Empire Conquest

Chapter 614 - 610: A Conversation

Two days had passed in the blink of an eye.

It wasn’t Bai Zhizhan who sought out Wang Kaiyuan, but the other way round.

It had been quite a long time since they last met.

In truth, Bai Zhizhan had always maintained a respectful distance from Wang Kaiyuan, finding those involved in intelligence work like him not so easy to get along with.

It wasn’t just Wang Kaiyuan; Bai Zhizhan felt similarly about Zheng Jiangming.

Furthermore, their previous mission to Baku made Bai Zhizhan feel that he shouldn’t get too close to Wang Kaiyuan.

Not to mention anything else, Wang Kaiyuan served the Eldest Prince.

After the Constitution Amendment, although the Empire’s political landscape had undergone earth-shattering changes and the Imperial Family had become a symbol of the highest power in the Empire, no longer directly involved in the administrative management of the state, in just a few short decades, the Imperial Family’s influence was still very strong.

This was especially true during times of war.

To say nothing of the rest, at the very least all Empire’s soldiers were loyal to the Imperial Family, loyal to the Emperor!

When it came to internal struggles within the Imperial Family, Bai Zhizhan, who was less significant than even external relatives, naturally kept as much distance as possible.

For the sake of ease of conversation, the two went to a private room in a restaurant and ordered a few dishes to accompany their drinks.

Bai Zhizhan had come prepared, and Wang Kaiyuan was no exception.

Wang Kaiyuan also understood Bai Zhizhan quite well and held him in high regard.

In his words, among the commanders of the land and sea forces of the Empire, there were very few whom he sincerely admired; he could count them on his two hands, and Bai Zhizhan was definitely one of them, ranking in the top three no less. As for the other two in the top three, they were certainly Lian Xusheng and Li Yunxiang.

Besides, Bai Zhizhan was also the Imperial Prince Consort.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere slightly relaxed, and only then did Bai Zhizhan bring up the question he was most concerned about.

Did the higher-ups really have plans to send troops to the Southwest, to East Ocean, and to attack Aus?

What surprised Bai Zhizhan was that Wang Kaiyuan didn’t dodge the question or change the subject; he directly gave a clear answer.

Yes!

His visit to Puzhou was also related to the plans of deploying troops to Southwest East Ocean and the campaign against Aus.

Put simply, Puzhou not only boasted the Empire’s biggest Navy Shipyard, Puzhou Navy Shipyard, but also over a dozen slightly smaller shipyards.

Additionally, several of the large cities neighboring Puzhou also had ports and shipyards.

Centered around Puzhou within a 500-kilometer radius, nearly half of the Empire’s shipbuilding enterprises were concentrated, accounting for forty percent of the Empire’s shipbuilding capacity.

Wang Kaiyuan’s task was actually to investigate the maximum production capacity of the shipyards.

In his words, it was to determine whether it was possible to build enough ships within one year to ensure a successful launch of the military campaign against Aus.

As for deploying troops to Southwest East Ocean, the current fleet was sufficient.

Moreover, there were the vitally important combat materials.

The Nanjiang Delta area, centered around Puzhou, not only had the Empire’s largest shipbuilding industry system but was also the industrial heartland of the Empire with the most comprehensive industrial system. From Puzhou, upstream along the Nanjiang, there were also two inland industrial bases, Wuzhou and Yuzhou.

In the Nanjiang Delta and the Nanjiang Industrial Zone, almost all kinds of weapons and equipment could be manufactured, all kinds of combat materials produced.

To date, main battle equipment like tanks and planes produced in the Nanjiang area accounted for thirty percent of the total output, while the production of ammunition materials was close to forty percent.

The crux of the matter also lies in the fact that the lower reaches of the Nanjiang River remain one of the Empire’s most important grain-producing regions, housing a large number of light industries.

Not to mention anything else, about thirty percent of the Empire’s canned fruit is produced by food factories in the lower Nanjiang area.

In short, if there truly was to be a campaign to advance into the Southwest towards the East Ocean and to attack Ausland, it would be imperative to harness the productive capacities of the Nanjiang region.

For this reason, there would need to be a more comprehensive war mobilization.

Of course, it wasn’t just the lower reaches of the Nanjiang that required mobilization.

In the Yuejiang Delta, the Liao River Delta, and the Qilu Peninsula, as well as other agriculturally and industrially concentrated regions, there were intelligence personnel like Wang Kaiyuan secretly conducting surveys in preparation for the forthcoming mobilization.

Wang Kaiyuan was quite clear that Xue Yuanzheng had already given principal approval for the war mobilization to enter its second phase.

Once initiated, all factories and industries that could influence industrial production, such as mining, food processing, and transport logistics, would need to enter a state of control.

Fortunately, Xue Yuanzheng had not yet made a decision.

The key actually lay in the hands of intelligence personnel like Wang Kaiyuan.

In Wang Kaiyuan’s words, his visit to Puzhou was simply to ascertain the situation; only after getting a clear picture of the Empire’s fundamentals would the Grand Secretary make a decision.

"What’s the specific situation?" Bai Zhizhan was very direct, especially since it was Wang Kaiyuan himself who mentioned coming to Puzhou to ascertain the situation.

"It could be said to be both good and bad. Whether it’s good or bad depends on the perspective taken."

Bai Zhizhan rolled his eyes, but he knew this was typical of Wang Kaiyuan, always seizing the opportunity to show off.

"I’m not too clear on other places, but as far as my area is concerned, the situation doesn’t seem too problematic at the moment. The factories I’ve visited all have more than a 20% capacity for expansion. After moving into the second phase of mobilization, production capacity can be increased by 30% without further impact."

"There’s still so much room for improvement?"

"If we’re only considering advancing towards the Southwest East Ocean, in addition to attacking Ausland, that should suffice."

Bai Zhizhan’s eyebrows twitched, sensing an additional meaning in Wang Kaiyuan’s words.

"If we sweep through the Southwest East Ocean and capture Austland, compelling the Newland Federation to surrender, regardless of the difficulties, we must overcome and prevail." Clearly, this was said in irony. Wang Kaiyuan sighed before continuing, "Unfortunately, with the current situation, that’s simply impossible. In my opinion, it’s quite the opposite. If we dispatch troops to the Southwest East Ocean, we might actually prolong this war by several more years."

Bai Zhizhan merely nodded, without saying much.

Actually, Bai Zhizhan was relieved that Wang Kaiyuan could think this way.

However, it was also very possible that Wang Kaiyuan was testing him.

Let’s not forget, Wang Kaiyuan belonged to the Eldest Prince, and possibly to the Holy Emperor as well. If so, he should support the campaigns to the Southwest East Ocean and the attack on Ausland.

The critical point was this: capturing Austland was one of the key conditions for forcing the Newland Federation to admit defeat and thus ending the war sooner.

If Wang Kaiyuan was serving the Holy Emperor, one could not dismiss the possibility that he was using this opportunity to probe further.

"General Bai, I know why you’re looking for me and what worries you. Although we may not be of the same camp, we chase the same goal. I will be staying in Puzhou for a while longer, and you can always come to find me. However, I think you should look further into the future," Wang Kaiyuan chuckled before adding, "To put it bluntly, you’re not cut out for things beyond the battlefield, so don’t waste your efforts. Securing victories on the front lines and expanding those victories and advantages is where your talents truly lie!"

"I won’t be staying in Puzhou for too long."

After saying this, Bai Zhizhan let out a silent sigh.

Of course, he understood the meaning behind Wang Kaiyuan’s words, but he also knew that whether he could head to the front lines in a timely manner was not for him to decide.

Nevertheless, Wang Kaiyuan was not wrong.

Bai Zhizhan’s battlefield lay upon the vast ocean, his place was on the flagship of the fleet, and his fight was on the smoke-filled front lines.

This domestic intrigue was indeed not his forte.