Empire Conquest

Chapter 583 - 579 Bold Conjecture

"So you’re saying that without a proper reason, we should just keep dragging this on?"

"Believe it or not, that’s exactly the point."

"If the Tiaoman Empire had made up its mind, how could it possibly stand still for such a fabricated reason?"

"Even if it’s fabricated, there still has to be one, right?"

...

Li Mingbo and Zheng Jiangming sounded like they were singing a duet, with one asking questions and the other answering, seemingly forgetting Bai Zhizhan who was in the same vehicle.

Bai Zhizhan had been frowning all along and did not participate in the conversation between Zheng Jiangming and Li Mingbo.

In fact, as Zheng Jiangming had mentioned at the start, the Alliance Group had always been using the Raleigh Kingdom, trying to turn it into the black sheep within the Consortium Group family.

The current problem was that there wasn’t much time left for the Alliance Group to exploit the situation.

After taking control of the Xifan Canal, it was just a matter of time before the Imperial Navy entered the Land Heart Sea, and seizing control of the sea would be even easier.

By then, would the Raleigh Kingdom still be ambivalent?

Given the Raleigh Kingdom’s usual tactics, it would certainly dispatch its fleet immediately to fight, in order to solidify its status within the Consortium Group and ensure a place among the victors.

The stance of the Tiaoman Empire was uncertain, but the Liangxia Empire would definitely choose to forgive and forget.

Of course, according to Bai Zhizhan’s understanding, the Tiaoman Empire had no need to quibble with the Raleigh Kingdom during the war and would probably turn a blind eye.

Even if it was highly dissatisfied with the Raleigh Kingdom’s duplicity, it would have to prioritize the big picture before the end of the war.

It was clear that no matter how high the price offered by the Alliance Group, the Raleigh Kingdom would not be tempted.

If the battlefield were a gambling den, the Raleigh Kingdom would be a small-time gambler with few chips in hand, who liked to daydream and followed the crowd.

In Zheng Jiangming’s words, the Raleigh Kingdom couldn’t become the Luosha Federation.

What they lacked was not only strength, but more importantly, ambition.

For the Raleigh Kingdom, the greatest dream was nothing more than to resurrect the glory of the Roman Empire, to dominate the coastline of the Land Heart Sea, and to turn it into its own inland sea.

Clearly, in terms of crucial core interests, the Raleigh Kingdom had no conflict with the two major empires of the Consortium Group, and there were not too many entanglements.

That is to say, the benefits the Alliance Group could offer, the Consortium Group could also provide.

Then, could the Alliance Group still afford to drag things out?

"Have you ever thought, after going through so much, whether the Tiaoman Empire would still let a duplicitous ally control the vitally important Land Heart Sea?"

Bai Zhizhan suddenly chimed in, shocking both Zheng Jiangming and Li Mingbo.

However, Bai Zhizhan didn’t seem to notice their expressions.

"Don’t forget, when it comes to drawing up spheres of influence, the issues here in the Land Heart Sea are the most prominent and have yet to be properly resolved."

"Are you suggesting that the Tiaoman Empire is going to give up on the Raleigh Kingdom?" Li Mingbo was the first to ask, then looked at Bai Zhizhan and Zheng Jiangming through the rearview mirror.

Bai Zhizhan kept silent; he merely raised a new topic.

"Indeed, that’s a possibility, and given the current situation, it might even be the best solution. Regardless, we need the oil from Boss Bay, relying on the Ter Republic’s commitment in that direction. Obviously, the value of the Raleigh Kingdom can’t compare to that of the Ter Republic."

"Malta."

After Bai Zhizhan spoke, Zheng Jiangming nodded slightly.

"What?"

Li Mingbo was initially confused, but he quickly caught on after speaking up.

Given the current situation, the strategic initiative was in the hands of the Consortium Group, or in other words, dragging things out was disadvantageous to the Alliance Group. Therefore, the Alliance Group would definitely try to win over the Raleigh Kingdom, and the sooner, the better. No matter what means the Alliance Group used, they must take the vitally important Malta.

Even if we are unable to turn the Raleigh Kingdom, we can still consider launching an attack from Malta.

For instance, landing on Sicily.

To put it bluntly, as long as we take Malta, everything else can be easily dealt with.

Otherwise, the Alliance Group will quickly lose the Land Heart Sea, and all the efforts previously made in the Land Heart Sea, including the landings in the western part of North Xuan, will become meaningless.

"Who replaced Rommel to go to Benghazi?"

"I heard it’s a body double."

"What?"

Zheng Jiangming gave a bitter smile and sighed, saying, "According to the previous plan, which was focused on deception, an officer resembling Rommel was sent over."

"This means the Tiaoman Authority is dead set on making a move against the Raleigh Kingdom."

"In this matter, the Tiaoman Empire really has no choice."

After Zheng Jiangming said this, Bai Zhizhan nodded without making any other comment.

The meaning of this statement couldn’t be more clear.

As mentioned earlier, not only the Liangxia Empire but also the Tiaoman Empire are now relying on the oil fields in Boss Bay, which are within the influence of the Ter Republic.

Although it is the Empire’s Army that occupies Boss Bay and controls it, good relations with the Ter Republic are necessary to ensure that the local oil fields can produce normally and the extracted oil can be transported continuously, allowing the war machines of the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire to keep running.

The reason being, the workers at the oil fields and the ports are all dispatched and managed by the Ter Republic.

"Is everything prepared back home?"

"There are certainly preparations, but whether they are adequate is another question."

Bai Zhizhan’s eyebrows twitched, and then he looked at Zheng Jiangming.

"The West Continent is the Tiaoman Empire’s home ground; we haven’t even entered the Land Heart Sea yet. It will take at least half a month to clear the Naval mines laid by the Bulan forces and to secure a safe passage," Zheng Jiangming sighed before saying, "If the Tiaoman Empire makes up its mind, all we can do is sigh in helplessness."

Bai Zhizhan rubbed his forehead hard before saying, "There’s another possibility that perhaps none of us have considered."

Zheng Jiangming paused but did not reply.

"Turn the Raleigh Kingdom into a quagmire, wearing down the Tiaoman Empire’s forces."

"This..."

"If the Alliance Group has been in secret contact with the Raleigh Kingdom all along, and if the high ranks of Raleigh Kingdom truly were considering allying with the Alliance Group, at least they were before, even if they have abandoned the idea now, they had sufficient time in the past months to carry out targeted deployments."

"Are you saying that Raleigh Kingdom will turn into a Luosha Federation?"

"It’s unlikely, but the Raleigh Kingdom could indeed become a battlefield that swallows a massive amount of troops. Even if it’s a civil war."

Zheng Jiangming’s expression had dimmed, clearly fraught with anxiety.

"From a strategic standpoint, this is the key for the Alliance Group to prevent us from breaking through the Land Heart Sea or, to put it differently, to keep us from advancing from the Land Heart Sea to the Sunset Ocean."

"Even if that’s the case, what can we do?"

"There are two key points, one is Tunisia, and the other is Malta. If my prediction is correct, then the Alliance Group will definitely advance on Tunisia beforehand, and the Tiaoman forces will willingly give up, at least they won’t put up a fierce resistance. Then, depending on the situation, the Tiaoman forces will consider whether to give up Malta."

"If they give up Malta, then in the future..."

"As long as we break into the Land Heart Sea, what else is there to worry about?"

Hearing Bai Zhizhan say this, Zheng Jiangming finally took a deep breath.

"Regardless, we still need to hurry."

"When I get back, I’ll make a call to inquire about the situation. If it really is as you suspect, we must consider launching an advance into the Land Heart Sea preemptively."

Bai Zhizhan nodded his head and didn’t say more.