Empire Conquest
Chapter 227 - 223: Tit for Tat

Chapter 227: Chapter 223: Tit for Tat

"They’re here!"

As Zhou Yongtao alerted Bai Zhizhan, he also pointed ahead.

Under the cloak of night, the destroyer was not particularly conspicuous, appearing only as a dim silhouette, easily overlooked.

They had already signalled with lights, indicating it was the destroyer that had come to rendezvous.

"Raise the flag."

Following Bai Zhizhan’s order, Zhou Yongtao didn’t waste words. He picked up the wireless walkie-talkie, which resembled an oversized brick, and relayed the instructions to the signalman at the top of the bridge.

This contraption was officially called a "wireless telephone," one of the gains from this trip to Puzhou.

Initially, it was the Army that had proposed the idea, hoping to develop a wireless communication device more convenient than a radio station, ideally capable of voice communication. This would allow armored forces to easily keep in touch with each other during rapid advances, thereby improving the efficiency of the troops in combat.

If possible, it would be best used to also coordinate with other units, such as infantry squads.

Therefore, it needed to be sufficiently small, ideally handheld.

As for the communication range, there wasn’t a high demand—ten kilometers would be enough. If there were difficulties, even five kilometers would do; it was certainly better than yelling at the top of one’s lungs.

For longer distances, such as coordinating with the rear artillery, they could use the radio stations mounted on tanks and combat vehicles.

After its development, the Navy quickly took the lead.

The reason was simple: with the shackles of telephone lines gone, commanders no longer had to stay in the bridge, constantly standing beside the phone.

Giving orders with this device was extremely convenient.

As it was a high-frequency wireless device, the signal decayed rapidly during transmission. The maximum working distance was only twenty kilometers, so there was no need to worry about exposure.

The Navy had conducted tests, and as long as the distance exceeded one hundred kilometers, even the most sensitive radio monitoring stations could not receive the signal. If the weather turned bad, such as on cloudy days, the signal strength would degrade to an undetectable level around fifty kilometers out.

In other words, it could still be used even during radio silence.

As a result, the Navy placed an order for two hundred units. Half of them were snatched up by Bai Zhizhan, while the other half hadn’t been assigned just yet.

Additionally, the manufacturer of the wireless telephones was collaborating with the aircraft factories. Because the production scale had increased, the purchase price dropped significantly. However, these weren’t handheld, but rather aircraft-mounted—that is, the mass-produced models of the voice radios tested on the "White Swan" reconnaissance aircraft.

The latest batches of ship-borne aircraft were all fitted with airborne wireless voice communication radios.

The only issue was that voice radios with a working range equal to long-wave sets had not yet been developed, so reconnaissance aircraft still had to report to the flagship using Morse code.

The greatest value of these small, handheld voice radios was the boost they provided to command efficiency.

Soon, the "Heng River" raised the Commander’s flag.

It was Bai Zhizhan’s pennant.

Glancing up at the flag fluttering under the moonlight, Bai Zhizhan felt an odd sensation.

Liu Xiangzhen, who had boarded the "Longjiang" and had made it the Special Mixed Group’s flagship in a nest-stealing maneuver, surely didn’t anticipate that the "Heng River," once the flagship of the Second Aviation Mixed Fleet, would raise Bai Zhizhan’s pennant and become his flagship.

To maintain secrecy, the Navy headquarter did not inform the Special Mixed Group about the "Heng River’s" dispatch.

Among those at the Navy headquarter who knew of this matter, there were only three in total. The others still believed the "Heng River" remained in Puzhou Port for maintenance.

In fact, when arriving in Puzhou, even Bai Zhizhan had not anticipated leading the "Heng River" into action.

Initially, volunteering Puzhou for the "Heng River’s" maintenance work was just to evade the imminent events or rather to avoid getting caught between the two major factions.

At that time, Bai Zhizhan thought that once the storm passed, he would find an opportunity to serve in another position.

With the situation at that time, Bai Zhizhan felt that he would have to cool his heels in the rear for a few months, no matter what.

After the Army finished mopping up the Ice Storm Peninsula, whether they were to land on the Saiyi mainland or do something else, they would need time to prepare. The Navy would take this opportunity to attack the Volcanic Islands, occupy Liuhuang Island, and then implement a strategic blockade of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom. Setting up an advance base would similarly take several months. As long as Liu Xiangzhen and Lian Xusheng didn’t make any major mistakes, there would be nothing for Bai Zhizhan to worry about.

The Permanent Fleet?

At that time, intelligence indicated that the battleships that had fled to Tuk Fortress, especially those few battleships, had all been damaged in the battles in the Flame Sea. Even if they were not critically hit, they would certainly need a long time to repair, especially since Tuk Fortress lacked the necessary infrastructure.

In addition, Takano had already died in battle.

After Takano, when it came to influential admirals of the Saiyi Navy, there were practically only two, Admiral Lan Yun of the Mobile Fleet and Vice Admiral Takatoku of the second Main Battle Corps.

Since the second Main Battle Corps had been annihilated, even if Takatoku went to Tuk Fortress with the fourth Cruiser Corps, he wouldn’t be entrusted with command. Let’s not forget that the four remaining fast battleships, which made up the third Main Battle Corps, had already been incorporated into the Mobile Fleet under Lan Yun’s command before the war.

It was certainly Lan Yun who would inherit Takano’s mantle.

In fact, even with Takatoku, it would not make much of an impact.

Lan Yun and Takatoku were similar in many ways, such as being cautious commanders who often displayed hesitancy in battle.

If everything went smoothly, that wouldn’t be much of a problem. But as soon as they encountered unforeseen circumstances requiring decisive action from the Commander, problems would arise.

Both commanders’ inability to make decisive decisions in battle was uniformly demonstrated in the battles in the Flame Sea and those to the west of Watcher Strait.

The key issue was that they didn’t have enough courage.

So, would they dare to lead the remaining Saiyi Navy battleships north to challenge the Imperial Navy?

It was precisely for this reason that those battleships were not considered.

At that time, even Bai Zhizhan believed that while Lan Yun might lead the Permanent Fleet out when the Special Mixed Group entered the East Ocean, he would not head north at full speed. Once the Imperial Navy captured Liuhuang Island and blocked the route to the Saiyi mainland, Lan Yun would return the Fleet to Tuk Fortress.

In the end, he would either surrender to the Liangxia Navy or seek asylum in the Newland Federation.

In Bai Zhizhan’s view, it was more likely that he would go to the Newland Federation. After all, Lan Yun, as cowardly as he was, would still have his pride, so he wouldn’t surrender to the old enemy.

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

The only miscalculation was the pace of the Army’s advance on the Ice Storm Peninsula.

It was this one difference that led Bai Zhizhan to board the "Heng River," leading the carrier that hadn’t been fully repaired, bristling with potential issues, to the battlefield.

Had he known earlier, Bai Zhizhan would certainly not have been courteous to Liu Xiangzhen during the game of chance.

But then again, who could have "known earlier"?

"Commander Bai."

Zhou Yongtao reminded Bai Zhizhan once again.

The destroyer had already appeared to the starboard bow of the carrier, performing a tight-radius turn, the ship’s body leaning sharply, as if showing off its agility to the carrier.

Could a destroyer of a thousand-plus tons compare with a thirty thousand ton carrier?

The "Heng River" could be dismantled to build thirty of those kinds of destroyers!

"You’ll have a hard night, I’ll come take over in the morning."

"Alright, go get some rest."

Bai Zhizhan didn’t say much, turned around, and entered the bridge, then went to the Commander’s quarters.