Chapter 308: Attacking the Coast

The Minister of Foreign Affairs pondered, "A direct refusal is clearly inappropriate; it would escalate tensions. But accepting everything is also impossible; this concerns the nation's Hexin interests."

"The key is, we are no longer the weak nation of those years that allowed others to carve us up at will," the Military Department leader said in a deep voice.

"Today's Long Country has both the capability and the confidence to stand by its own position."

"True, but we cannot be overly confident. Beijixiong Guo remains a superpower, possessing comprehensive strength we cannot compare to. We need to respond wisely, maintaining our technological advantage without completely burning bridges."

"Call Li Mingyuan here," a leader suddenly said, "I want to hear his perspective."

Meanwhile, the Di Guo intelligence department was closely monitoring the interactions between Long Country and Beijixiong Guo.

"Interesting," Swanson said, looking at the latest intelligence report, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Beijixiong has indeed acted as we expected, beginning to pressure Long Country."

"Will they reach an agreement?" an assistant asked.

Swanson shook his head, "Unlikely. Long Country has already tasted the sweetness brought by technological superiority and will not share it easily; and Beijixiong Guo is accustomed to the 'Big Brother' posture and will not accept a refusal."

He stood up and walked to the window to gaze into the distance, "What we need to do is watch the changes quietly and add fuel to the fire at the right moment, making these two bears fall out completely."

"Then, the follow-up plan?"

"Continue monitoring Long Country's technological development, especially this Li Mingyuan. At the same time, increase intelligence delivery to Beijixiong Guo to strengthen their sense of insecurity." Swanson sneered, "Let the enemy's enemy kill each other; this is the oldest and most effective strategy."

In the capital of Long Country, the National Defense Science and Technology Committee emergency meeting was about to begin.

Li Mingyuan walked into the conference room and found the atmosphere unusually heavy.

"Chief Engineer Li, please sit," a leader gestured for him to take a seat, "We have encountered a thorny diplomatic problem that is directly related to your technological innovation."

After a brief introduction to the visit of the Beijixiong Guo Special Envoy and the demands made, Li Mingyuan listened with furrowed brows.

"They want our Integrated Circuit Technology?"

"Not just Integrated Circuit," the Minister of Foreign Affairs added, "Judging by their attitude, they also want the technical details of the 'Hunter-Killer System' and the 'Graphite Bomb'. And the tone is quite tough."

Li Mingyuan was silent for a moment, "From a technical perspective, I think the Second Generation Integrated Circuit Technology can be considered for limited sharing, as this is a mature technology we have already mastered and applied. But the Third Generation Integrated Circuit Technology must absolutely not be leaked."

"Third generation?" looking at him in surprise, "Are you saying we already have more advanced technology?"

Li Mingyuan nodded, "Yes, we just achieved a breakthrough."

……

At the Di Guo Pentagon, an emergency combat meeting was underway.

Major General Linke had taken over Maise's position for less than 48 hours, and the stress wrinkles on his forehead were already deep enough to hold a pencil.

On the massive combat sand table, red arrows were spreading toward the blue area like cancer cells.

"This is a disaster," Linke pointed at the sand table, his voice hoarse.

"The Long Country army's speed of advance exceeds all expectations. Our fifth line of defense is already in jeopardy; if this continues, within a week, they will be able to push us into the sea and even threaten our Hexin interest zones."

Admiral Jackson stood up; he was tall with broad shoulders and had always been the calmest presence in the conference room.

But at this moment, rare anxiety flickered in his eyes as well.

"Gentlemen," Jackson's voice was low and powerful, "I think we have overlooked a key point."

He walked to the sand table and traced his finger along the long coastline where Long Country meets the ocean, "Long Country has a fatal weakness—they lack decent maritime power."

The conference room was silent, and everyone stared at that winding coastline.

Jackson continued: "We have deployed three carrier strike groups here. Even if the land battlefield is at a disadvantage, we still completely control the ocean."

The corners of his mouth rose slightly, "I suggest launching a maritime offensive to strike directly at Long Country's rear areas."

Vice Commander Wilkes narrowed his eyes, "Explain in detail."

Jackson picked up a red pen and drew several circles in the coastal areas of Long Country.

"These are Long Country's industrial centers and military bases, as well as the key nodes of their frontline troops' supply lines. We can use carrier-based aircraft to conduct precision strikes."

"But they have an Anti-aircraft System," the Air Force representative questioned, "Our reconnaissance shows that Long Country has deployed quite a few Anti-aircraft Guns in the coastal areas."

Jackson shook his head dismissively.

"Most of those Anti-aircraft Guns are antiques from the 50s, posing almost no threat to our latest carrier-based aircraft. More importantly—"

Moving the red pen toward the inland area of Long Country, "According to our intelligence, Long Country's Advanced Anti-aircraft System is mainly concentrated on the front lines and important coastal cities; the anti-aircraft capability in the inland areas is extremely weak, or even a blank slate."

Intelligence Officer Swanson nodded in confirmation.

"Indeed. Long Country's anti-aircraft system coverage is severely uneven. Coastal first-tier cities have relatively complete anti-aircraft networks, but moving 100 kilometers inland, the anti-aircraft capability drops sharply. Their military industry is mainly concentrated in the Dongbei region, and the anti-aircraft forces in these places have mostly been transferred to the front lines."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Major General Linke's eyes, "If we can cut off their supply lines..."

"Not just the supply lines," Jackson interrupted.

"We can directly strike their military factories, power facilities, and transportation hubs, forcing them to divert some of their troops from the front lines back to defend the rear. Once they disperse their forces, the frontline offensive will inevitably weaken."

"Very good." Wilkes finally revealed the first smile since the meeting began.

"But there is one problem: what if their Graphite Bomb is also effective against our aircraft?"

"The Navy's equipment is different from the Army's," Jackson said confidently.

"Our carrier-based aircraft use more mechanical control backup systems; even if the electronic systems are interfered with, pilots can still control the aircraft through mechanical operation. Moreover, we can use high-altitude bombing strategies to drop bombs outside the coverage range of Long Country's Graphite Weapon."

"There is one more point," Swanson added.

"According to frontline reports, the effective range of the Graphite Bomb is relatively limited, about 5-10 kilometers around the release point. As long as our aircraft avoid these areas, we can greatly reduce the risk."

Wilkes thought for a moment, "How far can our carrier-based aircraft fly? Can they cover the inland areas of Long Country?"

"Our A-4 'Skyhawk' attack aircraft has a combat radius of about 500 kilometers when fully loaded with weapons, enough to cover an area 300 kilometers deep along the Long Country coast." Jackson pointed at the map, "This includes most of their military industrial centers and key infrastructure."

"More importantly," Swanson interjected, "Our latest intelligence shows that Long Country's 'genius' Li Mingyuan is working at a military industrial base somewhere in Dongbei. If we can destroy that place..."