Empire Conquest

Chapter 456 - 452: Desperate Reprisal

"Do you know why I’m not willing to engage in a decisive battle with Bai Zhizhan at this time?"

Spur suddenly blurted this out, leaving Tanimoto somewhat bewildered, or rather, at a loss for words.

"If the intelligence we received earlier is correct, then our current situation is extremely perilous—almost all the favorable conditions are in Bai Zhizhan’s hands."

"This..."

"To be honest, our current situation is even worse than before the Northwest East Ocean Battle."

"It can’t be that bad, can it?"

In fact, Tanimoto even thought his own question was foolish.

According to the latest intelligence, the Liangxia Navy was fully prepared, not only employing new bombers and torpedo bombers but also upgrading their fighters to the latest batch.

Now, all three main types of Liangxia Navy’s shipborne aircraft possessed powerful capabilities that could easily crush their opponents.

The key, actually, was the operational radius.

Even the torpedo bombers had an operational radius of 700 kilometers, and dive bombers could exceed 1,000 kilometers if they appropriately reduced their payload.

Compared to Newland’s shipborne air force, Liangxia’s air strike range was at least 200 kilometers longer.

As long as they fully utilized this advantage, the Liangxia Fleet could fight beyond the strike range of the Newland Fleet and ensure they would not be attacked.

In theory, the Newland Fleet wouldn’t even be able to retaliate.

Moreover, Liangxia’s "Xiaotian" fighters were much stronger than Newland Navy’s "Wildcats," and the performance of the latest batch had significantly improved.

If it really came to that, even if Spur ordered a one-way attack by the carrier aircraft, they might not achieve any significant results.

Taking into account the number of aircraft, Bai Zhizhan was nearly invincible!

Even if Cunningham’s two "Radiant" class ships were included, the Joint Fleet didn’t have much of a chance of winning.

In fact, after meeting up with Cunningham, Spur had sent a telegram suggesting Cunningham abandon the completely useless "Swordfish" and use the freed-up space to carry more "Wildcats." Bringing additional fighters could at least enhance the Fleet’s anti-air capabilities.

Unfortunately, Cunningham thought this unnecessary.

At the time, Tanimoto even joked with Spur that the Bulan Fleet hadn’t clashed with the Liangxia Fleet, so Cunningham didn’t understand how formidable the Liangxia Navy was.

That was precisely why Spur slowed down in the South Sunset Ocean, intentionally remaining behind Cunningham.

According to the plan at that time, they wanted Cunningham to act as bait at the front, draw out Bai Zhizhan, and deplete the attacking power of the Liangxia Fleet.

Finally, the 61st Special Mixed Fleet would play the role of the fisherman waiting to profit.

When making this deployment, Spur emphasized two points.

First, Cunningham’s Expeditionary Fleet contained two Fast Main Battle Ships, two "Reputation" class battlecruisers. These battlecruisers had strengthened their anti-air firepower and became genuine Anti-Air Warships, capable of providing powerful cover for the fleet’s carriers.

Second, the Bulan carriers had better protection, stronger survivability, and were more durable.

Of course, these were all excuses.

Indeed, it was because of these points that Spur found himself in a difficult position after being outmaneuvered by Cunningham.

"We could turn now, and maybe it’s not too late..."

"Run away?"

The conversation was cut off by Spur, but Tanimoto wasn’t angry, just very surprised, since Spur’s tone sounded like he was in a fit of pique.

"If we had not gone to Ao Country and chosen to turn back instead, not to mention how Rofuss would deal with us, at the very least, that guy residing in the Prime Minister’s Mansion in Luntai would be relentless, blow this matter out of proportion, blame us for the defeat, and even claim that we sold them out. If that were to happen, I dare say we would be taken away by the military police before we even return to Treasure Harbor or Noke Base."

Tanimoto sighed.

Spur hadn’t finished speaking, but whether he said it out loud or not made no difference. After falling out with the Bulan Kingdom, what awaited the Newland Federation was inevitable defeat.

"We must stick to the plan and head to Ao Country, which means we must confront the Liangxia Fleet, face Bai Zhizhan!"

"But now..."

"No matter what, we still have one night’s time."

After Spur had spoken, Tanimoto failed to react immediately. Once he grasped the implication of what Spur had said, he was immediately frightened.

"We only have one carrier, if there’s..."

"Cunningham still has two."

"But he..."

"It’s true that Cunningham is very cunning, and it’s undeniable that he’s very good at seizing opportunities, as well as knowing how to make use of the opportunities at hand."

"The Newland Navy only has this one carrier left."

"If we don’t take out Bai Zhizhan here and miss the chance to annihilate the Liangxia Fleet, what would be the point of preserving the ’Fenjin’?"

"But..."

Spur pressed down his hand and said, "If you ask me, Bai Zhizhan is worth ten carriers. This is the best opportunity to take him down since the war began."

This time, Tanimoto honestly shut his mouth.

Spur wasn’t wrong; it truly was the perfect opportunity to take down Bai Zhizhan.

Not to mention anything else, as long as they could severely damage the Liangxia Fleet, there was a very good chance to annihilate it, and they might even capture Bai Zhizhan.

Without Bai Zhizhan, who else does the Liangxia Navy have?

Liu Xiangzhen?

During the Northwest East Ocean Battle, Liu Xiangzhen capsized in the gutter, and if it hadn’t been for Bai Zhizhan’s timely intervention, he would likely have stumbled into Hal’s trap.

The key point was that Liu Xiangzhen was even more conservative and lacked the initiative of Bai Zhizhan.

To put it another way, he lacked aggression.

If they could kill Bai Zhizhan, even if the "Fenjin" were to sink in battle, it would be worth a great deal.

In fact, Tanimoto and Spur had already conducted simulations.

Without Bai Zhizhan, even if Liu Xiangzhen performed exceptionally well, it would take the Liangxia Navy at least five years to possibly win the East Ocean War.

An even greater likelihood was that without being able to achieve a complete victory, the Liangxia Empire would be forced to come to terms with the Alliance Group.

Tanimoto had even suggested that the intelligence agency should find a way to take out Bai Zhizhan by unconventional means, regardless of whether it would seem dishonorable.

Now that they had the chance to take down Bai Zhizhan, why not take a gamble?

From another perspective, what if they just ran away?

At the outset, Spur had already mentioned it.

If they were defeated in the Fan Flame Ocean, even if they fled with the "Fenjin" to Ao Country, relying solely on this one fleet carrier, they would definitely not be able to turn the tide.

Once the Liangxia Navy took Boss Bay, it would be too late for regrets.

Although losing Boss Bay was already a foregone conclusion, there was a fundamental difference between losing it a few months earlier or a few months later.

Thinking this, Tanimoto couldn’t help but sigh.

If they hadn’t been driven to a corner with no other options, Spur would never have come up with such a desperate idea.

In Tanimoto’s opinion, Spur was a very steady general. As long as there were other choices, he would definitely not risk the fleet.

By the time he came back to his senses, Spur had already called over the Communication Advisor and instructed him to get in touch with the Expeditionary Fleet.

In one night, if utilized fully, they could close the distance by several hundred kilometers.

Even if the odds of victory were still faint, at least they could give it a try.

When it came down to bayonet range, who would come out on top was uncertain.

On the battlefield, the ability and courage of the pilots were also key factors in determining victory or defeat.

For the Newland Fleet backed into a corner, what they might have in greatest abundance was the courage for a do-or-die battle.

Besides, aerial combat was always about striking first and being strong, being late and suffering for it; as long as they seized the opportunity, a single wave of attack might rewrite history.