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Chapter 1367 Dangerous Accusations
However, after Wang Datou said that, it seemed that launching a surprise attack on Enbird City from the land was an impossible task. Even if the European coalition forces did sneak over from the north, their numbers would not be large, and it would be more like a harassment.

"The battle report bears the signatures of Governor Zhang and Commander Yan. If it were just a small group of enemies harassing us, they wouldn't be in such a hurry." Besides the usual documents, Tan Buming didn't know much more about South Africa than anyone else, so he decided not to presume to offer his own advice.

However, he could logically reason that if they had not encountered a strong enemy, Zhang Yongling, as the Governor-General of South Africa, would have had no need to sign his name on the military report, which in itself indicated the urgency of the situation.

"Let's assume another scenario: the European coalition amassed tens of thousands of troops somewhere in southwestern Africa, and regardless of the method they used, successfully crossed the barren land and launched a surprise attack on Enbird City and Enbird Port. Then a new question arises: where are their remaining main forces?"

Seeing that the two key advisors disagreed and no conclusive evidence could be found to support either side, Hong Tao chose to put the matter aside for the time being and then started a new topic: recalculating the troop allocation of the European coalition.

“……北方8万……南非如果全靠海上补给估计不会超过3万，就算6万，也就是说欧洲联军手里至少还有5、6万主力和差不多的雇佣军可以调配！”

This line of thought made Tan Buming seem to realize something. He muttered to himself as he calculated the total strength of the European coalition forces and their known troop deployments, and was immediately filled with alarm. Nearly 10 troops—that was a force that could decide the outcome of a battle, no matter which direction they were deployed in.

But the deployment of so many troops could not have escaped the notice of the Ministry of Rites, the Statistics Bureau, and the Advisory Office. Could there be some huge oversight somewhere?

"Is that really possible? We have informants all over Europe, and that's no small number. Even if we used a fleet to transport them, it would take hundreds of trips, which wouldn't be able to hide it from anyone."

The students assumed the remaining troops were still not assembled in various European countries, possibly due to insufficient funding, or perhaps they simply had no intention of assembling and were merely using it as a pretext to deceive the Ottomans and Persians into fighting for them.

For the third time, Wang Datou disagreed with Tan Mingbu. He did not believe that the European coalition was capable of concealing such a large-scale troop movement, but suspected that the other side was bluffing.

"You underestimate the courage and strategy of Europeans. How could people who could navigate less-than-advanced sailboats with very imperfect navigation technology and travel to almost every ocean in the world be fools or cowards?"

Their vision is just as far-sighted as ours; otherwise, they wouldn't have abandoned their mutual interests and united against a common enemy in order to gain a voice in the Asian waters.

Think again, what other areas are we overlooking or finding difficult to detect? If so, that's likely their breakthrough point; if it happens to align with their interests, then there's no need to hesitate, absolutely!

This time, Hong Tao didn't mince words. He clearly sided with Tan Buming and subtly criticized Wang Datou's arrogance. He then proposed a method of judgment: not considering the military aspect, but rather the interests involved—whichever location offered the greatest benefit to Europeans was the best choice.

"They're going to launch a major offensive to aid the Americas!" Tan Buming was the first to identify the area of ​​interest: the Americas.

If the European coalition forces outwardly intend to launch a major eastward advance, but in reality secretly transport nearly 100,000 troops to the Americas, Du Wenhuan and Settle's expeditionary force will be in serious trouble.

The timing is unfavorable, the location is unfavorable, the people are not in harmony, and it is far from the local area with inconvenient transportation. If it is dragged into a protracted war, it will be very difficult and the losses will be huge. There is even a risk of losing all the previous efforts.

What's more troublesome is that the expedition to the Americas was strongly advocated by the Emperor. While the court officials can't be said to be unanimously opposed, their support is few and far between. If it ends in a disastrous defeat, not only will it deplete a great deal of national resources, but it will also likely be accompanied by a political crisis. At least in the future, any words spoken will not be as effective as they are now. "No, no, no, Deputy Chief of the General Staff, please don't get agitated. Your Majesty, I've calculated it. The Europeans don't have enough sailing ships to transport tens of thousands of troops to the west coast in a short time."

Moreover, it wouldn't be enough time. By the time they learned of the attack on the west coast of America, and then had to temporarily assemble ships and troops to cross the ocean, they wouldn't arrive until next summer at the earliest.

By then, even if we sent another 100,000, it wouldn't make much of a difference; they might not even reach the designated area before being sunk en route.

It seems Wang Datou is at odds with Tan Buming today. He's saying that at worst he doesn't support anything Tan says, but he's mostly opposed. However, his opposition isn't without reason; he always manages to provide relatively reasonable arguments.

“That’s true…unless…” Tan Mingbu didn’t rush to refute Wang Datou’s objection. After thinking about it carefully, he partially agreed, but there seemed to be some things he disagreed with, which he was not sure he could say.

"Unless what?" But such obvious hesitation could not escape Hong Tao's eyes. He immediately seized the opportunity and made her speak even if she didn't want to!
“Unless the news of the expedition was leaked to the Europeans in advance, it doesn’t make sense!” Since the emperor had given the order to speak, there was no way not to speak, so Tan Ming hesitated before throwing out a hypothesis.

"……you……"

Upon hearing this, Wang Datou's eyes widened in anger, but he refrained from uttering a curse. This accusation was too harsh. Regardless of its veracity, if the emperor accepted it, it would cause a major upheaval among high-ranking officials in the court and senior military officers, as well as the intelligence systems of the Statistics Bureau, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, and the Advisory Office.

Some people may ruin their careers as a result, and some may even lose their lives. As for who exactly leaked the secrets, or whether there was a leak at all, it is very likely that it will never be found out.

"Deputy Chief of Staff Tan, you can't just say things without any evidence!" Even Wang Chengen, who usually doesn't interfere in politics, couldn't help but remind him, as he also sensed a dangerous signal.

"Don't rush to shut up. I don't think Tan Buming's concerns are unfounded or an attempt to muddy the waters. It's just a possibility, nothing to hide."

Don't forget, you've extracted a lot of intelligence from European nobles and officials over the years. They might not have known at first, but nobody's a fool; they always learn eventually. It's only natural that they use it on you in return.

Rest assured, I am not the kind of foolish ruler who would allow his subordinates to slander each other and use this opportunity to consolidate his throne. An investigation is definitely necessary. Regardless of whether there is any truth to it, consider it a thorough cleaning, sweeping up every nook and cranny that we usually don't pay much attention to. If there is any fault, we will correct it; if not, we will strive to improve.

However, the scale must not be expanded, and retaliation is strictly prohibited. Wang Chengen, this matter is entrusted to your command, with Wang Datou and Tan Buming assisting. First, draw up a plan outlining the specific division of labor, and we will discuss it further after I have reviewed it.

Alright, let's leave the matter of the traitor for now and get back to business. The possibility of the European coalition returning to reinforce the Americas certainly exists, and we cannot afford to be complacent. The General Staff immediately sent a warning to Pearl Harbor, ordering them to send ships to Panama City to remind Settle and Du Wenhuan not to advance rashly and to prepare for a defensive battle.

(End of this chapter)