The Strategy Must Be Settled Today

After Qi Weizhao finished reading the agenda, he waited until the appointed time and opened the meeting.

The Security Decision Meeting dealt chiefly with the Central City's strategic direction, its defenses, military deployments and mobilization, and internal security. Administrative matters fell outside its scope.

The first item on the agenda concerned airship companies.

In the past, nearly all airship companies in the Central City had been privately established. When airships were needed, they were leased or requisitioned in emergencies. But Fu Mu's division had exposed many problems with that arrangement.

Economic dealings across the ocean had also increased, creating a need for large numbers of transport airships. Over the past few months, the Central City had therefore established a state-owned airship company.

There were defense and security considerations as well. The Municipal Council possessed a Monster Airship and a small number of Combat Airships, which would pose a grave threat in any confrontation with it. A combat airship unit had therefore been formed too.

Where to assign this combat unit remained a point of contention. Specialist Liang of the Defense Department wanted it placed under his department, where it would be free from interference in normal times and could be deployed to the Convergence Zone at once if trouble arose there.

The Government Affairs Hall wanted it under its own command. The Convergence Zone already had an independent airship formation and no longer saw much fighting, while the Government Affairs Hall had to contend with the armed forces of the Municipal Council, the Union, and the major companies. It needed direct command authority.

Chen Chuan had read some of the materials Fu Mu had provided. In his view, this airship unit had been formed for urban defense, so it naturally belonged under the Security Defense Office.

The Defense Office had