Seven Seas Beacon Fire

However, what the Habsburg Empire ultimately built in this world was nothing more than a small, weak vessel equipped with two twin-mounted 305mm main guns, 16 150mm secondary guns, a length of only 150 meters, a width of only 20 meters, a top speed of 26.8 knots and a horsepower of just over 60,000, and a main armor belt thickness of only 180mm.

To be honest, the Habsburg Navy's battlecruiser had a very clear objective. If the Leitanian Navy's battlecruiser was an "anti-British Navy battlecruiser," then the Habsburg Navy's battlecruiser was an "anti-Gallic/Syracusan Navy armored cruiser." From this perspective, both its firepower and armor were perfectly acceptable. It can be said that the Habsburg Empire produced a warship that could fulfill its mission with the lowest possible cost per ship.

Unfortunately, when the Federation rented the ship back, they discovered that it was no match for any normal battlecruiser!

So when the Federation chartered these three fast ships, they found that together they were likely no match for the four oldest battlecruisers on the other side. After all, no matter how strong the Marco Polo was, it probably wouldn't be able to take down the two Suiyuan-class battlecruisers in a short time. But the two Habsburg battlecruisers would have to face the pressure from the Weiyuan and Yuyuan. It was highly unlikely that they could win in a three-on-four situation.

If they feel that this is not safe enough, then the other side can also send two super-dreadnoughts with two dreadnoughts, which means that the Tang army can split its battlecruiser formations into two four-ship formations, and either of these two formations can effectively suppress the Federation army.

Imagine that in the Battle of Dogger Sandbar, Hipper's scout fleet was able to put up a fight against Beatty's fast British fleet. If Beatty had doubled his forces, Hipper wouldn't have been able to fight at all, and the Leitanians might not have even planned the later Battle of Jutland.

The same applies to the Federal Army. Without the assistance of the Royal Victoria Navy, it is almost impossible to gain the upper hand in the reconnaissance phase of both fleets with the meager resources currently available to the Federal Navy. From this perspective, the illusions many officers in the Federal Navy's Pacific Fleet have about the Royal Victoria Navy are essentially a sign of helplessness.

McGiffin shattered the illusions of some people. His personality directly led to his unsuccessful promotion in the navy. But right now, his personality is exactly what the Federation Navy needs, just as the Ming Dynasty during the Jiajing era needed Hai Rui. In such difficult times, it is precisely the toughness of such people that is needed.

"If the Royal Navy of Victoria cannot assist us in the operation, I think it will be difficult for us to defeat EMS before we can acquire a new batch of capital ships and re-establish absolute numerical superiority once our adversaries have restored all their warships to combat readiness." Vice Admiral Colin Zangwell, commander of the Third Fleet, directly expressed his pessimistic attitude.

"Shouldn't it be ETS now?" Major General Dennis whispered, trying to correct him, but Lieutenant General Zangwell clearly didn't appreciate it.

"That doesn't matter! Whether our opponent is called the Ming Empire or the Tang Empire, it's the same; the ships are the same. But the regime that operates this navy is now more efficient and more troublesome!"

Then Lieutenant General Zangwell turned to McGiffin: "Sir, I may sound pessimistic, but it's not because I have any ill will towards you. It's just that I think our situation is just that bleak. We could have a much safer way to win. We could have just waited for the new batch of battleships that are being built in our rear to enter service. Those behemoths with 16-inch guns would give us an absolute numerical advantage. With the forces we have now, it would be difficult for us to win against the Tang army that has recovered its fighting strength."

After all, throughout human history of warfare, no naval force has ever been able to achieve victory while simultaneously protecting a landing zone, supporting ground operations, and facing a powerful fleet of comparable size. The tasks now placed on the navy are beyond our capabilities. With the enemy fleet successfully escaping from Surabaya, we have effectively lost the initiative.

Lieutenant General Zangwell's words resonated widely with the officers present. If Li Che were here, he would probably transform into a five-star military commentator, commenting that the current trend facing the Federation Navy is the same dilemma that the Yingzhou Joint Fleet faced in the Battle of Midway—with only so many troops, they have to control the sea and bomb the island. Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that they failed.

The current situation for the Federal Army is that their forward port is located in Manila, which is the closest naval port they have set up to the Yanping battlefield. However, to travel from Manila to the sea off the coast of Dongdu, they need to pass through the Bashi Channel.

In the past, when half of the main fleet of the Ming Dynasty Royal Navy was besieged in Surabaya Port and the remaining fleet was confined to Cam Ranh Bay due to poor maintenance, the Bashi Channel was like the gate to the Federal Navy's own backyard, where they could come and go as they pleased. But now, this place is not so easy to come and go.

Because to the north of the Bashi Channel lies Taiwan.

Since the beginning of this year, the Federal Navy has not only faced various large and medium-sized enemy surface ships that are gradually recovering their combat effectiveness and activity, but also the activities of more and more small ships. In particular, the Tang Army has deployed a considerable number of the torpedo boats that survived the Dongxingluowan naval battle and the old destroyers that have been modified to the southeast coast, especially Taiwan.

These little guys have made the Bashi Channel increasingly dangerous, and the increasingly active Ming submarine force has achieved great success recently, forcing the Federal Navy to deploy more troops for escort. To a certain extent, the Federal Army has also shifted its production capacity in the rear to more demanding destroyers, which has affected the construction progress of the Federal Army's main warships.

The role of these small ships and submarines was far more than just taking down some Federation transport ships and increasing the logistical pressure on Federation forces in Yanping. The biggest impact was that these small ships forced the Federation Navy to be hesitant to pass through the Bashi Channel at night. During the day, the Federation forces could rely on higher visibility to intercept these small ships at a greater distance, but at night, they really had to stay as far away as possible.

Another side effect is that the Federation's surface ships basically dare not reduce their speed to below 20 knots, because if they do, they are very likely to be overtaken by Ming submarines at night while sailing at high speed on the surface and ambushed ahead. During World War II, many of the main warships of the old Yingzhou Navy were attacked by Federation submarines in the later stages of the war, largely because they were forced to slow down in order to save fuel.

However, this obviously further increased the pressure on the Federal Navy fleet's fuel supply, and for destroyers, it greatly reduced their endurance and operational time in the war zone.

Many advantages and disadvantages in war are gradually transformed through these details, bit by bit.

Of course, none of the above are the most fatal threat. The biggest threat is that, according to the information gathered by the Federal Army, the Ming fleet, which has been repaired and maintained and has regained its combat effectiveness, is gathering in Hong Kong. After the fleet is fully assembled, it will likely choose to occupy the port in the southern part of Taiwan, which would be equivalent to directly blocking the Bashi Channel. If the Federal Army does not seek to engage in battle with them, it will be unable to support the army in the Dongdu battlefield with artillery fire. Even supplies to be transported to the front line can only be delivered from the northernmost point of Yanping and then transported to the front line by land.

“I know we are in a difficult situation, but we cannot delay any longer, because the army and marines’ attack on Dongdu is at a critical juncture. Without our support, the army and marines will never be able to take Dongdu off the coast. If the Ming army deploys a single dreadnought off the coast of Dongdu, it can wipe out the efforts of our army and marines.”

“Sir, if our naval operational plans have to take the army into account, then we will have no way to fight!” Zangwell spread his hands and said, “Those guys in the army are all talk and no action. Whether it’s the Silla battlefield or the Yeonpyeong battlefield here, they have chosen to expand the battle lines in a very rash manner. I don’t think we need to gamble the future of our navy on a battle that we can’t win. It’s not worth it, General!”

“Zangwell, although there are no army officers in this room right now, General Pershing is a respectable soldier. While the strategic guidelines formulated by the War Department may have been somewhat rash, the Army is also fighting hard for victory in this war. We shouldn't speak so highly of a decorated general…”

"General, you are new here and may not be very familiar with the situation at the front."

Vice Admiral Zangwell interrupted McGiffin directly. McGiffin had originally intended to say something about the unity between the army and navy, but Vice Admiral Zangwell clearly had no patience to listen. Moreover, McGiffin noticed that it wasn't just Vice Admiral Zangwell; a considerable number of the naval officers present also showed a rather dismissive expression.

Although the military branches of different countries have never been monolithic, McGiffin did not recall that the conflict between the army and navy had been so obvious before.

"So what do you mean by 'I don't know about this'?"

"General Pershing did work very hard to achieve victory. Under his leadership, our army conducted a 'battlefield cleanup' throughout the entire northern Yeonpyeong region with strict discipline." The answer came from Major General Daniel. As the fleet that cooperated most closely with the army, the Seventh Fleet was most familiar with many of the army's actions and situations.

"I still don't quite understand what you mean. Strict military discipline... isn't that a good thing?"

"It's a good thing, but what General Sherman's troops did in the South back then was also a manifestation of strict military discipline—organized, planned, and strictly disciplined burning, killing, and looting." Lieutenant General Zangwell was a Texan, so as a Southerner, he had a very deep impression of General Sherman's "great kindness" from his elders since childhood.

Chapter 143 The Contradictory United States

The Federation of Colombia is a complex country.

This complexity manifests itself in many ways. For example, as an immigrant nation, the diverse cultures from different regions and ethnic groups have injected diverse vitality into this emerging new continent and young country, but this has also made it difficult for the country to forge a sufficiently strong national identity.

The people of the Colombian Federation are even more complex. On the one hand, a considerable number of federation members are very simple-minded. How simple? For a considerable period of time, federation members were most fond of dividing the world's countries into simple concepts like "good countries" and "bad countries." Compared to the average level of education among federation members, this simplistic perception is somewhat abnormal. The only explanation might be that their history is indeed too short.

On the other hand, the Union has been accompanied by lies, killings, depravity and shamelessness since its inception, and then puts on a mask of hypocrisy. Even many of its citizens can believe in God and advocate truth, goodness and beauty, while wearing boots made from the skins of Native Americans to roast turkeys for their families on Thanksgiving.

None of the great powers that have survived to this day on this planet are benevolent, but you can be a tyrant, but you cannot be a clown disguised as a saint.

They were the ones who came to the New World on the Mayflower to thank the Native Americans and establish Thanksgiving, but they were also the ones who skinned the Native Americans and used their scalps to make boots, and committed genocide against them.

They were the ones who fought against the NAZI and the FXS during World War II, acting as allies of justice. But they were also the ones who conducted biological and chemical weapons experiments on their own land and among their own people, using them as experimental subjects.

Therefore, in another world, Pershing is the soul of the Federal Army, a good commander and a good general in the eyes of the Federals, which is not contradictory to the fact that he is the executioner who suppressed and massacred the Mexicans and Filipinos.

After being introduced by his subordinates, McGiffin finally understood some of the situations that were not reported by the media.

In some respects, the Union Army's discipline was at its best in history—Pershing was extremely strict in his discipline, and his subordinates, who respected him in public, privately gave him a nickname—"Terrible Jack."

Because Pershing's requirements for military appearance and discipline were almost unbearably strict. As a perfectionist, he almost always presented himself as a regular soldier—with a straight back, crisp uniform, and gleaming riding boots, adhering to the strict military etiquette.

Moreover, Pershing, who was "strict with himself," was not "lenient with others." He demanded that his subordinates be the same as him. He believed that the difference between soldiers and militiamen lay in whether they had a disciplined military appearance. Only with a disciplined military appearance could they fight like regular soldiers and achieve victory. When commanding his troops in battle, Pershing would require his troops to execute his battle plans absolutely, completely, and meticulously, without questioning, refusing, discounting, or acting without authorization.

Therefore, although the Union Army is currently carrying out organized retaliatory massacres in the occupied territories, the Union Army's discipline is very good because it is "acting under orders." This is the military order issued by Pershing: "Treate those who support the guerrillas and resist our army with the harshest measures."

Yes, in Pershing's eyes, he didn't massacre civilians because he killed "resistance elements." What? You say this one is only eight years old? Eight years old is also a resistance element!

After listening to his subordinate's explanation, McGiffin fell into a long silence. According to McGiffin's moral values, he found it difficult to understand and agree with the reasons for doing so. Otherwise, in another historical context, he would not have crossed the ocean to the other side to help a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country build their navy.

"Has this always been their practice?"

"It wasn't like that at first, it wasn't this extreme at first. But as progress on the front lines became increasingly difficult, General Pershing's methods became more and more ruthless. Sir, you must have heard some rumors about General Pershing. He's the kind of person who will never back down."

“This isn’t a matter of admitting defeat,” McGiffin shook his head. “Didn’t he consider what would happen after incurring such a deep-seated hatred? Didn’t he study history?” McGiffin shook his head incredulously.

“Just over 200 years ago, the Ming Empire encountered an invasion from a Central Asian empire called the Dzungar Khanate on the mainland. The Dzungar Khanate launched attacks again and again after the two sides concluded peace treaties. In the end, this empire, which once covered almost half of Central Asia, was turned into a historical term by the Ming Empire. If General Pershing had known some Eastern history, he should not have provoked the Chinese so much.”

"But aren't we fighting in Yanping? Yanping isn't..."

"Do you think the relationship between Yanping and the Central Empire is like that between Ireland and Britain?" McGiffin brushed his face with his hand; he no longer wanted to continue on this topic, as he had no intention of turning the Federal Navy's Pacific Fleet forward command post into a classroom for Oriental history.

For McGiffin, although the current situation was worse than he had imagined before taking office, as a dutiful United States Navy officer, McGiffin still did his best to start planning an operational plan to deal with the current state of the Navy. After all, although the problems and difficulties were numerous, the Union Navy was not yet in dire straits.

In the long run, if the war continues, the future will be in the hands of the Federal Navy, because the shipyards in the Federation have higher production capacity. In the short term, if action is taken immediately, the initiative will still be in the hands of the Federal Navy for the time being.

According to intelligence gathered by the Federation forces, although the Tang army had successfully restored all of its super-dreadnoughts to combat readiness through priority maintenance and repair, about one to one and a half squadrons of their dreadnoughts, or 4 to 6 battleships, would still need more than a month to be back to operational status.

In other words, the real difficulties for the Federal Army will mainly be in the period from more than a month to almost a year in the future, after which they will gradually improve and continue to widen the gap with the Tang Army.

If we only consider the navy, then the Federation Navy could simply shrink back for a year. Unfortunately, due to the war in Yanping, the Federation cannot shrink back even if it wanted to.

Although dreadnoughts are no longer the most elite force on either side, and both sides place great importance on battleship protection, it is likely that a battle between their dreadnoughts would be difficult for either side to penetrate the other's armor.

In the end, whether it's the Federation's 12-inch guns or the Ming army's 280mm naval guns, everyone's dreadnoughts will eventually have to enter into a game of projectile output. After a naval battle, both sides' dreadnoughts may end up covered in dust, but unless they get incredibly lucky, neither side can achieve any effective results.

However, if you think that dreadnoughts are insignificant in war because their firepower is somewhat lacking, and that it doesn't matter whether they are there or not, then you are making a big mistake.

However, when the battleships of both sides are arrayed at sea for combat, if the order of engagement is not properly allocated, allowing some enemy ships to go unattended and unleash their full firepower without interference, then it can quickly lead to the collapse of an entire battle line from a localized perspective. In the vanguard phase of the Battle of Jutland, Davy Beatty's poor firepower allocation, which focused too much on concentrating fire on the Lützow, resulted in the battlecruiser Derfflinger being able to unleash its full firepower with almost no interference, ultimately taking down two enemy ships.

To put it bluntly, it's like the two sides in the army trying to fill the gaps on their stagnant battle lines. Even if you have to conscript soldiers or use cannon fodder, you have to fill the gaps with people. Otherwise, even if the other side is a cannon fodder regiment, they can still create a big hole in your battle line.

McGiffin decided to seize this last window of opportunity before the Tang army's dreadnoughts had fully recovered. He was always a decisive man, so after his first meeting at headquarters, he conceived a bold idea.

That means striking first at the ports in southern Taiwan. With the main force of the Federal Navy's Pacific Fleet currently clustered together at sea, the Tang Army's main warships, which have now recovered their combat power, dare not engage in a fleet battle with them. Therefore, Magifin plans to lead the main force of the Federal Navy's Pacific Fleet out in full force within the next month to smash the ports in southern Taiwan first.

To achieve this goal, McGiffin concentrated all the remaining pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers in the Pacific Fleet, except for those in the Atlantic Fleet. A total of 11 pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers would become the main force for bombarding the port, while the main force of the Federal Navy's Pacific Fleet would cover these old ships as they moved into their bombardment positions.

As for why the main force of the Pacific Fleet, which has its own large-caliber naval guns, would use these old ships for shelling, it is naturally because McGiffin was aiming to completely destroy these port facilities. He did not intend to simply conduct a few rounds of firing and then call it a day. He planned to bombard every port in the southernmost part of Taiwan Island on a daily basis. These old ships carrying out the shelling mission would not only have to risk being attacked by mines and coastal defense guns, but more importantly, such a long period of continuous shelling would definitely wear out the barrel life of the guns.

If these capital ships of the Federation fleet need to have their gun barrels replaced, they'll have to return to Pearl Harbor. How much time will that take? McGiffin doesn't want to use up all the precious gun barrel life of his fleet on these targets, only to find that his guns have run out of life when he faces the enemy.

After finalizing his operational plan, Magifin spent almost all his time at the General Staff, using personnel from the Pacific Fleet's intelligence and logistics departments to gain a better understanding of the fleet's situation and that of the Tang army. Meanwhile, he began producing propaganda shells—which would be launched into the ports by destroyers or submarines in the coming days, warning civilians to evacuate from the areas that would be shelled.

McGiffin's approach was certainly very gentlemanly, but not pedantic, because this propaganda was, to some extent, a form of provocation. If the Tang commanders felt that his actions were too arrogant, they might impulsively seek a fleet battle with him.

If the Tang army were willing to come out and fight a decisive battle with the Federation army, it would be the best option for the Federation army.

After doing all this, McGiffin returned to his lodgings that evening and took out paper and pen to write a long letter to President Wilson, requesting that President Wilson carefully investigate the disciplinary problems of the Union Army on the Yanping front. He also stated quite bluntly in the letter that although General Pershing may be a commander who can fight and fight tough battles, the problems encountered by the Union Army in Yanping are not just military problems. General Pershing's current actions are creating enemies for himself.

From the perspective of interpersonal relationships in officialdom, McGiffin's writing of such a letter, even within the federal government, seemed to demonstrate a lack of emotional intelligence. One can imagine the uproar that would have occurred if the contents of this letter had reached Pershing's ears.

But that's just McGiffin's personality; if he believes he's doing the right thing, he'll do it without hesitation.

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"The left flank has been subjected to devastating bombardment by the enemy fleet, and now more than 95% of the facilities in the port are no longer functional."

Looking at the latest intelligence sent from the front lines, Li Che realized that this was clearly the work of the newly appointed commander of the Federal Pacific Fleet. Li Che had already begun to consider the post-war international situation and naval treaties, but he didn't expect McGiffin to remind him in this way—you'd better be more serious, because we are still at war!

"It seems our new friend is planning to take care of the flanks first before considering a decisive fleet battle with us?"

Li Che muttered to himself as he locked himself in his study, pondering the problem. He believed that the Naval Command must have received the intelligence he possessed at this moment, but it was probably already in complete chaos.

"Knock, knock, knock." A knock came from outside the study, followed by Zhu Miaoyun's voice: "May I come in?"

Chapter 144 Listen to the corner

Li Renchi was sullenly exhaling smoke rings at a corner of the courtyard corridor, while next to him, the Crown Princess was peeking out from behind the greenery in the night, looking towards the door of the study across the courtyard.

"The father of my child."

The Crown Princess's voice, though low, carried a hint of excitement: "Her Highness the Princess really went for that brat's study. She crossed the courtyard and headed straight for the door, knocking, knocking..."

"Don't make a sound!" Li Renchi said with a bitter face, "Be careful the princess doesn't hear us!"

"Then put out your cigarette first!" The Crown Princess turned around and gave Li Renchi a look: "Don't let the smell of your secondhand smoke drift over there and let the princess smell it. It would be bad if she found out that the two of us were spying on each other here."

"You know it's wrong to peek, so why did you insist on coming to see?" Li Renchi suppressed the urge to stomp his foot. "Why did you agree to let the princess live in our mansion in the first place? You have no idea how much gossip is going around. If some old-fashioned folks find out that the princess and that brat are alone together in a room in the middle of the night... I'll be drowned in their spittle!"

"These young men and women are in love, what are they doing?" The Crown Princess said dismissively, "We're already in the Tang Dynasty, what can those old fogies do? Do they think the old man's list isn't long enough?"

"There are many things in this world where both parties are willing, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're all good things... Didn't you send a girl from the Tokugawa family to that brat's side before? It seems like that girl isn't making any progress now. Is the person you chose even suitable?"

"You're blaming me now? When I chose that little girl from the Tokugawa family, who knew our brat would manage to hook up with the princess?" The Crown Princess, having watched Zhu Miaoyun enter the study from behind the wall, turned to Li Renchi with some concern and asked, "Should we pretend to have something to do and go to the study to look for that brat? What if those two young lovers are in there tonight...? That would be a matter of life and death!"

Li Renchi nodded in agreement, agreeing with the sentiment. This was indeed a matter of life and death, as it could potentially result in another death.

However, Li Renzhi would never ruin his son's plans under these circumstances. He pulled the Crown Princess away and said, "Alright, we've seen it all. The brat has grown up now, and he needs to bear some consequences himself. If he really likes the princess, then he must bear everything that comes with her."

"We're not going to care about tonight?"

"How do we manage this?" Li Renchi glanced at his wife: "When you agreed to let the princess stay in our mansion, didn't you ever think about this day coming? I think you just think your pig has found a great cabbage, and you're only focused on harvesting the cabbage, without thinking about anything else! The princess's uncle is also in Yingtian Prefecture. If we had sent someone to send the princess to her uncle back then, there wouldn't have been so much trouble. There wouldn't have been so much gossip about it outside."

The Crown Princess pouted in dissatisfaction. Li Renchi and his wife had a very good relationship. The Crown Princess was not even 40 years old this year. She was her father's darling when she was young, and after marrying Li Renchi, she was pampered by her husband. Even her son was sensible from a young age. Therefore, the Crown Princess still had some girlish personality in many ways, especially when no one was around, she liked to treat Li Renchi this way.

At this moment, in the study, neither Li Che nor Zhu Miaoyun felt that there was anything wrong with a man and a woman alone in a room in the middle of the night—after all, for young people in the 21st century, what kind of young person doesn't stay up late to cultivate immortality? It was the time when "Huaimin was also awake".

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What brings you here tonight?

"Nothing, I'm just bored." Zhu Miaoyun said as she walked to the bookshelf and began to look at the books on the shelf in the study. "In this world, let alone tablets and mobile phones, we don't even have the most primitive computers in this day and age. I don't like watching those squeaky operas. If I'm bored, who else can I come to if not you?"

“I’m working right now, honey.” Li Che sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t get anything done like this.”

"Would my presence here distract the Grandson?"

Zhu Miaoyun, somewhat smugly, put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest slightly, looking like a vivid meme (I'm so proud of myself, hands on hips.jpg).

"If you feel you've finished reading the picture books I gave you before, you can look through them on that bookshelf yourself. There aren't any more novels except for that summer vacation."

"I haven't finished reading the book about Lin Daiyu that you gave me last time," Zhu Miaoyun said.

"Lin Daiyu? Which book?"

"The Dream of the Red Chamber, the name doesn't matter anyway, there are many fan fictions of the Dream of the Red Chamber with this name. The author of the one I read has a very rich imagination. Lin Daiyu actually cultivated immortality, learned a kind of immortal technique and then came to the Grand View Garden to pretend to be a pig to eat a tiger. I almost thought I was not reading a novel of this era, but a novel website of our era."

Li Che thought to himself, "How come I didn't know there were such amazing fan fiction novels in this era?" After suppressing his curiosity to take a look at the book, Li Che said, "If you have nothing to do, then help me sort out the telegrams and documents here. It will make it easier for me to look at them later."

"Then you have to talk to me!" Zhu Miaoyun skipped over to Li Che's table. Her high ponytail, which she had casually tied up tonight, swayed back and forth. She picked up the first telegram, which was the one Li Che had been reading earlier.

"Are the Federals going to attack Tainan?" Zhu Miaoyun asked curiously.

"They don't have the capability to land. It can only be said that the Federation is preparing to strike first and paralyze the function of Tainan Port before we do, so that our large surface ships cannot use those ports. This way, at least their fleet can be relatively safe when passing through the Bashi Channel during the day."

"So we're just going to let the Federation fight like this?"

“The Navy’s last batch of dreadnoughts will be repaired by the end of next month at the earliest. We can’t easily engage in a fleet battle with the Federation right now.” After saying that, Li Che tapped the map on the table with his hand. “The Federation probably wants to force us into a decisive battle through this method. We can’t fall for their trick. If they want to dismantle the port, let them. Anyway, there won’t be many casualties.”

"But wouldn't that mean we'd lose our foremost port?" Zhu Miaoyun asked, somewhat puzzled. "Even without a large vessel, aren't there other options? Wouldn't it be better to send a submarine to launch a surprise attack?"

For Zhu Miaoyun, girls' interest in military matters is generally limited. Zhu Miaoyun's personal knowledge of submarines mainly comes from the mobile game that Li Che played with her body back then. It seems to be a rather niche old game, and it even crowdfunded a total of 1,300 million yuan worth of merchandise for its 10th anniversary.

In that game, the mighty battleships were helpless against the little guys underwater, even if some battleships looked like destroyers. They just couldn't blast fish.