"Hmm? Coming from the opposite direction? Then this isn't a Delta Federation fleet."
On the Unicorn fleet, which was sailing, Commander James put down his binoculars and muttered to himself.
"Sir, it's most likely not our fleet. They shouldn't be turning back at this time," the adjutant beside him also made the assessment.
After thinking for a moment, James nodded and said, "Yes, at this time they should be stationed in the waters near Yan Kingdom to continue to deter Yan Kingdom."
"So which country's fleet returned at this time?" the adjutant asked, frowning and stroking his chin.
"The Federation fleet couldn't possibly be returning; it could only be either the Shenglu or the Huns..."
"It doesn't matter. They can't possibly be from Yan Kingdom. We can identify them by getting closer," James finally said.
Based on this consideration, he did not change the fleet's route. After sailing for some time, as the distance shortened, he finally figured out the identity of the approaching fleet.
As expected, it was one of the two fleets he had previously guessed—the Rose Fleet.
After verifying their identities, James felt a little strange, but he didn't care too much. Although the Rose Fleet belonged to the Kingdom of Shenglu, they could only act as vassals in front of the Kingdom of Sari.
Since they were on the same flight path, communication was still necessary, and James immediately gave the order:
"Reduce speed and make contact with the Rose Fleet."
Opposite them, the Rose Fleet also reduced its speed, and after some time, the two fleets finally made contact in this area of the sea.
There was no conflict between the two countries, so the meeting naturally took place on the first ship, and of course, Lucat boarded the Unicorn.
As soon as he boarded the ship, James frowned and said:
"You are Marshal Lucat of the Rose Fleet?"
Lucat's expression was grave as he replied, "Yes."
James sized up Lucart. He had long held this Lucart admiral in contempt, having fled the South China Sea battle, and naturally wouldn't show him any kindness. Therefore, after receiving Lucart's reply, he simply said indifferently:
“I am James, the fleet commander. Her Majesty the Queen has appointed me to provide support to the Yan Kingdom.”
"What stage has the fighting reached at the front? And why are you returning at this time?" He went straight to the two most crucial questions.
Upon hearing this, Lucat looked away from the Army Medal of Honor worn by James on his uniform.
Moments earlier, after seeing the flags flying over the Unicorn Fleet, Lucat had been pondering how to respond to their questions.
The sudden arrival of this Unicorn Fleet was unexpected, and he couldn't figure out its composition—whether it was primarily naval or transporting army units like the Federation's Second Fleet.
After all, the large warships of the Sa Ri Kingdom all look similar, making it impossible to discern what kind of troops they carry.
Now, seeing the Army Medals of Honor hanging on James's uniform, Lucat had a rough idea of what was going on: this Unicorn Fleet was most likely organized like the Federation's Second Fleet, primarily composed of army personnel.
Thinking of this, he shook his head and sighed heavily.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Seeing his expression, James's heart skipped a beat, and his brows furrowed.
"We... lost." After some thought, Lucate decided to tell the truth and continue with the original plan.
As soon as he finished speaking, James, looking shocked, quickly stepped forward and stared intently at Lucarter, demanding:
"Are you kidding me? What do you mean you lost!"
Lucat continued, "The Yan Kingdom's navy is formidable, and we were unable to match it, resulting in our unfortunate defeat."
Upon receiving confirmation, James's expression changed drastically, and the rest of the crew were also shocked.
"How far has it come?!" James demanded sharply.
“The entire army was almost wiped out, with only a small number of survivors. They are now imprisoned on Coral Island by the Yan Kingdom and have become prisoners of war,” Lucate answered, word by word.
The next instant, James suddenly reached out, grabbed his collar, and roared angrily:
"They've lost to this extent?!"
“Yes.” Lucate’s face was cold as he tried to push him away.
However, James grew even angrier upon hearing the reply. His face turned red, and he shouted angrily:
"After fighting to this point, how come your Rose Fleet seems completely unscathed? What exactly happened?!"
"Don't tell me you deserted the battlefield again, leading to our crushing defeat!"
The color drained from Lucat's face. He knew he would face such a rebuke upon returning to the continent of Leon, but it had come a little earlier than expected.
The domineering Sauri people don't care about such things.
Now, facing James's questioning, Lucart suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "That was a sudden encounter, and it had nothing to do with us."
"The reason we..."
Before he could finish speaking, James, his face contorted with rage, shoved Lucart violently, nearly knocking him to the ground. He pointed at Lucart and shouted angrily:
"You've surrendered?!"
Lucate shakily steadied himself, then looked up at him expressionlessly and said:
"In that situation, the only option was to surrender."
No sooner had he finished speaking than James roared, "Spineless coward!"
"It must have been your surrender that led to..."
"Enough!" Lucate suddenly roared. "You weren't there; you have no right to criticize our decisions!"
"If we don't surrender, then the entire fleet that set sail this time will be annihilated!"
"And all those who were captured on the coral island will be killed without exception!"
"If we don't come back, you won't even have a chance to ransom the prisoners!"
Upon hearing this, James, consumed by rage, almost drew his sword, but his adjutant stepped forward and whispered words of reassurance:
"Sir, the culprits are the Yan people, and blaming them now will not help."
James managed to suppress his anger, but his eyes remained fixed on Lucart.
Lucat then said, "The Yan people let us leave, but we paid a huge price. We will compensate them. Your people are still on Coral Island and will need to be redeemed after negotiations for compensation."
"Damn it!!!" James slammed his fist into the air, his face contorted with rage.
Lucat was equally enraged. He certainly wanted to lure these Sasirs to their deaths, but if he did, he would be unable to return home with his fleet, and the Sasirs would immediately vent their anger on their own country.
For now, all we can do is accept their harsh criticism, but given the nature of the Japanese, they will inevitably return with renewed force, and the Yan people will certainly not end the war so hastily.
The war was bound to escalate, and as he looked at James with a cold expression, a sense of anticipation began to rise within him.
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