Empire Conquest
Chapter 429 - 425: Three Possibilities

Chapter 429: Chapter 425: Three Possibilities

On January 9, upon receiving the telegram concerning the Bai Zhizhan, Zhou Yongtao arrived at the front-line command with a dozen Fleet Headquarter staff members ahead of the main fleet, which was due to arrive in a few days. Although the fleet would not be there for a few more days, Bai Zhizhan decided to establish a temporary command center.

Zhou Yongtao’s first task was to analyze the tactics that Cunningham might employ with the three Bulan Fleet carriers at the core of his fleet to assist the Bulan Royal Army in defending Lion Spring City and prevent the Imperial Fleet from entering the Fan Flame Ocean.

As in the past, Zhou Yongtao did not disappoint Bai Zhizhan.

Having received the news earlier, Zhou Yongtao had already organized his staff officers to analyze the situation and run several war-gaming exercises before his arrival.

Their final conclusion was that Cunningham’s tactical options were limited.

The key was that three fleet carriers just weren’t enough.

According to the latest intelligence, the Bulan Royal Navy had deployed the "Royal Ark," "Radiant," and "Terrifying."

The intelligence was highly reliable since, apart from the already obsolete "Fury," the Bulan Royal Navy had no other fleet carriers than these three.

The other two "Radiant" class ships were still under construction, and the "Terrifying" had just been commissioned in November of the previous year.

By all accounts, the Bulan Royal Navy was fielding its entire fleet.

Even so, these three fleet carriers could only carry just over 120 ship-borne aircraft, and even with overload, they would not carry more than 150.

This number was still fewer than what the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet’s two carriers could handle.

When the performance of the ship-borne aircraft was taken into account, the gap grew even more significant.

There was also intelligence that the Bulan Royal Navy did not receive the legendary "Sea Fire" or the "Sea Hurricane," but the Newland Federation’s "Wildcat," or F4F.

These fighters were provided as aid from the Newland Federation, replacing the significantly outdated "Nosepipe Swallow" fighters.

Moreover, the torpedo bombers and bombers might still be the old "Flagfish" and "Thief Seagull."

While the intelligence wasn’t very accurate on these, or rather there was no relevant intelligence, the most they could have received was assistance from the Newland Navy, with their ship-borne attack aircraft and bombers as replacements.

Since Newland Navy’s new ship-borne aircraft were not yet mass-produced, they could only offer outdated planes.

The Bulan carriers might primarily carry fighters, with few attack aircraft and bombers on board.

According to data from the Sixth Bureau, the Newland Federation had provided Bulan Kingdom with 300 F4F fighters, and the last batch of 100 was likely to be the F4F-4 model.

Even if all three carriers carried the F4F-4 model fighters and SBD bombers that were not yet outdated, the Bulan Fleet’s aerial combat capabilities were quite mediocre.

Seek a decisive battle with the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet?

Even if Cunningham had the courage, he wouldn’t make such a reckless mistake.

According to Zhou Yongtao’s analysis, Cunningham’s most likely tactic was to lead the fleet into the Andaman Sea or lie in ambush near the Andaman Islands. If he could ascertain the whereabouts of the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet, he might launch ship-borne aircraft to bomb the airfields in the southern region of the Daman Kingdom, eliminating threats from the land direction and simultaneously diverting the Imperial Army’s attention from Lion Spring City, thereby relieving the pressure on the city’s defenders.

The primary goal was to defend the shipping route to Lion Spring City, ensuring the city’s defenders believed that the Kingdom and the Royal Navy had not abandoned them.

As long as they held firm, they would surely overcome the formidable enemy!

Fundamentally, it was about the Songkhla Army Air Base.

The several dozen long-range fighters and bombers stationed there posed a threat not only to the shipping lanes within the Throat Strait but were also the number one enemy of the Bulan Fleet.

Even if it was just for reconnaissance missions, that alone was enough to make Cunningham extremely uneasy.

From this, Zhou Yongtao deduced that once Cunningham led his fleet to the northeast Fan Flame Ocean, he would employ tactics similar to those used against the Raleigh Fleet and launch ship-borne aircraft to attack Songkhla.

However, there is another possibility.

Wait in the Great Strait between the Nicobar Islands and Sumatra Island, remain as concealed as possible, and let the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet walk right into the trap.

But that would require voluntarily giving up Lion Spring City.

The reason is simple: unless they take another strait, the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet would have to capture Lion Spring City before they can enter the Fan Flame Ocean.

This also determines that Cunningham would not wait at the Great Strait for an easy catch.

If the Bulan Army willingly gave up Lion Spring City, wouldn’t that be the same as telling the Imperial Fleet that there was an ambush waiting ahead?

As for having the fleet operate on the west side of Sumatra Island, separated from the Fan Flame Ocean by the second largest island in the region, and deal with the Imperial Fleet near Lion Spring City, that was simply not possible.

The reason is: it’s too far.

From the west side of Sumatra Island, near the Mintawei Islands, to Lion Spring City, the minimum distance exceeds 600 kilometers, and the operating range of Bulan’s ship-borne aircraft is at most 500 kilometers.

Another key point is that the Bulan Fleet to the west of Sumatra Island would not be able to blockade the Throat Strait.

This means that, after eliminating the Air Force in Lion Spring City, the Imperial Fleet could break through by force and enter the Fan Flame Ocean without encountering any resistance.

Clearly, engaging the Imperial Fleet in a decisive battle on the vast Fan Flame Ocean would further diminish the Bulan Fleet’s chances of victory.

Whether from a tactical or strategic perspective, the Bulan Royal Navy had to do everything in their power to block the Imperial Fleet and avoid a direct naval confrontation.

With Cunningham’s intelligence and foresight, it was impossible for him not to see this.

If it comes to that, he would stay within the cover range of the shore-based air force as much as possible, utilizing the military bases spread across the North Fan Flame Ocean to counter the Imperial Fleet. Whether it was to delay or to fight a decisive battle with the Imperial Fleet, having the protection of the shore-based air force would give the Bulan Fleet a better chance of winning.

Cunningham was not a reckless fool who would attack the enemy’s strengths with his own weaknesses.

Here, Zhou Yongtao proposed a third possibility.

Blockade the Throat Strait.

To be precise, block the eastern end of the Throat Strait, the narrowest part of Lion Spring Strait, and force the Imperial Fleet to enter the Fan Flame Ocean through another strait.

Blocking Lion Spring Strait was not a difficult task; all that was needed were naval mines.

After retaking Lion Spring City, the Bulan Royal Navy had no intention of expanding further east and had always treated Lion Spring City as the front-line fortress of the east, storing an ample number of naval mines there, including many that were manufactured during the last war but had not been used.

Do not forget: when blockading the Watcher Strait, the Alliance Group used tens of thousands of naval mines.

Since Lion Spring Strait is even narrower than Watcher Strait and the water is much shallower, in theory, a few thousand naval mines could completely seal it off.

Before the outbreak of war, there were no less than 30,000 naval mines stored in Lion Spring City.

According to the Bulan Royal Navy’s strategic deployment, when necessary, these mines must be used to block all straits connecting East Ocean to the Fan Flame Ocean!

Even if the majority of the mines had deteriorated due to poor storage, the remainder would be more than enough to blockade Lion Spring Strait.

If that were the case, the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet would have to move south, passing through Xunfeng Strait or Longyan Strait to reach the Fan Flame Ocean.

At that point, Cunningham would only need to take his fleet to the seas south of Java Island, and he could catch the Imperial Fleet by surprise as it passed through the strait.

The Bulan Fleet operating in the waters south of Java Island would also benefit from the protection and support of the shore-based air force stationed in Aus.

Not to mention, long-range patrol aircraft deployed at Darwin, Derby, and Hedland Port would be of great help.

To sum up, there’s just one point.

With the arrival of the Bulan Fleet, the military operation to capture Lion Spring City would inevitably be affected, necessitating adjustments to the combat plan.

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