Chapter 721.2: The Federation's Desolution!

At the end of his speech, he announced the establishment of the Peace Island Government, assumed the roles of Acting President and Commander of the Federation’s navy, and declared war on the North Island rebels in the name of the Constitution.

Compared to Chalas's speech, General Li Minghui's address was undoubtedly more rushed and somewhat lacking in momentum. Legally speaking, he was indeed first in line to become Acting President. Unfortunately, Chalas had already become the de facto ruler of North Island.

Though still carrying the title of President, the authority he wielded had far exceeded the powers granted by the Constitution. There was no doubt he had achieved this through the support of North Island's officers, or at least part of them.

Even if he did not wish to confront his former comrades, Li Minghui could only make the most practical choice available and declare the North Island government illegal in the name of the Constitution and establish a new government on Peace Island.

He did not want to do it, but he had no other choice. If he surrendered to Chalas, the man would definitely invent some charge to eliminate him just as he had ruthlessly taken out President Mengo and Captain Dongwen...

...

Having witnessed the entire coup firsthand, Muda never imagined that the memory card he had brought to Peace Island would create such enormous consequences that it would split the entire Federation apart.

What surprised him even more was that he had somehow become a member of the Peace Island military government's council tasked with drafting a new constitution. Within the Federation, he belonged to the faction that maintained relatively close relations with Shelter 70.

As a result, he had always been a somewhat marginalized figure within the federal administration.

After all, it had been Administrator Sun Yuechi who separated the Maritime Patrol Fleet from the Federation Navy and placed it under the command of the Ministry of Finance.

That decision had delayed the arrival of the current crisis to some extent. But it had also saddled the Maritime Patrol Fleet with the political label of being the "Shelter faction."

Fortunately, the Peace Island authorities no longer had the luxury of worrying about such matters. Their most urgent problem was dealing with the military threat posed by North Island.

Even if it meant winning over only a few speedboats or minelayers, they had to make every effort.

In the operations conference room on Peace Island’s Naval Base, a meeting that would determine the future fate of the Federation was underway under intense pressure.

Muda had been summoned halfway through the meeting, so by the time he entered, nearly every seat around the conference table was already occupied.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive.

After taking a seat, he lowered his voice and quietly asked the logistics director beside him. "How many people responded to our broadcast?"

The logistics director's face looked grim. "Only four governors."

Muda froze. He had not expected the side standing on legal legitimacy to possess such weak influence.

Unable to help himself, he asked another question. "What about the fleet?"

"We have one cruiser, two destroyers, and three submarines. Unless we start converting civilian vessels, that's all we have for now."

"... What about those from North Island?"

"One battleship, one cruiser, three destroyers, and one attack submarine." Seemingly aware of how unfavorable the situation sounded, the logistics director quickly added, "But the submarine factory is on our side. We're not completely without advantages."

Hearing the conversation, another officer seated nearby coughed lightly and joined in. "That's true. We're not completely without advantages. But our advantages are insignificant compared to our disadvantages. Without Coral City's reactor, we can't build fusion-powered submarines with superior stealth capabilities. Conventional submarines are difficult to employ effectively in real combat. Also, the Federation's largest shipyard and ammunition factory are both under Chalas' control."

Muda gulped involuntarily. "... This is bad."

The officer sighed. "It certainly is."

The largest industrial base and shipyards were in the north. North Island possessed abundant population, technical expertise, and the industrial capacity to transform that expertise into war machines. The longer the conflict dragged on, the worse things would become for Peace Island.

Yet even launching an immediate attack would be almost hopeless. With only one cruiser, two destroyers, and three submarines, defeating the North Island’s navy led by a battleship flagship was nearly impossible.

To make matters worse, Chalas still had supporters within their ranks. Although some had been imprisoned, replacing them with new personnel would take time.

Of course, North Island faced the same problem. If there were officers supporting Chalas, there were certainly others who supported the Constitution and their elected President.

Both North Island and Peace Island were suffering from the growing pains caused by chaos.

Whoever restored internal order first and eliminated their rival would become the new master of these waters.

"What about Ring Island? Any new developments?" Commander Li Minghui asked after flicking ash into an ashtray and pondering for a moment.

Ring Island lay at the western edge of the Southern Seas near the Baiyue Strait. Its position placed it directly behind the four islands controlled by the Peace Island government, and it was also the most populous island in the Federation.

If that settlement sided with Chalas, the consequences would be disastrous. That was why they had to do everything possible to bring it into the Peace Island camp.

The aide shook his head. "No news yet. The governor there is an opportunist. In other words, a fence-sitter. In his reply, he said he didn't want to take sides... Honestly, I get the feeling he might even want to leave the Federation and join the New Alliance."

The commander frowned. "That's troublesome."

The adjutant sighed and nodded lightly. "It is."

Silence fell over the conference table.

At that moment, an officer suddenly spoke up. "Why don't we bring the New Alliance over to our side?"

The suggestion immediately stirred the room. More than half the people at the table looked at him in surprise. That included Muda, who had accepted New Alliance money long ago.

The adjutant sitting beside the commander frowned slightly and couldn't help asking, "Is that really appropriate?"

The New Alliance's land forces were indeed formidable, but they were ultimately too far away, and their naval strength was practically nonexistent.

Even if they had a few small aircraft, he honestly didn't know how to evaluate them. All he could say was that those people truly weren't afraid of death, willing to ride all sorts of bizarre-looking vehicles.

Setting aside the strength of their potential ally, inviting an external power to interfere in affairs of the Southern Seas was itself a cause for concern.

Faced with everyone's doubts, the officer who had made the proposal continued in a serious tone. "We have no other choice. This is the only way to win. While we're still hesitating, the traitors of the Federation have already borrowed the power of the Torch Church. If we continue hesitating, we'll end up clutching our principles as we sink to the bottom of the sea."

Whispers spread around the conference table.

It was true.

Most of the people present knew at least something about the truth behind the destruction of the power station. If it had once been mere speculation, then Captain Dongwen's recording had practically confirmed the unsavory relationship between the Chalas administration and the Torch Church.

It was only because the fleet stationed at North Island had turned a blind eye that those Mutant Humans had been able to pass through the Federation's northern patrol zone and penetrate deep into Federation territory.

At that moment, a destroyer captain slowly spoke. "It's not entirely impossible. The New Alliance seems to have a good reputation around Silvermoon Bay. They previously assisted the nations of the Sunset Province against the Army and its vassal states during the invasion, and afterward they didn't take the opportunity to annex any of those kingdoms."

A submarine captain countered immediately. "What about Port Gallon?"

The destroyer captain continued, "They established a new government there made up of local survivors. While that may be unacceptable from the perspective of the royal family of the Xilande Empire, there was no excusing the fact that the Xilande Empire struck first in that conflict... Besides, I've always felt it wasn't a coincidence that the New Alliance and the Mutant Humans appeared in the Baiyue Strait at the same time."

Another officer seated nearby rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded. "That makes sense. They even allowed the kingdoms of the Sunset Province to continue existing, provided the local monarchies abolished slavery and established legal equality among all people. In that regard, we've gone much further than those feudal lords ever did. They have no reason to meddle in our internal affairs."

The submarine captain who had objected earlier hesitated for a moment but ultimately couldn't think of a counterargument and nodded. "That's true..."

Once the discussion started flowing, everyone began exchanging opinions enthusiastically, and much of the heavy atmosphere around the table dissipated.

Seeking the New Alliance's assistance was indeed a viable solution. At the very least, those people were far more reliable than the lunatics from the Ocean Edge Province.

Moreover, it was said that the New Alliance and the Torch Church were sworn enemies.

Even from the perspective of their own strategic interests, the New Alliance had every reason to become involved in the situation in the Southern Seas.

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