Empire Conquest
Chapter 70 - 66 Disappointment

Chapter 70: Chapter 66 Disappointment

Although he firmly opposed going against the Liangxia Empire, following Takano’s opinion, even if not renewing the "Friendly Relation," the Saiyi Imperial Country should remain neutral. However, Takano had no way to influence the decision-makers above, nor could he change his fate as a Navy Admiral of the Saiyi Imperial Country and the Commander of the Permanent Fleet.

Three years ago, after withdrawing from the "Huacheng Treaty" and the "Luntai Treaty," Takano was ordered to start drafting an operational plan against the Liangxia Navy.

At that time, the Military Command Department, which is the Navy Command, had given Takano enough authority, but it also posed a difficult problem for him.

The primary goal was to defeat the Liangxia Navy.

Wasn’t this like forcing a duck onto a perch?

Given a choice, Takano might have resigned from his position as Commander of the Permanent Fleet.

Unfortunately, he had no right to choose.

After several months and rejecting more than a dozen drafts, Takano returned to the old path, or more accurately, he chose the first proposed contingency plan.

A surprise attack!

Yes, a meticulously prepared and boldly implemented surprise attack with the aim to annihilate the Liangxia Navy’s main force in one fell swoop or at least severely damage it at the onset of war, ensuring control over the maritime dominance of the West East Ocean for the next one to two years.

After Takano painfully detailed the difficulties, the Military Command Department also adjusted the operational plan, lowering the goals.

In fact, to force the Military Command Department to compromise, Takano very clearly proposed that, since he could not fulfill the duties of a Commander, he could only resign and apologize.

According to the revised plan, the goal was no longer to annihilate the Liangxia Navy but rather to heavily damage it and seize maritime supremacy in the initial stages of the war.

Subsequently, Takano revised the plan according to the new requirements and submitted the first version of the operational plan by the end of that year.

Unfortunately, good times did not last long.

A few months later, in the naval exercises of the New Calendar year 97, the Liangxia Navy conducted specialized countermeasures against a potential surprise attack. Although the exercises did not emphasize who the hypothetical enemy was, anyone could guess that the only one capable of launching a surprise attack on the Liangxia Navy was the Saiyi Navy.

As a result, the Military Command Department ordered Takano to redraw the operational plan.

This was practically a death sentence!

After months of toiling, Takano resubmitted the proposal, but the core was still a surprise attack, now supplemented with many new elements including strategic deception.

Simply put, it was about using strategic deception and other means to increase the probability of a successful surprise attack.

Not go for a surprise attack?

Then there was no point in playing.

It was with this mindset that the Saiyi Imperial Country actively engaged in diplomatic activities, including sending signals through the Locke Republic to the Tiaoman Empire, hoping for reconciliation, promoting conflicts with the Newland Federation and the Bulan Kingdom over colonies and trade, and expanding trade with the Liangxia Empire.

Not to mention anything else, forty percent of the Saiyi Imperial Country’s imported grains came from the Liangxia Empire.

All these actions, without exception, were to deceive the Liangxia Empire and make it no longer view the Saiyi Imperial Country as an enemy.

Besides, Takano made a very bold conjecture.

After lowering their guard against the Saiyi Imperial Country, the Liangxia Navy would shift its focus to the Fan Flame Ocean to ensure the supply routes to Boss Bay were unobstructed.

The reason was very simple: among the strategic resources related to wartime potential, the only thing the Liangxia Empire lacked was oil.

In a sense, it was precisely because of this lack—commonly referred to as "the blood of industry" and "the fuel of war"—that after entering the Dreadnought era, the Liangxia Navy began to restrain itself and gradually abandoned the less practical standard of two strong powers, thereby losing the crown of the global navy.

With the oil of Boss Bay, the Liangxia Empire would be invincible!

Later, Takano’s conjecture was gradually confirmed.

Not to mention anything else, of the Liangxia Navy’s three Aviation Mixed Fleets, only one was deployed at the Domestic Fleet’s Mast Harbor, while the other two were stationed in the Military Ports of the Southern Fleet.

Three months ago, after receiving intelligence, Takano concluded that the Liangxia Navy would invade the Fan Flame Ocean after the war started.

The events that followed mirrored Takano’s surveillance predictions precisely.

For instance, in November, the Liangxia Navy sent the First Aviation Mixed Fleet stationed at Mast Harbor away to the Flame Sea under the guise of fleet exercises. However, the fleet exercises did not commence until December 1. In previous years, fleet exercises would generally start in early November.

Furthermore, before the start of the fleet exercises, the two mother ships of the Third Aviation Mixed Fleet went to Cizhou Shipyard.

For what?

For their first maintenance after commissioning.

Was this merely coincidence?

Moreover, since the two mother ships were built by Puzhou Navy Shipyard and Cizhou Navy Shipyard respectively, they should be maintained by their respective shipyards under normal circumstances. Even though Cizhou Shipyard had spare dry docks available, according to Liangxia Navy traditions, such an arrangement was definitely unreasonable.

Perhaps it was simply because Cizhou Shipyard was closer, and the two carriers could return quickly after completing their maintenance.

All of these signs, without exception, indicated that the Liangxia Navy was preparing for war!

By mid-December, the call to war was sounded.

The situation in the West Continent had become exceptionally tense because the Luosha Federation intended to annex the three small Bay Sea countries that had broken away during the great war. Although the situation had been eased after mediation by the Locke Republic and the Liangxia Empire, it all seemed like a feint within a greater scheme.

In the past ten days, a series of riveting events had occurred.

First, representatives from the Luosha Federation and the Bay Sea Three Countries conducted negotiations in the Imperial Capital of the Liangxia Empire.

That very day, the Liangxia Empire announced that it would dispatch a fleet to the Bay Sea for a friendly visit to help stabilize the local situation.

Just one day later, the Bulan Royal Navy declared that it would send a main battle fleet to the Fan Flame Ocean.

On December 20, the two mother ships that had completed maintenance at Cizhou Shipyard were re-launched, raising their naval ensigns, and they were set to return to Chengjiang Port of the Southern Fleet.

In addition, the First Aviation Mixed Fleet that participated in the fleet exercises did not return.

According to the latest intelligence, the First Aviation Mixed Fleet had headed south along with the Second Aviation Mixed Fleet and was likely to be dispatched for a surprise operation.

A surprise attack?

Yes, a surprise attack on Lion Spring City, controlled by the Bulan Royal Navy.

According to Takano’s understanding, because the Bulan Royal Navy had announced they would send a main battle fleet to the Fan Flame Ocean, the Liangxia Navy would seize Lion Spring City, which guards the Throat Strait, upon the outbreak of hostilities.

A day later, the entire Southern Fleet based in Chengjiang Port was deployed.

This was a massive fleet with twelve main battle ships.

The key point was that after the strategic adjustment, the Liangxia Navy’s focus shifted southward, leaving only four main battle ships with the Domestic Fleet.

Moreover, accompanying the departure of the Southern Fleet from port was a large-scale transport fleet.

There was also intelligence indicating that the Empire’s Army had also made preparations.

For what?

The Liangxia Empire might, at the same time as the surprise attack on Lion Spring City, send its Army to march directly south to attack South Toe, which was controlled by the Locke Republic after the great war.

In fact, they might also make a landing in South Toe.

In any case, the Liangxia Empire would certainly move with lightning speed to sweep the area around the Flame Sea and seize control of the Throat Strait into the Fan Flame Ocean upon the outbreak of war.

This situation was beyond all previous predictions.

However, it did not trouble Takano.

In Takano’s view, it was a great turn of events for the Liangxia Empire to target the Bulan Kingdom or the Locke Republic first, as it meant the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom was no longer in the direct line of fire. Whatever followed, the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had more options, and the Saiyi Navy had even greater ease of action.