Empire Conquest
Chapter 202 - 198 Setting the Tone

Chapter 202: Chapter 198 Setting the Tone

After much contention, in the end, both sides’ commanders fell silent, and the ones speaking were all individuals who had not been to the front line to participate in battle.

The two main parties, Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen, were instead quite composed.

This also shows how serious the issues within the Navy of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom really were.

For decades, torn by the tug-of-war between two powerful families, the Navy had long been divided into clearly demarcated factions. The constant jockeying for influence only further fragmented the Navy. Not just within the Fleet, even at the Naval Academy factional strife was a common occurrence.

To quote Zhu Shijian, many naval officers had not yet learned how to fight wars but had already mastered the art of struggle.

During peaceful times it was not much of an issue, but in wartime, it could be deadly!

"General Bai, let’s hear your thoughts," said Liu Changxun.

Following these words, several emotionally charged officers all fell silent, and all eyes turned to Bai Zhizhan.

Clearly, the key laid with Bai Zhizhan.

If he did not agree, the matter would surely not be resolved.

To put it gravely, as long as Bai Zhizhan insisted, it would definitely escalate to an Imperial Audience, where Grand Secretary Xue Yuanzheng would adjudicate, and it might even become common knowledge.

"To fight for the Empire is our duty as soldiers, and as for the adjudication of military merits, I unconditionally follow and accept the arrangements," Bai Zhizhan said.

At this, everyone’s gaze collectively shifted back to Liu Changxun.

Although Liu Changxun was the current Navy Commander, his influence was far from matching Zhu Shijian’s, at least the officers on He Yongxing’s side did not take him seriously.

"Indeed, it is rather embarrassing. Us old-timers of the Navy are not quite up to the mark compared to a young commander," Liu Changxun, an old hand himself, deftly deflected the awkwardness. "Since General Bai has spoken thus, I personally think that the merits for annihilating the Main Battle Corps should not be fully attributed to any one Fleet. Although the Domestic Fleet did great deeds, without the threat from the third Aviation Mixed Fleet, the outcome would not have been as such. In the interest of fairness, let’s do a seventy-thirty split, with seven parts of the honor attributed to the Domestic Fleet. General He, what do you think?"

"Commander Liu speaks sensibly, fairness is paramount," replied He Yongxing.

He Yongxing, also a sharp one, saw that Bai Zhizhan himself was not contesting, and with Liu Changxun having firmly stated his stance, there was no reason for him to stand out unnecessarily.

Moreover, what constituted fairness was still a matter of personal judgment.

With both heavyweights having spoken, the rest had nothing much to say.

Those officers from the Southern Fleet who had started the most ruckus, appearing as if they had suffered the greatest grievances, all quieted down, each one of them looking complacent.

According to Liu Changxun’s arrangement, the main credit was given to the Special Mixed Group, simply promoting the third Aviation Mixed Fleet to second place.

This ranking meant that Liu Xiangzhen remained the main player, and Bai Zhizhan was the substitute.

Looks like it was another role of cleaning up the mess.

Subsequently, Liu Changxun brought up the matter of the next meeting.

In simple terms, it was about waiting for the Army to perfect its attack plan, and only after officially notifying the Navy, would it be the Navy’s turn to adjust and amend the combat plan. Anyway, it would take several days to wait. As for what would follow, that would depend on the decisions of the policy makers, led by Xue Yuanzheng.

Obviously, the time had not yet arrived to discuss the next phase of combat operations.

In Liu Changxun’s words, everyone needed to be patient, to take it as a holiday, to enjoy a few days of peace, and to get ready for the upcoming battle.

After Liu Changxun announced the adjournment, Bai Zhizhan immediately stood up and left the conference room.

Stepping onto the terrace outside the corridor, only when the chilling night wind brushed his face did Bai Zhizhan feel somewhat refreshed and his emotions gradually calmed down.

This was the path he had chosen for himself, and he would see it through to the end, even if it meant gritting his teeth!

Actually, what was there to be angry about?

By this point, the situation had become very clear.

Under the impetus of the Imperial Guard Army, the Army would definitely launch a fierce attack on the Ice Storm Peninsula and would also apply pressure on the Navy through the Holy Emperor and Xue Yuanzheng, urging the Navy to actively cooperate. Even without considering political factors, merely from a military standpoint, the Navy had to adjust according to the battlefield situation.

The second phase of the offensive operation would certainly be focused on pushing east.

As expected, all four fleet carriers would be incorporated into the Special Mixed Group, carrying out a surprise attack on the Volcanic Islands and capturing Liuhuang Island.

At the same time, the Navy would also take action northeast of the Xu Sea, which was to the west of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

According to Bai Zhizhan’s judgment, the Navy would first send the Special Mixed Group to strike the airports, ports, and other infrastructure in the western region of the mainland of Saiyi. Only after the Army had advanced to the southern tip of the Ice Storm Peninsula and secured a foothold, would the Special Mixed Group be dispatched to attack the Volcanic Islands.

As for moving southward, it was definitely not within consideration in the short term.

It wasn’t that moving south wasn’t important, but with the loss of one carrier and another severely damaged, there simply wasn’t enough surplus military strength.

Even in the best-case scenario, only a few fast battleships could be dispatched to encircle the enemy ships at Tuk Fortress.

If that were really the case, there was no need for Bai Zhizhan to go to war.

Sending Gui Boyong would suffice.

It wasn’t to undervalue Gui Boyong, but rather that there are specializations in every trade.

Gui Boyong was a senior Naval officer with outstanding tactical skills and plentiful combat experience. Perhaps he wasn’t a match for Bai Zhizhan in commanding aviation combat, but when it came to commanding battleships in fleet battles, his abilities were definitely no less than Bai Zhizhan’s.

The battle with the Saiyi fleet at Watcher Strait a few days ago was enough to prove Gui Boyong’s command abilities.

From another perspective, even if Bai Zhizhan wanted to compete, now wasn’t the time.

With this thought, Bai Zhizhan’s mood improved significantly.

Indeed, before the meeting, Zheng Jiangming had revealed two very important matters to Bai Zhizhan, which was precisely why Bai Zhizhan took the initiative to make concessions.

The defeat of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom was a foregone conclusion. Not to mention other Great Powers, perhaps only if the Amaterasu manifested could there be a sliver of hope.

However, an even stronger enemy was about to arrive.

This was not a war directed solely against the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, nor was it a war that could end with a single naval victory.

So, why bother contending over minor advantages and disadvantages?

Justice lies in people’s hearts.

Led by Liu Xiangzhen, the Special Mixed Group, even with four fleet carriers, only managed to annihilate the Mobile Fleet, or more precisely, took out four fleet carriers but suffered severe losses and negatively affected the overall situation. Bai Zhizhan led the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet with only two fleet carriers and almost wiped out half of the Permanent Fleet, with no losses on his own side. Who was more formidable was clear at a glance.

If anything, Bai Zhizhan was now actually worried that Liu Xiangzhen might become reckless.

If Liu Xiangzhen felt inferior to Bai Zhizhan, then in the next battle, he might abandon his conservative tactics, leading to disarray.

"Young Brother Bai."

Hearing the words coming from behind him, Bai Zhizhan sighed.

"Brother Liu."

Indeed, the person who came to greet him was Liu Xiangdong.

In terms of relationships, Bai Zhizhan had always been very grateful to Liu Xiangdong. Had it not been for Liu Xiangdong stepping aside voluntarily, Bai Zhizhan could not have become the supervisor for the "Longjiang."

"I really apologize. I won’t say more, but at the victory celebration, I’ll punish myself with three drinks."

"Brother Liu, if you talk like this, it will feel quite formal between us," Bai Zhizhan also felt rather moved, because he found that he simply couldn’t get angry in front of Liu Xiangdong.

This was Liu Xiangdong, straightforward and sincere, not one for pretense or affectation.

Speaking of which, out of the entire Liu Family, Liu Xiangdong was the only one Bai Zhizhan found agreeable.

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