145: Aircraft carrier launched, establishing dominance in Southeast Asia

Chapter 8: Launching the Aircraft Carrier, Stabilizing the South Seas

The morning mist over the South Sea had not yet dissipated when the giant dock of the Fuxing Island Heavy Ocean Shipbuilding Base slowly opened. Pale blue engineering lights pierced through the mist, illuminating the hundred-meter-long hull of the Red Alert-class heavy aircraft carrier.

After days of mechanical assembly and energy debugging, this epoch-making giant maritime vessel finally took shape: the full-length flight deck was as shiny as a mirror, and the island integrated a global radar and command system. The carrier-based hangar could accommodate twenty-four stealth attack aircraft and eight anti-submarine helicopters. The hull was equipped with close-in defense missile systems and electromagnetic secondary guns, with a range covering the world's oceans—a truly mobile maritime fortress. Built entirely by red alert engineering AI and mechanical units without any human participation, it perfectly fit the operational system of absolute control.

Lin Zhou stepped into the Intercontinental Command Center. Real-time footage of the carrier dock was projected onto the holographic screen. The resource data streams from the four sub-bases in the South Seas continued to rise steadily. Deep-sea drilling, automated agriculture and forestry, and ore refining were all operating at full capacity. The massive amount of resources gained from annihilating the Yuan Army's fleet in the previous battle had completely filled the base's storage pools, leaving no worries for the expansion of ocean-going armaments.

Outside the barrier, Lu Xiufu stood bowed with a compiled volume of the 'South Seas People's Relief Memorial' in hand. In the eyes of this loyal and righteous civil official was the stability and hope of the post-war period, no longer filled with previous anxiety and grief. Retaining his full scholar's sentiment and concerns for the nation, his voice was earnest and sincere: 'Your Majesty, after the fishermen forcibly conscripted by the Yuan Army along the coast returned home, they spread word of Your Majesty's benevolent rule. Now, Han Chinese refugees arrive daily by boat to seek refuge in the South Sea. I have already planned settlement points on Fuxing Island and Luzon Island, allocating food and supplies to settle them. Furthermore, the indigenous tribes of the South Seas, having heard of Your Majesty's divine might, have sent envoys with letters expressing their willingness to submit and not dare to cross the borders by even half a step.'

The personal guards nearby also lined up to report, every face filled with excitement. They rejoiced for their fellow countrymen who came to seek refuge and felt relieved by the peace outside the islands. Their emotions were vivid and warm, yet the gaze they directed toward Lin Zhou was always one of loyalty etched into their souls.

Lin Zhou nodded in approval and first issued instructions for the settlement of refugees, designating non-military zones of the Red Alert Base for them to live in. He strictly forbade controlled Han Chinese from contacting core military equipment. Simultaneously, he ordered the South Seas indigenous tribes to not interfere with one another and to stay in their respective places—no conquest, no enslavement—only demarcating maritime boundaries to maintain the bottom line of peaceful colonization. Immediately after, he sent instructions to the shipbuilding base to initiate the aircraft carrier launch and carrier-based aircraft wing formation procedures.

[Ding—Heavy Aircraft Carrier 'revitalization' construction complete, executing launch ceremony]

[Activating Carrier Air Wing: Stealth Attack Aircraft ×24, Anti-Submarine Helicopters ×8, UAV Reconnaissance Aircraft ×12, all AI-controlled, 100% loyalty]

[Unlocking Ocean Fleet Permissions: With the revitalization aircraft carrier as the core, integrate 3 destroyers and 6 frigates to form the red alert South Sea Carrier Strike Group]

[Initiating South Seas Global Demarcation Plan: Deploying satellite beacons and maritime buoys to incorporate Luzon, Borneo, Srivijaya, and the Sulu Archipelago into the red alert sphere of influence, establishing permanent colonial base clusters]

The mechanical towing system slowly pushed the 'revitalization' carrier into the deep sea. The hull floated steadily on the surface, and as the engines started, they kicked up white surges several meters high. The entire ship's systems came online instantly, and the takeoff and landing rails on the flight deck flickered with light. Twenty-four stealth attack aircraft took off in sequence, forming a tight formation above the carrier. They swept across the South Sea sky at supersonic speeds, the sonic booms echoing across the water, yet they did not disturb the settled refugees or the indigenous settlements on the islands.

At this point, the red alert forces possessed a true core for ocean-going strikes. The carrier strike group cruised between the South Sea and the South Seas, with a defense radius covering ten thousand miles of ocean. Not only would the Yuan Army have no fleet to invade again, but even powers from distant oceans would find it impossible to set foot in these waters.

Lin Zhou then ordered the construction of a maritime escape corridor for the han chinese people, escorted by high-speed patrol boats. The routes from the southeast coast to Fuxing Island and the Luzon sub-base were fully opened, accepting displaced Han Chinese for free and providing food, shelter, and security. The news spread through global broadcasts and word of mouth among refugees. Han Chinese from the Central Plains and the coast brought their families and sailed south. Along the way, there were no bandits or Yuan Army interceptions. red alert patrol boats only drove away threats and did not kill, fully protecting the safety of the refugees. In just half a month, more than thirty thousand Han Chinese were accepted and settled.

Lu Xiufu personally managed the settlement affairs, opening granaries, allocating houses, and educating children. The governing talents of this famous Southern Song Dynasty minister were fully displayed. He would weep for the refugees' suffering and smile for the people's peaceful lives. Every time a task was completed, he would report back to Lin Zhou for orders, respectful and obedient, never making a single independent decision. The Han Chinese in the camps lived and worked in peace, grateful for the Emperor's grace, bowing daily toward the command center. Fuxing Island and the South Seas sub-islands gradually became a paradise for Han Chinese in these chaotic times.

At the same time, the global demarcation of the South Seas was successfully completed. Eight permanent colonial bases took root, and deep-sea resource extraction platforms were linked into a network. Food production was sufficient to support a population of millions, and reserves of steel, fuel, and rare metals reached their peaks. The Intercontinental Command Center unlocked real-time monitoring of global waters. The routes and power distributions of the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean were all displayed on Lin Zhou's holographic screen.

The red alert forces had long since jumped out of their corner of the South Sea, becoming the absolute hegemon controlling the Western Pacific.

Meanwhile, in Dadu of the northern Yuan Court, everything was already in a state of chaos.

Kublai Khan, hearing of the might of the carrier fleet's patrols and learning that tens of thousands of Han Chinese had safely gone south to seek refuge with Lin Zhou, looked at his court filled with internal fighting among princes, generals afraid to fight, and Han officials becoming estranged. Stricken by anxiety, he fell ill and was bedridden, no longer mentioning the southern expedition. Local Yuan Army officials were as quiet as cicadas in winter, and all harsh policies against the Han Chinese were abolished. Not only did they not dare to oppress them, but they also deliberately appeased them, fearing they might provoke the young Emperor of the South Sea and bring about total destruction. The land of the Central Plains, due to the overseas deterrence of red alert, actually welcomed a rare moment of respite and peace.

Lin Zhou stood in the island command room of the 'revitalization' carrier. The sea breeze lifted his robes. Beneath his feet, the giant steel ship cleaved through the waves; above his head, the carrier air wing roared on patrol; behind him was the stable colonial map of the South Seas; and before him was the magnificent vision of ten thousand miles of maritime territory. On the holographic screen, the Han Chinese in the Central Plains were settled, the Yuan Court was dormant, the South Seas were secure, and global ocean routes were laid out. The next direction for expansion was clearly visible.

Lu Xiufu bowed and reported through the ship's encrypted communicator, his voice carrying the relief and loyalty of successful governance: 'Your Majesty, the South Seas are settled, and the refugees are at peace. The Huaxia bloodline is thriving overseas, its foundation forever firm.'

Lin Zhou looked at the distant horizon, his fingertip lightly tapping the global sea chart. His tone was calm and certain, showing no rush for conquest, only a step-by-step grand ambition:

'Settling the South Seas is only the first step. Next, we consolidate sea power in the Western Pacific, open up the Indian Ocean routes, and establish overseas colonial footholds.'

'The Central Plains will temporarily be left to the Yuan Court's survival. I do not fight now to preserve the integrity of Huaxia. When the world's hearts return to us and our power is fully realized, we will march north and recover our mountains and rivers without shedding blood.'

'The carrier fleet will immediately begin ocean patrols to declare sea power and protect merchant shipping. Wherever our han chinese people are, and wherever our waters reach, the red alert fleet will be there to guard them.'

The 'revitalization' carrier strike group slowly turned its course, heading toward the depths of the Western Pacific. The patrol range of the carrier-based aircraft continued to expand. The mechanical sounds of the South Seas colonial bases never ceased, and the cooking smoke from the Han Chinese settlements curled upward. The Yuan Court lay dormant, not daring to make a move. Within the four seas, there was no longer any force that dared to contend with red alert.

The morning sun bathed the carrier deck, dyeing the giant steel ship in gold. Lin Zhou stood at the bow, his gaze piercing through the ocean mist toward the broader global map. With the Western Pacific stabilized and the colonization of the Indian Ocean imminent, the era of his global sea power was slowly pulling back its curtain.