Empire Conquest

Chapter 565 - 561 Concerns Become Reality

Bai Zhizhan’s worries quickly became reality.

At dusk, when it was not completely dark yet, around dinnertime, the communication advisor delivered a freshly received telegram.

It was an order from the Navy headquarters.

The eleventh Special Mixed Fleet was to stand by near Socotra Island, ready to cover the Marine Corps as they attacked Jibu Fortress, to clear the route to the Narrow Sea.

The minesweeper squad stationed in Colombo had already departed, expected to arrive three days later.

Furthermore, the twelfth Special Mixed Fleet was still following the earlier arrangement, heading to the Northeast Fan Flame Ocean for their mission.

These adjustments were all within Bai Zhizhan’s expectations.

In the afternoon, after discussing with Li Mingbo, Bai Zhizhan had the accompanying "Qinling" send a telegram to the twelfth Special Mixed Fleet.

It was supposed to seek Liu Xiangzhen’s opinion, but actually, it was a way to inform Liu Xiangzhen that the situation might change.

Sending the fleet to the Northeast Fan Flame Ocean was mostly a feint; the real intention was to launch a preemptive strike on Jibu Fortress, keeping at least one Special Mixed Fleet in the Mua Sea.

Shortly after, a response was received from the "Kunlun."

Liu Xiangzhen made a similar judgment, but his rationale differed slightly from Bai Zhizhan’s. He thought it was a tactic to draw the enemy out, making Spur believe it was an excellent opportunity to ambush the Imperial Navy’s Special Mixed Fleet, thus leading his fleet northward to attack the Imperial Fleet operating in the Alaphra Sea.

For this, Liu Xiangzhen suggested that if they needed to divide their forces, he was willing to go to the Northeast Fan Flame Ocean.

This proposal was also within Bai Zhizhan’s expectations.

Although Bai Zhizhan didn’t consider it as drawing the enemy out, he had already thought that if a fleet was needed there, Liu Xiangzhen would actively seek the opportunity.

The reason was clear: only by annihilating the Newland Fleet commanded by Spur could Liu Xiangzhen prove himself not inferior to Bai Zhizhan.

Letting Bai Zhizhan go there to annihilate Newland Navy’s last carrier fleet would mean Liu Xiangzhen could never aspire to become the top commander of the Imperial Navy.

To put it more severely, missing this opportunity and letting it fall into the hands of other fleet commanders, Liu Xiangzhen might even struggle to maintain his position as the "second-in-command."

Don’t forget, several fleet commanders who had fought with Bai Zhizhan in the East and West, such as Wei Jun and Li Jie, had all accumulated plenty of military achievements, and the gap between them and Liu Xiangzhen was not noticeable. Especially Wei Jun, who, with one more decisive battle, felt very confident he could surpass Liu Xiangzhen.

Undoubtedly, Liu Xiangzhen must have sent a telegram to the Navy headquarters.

Of course, this too was within Bai Zhizhan’s expectations.

That’s why, in the afternoon, the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet slowed down and increased the distance from the twelfth Special Mixed Fleet. Around 5 pm, they sent out their final telegram, reporting their whereabouts to the Navy headquarters, and then entered a radio silence state, sending no further signals.

As Li Mingbo put it, this move was to accommodate Liu Xiangzhen.

However, Bai Zhizhan had his own considerations.

The key was that the presence of "Qinling" and "Kunlun" was no longer a secret, nor was Bai Zhizhan’s command of the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet.

Thus, if it were the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet that headed to the Northeast Fan Flame Ocean, it might scare away Spur.

According to intelligence provided by the Sixth Bureau, the Newland Navy had already branded Bai Zhizhan as an "invincible" opponent, and Nizi had personally ordered that they should avoid engaging with Bai Zhizhan.

Liu Xiangzhen, obviously, didn’t have such an eye-catching reputation.

Sending the twelfth Special Mixed Fleet would make Spur believe the opportunity had finally arrived and would also make him resolute in leading his fleet to battle.

Of course, what came next would depend on Liu Xiangzhen’s performance.

So, did Liu Xiangzhen have the capability to defeat Spur?

To speak truthfully, Bai Zhizhan indeed harbored such concerns.

Before the afternoon telegram to Navy headquarters, Bai Zhizhan contemplated whether to swap places with Liu Xiangzhen, which would involve him commanding the Twelfth Special Mixed Fleet aboard the "Min," while Liu Xiangzhen would command the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet aboard the "Pu," to ensure the operation was foolproof.

At that time, Li Mingbo felt he should boldly approach Liu Changxun and have Liu Changxun give a direct order.

After much deliberation, Bai Zhizhan ultimately abandoned the idea.

The reason was simple: Liu Xiangzhen would not agree, and Liu Changxun might not want to be the bad guy.

As for concerns, one could view them from a different angle.

Liu Xiangzhen had two large carriers at his disposal, targeted specifically. Spur had at most three small carriers, and they might not even be intended for Liu Xiangzhen.

In other words, Spur was likely targeting the other two Special Mixed Fleets.

Therefore, even if Liu Xiangzhen missed the opportunity, he was unlikely to be surprised by an attack from Spur.

Moreover, the commander of the Twenty-first Special Mixed Fleet was Wei Jun, who also coordinated the command of the Forty-first Special Mixed Fleet.

Although Wei Jun had not reached the heights of Bai Zhizhan, he had learned quite a lot under Bai Zhizhan’s command, especially in terms of a spirit of adventure.

Before becoming a Special Mixed Fleet Commander, Wei Jun had always been Bai Zhizhan’s leading general.

In several decisive naval battles led by Bai Zhizhan, he was at the forefront and earned significant military honors, which also brought him numerous promotions.

In a sense, Wei Jun was one of the most representative young commanders to emerge from the war.

The key was that Wei Jun relied on ability, not connections.

At the outbreak of the war, he was merely a cruiser captain who, due to good luck, temporarily took on the role of squadron commander and completed his mission successfully.

Would Wei Jun miss the chance to take down Spur?

Truth be told, Wei Jun craved victory more than Liu Xiangzhen.

The reason was simple: just a few months ago, during the Galapagos Sea Battle, Wei Jun was assigned the task to lead the Twenty-second Special Mixed Fleet in a flanking maneuver, to lie in wait south of Transfer Island. Once Spur’s fleet arrived, he would launch a thundering strike.

If, at that time, Spur had not turned back to the Samoa Islands, he would have suffered a crushing defeat within three days.

Even with preparedness and strengthened defenses, Spur could not possibly withstand an assault from two large carriers with just two small carriers.

Furthermore, at that time, Spur’s fleet had very few ship-borne fighters.

In summary, because Hal’s Special Mixed Fleet was annihilated in the Galapagos Sea Battle, Spur abandoned the idea of returning to Treasure Harbor and timely ordered a turn back to the Southwest East Ocean, narrowly escaping disaster, and Wei Jun thus missed the chance to achieve a remarkable feat.

If the result had been different, it likely wouldn’t have been Liu Xiangzhen commanding the Twelfth Special Mixed Fleet.

Now, with the opportunity to take down Spur reemerging, would Wei Jun miss it?

Liu Xiangzhen must know that Wei Jun was now the third in command of the Empire Navy, hence, he would not miss the chance to annihilate Spur’s fleet either.

With competition, everything was negotiable.

According to Bai Zhizhan’s understanding, Liu Xiangzhen was the type who gained strength from pressure and often acted more proactively under it.

Without pressure, Liu Xiangzhen tended to be more conservative.

Indeed, it was Liu Xiangzhen’s lack of initiative that led Bai Zhizhan to leave him behind.

As for Wei Jun, he was famously "desperate" and never lacked drive.

That was precisely why Bai Zhizhan chose to withdraw, leaving the chance to earn military honors to the two rivals.

It wasn’t that Bai Zhizhan was noble but given the current situation, if only one Special Mixed Fleet could be sent to support the Marine Corps in the fierce attack on Jibu Fortress.

Then, it had to be the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet!