Chapter 1110 Contact Plan

So after considering these factors, Lieutenant General He Wenhai, commander of the Eastern Theater Navy, immediately frowned and showed some obvious hesitation and deliberation.

He did not answer immediately, but tapped the table slowly with his fingers, as if weighing extremely heavy pros and cons.

At this moment, the eyes of the entire conference room were focused on him. No one urged him, but just silently waited for his response.

"Commander, fellow members of the Standing Committee."

After a long while, He Wenhai, the commander of the Eastern Theater Navy, finally spoke. His voice was steady, with a hint of indelible solemnity:

"From a purely military perspective, I personally believe that at this stage, deploying valuable surface combatants to high-risk waters for a non-core engagement mission with questionable intelligence value is grossly disproportionate to the risks and benefits."

Having said that, he suddenly stood up and walked to the front of the stage. At his signal, the large screen in the conference room switched to a nautical chart. As he stretched out his hand and slid, the screen immediately enlarged a vast sea area outside the Yangtze River estuary.

“The reasons are as follows:”

"First, the mission is non-essential. The core purpose of this operation is 'contact' and 'intelligence gathering'."

"The aerial reconnaissance formation has basically achieved this goal, and can conduct communication attempts and long-range observation. The naval formation's 'presence display' role is icing on the cake at this stage, rather than providing timely assistance."

"Even if the other side sees our warships, they may not change their established strategy, but we have to bear real risks for this."

"Second, the risk assessment is extremely high. The current ocean environment is no longer our home turf. Based on analysis of combat records, a fleet, especially a lone frigate formation operating away from shore-based fire support, has a probability of encountering a large-scale, organized wave of sea monsters in the aforementioned waters exceeding 40%."

"And once we get entangled, the outcome... you all know it well." At this point, as the commander of the theater's navy, he could hardly control the regret in his tone.

Since the apocalypse, the Eastern Theater's navy has lost a third of its total strength due to the direct effects of the sea monster tide. Adding to this the non-combat losses during the apocalypse, the Eastern Theater's naval capabilities are now less than one-fifth of their pre-apocalyptic strength...

Such horrific war losses, no matter how many times he thought of it, would make him so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.

You have to know that this is the wealth that the entire country has endured humiliation and generations of Zhou Banghai soldiers have accumulated over many years? ! !

And with the apocalypse only lasting less than a year, he'd already suffered such losses... How could he not be heartbroken? He was afraid he wouldn't even be able to face his old leaders and seniors if he died in battle!

So thinking of this, He Wenhai couldn't help but emphasize his next words:

"Third, strategic assets are extremely valuable. Our main surface warships have suffered heavy losses in previous 'Nest Protection' operations. Each one is a core strategic asset that maintains our Zhoushan defense system, protects our maritime lifeline, and enables us to return to the mainland in the future."

"To risk them for an exploratory mission with such high uncertainty, I think, is irresponsible."

He grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, so much so that when he finally concluded, the naval commander couldn't help but stare directly at his own theater commander, Gao Jianguo, with a look of rage, as if he were looking at a prodigal son:

"Commander, I'm not afraid of fighting! The Navy's blood has never cooled, but because we shoulder the future of the entire war zone, every bit of strength must be used effectively."

"Therefore, without clear evidence that this new force poses a direct and imminent military threat to us, it is not worth putting the main fleet into such danger. Please carefully consider this."

?

"Is Lao He angry at me?"

'? ? ? '

'What did I do?

When He Wenhai finished his speech, Gao Jianguo, commander of the Eastern Theater Command, who was sitting in the main seat, felt a little confused.

"We were just having a good discussion, why is he so angry at me?"

"Forget it, now that things have come to this, let's discuss the real business first..."

Unable to think of the reason, Gao Jianguo simply stopped thinking about it, because the current matter was more important, so he could only put aside the origin of He Wenhai's emotions and turned to look at all the standing committee members present.

The members of the Standing Committee present at the moment were all thinking with their heads down. The real difficulties facing the Navy were like a huge rock pressing on everyone's heart.

Navy Commander He Wenhai's remarks were like a bucket of cold water, quickly cooling down the slight fluctuations in the conference room that had arisen earlier due to the possible discovery of "external forces."

The naval commander once again told them with reality that the coastal defense pressure faced by their own war zone is far more cruel and urgent than that faced by an unknown land force that has not yet shown direct hostility.

Seeing that no one spoke, the theater commander Gao Jianguo realized that it was time for him to make the final decision, so he no longer hesitated and spoke directly:

"Lao He's concerns are quite reasonable. We can't use our valuable strategic assets to gamble on an uncertain return."

"I declare that the Navy's forward deployment plan is suspended, and priority will be given to air engagement and intelligence activation missions."

"Commander He, your navy must continue to maintain the highest level of alert and ensure the defense of the homeland is foolproof."

"Yes!" He Wenhai breathed a sigh of relief and immediately accepted the order.

"Once the aerial reconnaissance plane is ready, take off immediately. We need to hear from Jinling as soon as possible."

At this moment, Li Qirui, the theater chief of staff who was in charge of formulating the battle plan, could not help but suddenly ask:

"Commander, what if... what if the other party refuses to communicate, or even shows hostility?"

As soon as the words fell, Gao Jianguo's eyes turned cold:

"Then we need to judge the threat level. If they are just cautious or arrogant, we can remain patient. If they actively attack our reconnaissance fleet..." He paused, his tone grim.

"That means they are enemies, not friends. We must prepare for the worst, and even consider... using long-range firepower to launch a devastating attack while they're still struggling to gain a firm foothold. Let them know that the shores of the East China Sea are not a place where they can act recklessly."

But he then slowed down his tone: "However, this is the worst-case scenario. I am more inclined to believe that the decision-makers of a force that can build an air force of this scale are not crazy."

"In the apocalypse, having more powerful neighbors is always better than having more terrifying monster lairs. Especially after they truly experienced the horror of the thing in Jinling City..."

Political Department Director Zhou Wei took over the conversation, his tone deep, "That's right. That 'Jinling Ancient Brain'... was a monster we released with our own hands. We understand its potential and terror better than anyone else."

"If this new force can help us consume it, or even... perish together, it will be beneficial to us."

This idea was a bit cruel, but it revealed the subconscious calculations of many people present.

"It's settled," Gao Jianguo finally decided. "Chief of Staff Li, immediately develop a detailed contact plan. Deputy Commander Wang, make the necessary emergency preparations. Director Zhou, prepare several different external narratives, ranging from the friendliest to the most hawkish."

He looked around at everyone and concluded, "Comrades, we have been isolated overseas for too long. The drastic changes on the mainland are beyond our control."

"Now, with the dynamics changing, we can no longer retreat. This engagement is our first step back onto the mainland stage, and we must proceed with caution and elegance. We must demonstrate that our Eastern Theater remains a force to be reckoned with, while also avoiding unnecessary enemies. Dismissed!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

...

All the members of the Standing Committee stood up solemnly and left after receiving the order.