Darkstone Code-Chapter 715 - 0713 Let me say something

The sound of cannon fire drew the attention of the entire Federation to the television screens.

As all the fleets participating in the joint military exercise arrived at their designated positions, the exercise officially began.

It was uncertain whether it was a coincidence, but to make this joint military exercise appear more valuable, all the participating countries were divided into two camps, with the Federation and Gafura not in the same camp!

Some said it was a coincidence, others said it was not, but whether it was or wasn’t, everyone more or less understood the deeper meaning behind it, including the vagrants.

The televisions in the shop windows on the street were on 24 hours a day, and the radio stations were all broadcasting content related to the joint military exercise.

Even trading volumes in the three major exchanges of the Federation experienced a brief halt when the exercise’s first cannon fired—there was indeed a moment when no transactions occurred.

Lynch was also watching the joint military exercise, along with others, including Mr. Truman, some from the navy, and some from the army, gathered in Mr. Truman’s home.

To demonstrate his commitment to defense affairs, the President would watch the military exercise at the Ministry of Defense today, along with some civilian generals from the Ministry, accompanied by on-site commentators.

Mr. Truman did not go along, as his presence wasn’t necessary today, so he invited some military personnel to his home to watch the exercise together, finding an excuse for it.

It was said to be an experience of a large-sized TV, and since Lynch was a sponsor of the TV, he naturally would be there.

Everyone watched intently as the television screen continually switched scenes, and Lynch suddenly asked a question, "What would happen if someone fired at a non-target ship?"

Fearing he wasn’t clear enough, he elaborated further, "For example, during a confrontation, if an exercise ship from the opposing camp suddenly fired a shot at our ship, what would happen?"

"Would it spark a war?"

"Would allies be determined according to the current camp arrangement?"

In an instant, he shifted everyone’s attention from the television to himself.

The soldiers were somewhat bewildered, and Mr. Truman temporarily lost the ability to think; they had never considered this question.

After all, this is a multinational joint military exercise. Although it’s a live-fire exercise, the scenario Lynch described seemed unlikely.

Indeed, both sides had considered the possibility of accidental fire, separating target ships from exercise ships, ensuring they weren’t in the same location. Even with inaccurate aim, accidental injuries were unlikely.

Mr. Truman snapped back to reality and exchanged a look with a few military personnel for a brief discussion, then responded to Lynch, "That’s unlikely; the exercise process is well-discussed, and we’re merely following the script."

"The real exercise began three days ago; it just lacked enough attention. At that time, the content was long-distance sailing and rapid battlefield insertion, and now it’s a small-scale encounter."

"In reality, the two sides have few opportunities to meet on the battlefield, being separated into two sea areas, then attacking target ships separately."

"What we’re seeing now is essentially a visual illusion, so what you mentioned is unlikely to happen."

"Next are battlefield support and amphibious landing, followed by the final decisive battle."

After listening to Mr. Truman’s explanation, Lynch felt slightly relieved, "If that’s the case, it’s good, as we only have one fleet..."

Aside from him, the expressions of everyone else in the room changed; Mr. Truman frowned and pondered for a moment before heading to the study to make a call.

The President was also watching the exercise, accompanied by some invited influential social figures, and, of course, various officers from the Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry arranged for someone to explain the exercise to the President and the various social figures present, with numerous reporters on-site; moments from there were occasionally inserted into TV programs.

The colonel’s explanation was loud, audible throughout the room, and from the smiles on people’s faces, it was clear that everyone was feeling high-spirited.

Since the beginning of the exercise, the Federation’s performance has been excellent, not boasting, but the data on the Federation’s warships looked impressive, and their performance was commendable, ranking in the top three for mobility during long-distance sailing and battlefield insertion.

Not ranking first wasn’t due to issues with the warships themselves; it ultimately was the result of the sailors and ship commanders’ inexperience, as they hadn’t participated in massive naval battles before and lacked experience.

Some believed simulation could improve commanders’ abilities, but this was merely wishful thinking.

The simplest issue was that in a simulation, ’hitting’ meant a guaranteed hit, whereas, in actual combat, hitting was not a certainty.

Battlefield insertion was similar; entering the battlefield quickly and effectively to exert high firepower wasn’t something achieved by mere words or pushing a few toy battleships in front of you like a child’s war game.

In terms of timing and specific insertion angles, marks were docked slightly.

But it didn’t matter, as the Federation hadn’t intended to achieve full marks in this military exercise; an average score was sufficient.

After all, participation was key, wasn’t it?

Then suddenly someone approached the President, whispering something to him.

The President was somewhat surprised, apologized to the others in the room, and gave a look to a navy admiral, and the two went into a small room.

There was a phone on the table, and the President picked it up, saying, "I’m here with...the admiral; I’ll put this on speaker."

He said this while placing the phone down and pressing a button, transferring the sound from the receiver to the speaker, making it audible throughout the room.

"Mr. President, Admiral, it’s Truman. We were watching the exercise just now, and during it, Mr. Lynch raised a hypothetical scenario of accidental incidents occurring during the exercise..."

The unnamed admiral immediately refuted, "No, it’s unlikely for an accidental incident to occur. The attackers and defenders are actually in parallel sea areas, unseen by each other. It’s unlikely others would accidentally harm us, nor would we accidentally harm others."

"Unlikely, but still possible, right?" Mr. Truman’s voice was serious, somewhat odd through the speaker, but it intensified the room’s atmosphere.

The unnamed admiral hesitated momentarily, eventually agreeing with Mr. Truman, "Indeed, such a possibility exists, akin to an unexpected pie falling from the sky and hitting someone’s head."

The President seemed to think Mr. Truman was overreacting. He chuckled lightly, "This shouldn’t trouble us too much, Truman. I trust they will handle it well."

Mr. Truman replied, "We only have one fleet, and with the new ships still under construction, if due to some accident our ships were ’mistakenly’ hit, it would be a devastating blow to the Federation’s national security!"

The President, who had been carefree, realized the gravity of the situation. In essence, they still felt somewhat ’intimidated.’

The fight against Gafura arose from desperation, where facing defeat was inevitable, including using submarines.

The Ministry of Defense required causing a fatal blow to Gafura’s fleet, even if it came to collisions.

If not for the submarines’ contributions, the Federation’s fleet might have been annihilated.

The undefeated title of Gafura World was shattered, along with an entire fleet, and this animosity wasn’t something easily dispelled with a few words or political concessions.

Much like the ’coincidence’ in this exercise, where Gafura and the Federation were split into two camps.

If they suddenly used ’wrong markings’ to attack the Federation fleet, the unprepared fleet could face a devastating blow.

If the Gafura lost a fleet, they still had main fleets to continue dominating the West Ocean.

If the Federation lost its fleet, they’d be left with training ships.

If ’shamelessness’ allowed a country to rise and a newly risen power to decline, the President suddenly thought if he were Emperor Gafura, he might do the same.

Gravely, the smile on the President’s face waned, "What do you propose, Truman? You didn’t make this call just to inform me our fleet might be in danger, did you?"

"Yes, Mr. President, I hope you can authorize the frontline commander to enter secondary war status from this moment. If we encounter ’bombardment,’ we should retaliate immediately, without waiting for authorization!"

The President glanced at the navy admiral, who nodded slightly, expressing approval of the idea.

"I understand; your suggestion is crucial. I’ll communicate with the frontline commander immediately."

After hanging up, the President asked the admiral, "If what Truman fears occurs, do we have enough ships and personnel to uphold the Federation’s national defense?"

"Moreover, how long until our new fleets are operational?"

The admiral shook his head, "Currently, we only have training ships, decommissioned ones from over twenty years ago, not of much value."

"If someone invades now, we will completely lose initiative, and the coastal areas will fall under fire."

"Our new ships might even be destroyed before touching water, Mr. President."

Hearing this outcome, the President unhesitatingly picked up the phone again, "Connect me with the Joint Military Exercise Operational Command..."