The vast, boundless blue ocean stretched endlessly before them. Wave after wave rolled in, crashing against the warships with earth shattering force, sending plumes of water sprays several meters into the air. Under the assault of the sea, the ships began to pitch and roll, and those on deck could no longer keep their footing. Had it not been for their extensive experience, they might already have been thrown overboard to feed the fish. Inside the command room, Admiral Itō Sukeyuki calmly sipped his coffee, as if the raging wind and waves outside simply did not exist. For those who had spent their lives at sea, rough weather had long become part of everyday life. As long as it did not threaten the safety of the fleet, it was nothing worth making a fuss about. Staff Officer Akiyama Saneyuki reported, “Your Excellency, the British have sent an urgent telegram. Please review it.” As he spoke, he respectfully handed over the document, his manners flawless and precise. Setting down his coffee, Itō Sukeyuki casually took the paper and skimmed through it. After a brief glance, he closed his eyes and murmured to himself, “What must come will come.” He then asked, “Where are we now?” Determining one’s position at sea was itself a demanding discipline. In an era without GPS, navigation relied entirely on traditional instruments, and without extensive seafaring experience it was simply impossible. This time, moreover, they were proceeding in secrecy, needing to avoid enemy surveillance. Conventional routes could not be used, making the task even more difficult. Akiyama Saneyuki replied, “We are approaching the Anambas Islands. We are not far from the rendezvous point with the British.” After a brief moment of thought, Admiral Itō Sukeyuki gave his order: “The enemy is attacking Singapore, so the decisive battle will come sooner than expected. Pass the order. Command the fleet to increase speed.” There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Having followed behind the British for so many years, the moment to risk their lives had finally arrived. Of course, the most important factor was that they had no real choice. Russia and Austria were traditional allies, which meant that Japan, already at war with the Russian Empire, could not possibly draw closer to them. In a sense, Japan’s fate had long been bound to that of the British. Even if they could not share glory together, they would certainly share defeat. If the British were unfortunate enough to lose, then even if the Holy Roman government chose not to settle scores afterward, Japan, lacking the backing of the Great Powers, would still be no match for the Russians. This southward advance was therefore not only a fight on behalf of the British. It was a fight for the Japanese Empire itself. Under such circumstances, there was no room left to hold back. It had to be admitted that the Japanese possessed a genuine talent for surprise attacks. Their fleet had already entered Southeast Asia, yet it still had not been discovered by the Continental Alliance. By comparison, the British were far inferior in this regard. The Far East Fleet had barely set out before news leaked, otherwise the battle of Singapore would not have broken out with such uncanny timing. Of course, being underestimated was also a key factor. After all, the British Far East Fleet was constantly watched, whereas the Japanese Navy was not taken seriously at all. Luck, however, always runs out sooner or later. Southeast Asia was, after all, within the sphere of influence of the Continental Alliance. One might evade the first encounter, but not the fifteenth. Just as the Japanese Navy increased speed, Hans, piloting a reconnaissance aircraft, suddenly blurted out a curse: “Holy Sh*t, look what we’ve found.” His exaggerated expression made Leo, seated in the co-pilot's seat, break out in a cold sweat and said, “Calm down, buddy! Do not forget you are flying the aircraft.” Seeing his tense companion, Hans came to his senses and said calmly, “Relax. I know what I’m doing. We are flying over the sea, not the mountains. Letting your mind wander for a moment is not a problem. If there is anyone to blame, it is the Japanese down there. If they had not run into this area, would I really be this surprised?” Faced with his thick-skinned companion, Leo completely lost his temper. At this moment, he finally understood why Hans, despite his superb flying skills, had been kicked out of the main force. What a pilot needed was calm and composure. An impulsive person like Hans was clearly unsuited for the profession. If not for this war, and if not for the fact that his flying skills were indeed outstanding, he would probably have been sent home long ago. With no time to continue arguing, Leo was already tapping away at the telegraph key. The Japanese Navy entering Southeast Asia was far too important a development and had to be reported immediately. As for how to deal with it afterward, that was a matter for the big figures to consider. It was not something they needed to worry about. … The invention of radio was undoubtedly the greatest revolution in the history of military communications. News that the reconnaissance aircraft had discovered the Japanese Navy reached Admiral Alister, stationed outside Singapore Harbor, in less than half an hour, vividly demonstrating what efficiency truly meant. Anyone with even a little military knowledge could see that the Japanese Navy’s secret southward advance was clearly aimed at the Holy Roman Navy. Whether to continue with the original plan now became a difficult question. Under the original plan, they only needed to deal with the Far East Fleet, with a victory probability as high as ninety nine percent. Now, with the addition of the Japanese Navy, the situation was completely different. How much combat power a carrier strike group could truly exert was still an unanswered question. Air force reinforcements were also not unlimited. After all, this was Southeast Asia, not the homeland. Being able to deploy a single air force division into combat was already extremely difficult. In theory, a fully staffed air force division possessed 288 aircraft, which was by no means a small number. The problem was that an air force division did not consist entirely of bombers. There were also fighters, reconnaissance planes, early warning aircraft, transport planes, and so on. Of course, these aircraft were not completely incapable of being used as bombers, but the results would be rather painful to behold. Alister had every reason to believe that victory would belong to him. However, this operation was not merely about defeating the enemy. More importantly, it was about severely damaging, or even annihilating, the enemy’s main fleet. The enemy was not foolish. If they truly realized that the threat overhead was something they could not handle, they would certainly choose to withdraw. After all, tactics that relied on a major disparity in doctrine could only be used once. If the enemy could not be dealt a heavy blow this time, attempting the same approach again in the future would be impossible. After hesitating for quite some time, Alister ultimately decided to gamble. It was not easy to lure the enemy to his doorstep, and if this opportunity were missed, no one knew how long it would take before another arose. Even if they failed to keep the enemy from escaping, as long as they destroyed several of the enemy’s battleships, or at least eliminated the two British dreadnoughts, the objective would still be considered achieved. Once the enemy’s strength was crippled, and after assembling fleets together with the Spanish and the Dutch, even without air force support, the Continental Alliance would not fall into a disadvantage against the Anglo-Japanese alliance. If they reached this stage, the Continental Alliance would not only be able to sever the Malacca shipping route, but could also periodically dispatch fleets into the Indian Ocean. Subsequent operations could then be left entirely to the army. As long as the navy ensured logistical supply, the ground forces could advance straight through the Malayan Peninsula. Although this would leave him with less personal glory, as a senior commander he had to consider the problem from a strategic perspective.
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