Empire Conquest
Chapter 335 - 331: A Foolproof Plan

Chapter 335: Chapter 331: A Foolproof Plan

"If you ask me, I’m afraid the delay will be more than just one day."

Zhou Yongtao was even more puzzled, and Li Mingbo’s brow furrowed further.

Bai Zhizhan smiled and continued, "Since we’ve missed the optimal time to declare war and have already issued an ultimatum, unless we fire the first shot, Rofuss must obtain war authorization from Congress according to Newland Federation law, even if it’s just partial authorization, before formally declaring war on us. Even if we streamline the statutory procedures, it will take at least half a day."

"Don’t forget the time difference of over ten hours," Li Mingbo added.

Bai Zhizhan nodded, then said, "Taking all that into account, besides having the battleships engage in night warfare, there’s no way the start of the war can be anything but postponed to the day after tomorrow."

Zhou Yongtao didn’t say anything, simply nodded, indicating he understood.

If the war was really postponed to the day after tomorrow, Bai Zhizhan could still be in the Imperial Capital, finish his wedding, and even after consummating the marriage, he could return to the 41st Special Mixed Fleet.

Wait for Bai Zhizhan to return before starting the fight?

If that’s the case, there’s no reason to set the start of the war before the Double Ninth Festival.

Starting a few months ago would definitely be beneficial.

So, why would Rofuss make things this complicated?

Or could it be that the current situation was also beyond Rofuss’s expectations, that he was forced into it?

"Are you suggesting someone leaked your..."

"It might not be a leak; perhaps Rofuss became suspicious, made a similar deduction, and thus believes that delaying by a day or two is actually more advantageous."

"This..."

"An extra day gives those patrol aircraft deployed around Wei Island a greater chance to find us."

Zhou Yongtao nodded; he certainly understood this reasoning.

"Rofuss would surely share this conjecture with Nizi, and Nizi would definitely brief the frontline commander. If Spur is commanding the fleet and he’s certain the commander of the 41st Special Mixed Fleet is me, then his first thought will be that we are southeast of the Volcanic Islands. As for our decoy tactics, even if they’re somewhat effective, they are only temporary and certainly can’t keep Spur from advancing indefinitely."

"In an unclear situation, he’ll be more cautious."

"That is, if we can drag it out to the day after tomorrow."

Hearing Bai Zhizhan say this, Zhou Yongtao was startled again because it was Bai Zhizhan who’d suggested the possibility of dragging things out to the day after tomorrow.

"Don’t forget, there’s also the 21st Special Mixed Fleet. Not to mention a day and two nights; even just one night would be enough for the 21st Special Mixed Fleet to make a clean getaway. If we wait until the day after tomorrow, the likelihood of annihilating two carrier mixed fleets is definitely smaller, so it’s highly probable that the battle will start tomorrow."

This time, Bai Zhizhan didn’t let Zhou Yongtao interject.

"If we’re not found by today, then whoever is commanding this mixed fleet in the south, by tomorrow morning, will prioritize destroying the 21st Special Mixed Fleet. Based on my prediction, Spur will definitely sail northwest, which is towards the area where the 21st Special Mixed Fleet is located, tonight. If nothing unexpected occurs, he will send out reconnaissance aircraft to search for the 21st Special Mixed Fleet before dawn."

"And the patrol aircraft deployed at Wei Island," Li Mingbo interjected.

Bai Zhizhan nodded, then continued, "Tonight, the carrier mixed fleet that was originally operating near the transport convoy will head south."

"Why?" Li Mingbo asked for Zhou Yongtao.

"To deal with us" Zhou Yongtao now understood. "We haven’t shown ourselves, so to achieve a surprise effect, Spur will take the initiative to move forward, replacing Frey in attacking the 21st Special Mixed Fleet. Frey must get behind Spur by tomorrow morning to provide air defense cover for him, ensuring Spur won’t be ambushed by us while attacking Liu Xiangzhen, and will deploy reconnaissance aircraft to search for us."

Li Mingbo’s brows tightened, or rather, he didn’t quite understand right away.

"The key point is, Frey has been exposed, so by tomorrow morning, after the ultimatum expires, Liu Xiangzhen will surely focus on him. Once the battle begins, Liu Xiangzhen will launch an attack at the first opportunity. Following our usual methods, Liu Xiangzhen might send out the Attack Aircraft Group before the reconnaissance aircraft even spot the 17th Special Mixed Fleet. By saving on preparation time, we can start our attack around 8 a.m."

"This..."

"We must also consider the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet." Bai Zhizhan paused slightly before saying, "The ultimatum expires at dawn. If Rofuss declares war on us before that, the battle will first break out at the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet. Unfortunately, with only one hour until dawn, a decisive fleet battle led by battleships is definitely not going to conclude before daylight."

"In that case, we need to consider providing support and cover for the 42nd Special Mixed Fleet."

"It’s the same for both sides."

Li Mingbo nodded.

"At this point, Spur really has no other choice but to hit with full force and take out the 21st Special Mixed Fleet, and at most after seizing air supremacy, they might give a temporary reprieve to the 42nd and 43rd Special Mixed Fleets. It might be possible for Frey to pick up the stragglers in the afternoon."

"That being said, we should stay put here."

After Li Mingbo said this, neither Bai Zhizhan nor Zhou Yongtao responded.

Staying in place was the safest, but it was also the least proactive option.

Even if they could locate Spur’s commanded fleet tomorrow morning and successfully launch an attack, there was no way to deal with Frey hiding behind.

The key was still Spur at the front.

Winning the battle would only mean taking out the Special Mixed Fleet commanded by Spur.

Seeing the turn of events, Frey would undoubtedly turn to retreat.

This was a victory, but it wasn’t the total victory Bai Zhizhan sought.

Besides, Spur was definitely not so easy to deal with, and there was a chance they would both suffer.

If Liu Xiangzhen had not actively advanced tonight, then after Bai Zhizhan had dealt with Spur, he might not necessarily be able to seize the opportunity to take down Frey.

You could say Liu Xiangzhen and Frey were somewhat alike, both mainly cautious.

Letting two fleet carriers escape would have a significant impact on subsequent operations.

As long as there was a chance, they must try to annihilate the Newland Navy, at least take out all the fleet carriers.

"We still have to go south," Bai Zhizhan said after some contemplation, "but not in the afternoon, rather in the evening, and not sailing south, but southeast."

"Charge straight through?"

Bai Zhizhan nodded but said no more.

The reason was simple, if they ran too fast at night, it would be tantamount to a desperate struggle against the Newland Fleet.

It wasn’t about fear of dying, but about not taking that step until absolutely necessary, needing to come up with a more secure plan.

Moreover, Bai Zhizhan has always disapproved of losing eight hundred of his own to kill a thousand enemies.

Even if there was a risk of total defeat, he would strive for complete victory.

"Perhaps we can learn a lesson from the Saiyi Navy."

Bai Zhizhan furrowed his brows, looking at Zhou Yongtao with full confusion.

"The battle on West East Ocean where they intercepted the troop transports," Zhou Yongtao didn’t explain further, merely reminding Bai Zhizhan.

Bai Zhizhan’s brows twitched a few times, and then he broke into a smile.

You could say that it’s the young people’s minds that are flexible, and their courage particularly big, without any sectarian views, that they could suddenly think of such an inconceivable method.

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