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"Rebuild the intelligence network against the Central Liberation Army and make every effort to find any surviving intelligence personnel on our side."
Schneizel has no other choice but to do this, unless he makes another choice regarding the landing point.
"Speaking of which, the triennial Sakura Stone quota negotiations are about to begin, and the China Federation will definitely be paying attention."
Thinking about this, Schneizel felt he could discuss this issue with his father.
The competition between nations is not only military, but also political, economic and technological. For Britain, which controls Area 11, the important resource of Sakura Stone can obviously be played as a very powerful card.
Therefore, the next arena for negotiation is the Sakuraishi quota negotiations in the Tokyo Concession of Area 11.
Section 174: We're here to crash the market.
Cherry stone is a naturally occurring superconducting material, but after analysis, it turns out to be another type of blood crystal.
Fun fact: Blood crystals also possess superconducting properties.
Japan is the main exporter and discoverer of Sakura Stone in World Six, making it a strategic resource. Although other countries also produce Sakura Stone, Japan accounts for 70% of it, thus playing a pivotal role in the project.
If the Central Alliance had not declined, given the geographical location of Japan and the Central Alliance, it would have been no less difficult for the Holy British Empire to gain influence than for Europe to achieve centralization. Therefore, they found a good opportunity to strike, possessing overwhelming advantages over the Central Alliance both geographically and in terms of resources.
But the past is the past, and the present is the present. For China Union, the only value of Area 11 right now is its geographical advantage. The resource value of Sakura Stone has completely disappeared because Blood Crystal can be processed into Sakura Stone, which is also a superconducting material with better performance.
In other words, Sakura Stone is a low-grade blood crystal, and the superconducting materials used in blood crystal processing cannot be processed from Sakura Stone at all.
To put it more bluntly, both are tactical mechs made with superconducting materials. Under the same design level and material technology, Blood Crystal can make the power system more than five times more efficient than Sakura Stone. It is equivalent to the elite special mechs of Britain. In Qinshan, they are all mass-produced machines, and they are mass-produced machines with no performance reduction.
Purifying the cherry stone would cost more than ten times more than directly purifying blood crystals. To Qin Shan, it was just a pile of garbage, the most worthless garbage in the garbage dump.
So, besides its military value, does Area 11 have any other value?
"I have no interest in rummaging through the trash cans regarding Sakura Stone quota negotiations, but the geographical location of Area 11 should indeed be under our control, at least we can't let the Empire dominate."
As for the independence movement and resistance organizations in Area 11, Qin Shan was not interested. As long as he had a sufficient military presence in Area 11, that was enough. Area 11 was just an insignificant pawn on the chessboard. Besides, the Central Alliance also had proxies in Area 11, such as the Japanese government-in-exile.
Before Japan was completely defeated, the Japanese split into three forces: one in the Central Plains, one in the European Union, and one in Japan, cooperating with Britain. They clearly understood the importance of their allegiance.
However, verbal sparring at the negotiating table clearly cannot resolve practical issues, so Qin Shan decided to take action.
"Call Li Xingke over."
Soon, Li Xingke arrived at the Imperial Study. "Regent, you wanted to see me."
“I’m planning to cause trouble in District 11 and quickly establish a concession under our Zhonglian. You’ll be in charge of this.”
"You mean, let the Japanese government-in-exile do something?"
"It's so much easier to talk to smart people. Just go for it. I'll give you my full support, including direct military intervention from the Central Powers. Those petty bastards should take the stage and perform."
"My lord, I obey."
With the Regent's personal order, the young military officer Li Xingke could fully utilize his abilities in this plan. This was his stage, and whether he was worthy of being given important responsibilities depended on his performance.
As for the Japanese government-in-exile, they have no choice on this issue.
If you won't follow the Regent's lead, then follow Prime Minister Kururugi (Prime Minister Kururugi, Suzaku Kururugi's father, died from a father's death and son's asthma, a characteristic of the novel).
After the Chinese Communist Party conveyed its instructions to the Japanese government-in-exile, the Japanese government-in-exile immediately pledged its loyalty.
They had no other choice. Moreover, in the history of World Six, the influence of the mainland on Japan had never ceased. So even in the shattered Area 11, there were a large number of pro-China people. Now that their father was going to help them restore their country, they were overjoyed and dared not disrespect their father.
Thus, under Li Xingke's planning, the Japanese government-in-exile's "restoration plan" officially began.
"Not coming?"
At the same time, Schneizel received a message that made him wonder if he had misheard.
"Yes, Your Highness. The Sino-American Alliance has announced its formal withdrawal from the cherry blossom quota negotiations originally scheduled for March of this year, effective today. From now on, it will no longer import cherry blossoms from Japan, and its cherry blossom trade with other countries and regions will also cease."
"That's really something."
Schneizel frowned deeply; ever since the regent came to power, he had not had a chance to relax.
If this was the China Federation expressing dissatisfaction with the allocation of Sakura Stones, then there was absolutely no need for them to go to such extremes, even halting Sakura Stone trade with other countries and regions. This isn't a simple political issue; it involves the impact on comprehensive national power. After all, such high-performance room-temperature superconductors are extremely valuable to any country, unless...
"Do you think it's possible that Zhonglian has made a major breakthrough in Sakura Stone-related technologies?"
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, because we have suffered heavy losses in the intelligence system of the Central Alliance, we are currently unable to obtain any relevant intelligence, and the Central Alliance has no public or private channels to confirm such information."
Schneizel felt the probability was over 80%.
If the United Nations, under such extreme pressure, still leaks some information about superconductor technology, it means that the other party still wants to talk, and this is just a gesture of pressure. But if they remain silent, it can only mean that the other party is waiting to unleash their ultimate move.
"Since we can't make a judgment based on intelligence, let's analyze it from the other party's behavior."
Schneizel walked to the world map and focused his gaze on Area 11. "Your Highness, do you think the Central Alliance should target Area 11?"
"If they directly target important cherry stone producing areas, it means the Central Alliance still needs cherry stone. If they just attack anywhere, it means that cherry stone is no longer important to them. For them, Area 11 only has geographical value. Given the geographical location of the Central Alliance and Area 11, if the Central Alliance is determined to establish its own military presence in Area 11, we have no way to compete with them. However, Area 11 is also an important cherry stone producing area, so the Empire will also invest considerable resources. The final result will inevitably be that Area 11 will be divided into districts for control, and then the Central Alliance will turn the areas they control into forward positions for homeland defense."
"As expected of His Highness, he can analyze the enemy's possible actions from other angles, but the fact that the Central Alliance does not need Sakura Stone... is indeed hard to believe."
"We'd better hope that Zhonglian still needs Yingshi and that their current actions are just a strategic deception. Otherwise, many things will become very difficult in the future."
Schneizel's judgment was accurate, but sometimes, the more accurate your judgment, the more desperate the outcome. Because the enemy played their most unbeatable trump card—the Mighty Brick Heart-Flying Bomb.
At Dalian Container Terminal, batches of tactical mechs are being loaded onto ships, and warships are on standby.
The Central Alliance is now completely de-mechatizing, replacing them with various individual mobile armored vehicles and AI units. So don't waste the old relics that are being phased out; just give them to the Japanese government-in-exile and let them do whatever they want with them. After all, the ones piloting and using these mechs are the samurai of the Japanese government-in-exile. You can't kill all the other people's kids.
"His Highness the Regent is truly giving his all."
Although Qinshan was eliminating outdated production capacity, on a macro level, Li Xingke received enough main combat equipment to arm an army group. Even many pieces of equipment that had been in service for less than half a year and equipment that had just come off the production line in the Northern Military Region's warehouse were sent over, a veritable lavish gift package.
Didn't you see the smiles on the faces of the Japanese government-in-exile officials, like chrysanthemums in full bloom? They seemed to have already envisioned the glorious scene of Japan being restored to its former glory with the help of its "old father."
The landing site has been chosen: Nagasaki, the only place in Japan, and perhaps the world, where we can achieve our goals in one fell swoop.
Meanwhile, across the sea from Area 11 in Busan, North Korea, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles were ready to launch, each carrying a kiloton-class tactical nuclear warhead. If war broke out, Qin Shan decided to disregard all consequences and first bombard the US forces stationed in Japan—cough cough cough—with mushroom clouds, thoroughly rendering them incapable of fighting or mobilizing. After sending the Japanese government-in-exile there, the next step would be a proxy war on the Japanese chessboard. Having witnessed the power of nuclear weapons, even if the Holy British Empire had immense grievances, it would suppress them and obediently cooperate with China on its moves on the Japanese chessboard.
What if the Empire directly sends troops to attack the Central Alliance from other directions?
What's there to be afraid of? Just keep sending nuclear missiles to greet their entire families and see if their army outnumbers their nuclear arsenal. Besides, Qin Shan's omnic legion is fully prepared. Even in a conventional war, it would give Britain a sense of despair like the Protoss facing the Zerg, let alone this Iron Swarm.
Thus, on April 1st, 2018, April Fool's Day in World Six, the Japanese government-in-exile (referred to externally as the Japanese Republican Government) launched Operation "Restoration" (as it is called by the British). At the same time as the Japanese offensive, missiles rained down from the sky, carrying terrifying power at at least seven times the speed of sound, and up to ten or even twenty times, descending upon the British troops stationed in Japan.
This marked the first time in World Six's history that nuclear weapons were used in a war between nations. The three Knights Legion (equivalent to elite troops) stationed in Britain were instantly decommissioned. All airfields lost their ability to operate fixed-wing aircraft within five minutes of the missiles landing. Due to the EMP attack from the nuclear bombs, most smart devices were paralyzed. The leased territories...
The district suffered a large-scale power outage, and the remaining British troops wandered around like headless flies. The Japanese offensive in Nagasaki was as easy as a picnic.
By April 19 of the same year, the Japanese army had already controlled parts of Kyushu and Shikoku, and its advance was aimed directly at Kyoto.
While the British were in an uproar and protesting to the Central Alliance, more than 100,000 reinforcements began to assemble and were on their way to Area 11.
Section 175: The Tug-of-War in District 11
If a place has resources but lacks the strength to protect them, then that place will be fought over by others.
If a place has resources, but one of the parties vying for them has no interest in those resources, then that place will be destroyed.
I don't need it, but the enemy does. So if I can't get it, I'll destroy it!
After the Japanese government announced the start of the war of restoration, the staff led by Li Xingke formulated a war plan from south to north, which would sweep across the whole of Japan and, incidentally, wipe out 70 percent of the world's cherry blossom production capacity.
Anyway, Zhonglian doesn't need these anymore. Smash the market, smash everything. If you're so capable, go develop your own new technologies.
If one acts recklessly while simultaneously being hesitant to act for fear of harming others, the scene on the battlefield becomes extremely abstract.
It's important to understand that Sakura Stone is a huge industry, needed by the Central Union, Britain, and the European Union. However, the current situation in the Central Union is that the relevant stakeholders have been removed from Qinshan Physics' accounts, while the new technology is rapidly becoming widespread. The research departments and related companies that have used it all say it's good. With both profits and power secured, there's naturally no voice within the Central Union opposing the Regent's will. They're making more money now than before. If anyone still complains, believe me, they'll be sent to the Arctic Circle to mine.
However, there are many stakeholders within Britain who rely on the import of Sakuraite from Area 11 for their livelihood. Their military and civilians also have a large demand for Sakuraite mining. But now all of these are blocked. In the first round of nuclear bombing after the start of the war, in addition to the British Legion stationed in Japan suffering devastating damage, roads and airports in various parts of Area 11 were also completely destroyed. There is no possibility of repair in the short term. Even if they are repaired, military needs will be met first.
In this situation, the only feedback from the market is price increases and shortages. They have to endure it even if they disagree, since they have no way to send the Sakura Stone back to China.
Thus, the situation became one of British military and civilian capital frantically urging domestic reinforcements and British troops on the front lines to hold the vital Sakuragikan mining area, especially the Kyoto region, which they absolutely could not lose.
The problem is that war cannot be decided solely by economic considerations. Places that cannot be defended simply cannot be defended. Moreover, the enemy can launch nuclear attacks at the drop of a hat. No defensive line can withstand nuclear warheads and bunker busters. The earthquake-resistant modules in the leased areas (the kind of structures that Lelouch likes to lift up) collapsed on a large scale under the nuclear explosion. One section after another disappeared along with the buildings and British soldiers on them, forcing the British army to abandon the traditional urban defense and switch to mobile defense.
This also means that they cannot concentrate too many troops in a fixed area, because they would be bombed by nuclear weapons.
The surviving British soldiers have adapted to the new mode of warfare at a speed beyond that of ordinary humans, minimizing the damage caused by tactical nuclear bombs. Of course, they also know that once this thing falls, there is no way to defend against it. The only way to ensure safety is to stay as far away from the bombing area as possible.
"Attack! Liberate the motherland!"
Long live the Republic of Japan!
"Kill them!"
After gaining basic control over Kyushu and Shikoku, the Japanese army immediately marched north, and a major battle broke out between the two sides near the old Tokyo metropolitan area. At this time, the nuclear support from the Chinese Communist Party temporarily came to an end, and the fully armed Japanese army began to truly engage in a war of attrition with the British army.
One month later........
"How could they lose like that?!"
Qin Shan was very dissatisfied with the latest battle report sent by Li Xingke.
It's not that I'm dissatisfied with Li Xingke; the performance of this chief person in charge during this operation deserves to be called that of a prodigy.
The problem was that the Japanese army under his command was unable to complete the phased plans tactically. When all tactics were blocked, strategic failure was inevitable. There is no such thing as winning all battles but losing the entire war. The result of complete tactical failure is complete strategic failure. The two are a progressive relationship of quantitative change leading to qualitative change.
Unfortunately, the Japanese army of the Republic of Japan was indeed inferior to the British army in terms of combat effectiveness.
In terms of weapon performance, the gap between the two sides in standard weapons was not large. The British had the same weapons as the Japanese, and some were even more advanced. Moreover, they had ample resource assistance. However, the problem was that the newly recruited Japanese soldiers did not have the combat capabilities of good-looking soldiers.
Before Qin Shan played this card, the purpose of the Chinese Communist Party supporting the Japanese government-in-exile was to play a card that would annoy Britain when necessary, rather than to really crush the enemy strategically. After all, the Chinese Communist Party was not in a good position before, with a lot of internal problems and very limited firepower to export.
Therefore, the Japanese government-in-exile was more like a pet in the United Nations. Those Japanese who went to the United Nations had not received any proper training. They were basically forced into their roles. However, after returning to Japan and carrying the banner of Japanese liberation, they transformed into Japanese military officers.
The problem is that these guys are basically all ignorant and incompetent, and their combat effectiveness is even worse than the armed resistance forces spontaneously organized by the local people of District 11. Li Xingke clearly wrote in his report: "All the armed forces of District 11 that were conscripted were basically able to complete their missions on the battlefield, but the troops of the government-in-exile performed very poorly, and there were even many instances of subordinates rebelling against their superiors."
Their initial success emboldened these incompetents, who thought the British army was nothing special. Then, they suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of the Old Tokyo Metropolitan Area, losing over 80,000 men and two-thirds of their heavy equipment.
Thanks to Japan's small size and its abundance of mountains, rivers, and harbors, the British army's advance was hindered layer by layer. In addition, the local residents of District 11 were united in their hatred of the enemy and managed to hold off the British army's counterattack with a large number of anti-tank light weapons. Otherwise, those useless people would have lost all their heavy equipment.
"Give Li Xingke the highest authority. Tell him that from now on, he has the power to appoint and dismiss all military and political personnel within the Japanese government. He can act first and report later. At the same time, give those useless Japanese government officials a warning. If there's a second time, I'll throw them into Tokyo Bay to feed the fish!"
The right things should be left to the right people. Since Li Xingke is capable enough, then Area 11 can do whatever it wants. Anyway, the outdated production capacity that Zhonglian is eliminating can still have some value. I only care about the results, not the process. Having received 100% authorization and sufficient trust, Li Xingke immediately demonstrated his loyalty to his country through concrete actions.
First came a complete overhaul of the Japanese government. If a father was dissatisfied with his son, what's wrong with slapping him twice? Would he still dare to be an unfilial son? Some were dismissed, some were arrested, some were killed, and useless people were thrown into penance camps where they were destined to die. All capable officers were promoted. After this internal purge, the Japanese government finally burst forth with vitality.
At least they were no longer useless trash who could only lose equipment and wet their pants on the battlefield. After being conscripted, the locals of Area 11, who were given important responsibilities, were absolutely furious and hateful towards Britain, no matter what else they were talking about. They were more than willing to take the weapons provided by the Central Alliance and have a bloody war with the enemy on the other side.
In short, after properly implementing the system of rewards and punishments, the Japanese army immediately launched the Second Battle of Tokyo.
Then this time it was the British army that suffered the loss.
The success of the last battle led the British army to believe that the Japanese army was still the same Japanese army that they had easily defeated before, or even worse. However, the reality was that there was no longer a technological gap in weaponry between the two sides. What followed was a battle of troop quality, tactical application, and the support of the major powers behind the scenes.
In this respect, Britain is clearly at a disadvantage from the outset, given that Area 11 is so close to the Central Plains.
In the British capital, Princess Cornelia of the Second Empire, who had just been recalled from the African theater and was preparing to go to District 11, was saying goodbye to her eldest son, Prince Audiseus, who had come to see her off.
"Be careful in Area 11, Cornelia."
"Brother, I'm going to the battlefield. I can't stay in a safe place forever."
"Alas, what a pity. I'm just an average person with mediocre abilities, unlike you and Schneizel. I can only do what I'm capable of and try my best not to give you anything more."
"How could that be? My brother has always been kind and generous to others, and everyone acknowledges that. The future empire greatly needs an elder like my brother."
"Thank you for your comfort. Be careful on your journey." "Yes, Your Majesty. See you at the victory celebration banquet."
After Cornelia boarded the helicopter, she saw an unexpected person in the cabin.
"Good morning, Cornelia."
"Second brother! What are you doing here?"
"Look at this."
Schneizel handed the tablet to Cornelia.
As Cornelia flipped through the contents, Schneizel said, "The situation in Area 11 is deteriorating too quickly. The rebels have broken through the old Tokyo metropolitan area and are advancing towards Mount Fuji. At least half of the Sakura Stone mine's production capacity will be threatened, and the entire Empire will be affected as a result. If they attack the Mount Fuji mining area, we will immediately lose a lot of things."
“The key issue isn’t these rebels, but the Central Alliance,” Cornelia said seriously.
Schneizel smiled wryly and said, "Yes, the key to the problem is the China Alliance. You know, I know, everyone with a little political sense knows that, but we can't do anything about the China Alliance. Take a look at this."
Schneizel swiped a few times on Cornelia's tablet and opened an email video.
In the video footage, British tactical mechs are being slaughtered amidst a terrifying barrage of bullets. Various screams fill the communication channels, but no matter how maneuvering these tactical mechs are, they ultimately cannot avoid being pulverized.
Cornelia noticed that a certain type of rocket appearing in large numbers in the video was able to accurately track and lock onto the British tactical mechs. Although it couldn't be guaranteed to hit every time, two or three of these rockets could certainly hit a tactical mech. And the enemy clearly had far more of these rockets than the British tactical mechs.