Empire Conquest
Chapter 289 - 285: A Necessary Obstacle

Chapter 289: Chapter 285: A Necessary Obstacle

It had been only two days.

The change in attitude was like dealing with two different people.

Li Qing was indeed the Eldest Prince, who had attended Bai Zhizhan’s engagement party with Zhang Xiaoqing. He sat at the table for the younger generation and later, represented all the younger ones to toast the Little Eldest Princess and the Quasi Prince Consort as the Eldest Prince. After the banquet, however, he accompanied the Empress and the Empress Dowager back to the palace.

"Brother Bai, this is an unexpected revelation from you!" Lian Xusheng whispered after he drew closer, "This is like opening shop once in ten years and doing ten years’ worth of business at once."

Bai Zhizhan initially didn’t react, and by the time he did, Lian Xusheng had already withdrawn.

"General Bai!"

Lian Xusheng showed no changes, whereas Li Qing became much more sincere.

Speaking of which, Bai Zhizhan was still Li Qing’s prospective uncle by marriage. Although Li Qing held the prestigious position of Eldest Prince, before ascending to the throne, he was merely the Eldest Prince.

In the military, he was only an Army Brigadier General, while Bai Zhizhan was a Naval Major General.

Even if they were not in the same command structure, Bai Zhizhan was still the superior officer.

Not just for him, but even when the Holy Emperor was a prince, within the Imperial Guard Army, he was merely an officer subordinate to his superiors.

After some pleasantries, everyone boarded the vehicles.

Compared to Jeju Island, the conditions in Buju were much better, boasting barracks and a variety of comprehensive facilities.

Social interactions were unavoidable, and under Lian Xusheng’s introductions, he met many officers from both the Imperial Guard Army and the Army, and afterward, they visited the frontline headquarters.

In the afternoon, at Bai Zhizhan’s request, Lian Xusheng took him to inspect the Imperial Guard’s Armored Forces.

After being reminded by Li Yunxiang, Bai Zhizhan spent several hours on the airplane contemplating and gained a clearer understanding of the Imperial High Command’s situation.

The fundamental problem was to suppress the restless ambitions of the Army.

In this matter, there was no right or wrong.

With the major victory on the Ice Storm Peninsula, the entire Army believed that even invading Saiyi’s mainlands could be dominated by the armored forces.

Even if the Saiyi Army was prepared and crossing the sea posed greater challenges, conquering the Saiyi mainlands within six months seemed feasible.

One must not forget that conquering the Ice Storm Peninsula had only taken a bit more than a month.

But the question was, was there absolute certainty?

The Army certainly did not have absolute certainty, even Situ Jingde and Peng Huaisong, at most, believed there was a high chance of success, always leaving themselves a way out.

Crucially, no one else could refute the concept of a "quick victory."

Nor did anyone dare assert that landing on Saiyi’s territory would definitely lead to defeat and plunge them into a protracted, bloody conflict.

The future was unknown, unpredictable by anyone.

Undeniably, the risk of landing on Saiyi’s mainland was too great, was not part of the current war plans, and there was no need yet to activate a contingency plan.

These factors influenced the Holy Emperor and the Grand Secretary to promote Bai Zhizhan.

It must be said that neither the Holy Emperor nor the Grand Secretary could afford to publicly disagree with the two Army Generals.

Xue Yuanzheng, before entering politics, was honored as an Army General and his roots were in the Army. Without Xue Yuanzheng’s support, Peng Huaisong could not have become the Army Commander.

The Holy Emperor relied on the Imperial Guard, which was why he promoted and extensively employed Situ Jingde.

A Naval Admiral?

Not to mention whether Liu Changxun would be willing to step forward; even if he was, having him come forward would elevate it into inter-service rivalry, further constraining any ability to refute the Army’s proposal.

Although the Navy had reaped many benefits during peacetime, in times of war, the Army often held more influence, as Liangxia Empire, being a land power, could only afford to focus on building a Navy oriented towards external expansion after ensuring domestic security.

Provoking conflict between the navy and the army was simply masochistic!

Clearly, Bai Zhizhan was the only suitable candidate.

He was also the ideal candidate.

To speak frankly, this was the most urgent and realistic reason for him to get engaged to the Little Eldest Princess at this time.

With the status of a Quasi Prince Consort, Bai Zhizhan had become a spokesman for the Royal Family, and when critical relationships were involved, it couldn’t be said that he was serving the Navy.

The "Royal Spokesman" title had previously been worn by Situ Jingde.

Situ Jingde was merely the senior officer of the current Holy Emperor in his younger days, while Bai Zhizhan was his brother-in-law. According to the principle of favoring relations over others, it was obvious that Situ Jingde would not oppose Bai Zhizhan.

As long as Situ Jingde was suppressed, Peng Huaisong would not dare to overstep.

Fundamentally, Peng Huaisong’s stir in the matter was to alleviate the pressure on Xue Yuanzheng, ensuring the Army soldiers still felt the Grand Secretary was one of their own.

Indeed, that was the situation that night.

After Situ Jingde had acquiesced, Peng Huaisong also chose silence.

This was merely the first step, and also the easiest one.

Rejecting a battle plan was nothing challenging.

However, proposing an alternative, superior plan after rejection was not such an easy task.

That was the second step, and it was also the reason for arranging Bai Zhizhan’s inspection of the front lines.

After vetoing the Army’s proposal for a landing operation on Saiyi’s home territory, what method could be used to defeat the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom within the planned timeline?

With the current situation, they had to reduce duration or, in other words, expedite the process.

Let’s not forget, the Newland Federation’s participation in the war was imminent!

If the war with the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom continued to drag on, then the tragedy of the last great war would replay itself after the Newland Federation’s entry into the war.

Wasn’t the twenty years of preparation intended to avoid the repetition of such tragedy and to avoid a prolonged war of attrition?

Although Bai Zhizhan felt it was unlikely, his experiences forced him to believe that this was the test given to him, a barrier he must overcome to transition from an officer to a Commander.

Once he crossed it, he would qualify to be a Commander.

Otherwise, he would remain merely an officer desperately fighting at the frontline.

That was also the reason Li Yunxiang had sent him to Buju.

To become a Commander, one must have extensive knowledge of all branches of the military. Focusing only on one’s own territory would at best make him an officer.

Additionally, if the invasion of Saiyi’s home territory was unavoidable, then they had to consult Lian Xusheng on how to execute the assault.

In fact, Bai Zhizhan had some understanding of the Armored Forces.

Having been friends with Lian Xusheng for twenty years, though he had never "eaten pork," he had seen "pigs run."

In previous years, the Marine Corps had also acquired some tank vehicles which were frequently used for training, often conducting Artillery training late at night or sounding reveille at early dawn, sometimes specifically organizing training in the rain, much to the chagrin of the nearby navy soldiers and officers.

Speaking of differences, the Army’s tanks were larger and more imposing, equipped with thicker tank cannons.

Of course, these were definitely the latest model of tanks.

As Bai Zhizhan understood, some tanks retired from the elite Imperial Guard Armored Forces had been given to the Marine Corps, and were treasured by them.

The Imperial Guard indeed represented the Army, and indeed the entire Empire’s crown jewel, having the best of everything.

However, there was nothing to envy.

Keep soldiers for a thousand days, use them for a moment.

Always striving for excellence, so when wartime comes, they must charge to the forefront, to the toughest locations, facing the most brutal enemies, fighting the harshest battles.

This had been the case for decades!

The motto of the Imperial Guard was "Advance through hardship for the nation."

After inspecting the troops, it was time for a dinner banquet.

It wasn’t too extravagant; the primary purpose was to introduce Bai Zhizhan to the frontline military officers, letting everyone meet the newly-appointed Prince Consort, and the Navy’s top officer.