Empire Conquest
Chapter 223 - 219: Devastation Everywhere

Chapter 223: Chapter 219: Devastation Everywhere

Puzhou, Military Port District.

This is the Empire’s largest commercial port in the east and was once the largest military port, but to this day, it remains the largest and most comprehensive shipbuilding base in the Empire.

Over the past few decades, the world’s largest shipbuilding industry system was built around Puzhou Port.

All the materials and equipment required to build a large carrier could be found within a 300-kilometer radius centered on Puzhou Port, and all the important upstream factories were built alongside railways and ports, while the secondary factories sat adjacent to the main highways.

Simply speaking, the shipbuilding capability of the Puzhou area had already surpassed that of any other country outside the Newland Federation.

During peacetime, most of the ships built here were merchant vessels.

During wartime, it definitely focused on warships, and almost all were main battle ships.

Right now, at the innermost shipbuilding area of the harbor, four main battle ships were being expedited in their construction, and all of them were near launch status.

Even from tens of kilometers away, one could feel the immense pressure from those four main battle ships.

Of course, perspective also played a role.

The warships were on the slipways, and the slipways themselves were already a good distance above the water level. Furthermore, after a warship was launched, the part below the waterline would be submerged.

This meant that the warships on the slipways appeared even more majestic than they would after being launched.

Without a doubt, these were four main battle ships with tremendous combat capabilities.

If they delayed until next year or even the end of this year, for a few large carriers to be commissioned, not even the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, with their leopard’s gall, would dare to challenge the Liangxia Empire.

On this planet, there were only two countries capable of building four large carriers at the same time, and only one was actually doing it.

As for a second-rate power like the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, even if they were not short of cash, their industrial strength was simply not enough.

And to think, they were also simultaneously building four fast battleships!

Not to mention the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, even the Newland Federation could barely manage to compete after mobilization.

"Wu—"

Following the sound of the foghorn, Bai Zhizhan finally withdrew his gaze.

He came here today not to visit the main battle ships being built, but to welcome the "Heng River."

Now, the "Heng River" had already entered the port and was slowly heading this way.

Again, due to the angle, from Bai Zhizhan’s position, looking toward the deep water pier near the dry dock, the "Heng River’s" damage didn’t seem severe.

But that was because the direction was incorrect.

When the "Heng River," pushed from the top of the barge, turned around, that was when Bai Zhizhan saw the huge "patch" on the right side of the carrier’s hull, near the waterline.

It was made from several overlapping steel plates welded together.

There was no other way; the torpedo had caused too much damage, tearing open a gash over twenty meters in length in the hull. There wasn’t a single steel plate large enough, so they had to weld together several smaller plates in an overlapping fashion to seal the leaking gap.

Moreover, these steel plates were actually removed from the flight deck.

Although the damage was not completely sealed off, after arriving at Chengjiang Port, repairs were only made to the parts of the hull below the waterline, and the temporary leak-stopping steel plates were not removed. The rate of water ingress was already under control, and with the addition of a few temporary water pumps, there was no concern about sinking.

Four barges had to be deployed together, and it still took quite some effort to get the "Heng River" into the dry dock.

By the time everything was secured and the dry dock began drainage, it was already afternoon.

At this time, the first batch of personnel boarded the "Heng River." They were not Bai Zhizhan and his team, but the engineering staff and foremen from Puzhou Shipyard.

According to the plan, they would first inspect the "Heng River" and then provide a preliminary response.

Bai Zhizhan and his team took the second barge, and by the time they boarded the "Heng River," it was already getting dark, almost time for dinner.

After boarding the carrier, the damage was even less apparent.

The "Heng River" had sustained only a hit from an air torpedo and had avoided bombs. Aside from a few steel plates that had been removed, the flight deck was intact.

However, the traces of damage control efforts after the hit were still visible.

Additionally, the deck near the superstructure was stained red, possibly from blood, or perhaps from leaking coolant and hydraulic fluids from the planes.

Of course, it had long since dried.

Inside the superstructure, it was a complete mess; an untouched pile of bandages, which emitted a putrid smell, made one feel nauseated.

"The guys from the Southern Fleet are being too lazy, huh?"

Hearing this, Bai Zhizhan turned back and glared at Zhou Yongtao, signaling him to watch his words. It wasn’t for fear of eavesdroppers, but because his comment was impolite.

The Southern Fleet had been the first to be bombed, with twelve main battle ships severely damaged—where would they have found the capability to take care of other battleships?

Moreover, how much time had passed since then?

The Southern Fleet had assuredly sent people to clean the "Heng River," like disposing of dangerous items such as ammunition. The cleaning was not thorough due to limited manpower; there were still many areas that hadn’t been attended to. During repair, the shipyard would perform a thorough cleaning of the battleship, both inside and out.

Bai Zhizhan didn’t wander around aimlessly; he only walked around on the superstructure.

Although he had lived on the "Longjiang" for over a decade, the majority of Bai Zhizhan’s time was spent in the superstructure. He would venture to the flight deck for a stroll at most. Only during festivals—and if it just so happened that there was a mission at sea—would Bai Zhizhan go down to the lower decks with red envelopes to comfort those who were still at their posts, handing out a red packet and a few words of encouragement.

It was just for the sake of tradition.

Perhaps there was no such custom in the north, but in the south, receiving red packets during festivals was a sign of good fortune in the coming year.

The Army moved north, while the Navy went south.

Customs were similar in this regard.

If it were wartime, Bai Zhizhan would not venture inside the battleship.

Offering encouragement to the lower ranks was the captain’s job, not so much related to the duties of a fleet commander. After all, one can’t be expected to attend to every detail personally.

In layout, the "Heng River" was no different from the "Longjiang"; the two were practically indistinguishable.

Of course, there were still small differences in the details.

For instance, in the command bridge hung a portrait of Liu Changxun, and beside it, a coat of arms flag of the Liu Family, more akin to a totemic painting.

Using noble coats of arms wasn’t an imperial tradition but a naval one, stemming from the ship’s badge.

Tracing back to its roots, this also originated from the West, where ship’s badges evolved from the noble coats of arms, carrying a strong cultural significance.

Bai Zhizhan was no noble, so such things were absent on his flagship.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Yongtao went to find shipyard personnel to ask about the inspection results.

By the time he returned to the command bridge, night had fallen.

"How is it?"

"The situation isn’t terrible, but it’s not optimistic either. The main issue is the severe damage to the hull. Even with repairs, it might not return to ideal condition."

"We can’t worry about that now."

Bai Zhizhan didn’t linger, calling Zhou Yongtao to come down from the superstructure with him.

"About ten days or so, and that’s with working overtime. There’s no guarantee it can be fixed, and it can’t be any shorter."

"I’ll go find the shipyard manager later. Remember to contact Zheng Jiangming and inform him about the situation here. Have him report to the commander-in-chief as soon as possible."

"No problem, I’ll contact him once I return."

Bai Zhizhan truly couldn’t afford any delay because Zheng Jiangming was still waiting for his response.

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