Chapter 177: Bitter Wine Down the Throat
Although the initial exam was successfully passed, the subsequent impact of the insect plague is still ongoing.
The Sherman Empire took the opportunity to attack the New Federation. The two sides engaged in diplomatic wrangling and mutual bombardment, and it was about to turn into a real all-out war.
The interstellar discourse power, which was originally dominated by the New Federation, has been regained by the Sherman Empire due to the continued impact of the burying insect incident.
At least many medium-sized countries have remained neutral between Sherman and the New Federation, instead of following the New Federation and cheering for it as before.
After a brief battle with the bugs, the people inevitably fell into panic, fearing that the bugs would come back again.
Panic is the biggest enemy of social order.
In order to appease the people, Yang Ming and Edwang discussed it and started to act separately.
One focuses on domestic security, and the other focuses on economic development.
As a medium-sized country, Luofeng's airspace is not large, but it is definitely not small.
So that the people who are suffering from the wind can sleep well;
In order to prevent Luo Feng from being overwhelmed by the panic after the insect plague;
A massive regional self-inspection campaign has kicked off.
The activity was initiated by the military and is expected to take one month. The four major defense fleets will carefully inspect each barren planet and regularly publish detailed planetary safety reports through the official royal website.
At the same time, the Luofeng Empire military announced loudly:
It will take ten years to build a comprehensive planetary monitoring and defense system;
The fifth and sixth defense fleets were formed;
Vigorously develop effective killing weapons against Zerg.
By the way, Yang Ming found some expert consultants to popularize Zerg knowledge to the public through portal websites, live broadcast platforms, and radio channels.
The unknown is the most terrifying thing.
Letting everyone understand the Zerg and the ongoing war between the human civilization in the Milky Way and the Zerg every few hundred years will naturally help eliminate panic.
After a few axe blows, the panic in the Luofeng Empire dissipated for the most part.
By the way, Yang Ming has already started planning the "insect plague tax".
It’s not that he was looking for an opportunity to make money. Boss Yang, who owns Molly Miss and Dark Star, now has no idea about money.
What he wanted to do was to give Luo Feng a stronger and more comprehensive fleet.
A fleet cannot be formed overnight . The current military strength within the Luofeng Empire has only undergone a slight upgrade after the integration of the warlords who were originally acting independently.
If you want to make a big leap forward, you must have enough time and public support.
This insect plague did give the Luofeng Empire a reasonable excuse to expand its military, and this move was also supported by the Sherman Empire.
What to do after you have a powerful fleet?
The natural thing is to expand the territory and recruit the population, first annex the military alliance of the three surrounding small countries, and then include more administrative stars in the periphery.
So, from this perspective, Yang Ming hopes that a full-scale war will break out between Sherman and the New Federation, but the timing of the outbreak of this war should be pushed back.
The Luofeng Empire is not ready for expansion at present.
Yang Ming was responsible for domestic security, while Adwang began to continue to make his presence felt on the international stage.
Adwant followed closely behind the Sherman Empire, gently accusing the New Federation of being responsible for the insect plague.
——He did not dare to use too harsh words, let alone put direct pressure on the New Federation. He just expressed his attitude and tried to get some aid and benefits from Sherman's suzerain state.
Then, Adwant started playing it safe.
The video of Luo Feng and his allies' fleet annihilating the "powerful Zerg" has become Edwang's trump card in attracting investment.
Today's Luofeng Empire has outstanding military strength, a stable political environment, and strong foreign aid from the Sherman Empire, but its economy is still in a downturn, which contains huge business opportunities.
The two were busy for four or five days, trying their best to minimize the impact of the insect plague.
Yang Ming attended the memorial service for the soldiers who died in the Luofeng Empire.
During the closed memorial service, a major stood in front of several generals and took off their hats to salute.
Among the hundreds of senior military officers present, only a dozen or so who had been recently promoted looked shocked.
After the memorial service, Yang Ming brought together Gutonmaha, Dabic, Feremon, and three allied military representatives for a small meeting.
Yang Ming gave them a few simple words of encouragement and then began to check the accounts of each army.
The generals present, except Gutonmaha and Felimon, were all Yang Ming's "sons", so there was naturally no problem with their accounts.
Gudunmaha has also restrained himself a lot in recent years, and the accounts he produced are still pretty good.
But it was Fremont's turn...
There was a subtle change in the old general's expression.
Yang Ming wondered, "General Felimon, are you short of money?"
"Oh, of course not," Felimon stood up nervously, frowning and explaining, "But the military expenses of the Royal Guard have always been directly managed by the royal family, so there is usually a shortage."
Yang Ming frowned slightly, and several generals led by Leon Dabic quickly stood up, lowered their heads and said nothing.
Gutonmaha looked around and felt that if he didn't stand up, it would be a bit too arrogant, so he stood at attention obediently.
Yang Ming asked: "Edwang doesn't even have a wife, is it necessary for the palace to spend so much money?"
Felimon groaned for a few seconds and said, "The royal family is not just the current emperor, but also some widows of previous emperors. In fact, according to the rules set by the founding emperor, the resources enjoyed by the royal family now seriously exceed the standard, but this is already a matter of convention. To be precise, part of the royal expenses are allocated in the form of royal guard military expenses and then distributed."
Yang Ming nodded and sank into his chair, thinking.
"Find an opportunity to remind Edwang that the royal family can save this money and use it to support the economic development of the fifth administrative planet."
"Okay," Felimon was relieved.
Gutonmaha said, "Master Yang Ming, there is something I should remind you of."
"speak."
"His Majesty Adwan has great trust in you now, but this trust is bound to change over time."
Gutonmaha said in a deep voice:
"No emperor would allow powerful ministers to exist."
General Felimon frowned and looked at Gutonmaha, who just lowered his head and said nothing.
Just a ground general, Gutonmaha didn't care at all.
Dabic also said: "You really should consider this issue."
Yang Ming nodded slowly and said with a smile: "Okay, there is no need to discuss this issue any further. We control all the military forces, and the fate of Luo Feng is up to us."
He thought carefully and added two more sentences.
“Adwant is my dear friend, the emperor of this country, and the face of Sherman’s empire.
“He had a dream, and I was helping him realize it.
"I don't like politics, and he doesn't like military affairs, so we can complement and help each other. As for the imperial power's intolerance of powerful officials... guess what Edwang's dream is?"
Felimon said: "Reform the imperial system."
"This is a secret, just keep it in your mind."
Yang Ming briefly summarized:
"In short, no matter how Luofeng's politics evolve in the future, as long as it is based on people's livelihood, benefits the people, maintains sustainable development, and is generally within controllable range, there is no need to intervene. Control the fleet well, and we will have the final say in politics at any time."
"yes!"
…
Inside the Dark Star No. 1 comprehensive supply ship.
"cheers!"
Amid the sound of ding ding, the official members and temporary members of the Feinan clinked their glasses together.
026 drank two glasses of sweet wine, which was the favorite of Sherman nobles, and her little face turned rosy.
It is obvious that the liver's metabolic capacity is slightly insufficient.
Lu attended the cocktail party using a mechanical guard with a bow tie on its forehead as his 'body', and the cups did not contain sweet wine, but high-grade motor oil and lubricants.
Hera's mood obviously recovered a little.
Thanks to the shielding device made by Lu, Hera has been temporarily isolated from the Zerg and can move freely.
She had just arrived from Base No. 2 to attend a small celebration hosted by Yang Ming.
There were only four people participating in this celebration - a secondary ancient god life form, a mechanical thinking body created by a higher-dimensional civilization, a biologist who was mistaken by the Zerg as a new queen, and a semi-mechanical modified body.
Now, Hera already knows almost all of Yang Ming’s secrets, so it is naturally impossible for her to leave Yang Ming’s sight for even a step.
After careful consideration, Hera decided to express her thoughts.
"Ming, can I move into your Base No. 2?" Hera asked softly.
Yang Ming, who was tasting wine, was stunned for a moment and wondered, "It's so dark there, what are you going there for? You might as well look at the stars and the moon in the spaceship."
"A sense of security," Hera said softly, "Looking at what you have done at Base No. 2, I will have less psychological burden when conducting bug experiments."
The corner of Yang Ming's mouth twitched slightly, and he quickly emphasized: "I'm not dealing with an omnic crisis. These are all mechanical thinking bodies, and each one has a one-button head-explosion device."
Hera shrugged.
“Put my laboratory in Base No. 2. You can come to see me anytime you want.
"We are not just good companions for emotional exchanges. Moreover, I want to conduct some experiments against the insect swarm and transform the previous experimental results into military and civilian equipment.
“I thought about it carefully for a few days and came out of the trough of my thinking.
“We are all human, if we believe we are.”
Yang Ming was a little speechless and looked at Hera with a frown.
Hera looked at Yang Ming calmly, her eyes still as clear as ever, and underneath the clarity was determination.
Yang Ming frowned and said, "In this case, we will have less time together. We can't go to Base No. 2 too often."
"You should understand what I mean," Hera said, "We should reduce the number of dates, or rather, we should stop dating, Ming."
"Have I been dumped?"
"You can understand that, but we haven't lost each other. You are the only partner I can accept."
Hera took the initiative to reach forward and hold Yang Ming's hand, saying seriously:
"You and I both have our own ideals to strive for. We may not need to spend every moment together like ordinary couples. We don't have the time.
“Besides… I don’t want to go through this insect plague caused by our date a second time.
“I desire you, but I must restrain myself.
"When you miss me, I will comfort you with my greatest tenderness and help you wash away the fatigue of the interstellar journey.
“Is this okay?
"I want to build my laboratory at Base No. 2. I will simultaneously conduct life explorations on the Zerg and Ancient God life forms. You can also assign me some topics, but I will prioritize the content that interests me, and you must also give me enough funding."
After saying that, Hera looked at Yang Ming with some trepidation.
Yang Ming sighed dejectedly, nodded in agreement, and then hugged Hera tightly.
He likes this woman.
I like her wisdom and rationality, and I like her clumsiness and boldness.
These two years were his happiest days... well, the days with Miss Windsor were equally pleasant, but he spent too little time with her...
The two began to kiss.
Under the stimulation of alcohol, the kiss became more intense.
026 and Lu, who were sitting nearby, looked at each other, raised their hands to their foreheads, one retreated quietly, and the other simply disappeared.
Fortunately, every ship dedicated to serving Boss Yang is equipped with a lounge with a soft large bed and a shielding system.
the next day.
Hera took a shielding device and several robots and boarded the transport ship returning to Base No. 2.
Yang Ming did not see her off, indicating that this was just a normal "job transfer".
In fact, Yang Ming knew that the two would have fewer opportunities to meet in the future, and Hera already wanted to get rid of the identity of lovers and turn it into a purer relationship.
Boss and employee, bed partner and bed partner.
He could understand the pressure Hera was under, but he felt somewhat depressed and sat in front of the Feinan, which was under repair, feeling unhappy.
"I was actually dumped," Yang Ming muttered, "This woman is simply..."
Lu said with a smile: "Boss, Miss Hera said that you can go to her anytime."
“But this feels obviously different.”
Yang Ming opened his palm, with a faint red light flashing in his eyes. He pulled over a bottle of beer-like beverage, flicked out the cork, tilted his head back and took a sip.
Amid the sound of drums, Yang Ming's eyes were a little blurry.
He was distracted at the Feinan for a while, and a cleaning robot slid over and sucked away the cork.
Yang Ming sighed: "Hera feels that she must respect the Zerg... What is there to respect about the Zerg? We are humans, they are enemies, and it will be over if we meet and fight."
"Boss, I have no intention of interfering in your private life," Lu muttered, "but maybe you should really consider finding a normal human to date, like Miss Windsor."
Yang Ming glared at Lu.
"What do you, a mechanical thinking being, know? This is love! Love, do you understand?"
Lu rolled his eyes.
"Compared to this, Boss, when are you going to start the next assessment cycle?"
"Wait two months," Yang Ming muttered, "to make up for the time we squeezed out before; there are still many things to do now, and I can't just disappear for three months."
Lu asked, "What about the Sherman Empire? You said before that you would give them a thank-you gift."
"Just let White Ghost post a video praising the generals in the military," Yang Ming sighed dejectedly.
He kind of missed the days on Earth, when he could sing love songs when he was heartbroken.
It’s not like now, where there’s no KTV to be found. The only options are some holographic entertainment modes, a virtual world, and some mechanical thinking bodies to sing along.
"Is Kolev busy?"
"He went to a neighboring country to open a factory. The business activities of chemical giants are quite intensive."
"Okay," Yang Ming said, "Then our next focus will be to build a 400-meter-class gunboat. Is it too late for us to redesign one? Or we can find an existing one, preferably one with a main gun over 300 meters long."
The corner of Lu's mouth twitched slightly: "I advise you not to have the idea of creating a small dreadnought. The principle of the three teachers is to protect your safety, not to help you conquer the galaxy directly."
Yang Ming smiled and said, "How do you know if you don't try? Go get two 400-meter-class ships, a super gunboat, and a standard patrol ship. Don't forget to keep an eye on the Valkyrie."
"Okay, boss. This plan is more reliable."
Lu's figure flickered and disappeared, leaving Yang Ming sitting there alone.
Yang Ming exhaled lightly and raised the bottle of wine towards the Feinan.
"Thanks, old man."
He poured out a little wine and continued to pour it into his mouth.
A cleaning robot glides by, quickly sucking up the wine and drying it.
Yang Ming hummed the tune of his hometown, and some thoughts came to his mind, but he crushed them.
Now he just wants to stay here and do the so-called business later.
“Um, that…”
"Um?"
Yang Ming turned his head and looked towards the corner behind him.
026 poked his head out and asked hesitantly:
"Boss, if I don't have anything to do in the next few days, can I... that is, can I... go home for a visit? I want to go back and take a look. Half a day will be enough... The Law Society will supervise me in all aspects..."
She bit her lower lip gently.
"Do you miss home?" Yang Ming asked.
"Um."
“Is there any place for singing and entertainment near your home?”
"I think so. Although it's relatively poor over there, there are still many entertainment facilities."
"I'll give you two days off," Yang Ming pointed at 026, "On the condition that you take me with you and let me experience your way of entertainment."
026 tilted his head, a little confused.
Wait a minute, my boss is just heartbroken and in a bad mood. If I accompany him well and make him feel better...
Chance!
Opportunity for a pay raise!