Chapter 88: Formulating a Five-Year Plan
“Hmmmm…”
Commander Eve was deep in thought.
Should she invade or not?
The allure of oil was undeniable. While they could manage with their own supply of other metallic resources, oil was the one thing they lacked.
“But a war of invasion…”
However, the target was a nation that, for all intents and purposes, was civilized. They were not aggressive, nor was there any ongoing conflict. There was no information suggesting that The Tree would pose a threat in the future, nor had she heard of any disputes involving them.
Could she really justify an invasion simply for the sake of resources against such a fundamentally reasonable nation?
“It’s true that I want my own oil fields, but that doesn’t mean imports are off the table…”
If they could acquire oil through healthy trade, it could lead to a beneficial relationship. They could sustain themselves with the oil obtained while simultaneously searching for other oil fields through different means.
Her hope lay in underwater oil fields. In this continent, where ocean navigation technology was still underdeveloped, no one would complain about it. Even if they did, she could easily brush it off and provide some excuses.
But land was a different story. If they were to seize territory that had been declared as theirs, it would undoubtedly lead to war. While they could silence them with overwhelming military force, it would still necessitate at least one battle.
“If it were a maritime nation, I could consider silencing them with gunboat diplomacy…”
Though the Forest Country, Lebresta, had a port, it was essentially a landlocked nation. It was hard to imagine them having a navy. They were not dependent on maritime trade, and even if they were to blockade the port, it wouldn’t inflict much damage.
Or perhaps…
“Should I build a land battleship and force them into submission?”
While impractical, it could serve as a means of intimidation. However, its effectiveness was uncertain. She had searched through the library but found no records regarding diplomacy involving land battleships.
“Wait, but what would gunboat diplomacy even accomplish? Demand the cession of oil fields? Or perhaps turn it into a leased territory?”
Leading the development of the oil fields was another option, but whatever method she chose, if it involved a show of force, it would leave a lingering resentment. She didn’t want to create enemies unnecessarily, yet she couldn’t think of a friendly way to secure oil. If only there were something the other party actively desired, she could propose a trade, but so far, she had no idea what that might be.
“It’s not going to be as easy as it was in Port Town of Terek…”
The Afrasia United Kingdom, after all, was not functioning as a proper nation. Because of that, they had been able to operate relatively freely, establishing their position as Paraiso without any interference. The construction of the Second Fortress was in a completely untouched area.
While neighboring countries recognized it as part of the Afrasia United Kingdom, the kingdom itself had no control over it. It was likely a land that had never seen a human foot. If they could maintain effective control for a few years, they could argue their case. However, it was hard to believe that the chaos in the Afrasia United Kingdom would settle down in just a few years; it would likely take at least ten years. In that time, they could construct a fully fortified city.
“What should I do…? Ringo, do you have any thoughts on this?”
“Yes, Commander. First, I believe we should clarify our objectives.”
“Objectives?”
“Yes, Commander. It would be wise to set a goal and choose the means to achieve it. Currently, the only hope I can offer is the expansion of The Tree’s influence. For that, a war of invasion may be unavoidable.”
Upon hearing this, she nodded in understanding. Ringo’s raison d’être was to protect her, serve her, and expand their influence. To expand their influence, a large amount of resources was necessary, and securing oil was undoubtedly the primary objective. Moreover, it needed to be sourced independently; they could not afford to rely on the instability of imports.
“Hmm. For me, the ultimate goal would be to live comfortably without fearing for my life…”
Of course, she added that she wanted to do so alongside Ringo and everyone else.
Living without the fear of death, in comfort.
It seemed simple, yet it was an incredibly difficult goal. Ringo could not define the condition of living without the fear of death. To put it bluntly, if they were to eliminate all intelligent life forms outside of The Tree’s influence, the threat to her life would vanish. However, natural dangers would still remain. Storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions. Environmental destruction from meteor strikes could not be ignored, nor could the long-term climate changes leading to cooling or heating, or even geomagnetic reversals.
Furthermore, there were potential invaders from outer space. Ringo was originally an AI that had transferred from a game called World of Space. The premise of WoS was to develop a given planet and aim for the stars. Naturally, it possessed knowledge of space navigation technology, and such topics were present in its library.
If that were the case, they could not ignore the intelligent life forms from other star systems either.
What actions would need to be taken to eliminate the threat to her life?
“Well, that’s a subjective matter, so it’s difficult to pin down. Ringo, you don’t have to think too hard about it, okay?”
“Yes, Commander. I will do my best. Let’s discuss the ultimate goal separately.”
“You’re being very serious about this.”
Ringo showed no signs of compromise regarding the Commander, which Eve had anticipated, leading her to smile wryly as she set that topic aside.
“Well, let’s focus on short-term goals. No, rather, it’s more like a mid-term goal. Hmm, what could it be? We’ve secured iron, so it feels like we’ve reached a bit of a plateau. I want to secure oil in some form within a year, but that’s a larger goal, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Commander. If possible, I would prefer a timeframe of about five years.”
Five years, huh? she murmured.
“I’ve never really thought about something five years ahead…”
“…”
Even with that confession, unfortunately, Ringo had no advice to offer.
“Hmmm. Hmmm. Oh! That’s it!”
After a moment of contemplation, she clapped her hands together.
“Battleships! We talked about building battleships, didn’t we? Since we’re at it, let’s create a fleet. How about five main battleships as flagships for five fleets, along with a grand battleship to unify them all? With that, our defense would be solid, right? We can adjust as we learn more about the global situation.”
“Yes, Commander. Understood. Let’s consider that plan. If we aim to have everything ready in five years, the idea is to increase the fleet by one each year. As for when to prepare the grand flagship, I would like to see it launched no later than three years from now.”
“Wow, Ringo, you’re impressive. You’ve gotten so specific all of a sudden…”
“In one year, we will launch one battleship. Let’s set the criteria at a length of over 300 meters for a battleship. We will organize a fleet with a flagship of over 300 meters in length. The fleet will consist of battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and various supply vessels. We’ll include carrier-based aircraft and support craft. If possible, we should also operate a satellite network. And we’ll need landing craft and suppression units. With these, the fleet should be functional.”
The vessels and equipment Ringo listed did not necessarily need to be assembled within a year. However, considering the five-year goal, it would be wise to gather at least the types early on and gain operational experience. Simply having numbers wouldn’t mean much if they couldn’t be operated properly.
“Commander. To operate all of these effectively, we will indeed need oil. In particular, there is no energy source that can match the energy density of oil, which can be easily utilized. Microwave power transmission is very useful, but the more targets there are for energy transmission, the lower the power density becomes, and correspondingly, the losses increase. The number of required Microwave Relay Drones will also increase exponentially. Additionally, sending energy over long distances will require separate energy sources, so oil fuel remains attractive.”
“…Hmm. So that’s how it connects…”
Commander Eve found herself once again at a loss as she contemplated Ringo’s assertions.