1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3920

Warfare is all about logistics. This is especially true for the Haihan Army, whose combat methods heavily rely on logistical supplies. If there is no smooth supply line in the rear, the risks of advancing thousands of miles alone in the Red Sea will increase exponentially.

Takahashi Minami had also been to the Red Sea and was quite familiar with the local environment. Naturally, he would consider the shortcomings caused by advancing the operation plan, and immediately reminded Qian Tiandun to pay attention to this point.

Qian Tiandun said, "So I plan to concentrate the maritime transport capacity in the Indian Ocean region in the Red Sea to prioritize logistical support during the operation. What do you think?"

Takahashi Minami: "If we concentrate our transport capacity, we may be able to meet the needs of short-term operations, but that would affect our freight arrangements on the eastern side of the Indian Ocean, and there would be considerable economic losses."

Qian Tiandun said, "You only need to consider the operations in the Red Sea; I will handle the other issues."

Takahashi Minami solemnly replied, "Understood, sir. Please rest assured, I will complete the mission!"

Qian Tiandun had considered the issues raised by Takahashi Minami. However, priorities varied, and the most urgent matter at the moment was not the economic aspect, but rather proving the special operations division's unique value on the western front through implemented military operations.

Since Qian Tiandun had already decided to carry out the plan at all costs, Gao Qiaonan naturally had no further questions.

However, both mobilizing maritime transport capacity from various ports in the Indian Ocean and assembling troops at Zhenhai Port at the southern end of the Red Sea will take a considerable amount of time.

Following normal procedures, this process would take at least one to two months, or even longer.

But Qian Tiandun knew the importance of time; the longer this matter dragged on, the more passive the special operations division would become.

If we can gain widespread domestic attention before the operation begins, it might draw the Executive Committee's attention back to the western front sooner.

In addition to submitting the operational plan to the Ministry of National Defense and the Executive Committee, Qian Tiandun also planned to use public opinion tools to build momentum for the special operations division's next actions.

The specific operational plans and objectives were of course not convenient to disclose, but someone could be found to publish advertorials in newspapers to indirectly promote the importance of the western front and the great significance of opening up the Mediterranean shipping route.

At Qian Tiandun's command, all departments of the special operations division sped up their operations and began to enter a state of combat readiness.

On the same day that Shi Chengwu breached the defenses of Nanchang, a special operations plan submitted by the Special Operations Division was also presented to the Executive Committee.

The objective of this operation was very clear: to open up trade routes between the Red Sea port of Zhenhai and the Mediterranean Sea. To achieve this goal, the special operations division needed to capture the area connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to provide support for subsequent canal construction.

If Qian Tiandun's wishes were followed, this plan would not involve any "courtesy before force" phase; the region would be seized by military means first, and then the method of resolving the conflict with the Ottoman Empire would be considered.

This is also the Executive Committee's main concern regarding the plan. If possible, the Executive Committee would prefer to acquire the region through relatively peaceful means. For example, it could first engage in diplomatic contact with the Ottomans to see if it could fund the purchase of the region from them, or propose a cooperative development initiative, with both countries jointly constructing the canal and sharing the benefits.

Such diplomatic contacts would inevitably require multiple rounds, during which the special operations division would have more time to prepare, which would certainly be more prudent than the current hasty actions.

Even Tao Donglai, who has always supported overseas expansion, believes that the special operations division's plan is too radical and that if it is implemented rashly, it will face many uncontrollable risks.

"The original two to three years of preparation period has now been shortened to two to three months. With such a short time to prepare for such a large-scale military operation, I really can't be optimistic about the prospects of this operation."

Tao Donglai's words clearly expressed his stance, which could be said to represent the mainstream opinion of the Executive Committee. The attendees nodded in agreement.

But Yan Chujie still tried to turn the tide for the special operations division: "If we try diplomatic means first, it will alert the Ottomans and make them prepare in advance. Even if our preparations are more thorough, the resistance we will face will be greater. The special operations division's plan is to attack them by surprise, which may have a surprising effect."

Ning Qi immediately retorted, "The problem is that taking action immediately is too risky, and there is even a possibility of failure. But if we are well prepared, our chances of defeating the Ottomans will be much greater than if we rush into battle."

Yan Chujie said, "High risk brings high reward. Special operations divisions always tackle the toughest challenges. Pursuing stability is not the style of special operations divisions!"

Bai Kesi gently tapped the table, signaling the two to stop arguing, and then raised a question from another angle: "We discussed the long-term plan for opening up the Mediterranean trade route last year, and at that time, including Qian Tiandun, everyone agreed that the next few years would be a preparation period. Have you ever thought about why Qian Tiandun wanted to bring forward the battle plan so much?"

The people present were all powerful figures who held the reins of the empire. Compared to Qian Tiandun, who was far away overseas, the information they possessed was on a completely different level. When they heard the question raised by Bai Kesi, they naturally thought of many related matters.

No one would speculate about Qian Tiandun's intentions in terms of military achievements. The special operations division had fought in the north and south for thirty years, and its merit list was already several feet thick. One or two more battle achievements wouldn't make a difference.

Furthermore, the Executive Committee has entrusted the Special Operations Division with full responsibility for the area west of the Strait of Malacca, so naturally no one would try to steal credit from them in this region. Regardless of when the area connecting the northern end of the Red Sea to the Mediterranean is captured, the credit will ultimately go to the Special Operations Division; therefore, there seems to be no need to significantly advance the start date.

Since this operation wasn't so urgently needed militarily, we can only speculate about the political implications of Qian Tiandun's decision.

Soon, some people realized that this matter might be related to some decisions made by the Executive Committee some time ago.

"I think Qian Tiandun may have sensed the adjustment and change in the direction of overseas development and believed that the support the special operations division would receive from the country would decrease. Therefore, he wanted to prove the value of the special operations division and the development prospects of the western front through military operations."

Tao Donglai slowly shared his insights, and it was indeed appropriate for him to say these words; it wouldn't have been suitable for anyone else to say them. This was because the Executive Committee's decision to invest more resources in the development of the Southern New World was ultimately made by him.

Tao Donglai made this decision without any intention of targeting the special operations division. His starting point was to prioritize national interests. It was a choice made after weighing the development prospects of various regions, and it was also approved by the executive committee.

As for the adjustments to the resources allocated to the special operations division, it was not a one-size-fits-all approach. It just so happened that the Sing Tao authorities were not tactful enough, and Qian Tiandun discerned the hidden meaning behind a temporary interception.