Realm of Power

South China Sea

When summer comes in May, there are only extremely weak light waves on the sea surface. The blue sky and white clouds reflect the blue sky. The world of sea and sky seems to be endless. Even the fish schools under the sea dive into the depths of the sea. The silence often means the coming of a storm.

In the north of the sea, with the sound of swells and rushing water, densely packed masts began to emerge like a black line in the distant sky. Countless huge battleship sails reflected the rays of the sun. Under the reflection of the sun, , as if a long golden edge was stretched out on the sea,

A moment later, the triangular bow of the Imperial Dragon Fang battleship split open the calm sea water, stirring up countless ripples that collided with each other on the sea surface, shattered or merged into larger circles, and spread far away. , in the roaring sea wind, the huge falcon naval flag on the battleship's mast was blowing.

Ever since the Imperial Navy defeated the largest naval fleet of the Kingdom of Aden and Ethiopia in Qinglong Bay and captured all its transport ships, the scope of the Aden Navy's activities in the southern waters of Central Asia has been greatly reduced. Casti, the admiral of the joint squadron in the Central and Bibia region of the Eagle Empire, seized this opportunity and quickly launched an attack on the entire Central and Bibia region. The Aden Sea area was swept away. Before the subsequent reinforcements arrived, the Aden Navy was completely unable to resist the Imperial Navy's rapid attack. It almost lost several of the Aden Navy's island strongholds in the southern waters of Central Asia in one go, until the Imperial Navy's forward Arriving at the line of Cairo Sai Island, the largest island in the southern seas, the Aden Navy stabilized the situation again

Fleet Commander Castil patted the stinky sweat on his body, and then slowly walked to the deck. The battleship's large sails blocked the violent sun, leaving a large shadow on the deck. The sea breeze happened to blow, It immediately makes you feel cool and relaxed,

"Commander, the waters of Cairo Sai Island are ahead," a naval intelligence officer said to him. "Cairo Sai Island is a large, flat island. It not only has an excellent coastline, but the entire island is quite large. With a range of more than three to four hundred miles, the Aden Navy crossed the coastline and the sea. A naval port with the nature of a naval base was built on the adjacent terrain. As a control center for the southern waters of Central Asia, the Kingdom of Aden stationed a force of more than 3,000 people on the island, and relied on the wood from the forest area in the eastern part of the island. , the Aden Navy built a dock in the direction of the port last year."

Listening to the intelligence officer's introduction, Katis raised the lookout in his hand. What caught his eyes was a coastline with dense vegetation, with no end in sight. This could no longer be called an island, it could be regarded as a small continent. You can even see the peaks of Qiluan on the island.

"The people of Aden have good taste," Katis murmured to himself. It can be seen that Cairo Sai Island has a typical tropical and subtropical climate. Abundant rainfall leads to lush vegetation. According to Katis's experience, such islands are often extremely rich in products. Especially when the Cairouse Island in front of him coincides with the location of the island Katis saw on the chart, it is not difficult to understand why the Aden people They have abandoned many islands in the southern sea of ​​Central Asia, but they insist on clinging to Cairo Sai Island. It’s not that they won’t let it go, but they really can’t let it go.

This is basically a center that determines the hegemony of the entire sea area. No matter who wants to truly control the southern seas of Central and South Africa, they cannot ignore this largest island in the south, not only because the location of this island happens to be between the north and the south. Online more because this island has more than just what the navy needs Everything is as sufficient as what the mainland army needs. After occupying it, anyone can use it as a support point to expand to the south or north to a range of more than five hundred miles, and even directly form a military advantage in the mainland area. The oppressive power, isn't this the so-called "colonial island" that the Imperial Navy has been pursuing?

"According to the information we bought from the nearby Ravel people, most of the areas on Cairo Sai Island are relatively flat and low. Only the northeastern part has more mountains and the terrain is relatively high, but these mountains are only There are some rolling hills, the highest altitude is less than 700 meters, and the northwest is a very flat wilderness. The island does not have many mineral resources, but The Ravel people mentioned some rumors. It is said that the Aden people are interested in the island of Kairouze because there are gold mines on it. There were also Aden slaves who desperately escaped from the island and appeared in Ravel's market with gold. On the sea, the Ravel people once wanted to go to the island to search, but because of the occupation of the Aden people, they did not even get close to the island several times, and the Aden people sank their ships in the sea off the island."

"You mean there might be gold on the island?" Katis's eyes lit up and looked hotter.

"It's just a rumor and we can't confirm this yet, but there is indeed intelligence that shows that the Aden people send thousands of slaves to the island every year, and these slaves often don't know where they are!" the intelligence officer said in a serious tone, What he said almost certainly said that even if there is no gold, there must be a secret!

"That's it, I understand."

Katis smiled. He understood what the intelligence officer meant. Although this operation to sweep the southern waters of Central Asia had been officially reported to the Imperial Navy Department, because Navy Minister Dustelenko led the main force of the fleet south, There has been no response from the Admiralty. In other words, Katis is completely promoting the war against the Aden people in the southern sea of ​​Central Asia. It is nothing to capture some insignificant small islands in the front. A big problem, but if the target of the attack is placed on the largest island of Cairo, and there are thousands of Aden troops stationed on Cairo, that is another matter. Without the cooperation of the 6th army, it wants to occupy three square kilometers The four-hundred-mile Ruse Island is almost impossible. Although the Aden people's naval combat power has been severely damaged, on Kairou Sai Island, the Aden people only need to abandon their naval warships and hide deep in the island. The Imperial Navy on the sea can only Can be dumbfounded,

It is unrealistic to send the army from the empire to participate in the war. Not to mention spanning two continents, just wanting to send the army into southern Central Asia will cause strong resistance from the Long family and the Song people. Therefore, it is currently possible to obtain the army There is only one way, and that is to seek support from the local indigenous people.

Temptation like gold is undoubtedly the best

The Ravel people mentioned earlier by the intelligence officer are a tribe near the sea in southern China. They established a city-state kingdom called Ravel, which belongs to the territory of the Nanxi Empire, the overlord of the Southern Continent. Katis, the admiral of the Imperial Navy Squadron, does not care about the situation in the Nansi Empire. He is a member of the Imperial Navy who believes in controlling the sea areas. The phrase "Conquered the World" is said to be a staunch admirer of the heroic words of His Majesty Falcon. Although the Nanxi Empire is known as the overlord of the Southern Continent, with vast vassals lying across the Southern Continent and the Central Asian Continent, its navy is said to be in The Aden people were completely defeated decades ago. This big country on the land has no say in the sea area, and naturally it is not favored by Katis.

Since the Ravel people are so eager for gold, then simply hand over the task of the 6th Army to the Ravel people

Although the city-state of Ravel can only be regarded as a small marginal city in the territory of the Nansi Empire, it is also a tribe with a population of more than 100,000. It is not enough to deal with the mere 3,000 Aden people on the island. The Ravel people have already done this. The indigenous people who have lived in this area for thousands of years, The familiarity and adaptability to the environment are much higher than that of the Aden people. Moreover, before the Aden people took control of the sea area, the Ravel people had lived in this sea area for many years. They were once famous for their prosperous maritime fisheries throughout the region. And now, because the Kingdom of Aden and Due to the hostile relationship between the Nansi Empire and the Aden navy, they plundered the Ravel area unscrupulously and kidnapped the Ravel people as slaves. Thirty years ago, the Ravel fishermen no longer went to the sea very much, but went to the sea collectively. Migration within 6, coastline without naval protection , it is a place of disaster for them. The once prosperous fishery market has been closed for more than ten years. Ravel, which relies on fishery, is now completely in ruins. Who is most interested in driving away the Aden people? It's the Ravel people who suffered so much

"Add this to your reported report"

Katis said decisively, whether it is true or not, it is necessary to have an arrow on the string. Gold mines are still a big temptation for the empire. Although the empire is vast, the gold mine resources within the empire are few. Unfortunately, although the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs has repeatedly increased the bounty for mineral finds, there are still very few finds in gold mines. Most of them are small mines. The largest gold mine is located in Gaul, but due to mining Due to the limitations of technology and conditions, gold mining resources have always been the weakness of the empire's economy. Fortunately, the empire's commerce has implemented a commercial gold roll model that does not require direct payment of gold coins. Otherwise, such large-scale commercial activities and transactions in the empire would only Relying on the existing empire's gold mines is completely unsatisfactory. If there really is a gold mine on Cairo Sai Island, Katis believes that what will cause fluctuations will be the empire's strategic layout in Central Asia.

On Cairo Sai Island, the Aden Army base camp is decorated with white marble stone walls. Although it has a history of more than 30 years, it is still white, flawless and shining. Even on the distant sea, you can easily spot this obvious white building. Follow this small building as the center and expand outwards. A small city of Aden people is the city of Kairouse, which the Aden people liken to be the Pearl of Central Asia. If you look at it from the perspective of everyone in the Western Continent, this city that only covers an area of ​​two or three miles cannot be regarded as a city at all. , can only be regarded as a small town at most,

But for the maritime indigenous people in the nearby areas, the city of Kairouse is already the de facto master of this area. The Aden Navy uses this as a stronghold to radiate the entire area, making even the natives like the Ravel people had to succumb to the shock of the Aden people

Marquis Pulisi, the person in charge of the Aden Navy on the island, who has become accustomed to the feeling of holding this area in his hand, is pressing the report from the navy in his hand on the table with an ugly expression. The Aden Navy is in Qinglong Bay. The series of impacts brought about by the tragic defeat have already made the people of Aden feel pressure that they have not experienced in many years. However, the Falcon Empire Navy fleet has been invincible all the way, and it actually managed to survive in a short period of time. In less than half a month, they have captured Towa Island, which is less than 60 miles away from Cairouse Island. It is only a few hours away by sea from Cairouse Island. This is simply like a feast for the eyes. The painful feeling of a stranger suddenly running into the garden and pulling up all the precious flower seeds that he had painstakingly planted along the way was so rude. Could it be that the Royal Navy couldn't do anything!

As an island guard officer, Marquis Prissy does not have much power in terms of authority, and he is not affiliated with the Ministry of Navy. Because of the island garrison, he is actually a general of the Army. In the past, he was a general of the Navy. I was very unhappy when I heard that the navy was arrogant and domineering. Qinglongwan stumbled, and he couldn't help shouting a few times in his heart that he deserved it. According to his service period, as long as he stayed on the Cairo Sai Island for another two or three months, he could be transferred back to the country, but this happened At that time, the Imperial Navy's march south made the date of return to the country elusive.

"Sir, there is no need to worry too much. Although the Imperial Navy is strong, it cannot fight on land." A golden young adjutant, who is rare among Aden people, held a glass of red wine in a more leisurely manner than him. Standing in front of the window, looking at the street outside, he said slowly, "Naval operations are different from those of the Army, and there is no such thing as a protracted confrontation. The supplies that the Navy can carry each time it goes into battle are very limited, so it is only when they encounter it on the sea. must We are divided into life and death, but Cairo Sai City is different. We are far enough away from the coastline that even the Thunder God of the Imperial Navy cannot hit us, so we just need to wait quietly. The Kingdom Navy has already dispatched two naval fleets. Going to support the southern waters of Central Asia, I believe that this situation will soon change. At that time, those Ravel people who have objections to the kingdom will still put down their dignity and resistance to accept the rule of the kingdom."

"My Master Tarusu, it is not easy for the Imperial Navy to sweep across the inland sea, and I am very worried that they will be connected with those who oppose us, which will cause us great trouble. After all, the entire Kingdom of Aden is in Kairouse There are less than 5,000 people on the island, including my 3,000 garrison troops," Marquis Pulisi said with a bitter look on his face, unable to laugh or cry.

"Since you can't hold on, then just give up. It's just a mere Cairo Sai Island. What's the big deal?" The young man shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"My young master, if you give up Cairo Sai Island, nothing will happen to the young master. I, Pulisi, will definitely be beheaded by the military." Marquis Pulisi let out a long sigh. What does this mean? , those bastards in the military department don’t know what they have against me, so they put this second generation ancestor who caused chaos in the entire royal capital here. If he wants to be exiled, he should be exiled further!

(To be continued.) 8