What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 668 Mega Order
But the Emperor clearly wasn't interested in their plans, and there were no warnings before the crash... So was Enrique really just an unlucky guy?
Itamar ultimately decided to temporarily set aside his dilemma and instead quickly seize power to consolidate his position.

Although his reputation and fame are now number one after Enrique's departure, he still has many competitors and many of Enrique's former men. In this hasty situation, the most important thing is to establish a firm foothold.

To achieve this goal, Itamar led his men to occupy the radio station, delivered a national address, and then made a decision:
Contact the Empire.

This decision surprised his subordinates, since the "Brothers of Justice" originally intended to eliminate external interference. Aveiro's reaction was particularly strong, believing that the most important thing to do at this time was to complete the purge before the Empire intervened.

However, times had changed, and Itamar told him:
"The 20,000 heavenly soldiers are in the north. If we don't first stabilize the Prism Building, we will be plunged into an unprepared war."

The reason was correct, and Itamar convinced himself of it as well, but the deeper subconscious reason was that the skies over South Mei were haunted by the ghosts of the Prism Building, and unless you wanted to break ties with them head-on, you couldn't expect to act behind the Empire's back.

In other words, as long as Prism Building approves, or as long as it doesn't object, Itamar has ample confidence to gradually smooth things over internally.

It's true that he doesn't want war to break out on this land, but it's also true that he doesn't want to clash with Prism Building.

He was over sixty years old and was no longer the heroic captain who could carry a Type 56 rifle, charge into the jungle, and fight the enemy for months while enduring hunger.

In his view, his current life was not bad enough, and it was not worth shedding blood to fight for more, but things did not go as planned.

Just as he returned to his residence and busied himself with various arrangements, a young, passionate, and indignant voice came through the radio:
"...We were deceived. Tens of thousands of people had to relocate because of the fires, thousands of families lost their savings because the men couldn't stand up due to the thick smoke, hundreds of thousands of acres of timber were burned, and billions of dollars were wasted..."

We can no longer swallow our anger, we can no longer turn a blind eye, and no one with a conscience can stand idly by. And today, a conscientious American has revealed to us the evil plan for Prism Tower…

"I am Jonathan, formerly an employee of the Weather Bureau's Data Computing Center, and now an employee of the Weather Operations Department. I..."

"Avila, what is this?!"

When Aveiro and Jonathan's voices came on the radio, Itamar immediately realized what they had done.

He hurriedly sent men to stop them, but it was too late.

Radio waves travel at the speed of light across the world. The power required for global broadcasting is not high. At this very moment, countless users have already listened, and the situation is irreversible.

The idea of ​​contacting Prism Building in advance encountered a severe setback before it could be implemented, and the only remedy Itamar could think of was to immediately arrest Aveiro.

But what about his own prestige if he does that?
Secretly making peace is completely different from directly arresting one's own subordinates to claim credit... Damn Aveiro has him under control.

But no matter what, controlling Aveiro is the most important thing.

……

Enrique's unfortunate plane crash was a major event, but it was quickly overshadowed by the revelations from Aveiro and Jonathan:

The empire actually chose to set fire to drown Hans?

Such a news story, brimming with absurdities, exploded and rapidly dominated the news market. People were shocked at how such a counterintuitive and even inhumane operation could have happened, and at the same time, they learned that the fire's area was actually so exaggerated.

Although the Prism Building abandoned the "divine retribution" plan, it did not dare to publicize it. It has been suppressing the news and intentionally reducing the publicly disclosed fire area.

However, when Jonathan came out with a bunch of internal documents, Aveiro immediately copied them and sent them to reporters from all sides. It was eventually discovered that the actual affected area was at least twice the claimed figure!
The Amazon rainforest fires had already attracted the attention of many environmental organizations and scholars. Previously, they could only lament the chaos caused by the strong El Niño. However, upon learning that the fires were actually caused by arson, they immediately blamed the Empire for all the losses.

Several green organizations and prominent figures have strongly condemned the "God's Wrath" plan, while others remain uncertain about its veracity and are still observing the situation.

But for the empire's allies, it was a moment of sudden realization:

After 98 years, the Empire did not make any major moves in Nanmei. It was thought that they had given up and stopped, but it turned out that they had originally planned to flood the Seven Armies, but they messed it up and had no backup plan, so they were so quiet.

The "Divine Retribution Plan" could easily be confirmed by experts from various countries, but they all tacitly remained silent:

Although the Empire failed this time, the Christmas campaign has shown them the enormous potential of weather weapons. If the Empire succeeds in developing them someday, they might be able to take advantage of them.

As for environmental pollution? That's nothing compared to that.

As expected, the Empire quickly came forward to refute the rumors. Rams held a press conference to announce that the so-called "Plan of Divine Retribution" did not exist, and presented Jonathan's psychiatric medical diagnosis report, indicating that the latter was just a delusional patient who wanted to become famous and used his professional skills to fabricate false documents.

As for the other person who fled with him, Prism Building also believes that he is in Nanmei, but may have just gone into hiding out of fear.

……

Sugar Twist Street

Blair once again summoned his advisors.

The British are not interested in the arson attack on the Prism Tower; what they care about is how Itamar will react after replacing Enrique.

It is well known that Itamar, the nominal commander-in-chief of the Southern Mei coalition, has always been unhappy in his position. Not only can he not command the heavenly troops, but he is also used as a scapegoat to be blamed for all sorts of bad things, and he is not close to the Empire at all.

When he took control of Rio de Janeiro, there was speculation that he might turn against the empire, and Aveiro's public broadcasts seemed to confirm this.

Logically, Itamar should seize the opportunity presented by the "Divine Retribution" plan to drive the Empire out, thereby establishing his own image and gaining power. This in itself is not a big deal.

But things change when the Lost Empire gets involved. If Itamar gets the support of the Lost Empire... the situation would be absolutely fantastic.

Even setting aside technical assistance, the fact that the Lost Empire has a visible port in the area is enough to infuriate the Empire, meaning the Fourth Fleet could appear at any moment to deliver a fatal blow.

The foundation upon which the empire dares to intervene around the world lies in the peace of its homeland. However, if the lost empire and Bassin become allies, it will directly declare that the Lamei system is crumbling and that a major war may be imminent on its doorstep.

The pressure on the Imperial Navy to ensure the safety of the homeland has increased dramatically, and what's worse, the Panama Canal is under constant threat, causing a sharp drop in shipping volume and a severe blow to the economy.

Of course, this is absolutely great news for Dai Ying.

When the passage connecting the two oceans is cut off, the Atlantic shipping route becomes extremely important, and the Empire will need to request assistance from Europe in return. Britain can then sit back and watch the two sides fight, and reap the benefits when the time is right—just like the Empire did in the last war, only the situation is reversed.

“I know Itamar. He’s a tough guy. I bet he has some shady dealings with the Lost Empire. The Empire is about to have its backyard on fire—no, it’s adding fuel to the fire, haha.” Band was the most excited when he heard this news. If the Empire’s current naval power is to ensure the safety of its homeland, it will inevitably have to draw forces from other places. Dai Ying will automatically take over and increase the naval power. This is a zero-sum game.

However, Air Force Secretary Terren simply smiled dismissively:
"You're too happy too soon. I just received a very interesting tip: there's a second person who fled with Jonathan. Guess where he is?"

"Shouldn't it also be in Baxi?"

"Wrong, he's most likely with the polar bear!"

Bander's words surprised everyone, and they quickly asked him how he knew.

Teren: "We shouldn't have known this either, but coincidentally, Da Mao and San Ge have been exchanging glances recently, so we tightened our surveillance on them again. Just then, an IM6 agent saw a few people sneaking away from Mosco's airport and took a closer look."

Today, after seeing the second person's appearance, he told us that the guy we saw at the airport that day was very likely him. The timing matched, and when we checked, the flight that landed at that time came from Mosaic City, which also matched geographically.

"hiss--"

Everyone gasped in surprise, never expecting that this matter could be related to Da Mao.

If only one person from Pakistan speaks out, it will only affect the local area at most, but if Russia is willing to fuel the flames, everything will be different.

Blair quickly asked:

"Doesn't the Empire know?"

"They are most likely unaware of it. At least for now, no one has suspected Big Mao. It will take some time before we can confirm that the second person was not with Jonathan."

"That would be interesting."

Blair pondered for a moment:
"Rich Russia is desperately seeking our aid. Theoretically, they might secretly send people back as a gesture of goodwill, but who can say for sure? If we intervene, the Empire will also face its own troubles."

Four forces are stirring things up... very good, very good. Although we don't yet know how things will ultimately turn out, Daiying should be prepared to intervene.

Upon hearing this, Band's eyes lit up. Sure enough, Blair's next question was about the progress of the Malta:

How is the refitting of the Malta progressing?

"It's on track now. Adding the outboard motor isn't difficult. The shipyard's main focus is on developing catapults... We now believe that equipping the Malta-class with Harriers is a waste of its size, and we are considering converting the Typhoon or Tornado into carrier-based aircraft."

The problem is... the team that last developed the catapult in Britain disbanded seven years ago, and the factory has been frozen. Although we have the technology, we still have to start from scratch, and it will take at least three to five years from development to practical application.

Bandt spoke with a hint of resentment. Due to the UK's long-standing "exhaustion of the military" strategy, the UK had not produced any catapults since 79 when it produced the BS4 catapult for the "Vikrant" aircraft carrier. Furthermore, the development of subsequent models of the Naval Battle Company was also cancelled due to the abandonment of the Naval Battle Company.

Of course, their technical capabilities are still strong, but starting from scratch is not easy, and it will take at least three years.

They had certainly tried buying directly from the Empire, but the Empire, having just lost the Enterprise, refused to sell, even implying that the Malta's origins were unclear and there was a risk of leaks, which infuriated Band.
The Empire even sold the C13 catapult to the Flying Dutchman to install on the Charles de Gaulle, but it was unwilling to sell it to its own father.

Blair frowned upon hearing this, realizing that the future strategy for England had changed because of the Christmas campaign:
In fact, after the Invincible-class, the British strategy also shifted from sea to land. The next-generation aircraft carrier program "CV(R)" proposed in 96 was determined to focus on amphibious capabilities. Later, it developed into the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier, a peculiar case with two islands but no catapults.

But things are different now. The losses of the Christmas campaign and the shadow of the Third Fleet have made the Royal Navy re-emphasize the need for a fleet decisive battle, and the domestic public strongly supports increased military spending because of that nightmarish Christmas. Blair went along with it.

However, if the Malta cannot solve the catapult problem and can only launch Harrier rockets, it will just be a larger version of the Invincible-class carrier and will not be considered a proper fleet carrier at all.

Although it will take at least a few years to finalize the new carrier-based aircraft, the catapult modification is no small matter. Even after it is finalized, it will take a long time from ordering to modification and adaptation. If this is not resolved as soon as possible, it will only be delayed indefinitely.

Blair's preferred option was, of course, to buy it. Developing it himself was expensive and unnecessary. At worst, he could always find a way to replace it with another technology.

But Bender immediately told him bad news:

"The shipyard told us that restarting our own research and development would require at least £3 million to get started, while if we were to buy... Empire's asking price is $1.75 million per ship—if they're willing to sell."

"How many?!"

Blair was furious:

"They sell them to chickens for only 9000 million each, so why do they sell them to us for double that price?"

Band: "The C13-3 sold to the 'Hairpins' was a shortened version. The Malta could have the original version, which would have cost more. They also said there was inflation, plus commissioning fees, licensing fees, customization fees... The 'Hairpins' knew about this, and they were definitely involved in it."

"Those damned loan sharks!"

Blair slammed his fist on the table and stood up, but quickly sat back down; it all boiled down to money.

But Britain's finances are even worse than in the original timeline, so how could they possibly approve this budget? The hole from the Christmas campaign hasn't even been filled yet.

Even if we can eat meat in the future, we don't even have the money to prepare the cutlery!
Terren seemed to have known this all along, and he sneered in silence. The loss of more than ten N-Mist aircraft by the Royal Air Force directly paralyzed its anti-submarine capabilities, and the replacement plan is still a long way off!

But just then, Secretary Robin pushed open the door and entered, announcing some news with a strange expression:

"Rolls-Royce has received a huge order that could be worth $60 billion. Someone wants to order 500 engines from them."

"Who?"

Teren was startled. 500 aircraft engines is an outrageous number, whether for military or civilian aircraft. Who would be so crazy during a downturn in the aviation industry?
Boeing and Airbus? Impossible. And don't even mention other small and insignificant brands like Bombardier. There can't possibly be that many military aircraft.

The only nouveau riche who can utter such grand words are those oil tycoons in white headscarves... no, maybe even an oil tycoon without a headscarf could say something like that.

Almost everyone thought of that person, and Robin nodded as well:

"It was Saab that placed the order, but to be precise, the actual payment was still made by Gaikin."

(End of this chapter)