Empire Conquest -
Chapter 388 - 384: The Last Straw
Chapter 388: Chapter 384: The Last Straw
Before dawn broke, Bai Zhizhan was woken up by the incessant ringing of a telephone.
It was a call from Zhou Yongtao, who said he had urgent news and was on his way.
While Bai Zhizhan was still washing up, Zhou Yongtao had already arrived, bringing breakfast from a restaurant and some toiletries for the trip.
After getting into the car, Zhou Yongtao then told Bai Zhizhan that the Emperor Xia had announced his surrender more than an hour ago.
The broadcast was made over the radio; the entire world knew.
It was very sudden; there had been no signs beforehand.
Arriving at the airport, Bai Zhizhan immediately called Liu Changxun.
The news had been confirmed; the Emperor Xia had already issued the decree of surrender, but so far, the Prime Minister of the East Saiyi Regime had not yet made a statement.
Moreover, the Grand Secretary had not yet decided whether to accept the surrender of the East Saiyi Regime.
According to Liu Changxun, Bai Zhizhan should stay in Puzhou. If the Grand Secretary accepted the surrender of the East Saiyi Regime, he would represent the Imperial Navy to receive the capitulation.
As for the specifics of the arrangement, it was uncertain at present.
Perhaps it would suffice to have Niu Man and Sawa from the West Saiyi Regime come forward, after all, the Empire had long established diplomatic relations with them and was essentially their suzerain.
As a result, the two drove back to the Puzhou Shipyard.
On the way, Zhou Yongtao briefly described the status of the "Longjiang."
Li Mingbo had found Gui Boyong, who resolved many of the issues, and Xue Yuanzheng had personally inquired into the matter, and repair work had already begun according to plan.
But even at best, it would take half a month.
After repairs, it would still need to return to the Puzhou Shipyard for inspection.
Based on the current assessment, completing the repairs before November 15th would be quite good.
The repairs on the "Lu River" were going smoothly, and it was expected to be fixed by November 10th, able to return to service alongside the "Longjiang."
Other matters, such as the daily training of the fleet and the Air Force, had been arranged by Li Mingbo a long time ago.
The two did not go to the hotel but went straight to the Ship Design Institute to meet with Zhao Yu.
The news of the Emperor Xia’s surrender had already spread; although the morning paper had not been published in time, many radio stations were broadcasting the event.
It was a day that must be remembered.
The New Calendar of the Empire, Year 100, October 22nd.
Nine months and 25 days after initiating the war, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom—the originator of the Second Global War and one of the primary sources of the Giant Continent War and the East Ocean War—had dishonorably launched the conflict with a surprise attack, causing billions of people worldwide to suffer from the ravages of war, announced its defeat.
Although the defeat of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom was expected, even Bai Zhizhan felt that the outcome was very sudden.
Before the outbreak of the war, no one would have believed that the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, touted as the fourth global power, would be defeated in less than a year!
During the last war, the Luosha Empire, caught between the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire, managed to hold out for four years!
In terms of foundations, especially industrial strength, the Luosha Empire back then definitely could not compare to the current Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.
But this also proves, in one aspect, that what determines a country’s wartime strength is not solely, even if primarily, its industry.
Based on experiences from the last war, some predicted before the conflict that the major belligerents could all hold out until the end of the war when it broke out again.
In addition, some believed that the next global conflict would still not result in a clear victor. The likely end would be that the warring nations, unable to bear the immense expenditures, would be forced to make compromises and end the war through a ceasefire treaty without achieving an absolute victory.
The reason for this is simple; modern warfare, based on industrial systems, consumes a tremendous amount, and even industrial powerhouses cannot sustain it.
The Locke Republic was most deeply influenced by this view.
The massive casualties and expenditures made this once proud and dominant power on the West Continent lower its stance and reach out to its old enemies for reconciliation.
If there’s one thing to say, the fear of attrition wars was also a key factor in maintaining peace for 20 years.
Regardless, no one expected, a year ago, that the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom would be defeated within a year.
The Saiyi Imperial Kingdom held out for only 10 months, what about the other Great Powers?
This is precisely the issue that Bai Zhizhan was most worried about.
Having heard the news from Zhou Yongtao, Bai Zhizhan immediately realized that the sudden defeat of the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had become the last straw that broke the camel’s back!
Indeed, this "camel" was the fickle Luosha Federation!
With the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom’s defeat and surrender, the first impact was to prompt the betrayal of the Luosha Federation. Don’t forget, the Luosha Federation has to declare war on the 23rd. Perhaps it won’t be tomorrow, but at some point today, the leaders of the Luosha Federation might suddenly declare war formally on the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire!
The question is, is this a coincidence?
There’s only one day between these events.
Even if the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire were somewhat prepared, it’s absolutely impossible for them to shift focus to the Luosha Federation in just one short day.
Who can guarantee whether there’s any connection between these two events?
If these two events are causally linked, it means that the Luosha Federation may already be prepared and would launch an attack immediately after declaring war.
Of course, that would mean a blitzkrieg on the Tiaoman Empire!
Fundamentally, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom’s sudden declaration of surrender today is clearly a distraction, at the very least to prevent the Liangxia Empire from responding
Although he was not an Army officer, Bai Zhizhan knew that Lian Xusheng never had much faith in the Tiaoman Empire.
In his words, if the Tiaoman Empire could take the initiative, even if the chances of annihilating the Luosha Federation were slim, it could still take the lead and, by attacking during the early stages of the war, deplete the forces and resources of the Luosha Federation, forcing them to spend more time preparing for the Reprisal.
If the Empire could delay until it launched a strategic offensive, that would be enough.
Implicit in his words was that there was a flicker of hope in taking the offensive.
Conversely, the Tiaoman Empire was destined to lose.
The reason was simple: the Tiaoman Empire’s homeland was too narrow, with no strategic depth!
That’s exactly why, when formulating strategic plans, Lian Xusheng always emphasized that even if they could win over the Luosha Federation, they would still need to be prepared to launch an offensive in the Northwest.
The current situation could be deemed even more dangerous.
The Tiaoman Empire hadn’t completed its mobilization; to put it accurately, it hadn’t conducted a full mobilization, with at least half of its Army’s main force in the western part of the West Continent.
Before this, the Tiaoman Empire was still preparing to march into the Xuan Continent.
Even if they were already adjusting their deployment, concentrating forces in the eastern region, it was insufficient to withstand the advance of the Luosha army.
Moreover, Lian Xusheng hadn’t departed yet.
Although Xue Yuanzheng had arranged for him to go to the Tiaoman Empire, the plan was to leave on the 24th, two days later.
Now it seems, Lian Xusheng probably won’t make it to the Tiaoman Empire.
Even if he could go, he’d have to take a significant detour, and whether he could arrive safely was questionable.
Another point was that the Empire’s Army deployment in the Northwest was not yet in place.
If the Luosha Federation launches an attack in the next few days, the best the Empire’s Army could do is to launch a few small-scale tactical offenses on the border. Since there’s no certainty in capturing the crucial railway bridge to control the railway leading to Leaf Castle, the Empire’s Army would mostly stand idle.
It’s clear that the Tiaoman Empire’s chances are grim!
Will the Tiaoman Empire become the second defeated nation in a few months?
What must be done to save this sole ally?
While pondering these questions, Bai Zhizhan truly understood Xue Yuanzheng’s arrangements, which is why there was a need to attack Guan Island within the year.
If it were delayed until next year, it would probably be too late!
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