Empire Conquest
Chapter 256 - 252: New Year’s Eve Wine

Chapter 256: Chapter 252: New Year’s Eve Wine

Such a critical and pivotal reform certainly could not be accomplished within a few days.

Fortunately, much of the preliminary work had already been completed.

Bai Zhizhan was responsible only for the combat-related aspects, simply put, it was about how to reform in order to maximize the fleet’s value.

Before the outbreak of the war, only two people had a say in this matter, Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen.

Because Liu Xiangzhen came from the renowned Liu Family and had received high praise from the Liu Family elders, while Bai Zhizhan was just a civilian officer who had gotten lucky to demonstrate his capabilities and was not so familiar with practical affairs, the Navy favored Liu Xiangzhen before the war.

There was reason behind it.

For such a major reform that would affect millions of naval soldiers, shake the foundations of several families, and even directly impact the upper echelons of the Empire, it would be impossible to accomplish without the backing and support of a powerful family, relying solely on a soldier’s passion—even if Chen Bingxun were to be reborn, he would not be able to do it!

If Chen Bingxun had not gained the trust of Emperor Shiwu, with his untamed nature, he probably would not even have had the chance to become a captain.

Before becoming the War God, Chen Bingxun’s nickname was "Madman Chen."

All Bai Zhizhan had was his passionate dedication.

Wartime was different.

If one said that the first battle after the start of the war still involved some luck, and Liu Xiangzhen taking on the brunt of the combat damage was somewhat inevitable, it did not prove that Bai Zhizhan was definitely better than Liu Xiangzhen. But after the second battle, there was nothing left to say.

Although the joy of victory overshadowed other voices, within the Navy, there was a general consensus that Bai Zhizhan’s talents surpassed those of Liu Xiangzhen and that his future achievements would definitely exceed Liu Xiangzhen’s. Similarly, Bai Zhizhan was more likely to become the Empire’s second War God.

It could be said that Bai Zhizhan was more like Chen Bingxun back in the day.

For example, in the naval battles commanded by Bai Zhizhan, without exception, the fleet’s—and especially the carriers’—combat power was pushed to the limit.

This was not merely a matter of ability but seemed more like an innate talent.

According to Zhu Shijian’s evaluation, this was actually the aspect in which Bai Zhizhan most resembled Chen Bingxun.

During those decades of dominance over the Four Seas, what made Chen Bingxun most celebrated wasn’t just his repeated victories over strong adversaries, it was winning all of the battles against numerically superior forces. In several decisive fleet battles, Chen Bingxun had invariably achieved great victories with a smaller force.

Otherwise, the Imperial Navy could not have possibly transcended all the traditional Great Powers in just a few decades to become the strongest maritime presence in the world.

Chen Bingxun never engaged in wars of attrition with the enemy, whether standing against powerful foes or bullying the weak, all were one-sided grand victories.

The battles commanded by Bai Zhizhan were the same.

Defeating the numerically superior, regardless of the enemy’s strength, all were one-sided grand victories!

Just this alone put Liu Xiangzhen in an inferior position.

Of course, this was only a consensus within the Navy, or more precisely, among the Navy’s high command, and it was not promoted externally.

Regardless, it was a time of war, and unity within the Imperial Navy was essential; there was no need to create new conflicts over who resembled Chen Bingxun more.

Still, there was sure to be favoritism in certain arrangements.

Liu Changhe was also a sharp individual and knew Liu Xiangzhen even better than Bai Zhizhan.

This was also one of the reasons why Zhu Shijian had chosen him as the successor.

He must have known that Liu Xiangzhen would not agree, so he first asked Liu Xiangzhen, then naturally passed the responsibility to Bai Zhizhan.

By doing so, even if the Liu Family members were unhappy, their frustration would be directed at Liu Xiangzhen.

It had to be said that this situation was really something to thank Liu Changxun for.

Yet, after these busy days, Bai Zhizhan felt that it should not be him thanking Liu Changxun, but Liu Changxun that should be thanking him.

At this moment, Liu Changxun was sitting at the dining table, enjoying the New Year’s Eve dinner with his family, while Bai Zhizhan was busy working overtime in his office, possibly until dawn.

The trouble was, the pot of coffee had been brewing all afternoon and had turned into a thick espresso.

Drinking thick coffee at midnight, who could still think of sleeping?

Bai Zhizhan also felt quite reflective.

Having lived over forty years, he had only now realized that there was still so much he didn’t know; he still needed to learn, to strive and struggle.

Sometimes, like now, having a family actually did not seem so bad.

At least when it came to staying up for the New Year, there would be someone by one’s side.

Hungry at midnight, there was still someone to prepare food for oneself.

After drinking coffee, Bai Zhizhan went to the dining hall.

It was wartime, but even in peacetime, the Imperial Navy Headquarter never closed. Someone was always on duty, and late-night snacks were provided every evening.

The personnel on duty on New Year’s Eve were all those in essential positions.

The only exception was Bai Zhizhan.

The dining hall was empty, and the late-night snacks were ready and set out.

There were about a dozen dishes, but none in large portions, suggesting not many officers and soldiers were staying on duty tonight.

"General Bai, working overtime tonight as well?" The chef was very enthusiastic.

"Tough life, I need to finish and hand over my work as soon as possible." Bai Zhizhan was rather speechless; he actually preferred the chef to treat him as if he were air.

Staying and working overtime on New Year’s Eve, once word got out, would not sound so good.

As for the chef’s incisive use of "also" in his question, Bai Zhizhan automatically ignored it.

True, he was a regular at the Imperial Navy Headquarter’s midnight canteen.

"Actually, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. Sometimes, it’s good to relax," said the chef as he walked over. "Will it be the usual tonight, or would you like to try something fresh?"

"Something fresh?"

"My spouse brought back some local specialties from our hometown, sausage and cured meat, plus heart tongue and pig tails."

"With Yuzhou flavors?"

"Of course, people from Yuzhou don’t eat sweet flavors."

"Okay, set me up with a portion." Hearing about the smoked flavors from his hometown, Bai Zhizhan perked up immediately, almost drooling.

"Have a drink or two?"

"Sure, let’s have a couple of drinks!"

The chef was from Yuzhou, the same hometown as Bai Zhizhan, and made authentic Yuzhou-style Sichuan dishes, so Bai Zhizhan was a familiar face to him.

However, Bai Zhizhan had never asked for the chef’s name.

There was no need, after all, the chef was not even a proper military man, just a contractor at the Imperial Navy Headquarter.

A few minutes later, the chef brought out two plates of assorted cured meats along with two bottles of Yuzhou old Baijiu.

Probably because no one else had come for a late-night snack, or maybe because it was all prepared beforehand, the chef didn’t stand on ceremony, and Bai Zhizhan, being the guest eating his food and drinking his drinks, should be the one being polite.

"Shh—this liquor of yours..."

With one gulp, Bai Zhizhan felt a fiery sensation in his throat.

This liquor was simply too strong!

"Take it slow. This is genuine sorghum liquor, brewed by a distillery in my hometown. Ordinary people can’t even get it. I had to pull some strings to get these two bottles."

Only then did Bai Zhizhan notice that the two liquor bottles were obviously reused, just for holding the liquor.

"What do you think, pretty strong, isn’t it?"

"Very, extremely strong!"

Saying so, Bai Zhizhan suddenly laughed.

The burning sensation in his throat reminded him of the drink he had more than twenty years ago, in the crow’s nest atop the mast of the "North River."

It felt as if it were just yesterday.

It seemed as though the person sitting opposite him was not the plump middle-aged chef, but that straightforward Li Mingbo who used to say, "A drink gives the timid courage."

These twenty years passed in the blink of an eye.

In a lifetime, how many sets of twenty years does one have?

Thinking of these, Bai Zhizhan suddenly felt a resolve not to stop until he was drunk.

Perhaps, getting oneself drunk was a skill in itself.

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