Empire Conquest
Chapter 222 - 218: Go for Broke

Chapter 222: Chapter 218: Go for Broke

Early morning at the Imperial Capital Navy headquarters.

The meeting held at the Prime Minister Mansion had continued until four in the morning. Liu Changxun had a fierce argument with Situ Jingde, and it was only after Xue Yuanzheng personally intervened that the situation was controlled and the meeting was declared over. By the time Liu Changxun returned to the headquarters, dawn was almost breaking.

Liu Changxun was very exhausted, physically and mentally drained, but it was not yet time to rest.

In the morning, there was still a meeting to be held at the Navy headquarters to deploy operational actions. It mainly involved getting all departments moving.

During this period, Liu Changxun had been thinking.

If only Zhu Shijian were twenty years younger, even ten years would do!

With Zhu Shijian in charge, these problems wouldn’t even exist.

Sitting in this office, there was not a moment of peace.

"You can’t go in, the Commander-in-Chief is still resting. If there’s something..."

"Bang—"

The secretary hadn’t finished speaking when the door was pushed open.

With great force, the door slammed against the wall.

An officer rushed in, followed by the secretary.

Recognizing Zheng Jiangming, Liu Changxun waved his hand at the secretary.

The secretary was very annoyed. He had tried his best, but Zheng Jiangming, acting like he was possessed, could not be stopped. Besides, they were all civilized people; there was no need for violence. However, since the Commander-in-Chief didn’t say anything, the secretary couldn’t really scold Zheng Jiangming.

As he left, the secretary gave Zheng Jiangming a fierce glare, as if memorizing today’s incident.

"Commander-in-Chief, I know you’ve just returned and there’s an important meeting later. I shouldn’t disturb you, but this intelligence report we just received, you must take a look."

Saying this, Zheng Jiangming stepped forward and handed the folder he brought to Liu Changxun.

"Sixth Bureau’s intelligence?"

Zheng Jiangming nodded, not elaborating further.

Upon opening it, Liu Changxun’s expression immediately darkened.

If it hadn’t been extremely important, Zheng Jiangming wouldn’t have barged into the Commander-in-Chief’s office early in the morning, and from what he had said, he had already been at the headquarters all night.

Yes, it was indeed a very important piece of intelligence.

Last night, a Newland Federation cargo ship carrying maintenance equipment had arrived at Tuk Fortress and had unloaded the cargo overnight.

Crucially, four "Jingang-class" Fast Battleships were in good condition.

Though the intelligence source wasn’t mentioned, the document emphasized strongly that the intelligence was reliable and that the four Fast Battleships were ready for combat.

Also, the Newland cargo ship had unloaded a batch of fourteen-inch shells.

Combining this with previously acquired intelligence, the Sixth Bureau determined that these shells were meant to be sold to the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom before the war. They hadn’t agreed on the price; these were the heavy armor-piercing bullets already produced and stored at Guan Island base before the outbreak of the great war.

It was normal, as Guan Island is one of the largest Navy bases in the West East Ocean, and also the only Naval base capable of serving as a main fleet harbor on West East Ocean. Should Newland decide to send troops into battle, it would be likely for the Navy to deploy several old-style battleships to Guan Island.

This way, the new shells stored there would come into play.

Although not in large quantities, it was enough to fill the ammunition stores of four Fast Battleships, given that the Saiyi Navy had ordered armor-piercing shells for eight battleships.

As for the power of these shells, that was hardly a secret.

The Imperial Navy had long developed 350mm heavy armor-piercing bullets, which performed similarly to the Newland Navy’s fourteen-inch heavy shells and posed a significant threat to old-style battleships.

In fact, they were a threat to all treaty-type battleships.

Of course, with or without these shells, the four "Jingang" class were a huge threat.

Zheng Jiangming delivered this intelligence to Liu Changxun’s hands, and his intent was very clear.

If Lan Yun brought those battleships and several heavy cruisers out for combat in the West East Ocean, the operations would inevitably be affected.

To put it gravely, it could even lead to a failure in the military operations.

Not to mention anything else, if four fast battleships posing a significant threat to carriers suddenly appeared on the battlefield, the frontline commanders would inevitably have concerns, and then they would adjust their combat operations. If this delay led to failed operations, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.

In fact, regardless of where the four "Jingang" went, as long as they left Tuk Fortress and moved around in the West East Ocean, they posed a huge threat.

After reading the report, Liu Changxun let out a heavy sigh.

"Commander-in-chief."

"The issue is indeed serious, but you know, the Special Mixed Fleet has been dispatched; even as the Commander-in-chief, I have no troops available for deployment."

"Not all of them."

Liu Changxun was stunned for a moment but then understood immediately.

Zheng Jiangming was referring to the two fast battleships that had just passed inspection.

Since the induction ceremony had not yet been held, the two fast battleships were temporarily under Navy headquarters’ jurisdiction.

Which fleet they would be incorporated into was still up for discussion.

"In Puzhou, and it’s a carrier."

"You mean... the ’Heng Jiang’?"

Zheng Jiangming nodded and said, "According to the preliminary assessment report from the Southern Fleet, the damage to the ’Heng Jiang’ is not serious. If necessary, only parts related to aviation combat need repairs; the rest can wait until after this battle is over."

Liu Changxun didn’t comment; he now understood that Zheng Jiangming was actually trying to seize an opportunity for the Bai Zhizhan.

After pondering for a moment, he then said, "How many days will it take to fix?"

"The specific situation needs to be checked with the shipyard. However, since the ’Heng Jiang’ could travel to Puzhou on its own, the problem shouldn’t be too significant. With two fast battleships and a few more heavy cruisers, even if there are still some deficiencies, they can still play a crucial role."

Liu Changxun quickly considered his options and said, "Go find out the exact situation, how many days it will take to complete the repairs, and give me a clear response as soon as possible. But keep this matter quiet for now, as the battle for Jeju Island is about to begin, and we must not affect or shake the morale of the troops."

"Understood."

"Anything else?"

Zheng Jiangming was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly said, "No more for now. I will now contact General Bai Zhizhan to clarify the situation and will report back to you afterward."

Liu Changxun didn’t say much, only waving his hand.

Zheng Jiangming didn’t dare to dally and immediately left the Commander-in-chief’s office with joy.

Indeed, he had come to obtain an opportunity for the Bai Zhizhan.

Last night, or more accurately, in the early hours of the morning, after receiving intelligence sent by Wang Kaiyuan’s men, Zheng Jiangming immediately thought that this was an opportunity for Bai Zhizhan’s resurgence.

This wasn’t exactly right since Bai Zhizhan had just returned triumphantly and hadn’t experienced defeat; it wasn’t really a resurgence.

Regardless, this was an opportunity to lead the fleet into battle once more. More importantly, if Bai Zhizhan continued to create miracles, then when he triumphantly returned once again, even the Liu Family would have to acknowledge that Bai Zhizhan was indeed the top War General of the Imperial Navy.

Before this, Zheng Jiangming had thought he might encounter problems with Liu Changxun.

For this, he had prepared himself to go all out. If it really didn’t work out, he would create a disturbance at the headquarters, making the issue well known to all.

Little did he expect Liu Changxun to agree directly.

Was he a man of the Liu Family, or a traitor to the Liu Family?

Zheng Jiangming was perplexed, but that wasn’t important now; with the orders from the Commander-in-chief, the rest depended on whether Bai Zhizhan could handle the shipyard.

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