studiobondurri Chapter 186 179 Island Construction (Part 1)
Chapter 186 179 Island Construction (Part 1)
Within a few days, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Country C suddenly held a temporary press conference.
At the conference, the spokesperson directly expressed to the outside world, "Our country solemnly declares to all foreign governments, organizations, and individuals that from midnight tomorrow, for seventy-two hours, our country will carry out large-scale civil engineering projects at the following coordinates in the South China Sea.
A no-fly zone is hereby established, and we hope the relevant parties take notice to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings and exercise caution. We thank everyone for their cooperation and attention. Thank you!"
With all kinds of sophisticated equipment already in use, the ministry's press conference employed holographic imaging displays, and the spokesperson no longer needed to stand in front of a microphone and instead wore a button-sized microphone pinned to their collar. Enjoy more content from empire
The spokesperson did not give the media any chance to ask questions, and after speaking, they swiftly left the conference. However, their statement caused a significant uproar amongst the public.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Continuing island construction? Veering from a low-profile to a high-profile land reclamation," read the headlines.
"Intent on dominating East Asia, Country C's desire to hinder the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea is evident!"
"It's rumored that facilities on islands belonging to the Philippines and Vietnam have already begun to be dismantled, and personnel have started to withdraw under the supervision of Country C's coast guard."
Various news pieces flooded the internet, particularly in foreign media, which exaggerated the issue. The South China Sea issue had cooled down considerably over the past few months, with the focus primarily on issues like the Star Alliance, the transformation of Emerald Sea Star, and Country C's transition.
Since the rise of the Star Alliance as Earth's dominant force, the complaints of the other claimant states in the South China Sea had significantly decreased. Even before the appearance of the Star Alliance, tensions had already started to ease.
The Philippines and Vietnam caved in rather quickly; Country C used a mix of threats and incentives—if they refused, even their governments could be uprooted. Now, with Country C's aerospace fleet flying everywhere, erasing a regime with a flick of the wrist was hardly an issue.
Malaysia had actually withdrawn from three reefs in the southern part of the Spratly Islands three months ago without making any noise and avoided mentioning it to the public, as those remote islands were far removed from people's lives.
Online discussions about this unexpected announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also exploded.
Watching these creative comments from Lighthouse Country netizens, Bai Zhongqi couldn't help but smile. He was unconcerned about whether the Lighthouse Country's fleet would intervene or not; Country C was not unprepared, having made many preparations for this operation.
Country C itself had been brewing even tougher measures. In recent months, military construction had been at the forefront of all reforms. Not only had the Army of Country C honed its skills in the previous battle affairs in the northern part of Emerald Sea Star, but the Navy of Country C had also progressed significantly.
Everyone knew that if the United States were to take any irrational actions in the South China Sea, the Navy of Country C would certainly respond comprehensively.
The newly commissioned Type 001A aircraft carrier, Shandong, had set sail from its moorings the day before the Ministry spokesperson's announcement, bringing with its escort fleet to the South China Sea.
This aircraft carrier had undergone comprehensive modifications, rendering its combat capabilities vastly superior to its original design. Equipped with a micro high-efficiency fission reactor, an improved transmission system, and propulsion system, this carrier could reach speeds exceeding 50 knots, even faster than Lighthouse Country's 3000-ton littoral combat ships.
The aircraft stationed aboard Shandong included the modified J-15 Flying Shark and Killer Bee unmanned aerial vehicles, unmatched by Lighthouse Country's current F-18E/F or F-35C in terms of combat radius, firepower, and avionics.
The main escorting vessels were the magic-modified types of the 052D and 054A, which, despite negligible external differences in appearance, had undergone substantial internal changes. Coupled with an Attack Nuclear Submarine and a supply ship, this formation constituted Country C's aircraft carrier battle group.
Plainly speaking, though this was still a typical American-style aircraft carrier battle group setup, its combat capabilities were incomparable to those of the Nimitz Class or Ford Class carrier groups.
The naval underwater fleet of Country C now primarily consisted of three components: two aircraft carrier groups, a general-purpose escort fleet, and a small escort fleet for shallow and inland waters.
In this scenario, although the Navy of Country C had set up a space fleet for secondary support, any combat, if it happened, would be conducted by the surface fleet.
The Shandong aircraft carrier battle group would take on full maritime security for the island-building project.
Bai Zhongqi, naturally, would not stand idly by, but he was also not going to intervene directly. Half of the various defensive weapons on Earth's orbit were now aimed at the ground. In the event of any incident in the South China Sea, Bai Zhongqi could call on Earth's orbital defense platforms to strike and repel.
Upon the announcement of the island-building schedule, the United States Navy's carrier battle group, led by USS Stennis, brazenly entered the South China Sea from Indonesian waters. At this time, Bai Zhongqi also arrived above the South China Sea in a spacecraft, ready to deploy the Homeland Stone.