Empire Conquest
Chapter 418 - 414 Latest News

Chapter 418: Chapter 414 Latest News

If they were just sending Bai Zhizhan to the airport, a random driver would have sufficed.

It was not necessary to specifically summon Zheng Jiangming, a very busy man and a prominent figure at the Navy headquarter.

Last month, before the attack on Sai Island, Zheng Jiangming issued a warning. He suggested that the Newland Federation might have already sent substantial forces to defend Sai Island, and recommended that the Navy headquarter revise the battle plan. He advocated for an immediate reinforcement to the frontline, such as deploying a Marine Division, originally held as a reserve team, in advance.

At that moment, there was indeed a Marine Division on standby in the Volcanic Islands.

However, they were not meant to serve only as a reserve team, but also prepared to attack Guan Island subsequent to the occupation of Sai Island.

When the plan was formulated, no one contemplated deploying a Marine Division to occupy Sai Island.

Consequently, the 6th Marine Division tasked with dual missions was sent. Capturing Sai Island was actually a secondary mission. Thus, when the time came to land, only one battalion of regular infantry made the initial landing.

Half of the other troops in that division remained in the Volcanic Islands on standby.

Even another infantry battalion that set out with the landing fleet remained onboard the landing ships, ready to ambush Guan Island when an opportunity arose.

Anyway, no one felt the need to deploy more landing forces.

When Zheng Jiangming issued his warning, Liu Changxun was in Daban, Bai Zhizhan with the 41st Special Mixed Fleet, and even Li Yunxiang had gone to the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

At that time, Gui Boyong was temporarily in charge at the Navy headquarter.

Indeed, it was only an interim role.

Although it was known that Zheng Jiangming was a close friend of Bai Zhizhan and a dispatched intelligence officer from the Sixth Bureau, Gui Boyong did not give face to Bai Zhizhan—in other words, he did not adopt the suggestion to reinforce Sai Island just because Zheng Jiangming was Bai Zhizhan’s close friend.

In reality, this also related to Gui Boyong having no authority to move troops.

Adjusting the battle plan and increasing troops at the frontline would have to be ordered by Liu Changxun, and all Gui could do was to send a telegram to Liu, asking him to return to the Imperial Capital sooner.

This was the crux of the problem.

If Zheng Jiangming’s warning turned out accurate, there would be no issue.

However, if it proved a false alarm, then the responsibility would not only fall on Zheng Jiangming but also temporarily on Gui Boyong.

Liu Changxun certainly would not trouble Zheng Jiangming, as he was merely fulfilling his duty.

But for the Chief of Naval Staff, it was not so easy to shirk responsibility.

To sift through the counsel of advisors, choosing only the best suggestions to adopt, was itself a command decision.

If one could err in such fundamental decision-making, how could one be fit to serve as Chief of Staff?

So, despite Zheng Jiangming’s repeated warnings, Gui Boyong remained unmoved.

Later, the fierce battle on Sai Island proved that Zheng Jiangming’s warning was not unfounded.

In fact, Zheng Jiangming, through compiling movements of the Newland Federation’s Army and Marine Corps across the East Ocean over past months, had noticed some subtle clues. Several units had vanished, totaling about 20,000 troops, who had all visited Guan Island before disappearing.

Subsequently, Zheng Jiangming was awarded a medal for his effective performance, having timely noticed the enemy’s troop movements. Even though it didn’t aid the battle situation, his discovery had proven crucial. Therefore, at the beginning of the month, Zheng became the lead intelligence officer at the Navy headquarter and was promoted to Navy Colonel, heading the newly established Navy Intelligence Bureau.

This institution eventually evolved into the Naval Intelligence Bureau and, after merging with the Army Intelligence Bureau, became the later Military Intelligence Bureau.

Of course, it differed from the earlier Military Intelligence Bureau, also known as the Sixth Bureau.

Thus, the practice of referring to the past Military Intelligence Bureau as the Sixth Bureau began, to differentiate it from the new Military Intelligence Bureau established after the war.

For this, Zheng Jiangming became one of the founders of the new Military Intelligence Bureau.

However, these are stories for another time.

Zheng Jiangming came to see off Bai Zhizhan on an urgent matter.

A piece of the latest intelligence.

It was related to Bai Zhizhan’s current mission, which involved the Bulan Kingdom, or rather, the Bulan Royal Navy.

Just yesterday, the domestic fleet of the Bulan Royal Navy departed from Spa Bay, spearheaded by several battlecruisers and fast battleships.

They were not headed for the Fan Flame Ocean but were instead to confront the Tiaoman Navy’s "Prime Minister."

"The ’Prime Minister’ has been deployed?"

"Not yet, but it will be soon. According to a message from the Tiaoman Navy, the ’Prime Minister’ could set off as early as tonight. After rendezvousing with two large cruisers, they will enter the North Sunset Ocean. However, their mission has been adjusted to target the transport convoys in the North Sunset Ocean."

Bai Zhizhan was momentarily stunned, then quickly furrowed his brows.

Yes, it was to intercept the transport convoys from the Newland Federation to the Luosha Empire!

The Tiaoman Empire had previously focused on the Bulan Kingdom, deploying all its submarines to blockade the kingdom, leaving few submarines active in the North Sunset Ocean and Ice Ocean.

Now, the primary enemy of the Tiaoman Empire had become the Luosha Federation.

To encourage the Luosha Federation to launch an attack and to swiftly defeat the Tiaoman Empire, ending the conflict on the West Continent, the Newland Federation had assembled dozens of cargo ships to form a massive transport convoy, planning to deliver a total of one million tons of strategic materials to the Luosha Empire.

Among these, aside from equipment like aviation engines, there were about 50,000 tons of aluminum ingots.

This material was incredibly valuable!

If fully utilized, it could be used to manufacture thousands of fighter planes.

Before better materials were developed, aluminum alloy was the preferred aviation material, mainly used to manufacture advanced combat aircraft.

During the war, not only fighter planes, but also the most advanced bombers, required electrolytic aluminum.

For this reason, electrolytic aluminum was considered a highly valuable strategic resource during the war, its military value surpassing even that of oil.

After the outbreak of the war, aluminum ingot prices on the international black market skyrocketed by several tens of times, and it was consistently in short supply—money alone was not enough to buy it!

The key was, looking around the world, only two countries had sufficient electrolytic aluminum production capacity: the Liangxia Empire and the Newland Federation.

To control the Luosha Federation, or rather to take precautions, the Liangxia Empire had always been limiting aluminum ingot exports to the Luosha Empire through unofficial means.

Over half a year, the export volume was less than 1,000 tons.

In the Empire’s warehouses, there were at least 150,000 tons of aluminum ingots, and at the beginning of the year, they even aided the Tiaoman Empire with 15,000 tons.

It was also the Liangxia Empire’s cautiousness that made the leaders of the Luosha Federation suspicious, pushing them to turn against the Empire.

Regardless, the Tiaoman Navy had to intercept this transport convoy.

If the Luosha Federation added several thousand fighter planes, perhaps by next summer, the Tiaoman Empire would lose the war due to losing air superiority.

The importance of air superiority hardly needed further explanation.

It wasn’t just about sending submarines to sink a few cargo ships; it was about stopping the convoy from reaching the Luosha Federation’s ports in the Ice Ocean.

Therefore, the "Prime Minister" had to be deployed.

Only a powerful fleet could intercept the convoys in the tumultuous North Sunset Ocean.

As long as the "Prime Minister" left the Tiaoman port and operated in the North Sunset Ocean, the Newland Federation wouldn’t risk sending out the transport convoy.

To ensure the shipping lanes were unobstructed, the Bulan Royal Navy had to take action.

The reason was: only the Bulan Royal Navy’s battlecruisers and fast battleships could catch up with the "Prime Minister," which had a top speed of nearly 30 knots.

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