Empire Conquest

Chapter 476 - 472: The Root of the Matter

Zhao Yu hadn’t prepared anything special for Bai Zhizhan, merely ordering a few light dishes at the hotel’s restaurant.

It was only then that Bai Zhizhan learned that Zhao Yu’s father-in-law had fallen seriously ill, had been bedridden for months, and that his wife had returned to her hometown; he hadn’t cooked at home for a long time.

Otherwise, Zhao Yu wouldn’t have entertained Bai Zhizhan in the hotel restaurant.

Of course, Bai Zhizhan wasn’t there to eat, it would have been the same anywhere.

In Zhao Yu’s presence, Bai Zhizhan didn’t mince words and went straight to the point.

On the strategic choices concerning East Ocean, apart from the internal faction fights within the Navy, there seemed to be similar issues at higher levels.

To be more direct, how many people opposed advancing to the Howay Islands, and who were the main opponents.

Truthfully, this was Bai Zhizhan’s biggest concern.

Although Liu Changxun had always emphasized that the strategic disagreements primarily lay within the Navy and were related to the traditional faction conflicts, Bai Zhizhan had felt that things weren’t so simple, especially after Xue Yuanzheng had faced allegations and was forced to aggressively attack Lion Spring City.

Of course, Bai Zhizhan hadn’t shared this apprehension with Liu Changxun.

However, he feared that the disagreements within the Navy were connected to struggles at higher levels.

What Bai Zhizhan found most incomprehensible was that the Southern Faction, represented by Liu Xiangzhen, hadn’t insisted on their perspective regarding the movement toward Southwest East Ocean.

At the last assembly at the Navy headquarters, Liu Changxun proposed a direct attack on the Howay Islands, and Liu Xiangzhen only suggested maintaining vigilance on other fronts without opposing the plan, then he went along with Liu Changxun’s arrangements to Fan Flame Ocean, holding the title of Fleet Commander-in-chief.

Clearly, Liu Xiangzhen had no intention of going against Bai Zhizhan.

"So according to you, the Navy internally had already unified their opinion."

"Are you saying Liu Changxun did that on purpose?"

Bai Zhizhan furrowed his brows as he spoke this; he had harbored such suspicions but had always believed it unlikely that Liu Changxun would act thus.

Besides, Bai Zhizhan didn’t believe Liu Changxun was that good an actor.

"To be frank, this is exactly why I think you aren’t suited to stay in the Imperial Capital. With your awareness, if you were to enter the circles there, you’d definitely be swallowed whole!"

"Old Brother Zhao..."

"What I’m saying, Liu Changxun definitely did it on purpose, but not to calculate against you. He did it to deliberately protect you and keep you out of the internal strife."

Bai Zhizhan took a deep breath, his expression becoming grave.

"You shouldn’t overthink it."

"So you mean to say the storm hasn’t passed yet?"

After Bai Zhizhan brought the topic back up, even Zhao Yu couldn’t help but sigh.

"Old Brother Zhao, you can’t keep things from me."

"To be honest, knowing might not be a good thing for you."

"I’ll decide for myself whether it’s good or bad," Bai Zhizhan said firmly, as seeking out Zhao Yu was specifically to understand the current situation.

Zhao Yu sighed deeply before explaining from the beginning.

At the start of the year, Bai Zhizhan’s suspicions were correct. Indeed, a force within the Empire had emerged targeting Xue Yuanzheng, stealthily incited by the Song family. Their ultimate goal was to force Xue Yuanzheng into negotiations to secure and strengthen the Song family’s influence through their trade consortium.

Fundamentally, the issue was the conflict between the Song family and the Tang family.

Xue Yuanzheng was Tang Dezhu’s nephew and the Tang family’s spokesperson in the Imperial High Command, and was arguably the most talented politician the Tang family had brought forth.

Crucially, Xue Yuanzheng also had a military background.

Coincidentally, this occurred during a global depression.

In some ways, the various reforms Xue Yuanzheng introduced in response to the depression could be seen as attacks on the traditional power of the Song family.

It was in the ten years following the Great Depression that the Tang Family significantly enhanced its influence in the industrial and commercial sectors.

Before that, the Tang Family’s strength mainly manifested in politics, with negligible influence in the realms of industry and commerce, far less than the Song Family.

The most representative move was forming an alliance with the Zhang family, helmed by Zhang Xiaoqing, which was already centered around Puzhou in the Jiangnan region’s leading financial group.

The "Puzhou Chamber of Commerce," centered around the Zhang family, had already become a dominant new financial group in the area.

As one rose, the other fell; the Song Family inevitably declined in the industrial and commercial sectors.

Clearly, this concerned the core interests of the family, even a matter of life and death.

If not for the war, the situation could have been maintained, as it’s difficult for any family to expand rapidly during peacetime.

With support from the Tang Family, it took the Zhang family decades to establish a firm footing in Puzhou.

It’s also true that it took the Tang Family decades to bolster the Zhang family to surpass the Song Family in industry and commerce, needing ten clans similar to the Zhang family.

Who would have thought that the war would drastically accelerate the Tang Family’s expansion in the industrial and commercial fields?

There were clear reasons: a wartime system primarily based on regulation and rationing.

When the Empire entered a state of war, or rather began mobilization, the Tang Family, through the War Cabinet controlled by Xue Yuanzheng, dominated the industrial and commercial sectors. The Song Family, which had been barely managing, was immediately pushed to a dead end.

If they did not retaliate, the entire Song Family would be uprooted.

Moreover, from the Song Family’s perspective, it was entirely reasonable to believe that the War Cabinet led by Xue Yuanzheng, and the strategic plans it drafted, were actually serving the Tang Family, targeting the Song Family to eradicate them through the wartime system.

Whether true or not, the Song Family wouldn’t just sit back and wait to die.

The most direct reprisal method was targeting Xue Yuanzheng, aiming to force him from power.

Unfortunately, this was the most difficult method to implement.

Xue Yuanzheng’s prestige was evident, and it wasn’t possible to oust him from the Prime Minister Mansion with just some minor maneuvers.

Causing a big scene could lead to self-destruction!

As patient as Xue Yuanzheng could be, he couldn’t ignore the overall situation for stability’s sake, there was certainly a limit, and when it became unbearable, he would decisively act.

Those who previously doubted Xue Yuanzheng’s political courage had all met their maker.

Being able to hold the seat of the Imperial Chief Minister for over a decade was enough to prove Xue Yuanzheng’s capabilities and boldness.

Therefore, they could only seek a secondary option.

This led to the most direct consequence, which was the need to end the war as soon as possible, even if it meant giving up some already secured interests.

Of course, such internal struggles surely couldn’t be publicized, especially during a time of war.

The Imperial Army’s significant victories in Lion Spring City and Fan Flame Ocean offset the Song Family’s impact to a great extent, yet not entirely.

Speaking of which, it was still impossible to completely suppress the Song Family.

The reason is simple; the state of war couldn’t continue indefinitely, and the duration it could last would decrease rapidly with intensified internal conflicts.

Clearly, Xue Yuanzheng needed to seriously consider and address this issue.

There were two ways to end the war: one was to negotiate with the enemy, and the other was to utterly defeat the enemy.

If the enemy couldn’t be defeated swiftly, then negotiation was the only option.

The attitude toward the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom explained this point.

Whether to negotiate or fight depended on what was most beneficial for the Empire.

Actually, this was also the issue confronting Bai Zhizhan or, in essence, why Liu Changxun supported Bai Zhizhan’s proposal to lead the fleet to the Howay Islands.

If they could swiftly conquer the Howay Islands, then everything else would be manageable.

Otherwise, there would be significant trouble.