Darkstone Code

Chapter 1226 - 1224: Cooling Down

"...Before the emperor and ministers of Peng Jieao realize they are on the wrong path, we will not relinquish the power to proactively defend peace!"

"The world belongs to all of us, but not to just one of us. It is not anyone’s toy, and we must all take responsibility for our actions!"

"If they want war, then let it come. Sixty million Federation people are ready to fight at any time!"

"Intimidation cannot change our minds, nor can war!"

"If they want war, we will give them war!"

Amidst the endless flashes, Mr. President waved his fist as he read this statement.

He needed to respond to the claims from the Peng Jieao, who suggested that they might declare war on the Federation. If the Federation were to bow down at this moment, it would be an absolute humiliation!

Anyone can back down, but Mr. President cannot!

He must convey the spirit of "we will never back down" to the people.

As Mr. President concluded his remarks, someone raised a question, "Mr. President, do you mean that if the situation escalates further, there could be a potential outbreak of war?"

Mr. President looked at the reporter with a smile, neither denying nor admitting, "We have never feared war, neither in the past nor now."

"Whether a war breaks out or not does not depend on our decision."

His implication was "why don’t you ask the Emperor of Peng Jieao if they really want to start a war," a statement strong enough, at least just right for the Federation people.

He did not show any intention of wanting to initiate a war, but rather a passive acceptance without resistance or fear. This attitude was well-received by the Federation people.

Reporters wildly took photos and asked questions, but none of this could really change the current situation.

Since the Darkstone Security’s bombers conducted intensive saturation bombings over enemy potential areas, now Darkstone Security and the Army have started coordinating to advance and eliminate.

Both sides continuously engage in battles on opposite sides of the tidal flats, and due to supply chains being cut off, the Peng Jieao army can only keep retreating to gain more living space.

Every day planes fly over people’s heads, and daily gunfights erupt, from initial discomfort to now adaptation. The Federation Army has undergone a rare "spiritual practice."

Furthermore, the Army and Ministry of Defense seem to be treating the war situation in the eastern Nagariel as practical training.

Every regional troop has to stay on the front line for a while, at least for two weeks.

This can help them fully experience the brutality of war, allowing them to understand that war is not just what they read in books!

While Peng Jieao and the Federation accuse each other of being responsible, time has moved to mid to late September.

In a month’s time, Lynch has completed the projects in his order with the Ministry of Defense, such as deploying at least five thousand aircraft sorties.

Regardless of occupancy, a bomber taking off counted as a sortie, even if bombs were dropped over uninhabited jungles, which counted as actual consumption.

Every pilot received intensive flight training, accumulating flight time in this battle far exceeding previous test drives and regular training.

During this time, people also saw some new equipment from Peng Jieao, which shocked everyone and raised their vigilance.

This "friction" cannot continue endlessly. After Peng Jieao hit a wall, they also realized that crushing the Federation Army under current circumstances was not an easy task.

At the same time, they also roughly clarified the specifics of the Federation Army. In the words of the Empire Marshal, "Federation people are not our opponents."

Yes, in the eyes of the emperor and ministers of the Peng Jieao Empire, the Federation’s army could only be described as pitiful, lacking experience and having issues in tactical and strategic execution.

Currently, the Peng Jieao army is being suppressed mainly due to losing air superiority, and the Emperor has personally demanded a frantic development of aviation in the coming years.

Once they can grasp air dominance, no country on this planet will be their opponent, including Gafura.

This air raid against the Federation fleet in the Horn Strait also led them to find the most effective anti-ship approach, which is air-dropped torpedoes.

They plan to build more high-performance planes and create more powerful weapons, which will guarantee their future supremacy in the world.

They can see that the Federation is using this friction to train their military, and they themselves are using this military conflict to test the development results of their current military system.

Both sides may not necessarily have "destroying the enemy" as their primary goal, as this battle, in some respects, has no losers.

This is also why the Peng Jieao envoy can take a seat at the negotiation table.

Lynch is not very concerned about these negotiations; Darkstone Airlines once again gained the spotlight, drawing more attention from the Ministry of Defense and some capital.

"The people from Kemoko ask me to tell you that, are you willing to share some technology?"

In the elegant dining room, Mr. Wardrick sat at the table with a smile, shaking open the napkin and placing it on his lap.

Of course, now some people would tuck the napkin into their collar in a restaurant, a practice unique to the Federation, and if someone did this in Gafura, they would be ridiculed by the entire society.

Lynch adjusted the knife and fork in front of him slightly. Sometimes he has sudden bouts of obsessive-compulsiveness, but nothing drastic or severe, and he doesn’t think it’s OCD.

He lifted his head, showing a smiling expression of "I know what’s happening," which somewhat discomforted Mr. Wardrick.

He raised both hands to shoulder height, palms out, as if surrendering, "Well, I know some of them, you know, the Ministry of Defense recently placed a large order with us."

"I met their people when I went to sign the contract with the Ministry of Defense..."

The multifunctional four-gun turret vehicle produced by Mr. Wardrick’s heavy industry played a significant role in this battle, not only effectively killing visible enemies but also possessing anti-air capabilities!

This war made everyone realize the importance of air defense and also see the future of such multifunctional vehicles.

Of course, the "multifunctional" label was added later to make it seem more high-end.

The mode of warfare was entirely changed, as Lynch stated a couple of years ago; the birth of airplanes would transform the shape of war completely.

From flat warfare to three-dimensional warfare, now every country is racing against time.

This "probe" by the Peng Jieao Empire has made everyone quite nervous, indicating they are not behind the world and have achieved better accomplishments in some aspects.

For instance, air-dropped torpedoes.

And this is also related to air defense. If something is the hottest in military and defense sectors right now, it is certainly the air force and air defense.

Air defense technical difficulty isn’t large—cannons suffice—but doing it well does come with challenges.

As for the Air Force and aviation areas, issues are more numerous, and many technical problems can’t be resolved, hindering further technical development.

For example, the machine guns on the newly launched fighters by Kemoko are set on both wings; when the pilot pulls the trigger, bullets fire from the wing tips.

This design initially received unanimous approval from Kemoko Industries, no longer limited to the aviation department.

But soon, after multiple tests, they found the machine gun firing would cause unnecessary vibrations in the wings, especially at high speeds, and prolonged firing could risk wing breakage.

Even if the wings do not break, there is a risk of sudden loss of control.

Moreover, in practical operations, placing machine guns on wide-spanning wings significantly limits shooting accuracy.

At distances either too far or too close, the hit rate drops to an outrageous low.

Only within a certain range does the hit rate relatively increase.

Air combat is not a race; if the person ahead speeds up, the one behind speeds up.

If the person ahead slows down, the one behind follows suit to control the distance.

This problem could lead directly to dreadful results, which is why Kemoko’s aviation department wants to closely observe Lynch’s fighters, and getting a technical license would be even better!

There are things they wouldn’t directly say to Lynch, and encountering Mr. Wardrick provided an opportunity to discuss other matters as well, and he agreed to pass the message from Kemoko.

For these big capitalists and successful individuals, they value only interests.

If someone slapped them publicly and then offered them irresistible wealth, they would not hold that slap accountable, at least not in the short term.

Lynch was once set up by Kemoko people, which was ordinary and normal competition. The tactics were not ingenious nor despicable.

This taught Lynch many things, proving that every day is a new day for everyone, always encountering unknown things to gain improvement or even sublimation.

Lynch thought for a moment and did not refuse.

"This is not an impossible matter to discuss, but my asking price will not be low."

Mr. Wardrick nodded, "Of course, I know, I am just passing the word; I won’t do anything else."

Both paused, glossing over the topic, then Mr. Wardrick talked about his vehicles.

"What do you think should be the next direction for research?"

At this point, some dishes were already served, and Lynch, eating while he spoke, "You should separate functionalities; anti-air and anti-ground should be two distinct categories. We shouldn’t sell two things at the price of one, which is very problematic!"