Empire Conquest
Chapter 392 - 388 Premeditated

Chapter 392: Chapter 388 Premeditated

As the Luosha Federation joined the war, the situation suddenly became clear.

One could say the timing of the Luosha Federation’s involvement, when traced back, was as precise as that of the Newland Federation.

Except for unforeseen weather changes, it was flawlessly executed!

Why October?

Fundamentally, it was determined by the geography of the Luosha Federation.

Military, after all, is inseparable from geography.

Spanning both the Giant Continent and the West Continent, the Luosha Federation poses a huge strategic depth both to the east and to the west. This means that in wars resisting strong invasions, the Luosha Federation naturally holds crucial geographical advantages.

Initially, under the command of the genius Commander Kutuzov, the Luosha Army overpowered Locke’s forces, which had swept across the entire West Continent, using its immense strategic depth. To counter enemies too powerful to defeat in battle, the Luosha Army even went so far as to burn down their own capital.

A nation bold enough to burn down its capital to resist invasion was definitely no ordinary one.

So, what about the attacking side?

If the Tiaoman Empire launched an attack from the west, mainly using armored forces, advancing as swiftly as the Liangxia Army on the Ice Storm Peninsula, and catching the Luosha Federation off guard with a swift strike, it would still theoretically take at least five months to reach the vicinity of the Luosha Federation’s capital.

In the eastern regions of the West Continent, severe winter would invariably arrive by early December.

When daytime temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius, and daylight hours reduce to eight, even the strongest armies must halt.

Even if soldiers could fight, tank engines might not start properly.

Based on this, the Tiaoman Army would have to launch its offensive by early June at the latest.

If the Liangxia Empire attacked simultaneously, dispersing the Luosha Army’s forces, the timing of the assault could be reasonably delayed.

By early August, which is the peak of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, if the Tiaoman Empire hadn’t launched an attack, they could no longer expect to defeat the Luosha Federation before the harsh winter.

Conversely?

The Tiaoman Empire didn’t possess such extensive strategic depth, and located in the plains at the mid-west of the West Continent, severe winters arrived slightly later.

A critical factor was also the Luosha Army’s better adaptation to the harsh cold climate.

Theoretically, with adequate preliminary preparations and by catching the Tiaoman Army off-guard with swift strikes, the Luosha Army could reach the outskirts of the Tiaoman capital within a month.

Even if they launched an attack in early November, they could still hope to achieve victory.

Clearly, based on this analysis, the Newland Federation joined the war in mid-October.

More than a month prior, the day before the Luosha Federation’s defection, Bai Zhizhan had used this deduction to convince Xue Yuanzheng.

Having served in the Army for decades, Xue Yuanzheng had a masterful grasp of Army tactics.

Precisely because of this, Xue Yuanzheng had preemptively issued orders, and the Imperial Army deployed in the Northwest had entered a state of readiness several hours earlier. By the time the Luosha Army launched its attack, the Imperial forces on the frontlines had already occupied defensive positions, preserving their main strength.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to launch a comprehensive reprisal within days.

Moreover, Xue Yuanzheng promptly telephoned Tiaoman Prime Minister Adolf, issuing a war warning.

Although in hindsight, Adolf did not take Xue Yuanzheng’s warning seriously, at least not to the extent of placing the Border Force on alert beforehand, but some generals of the Tiaoman Army undeniably received and heeded the message, including General Manstein, who commanded three Armored Divisions.

These three armored divisions had all left their bases on the night of the 22nd, and by the next day when the war resumed, they had all withdrawn to positions behind their own defensive lines. The key point was that during the relentless offensive by the Luosha Army, the advanced positions of these three divisions were subjected to comprehensive strikes, and their pre-established shelters were almost entirely destroyed.

Had they not withdrawn in time, they would likely have been annihilated on the 23rd, and the Tiaoman Empire might even have faced defeat as a result.

Looking at the development of the war, without these three armored divisions positioned defensively on the front lines, the Tiaoman Empire would definitely have lost the capital before the onset of severe winter.

In sum, the Newland Federation joining the war on October 12, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom surrendering on October 22, and the betrayal by the Luosha Federation on October 23 were all part of a premeditated plan.

Among these events, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom’s surrender might be considered unexpected.

Strictly speaking, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom’s surrender was a contingency plan.

From the overall strategy, the primary objective was to defeat the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire in one fell swoop, or at least to turn around the entire war situation.

Looking back, it is all the clearer.

What if, in the Northwest East Ocean Battle on October 12, it had been the Liangxia Navy that was defeated?

The Saiyi Imperial Kingdom certainly would not have surrendered, and instead, the Luosha Federation would have betrayed them on the 13th, launching a surprise attack on the bewildered Tiaoman Empire.

With an additional ten days available, and without the need to divert forces to the east, the chances of completely defeating the Tiaoman Empire would have been even greater.

By the end of the year, or at the latest by spring of New Calendar 101, the Luosha Army could launch an offensive on this side of the Giant Continent. At that time, the Liangxia Empire, still facing the formidable Newland Navy and having to desperately defend their external homeland defensive lines, might not be able to commit significant forces to the land battlefield.

Crucially, the Liangxia Empire’s oil reserves would last at most a year and a half.

Even if all fronts were stabilized, if no new oil fields were acquired by spring of New Calendar 102, the Liangxia Empire would still face defeat.

Due to the devastating defeat in the Northwest East Ocean Battle, even after acquiring four large carriers, the Imperial Navy was unlikely to seize control of the Fan Flame Ocean by spring of New Calendar 102, let alone control Boss Bay. Similarly, after the defeat of the Tiaoman Empire, the isolated Imperial Army could at most stabilize the Northwest Front and almost certainly had no hope of capturing Baku on the west coast of the Broad Sea by spring of New Calendar 102.

Clearly, had the Imperial Navy not defeated the Newland Navy in the Northwest East Ocean Battle, considerations would now be focused on how to end this war gracefully.

Politically, holding out until the end and proposing negotiations only when there are no other choices, is no different from admitting defeat.

A shrewd politician would definitely not wait to leave until after losing the last penny.

With the betrayal by the Luosha Federation and the heavy beating taken by the Tiaoman Empire, the strategic situation had quietly shifted.

From the Empire’s perspective, the most pressing issue was not to hold the Luosha Federation on land and save the crumbling Tiaoman Empire, but rather to quickly achieve a decisive victory on the ocean battlefield, then advance into the Fan Flame Ocean and seize and control the irreplaceable Boss Bay.

Of course, this would also potentially open up the sea routes to the Tiaoman Empire.

In fact, there were not many concerns about the Tiaoman Empire’s situation.

Although the Raleigh Kingdom had once again sat on the fence, failing to join the alliance as previously agreed, the attacking momentum of the Luosha Army had been contained, and with the onset of severe winter, the Tiaoman Army had gained several months of breathing time. By the next spring, when fighting resumed, the situation would definitely see significant improvements.

Even if they couldn’t turn the tide of the war, stabilizing the front lines would not be a problem.

Over a few months, the Imperial Navy would be able to accomplish a lot.

Clearly, the key lay in the maritime battlefield!

It must be acknowledged that Bai Zhizhan was both the leading hero of the Imperial Navy and of the Empire.

Then, was his speculation accurate?

Or could he, like several times before, unimaginably turn around the war situation and achieve a major, decisive victory?