Chapter 755: Containment

Edo.

Zhao Xu was currently consolidating the fruits of victory from the Gaoli campaign.

White paper money drifted through the streets here, and the sound of weeping shook the heavens.

One hundred and fifty thousand Dongying soldiers had gone to Gaoli; ninety percent of the generals were killed in action, and only a little over twenty thousand escaped back.

When the news spread, it shocked all of Edo. Everyone who had soldiers or generals from their family who participated in the war bought coffins and held funerals, burying empty coffins.

The Shogunate.

Watanabe sat under the eaves in front of the main hall, like dead, rotten wood.

News arrived that the Yan King Army had suddenly marched south into Gaoli and defeated the Eastern Earth Allied Forces.

He had not eaten or drunk for three full days; only after the pleas of many did he eat a little these past few days.

But he still kept his mouth shut and would not see anyone.

"Yan King! I, Watanabe, swear to make you pay in blood."

The autumn sun was still scorching; under the baking of the sun, beads of sweat the size of beans broke out on Watanabe's forehead.

Just at this moment, he suddenly let out a roar, then fainted to the ground.

When he woke up again, he was surrounded by six people: Masho Taro, Yamada Haruno, Konishi Masataka, Kuki Shi, Ogawa Tora, and Shimazu Nagamei.

The core of the Shogunate was all present.

"Great General, please calm your anger. To harm your body like this, wouldn't that just be playing right into the Yan King's wishes?" said Masho Taro.

"That's right, Great General. This Yan King is nothing but a grasshopper after autumn; he won't be able to jump for many more days," said Shimazu Nagamei. "As long as the warships in the Edo River are launched, and we coordinate with the British, once the number of warships is sufficient, we will defeat the Yan King. At that time, we will surely annihilate his navy, and then attack them from the coast to avenge the grudge of Gaoli."

"The British are just a bunch of cowards. If they hadn't fled, how could we have lost so many soldiers? Many people were chased by the Yan King's warships and drowned alive in the sea," Yamada Haruno said angrily.

Upon hearing this, Watanabe suddenly raised his hand and slapped Yamada Haruno, saying hoarsely, "At a time like this, do not say things that damage the cooperation of the Eastern Land Alliance. We cannot lose the support of the British and the people of Sam Country."

"Hai!" Yamada Haruno lowered his head.

At this time, Watanabe struggled to sit up and said to Masho Taro, "Where is Lieutenant Wolf? I want to see him."

"He is currently at the Consulate of Sam Country, seemingly discussing something with Consul Aierxun," said Masho Taro.

Watanabe nodded, "Perfect, I was just about to meet with them."

Having said this, he stood up and, with the support of the others, went to the Consulate of Sam Country.

Seeing Aierxun and Wolf, Watanabe suddenly knelt before the two, bowing his head, "Please, Sam Country and Great Britain, you must help Dongying with all your might. Only in this way can we resist the expansion of the Yan King. Otherwise, Dongying is in danger, and the Eastern Earth is in danger. Do you really want the Yan King to seize all your colonies in Eastern Chu?"

Aierxun and Wolf looked at each other.

They had not expected Watanabe to perform such a heavy kowtow to them.

Wolf immediately helped Watanabe up and said to him, "Just now,

I was discussing this matter with Consul Aierxun. Aierxun will report this to the Congress, and I will report it to the Parliament to provide support to Dongying in every aspect."

This naval battle with the Yan King Fleet had made him feel the threat of the Yan King in a substantial way.

He could no longer hold the view of looking at natives when looking at the Yan King.

He must treat him as an enemy similar to the Ross nation and could no longer be negligent.

Not only Dongying, they would also provide the same support to Wu to contain the Yan King.

Even if they could not succeed, they had to weaken his strength as much as possible before a full-scale conflict with the Yan King.

Watanabe was overjoyed and began to sob, saying, "Thank you both. Please believe that Dongying will be your most reliable ally, whether now or in the future."

Wolf nodded, "I believe this as well. From now on, we will no longer limit the number of Sailing Warships you build, and we will also provide you with the best in terms of weapons so that your warships will not lose to the Yan King's warships."

"This is what we have been looking forward to most." Watanabe was beaming with delight.

The ocean was the final barrier protecting Dongying.

As long as they could hold the ocean, the Yan King could do nothing to Dongying, and they could gradually recover from the failure of this war.

Therefore, a fleet capable of rivaling the Yan King's navy was extremely important.

"Besides this, if the Congress of Sam Country and our Parliament in Great Britain agree, we will help you establish a Steam Industry. This is the fundamental way to deal with the Yan King."

Watanabe had originally been in a state of extreme despair.

Wolf's promise immediately made his spirit soar.

"The deaths of our Dongying warriors were worth it." Watanabe's expression became firm.

Although this battle did not achieve the results they wanted,

it certainly made the British and the people of Sam Country see their importance.

Compared to Gaoli, the Western Steam Industry was what he craved most.

"I hope you can continue to stand firmly on the front line of resisting the Yan King in the future," Wolf said slowly.

This was the balance-of-power tactic the British were accustomed to.

It was precisely by using this tactic that the Western Lands were constantly embroiled in war, benefiting the British who were isolated overseas.

After all, the flames of war would never burn on the soil of Great Britain.

And in the Eastern Earth, they could only rely on Eastern Earth nations to contain the Yan King.

When the right time came, they would then deal the Yan King a fatal blow.

But before that, he had to protect Dongying and not let the Yan King destroy it.

So he told Watanabe of his decision for himself and the British Fleet to remain in Dongying.

At the same time, he had Dongying build Forts in important coastal cities to prevent the Yan King Fleet from attacking Dongying.

Besides Dongying, he also ordered a Merchant Ship to head to Tianzhu to deliver his letter to Governor Bolt.

He suggested that he sell the same Weapons as the British Army to Wu to prevent the Yan King from marching south and unifying the Great Song.

The most important point was the hope that Bolt could send envoys to meet the Ross people and reach a consensus on containing the Yan King,

instead of continuing to confront each other in the Eastern Earth.

This does not align with the interests of both parties.

"On this point, we in Dongying can first sound out the intentions of the Northern Di and the Ross," Watanabe An said, his eyes narrowing into slits.

He dared not say it to Wolf's face, but in his heart, he thought the British were somewhat arrogant.

When facing Yan Wang, they actually still wanted to contain the Ross.

But fortunately, the battle of Gaoli seemed to have sobered Wolf up.

It made him realize the true threat.

The expansion of the Ross power into Dongtu would at most mean competing with them for interests; this was merely a question of the size of the cake.

But if they allowed Yan Wang to grow, not only would they have no cake to eat, they would likely have to spit out what they had already eaten.

They, the British, could not tolerate it, and the Ross would certainly not be able to tolerate it either.

Moreover, their strength in Dongtu was thin; if they could rally more Xitu Guo, they could gather more power and possess greater confidence.