Empire Conquest
Chapter 56 - 52: The Root of Disaster

Chapter 56: Chapter 52: The Root of Disaster

Bai Zhizhan and his group did not fly directly to the Imperial Capital, as torpedo bombers could not cover such a distance.

At a naval base in the southern part of the Empire, a transport plane sent by the Navy headquarters was waiting for them. While the transport plane was preparing for takeoff, Gui Boyong made several phone calls to clarify why the Navy headquarters had summoned them back—it essentially confirmed their earlier speculations.

A great war had broken out, or rather, was about to break out.

Just last night, the Luosha Federation, under the pretext of protecting its citizens abroad, put the Northwestern Army, deployed near the border with an amassed force of over a million soldiers, on combat readiness. Subsequently, they issued a final ultimatum to the three countries along the coast of the Luowan Sea, demanding a response within seventy-two hours.

What kind of response?

To understand that, we need to go back twenty years.

In the 79th year of the New Calendar, the year the Liangxia Empire and the Alliance Group signed a ceasefire agreement, under the active mediation of the Newland President, the four main countries of the Alliance Group, along with the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire, as well as a dozen other participating nations, held a peace conference in the Capital of the Locke Republic, the city of Seba. After several months of haggling, they finally reached a peace treaty, as well as an agreement to establish the International Alliance.

This was the renowned "Seba Conference" and "Seba Peace Treaty."

Unfortunately, subsequent events rendered all the efforts in Seba city fruitless, even turning the "Seba Peace Treaty" into a mockery.

The crux of the matter was that the treaty and agreement needed legislative approval from each country to come into effect.

The problem lay with the initiator.

Upon returning home, Newland President Wilkins actively lobbied both houses of Congress, hoping Congress would ratify the treaty he had promoted in Seba City and allow the Newland Federation to become a founding and early member of the International Alliance, thereby strengthening its influence in the international community.

Unfortunately, Wilkins had oversimplified the issue.

In his quest for peace, this idealistic president made enormous sacrifices and significant concessions, without considering what the federal legislators might think.

At that time, domestic public opinion in the Newland Federation generally held that after paying the grievous price of millions of military casualties, aside from aiding the Bulan Kingdom and the Locke Republic out of the quagmire of war, the Newland Federation gained no tangible benefits, effectively sending its soldiers to fight for others.

Critically, the treaty Wilkins brought back from Seba city equally failed to safeguard the interests of the Newland Federation.

Did they fight over two years just to dress others for their wedding?

Conversely, not only did the Bulan Kingdom and the Locke Republic crawl out of the war’s bog, but they also obtained a plethora of substantial benefits— even the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had tasted some sweetness.

It seemed as if the Newland Federation was not a victor but a vanquished.

So, why sign this treaty?

Although Wilkins expended his utmost efforts, Congress rejected the "Seba Treaty" twice, as well as his proposition to establish and join the International Federation.

Misfortunes never come singly; while delivering a speech in Congress, canvassing for the third vote, Wilkins suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.

His successor, Vice President Taman, of only average competence, was notoriously a conciliatory old nice guy.

Yet, thanks to Taman’s efforts, Congress ultimately approved the "Seba Peace Treaty," but the establishment of the International Alliance had to be shelved indefinitely.

Now, the situation became interesting.

The following year, in the 80th year of the New Calendar, without the Newland Federation’s participation, the Bulan Kingdom, the Locke Republic, and the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom forcibly initiated the establishment process of the International Alliance. They then set up the Alliance headquarters in Seba city, followed by organizing the executive committee.

The three Great Powers were so eager, essentially aiming to carve up the spoils of war.

The key point was that under the supplementary provisions of the "Seba Peace Treaty," it was stipulated that only after the establishment of the International Alliance would the Liangxia Empire fulfill some of the treaty’s clauses, such as transferring parts of the East Ocean and colonial territories on the Xuan Continent to the International Alliance under the guise of trusteeship, in reality ceding them to the Locke Republic, the Bulan Kingdom, and the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom. Moreover, the Liangxia Empire would only intervene militarily in Luosha’s civil conflict with the mediation of the International Alliance.

Indeed, this was the only way for the Liangxia Empire to avoid admitting defeat.

Acting under the International Alliance had nothing to do with active participation in international affairs or major wars, so one couldn’t call it a defeat.

The current issue was, without the Newland Federation, was it still that same International Alliance?

One mustn’t forget that the Empire had long established a strategy in sync with the Newland Federation.

If the Newland Federation didn’t join the International Alliance, the Liangxia Empire wouldn’t join either!

In that case, what reason was there to transfer colonies and intervene in civil wars of other countries under the International Alliance?

Although the Bulan Kingdom, Locke Republic, and Saiyi Imperial Kingdom forcefully established the International Alliance, the very next day, the Liangxia Empire declared that, because the Newland Federation had not joined, it would not sign treaties with other countries nor recognize any treaties related to the International Alliance.

This was tantamount to abolishing the Seba Peace Treaty.

Because of this, the Imperial Chief Minister Tang Zude announced on the same day that the Cabinet had resigned en masse and also dissolved both chambers of the deliberative body.

According to related laws, the Empire would hold early elections; however, the state of war had to be concluded first, and a caretaker government would be formed by the former Chief Minister.

Without the deliberative chambers, it was impossible to sign or ratify any international treaties.

At this point, the international situation had become completely chaotic.

At year’s end, following the Bulan Kingdom’s declaration that it wouldn’t send troops to intervene in the Luosha Empire’s civil war, the Locke Republic immediately announced its withdrawal from the Alliance Group.

From there, the Alliance Group officially became a thing of the past.

As for the International Alliance, it was likewise rendered ineffective.

By the year 81 of the New Calendar, the Bulan Kingdom and Saiyi Imperial Kingdom re-established an alliance treaty, and the Newland President Felix, who had won the election earlier that year, announced that the Newland Federation would re-enter the international community, willing to undertake corresponding responsibilities and contribute to world peace.

Also in that year, the Newland Federation successively signed military alliance treaties with the Bulan Kingdom and Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

Years later, these three countries consolidated their triangular alliance through collective treaties.

This was the notorious "Second Alliance Group."

Only, the Locke Republic did not join!

Fundamentally, the Second Alliance Group was mainly aimed at Land Power Empires like the Liangxia Empire and Tiaoman Empire, using a peripheral blockade strategy to seize and control colonies worldwide, thereby obtaining their resources and markets to inject vitality into their own economic development.

Regrettably, it inadvertently harmed the Locke Republic.

Of course, it wasn’t really inadvertent.

Prior to this, that is, after the Alliance Group had fallen apart, the Locke Republic had proactively reconciled with the Tiaoman Empire and, through measures like reducing war reparations, became a military ally, ensuring homeland security and avoiding another full-scale war with a powerful neighbor.

To put it bluntly, the Locke Republic had been frightened by the War.

With approximately 15% of the adult male population killed in action, it would be strange not to be scared!

And importantly, the Locke Republic now had a common enemy with the Tiaoman Empire.

That’s right, it was the newly born Luosha Federation.

In some sense, the Locke Republic and Tiaoman Empire’s reconciliation was to counter the threat from the Luosha Federation and ensure national security.

From this, the seeds of disaster were sown.

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