Empire Conquest
Chapter 260 - 256: Going Separate Ways

Chapter 260: Chapter 256: Going Separate Ways

Coming out of the Privy Council, Bai Zhizhan realized that he was covered in a cold sweat, even his undershirt was soaked through.

He drank three cups of tea, answered three questions.

What exactly was Xue Yuanzheng scheming?

When it came to the last question, or more precisely, before answering it, Bai Zhizhan had a feeling in his heart that Xue Yuanzheng was testing him.

Perhaps, Xue Yuanzheng had also asked Liu Xiangzhen the same questions.

A consultation on strategy?

Was Xue Yuanzheng, a person of such cunning and prowess, seeking advice from a newly promoted Navy Major General?

Even if Bai Zhizhan had some insights, compared to Xue Yuanzheng, they would seem very naive.

Definitely, it was not a consultation but a way to test Bai Zhizhan.

To become the Imperial Navy Commander, one must possess a sharp strategic vision, otherwise, at best, he would only be a competent officer.

But why think so much?

Bai Zhizhan went back to the hotel to find Zhou Yongtao and Jiang Haiyang, then called Li Yunxiang over, and the four of them set up a table in the hotel.

After a few drinks, Li Yunxiang opened up.

That afternoon, he submitted a transfer application to Liu Changxun, which was immediately approved. In a few days, after handing over his duties, he would report to the Land Air Force headquarter.

His next position would be the Acting Commander of the Land Strategic Air Force.

As expected, he would likely be promoted to Vice Admiral of the Land Air Force in a few months.

Moreover, the decision to establish an Independent Air Force had already been concluded.

Since the establishment of the Air Force was supported by Xue Yuanzheng, the Army Commander no longer objected but thought that it was not appropriate to undertake such a large military reform during the war. He suggested a two-step approach: first, to make the Land Air Force an independent branch with autonomy. Once the independent operation of the Land Air Force had no major issues, they would then consider splitting it off to establish a real Air Force.

Xue Yuanzheng had already agreed in principle to adopt the two-step approach.

It certainly wasn’t beneficial to make significant changes to the existing military system during the war; after all, the establishment of an Air Force would affect millions of officers and soldiers.

The time to establish the Air Force would probably be postponed until after the war or at least delayed until the latter stages of the conflict.

The first to split from the Army would be the Strategic Air Force, which Li Yunxiang was about to lead.

Compared to the Tactical Air Force, the Strategic Air Force was clearly more independent and had little to do with other Army units, particularly the Armored Forces. Therefore, establishing the Strategic Air Force as an independent entity first would not have much impact on the Army’s operations and would not meet much resistance from the officers and soldiers.

Not to forget, the Imperial Army had been focusing on building the Tactical Air Force for the past twenty years, while the Strategic Air Force had only risen in the last few.

Here, Li Yunxiang revealed the real reason for his return to the Land Air Force.

His return to serve as the Acting Commander of the Strategic Air Force was mainly due to two reasons. First, his relation to the present Holy Emperor meant that he could be considered half an Imperial Relative, able to speak before the Holy Emperor through Fang Suqing, and thereby exert influence on the Army. The second reason was his connections in the Navy, meaning that he knew Navy Generals like Bai Zhizhan, and most of them would show him respect.

This matter was also related to the Navy?

Under Bai Zhizhan’s questioning, Li Yunxiang finally spoke the truth.

A group of Navy Air Force pilots would follow him back to the Army; everything had been negotiated, just waiting for him to assume the Commander’s position to issue the transfer orders.

Moreover, there would inevitably be competition for resources with the Navy in the future.

In Li Yunxiang’s words, it was like competing with the Navy Air Force for food.

This made Li Yunxiang feel rather guilty.

Bai Zhizhan, on the other hand, didn’t take it to heart. After all, Li Yunxiang was a major proponent of the Strategic Air Force and his ambition was to build a world-class Strategic Air Force. Originally joining the Navy was out of necessity; to put it plainly, it was because he had nowhere else to go, not because he intended to settle down and grow roots in the Navy.

Towards the end of their talk, Bai Zhizhan managed to extract some very valuable information from Li Yunxiang.

Shen Pu and Zhu Huasheng were not boasting; the Land Air Force indeed used Special Burning Bombs, which had very good effects in the battles on the Ice Storm Peninsula.

Several days ago, the Army organized hundreds of bombers to bomb the Shrimp House in the western part of the Saiyi homeland.

They used incendiary bombs!

The bombing was undeniably effective, but the losses were severe, with more than forty bombers shot down or damaged, bringing the casualty rate to nearly eight percent.

As Li Yunxiang said, the main reason was the lack of fighter escorts.

It wasn’t due to the Land Air Force’s oversight but rather constraints of the situation.

Whether at the southern tip of the Ice Storm Peninsula or Jeju Island, there were no well-equipped facilities and favorable conditions to deploy and support Air Force combat operations.

Due to transportation limitations, there wasn’t much hope for the Ice Storm Peninsula side.

Jeju Island, however, was a bit more promising.

Jeju Island’s airport is by the sea, and nearby, the Marine Corps had built a temporary dock; by constructing just a few roads, it would be possible to maximize the advantages of sea transport.

According to Li Yunxiang’s wishes, the Land Air Force would soon take over Jeju Island and expand its airport.

But even at the fastest, this would take several months.

In the coming months, the Navy would definitely have to assist by deploying ship-borne fighters from carriers to provide cover for the bomber groups.

However, this matter is still not settled.

The Navy could currently mobilize only four carriers, and the "Heng River" had to return to port for repairs, with its repairability still in doubt.

It appears the Navy is in a difficult position, much like a clay Buddha crossing the river.

Across from East Ocean, the Newland Navy has deployed five fleet carriers and could reinforce East Ocean with two more smaller fleet carriers at any time.

To shorten the travel distance, the Newland Navy has moved the East Ocean Fleet Headquarters to Treasure Harbor.

Over at the Fan Flame Ocean, the Bulan Royal Navy was also expected to dispatch two fleet carriers soon.

Predictably, the Bulan Royal Navy would first strengthen the defense deployment of Lion Spring City, sending more combat aircraft to intensify activity toward the Flame Sea.

Even if the four major carriers were delivered and put into service, the Imperial Navy might still be unable to detach any to support the Land Air Force.

Of course, there is also good news.

Chengfeng Company’s "Wave Production Line" had completed testing, proving its design to be highly successful, increasing the production efficiency of heavy bombers by tenfold.

In the trial production month alone, it had produced over forty aircraft, roughly four times the past output.

After the Spring Festival break, Chengfeng Company’s production line would officially start.

Subsequently, they would deliver 100 four-engine heavy bombers to the Land Air Force each month!

This was also one of the reasons for the Land Air Force to prompt Li Yunxiang to take charge immediately.

With Li Yunxiang stepping forward, purchasing bombers would become much simpler, and he knew better how to use those heavy bombers.

The meal lasted from evening to midnight.

If it weren’t for Zhou Yongtao’s intervention, Bai Zhizhan and Li Yunxiang might have both ended up drunk, and Jiang Haiyang had already gotten drunk in the first half of the evening.

There was no helping it; he was determined to get drunk, and nobody could stop him.

He wanted to follow Li Yunxiang back to the Land Air Force, but having just pledged his loyalty to Bai Zhizhan, he couldn’t just up and leave, so he kept his head down and drowned his sorrows in drink.

Bai Zhizhan was quite moved.

If possible, he wished Li Yunxiang could stay, as he was also the backbone of the Imperial Navy Air Force.

However, he also knew that Liu Yunxiang’s ambition lay with the Air Force.

Regardless, he had to wish Li Yunxiang well.