104 The Naval Warfare Book

Baron, Meng Tian, Meng Yi, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei finished up their discussion and split up to take care of some business that would otherwise have to be left until after the SunAlliance tournament. So, they all left the small pub that they had encountered the 4 co-leaders of the Yellow Wang faction at and went about their separate ways. Baron made his way to the VIP room that was under Madam Zheng's name to get some much needed information about aquatic warfare. After all, Baron had been so focused on the aerial warfare these past few decades that he really hadn't had proper time to practice in the sea simulations.

As he made his way to her room, he happened to meet up with Zi Bo, and Zi Ji Ge. These two were a brother sister pair that had attracted the attention of Madam Zheng and one of these two were going to be selected to become an elder within the Forever Pirates that is being run by Madam Zheng and her two husbands. Zi Bo was the elder brother within this relationship and did not speak much, while his sister Zi Ji Ge was very extroverted and a bit tomboyish.

(ZJG) "Wellif it isn't Baron. Have you come to see Madam Zheng again? I heard that you came while we were out last time." Zi Ji Ge said showing some restraint.

(BM) "Well, it's good to see you too, Zi Bo and Zi Ji Ge."

(ZB) "..." Zi Bo remained silent and nodded once.

(BM) "Right, I was indeed going to see Madam Zheng. Is something the matter?"

(ZJG) "Well, now isn't the best time since she has other company over. Even we were kicked out this time."

(BM) "Who could it be? I suppose you wouldn't happen to know?"

(ZJG) "First call me elder, I don't like the way you go about like we have the same standing."

(BM) "Apologies, elder. Would you happen to know who it was then?"

(ZJG) "Well, no. The only thing I could tell you, JUNIOR, is that it must be someone of very high ranking if even we aren't allowed in on the business. What brings you around to see her this time?"

(BM) "Well, I was wondering if she had any contacts that could teach me the basics of aqua warfare."

(ZJG) "Well, That is a very big waste of her time. Plus you think too highly of yourself. You need to understand that in this alliance, she is giving you more…"

At this moment, Zi Bo who had been quiet tugged on his sister's shoulders and looked at her with pleading eyes.

(ZJG) "Humph, fine, do what you want." She said as she stormed off.

(BM) "What was that for?" Baron asked puzzled at what just happened.

Zi Bo went up to Baron and handed him a book called "My Knowledge of Sea Warfare" by Zi Bo.

(ZB) "I need this book back, so bring it to me or Zi Ji Ge after you finish." Zi Bo said and left in a hurry.

Baron decided that he would find a nice little place to sit down and to read this book. Though Zi Bo and Zi Ji Ge were no Madam Zheng, their skills were recognized by her regardless. At this point, Baron was more than happy with how things turned out. He went to a public place and started to read what he had been given. The first page contained a little table of contents, the next page had a little note in a language he could not understand so he thought it was probably not meant for him anyway so he should not pursue it further.

Finally he started on chapter 1 called, the basics. The basics of aquatic/sea/marine/underwater/naval warfare could be summed up by a few points. The most important of which is that it is a very different type of battlefield than land and air. You can see enemies in the distance on land and air, but in the water, there are more possibilities for your enemies to sneak behind you and deal a heavy blow. Even more so if they have an underwater blueprint. So, the important takeaway from this point is that you need to have a good enough intuition and knowhow of your opponents that they have no chance of outmaneuvering you. Or have sonar and radar equipped on at least your main ship/fleet.

Another thing of import is that if you cannot beat your opponents in a head on clash, lead them to somewhere where you can have the advantage. Though this is easier said than done, make sure you have enough knowledge of how bodies of waters work and manipulate it to your advantage. Use manpower, or technology to create a few hidden traps inside your territory. This gives you two advantages, one is that these traps won't be known to the enemy, and the second is that you will have a place where you can properly and effectively use your fleet to the best of your and their abilities.

The importance of your crewmates and your composition of your fleet is also quite crucial to your success, it is best to have a large array of ships at your disposal, if you have too much of any one ship, your tactics are going to become limited and predictable. Letting your crewmates experience multiple drills will make them more effective in battle. The timing of your attacks matter even more in the sea so make sure you have thought of every possible counter to your moves that your enemies can make before you commit to any massive stratagems.

The last great matter to attend to is that unless you have some godly contraption or some otherworldly guessing ability, it is much safer to go with upgrading your weapons and defenses as opposed to going for a much nimbler fleet. The reason for this is that the nimbler a ship is, the more likely it will sink after just a few shots. So whenever possible, go for more premium material rather than having more ships. Continued in the next chapter.