Empire Conquest
Chapter 72 - 68: Full of Doubts

Chapter 72: Chapter 68: Full of Doubts

When Colonel Kuroshima emerged, Takano was staring blankly at the distant "Luo" ship.

Although it was in the tropical waters, the early morning sea breeze was still bone-piercingly cold.

"Commander!"

After Kuroshima called out a reminder, Takano snapped back to reality and caught the telegram that was handed over.

Four days earlier, right after the order to begin the surprise attack was given, including the Fleet’s flagship "Damen," all Battleships had entered radio silence, only receiving telegrams from the rear, not transmitting any until Lan Yun’s Mobile Fleet completed the assault.

Unless something unexpected occurred, it would be Takano who ordered the cancellation of the surprise attack.

This was a telegram from Military Command Department.

The latest intelligence.

Just at the start, or more accurately, just before dawn local time, the four Main Force Squads of the Liangxia Navy’s Southern Fleet, as well as the Second Aviation Mixed Fleet stationed at Chengjiang Port and the First Aviation Mixed Fleet that hadn’t returned from fleet exercises, had already returned to Chengjiang Port.

Although the intelligence report did not mention the Fast Battleships temporarily attached to the two Special Mixed Fleets, even so, there were a total of twelve Main Battle Ships and four Fleet Carriers.

Half of the Liangxia Navy was in Chengjiang Port!

However, Takano was not shocked.

The night before, Takano had received the same message from the Military Command Department.

Negotiations held by the Liangxia Empire had concluded, and with the efforts of the Liangxia Empire, the Luosha Federation had agreed to engage in in-depth and comprehensive negotiations with the Bay Sea Three Countries to resolve differences and conflicts through discussion. In return, the Bay Sea Three Countries assured they would not join any political or military block against the Luosha Federation, clarifying their stance with respect to both the Tiaoman Empire and the Locke Republic, including the abolition of a previously secretly signed alliance treaty.

To put it simply, the disputes in the West Continent had been controlled.

Now, things were getting interesting.

But this also exactly fitted the limit Takano set on the 20th.

What did he mean?

Before the Fleet entered the Flame Sea, before moving into assault positions, Takano had set a triggering condition for the operation: only if the situation in the West Continent stabilized and a great war did not break out, they would launch the surprise attack. Otherwise, they must retreat to East Ocean at full speed.

Why?

The core of the surprise attack was a stealth raid!

If a great war broke out, with the Liangxia Navy and the Saiyi Royal Navy fiercely engaged, what would be left to stealth raid?

To raid the Special Mixed Fleet performing combat missions in distant waters, ready for battle at any moment?

Even if successful, what then?

A head-on confrontation would certainly result in killing a thousand enemies but losing eight hundred of one’s own.

Only when the main force returned to port was there assurance that a stealth attack could severely damage the Liangxia Navy.

When setting this limit, Takano had actually hoped to use this method to avoid going to war with the Liangxia Empire, or at least avoid being the first to go to war with the Liangxia Empire.

Mainly because he had a very bad premonition, and it wasn’t unfounded speculation.

These days, many signs indicated that the current situation was incredibly eerie.

For instance, ten days ago, without any prior indication, Marshal Zhu Shijian, the Navy Commander, suddenly announced his retirement and relinquished the reins of power he had held for twenty years.

Of course, this could be understood.

After all, Zhu Shijian was already eighty years old, and no other Navy Commander had stayed in their post until eighty!

But the new Commander-in-chief was not He Yongxing, it was Liu Changxun.

Was it Zhu Shijian who recommended Liu Changxun, or was it the Grand Secretary’s arrangement?

No matter the case, both scenarios were practically making a mockery of the Empire’s destiny.

The He Family had always been at odds with the Liu Family, at the very least they kept to their separate ways like water to oil. He Yongxing could be considered highly respected and also bore the nickname "Tiger of the East Ocean." Yet after Zhu Shijian retired, instead of He Yongxing, they appointed a person from the Liu Family who had only been the Southern Fleet Commander for three years.

What were they trying to do?

Force the He Family into rebellion?

The threatening part was that after Zhu Shijian retired and Liu Changxun took over, those people in the Military Command Department felt that the moment they had been waiting for twenty years had finally arrived.

The biggest issue was that Takano, being in the fleet, had no way to influence the situation back home.

As a result, on that very day, the Military Command Department issued orders for Takano to take action, transforming the twenty years of carefully prepared battle plans into actual victory.

Takano had no way to rescind the orders directly issued by the Military Command Department, but he had his own methods.

When setting the trigger conditions, Takano did not think too much.

War was on the verge of breaking out, the Liangxia Navy’s fleets had already set to sea, and even the Army’s combat troops had begun to mobilize; the arrow was already off the string.

Is there such a thing as an arrow returning once it’s released from the bow?

Who would have thought that the method he conceived to prevent the outbreak of the war would now become the key factor in launching a surprise attack, even a decisive factor?

Could this be a coincidence!?

Takano didn’t think so.

In his view, this was not necessarily a coincidence, and hidden behind the illusion of coincidence was a terrifying conspiracy, aimed directly at the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

To be precise, it was using the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom.

What did that mean?

After the war, Takano spent a lot of time studying this superpower that had all countries trembling, and he reached an astonishing conclusion.

If the war hadn’t ended with peace talks at that time, in five years at best, ten at worst, except for the Newland Federation, which had a uniquely advantageous geopolitical position, all other countries would be beaten down by the Liangxia Empire. Not just the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom, but even the Bulan Kingdom, separated by two continents, would be defeated.

The only one that could beat the Liangxia Empire was itself!

External pressure would only make the military and civilians of the Liangxia Empire more united.

After that, Takano organized several war game simulations, and the conclusions were unanimous, invariably resulting in the Liangxia Empire’s absolute defeat after five years of hard battle.

Exactly because of this, Takano strongly advocated for reconciliation with the Liangxia Empire.

Of course, that didn’t mean to coexist peacefully but through peaceful and stable development, to make the people of the Liangxia Empire lose their ambition and no longer be so competitive.

Why?

As soon as they relaxed, the Liangxia Empire would be troubled by its own problems, struggling to expand abroad in the short term and, in the long run, would be defeated by itself.

Just like the old saying: Born in trouble, die in peace.

Of course, you could also say it was like extinguishing the ambition of the Liangxia military and civilians with honey.

In fact, that was the most serious problem currently facing the Liangxia Empire.

In the golden decade, the generation born after the war in the Liangxia Empire had become accustomed to the comfortable life, and the subsequent Great Depression not only failed to motivate the youth but also sparked internal contradictions and dissatisfaction with the Imperial Authority and the system among many young people.

If the Liangxia Empire launched a foreign war now, it would be difficult to obtain domestic support.

On the contrary, what if it were to be invaded?

Perhaps it would suffer tremendously heavy losses.

However, the heavier the losses, the more they could arouse the patriotic spirit of the empire’s military and civilians and unite a population full of complaints.

Another critical factor was that the Liangxia Empire did not have the same geographical advantages as the Newland Federation. If they followed the Newland Federation’s approach of proud isolation, they would certainly meet their demise. The Liangxia Empire only reached today’s status by embarking on a path of outward expansion during Emperor Shiwu’s era.

So, were all these current events engineered by the Liangxia Empire deliberately?

At this thought, Takano shuddered involuntarily.