Malaysia Shoukan

Chapter 10

Central Calendar March 2nd, 1639

King's study, Palace of Glory, Jin-Hark, Second Kingdom of Louria, Rodenius Continent

King Hark read the communique from the Imperial Government of the Empire of Parpaldia. It was a formal declaration of war by the Empire, citing mutual defense treaties with tributaries as the justification of war. The king sighed. This was inevitable after all. There was literally no chance that the Parpaldians would let them get away with this. Everyone knew that, including the chancellor.

However, after recent reports from the spies in Parpaldia, King Hark felt far less concerned about the Parpaldians. He had heard of the state of the Parpaldian military, particularly the navy. Reports had it that the ships the Parpaldians sent out to the International League were in bad shape, and their fleet had numerous tugboats following them. Considering the prestige of such an event, it likely meant that the majority of their ships are not going to be in a good state.

That said, there are some reports that troubled the Malaysians. Based on whatever info they have right now, it is clear that they should avoid fighting the Malaysians head on. Even with the limited intel they had, estimates for losses would be extremely massive. While the military had plans for a potential war against Malaysia, their best bet is to not have a war against them.

King Hark got up and walked towards the door of his study. Turning a knob, the light in his study dimmed until it was gone. He stepped out of his study and headed to bed. As he walked down the hallways for the bedroom, he thought about the war again, and the outcomes of the war. If the projections are right, they could potentially push their way across Qua-Toyne, then starve out Quila by cutting them off from trade. If the Parpaldian Navy is as weak as the reports suggested, then they have nothing to worry about as no naval invasion would succeed.

However King Hark wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that such projections could be wrong. If the Parpaldian navy was any more competent, they might be able to pull off a joint naval battle to overwhelm the Lourian fleet, then they might be able to land and properly supply their troops. There are also concerns that Parpaldia pulls in the Malaysians. If that were to happen...

King Hark shuddered at that last thought. The chancellor assured him that he had taken some measures to deal with the Malaysians. What he meant by that is unknown. He only hoped that it could keep the Malaysians out of this war.

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Central Calendar March 3rd, 1639

Onboard the Lekiu, Tranquil Ocean Southwest of the Philades Continent

Captain Mohd Reduan Ayob was not happy at all. He knew the issues of having a primitive nation as an ally. For instance, the Parpaldian pre-dreadnought, under normal conditions, could travel at 20 knots flank speed. Much slower than the Lekiu. He was fine with that. However, that pre-dreadnought was not under normal conditions at all. Not too long ago, apparently the pre-dreadnought's magic engine suffered a massive breakdown and its pump engines stopped working. As a result, the ship is now under tow from a tugboat.

Captain Mohd Reduan Ayob was instantly reminded of a particular nation on earth. He remembered the nation's carrier, and its tendency to belch black smoke and break down. That was due to the lack of proper infrastructure and maintenance to keep the ship operational. He wondered if the Parpaldians are similar in that regard. Operating large surface fleets despite the inability to keep them operational just to keep the facade up that they're a strong nation. Of course, the captain did not know if that was the case.

Whatever the case, this incident has soured Captain Mohd Reduan Ayob's view of the Empire of Parpaldia. Having one of your stronger warships break down out of the blue is not a good image. With the news that Parpaldia had declared war against Louria, he genuinely hoped that Malaysia would not be dragged into this. He did not fancy having someone as messed up as Parpaldia on his side.