Zhejiang and Enterprise (Book One)

Battle of Shanghai - Interlude

Somewhere In Eagle Union

????'s POV: 

Hmmm. The fleet should have arrived in Dragon Empery by now. Assuming everything goes to plan, by the time our forces arrive there they should have an easy time accessing the city and once it falls, there'll be nothing standing in our way. Though I suspect the citizens themselves will also put up a fight, they're no match for our military might. 

Then there's the Sakura Empire. That thorn in our side must be eliminated. It's hard enough being locked in a never-ending war with the SIREN. As things stand, our forces are spread far too thinly, what with having to fight a war in five different regions. We should have never joined the war in Europe. We've gained nothing by fighting Iron Blood. Had we stayed out and just focused on the Sakura Empire first, we'd have won this war by now. 

????: Is everything alright, Mr. President?

Me: Yes, I'm fine. I was just taking a break. Have we received any updates as yet, Janet?

Janet: No, Mr. President but we're expecting one soon.

Me: I see.

Hopefully, this will end the war in the Pacific for good.  Our forces were already overextended having to fight a war In Europe, another in the Mediterranean, another in the Atlantic, and another in the Pacific. Stretched that far whilst also having to protect our own coastline...yes, this was necessary. We must eliminate the threat the Sakura Empire poses and if defeating the Dragon Empery is what it'll take to get access to that girl's technology then that's what we'll do. We'll need it to decisively drive them back. Otherwise, we'll be locked in a never-ending war that resurfaces soon after victory has been achieved.

????: Strange isn't it?

Surprised to hear another voice out on the terrace, I turn to find my Vice President standing there. I didn't even hear her open the door after Janet had left...how odd. Then again, she's always been this silent.

Me: The weather or...?

Caroline: I mean the fact that we're still having to use the KANSEN as our nation's figureheads to prevent the SIREN from finding and infiltrating our government.

Oh...that's what this is about. I know she's always loathed hiding but I'd thought she'd gotten used to it by now. It's true that we publicly handed power over to the KANSEN for that purpose but since we've still retained control from behind the scenes, I've never been bothered by the arrangement. I've always seen it as the best choice and I'd imagine the other nations did the same thing. I certainly can't see nations like Iron Blood or even the Royal Navy freely giving the girls we all created full autonomy over not just themselves but our respective nations as well. I doubt any of these girls know the first thing about running a nation. They're weapons of war after all and war breeds nothing but chaos.

Me: When we win this war, we-

????: Mr. President! You're needed, sir.

Seeing the alarm in the attendant's eyes, both Caroline and I head back inside where we find the others waiting on us.

Me: What's happened?

Jefferson: We've received the following transmission.

[This is West Virginia. The Dragon Empery has expanded its navy. We've already engaged their forces but are retreating to avoid taking further losses and to properly assess the situation. Requesting authorization to continue onwards to the secondary target alongside the main fleet.]

Me: Authorised. Tell them to not take unnecessary risks. If the opponent proves too challenging to overcome, withdrawal is permitted.

As they send off my orders in a much more detailed format, I can't help but think of what she's reported. The transmission was fairly vague but from it there are things that are fairly obvious. For one, the Dragon Empery has seemingly built more ships. The fact that our own fleet saw a need to withdraw, even with future technology on our side, suggests that either they have amassed a massive fleet in a short amount of time or have created specialised...yes.

Me: Do we have other carriers on standby on the west coast? 

Johnson: Yes, Mr. President.

Me: Have them begin work on retrofitting them to the specifications that girl provided us with. If I'm not mistaken they only need to be longer and change their decks, correct?

Johnson: Well, sir, it's a little more complex than that but yes. While we don't have the means of launching the jets as yet, if we were to make the ships themselves longer then we could theoretically have the planes take off as normal. However, whether it'll work for their KANSEN forms or not remains to be seen.

Me: I see. Then have them build entirely new ships. Not KANSEN but normal ships and then the KANSEN can protect said ships while the ships carry out the tasks I have in mind. 

The room goes silent. I can tell they want to oppose me and with good reason too. It really is an outlandish order but that's precisely what will make it work. They'll never see what I have in mind coming and though it may be a one way trip for these oversized ships, I have no doubt in my mind that they'll certainly achieve their main purpose.

Me: Well?