Empire Conquest
Chapter 264 - 260: Deep as the Sea

Chapter 264: Chapter 260: Deep as the Sea

"The Grand Secretary arranged it temporarily, and I just found out myself."

"The Navy is only sending me?"

Liu Changxun nodded and said, "You are the Navy’s representative for the negotiations, but the Navy won’t be the only ones there. The specific work will be handled by the Sixth Bureau. After all, it’s a secret talk, and confidentiality is of utmost importance. As for whether the negotiations will succeed and what the outcomes will be if they do, ultimately, the Grand Secretary will make the final decisions, which will also need to be voted on by the War Cabinet. The entire process will only take a few days, and you’ll be flying there and back, so it won’t take up much time."

So, time spent at Bai Zhizhan is not really considered time.

"Is there anything I need to be aware of?" Bai Zhizhan tentatively asked.

Although this was arranged by Xue Yuanzheng and didn’t have much to do with the Navy headquarters, it was related to the Navy, so it definitely couldn’t bypass Liu Changxun.

It would be strange if Liu Changxun didn’t know about it.

"If you can succeed in the negotiations, try to secure more benefits for the Navy."

Are these secret talks, or is it a meeting for dividing spoils?

Bai Zhizhan couldn’t help but give a bitter smile.

"Oh, and one more thing. I just found out that the representative for the negotiations from the Tiaoman Empire’s Navy is someone you know and are on good terms with."

"Major Dunz?"

"He’s been promoted to Major General by now and has just been appointed as the Commander of the submarine fleet."

"After more than a decade, he’s finally achieved his wish."

"It seems you two have a good relationship, so put some extra effort into it." Liu Changxun advised, seemingly concerned that Bai Zhizhan would be influenced by personal feelings and hold back during the negotiations.

"Okay, I’ll head back to the hotel and pack my bags now."

After watching Bai Zhizhan leave the office, Liu Changxun finally sat down.

Initially, Bai Zhizhan had misunderstood.

If Liu Changxun had been the one to arrange it, he would have sent another general to Baku in the Luosha Federation, since there were many tasks at the Navy headquarters that required Bai Zhizhan’s efforts.

Upon leaving the office, Bai Zhizhan felt he could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but that was not the case.

Outside in the corridor, Zheng Jiangming had been waiting for a long time, even carrying a bulky suitcase.

Moreover, Wang Kaiyuan was also there.

From Zheng Jiangming’s expression, it was evident that Wang Kaiyuan had just arrived; he didn’t greet him beforehand, and he already knew about Bai Zhizhan’s trip to Baku.

For this reason, he even helped Bai Zhizhan pack.

"General Bai."

"Director Wang."

This was a formal occasion, and Bai Zhizhan wasn’t sure of Wang Kaiyuan’s current military rank, so he had to address him by his position at the Sixth Bureau.

"This time the arrangements are indeed inadequate, please bear with us, General Bai."

"Director Wang, you’re too kind."

"Everything is ready, shall we set off?"

Isn’t that a rhetorical question?

Why else would Wang Kaiyuan be here if not to leave immediately?

Bai Zhizhan nodded, not indulging in further pointless talk with Wang Kaiyuan.

It wasn’t until they were in the car that Bai Zhizhan learned Wang Kaiyuan wasn’t there just to see him off, but was also going to Baku and was one of the people in charge of the secret talks.

Zheng Jiangming was the one there to bid farewell.

On the way to the airport, Wang Kaiyuan revealed several important pieces of information.

The Bulan Kingdom’s threat of an embargo was real, and it would be carried out on March 1st regardless of whether the Empire agreed to negotiations, using a different pretext.

Even if the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom refused to ceasefire, the Bulan Kingdom would still declare an embargo.

The likelihood of the Newland Federation entering the war was increasing, and it might even be this year.

Rofuss had already started mobilizing within the country, establishing connections and deals with major enterprises, banks, and financial groups to secure the support of domestic interest groups.

This was also key to the tripartite secret talks.

"From what I know, the Prime Minister has already resolved to attack the Saiyi mainland, and I heard it was the recommendation of a certain Navy General."

"Wang..."

"Is that Navy General you?"

Bai Zhizhan felt speechless, thinking Wang Kaiyuan was teasing him.

"I’m just saying, don’t take it to heart. What kind of person do you think the Prime Minister is? If the Prime Minister hasn’t made up his mind, it wouldn’t matter whether it’s you or Liu Changxun taking action. The war has progressed to this point, and ceasefire negotiations are merely for appearances; both sides need to catch their breath and adjust plans, while invading Saiyi’s homeland has become an inevitable choice. Otherwise, they wouldn’t send Liu Xiangdong to Marra City and you to Baku at the same time."

"Liu Xiangdong is going to Marra City?"

"The Newland Federation and Bulan Kingdom have initiated ceasefire negotiations, and we can’t just ignore them. We have to put on a show."

"Can it be successful?"

"Let’s negotiate and see."

Bai Zhizhan sighed to himself, not knowing what to say.

"Your insight is indeed unique; otherwise, you wouldn’t have gained the Prime Minister’s esteem. I heard that you initially suggested to the Prime Minister to hold back Bulan Kingdom."

"Was I wrong?"

Wang Kaiyuan smiled and then said, "Do you know how Liu Xiangzhen responded?"

Bai Zhizhan felt speechless; he wasn’t the type to enjoy gossip, but he was genuinely interested in the answer.

"His suggestion was the exact opposite of yours," Wang Kaiyuan said with a bitter smile, shaking his head in regret. "On the night of the first, he proposed to the Prime Minister to avoid war with the Newland Federation as much as possible, to strive for one more year, and to use that year to invade and scour the Fan Flame Ocean."

"That’s impossible!"

"Do you think it’s impossible?"

"One year is simply not enough! Not to mention now, even during Chen Bingxun’s time, it took us over a decade to become the hegemon of the Fan Flame Ocean." Bai Zhizhan clenched his teeth and added, "This issue was raised when the plans were being made. Unless there’s no other choice, such as our strategic reserves running out, we should avoid splitting our forces elsewhere before achieving a decisive victory in the East Ocean."

"Elsewhere?"

"That is, the Fan Flame Ocean."

Wang Kaiyuan nodded but did not respond.

Bai Zhizhan didn’t continue either. After venting, his emotions gradually calmed down.

If these words hadn’t come out of Wang Kaiyuan’s mouth, Bai Zhizhan wouldn’t have believed them.

Should he believe them just because Wang Kaiyuan said them?

Even if Liu Xiangzhen were selfish, he understood the stakes.

As for Bulan Kingdom, it’s just a side character.

If we first overthrow the Newland Federation, do we still need to worry about Bulan Kingdom?

The Bulan Royal Navy?

Even with the guts of a leopard, they wouldn’t dare to venture into the Flame Sea; at most, they’d make a few turns around Lion Spring City.

Within the Empire’s Navy, there had already been a consensus: first, conquer the East Ocean, then consider invading the Fan Flame Ocean.

And that was exactly why, after the war began, Liu Xiangzhen actively seized every opportunity, thus becoming the Commander of the Xu Sea and West East Ocean operations.

Having the Fan Flame Ocean as a priority, what was he stirring up in the West East Ocean?

To put it plainly, if that were true, no matter what great achievements Liu Xiangzhen accomplished, in the end, it would all be for Bai Zhizhan’s benefit.

When he went to the Fan Flame Ocean, the battles in the East Ocean would surely be left to Bai Zhizhan.

Conversely, if he didn’t want to go to the Fan Flame Ocean, why emphasize the importance of invading it?

If Liu Xiangzhen hadn’t said those things, what was Wang Kaiyuan’s purpose in bringing them up?

Bai Zhizhan was puzzled and became more cautious.

The one Bai Zhizhan couldn’t see through was actually Wang Kaiyuan.

The thoughts of intelligence officers were indeed complex; every word spoken and every action taken had a specific purpose.

Bai Zhizhan didn’t speak, and Wang Kaiyuan didn’t start a new topic.

They rode in silence for over an hour until they reached the airport.

Before getting out of the car, Bai Zhizhan was startled because among the few people waiting for the plane by the runway, there were two individuals he knew.

One had a significant identity, and the other was the last person Bai Zhizhan wanted to encounter.

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