Empire Conquest

Chapter 469 - 465: Declaring Determination

Of course, Bai Zhizhan was well aware.

Liu Changxun intended for Bai Zhizhan to gradually take over control of the Navy, which meant treating Bai Zhizhan as the successor being groomed for the next Navy Commander.

In fact, there was no need for any great fuss.

If previously he had had to compete with Liu Xiangzhen, then after the Northwest East Ocean Battle and the Southwest Fan Flame Ocean Battle, Bai Zhizhan’s status in the Empire’s Navy had already far surpassed Liu Xiangzhen, and nobody doubted that he was the next in line to be Navy Commander after Liu Changxun.

The key was actually the Southwest Fan Flame Ocean Battle.

From another angle, had Liu Xiangzhen led the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet there, even if they could have destroyed an enemy fleet, they’d likely have lost two carriers.

Of course, Bai Zhizhan was not smug about it.

After the battle, he told Li Mingbo that if they hadn’t left the "Xiaotian" squadron behind, the "Longjiang" might not have been hit.

However, all that was in the past.

After pondering for a good while, Bai Zhizhan finally sighed heavily and said, "With the current situation, it’s still uncertain whether another battle is needed."

"How can we be sure?"

"We need to see whether the Bulan Royal Navy will recall the ’Royal Ark’."

Liu Changxun’s expression immediately darkened, but he didn’t ask any further.

"If the ’Royal Ark’ leaves the Mua Sea, even if it doesn’t return to the Land Heart Sea but heads to the Narrow Sea instead, we won’t need to commit more troops to the Fan Flame Ocean — we could recall the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet right now. Otherwise, we’ll have to consider fighting another battle in the Fan Flame Ocean."

Bai Zhizhan stressed the "Royal Ark" because only this carrier had the potential to impact an operation advancing to Boss Bay.

Of course, it was enough to point out the key issue clearly without being too explicit.

"How can we prompt the Bulan Royal Navy to recall the ’Royal Ark’?"

"That depends on the Raleigh Navy."

Liu Changxun’s brows twitched a few times before he couldn’t help but laugh.

Bai Zhizhan was not only good at warfare, but he also had plenty of tricks up his sleeve.

Frankly, the Raleigh Navy did have some worth — or rather, this was the only way to make the most of that value.

After Taranto was bombed, the Raleigh Kingdom immediately declared war on the Bulan Kingdom and joined the Consortium Group, becoming the third strongest nation in the alliance.

According to Tiaoman Empire propaganda, the Raleigh Kingdom offset the negative impact caused by the Luosha Federation’s defection.

However, up until now, the Raleigh Kingdom had not taken any substantial action, let alone support the Tiaoman military attacks on the Xuan Continent as previously negotiated.

The Raleigh Kingdom’s excuse was that their Navy had been severely damaged and temporarily lost combat capability.

But was that really true?

The Sixth Bureau had already provided intelligence that the Raleigh Navy’s two Treaty Type Fast Battleships, the "Vittorio Veneto" and the "Litorio," were not heavily hit in the bombing and had been combat-ready since the end of January, able to set sail for battle at any time.

The Raleigh Kingdom’s reluctance to deploy their Navy was not out of fear but a desire for more advantages.

Pursued further by Liu Changxun, Bai Zhizhan offered a brief additional analysis.

In essence, it all came down to deploying troops to the Xuan Continent.

Because the main force of the Bulan Royal Navy was at home and in the Fan Flame Ocean, strategically speaking, now was the best time to send troops to the Xuan Continent.

Of course, gaining sea supremacy with the help of the Raleigh Navy would definitely be a prerequisite.

As a result, the Bulan Royal Navy would strengthen the Land Heart Sea Fleet, and crucially, send back the "Royal Ark."

Without a carrier, the Land Heart Sea Fleet was virtually immobilized.

The Land Heart Sea Fleet’s two major bases, namely the Nara Fortress and Alexandria, were located at the two ends of the Land Heart Sea.

If the Raleigh Kingdom had not entered the war, the situation wouldn’t have been too bad. However, with the Raleigh Kingdom having declared war and dispatching its fleet to blockade the shipping routes of the Land Heart Sea, relying solely on these two fortress-level naval bases was simply not enough to protect the shipping routes, let alone ensure the Bulan Royal Navy’s self-preservation.

With the introduction of carriers, however, everything changed.

Bai Zhizhan highlighted a point that the Bulan Royal Navy would definitely seek a third base on the Land Heart Sea and that Malta Island was most likely the target.

According to Bai Zhizhan’s analysis, it was only after securing Malta Island that the Bulan Royal Navy could stabilize the situation in the Land Heart Sea.

Of course, the specifics depend on whether the Tiaoman Empire and the Raleigh Kingdom would send troops to the Xuan Continent soon, especially an advance on the Xifan Canal.

It should be said that the primary objective of a joint operation by the Tiaoman Empire and the Raleigh Kingdom was to attack and occupy the Xifan Canal.

Only by controlling the Xifan Canal would they be able to open the shipping routes to the East, and also be able to obtain the support provided by the Liangxia Empire through maritime transport.

Even the Tiaoman Empire, at the strategic level, had to rely on support provided by the Liangxia Empire.

Lastly, Bai Zhizhan mentioned that it would be best for the Tiaoman Navy to take synchronized actions, such as dispatching two large cruisers to the North Sea when sending troops to the Xuan Continent, forcing the Bulan Royal Navy to recall two battlecruisers to protect their vital shipping routes.

By doing so, even if the Raleigh Kingdom was not willing to commit fully, they could still achieve the same effect.

If all went well, then in the coming months, the Bulan Royal Navy would only have cruisers left for the Fan Flame Ocean.

This meant that, with the deployment of the Joint Fleet of the Tiaoman Navy, the operation to advance into Boss Bay could be completed.

In addition, if maritime transport was secure and Socotra Island was successfully taken, it might even be possible to attack Jibu Fortress ahead of schedule.

However, when it came to the question of whether to launch a strong attack on Jibu Fortress, Bai Zhizhan was more conservative.

According to him, the timing was not yet ripe.

Even if Socotra Island was taken ahead of time and shore-based air force was moved forward, it would still require a significant amount of military strength and resources, and perhaps several months’ time, to hope to capture Jibu Fortress.

But the conquest would yield little benefit.

Without control of the Xifan Canal, the maritime shipping route to the Raleigh Kingdom would remain inaccessible.

On the other hand, if the Tiaoman military and Raleigh military managed to take the Xifan Canal in the near term, perhaps the Imperial Navy wouldn’t need to deploy a single soldier to capture Jibu Fortress.

After all, even the most powerful army can’t defend an isolated fortress.

All in all, the key lies in whether the Tiaoman Empire will take action to force the Bulan Royal Navy to withdraw its main forces back home.

If everything went smoothly, Boss Bay might be captured within the first half of the year.

If not so smooth, another battle would have to be fought on the Fan Flame Ocean.

In this regard, Bai Zhizhan made it clear that if needed, he was willing to lead the 11th Special Mixed Fleet on an expedition to the Mua Sea, including attacking Socotra Island during this period.

All in all, it was unconditional compliance with the orders of the Navy headquarter.

As for the troop strength, Bai Zhizhan did not overemphasize it, since by the end of the month, the "Imperial Capital" was due to return and would be combat-ready by next month at the latest.

The "Longjiang" had already begun repairs and would regain combat capabilities within days.

By then, the three fleet carriers would surely be sufficient.

However, this was not Liu Changxun’s only issue.

To speak of it, advancing into Boss Bay, attacking Socotra Island, or even launching a strong attack on Jibu Fortress were not the primary missions of the Imperial Navy at present.

There were no formidable enemies left on the Fan Flame Ocean, and achieving sea control was only a matter of time and patience.

Besides, the decisive factor for the outcome of this great war, or rather the real battlefield, was not the Fan Flame Ocean.

Indeed, the main battlefield was the East Ocean.

Actually, this was also the number one problem that Liu Changxun had presented to Bai Zhizhan.