Empire Conquest-Chapter 811 - 77: Ironclad Ally

Bashaw, East Ocean Air Force Base.

This is the largest, most advanced in infrastructure, and most technologically equipped air force base on the Southern Subcontinent, located near the capital of Bakistan.

It is less than half an hour’s drive from the central train station of Bakistan’s capital and the Imperial Embassy in Pakistan.

To facilitate the daily life of the stationed troops, Bakistan has also established a secular special zone outside the base and arranged military police for guard duties.

In fact, this also reflects that Bakistan is indeed the only staunch ally equivalent to the Gaoju Kingdom.

The relationship between Bakistan and the Empire has developed to its current extent, tracing back to half a century ago.

Before the second Global War, what the Liangxia Empire pursued on the Southern Subcontinent was mainly commercial interests, and the means adopted were primarily trade.

During these decades, the Liangxia Empire consistently raised the banner of national independence.

According to folk rumors, after the first Global War ended, to restore influence and erase the impact of defeat, the Liangxia Empire secretly funded several independence movement organizations, including the "Great Fanluo Independence Liberation Movement" founded by the father of Fanluo Country, Ganreni.

However, this rumor has never been officially confirmed.

Of course, even if the rumor is true, it was to counterbalance the Bulan Kingdom, which ruled the Southern Subcontinent at the time, recognizing the Liangxia Empire’s rights on the Southern Subcontinent.

This situation continued until the end of the second Global War. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

After the Bulan Kingdom was defeated, particularly after the Imperial Navy seized all the military fortresses on the Fan Flame Ocean and controlled the crucial Xifan Canal and Strait of Nara, the Liangxia Empire legitimately replaced the Bulan Kingdom, becoming the only suzerain state of numerous local domains on the Southern Subcontinent.

In the few years following the war, as the Union Jack was lowered, and the Flame Dragon flag flew in the wind, the Empire’s authority on the Southern Subcontinent reached an unprecedented level.

However, the Empire’s colonial rule on the Southern Subcontinent did not last long.

It must be said that within the Imperial High Command, there have always been differing voices on whether or not to take over the Southern Subcontinent.

Before the end of the war, during the period when the Bulan Kingdom was defeated and the Newland Republic had not yet surrendered, different opinions emerged within the Imperial High Command, advocating returning the Southern Subcontinent to the Bulan Kingdom, or at least acknowledging the Bulan Kingdom’s ruling status, maintaining the current situation.

Since someone proposed this view, there must be some rationale behind it.

Fundamentally, it was about the value of the Bulan Kingdom in the global system.

To put it bluntly, is a declining Bulan Kingdom really beneficial to the Liangxia Empire?

For hundreds of years, the Bulan Kingdom has always been the "narrow door" for the Great Powers of the West Continent, primarily acting to strike and weaken land-based powers. Any land-based power that developed and grew strong would eventually come into conflict with the Bulan Kingdom, and be struck by it.

The rapid rise of the Liangxia Empire is related to this.

Initially, Emperor Shiwu dared to challenge the powerful Luosha Empire because, for decades beforehand, the Bulan Kingdom had always considered the Luosha Empire a top threat. According to folk legends, the Liangxia Empire’s first arms factory was built with a loan from the Bulan Kingdom.

In the scenario where the Tiaoman Empire would inevitably dominate the West Continent, a Bulan Kingdom with sufficient strength could best alleviate the pressure on the Liangxia Empire.

As long as the Bulan Kingdom remains there, gazing across the sea with the West Continent, the Tiaoman Empire would not think of monopolizing the western world, nor easily obtain the capital to challenge the Liangxia Empire.

Additionally, the Bulan Kingdom is also a typical sea power nation and stands on the North Sunset Ocean.

This means that the Bulan Kingdom is bound to have conflicts with the Newland Republic, another sea power nation.

Clearly, this can also be exploited.

Simply put, if the Bulan Kingdom, with the Empire’s support, remains a sea power stronghold on the North Sunset Ocean with significant influence, it would need to consolidate its relationship with the Empire to protect its own interests and thus help the Empire restrain the Newland Republic.

In this way, the pressure faced by the Liangxia Empire in the East Ocean would be greatly reduced.

Thus, strategically speaking, it is not advisable to excessively weaken the Bulan Kingdom.

From a commercial perspective, it is the same.

Before the outbreak of the first Global War, the colonial rule of the Bulan Kingdom on the Southern Subcontinent was, to a large extent, mutually beneficial with the Liangxia Empire.

The Bulan Kingdom acquired rich products from the colony, many of which were strategic resources scarce in its homeland.

The military presence on the Southern Subcontinent also ensured the strategic security of the maritime shipping routes through the Fan Flame Ocean, strengthening the Bulan Kingdom’s dominion over Aus.

Without the support provided by the Southern Subcontinent, the colonial rule of the Bulan Kingdom over Aus would have ended half a century earlier.

The Liangxia Empire gained a market of billions of people and substantial profits generated through trade.

Objectively speaking, it was the enormous profits obtained from the Southern Subcontinent that enabled the Empire to complete the process of industrialization in just a few decades.

The Bulan Kingdom used 200 years for the same industrialization process!

Crucially, the Empire did not bear the costs of colonial rule.

In truth, there were also diplomatic benefits.

Regardless of whether the military and civilians of the Empire were willing to admit it, after the end of the second Global War, the alliance between the Liangxia Empire and the Tiaoman Empire would inevitably come to an end.