"Marshal, is it really necessary to be so nervous?" his deputy, Leto, advised.
Lucat waved his hand, still pacing back and forth with a furrowed brow.
Leto's brows furrowed, and he followed suit, offering words of advice:
"The Sunfire Fleet and the Federation Fleet are advancing side by side, but you have made us slow down. If this continues, we will gradually fall behind."
"While I know you're acting out of safety concerns, making this arrangement at this time will inevitably draw criticism from that bastard Augustus after the landing, which will reduce our bargaining power in the subsequent division of the Great Gan territory."
"We can't avoid war just for the sake of avoiding war! Marshal!" Leto finally couldn't help but grab Lucate's sleeve. To this day, Leto has been extremely distressed.
The Sun Kingdom had brought an astonishing number of warships; the Sun Fleet alone had four or five hundred ships, nearly 30% of which were heavy warships with an astonishing number of cannons. Such a fleet truly lived up to the reputation of a hegemonic nation.
Logically speaking, there should be no cause for concern in the face of such formidable fighting power, but Marshal Lucat still looked worried. Even with the extremely smooth progress toward South Port, he appeared increasingly nervous and uneasy.
His performance has caused Leto to lose trust in him. He is now only disappointed in Lucat, who has become a marshal because of his family background and has no resemblance to his meritorious father.
He had no fighting spirit.
After Leto's incessant nagging, Lucate finally stopped pacing.
"This is so annoying!" he exclaimed, his face flushed.
"Marshal, you..." Leto hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
Lucate tossed his head, his blond hair falling across his forehead and cascading down his head. He suppressed his anger and looked at Leto, saying, "Don't you find that strange?"
"What's so strange?" Leto asked, puzzled.
“The dry men are constantly retreating; they turn around and leave whenever they see our ships,” Lucate said, frowning.
“What’s so strange about that? Our fleet is unstoppable and invincible. It would be strange if they didn’t retreat.” Leto also frowned.
Lucat remained silent, simply fixing his sharp gaze directly on Leto.
The two remained silent for a few moments, then Leto grinned and said:
"What? Marshal, do you think they're trying to lure us into giving chase?"
“Yes! That’s it! Their withdrawal must be a ruse; they’re trying to lower our guard!” Lucate squinted, his face extremely grave.
"Hehe." Seeing the seriousness in Lucate's voice, Leto chuckled.
“You’re overthinking it, Marshal,” he said, shaking his head.
"How could that be? Although this tactic is common, does Da Gan have the strength to implement it? You must know that without strong combat power, so-called inducement is completely useless."
"It will only make it easier for us to reach South Port."
"Besides, this is on the sea, not on land, so there's no possibility of an ambush or encirclement."
"Even if we assume they are hiding in a strait, they would still need a large number of warships, otherwise how could they lure us there and launch an attack?"
Leto's words made sense, and Lucat had to admit he was right, but he still felt something was off about the constant withdrawal of the troops.
The country's change in attitude and the inexplicable appearance of its navy are enough to show that a huge change has taken place within the country in recent months.
Now, he doesn't think the country is really bluffing; they must be secretly planning a battle.
However, their own side made no tactical arrangements whatsoever.
At the last meeting the day before yesterday, Clemento was too arrogant. He did not take the Great Gan seriously at all, and thought that if the fleet sailed over, they would be routed and flee in a sorry state.
Therefore, he did not consider many matters such as overall planning, which is why the fleet is in such a chaotic state today.
The left wing was the Rose Fleet, the center was the Sun Fleet and the Federation Fleet advancing side by side, and the right wing was Augustus's Sea Lion Fleet. The four main fleets were only moving forward in their own square formations, without intersecting or using any tactics.
So if they really encounter an opponent of equal strength, the battle will definitely turn into a chaotic mess.
Of course, this would only happen if the opponent was of equal or slightly inferior strength to the fleet, but Lucat felt that this mysterious country could produce a fleet of considerable strength.
For this reason, he ordered the Rose Fleet to slow down, knowing that the closer they got to South Harbor, the higher the chance of encountering a large fleet.
He was almost certain that there was a large fleet of ships in the waters near the landing point.
When we face them head-on, we'll be able to fully reveal Da Gan's trump card.
If their naval strength is indeed extremely strong, just as I suspect, then the warships that are the first to engage in battle will surely suffer heavy damage!
Although the Rose Fleet's ships weren't particularly heavily armed, their overall speed was quite fast, so he felt that even if the worst-case scenario occurred, they could still salvage the situation to some extent.
But what is unsettling is the continuous withdrawal of the navy. Why are they constantly giving up control of the sea areas?
If they have a powerful fleet, what difference does it make whether they fight a battle in the coastal waters or in the open sea? Why bother with something more complicated?
"Why should we clear the way and drive straight to Nangang?"
Unable to find the answer to the question, Lucat grew increasingly anxious.
But as time went on, they did sail into the near sea and were not stopped by the main fleet. The Gan people even abandoned all the islands, large and small, in the near sea.
Even in the afternoon, when they were less than an hour away from Nangang, they still hadn't seen the large fleet assembled on the sea.
What they saw along the way were only small ships fleeing quickly on the sea. These large warships were fleeing in a sorry state. Naturally, the fleets of the various nations would not choose to pursue these few small patrol boats. Their destination was always the same: the landing point at South Port.
At this moment, the Rose Fleet had fallen behind the rest of the fleet.
Despite Leto's repeated advice, Lucat did not choose to sail at normal speed. He remained convinced that the upcoming battle would be a massive naval war that would engulf everyone!
His worries were not unfounded; two and a half hours later, Lucat finally understood everything.
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