Empire Conquest
Chapter 373 - 369: Gathering Information

Chapter 373: Chapter 369: Gathering Information

Back at home, Bai Zhizhan finally had a comfortable sleep.

However, it was just for one night.

The next day, he and Zhang Xiaoqing went to the inner palace and visited the Empress Dowager, who had been bedridden for several months.

During this time, Zhang Xiaoqing mentioned the matter of relocating to him.

According to the rules of the Imperial Navy, Bai Zhizhan, upon getting married, was allocated an official residence, which had already been renovated and was ready for move-in.

Zhang Xiaoqing meant that Bai Zhizhan’s primary identity was that of a Major General in the Imperial Navy and also a Fleet Commander, so it would be more appropriate to move into the Navy’s official residence.

Bai Zhizhan had no objections, but he couldn’t provide much help, so it would be up to Zhang Xiaoqing to manage everything.

In fact, Zhang Xiaoqing’s proposal to relocate was mainly to bring over Bai Zhizhan’s parents.

Since Bai Zhizhan had no objections, Zhang Xiaoqing did not dwell on the matter, just waiting for the Empress Dowager’s health to stabilize before addressing it.

There were a plethora of affairs at home, and they needed to be handled one by one, with relocating clearly not being the most important.

In the evening, the two paid a visit to Li Yunxiang and his spouse.

It was known that in the Imperial Capital, whenever Bai Zhizhan had something on his mind, he would think of Li Yunxiang, and on major issues, he would always consult him.

This time was no exception.

Although they had achieved a tactical victory, sinking three Newland carriers, and severely damaging another, the Imperial Navy had also suffered heavy losses. Only the "Peijing" was still battle-capable, and even the "Longjiang" would likely not be fully repaired until early next year.

With just one or even two carriers, it would definitely be impossible to proceed with the planned campaign to the Southwest East Ocean.

Even attacking Guan Island would be problematic.

Moreover, the Bulan Kingdom had already declared war on the Empire and would soon send an Expeditionary Fleet centered around carriers to the Fan Flame Ocean, and might even push into the Flame Sea.

So, what would be their next move?

Or rather, what adjustments should be made to the strategic plan?

And how intricate might the power dynamics involved be?

Clearly, this was the main reason Bai Zhizhan came to visit Li Yunxiang.

He had to visit Navy headquarters tomorrow and would certainly need to gather information in advance to avoid being completely clueless when asked.

To say there would be no impact was ludicrous!

After dinner, the two went up to the study.

"Speaking of which, you shouldn’t worry too much," Li Yunxiang served Bai Zhizhan a cup of coffee, though it was unusual to drink coffee after dinner. "The outcome of this great naval battle didn’t exceed the Grand Secretary’s expectations, or rather, it was completely within his plan."

"What do you mean?" Bai Zhizhan furrowed his brows, feeling that Li Yunxiang was trying to comfort him.

Before the war started, Xue Yuanzheng had repeatedly emphasized how crucial it was to defeat the Newland Navy in the first battle and to preserve their own strength.

Otherwise, why would Bai Zhizhan and Liu Xiangzhen have been sent to lead the charge together?

"Don’t forget, the Newland Federation is the Empire’s number one adversary. Not just the Grand Secretary, even ordinary citizens wouldn’t believe we could defeat the Newland Navy in one fell swoop. Besides, the Newland Navy was well-prepared; achieving limited victory was already quite good."

Hearing Li Yunxiang put it that way, Bai Zhizhan sighed.

There was no denying the truth in those words, but was it really okay to think that way?

"To be honest, the outcome we reached was quite commendable. At least for now, the Newland Navy is nothing special."

"What do you mean?" Bai Zhizhan detected an underlying significance in Li Yunxiang’s words.

"Having been to Baku, you must know that in the matter of the tripartite alliance, the Luosha Federation has always been reluctant. If we hadn’t offered a very attractive price, such as acknowledging the Luosha Federation’s status as a great power and supporting their southward expansion efforts, we probably wouldn’t have come to an agreement."

Bai Zhizhan kept silent, waiting for Li Yunxiang to continue.

Putting aside conspiracy theories and speaking purely from personal sentiment, including Bai Zhizhan himself, the vast majority of the Empire’s military and civilians have no fond feelings towards the Luosha Federation.

The reconciliation that followed the last war was merely a matter of situational compulsion.

"We now have enough reasons to believe that the Luosha Federation is very likely discussing a secret alliance with the Newland Federation, and these negotiations have been ongoing for quite some time."

"Do we have solid intelligence?" Bai Zhizhan asked and then took a long breath.

"Not yet, but the Sixth Bureau has been making efforts and has already issued a warning for us not to overly trust the Luosha Federation."

"What does the Grand Secretary think?"

Bai Zhizhan did not comment further on Li Yunxiang’s statement, because, as far as he knew, Wang Kaiyuan and the people of the Sixth Bureau were all mouthpieces for the Imperial Guard Army.

From their point of view, they would of course relish the prospect of waging war against the Luosha Federation.

"We should maintain stability for as long as possible."

Hearing Li Yunxiang say this, Bai Zhizhan couldn’t help but sigh.

Clearly, Xue Yuanzheng also harbored conflicting feelings towards the Luosha Federation.

From a strategic perspective, Xue Yuanzheng would certainly prefer to join forces with the Tiaoman Empire to conquer the Luosha Federation. Even if it meant setting up a buffer zone between the two countries to maintain good relations with the Tiaoman Empire, he was thinking of dividing the Luosha Federation into two states after its defeat.

In any case, the existence of the Luosha Federation itself is a huge threat.

Besides, the Luosha Federation has never regarded the Liangxia Empire as an ally.

After signing the alliance treaty, the Luosha Federation has not revoked its initial statement which rejects recognition of all unequal treaties.

According to this statement, the Luosha Federation does not acknowledge the border treaty signed with the Liangxia Empire during the imperial era.

That is to say, the Luosha Federation considers the "regions east of Yenisei-Balkhash" as still part of its territory!

In reality, maintaining a relationship with the Luosha Federation is necessary.

Despite being known as the "Iron-Blooded Grand Secretary," no matter how powerful a person is, they must adapt to the times and trends.

After the great victory at Leaf Castle, even Emperor Shiwu had to concede that he could not dominate the world within his lifetime, which led him to sign an armistice treaty with the Luosha Empire.

Now, as the Bulan Kingdom declares war on the Empire and the sea route with the Tiaoman Empire is completely cut off, preventing any oil imports through Boss Bay, it’s even more crucial to maintain good relations with the Luosha Federation.

In fact, when Li Yunxiang mentioned the Luosha Federation, Bai Zhizhan understood his implications.

If it were the Newland Navy that had been victorious in the Northwest East Ocean Battle, perhaps the Luosha Federation would have already turned against us before Bai Zhizhan could lead the Fleet back to Nagiu Port.

Because the Newland Navy suffered a defeat, the Luosha Federation, opportunistic as it is, dares not act recklessly for the moment.

Speaking of which, if the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire are provoked, it’s not impossible for them to join forces and wipe out the Luosha Federation first.

Being able to stabilize the Luosha Federation would naturally be ideal.

But what if it can’t be stabilized?

As long as there is a possibility of the Luosha Federation turning against us, the Empire must be prepared on the continental front.

This would necessitate an adjustment of our strategy in the East Ocean direction.

Evidently, Li Yunxiang’s direct mention of this matter was actually a hint to Bai Zhizhan.

Xue Yuanzheng must have been prepared for some time.

If he was unprepared, that would be truly strange.

Having multiple strategic preparations is never unusual.

To use Xue Yuanzheng’s words, an excellent politician always leaves a way out for themselves.

Perhaps, a few months ago, even before planning the Northwest East Ocean Battle, Xue Yuanzheng had already anticipated the current situation.

The Grand Secretary has already made a decision; adjustments to naval strategy are definitely in order, so it’s better not to be the first to stick one’s neck out and avoid being used by others as a pawn.

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