Empire Conquest
Chapter 224 - 220 All Bad News

Chapter 224: Chapter 220 All Bad News

Zhou Yongtao went to make a phone call after dinner at Bai Zhizhan, using the design institute’s dedicated line mainly for the sake of secrecy.

Bai Zhizhan had not finished his dinner when he returned to the hotel.

The situation was not optimistic at all.

Inside Tuk Fortress, four Jin Gang-class Fast Battleships had fired up and begun resupplying; other battleships were also preparing to set sail.

According to estimates from the Sixth Bureau, Lan Yun would set sail within three days.

The critical thing was that his task was not to cause trouble in the Xu Sea, but to bring the fleet back to the Saiyi homeland.

The intelligence was very reliable.

To Bai Zhizhan, Zheng Jiangming did not hide anything and made it clear that there was a spy from the Sixth Bureau on the Newland cargo ship carrying maintenance equipment. This person was inside the Tuk Fortress, and he was doing quite well, otherwise, he would not have been able to obtain so many accurate clues, let alone track the fleet’s movements.

According to Zheng Jiangming, the Saiyi Navy had already determined that the Imperial Navy would soon concentrate its forces to support the Army’s offensive on the Ice Storm Peninsula. Thus, they would leave the Special Mixed Group in the Xu Sea, which would provide an opportunity for Lan Yun to lead the remains of the Permanent Fleet back home.

No matter how the battle unfolded next, returning the fleet to the homeland was definitely not a mistake.

Staying in Tuk Fortress was the real oddity.

Even if a fleet were dispatched to cause trouble in the Xu Sea, starting from the homeland was much more convenient than starting from the Southwest East Ocean, so there was no reason to keep the fleet in Tuk Fortress.

Thus, it was very likely that Lan Yun, leading the Permanent Fleet northward, would encounter the Special Mixed Group under Liu Xiangzhen’s command.

Of course, that wasn’t quite accurate.

When Lan Yun led the Permanent Fleet northward, for safety reasons, the Special Mixed Group that had entered the East Ocean would have to halt its operation against Liuhuang Island and first eliminate the Permanent Fleet, thereby exposing their strategic intent and losing the element of surprise.

Don’t forget, all actions, including the feint attack on Jeju Island, were meant to deceive the opponent.

The ultimate goal was to relax the Saiyi Navy’s vigilance to capture the crucial Liuhuang Island in one fell swoop.

If the element of surprise was lost, turning a surprise attack into a forced attack, not only would it require a greater cost and more time, but it would also affect the entire battle situation.

The key issue now was that there were only five carrier ships available, and only four were operational.

Even if all five carriers were deployed, they would not suffice for a frontal attack since five carriers could at most carry about five hundred ship-borne aircraft, while any of the locations in Saiyi, especially on Honshu Island, could deploy and use no fewer than five hundred shore-based combat aircraft.

After being bombed, an airport can be repaired in just a few days and put back into service.

If a carrier is bombed, even if it is not sunk, it would take months to repair, and whether it could be deployed on time remains uncertain.

If this causes the Saiyi Navy to become alert, by deploying a few hundred more bombers towards the Volcanic Islands, it could pose a significant threat to the Special Mixed Group, forcing the Imperial Navy to temporarily abandon its intention to attack Liuhuang Island and at least rethink their battle plans.

After all this hassle, could they still defeat the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom within a year?

During the return journey, Lan Yun would surely receive the news and would make targeted adjustments. The four Fast Battleships would then become a major internal worry.

The key issue here was that the Newland Federation was definitely involved.

The cargo ship, the ammunition and other materials it transported, along with the maintenance equipment for the battleships, were all provided by the Newland Federation, essentially given to the Saiyi Navy for free.

Furthermore, the statement released by Hale.

All these, without exception, indicated that the New York Federation was doing everything possible to create trouble for the Empire, aiming to slow down the progress of the Imperial Navy.

"So, it seems we might not even have ten days."

"We’d be lucky to have a week, but currently, it might just be five days."

Bai Zhizhan nodded, but still looked quite troubled.

To him, there might not even be five days.

"The key issue is that even after repairs, it will take time to inspect," Bai Zhizhan thought. "Even without inspection, it would take several days to replenish ammunition, fuel, and other combat supplies."

"Really, what can we accomplish even with a week?"

That afternoon, the engineers and foremen in the shipyard had said that ten days was the most optimistic scenario, assuming all preparatory work could be completed smoothly.

If it dragged out to ten days, even if they could replenish supplies in the few days following the repairs and depart immediately afterward, it would still be too late.

By the time they arrived, it would probably be all over.

Thinking of these things, Bai Zhizhan felt an immense headache.

He really couldn’t rest easy. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zhou Yongtao; he was worried about the Navy headquarter, feeling that Zheng Jiangming might still be withholding something.

After dinner, Bai Zhizhan personally phoned the design institute.

He wished he had not made that call as he ended up receiving yet another piece of bad news.

Just a few hours ago, two Newland Navy carriers, the "Lek" and the "Sara," which had participated in joint training with the Bulan Royal Navy in the North Sunset Ocean and then returned to the East Coast shipyard for modernization, had already passed through the Wangxi Canal into the East Ocean.

According to the latest intelligence report, these two carriers were heading directly for Treasure Harbor in the Howay Islands.

Moreover, the Newland Navy would likely relocate the East Ocean Fleet headquarter to Honu Island within a few months and make Treasure Harbor its home base.

Simply put, it meant shifting the departure base of the East Ocean Fleet several thousand kilometers westward from Saint Gobain on the West Coast.

Departing from Treasure Harbor would allow them to arrive at Guan Island or Marra Port five days sooner than from Saint Gobain, thus giving the fleet five valuable days.

"Can you confirm this?"

"One hundred percent certain. I just got the news myself and made some calls. They are currently having a meeting about it; it’s basically determined that the Newland Federation is preparing to join the battle."

"Join the battle?" Bai Zhizhan was startled and his hand holding the receiver even trembled slightly.

"Although based on the current situation, the Newland Federation is likely setting an example, encouraging other Great Powers such as the Bulan Kingdom to sanction us or possibly even influencing the Luosha Federation with this move. Regardless, we cannot dismiss the possibility of the Newland Federation entering the war."

Bai Zhizhan fell silent, not quite knowing how to respond.

"Old Bai?"

"I’m here, listening."

"The situation is very clear now; you must seize this opportunity and repair the ’Heng River’ as soon as possible to intercept the Permanent Fleet."

"You mean..."

"If you can manage that, then you can continue with the original plan. If not, you will definitely have to adjust the plan or even abandon it completely."

"Not attack Liuhuang Island?" Even as he asked this, Bai Zhizhan’s tone clearly showed disbelief.

"At least as far as I know, they’re already considering this option above. You know that if we abandon the attack on Liuhuang Island, the only choice would be to land on Saiyi mainland and fight a formal ground battle. Taking that step means there’s no turning back."

"How much time do I have?" Bai Zhizhan didn’t hesitate this time and asked directly.

If they had to land on Saiyi territory, especially before completely crippling the Saiyi army, it would mean moving towards defeat.

A brutal battle would surely drag the Empire into an irreversible abyss.

The President of the Newland Federation playing all these tricks; wasn’t it just to exhaust the Empire’s combat power in the Saiyi Imperial Country before reaping the benefits?

"Just these next few days, I’d better get a definite answer by tomorrow."

"Alright, I’ll think of something and contact you when I have a result."

"Remember, the sooner, the better."