In the Name of Empress-Chapter 339 - 233: The Unexpectedness of No Surprises
If an unexpected event could be anticipated, then it wouldn’t be unexpected.
After the Demon Octopus was repelled, any sensible person could guess that the subsequent journey wouldn’t be smooth sailing.
There was no need for Roland to remind him; Bridges was on full alert, not having slept well for several days, fully vigilant.
He had to guard against the vengeful parent octopus, worry about the Grim Clan and General Nephropidae staging an attack, and fear the continuous worsening of the weather.
However, none of the anticipated events occurred.
Since the stormy day when the Demon Octopus appeared, the sky had become particularly clear, even the wind was accommodating, allowing the fleet to reach maximum speed.
Bridges spent each day in unease.
Looking at Governor Roland’s calm expression, though saying nothing, he was full of admiration internally.
No wonder he’s the Governor; he can keep his composure.
Of course, he didn’t know that Roland wasn’t keeping his composure, but was relying on Alina’s prediction.
After the appearance of the Demon Octopus, Roland invited Alina to enjoy grilled octopus.
After enjoying the meal, he asked Alina to predict the upcoming journey.
Concentrating, Alina made a serious calculation and concluded with one sentence.
"Peaceful sailing."
Since the Prophet said it would be fine, Roland could sleep well.
Though not completely relaxed, he wasn’t overly anxious either.
If everyone expected an incident yet none occurred, it’s also a sort of unexpected event.
In short, the fleet peacefully and successfully arrived at the offshore of the southern coast of the Jin Yuan Kingdom.
The fleet conducted final adjustments here, ready to land at the opportune moment.
The southern coastline of the Jin Yuan Kingdom isn’t short, but only has two major ports; Roland’s target was the larger Ives Port.
The place was heavily fortified, with more than thirty thousand elite troops stationed throughout the year.
Along with three permanent batteries in the nearby mountains and mine-controlled waterways, even the peak force of the Sussex Empire’s main fleet couldn’t break through.
Landing operations are tough enough; using the fleet to assault a super port is even harder.
Of course, Roland wasn’t foolish enough to assault Ives Port head-on.
His plan was to land 30 kilometers east of Ives Port and attack from the rear.
The landing plan was simple and crude, using the moonlight and the force of the rising tide to launch small boats onto the shore, then advancing inland at low tide.
It is well known that in this age of underdeveloped navigation, nighttime sailing is dangerous. Launching small boats onto the shore at midnight is very prone to grounding.
Not even Bridges, or the most famous naval commanders in history, would dare to do so.
But Roland dared.
He wasn’t reckless; he was well prepared.
Five hundred small boats, guided by five hundred Sea Demons, landed to minimize danger.
As long as luck wasn’t too bad, landing wasn’t difficult.
The only real threat was the illuminating moonlight.
It was a full moon these days, the bright moonlight greatly increased the risk of being detected during landing.
Even though landing in the moonlight was risky, Roland couldn’t delay.
A long march and halting is very dangerous.
No matter how valid the reasons, halting could severely dampen morale.
Soldiers don’t understand strategy; they only think something went wrong.
The Jin Yuan Kingdom possesses the world’s second-largest navy. Although their naval traditions are inferior to the Sussex Empire, concentrating their full strength to deal with a half-strength Fourth Fleet isn’t difficult.
Looking up at the cloudless sky, Roland slowly raised his right hand, giving the order to land.
As the Governor, he could trust the professionals and delegate command to Bridges, but major decisions had to be made personally.
This wasn’t autocratic but taking on personal responsibility.
Seeing Roland raise his right hand, the long-awaiting Bridges breathed a sigh of relief, saluted towards the top deck, and returned to the combat command room, steadily issuing orders to each ship.
He laughed at himself, tonight the moonlight is so bright, the only advantage is being able to use signal flags for command, and the communication system is very smooth.
No wonder Governor Roland, the cherished lover of the Empress, could make a decision with just a moment of deliberation.
This is not the time to hesitate.
All possible extraordinary situations had been thoroughly prepared for before departure, even specific readiness for dealing with the Demon Octopus, Sea Demons, Werewolves, and even Centaur Cavalry.
With everything prepared, what’s there to hesitate about?
One by one, the small boats set off, paddling towards the coastline under the moderate waves.
Fortunately, there was guidance from the Sea Demons, and the small boats wobbled onto the shore.
Among these over five hundred small boats, quite a few were simple wooden rafts, and without the Sea Demons’ guidance, many would have been lost during the landing.
The tide rose and fell rapidly.
A dozen small boats hadn’t reached the beach yet and were swept away by the receding tide.
These unfortunate soldiers who fell into the water were swept away by the waves just as they were about to call for help, becoming part of the surf.
Bridges watched the landing scene through binoculars, his expression indifferent.
A nighttime landing involving more than ten thousand people, with only a few hundred lost, was hardly significant.
Anyway, those landing were Jin Yuan people, and he didn’t feel a bit sorry for them.
The accumulated hatred between Sussex and Jin Yuan over the years made relations between them difficult at all levels, and Bridges, a staunch Sussex nationalist, found it hard to be friendly toward the Jin Yuan people.
He wholeheartedly agreed with Governor Roland’s arrangements, with the only regret being that the Governor himself was mixed in with the landing team, going ashore with Alina.
Hmph, the pampered flowers of Jin Yuan truly are useless!
Our Sussex Empress is indeed wise and valiant, capable of handling everything even in the Governor’s absence.
In his mind, Bridges downgraded his assessment of Alina from 70 points to 50 points.
