Empire Conquest

Chapter 584 - 580: Guessed Right Again

After returning to the "Pu," Zheng Jiangming didn’t spend much effort before he confirmed Bai Zhizhan’s speculation.

According to the intelligence provided by the Sixth Bureau, the Tiaoman Army had not reinforced Tunisia with additional troops. The previously deployed armored forces remained in Benghazi, citing the reason that the supply of ammunition and other materials could not keep up, and there was not enough fuel to reach Tunisia. They could only stop in Benghazi and organize defenses on the spot.

Additionally, the General Staff Department of the Tiaoman Army was already considering withdrawing from Tunisia.

The reason was still the issue of inadequate supply.

Over the past few months, the Tiaoman military had continuously risked sending transport planes to Tunisia at night, providing supplies to the local troops via airdrops and air transport.

Not to mention the losses, the efficiency and cost alone decided that the Air Force was not a sustainable long-term solution.

Adding the losses into the equation made even short-term sustainment unfeasible.

Importantly, there hadn’t been a need to resupply ammunition before, and the primary air shipments were life necessities such as food, so the demand on transport capacity wasn’t exceedingly high.

But now, ammunition replenishment had become necessary.

Furthermore, the Alliance Army had already seized Tangier, and the vanguard troops had reached near Oran, expected to advance to Alger in a few days.

After taking control of the airports in Tangier, the Alliance Army began dispatching long-range fighters to attack Tunisia.

Crucially, Tangier is located south of the Strait of Nara and could receive supplies by sea transport, so the aviation troops stationed there did not have to worry about running short of fuel or ammunition.

In summary, under the threat of the Alliance Army, air transporting supplies to Tunisia was simply too dangerous.

Just a few days earlier, a Plane Group from the Tiaoman Air Force was intercepted over the Land Heart Sea north of Tunisia, and over 30 transport planes were shot down.

However, this might just be a strategy of feigning weakness.

As a result of this, the Tiaoman Air Force had to halt the air transport of supplies to Tunisia.

Due to the shortage of supplies, the Tiaoman Army had proposed withdrawing from Tunisia, but the plan had not yet received approval from the Imperial Supreme Command of the Tiaoman Empire.

Of course, there was another critical factor.

Yes, it was the Locke Colony Government in the North Xuan region.

After the Alliance Army landed in Casablanca, the Free Locke Government in exile from the Bulan Kingdom issued a call to action for all Locke military personnel and civilians around the world to rise up against the Tiaoman Empire’s military occupation. They called for Locke to regain its freedom and democracy and for the Locke Republic to once again stand at the pinnacle of Western civilization.

However, to be truthful, since the time of Emperor Charlemagne, even during the Empire’s era that swept across the West Continent, Locke had never reached the peak of Western civilization. As for Emperor Charlemagne, he was not only a great emperor of the Locke lineage but could also be seen as a common ancestor of many Western nations.

Regardless of history, the Locke Colony Government in the North Xuan region was the first to be affected.

Although most colonial officials stated they would continue to observe the previously agreed treaties, recognizing the state of Locke and following the directives of the Tiaoman Empire, many lower-ranking officials and the members of the paramilitary forces responsible for maintaining order were influenced by Free Locke.

Here, the intelligence agencies of the Alliance Group were involved as well.

After the Alliance Army landed in Casablanca, the Alliance Group started providing local resistance organizations with weapons and ammunition, mainly through airdrops.

In addition, they used cash and gold to bribe a large number of low-ranking military officers.

According to subsequent statistics, just the Newland Federation alone had transported about 500 kilograms of gold bars to the region following the landing in North Xuan.

Almost all of this gold ended up in the pockets of the lower-ranking officials of the Locke Colony Government.

In other words, through bribery and subversion, the Consortium Group undermined the ruling position of the Colony Government in the North Xuan region.

Influenced by this, attacks against the Tiaoman occupation forces became increasingly frequent.

Although the underground resistance organizations rarely gained an upper hand, the relentless attacks made the military occupation too costly and unsustainable.

The crux of the matter was that there simply were no resources in the area worth occupying!

Before this, the Tiaoman Empire’s military presence in Tunisia was solely to defend Malta.

If there was no need to defend Malta, what reason would they have to occupy Tunisia?

Various signs indicated that the Tiaoman Empire was methodically, and according to plan, giving up on the Raleigh Kingdom, thus giving the Alliance Group a perceived opportunity.

Of course, this was also a way of creating a pretext for themselves.

The most crucial point was the strategic reprisal launched by the Alliance Group.

As mentioned earlier, the Alliance Army’s landing in Casablanca in the North Xuan region was a clear move against the Tiaoman Empire, aiming to first defeat it.

However, merely opening a new front in the North Xuan region wasn’t enough to achieve their goal.

The next step was a counterattack on the Western Continent.

So, would they land in Locke or somewhere else?

If one disregarded the actual military strength and only considered the strategic impact, launching from the Bulan Kingdom’s homeland and landing in Locke after crossing the Strait would definitely be the best choice.

But upon considering the real situation, this was the worst choice.

Given the current circumstances, especially after the Imperial Navy increased its investment in the Fan Flame Ocean, a direct landing in Locke would only end in a disastrous defeat.

Thus, they had to choose a different location.

If they had to settle for the next best, it would be the Raleigh Kingdom.

Although the Tiaoman Empire had already taken control of the Balkan region, and with the Ter Republic joining the war, so that ships coming through the Xifan Canal could go directly to Balkan ports and then transport supplies to the Tiaoman Empire by rail, the Raleigh Kingdom still held immense value.

Take Sicily, for instance.

Since the time of the Roman Empire, Sicily was known as a famous granary.

Even now, with its exceptional natural environment, Sicily remained the most renowned grain producer in the entire Land Heart Sea region.

If they could take Sicily, they would heavily damage the Raleigh Kingdom, increase the burdens on the Consortium Group, and at the very least, compel the Liangxia Empire to offer more assistance to the Tiaoman Empire.

Additionally, the insurgent forces against the government in Sicily could be used by the Alliance Group to reduce the difficulty of the attack.

By occupying Sicily, even without landing on Raleigh’s mainland, aircraft could be deployed to threaten the maritime shipping routes of the East Land Heart Sea.

Of course, attacking Raleigh’s mainland from Sicily posed little difficulty.

Considering Locke, making a move from the northwest of the Raleigh Kingdom was also a good choice.

The key was that with the Raleigh Kingdom’s situation already unstable, sending troops to take control of the kingdom would be easy, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Even if the action failed, they could still turn the Raleigh Kingdom into a sore spot for the Consortium Group.

Clearly, the Alliance Group indeed had compelling reasons to focus on the Raleigh Kingdom.

The Alliance Group’s dispatch of troops to the North Xuan region was also a preparation for this, or rather a form of pressure on the Raleigh Kingdom.

According to the information provided by the Sixth Bureau, it was very likely that the Alliance Group had already reached a secret agreement with the Raleigh Kingdom.

However, in line with the Raleigh Kingdom’s usual approach, they wouldn’t act until the last moment.

Once the Imperial Navy occupied and controlled the Xifan Canal, thereby securing the maritime routes, the authorities in Raleigh would surely have a change of heart and cease relations with the Alliance Group.

In fact, this was the crux of the matter.

Just as mentioned before Bai Zhizhan, there was a need to hasten the march into the Land Heart Sea.

As long as there was timely entry into the Land Heart Sea and control of its maritime supremacy was secured, defending Malta would fundamentally ensure the unity and stabilization of the Consortium Group.