Intelligence warfare

At 6:30 in the morning, as dawn broke, Su Ming finally enjoyed a hot breakfast in the bustling crew mess hall, dispelling the chill of the early morning and his rumbling stomach.

Afterwards, he convened a brief morning meeting with the ship's main management in the command room. Attendees included Younier,

Hansite and others, along with more than ten middle-level managers promoted from among the new members, are responsible for various specific groups and departments.

Su Ming signed the personnel adjustment plan submitted by the administration department and coordinated the work progress conflicts among the various departments.

At the same time, he announced the replacement of the team responsible for the bridge construction project.

"Find some students with a more normal aesthetic sense to take over," Su Ming said firmly. "Throw the entire original group into the ice water to try and catch fish!"

"Understood!" Younier suppressed a laugh and quickly memorized the instructions.

"Finally," Su Ming raised his wristwatch, his gaze sweeping over everyone, "The departure time is set for 4:00 PM tomorrow. Each group must keep a close eye on their assigned time! All minor tasks that do not affect the startup of the propulsion system or the ship's timely departure will be postponed!"

"Received!" the attendees replied in unison, their expressions serious.

****

As the sun slowly peeked over the horizon, the massive ship, silent all night, came alive once more. The decks and cabins were filled with busy figures; shouts, the clanging of tools, and the dull thuds of undead servants carrying heavy loads mingled together.

Su Ming completed the transfer of the water treatment equipment to the selected installation location on the ship.

This large-scale vacuum boiling water maker uses a low-pressure environment to cause water to boil and evaporate at a lower temperature, thereby obtaining highly pure water specifically for boiler use.

The standby water purification team immediately stepped forward and began the operation.

Then, Su Ming arrived at the power core area of the lower compartment. Between the huge boiler body and the more sophisticated steam turbine next to it, the thick and complex piping system had been initially connected, resembling steel blood vessels.

The generator was also securely fixed to the base, but its input shaft was not yet connected to the steam turbine—this was so that the system could be independently commissioned later.

Referring to the list, Su Ming once again activated "Summoning of All Things". Condenser, water supply system, switchboard, frequency converter cabinet - one by one, key subsystem equipment appeared in the reserved installation positions.

Next came various auxiliary systems: instrument panels, control valves, integrated control boxes, cooling water pipelines—soon, the space that had been reserved for transmission and temporarily cleared was once again filled with these silver-gray devices, leaving only narrow passageways.

The materials team members, carrying lists and labels, followed closely behind Su Ming. Whenever a piece of equipment was placed, they quickly checked it off on the list to confirm its placement, and at the same time affixed the label with the equipment information to a conspicuous position.

After delivering the last piece of auxiliary equipment planned for today, Su Ming couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh.

"Modern powertrain systems—they're really troublesome."

Fortunately, yesterday's experience with the ultimate teleportation gave him a deeper understanding of the structure of space and matter. He has been trying to precisely control the "teleportation resolution," and the rate of Magic Power consumption is slowly decreasing during the operation.

"Wow!" A vibrant voice rang out in the slightly stuffy hold. Beianqi walked in excitedly, peeling a boiled egg and stuffing it into her mouth. When her gaze swept over the brand-new, gleaming equipment components that had just been installed, her eyes instantly lit up like stars that had discovered a treasure.

"Again—mmm—" she said excitedly, swallowing the egg in her mouth. "So many new components, this is amazing!"

Zijin silently followed her in.

"You guys are really fast." Su Ming looked at Zijin.

"It's alright," Zijin replied calmly. She walked to a large, newly connected pipe, her fingers tracing the clearly marked numbers on the connector. "It's all brand new equipment; even the connecting screws were pre-numbered, simplifying the alignment and installation process a lot."

"But regardless, the overall workload is enormous." Su Ming glanced at his watch. "I've arranged to meet with Katharine at 10:00 sharp to discuss the subsequent battle plans."

"Good luck to you two!" he said, looking at Beianqi and Zijin.

"You too!" Beianqi replied energetically.

"[You took me back to my room yesterday.] "Su Ming said, "[Thank you.]"

"[--Is there anything to thank me for?]" Zijin asked, puzzled.

[I just wanted to say thank you.]

"Well, you're welcome!" Zijin raised an eyebrow.

****

Communication with Katharine did not employ the instant communication method that requires multiple relay points. The Magic Power energy required to traverse a distance of over seven thousand kilometers is no joke.

Moreover, the more nodes there are, the worse the reliability becomes. Such a span has already exceeded the scope that otherworldly magical communication technology can guarantee.

The command center is located on the second-to-top floor of the bridge structure, below the main cockpit. At this moment, a meticulously crafted sand table model of the North Sea, made by the service department, has been placed in the center of the room.

The sand table accurately outlines the coastline, main islands, and reef areas of the island, and marks the seabed depth of key waters, with remarkably detailed depictions.

Su Ming walked to the table and began to present the latest intelligence he had just received from the communication array.

Currently, there are two main sources of intelligence:

The first source was from Katharine, an informant network lurking within the Church of Light. However, due to the strict wartime information control implemented by the Light Fleet, much crucial intelligence remained unclear.

However, large-scale naval mobilizations are difficult to completely conceal. The main warships suddenly leave their permanent dockyards, their whereabouts unknown.

The presence of a significantly larger number of auxiliary ships than usual in a certain location, along with the simultaneous mobilization of a massive amount of logistical supplies—these signs constitute strong evidence.

Based on this analysis, Katharine compiled and sent detailed information on seven main battle ships that were assessed as having a very high probability of participating in the war, including their type, tonnage, and known firepower configuration.

There was also some somewhat unexpected good news: the Star Empire confirmed that it did not participate in this operation. It's unclear whether the price offered by the Temple of Light was insufficient, or whether King Xialike of the Star Empire had other plans.

The Cold Mountain Kingdom was willing to participate in the war; they would love to send some warships to infiltrate and act as "traitors." However, unfortunately, the Church of Light declined their offer.

The second source of information was Princess Dafulin.

As a local power, she received a constant stream of detailed information about the cargo throughput of ports along the Northern Lands coast and the resupply of ships stopping there.

Judging from the scale of logistical support, the Temple of Light should have had two or three more capital ships involved in this operation, but their specific names and models are still unconfirmed.

****

Su Ming focused his attention on integrating and analyzing the existing intelligence. He quickly discovered that the enemy's fleet was highly biased towards long-range attack capabilities.

Close-combat assault warships, which are usually an important part of the otherworldly navy and rely on heavy armor and boarding maneuvers, are nowhere to be found.

In her intelligence report, Katharine proposed two strategic speculations: First, this artillery fleet might mainly play a supporting role, assisting the elite dragon squad aboard the Jade Sea and Tang Valley " in its combat operations.

Secondly, the enemy may have prepared a special tactical system entirely centered around long-range artillery warfare.

Su Ming's expression turned serious. The superior performance and devastating power of the MK71 naval gun had already been demonstrated in the previous battles against the pirates and the Ice Beauty Yexiya.

The predecessor of the Pansy, the White Triangle, already holds the absolute record for the most enemy ships sunk in the world, with its record leading by a precipitous margin.

The fact that the enemy still dared to assemble their fleet to seek a cannon battle against such a powerful threat indicates that they must have something they believed was enough to counter or even defeat them.

One may question the enemy's tactical arrangements or fleet strength, but one point should never be underestimated: the enemy's determination and fighting will to risk their lives in this naval duel, knowing full well its glorious achievements and terrifying power, could not have come from nowhere.

Through a thorough investigation of the movements of the enemy's command personnel, it was finally confirmed that the supreme command of the Bright Alliance Fleet was held by the experienced Admiral Tai'ao'duo.

Su Ming picked up the detailed file about Tai'ao'duo that was attached to the communication device. His eyes swept over the resume and found that this man was a veteran of the navy, who had participated in many important naval battles and was known for his steady command style.

His core staff members possess extensive theoretical and practical experience in naval gunnery tactics, which further confirms the possible tactical inclination in this operation—to win with long-range firepower.

Su Ming pondered for a moment and wrote a reply to Katharine. He outlined his initial tactical ideas and wrote down a speculation: he suspected the existence of a third possibility—that the Light Fleet possessed some kind of close-combat means or combat unit that was better than traditional close-combat warships.

This kind of non-instant communication is troublesome. It took Su Ming about twenty minutes to receive Katharine's reply after he sent his reply.

This is truly a reminder of the slow pace of travel and the long distances it took for letters to arrive!

Su Ming remained wary of Katharine, partly because the Empress of the Stars's identity was complex, but more importantly, because her scheming and abilities could truly inflict serious damage on Su Ming.

However, if given a choice, Su Ming would prefer to have a face-to-face discussion with her, to jointly analyze the fog of war, assess the situation, and devise a plan.

In her reply, Katharine acknowledged Su Ming's assessment of a "third possibility." She even went on to list several potential possibilities.

Su Ming took a deep breath, knowing that complaining would be useless. His gaze kept switching between the sand table and the reply, continuing to discuss the battlefield situation with his distant allies in this "channel" full of delays.

****

Mingquan Village, on the Northern Lands coastline of the Cold Mountain Kingdom.

On the calm sea, a small cargo ship of about two hundred tons appeared. It slowly approached and eventually anchored not far away.

Soon, several small boats were launched from the cargo ship, laden with empty wooden barrels, and creaked as they paddled toward the shore. Before the ship was even fully docked, sailors with faces blackened by the sea breeze jumped into the shallows and pushed and pulled the empty barrels ashore.

Mingquan Village was mobilized instantly. The village chief struck the gong to summon the villagers, young and old alike, and even the usually unruly livestock were harnessed to makeshift trolleys.

The rules are simple: for every empty bucket you collect, fill it with the clear spring water flowing from the crevices in the rocks behind the mountain, and then carry it back to the shore, you can receive a reward! A large bucket of water can be exchanged for a full five shiny copper coins!

This is a lucrative job!

The labor force of Mingquan Village alone was clearly not enough, so people from several nearby villages also joined the water transport team.

In no time, the mountain road was teeming with people, water buckets were piled up like mountains on the shore, and shouts and the neighing of livestock filled the small village.

A villager from out of town was mixed in with the crowd. To earn more copper coins, he worked extra hard. He carried the first two buckets of water with sheer grit, his shoulders already chafed raw. When he was carrying the heavy buckets for the third time, walking slowly down the steep slope, his foot slipped, and he fell heavily to the ground, bucket and all, sustaining serious injuries.

Left with no other choice, he had to make his way back to the shore, find the first mate who was counting the buckets, and demand payment for the two buckets of water he had previously collected.

"Get out of my way!" the first mate snapped without any politeness. "Your few copper coins aren't even worth the money for the bucket you broke!"

The color drained from the face of the visiting villager instantly, and he left dejectedly.

****

Two hours later, the report documenting the Temple of Light's supply ship's extensive collection of spring water from the Northern Lands village of Bright Spring was delivered to Su Ming via Princess Dafulin.

Su Ming frowned. The enemy's large-scale naval operation would not have been without sufficient freshwater reserves. Even if there were shortages along the way, it would not have been necessary to venture into remote villages to collect freshwater in this way.

Without dedicated port facilities, cargo transshipment is extremely troublesome. Even if everything goes smoothly, it would take a day and a half for just a few dozen tons of water to be transferred from empty barrels to small boats along the coast and then hoisted onto cargo ships.

The same amount of supplies, when carried out in a well-equipped port, would take no more than two hours, and could even be completed in an hour if things go smoothly. The cost would probably be less than one-fifth of the total cost.

The significant difference lies in the fact that the fresh water provided by the port is certainly not as pure and crisp as the high-quality spring water from Mingquan Village!

Su Ming and Katharine reached the same conclusion: there must be Silver Dragon known as the "Pure Dragon" in the fleet!

Upon hearing the news, Zijin also came to the command room and carefully reviewed the intelligence report.

"It's Silver Dragon, made of iron!" Zijin answered confidently. "These guys are the pickiest when it comes to water!" She explained, "They can dig up grass roots in the mud and eat them without any fuss. But when it comes to drinking water, they're incredibly picky. They can spend an hour searching for a clear stream. When I was a kid, my favorite thing to do was to throw clods of mud into the stream while they were focused on drinking."

There's a reason why you were chased and beaten by other baby dragons when you were little! Su Ming couldn't help but think to himself.