Chapter 338: Permission Granted

“Mr. President, have you ever watched a boxing match?”

Facing the president’s question, Mr. Truman didn’t answer immediately but instead asked an unrelated question.

Yet there was no doubt that all four men in the room understood the importance of today’s conversation—especially Truman, who initiated it. He knew better than anyone what he was doing and what needed to be done.

The president paused before answering, then nodded. “Yes, I have.”

Truman nodded slightly. “Then you must know boxing is divided into weight classes. Before each match, both fighters weigh in, and only then can they fight in the ring.”

The president nodded again patiently, “Yes, I know that.” He didn’t rush Truman through these seemingly trivial remarks but listened seriously.

“Gephra is an outstanding heavyweight boxer with an impressive record. He earned a gold belt by knocking down one strong opponent after another.”

“On the current ring, he is the undisputed strongest. But we…” Truman shook his head, “we are just rookies who have just entered the boxing world. No one cares about us or respects us.”

“So far, we’ve been passive on the diplomatic battlefield in the international community. Sorry, but I see diplomacy as a war, and we are clearly losing.”

“We have never proven our value or strength like Gephra or other nations. Even if they consider us equals on the surface, deep down they look down on us because we’ve never shown our muscle to anyone.”

“This is an opportunity—a good one. We can show our muscle, let people see our strength, and make them respect us!”

“This is indeed a war—a war over whether the Federation can rise amid rapidly changing global conditions. It’s a war we must fight and must win!”

“In fact, we have an opportunity others don’t. In the upcoming military action, we will face the world’s top naval power. This war will test our strength. It’s a rare chance.”

“Others don’t even qualify to challenge Gephra, but we now have this chance. If we win, we’ll earn respect!”

The president listened carefully. Truman’s boxing analogy vividly framed the national power struggle in the president’s mind—not just a concept, but two strong fighters in a ring about to battle when the bell rings.

With this clear image, the president was more open to what Truman said next.

However, he raised a concern: “What if we lose?” He shifted in his seat and supported his chin with his hand. “You can’t just say we’ll win and assume that’s certain. What if we lose?”

Truman fell silent. The Deputy Minister of Defense coughed lightly and took over.

“Respectful Mr. President, I must remind you—we won’t lose.”

The president looked at him, waiting for an explanation. The 42-year-old deputy minister spoke calmly and firmly.

“First, we are better prepared than Gephra. We control the initiative in this localized conflict.”

“They don’t know our ship classes, their performance, artillery range, or warhead power…”

“They know nothing about us, but we know more about them than they do themselves!”

Despite restrictions from the Federation’s escapism policy, which limited military development, the armed forces never stopped working.

With diplomacy nearly stalled, spies and scouts continue running worldwide, sending back intel, including detailed information on Gephra’s military equipment.

Models, performance, strengths, and weaknesses of their ships fill entire rooms. Analysts constantly review battle data and naval engagements.

Though barred from combat, this is how the Federation experiences war’s harsh realities and passion.

Because the Federation has not participated, no one knows if its navy is still up to date or can control any sea area.

This creates a huge advantage for the navy, which can exploit this information gap to wage a variable-speed naval battle.

In fact, in the last two days, the naval operations command has run multiple simulations to design a battle of shifting tempo to destroy the familiar Gephra Royal Navy.

“Second, our secret weapon is ready. Sorry, Mr. President, since you’re new to office, some secrets haven’t been shared with you.”

“For years, the navy has been advancing a project called Project Nightfang. Now it’s harvest season. This new weapon will dramatically change naval warfare.”

Submarines have existed for a long time but were limited by materials and technology, especially for attack capability.

Recently, the Veyport Naval Industry developed a new torpedo that solves these attack issues, turning submarines from mere sneak-attack transporters into ghosts lurking beneath the surface.

Because of this, the shipbuilder Shepford Marine Works was contracted to produce a combat submarine designed for modern naval warfare intensity.

After five years of modifications and design, the Ghost-I submarine was launched and successfully sea-trialed.

“From a military standpoint, Mr. President, I don’t believe we will lose to Gephra’s navy. On the contrary, our chances of winning are high.” The deputy minister’s tone was resolute, his eyes showing passion.

Facing Gephra’s Royal Navy, considered the world’s strongest, would immediately raise the Federation navy’s prestige.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Both sides currently belong to the same alliance; they’re on the same side. Except for this coincidence, they wouldn’t clash militarily again until the next world war.

The military also expects a second world war, a view shared by many.

If they miss this chance, they may have to wait years or decades for the Federation navy to prove it’s not inferior to Gephra’s Royal Navy. This is the urgent desire of the Defense Ministry and the military—to fight.

Hearing such determination, the president began to think. They insisted on war, assured victory, and he wasn’t truly afraid of such a clash.

Some things don’t need repeating for him to understand. As Lynch said, the Federation needs a war to reunite and regain confidence through victory.

“This is the best-case scenario. Isn’t Nagaryll refusing to establish diplomatic relations with us?” The president asked, still uneasy.

The highest official of the Security Committee Action Division, sitting next to Truman, shifted slightly.

“Mr. President, if the Kingdom of Nagaryll officially harms Federation citizens, seizes their property, or even colludes with pirates to attack Federation merchant ships, how should we respond?”

Politics is always dirty; international politics even more so. Politicians have no qualms about framing or harming others if the gains are worth it.

The Security Committee official’s words made the president realize they had made their decision. Whether he supported it or not, he could not hesitate.

Hesitation would make him look useless. He looked at Truman. “Is this the war you mentioned?!”

“Yes, Mr. President. This is the war I meant, and it might become reality. We’ll try to avoid it, but we must be prepared.”

“Fortunately, given today’s political landscape, even if we start this war, we won’t face Gephra’s full power directly—not even their main fleet.”

“Everyone needs a period of quiet development. Whoever disrupts this peace is the culprit!”

The president took a deep breath, holding it in his chest. After about ten minutes of thought, he finally nodded. “In principle, I agree to launch this military operation, but I have one condition…”

“First, we must win!”

“Second, whether it’s a limited military conflict or a war against Nagaryll, it must not exceed sixty days!”