Empire Conquest

Chapter 585 - 581: A Multi-Pronged Approach

Along with the intelligence, there also came a directive forwarded from the Navy Headquarter, originating from the Prime Minister Mansion.

Accelerate the expedition to the Land Heart Sea and assist Malta.

This command did not surprise Bai Zhizhan.

Because Bai Zhizhan had already anticipated it, Zheng Jiangming and Li Mingbo weren’t surprised either.

As long as the war was not over, no matter how deep the grudge between the Tiaoman Empire and the Raleigh Kingdom, maintaining the solidarity of the Consortium Group came first.

Anything that could lead to division must be eliminated!

The Navy Headquarter had already issued an order for the minesweeping ships remaining at Jibu Fortress to head north at full speed to assist the Special Mixed Fleet in clearing the naval mines in the canal.

When necessary, the commander could decide whether to risk passage through the canal.

Upon receiving the news, the first thing Bai Zhizhan did was to communicate with Liu Xiangzhen, asking him to keep the battleships assigned to the assault force and to prepare in time to enter the Land Heart Sea together with the Eleventh Special Mixed Fleet, which meant to undertake refueling operations in advance and carry out maintenance on the main battleships.

Anyway, the fleet had to be in full readiness while passing through the canal.

In addition, once in the Land Heart Sea, do not expect to receive supplies and support in the short term.

Liu Xiangzhen did not object to this arrangement.

Of course, the key was still the ground forces.

This was also what troubled Bai Zhizhan the most.

The forces fighting on the side of the Xifan Canal were all from the Tiaoman military!

The main force of the Empire’s Marine Corps had already returned to Sri Lanka. Since there was no way to mobilize the landing fleet for the time being, even if preparations were made now, the Marine Corps would not arrive for another half a month.

Obviously, it was impossible to delay for half a month.

As for the Tiaoman Army, even if face-saving measures were needed and there was no need to oppose the Imperial Navy head-on, they would definitely not go all out in the attack.

Zheng Jiangming had said this early on.

Rommel brought only two Armored Divisions to Suez City, with the other six divisions in Alaman, clearly indicating no plans to quickly capture and control the canal.

Fortunately, the Imperial Authority had realized this point early on.

It was on December 13, the day the reinforcement minesweeping squadron arrived, that Bai Zhizhan received the message from the Navy Headquarter.

Lian Xusheng had arrived at the Boss Bay front line, and he was in the armored forces pushing toward the Xifan Canal.

Besides, this armored force, starting from Boss Bay, brought only one-way fuel and not much ammunition; they needed to resupply immediately after reaching the east bank of the Xifan Canal.

Implicitly, the Navy had to capture a bridgehead in advance.

Fortunately, the east bank of the canal was desert, and Bulan forces had already withdrawn, so there was no need to deploy the Marine Corps for a beach assault.

Moreover, each battleship in the two Special Mixed Fleets carried some Marine Corps officers and soldiers, totaling several thousand men.

Merely controlling a beach and defending it under the Fleet’s covering fire and support, constructing a few piers for the transport ships to dock, was not a difficult task.

In fact, the Imperial Authority had gone all out.

At least as Zheng Jiangming said, there was no consideration to dispatch Lian Xusheng to campaign at the Xifan Canal, let alone a thousand-mile raid, when making the plans.

This reflected from one aspect that the Imperial Authority indeed did not wish for the Tiaoman Empire and the Raleigh Kingdom to fall out with each other at this time.

Fortunately, the only obstacles for the assault force commanded by Lian Xusheng before reaching the Xifan Canal were the deserts of the Kuangsha Peninsula.

Setting aside the enemies along the way, at least no one before had expected that a feinting force would enter the forbidden zone of life without any preparation.

To charge a thousand miles through the desert, even Rommel did not have the audacity!

The key point was, the Army Headquarters had made urgent adjustments.

According to the messages received, the Army Air Force had already dispatched hundreds of transport aircraft to Boss Bay, providing the assault force with fresh water and food through airdrops.

In short, they were doing everything possible to ensure that the assault force could smoothly reach the eastern bank of the Xifan Canal.

Since the Bulan troops guarding the Xifan Canal had been defeated, the Army believed that as long as the assault force led by Lian Xusheng reached the canal, they would be able to capture it.

Bai Zhizhan had no jurisdiction over the ground forces and could only manage the battleships sailing at sea.

In fact, as early as December 12, after the Bulan troops surrendered in Suez City had been completely evacuated, the operation to clear the naval mines began.

Unlike the minesweeping in the Mand Strait, the minesweeping operation in the Canal Zone was mainly forceful removal.

Most of the time, the minesweeper ships used a simple and brutal method, which was to detonate the naval mines equipped with hydraulic fuzes by blasting.

As for the magnetic mines, they were handled by a modified freighter.

Strictly speaking, it was actually a remote-controlled freighter.

To enhance the minesweeping effect, this freighter was loaded with thousands of tons of scrap iron, creating a magnetic field similar to that of a ten-thousand-ton battleship.

As for being hit by explosions, there was nothing much to worry about.

That special minesweeping ship was made to withstand blasts; its hull had been strengthened, with a double bottom, and its inner compartments were completely welded shut, making it very difficult to sink.

What mattered was maintaining navigation through the canal.

Unlike minesweeping in open waters, minesweeping in the canal had to consider the potential damage to the waterway when forcibly clearing naval mines.

For instance, creating shoals that reduce water depth and pose a threat to passing vessels.

Of course, the solution was likewise simple and crude.

Joining the minesweeper squadron were several large engineering vessels, but most importantly, three dredging ships.

During peacetime, these types of vessels’ main task was to ensure unobstructed main shipping channels by dredging and maintaining sufficient water depth.

Additionally, they could be used for reclamation work, that is, land reclamation by filling in the sea.

Many of the Empire’s deep-water harbors, especially the outer ports of the coastal cities, were almost entirely created through reclamation work on nearshore land!

Just at Puzhou alone, the area of reclaimed land exceeded 100 square kilometers, with the still-expanding Puzhou outer port originally a shoal that would be submerged at high tide. On the southern coast of Chongming Island, a tract of land has been reclaimed, with plans to create the world’s largest shipyard.

It was thanks to these engineering vessels that there were no worries about blockages in the Xifan Canal.

Of course, the speed of minesweeping was actually determined by the ground forces’ rate of advance.

A few days ago, the minesweepers were operating in the south of the canal, not far from Suez City, within the range of naval gun fire, and there were no security concerns.

Moving north, once out of the range of the naval guns, threats emerged.

Shipborne air force could not provide uninterrupted cover for the minesweepers, especially at night. The only thing capable of covering the minesweepers, preventing the enemy from laying more mines, was the artillery of the battleships.

That’s why, on December 15, Bai Zhizhan ordered the cessation of minesweeping operations and sent Li Mingbo to make contact with the Tiaoman troops.

Rommel refused to send troops to make a northern assault, claiming that the Armored Forces needed rest.

However, it only caused a delay of three days.

In the early hours of December 18, the assault force under the command of Lian Xusheng arrived.

After assessing the situation and refueling the troops, Lian Xusheng ordered the most elite assault units to advance north along the Xifan Canal.

As a result, the Tiaoman troops on the western bank of the canal also got wind of the advance and joined the offensive.

Late that same day, the eleventh Special Mixed Fleet led by the "Pu" advanced into the Xifan Canal.