Empire Conquest
Chapter 59 - 55: Reignition of War

Chapter 59: Chapter 55: Reignition of War

Although it was never publicized by the Empire for political reasons, those who are rational knew that if it had not been for the Newland Federation, a new global war would have probably erupted long ago.

This isn’t about flattering the Newland Federation, but simply acknowledging the truth.

Let’s make an assumption—if Wilkins hadn’t had a stroke and Congress had approved the treaty he brought back, and if they had become a founding member of the International Alliance—what then?

Perhaps, in less than a decade, the victorious powers’ coalition would have collapsed due to severe internal conflicts or would have diverted those conflicts through expansion.

Clearly, in either case, the order of peace established by the treaty and International Alliance would have crumbled.

It wouldn’t be long before another war broke out.

Judging by the comprehensive national strength, only the Liangxia Empire and the Newland Federation would likely emerge victorious in the next full-scale war.

It’s evident that if the Newland Federation were to truly step out from the Gu Continent, the world would likely fall into great chaos.

Not to mention the Liangxia Empire, even the Western Powers were not mentally prepared for the emergence of the Newland Federation, or more precisely, to pay homage to the Newland Federation.

As per Western tradition, a battle would be required to complete the transfer of power.

If handled poorly, the Newland Federation might even join forces with the Liangxia Empire to overturn the order established by the Bulan Kingdom, Locke Republic, and Saiyi Imperial Kingdom based on their status as victors.

In fact, during strategic planning, the staff at the Imperial Navy Headquarter had considered this possibility.

Of course, the Newland Federation had other actions to take.

In the third year after the ceasefire, New Calendar year 81, the newly appointed Newland President Felix issued a call to negotiate naval disarmament.

This was not an impulsive decision by Felix.

At that time, the Locke Republic was engaging in full reconciliation with the Tiaoman Empire, the Bulan Kingdom was beginning to draw the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom with aligned interests, and the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom explicitly wanted to solidify its international standing by sending troops to the Luosha Federation, while the Liangxia Empire was vigorously carrying out internal reorganization.

Then, both the Liangxia Empire and the Bulan Kingdom had restarted warship-building programs devised during the global war. Even the weak Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had joined the fray, proposing the idea of creating an "Eight-Eight Fleet" in an attempt to stand on an equal footing with the superpowers as a maritime force.

What was their aim?

Exactly, the Great Powers were all sharpening their knives.

If this were to continue, a global war would break out again in a few years!

It was at this time that the Newland President stepped forward, proposing to contain the momentum towards war through naval disarmament, maintaining the hard-earned peace.

In reality, this was the call that all the Great Powers had been waiting for.

No matter how fiercely the Liangxia Empire, Bulan Kingdom, and Saiyi Imperial Kingdom argued, they all had a plethora of domestic issues to resolve. Allowing an arms race to continue would likely lead to their own disarray even before a new war erupted, possibly even resulting in their demise amidst a wave of military revolts.

We must not forget the tragic annihilation of the entire Luosha Imperial Family, still fresh in memory!

At the time, the representatives of the Great Powers gathered in the capital of the Newland Federation to begin negotiations on naval disarmament.

Despite several setbacks and near breakdowns in talks, by the end of the year, all the major issues had been resolved through mutual compromise and concessions.

December 31, New Calendar year 81, a day worth remembering.

On that day, the Liangxia Empire, Newland Federation, Bulan Kingdom, Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, and Locke Republic officially signed the "Naval Disarmament Treaty" in the capital of the Newland Federation. As there were five initial signing states, it was also known as the "Five Countries Treaty," which distinguished it from the subsequent "Nine Nations Treaty."

The treaty was valid for ten years, and one year before its expiration, if there were no objections from any of the signatory states, it would be automatically extended by five years.

In theory, the treaty would become void on the last day of the 96th year of the New Calendar in the Empire.

With that, the roaring naval arms race, which had been underway for decades and had triggered the first Global War, came to an end, or rather, it was temporarily halted.

Regardless, at least during the period in which the treaty was in effect, there was basically no risk of a global conflict erupting.

Due to extreme haste, or perhaps an eagerness for quick results, the "Huacheng Naval Treaty" was not perfect and contained many loopholes that had not been anticipated at the time.

As a result, five years later, in the 86th year of the New Calendar of the Empire, a supplementary treaty was signed in the capital of Bulan Kingdom. This was the "Luntai Naval Treaty," which included an additional clause that extended its validity by five years, setting it to expire ten years later in the 96th year of the New Calendar of the Empire.

Thus, the "Huacheng Naval Treaty" and the "Luntai Naval Treaty" became the cornerstones of the post-war order.

While a mere treaty was unable to fundamentally resolve the conflicts between the great powers, these two treaties brought about fifteen years of peace to the world.

The decade following the great war, from the 79th to the 88th year of the New Calendar, was known as the Golden Decade, thanks to the stable international situation and continued rapid development.

In essence, what brought about the Golden Decade was not peace, but war, or to be precise, the offspring of war.

Post-war reconstruction!

The Newland Federation was both the initiator of the post-war reconstruction and its biggest beneficiary; the orders from various countries alone made the enterprises of the Newland Federation immensely profitable.

However, it was also the Newland Federation that brought an end to the Golden Decade.

The most direct consequence of their runaway development, like an unbridled wild horse, was disorderly investment and the resultant overproduction.

When disaster struck in the 89th year of the New Calendar, no one could believe that the golden age had come to an end.

The economic crisis sparked by the stock market crash in the Newland Federation swept across the globe like a storm, ruthlessly destroying the post-war international order.

Upon waking from the dream, the great powers discovered that, beneath the flourishing waves of prosperity, lay a seabed strewn with hidden reefs.

The once-imprisoned demon of war was about to break free from its shackles and wreak havoc upon the world once again.

To survive, the only way was to arm oneself and bravely fight with weapons in hand!

From this perspective, in the twenty years following the end of the war, it was the Newland Federation that dominated and influenced the global landscape; she was the protagonist on the international stage.

The Liangxia Empire?

Despite still being the world’s leader in terms of population size, economic scale, industrial output, potential for war, and total resources—with a population more than twice that of the Newland Federation—the short span of twenty years was not enough for the Liangxia Empire to forget the wounds of war. It can be said that, during the twenty years following the war, the Liangxia Empire was like a fierce beast that had been gravely injured in a duel, hiding in a corner to lick its wounds!

Not to mention that, for the four hundred million citizens of the Empire, the psychological trauma caused by the great war could not be forgotten in a mere twenty years.

If anything, the Empire’s military men had not slackened in the slightest.

Over those twenty years, a million soldiers of the Empire’s Army had been sleeping on their arms, waiting for the call to battle, and a million warriors of the Empire’s Navy had been enduring hardships like sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, all in anticipation of the moment when the horn would sound again and the battle flags would be unfurled once more.

Blood debts must be paid in blood.

The shame of defeat could only be washed away by the glory of victory.

The horns sound loud and clear.

The battle flags fly high.

The warriors of the Empire, courageously marching to battle!