Empire Conquest

Chapter 535 - 531: Being a Dad

When Liu Changxun suddenly arrived, and seeing his anxious appearance, Xue Yuanzheng was taken aback.

However, he didn’t panic, instead, he pretended not to notice.

Xue Yuanzheng knew Liu Changxun quite well. If one were to point out a characteristic of Liu Changxun, it would be his tendency to overreact.

Of course, it wasn’t that Liu Changxun was fond of acting; it was deliberate.

Don’t forget, Xue Yuanzheng had been an Army general before entering politics, so he obviously favored the Army over the Navy.

Many times, even if just to attract attention and prove his presence, Liu Changxun needed to behave more dramatically.

Otherwise, inside the Prime Minister Mansion, he would have been overshadowed by Peng Huaisong and Situ Jingde long ago.

The best way to deal with Liu Changxun’s dramatics was to act as if you hadn’t seen them.

"Just speak plainly." But this time, Xue Yuanzheng had no intention of wasting time, as there were too many matters requiring his attention.

"I just received this, it has been confirmed," Liu Changxun said as he sat down and placed the folder in front of Xue Yuanzheng.

Glancing at it, Xue Yuanzheng immediately furrowed his brows.

The telegram was just a single sheet of paper, and beneath the telegram was a folded map with the East Ocean on the upper side, marked with a planned route.

Clearly, Liu Changxun had put effort into this.

After looking it over, Xue Yuanzheng looked up at Liu Changxun.

"We’ve made contact with that submarine, and the captain was very clear. Comparing the information before and after, we can confirm that this is the 21st Special Mixed Fleet."

"Didn’t receive any more direct messages?"

"Before coming here, I didn’t receive a telegram from Bai Zhizhan. I’ve already given a heads up, they’ll call as soon as any news comes in."

Now, Xue Yuanzheng’s brows tightened even more.

The situation was obvious, the 21st Special Mixed Fleet, after attacking Newland’s 31st Special Mixed Fleet, did not return westwards as planned, or as imagined, but instead headed north. The only reasonable explanation was that Bai Zhizhan planned to take the fleet to blockade the Howay Islands.

Xue Yuanzheng wasn’t at all surprised by Bai Zhizhan’s nerve.

Despite his composed and non-confrontational demeanor, rarely raising his voice, he was a completely different person on the battlefield.

Moreover, Bai Zhizhan was always known for his audacity.

As for leading the fleet northward, other than to blockade the Howay Islands, the purpose was even simpler.

What truly puzzled Xue Yuanzheng, or seemed odd, was the very fact that Liu Changxun came to him over this not-so-significant matter.

What Bai Zhizhan was doing was clearly taking advantage of a victory to extend the hard-earned results.

Of course, he was also planning for the long term, that is, after capturing Transfer Island, to attack the islands on the eastern side of the group and strive to take the Howay Islands in one fell swoop.

If talking about increasing commitment, the most that would be done is arranging the participation of the Army Air Force in the battle.

Clearly, from the standpoint of the Imperial High Command, this wasn’t a big issue.

So, why did Liu Changxun need to act so dramatically?

If others couldn’t understand, that would be believable.

Trying to pull a trick in front of Xue Yuanzheng, Liu Changxun was clearly not clever enough.

After a brief moment of thought, Xue Yuanzheng understood.

Liu Changxun’s exaggeration was actually paving the way for what was to come, preparing Xue Yuanzheng mentally to accept the imminent reality.

This reality was the emphasis on the Navy!

Bai Zhizhan leading the fleet northward, intending to blockade the Howay Islands, was actually aiming to further expand the strategic advantage in the East Ocean.

Clearly, this conflicted with other directions of advancement.

Don’t forget, the situation in the Fan Flame Ocean and Land Heart Sea hadn’t improved, especially in the Land Heart Sea, where the Malta forces from Tiaoman could be annihilated at any moment.

It could be said that Liu Changxun’s current situation was quite awkward.

Bai Zhizhan was leading troops outside and might not obey the orders of the Navy Commander, and Liu Changxun also couldn’t directly influence fleet combat actions.

Thus, unless Xue Yuanzheng intervened, Bai Zhizhan could have his way.

It was evident that Liu Changxun’s actions were tantamount to passing the buck to Xue Yuanzheng.

To have Bai Zhizhan return, according to the previously agreed upon plan, after stabilizing the situation at Transfer Island, they should immediately dispatch the Special Mixed Fleet to Fan Flame Ocean to commence the attack on Jibu Fortress, then assault the Xifan Canal and advance into Land Heart Sea, thereby opening up the maritime route to Raleigh Kingdom. Xue Yuanzheng had to personally step in and, as the Imperial Chief Minister and the de facto supreme commander of the Imperial Army, issue orders to Bai Zhizhan.

Otherwise, one couldn’t say that Liu Changxun had failed in his responsibilities.

The problem lay exactly here.

Did they need Bai Zhizhan to return?

"How much fuel does the 21st Special Mixed Fleet still have, and how long can they operate out there?" Xue Yuanzheng didn’t immediately address the topic of Liu Changxun’s concern.

"That’s hard to say," Liu Changxun was not foolish.

In any case, Xue Yuanzheng only understood Army tactics and was clearly ignorant of Navy tactics, especially those related to the fleet.

Xue Yuanzheng furrowed his brows a few times, not understanding, and looked at Liu Changxun.

"If they’re carrying out a disruption mission, they could receive fuel from the captured enemy ships."

"And ammunition?"

"If the main operation is blockade and interception, possibly several months."

Xue Yuanzheng was speechless because Liu Changxun was clearly playing tai chi.

"If nothing unexpected happens, when can Transfer Island be captured at the earliest?"

"One month, maybe three months, perhaps even half a year. It mainly depends on the morale and fighting spirit of the defending soldiers, and whether the Newland Navy continues to exhaust us."

"In that case, let’s assume one month."

Xue Yuanzheng clearly lost patience while Liu Changxun was conspicuously taken aback.

"By this time next month, if Transfer Island is still not captured, we will have to withdraw a Special Mixed Fleet to return, and send it to Fan Flame Ocean to assist the 11th Special Mixed Fleet in attacking Jibu Fortress."

"What if Transfer Island is captured?"

"We will make other arrangements."

Liu Changxun paused, not expecting Xue Yuanzheng to also be playing tai chi.

But, this move was very apt.

What did "We will make other arrangements" mean?

It was a trap in itself!

If Transfer Island was captured, they naturally had to dispatch the Special Mixed Fleet to Fan Flame Ocean and proceed with the planned operation to advance to Boss Bay and attack Jibu Fortress.

If not captured, the Special Mixed Fleet had to be withdrawn all the same.

It was clear that Xue Yuanzheng’s words did not offer any guarantees.

Essentially, this gave Liu Changxun a month to adjust the naval forces deployment, shifting focus to Fan Flame Ocean.

"Send a telegram to Bai Zhizhan, whatever he wants to do, he must hurry. By the end of the year, we must have oil produced from Boss Bay."

"Alright, I’ll send him the telegram right now."

"One more thing, remember to tell him. The Little Eldest Princess has given birth to a big baby boy, he’s a father now, he should be more reliable."

Hearing this, Liu Changxun couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

The older ginger is the spicier.

Just with that remark, all the difficulties were resolved.

This isn’t just about being a father.

If Bai Zhizhan still didn’t understand and was unwilling to return with the fleet, maybe it wouldn’t even require Xue Yuanzheng’s intervention; a decree from the Privy Council would suffice.

The Imperial Family gaining an additional member was no trivial matter!