The preparatory meeting was held until the evening, and then it was temporarily adjourned after the proposal of the commander-in-chief of the "Westward 150" exercise, General Shi Yuliang, commander of the Northwest Theater of the Liangxia Empire.

The main thing is that everyone is hungry, and no matter how busy they are, they have to eat dinner.

After General Shi Yuliang left, none of the dozens of young officers from the army, navy, and air force, as well as the Marine Corps, got up and left the command center.

Just before the adjournment, Admiral Shi Zhiliang announced that the exercise planning had been officially upgraded to a pre-war deployment.

It's going to be a war!?

For a dull day of preparation meetings, this sentence is no less effective than a bombshell.

When the crew came in to do the cleaning, several Marine officers were the first to leave.

At this time, Lian Mingyang woke up violently. Noticing the look from the admiral standing in the doorway, he walked over in three steps and two steps.

The Captain of the Navy is Bai Huawei.

To pull it up, Bai Huawei is still Lian Mingyang's elder. Bai Huawei is Bai Zhizhan's youngest son, and Lian Mingyang is Lian Xusheng's grandson.

But the problem is that Lian Mingyang's cousin Li Tianling took Bai Huawei's sister.

According to imperial customs, the generation is based on the paternal line, and Bai Huawei is Lian Mingyang's distant cousin.

In fact, Bai Huawei is only 4 years older than Lian Mingyang.

In addition, in the army, it is about affiliation, and no one talks about relatives.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the two chose a table in the corner.

There is no need to make a fuss about what Admiral Shi Zhiliang began to mention.

Over the past 10 years or so, the "Westward Expansion" exercises have been arranged at the end of the year, and they have crossed the year, and in addition to the meaning of connecting the previous and the next, they are mainly related to the climate.

Winter warfare has always been a weakness of the Imperial army, but it is the enemy's strong point.

Holding large-scale joint military exercises in the depths of winter can play a role in deterring the enemy.

This year, it was a bit of a surprise.

The start of the exercise was fully 4 months ahead of schedule!

It's the height of summer, and there's still half a year left before the depths of winter.

Obviously, this is not a decision to pat the head above, and has a lot to do with the current tensions.

At the end of last month, the Iraqi government abruptly announced that it had crushed a military coup and foiled an assassination attempt against the country's top leader.

The spearhead is all pointed at neighboring Kuwait.

At the beginning of this month, on 7 July, the Iraqi government issued an ultimatum to Kuwait on unilateral evidence that could not be confirmed, demanding that the Kuwaiti government unconditionally open its borders and allow Iraqi troops to enter the country to search for and arrest those involved in the military coup and assassination.

On the same day, the imperial authorities expressed serious concern about the tense situation in Posha Bay.

Although the Iraqi authorities extended the ultimatum deadline until 1 August after the three super-hegemons intervened, they did not make substantial concessions.

On 11 July, the imperial authorities made the necessary adjustments to the military deployment, including the deployment of an additional tactical aviation wing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Since then, the evacuation of expatriates from the countries bordering Posha Bay has also begun, as well as the Navy's return of six aircraft carriers to shipyards for mid-term overhaul.

Because it is a temporary maintenance, these six aircraft carriers can be redeployed in August.

Through this arrangement, by the end of the year, the number of aircraft carriers that the Imperial Navy can deploy to Posha Bay will increase from five to nine.

It was precisely in this way that it was determined that if the tensions at Posha Bay were not eased, the Liangxia Empire was likely to intervene militarily by the end of the year.

Clearly, there is a key issue that has been overlooked by all.

The need for military intervention was not for the Liangxia Empire, but for Iraq, or rather for the Hindan Empire and the Nuland Republic that supported Iraq behind the scenes.

If there is no way to avoid it, there is no need to delay it until the end of the year.

At present, there are three aircraft carriers of the Imperial Navy cruising in Posha Bay and the Mua Sea, and two more can be added within 15 days of the start of the war.

Five aircraft carriers were not enough to protect Kuwait, but they were able to prevent Iraqi troops from moving south from Kuwait.

In addition, the annual "Westward Expansion" joint military exercise was brought forward to August.

Obviously, this is an unmistakable warning sign.

If there is a real fight, the troops participating in the exercise can go directly to Posha Bay!

Half a month ago, when he received an order from the Theater Command that the "Westward Expansion" exercise would start ahead of schedule and that the newly formed 771st Army Aviation Assault Brigade would take the lead in participating in the exercise, Lian Mingyang immediately thought that the top echelons of the empire hoped that through the military exercise, Iraqi military dictator Hussein would clearly understand the risks and costs of waging war, understand the gap with the superpower, and give up the military adventure that was doomed to failure.

In this era where the size of a fist determines the right to speak, nothing is more convincing than military might.

At that time, Lian Mingyang didn't think much about it.

He didn't have the energy to think about it.

In the past half a month, Lian Mingyang has not even had a quarter of an hour to spare, except for eating, drinking, and Lazar, he has been busy all the time.

In his words, he can't have three heads and six arms.

Fundamentally, the fact that Iraq's military dictator dared to stand up and challenge the Liangxia Empire at this time was not unrelated to the covert support of the Manman Empire and the Nuland Federation.

In fact, a few years ago, Iraq had a very close relationship with the Liangxia Empire.

Even if it's an ally, it's a friendly country.

The reason is that the help provided by the Liangxia Empire was actually indirect assistance provided by a third party to help Iraq turn defeat into victory in the Iran-Iraq war.

But herein lies the problem.

Throughout, the Liangxia Empire did not provide direct assistance to Iraq, nor did it provide advanced weaponry through third parties.

The so-called "indirect assistance" is mainly intelligence, financial support and personnel training.

The reason for this can be traced back to the Polish-Iranian War before the Iran-Iraq War.

After the end of that war, the strategic expansion of the Liangxia Empire came to an abrupt halt, entered a period of strategic contraction, and was forced to implement a strategy of isolation in the Posha Bay region.

To put it simply, it is to strengthen the military presence in the relatively wealthy oil-producing countries that do not border Poland, in order to avoid falling into the quagmire of war again, and to achieve the goal of maintaining the core interests in the Posha Bay area, namely oil, and the oil gold dollar, with minimal investment.

The strategy is figuratively called the "moat plan".

Kuwait and other Gulf oil-producing countries are the object of protection, and Iraq is the "moat".

It is also based on this strategy that during the Iran-Iraq war, the Liangxia Empire did not provide military assistance of any nature to Iraq.

Even third-party endorsements such as the Kingdom of Goju sold Iraq some second-hand equipment that was about to be phased out.

It is precisely because of this that almost all Iraqis believe that it was the Liangxia Empire that played a two-faced trick and failed to win the Iran-Iraq war.

The most important thing is still oil, or profit.

During the Iran-Iraq war, in order to keep international oil prices stable, several oil-producing countries in Poshawan, led by Saudi Arabia, all expanded their oil production.

The move is also aimed at striking at the country of Poland, which is more dependent on oil revenues.

However, after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, that is, after the Polish-Iraqi country was blockaded by the Eastern Bloc led by the Liangxia Empire, the oil-producing countries of Posha Bay did not reduce production to help Iraq in its post-war reconstruction, but further increased oil production.

As a result, oil prices fell to the bottom.

Iraq's national economy has deteriorated dramatically over the past two years, and the prestige that military dictators have built up during the war has been eroded by famine and unemployment.

If anything, Kuwait's performance stands out the most.

If nothing else, about two-thirds of Kuwait's oil fields were controlled by the oil companies of the Liangxia Empire, and oil production was determined by the Liangxia Empire.

From an economic point of view, the Iraqi military dictator is using Kuwait at this time to drive up oil prices by starting a war.

Of course, the support from the two super-hegemons played a decisive role.

From another point of view, Iraq is actually dominated by the Hindan Empire, and it is a missing link in the east-west arc corridor from the heart of the eastern continent to the Mua sea.

During the Iran-Iraq war, the Manman Empire unswervingly supported Iraq.

Although the Gregorian Empire did not provide support to the Boi State during the Polish-Iraqi War, it later succeeded in wooing the Boi State through the Nuland Republic.

Fundamentally, the essence of the Iran-Iraq War was the first strategic cooperation between the Empire and the Republic of Nuland in order to smash the hegemony of the Liangxia Empire in Posha Bay. The timing was very accurate, and while the Liangxia Empire was in the stage of strategic contraction, the situation was opened in one fell swoop.

In addition, Syria to the east of Iraq, after gaining independence, was also more inclined to make friends with the Western Continent group led by the Hindan Empire for historical reasons.

As for the flagging Republic of There, it has long lost its ambition and declared permanent neutrality more than 10 years ago.

It can be seen that as long as Iraq is taken, the Western Continent Group will be able to bypass the Xifan Canal, which was controlled by the Liangxia Empire, and march to Posha Bay by land.

Even if you can't control the oil fields in Posha Bay, you can disrupt the strategic deployment of the Liangxia Empire.

The key is that through this arc channel, the Western Continent Group can extend its tentacles to the subcontinent with a population of more than 1 billion, fundamentally shaking the hegemony of the Liang Xia Empire in Fanyanyang.

There is no doubt that the subcontinent will become the grave where the Liangxia Empire is buried!

With such huge benefits, how could the Empire sit on the sidelines?

Of course, the Nuland Republic is no exception.

To this day, the Khowaii Islands remain isolated from the sea.

Even though the Nuland authorities have acknowledged that the question of the fate of sovereignty over the Arras region has been put on hold, the Nuland authorities have never made concessions on the sovereignty of the Khowaii Islands, and have legislated that the Khowaii Islands are provincial-level administrative regions.

But the problem is that as long as the Liangxia navy continues to dominate the Guia Ocean, it is impossible for the Nuland army to return to the Howaii Islands.

For the Nuland Republic, the Khowaii Islands are not just a territory, but also a stepping stone to the Guia Ocean and restore its status as a world-class superpower.

Of course, it can also be said to be an indispensable key condition.

In a word, without the Khovai Islands, the Nuland Navy would only be able to wander around at home, and what will return to Austria and what the new Monroe Doctrine will be, all will be in the mirror.

Herein lies the problem.

The front is hard and the Xia Navy is rigid, and the Nuland Navy has no chance of winning.

In fact, even if you add up the navies of all other countries, they are not as good as the Liangxia navy.

6 100,000-ton supercarriers and 9 60,000-ton large aircraft carriers are not something that anyone can afford!

If a large-scale regional war breaks out in Poshawan, the Liangxia Navy will have to increase its forces in the area, deployed in the Guia Ocean to keep an eye on the Nuland Navy, which will inevitably be much weaker than usual.

In addition, if the Liangxia Empire repeats the mistakes of the Polish-Iranian War, it may be able to defend back to the Khowaii Islands without bloodshed.

In the latter part of the Polish-Iranian War, in order to improve relations with the Republic of Nuland, the Liangxia authorities wavered or had a similar will on the issue of returning some of the islands in the Arras region. It's a pity that the Nuland authorities want to take back the entire Arras area.

Even if there is another outcome, the country of Boi, which has close ties with the Republic of Nuland, will be able to sit on the throne.

It can be seen that covertly supporting Iraq to launch a war is beneficial to the Republic of Nuland.

In the light of these factors, it is undoubtedly a fool's dream to expect the Iraqi authorities to pull back from the precipice.

Of course, the face work definitely needs to be done in place.

"I just heard that your cousin Li Mingyang went to the other side of the lake."

"If that's the case, I'm afraid it's really going to start this time."

Noticing Lian Mingyang's complicated expression, Bai Huawei said with a smile: "Whether to fight or not, and when to fight, it's up to us to decide." I just want to know, what you started to bring up, the matter led by Lu Hang, is it just a joke, or is there a lot of certainty? ”

"You don't believe me?"

Bai Huawei glared at Lian Mingyang, looking like he was ready to repair this distant cousin.

"To say that you are absolutely sure is to be a lie. But to say that you are not sure, it is impossible. "Lian Mingyang didn't mean to joke with Bai Huawei." After the Polish-Iraqi War, military reform has been carried out for more than 10 years, and it can be said that we will only know how effective the reform will be. ”

"If you want me to say, you are the grandson of the Generalissimo. This is the kung fu of playing haha, that is a learned home. ”

"Everybody's the same."

When Bai Huawei raised his hand to flick it, Lian Mingyang avoided it sideways.

Don't look at it as only a few years younger than Bai Huawei, but if you really want to make trouble, Lian Mingyang, as a junior, will definitely not be able to take advantage.

Besides, Lian Mingyang is only a major in the army aviation, two levels shorter than the colonel of the navy.

"According to General Shi's meaning, tonight must be very lively." Bai Huawei paused for a moment before saying, "Pay attention to yourself, and think before you speak." If we are really ready to do it, we will not talk about the question of who will be the pioneer, first of all, we must ensure that we will win! ”

"That's for sure." Lian Mingyang nodded thoughtfully, looking like he knew it in his heart.

"Understood?"

"Of course, who am I?" Lian Mingyang smiled, and then said, "Tell me this, is there any reliable inside information?" ”

"There's your sister's insider......

"Yes, isn't your sister ......"

After being glared at fiercely by Bai Huawei, Lian Mingyang quickly shut his mouth and noticed that an officer was walking towards this side.

They knew each other, and they were young.

That person was Liu Zunshan, a major in the Marine Corps.

Like Lian Mingyang and Bai Huawei, he is also a famous family, and his father is Liu Xiangdong, the marshal of the imperial navy, but he did not inherit Liu Xiangdong's humility.

Before joining the army, that is, when he was a child, Liu Zunshan often bullied Lian Mingyang, who was thin at the time, but most of the time he was taken down by Bai Huawei, who was a few years older.

This guy is also hard-boned, he has always broken his teeth and swallowed it in his stomach, and he never complained to his parents.

As a result, it is naturally a friendship that is played.

Although the relationship with Liu Zunshan is not particularly good, on the other hand, Lian Mingyang and Bai Huawei both think that this guy is still a man.

。 m.