquarters’ reason was that the Special Mixed Group had several battleships heavily damaged, requiring prompt arrangements for repairs and proper placement of the injured officers and soldiers, which would take several days.

Bai Zhizhan had nothing to say, or perhaps he didn’t know what to say.

Personally, Bai Zhizhan felt that Liu Xiangzhen had changed, completely different from the mentor and rival before the outbreak of the war.

Perhaps it was just an illusion.

After returning to the Navy headquarters, on the way to the meeting center, Bai Zhizhan ran into Liu Xiangzhen and Li Hengjia, who had returned with him.

Knowing that Bai Zhizhan had something to discuss with Liu Xiangzhen, Li Yunxiang took Li Hengjia away.

In fact, he also had something to say to Li Hengjia.

With more than half an hour left before the meeting, in a corridor bustling with people, the two went to a tea room located on the same floor, at the end of the hallway.

"I am truly sorry, I must apologize to you in person."

"Why apologize?"

Such a comment from Bai Zhizhan left Liu Xiangzhen at a loss for words.

Should he clarify the matter?

Wouldn’t that be admitting that he intentionally didn’t lead the Special Mixed Group to West East Ocean as planned?

If so, he would have to take responsibility for the subsequent actions, or at least be considered negligent.

"To be honest, we’re both just following orders," Bai Zhizhan said with a smile. "An apology between us is completely unnecessary. If anything, I should be thanking you. If you hadn’t brought out the Special Mixed Group, how could I possibly have acted alone?"

This left Liu Xiangzhen even more speechless.

Bai Zhizhan’s words clearly contained irony, even mockery.

"Regardless, on the battlefield, we are comrades side by side," Bai Zhizhan said as he stood up. "Should there be another time, I hope you can show up in time so we can perform together. Like I’ve said before, whichever of us reaches the peak, we each hope to have a companion by our side. Even if it’s another outcome, and we face national disaster, it’s better to have a companion on the road to the afterlife, right?"

Bai Zhizhan’s words stunned Liu Xiangzhen.

After Bai Zhizhan left, Liu Xiangzhen finally snapped back to reality.

This wasn’t a conversation; it was clearly a declaration of war, challenging Liu Xiangzhen and what the Liu Family represented, preparing to challenge the Liu Family!

Had he gone mad?

Liu Xiangzhen was shocked, but he knew clearly that Bai Zhizhan had no other choice.

As Bai Zhizhan left the tearoom, he finally took a deep breath.

There really was no other choice for him.

If he hadn’t declared war on Liu Xiangzhen here, then after tonight’s meeting, he could only accept the olive branch passed by He Yongxing and go to "Navy Admiral’s Retirement Home" to wait for a chance to return, a day that might never come.

Furthermore, Bai Zhizhan truly was infuriated.

Liu Xiangzhen had not followed the plan, leading the Special Mixed Group to trail the Mobile Fleet into the West East Ocean, and Bai Zhizhan surely knew what was going on.

It was laughable that Liu Xiangzhen had pretended to be innocent and apologized to Bai Zhizhan.

Did he take Bai Zhizhan for a fool, thinking a simple "sorry" would mend fences?

Truth be told, had Liu Xiangzhen been more straightforward and refrained from making empty apologies, Bai Zhizhan wouldn’t have taken it to heart or used it as a pretext to cause trouble.

According to Bai Zhizhan, if Liu Xiangzhen had not emerged from the Flame Sea, he would have been able to monopolize the spotlight and become the sole protagonist in the naval battles that ensued for the following two days in the West East Ocean.

But after calming down, Bai Zhizhan felt that his initial reaction had been somewhat impulsive.

Strictly speaking, Liu Xiangzhen was also a victim, after all, making last-minute changes was not necessarily his idea; he was merely following orders.

Would he have forsaken an opportunity to distinguish himself if given the choice?

He knew Bai Zhizhan too well and must have realized that, with no other options, Bai Zhizhan would go all out. Whether leading the Special Mixed Group into the East Ocean, standing by in the northern waters of the Flame Sea, or returning to the Xu Sea, there were chances to gain military honors.

Among all the options, retreating to Chengjiang Port was actually the worst.

All this, Bai Zhizhan had thought through a long time ago.

From another perspective, wasn’t this the very scenario that people like Liu Xiangbin had hoped for?

To put it plainly, among all the Lius, Liu Xiangzhen was relatively progressive and indeed fulfilled his duty diligently.

All along, Liu Xiangzhen had made efforts to maintain his relationship with Bai Zhizhan and the faction within the Domestic Fleet that Bai Zhizhan represented.

Obviously, if he fell out with Bai Zhizhan, he would only become more reliant on his family and serve them even more vigorously, eventually becoming Bai Zhizhan’s most formidable opponent.

In other words, Liu Xiangzhen was also contending with relatives like Liu Xiangbin, who climbed the ranks based on blood ties.

From this angle, perhaps the initial order for Liu Xiangzhen to withdraw was to pitch him directly against Bai Zhizhan.

With Bai Zhizhan already being a significant enough threat, how could the Liu Family maintain its leadership position within the Navy if Liu Xiangzhen refused to step up?

Thinking of all this complicated Bai Zhizhan’s emotions further.

Go back and find Liu Xiangzhen?

Forget it! What’s said is said, what’s done is done.

Besides, having another competitor isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

At least, when Liu Xiangzhen commanded fleets remotely, he would always remember that someone at the rear was ready to replace him.

With that concern in mind, he would surely be even more diligent.

As for the Liu Family, they would become more cautious and rely on Liu Xiangzhen while restricting someone as unreliable as Liu Xiangbin.

Bai Zhizhan walked around the garden outside, the cool night breeze helping him to calm down. After that, he returned to the headquarters building.

All the attendees had arrived.

Not many, mostly heads of various functional units of the Navy Headquarters, who would brief Bai Zhizhan and other generals during the meeting.

Staff were still setting up the meeting space, so it seemed the meeting wouldn’t start on time.

"I heard you arrived this morning and I’ve been looking for you."

Suddenly someone patted his shoulder, giving Bai Zhizhan a start, but he immediately relaxed as it was an old buddy whom he hadn’t seen for many years.

The few who could be called close friends were just that.

Indeed, it was Zheng Jiangming, who worked in intelligence.

Among the six roommates back in the day, Zheng Jiangming was always the most mysterious, and after joining the intelligence service, he became even more elusive.

Fortunately, this did not affect their brotherly affection.

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