Chapter 371: Storm is Coming
The 734th year of the Imperial calendar.
The Imperial Expeditionary Fleet and the fleets of the three major powers in the Milky Way launched a second large-scale battle at the Twelve Stars on the border of the New Federation.
The battle lasted for sixteen standard galactic days, with both sides mainly engaging in confrontation and probing, while constantly increasing the strength of their frontline fleets in an attempt to crush the other side's morale.
During the confrontation, the Imperial hero White Ghost, the Honorary Count, and the then Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, Hanton, delivered an internal speech to the Imperial Expeditionary Force. After the speech, the main guns of a heavy battleship of the Imperial Fifth Battle Group opened fire first, starting the Battle of the Twelve Stars.
In the Battle of the Twelve Planets, the four major powers in the Milky Way deployed a total of over 100,000 medium and large ships.
The Empire lost more than 9,200 ships, the New Federation lost more than 8,960 ships, the Guell Alliance lost more than 3,200 ships, and the Free United States lost more than 1,200 ships.
The Empire's Third and Fourth Battle Groups were besieged and almost annihilated, and the Empire's conventional armament fleet lost more than one-third.
More than half of the New Federation's main fleet was destroyed and it was the first to withdraw from the battlefield, causing heavy losses to the Gu'er Alliance fleet. The Gu'er Alliance angrily accused the New Federation, and the alliance between the three powers was declared invalid.
During the war, the Empire's semi-permanent fleet 'Levi' appeared and laid the foundation for the victory of the battle.
The Guel Alliance fleet withdrew from the New Federation, and the Free United States added its main fleet to assist in the defense of the New Federation's first star, Minter City.
The Sherman Empire fleet took advantage of the situation to expand the scope of occupation, using the twelve stars on the New Federation border as a springboard to once again occupy the twenty-six administrative stars in the New Federation's northern star field, executing the "plunder order" issued by the emperor and frantically moving New Federation assets.
Every day, a large number of people "voluntarily" migrate into the Sherman Empire and become lower-class citizens of the empire. This matter has attracted the attention of many interstellar human rights organizations and interstellar joint organizations, but the organization's survey ships have been wrecked one after another.
The Battle of the Twelve Planets became a key battle in the confrontation between the two major camps in the Milky Way.
However, the New Federation and the Free United States are actively using their influence to form a coalition of free governments in the galaxy, trying to compete with the Imperial fleet again.
The commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, White Ghost, has reached a new peak of fame in the Empire. This Imperial hero, famous for killing Zerg and the first cyborg to participate in politics, has caused great controversy in the country.
Three months after the Battle of the Twelve Stars, a new fleet of warships departing from the Imperial Star is about to arrive at the front line of the Imperial Expeditionary Force.
The flagship of the fleet, in that spacious lounge.
A projection screen was playing the speech given three months ago.
The passionate voice of White Ghost Hanton echoed in the lounge:
"To all the soldiers of the Sherman Empire, to all the warriors who have bravely fought against the coveters of the Empire in the starry sky for the peace of the Empire and the safety of their families!
"Now! We have reached an extremely difficult moment!
"The Empire is facing an unprecedented challenge. The lives and personal property of hundreds of billions of people are being watched by other countries!
"These hypocritical people, in the name of freedom, use poison gas bombs to poison our people, use terrorist attacks to whitewash their hegemonic behavior, and use their undisguised acts of aggression to squeeze the living space of this ancient country's political system economically, culturally, and ideologically. The final result is bound to be this war!
"The Empire's expedition is not for territorial expansion, we have enough planets! The Empire's expedition is only to punish those regimes that are constantly eroding our right to survive!
"In interstellar civilization, the resources that humans rely on for survival, the resources that affect every aspect of life for hundreds of billions of people, are all based on a strong fleet...
"…Now! We are at the pinnacle of power in the galaxy! But this is the most dangerous moment!
“The politicians in these political systems, who are manipulated by the big capitalist class, will destroy our long-standing balanced and stable political structure at all costs for their own political interests and the capital interests of the greedy giants behind them, and will designate us as their market dumping ground, using all kinds of beautified means to squeeze every drop of blood out of the people!
"The internal problems of the empire lie in the endless oppression of the common people by some of the corrupt and decadent nobles. This is a problem we can fight against and solve. We will continue to carry out the rectification of the nobles and gradually weaken their privileges in the tide of history. This is my life goal and political ideal, and I will continue to fight for it!
“The problem outside the empire is that these so-called powerful countries covet the empire’s resources and covet the empire’s wealthy population!
“Capital must base its rich profits on the hard work of the poor class. This is the law of their social operation, and this is the fundamental reason why they are constantly expanding the number of poor people!
"Yes, this empire has existed for tens of thousands of years, but the empire is not corrupt! Our army is built on the civilian class. The real pillar of the empire is the civilian class!
“We keep our fighting spirit high!
“Today, we must not only declare war on the three so-called powerful countries that sold out the lives of their soldiers for the benefit of their politicians, but also declare war on the corrupt and degenerate nobles within the empire!
"In the name of White Ghost, I hereby declare to all those who are dissatisfied within the country:
"We will definitely eliminate all nobles who oppress the people! We will definitely defend every right that the citizens of the empire should respect!
"In the name of the commander-in-chief of the three armies of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, I hereby declare to the officers and soldiers of all levels facing the coalition forces of the three great powers:
"We will definitely eliminate all the snoopers and subversives. We will eventually defeat all the enemies who try to challenge the empire. We will defend our motherland with our blood!"
The word "motherland" always sounded a little ironic to Daphne.
"Your Highness, you are watching this speech again."
A gentle greeting came from the side, and a woman with gray hair and a few wrinkles on her face sat in front of the projection screen.
"Aunt," Daphne nodded slightly and sighed softly.
She whispered:
"I was just wondering why Hanton, who was so resistant to the imperial officials before, suddenly stood up and used his appeal to influence the imperial soldiers.
“After this speech, the Empire fought a battle with the three major powers that lasted for half a month.
"Although we won in the end, we also lost nearly one-third of our conventional fleet, and the Levi Fleet became a focus of attention because it participated in the war again. Now many people are spreading rumors that our Levi ancestors are not dead and exist in the form of intelligent machines. This is too bad."
The old princess smiled and said, "Daphne, what are you worried about? Earl Hanton just did something that was in the interests of the empire, and his speech was submitted to the higher-ups for review."
"Alas," Daphne laughed, "Maybe I'm overthinking it. Auntie, you don't know that this guy is extremely cunning."
"Daphne, you can't say these things to him now," the old princess said gently, "You must complete what Uncle Ino asked you to do. I didn't come here just to give him the commendation."
Daphne pursed her lips slightly: "I don't quite understand why we have to call him back from the front line now."
"We had thought that he would encounter resistance from the military."
The old princess hummed a few times and explained briefly:
"As you know, the military has always operated in small groups, and most generals have factions and many have mentor-student relationships.
“So we expected that, as a hero of the Empire, Hanton would encounter resistance from the military when he was airdropped directly to become the commander of the expeditionary force.
"But what surprised us was that although there were some voices from the Imperial Army, these voices gradually disappeared over time, and they even turned into praise for Hanton..."
Daphne smiled and said, "He just has this magical power."
"Yes, we underestimated the respect the military system had for this imperial hero."
The old princess smiled and said:
“Most of the people in the army are honorary nobles. When we promote a general, we will first give him a noble title.
"And Hanton has always been targeting those hereditary nobles. Even without Hanton, there is a natural confrontation between the two groups. Hanton's counterattack against Prince Kinosuke and others, the assassination arranged by your father, and the one-year noble rectification movement have all made the military generals very fond of Hanton.
"The most important thing is that we have done our research and found that this guy Hanton is very scheming... He was able to hold back and not express his opinions in any tactical meetings. Is he still a young man?
"At this stage, it is impossible for us to allow him to truly take root in the military. His personal prestige and appeal to soldiers have become a weapon that we must be wary of."
Daphne smiled and said, "To be precise, he is no longer a young man. He is much older than me."
The old princess smiled softly and said gently, "Daphne, don't resist. From now on, you will need to represent our family and stay with him for a long time to observe his every move. We will assign him several sensitive positions."
"I know, aunt. I will also try my best to show my charm," Daphne shrugged, "if I am truly considered a woman in his eyes."
"Oh boy, you're perfect."
“He always resisted me.”
"He is just resisting the power of our family," the old princess said gently, "and his best destiny is to become a member of our family. He will accept this reality."
Daphne sighed softly.
A curtain of light appeared outside the window. This was the temporary rest center of the Imperial Fleet. Several industrial ships formed a temporary spaceport to provide repairs and supplies for the ships.
“We’ve arrived.”
Daphne said softly.
"I suggest you take a bath and dress up carefully," the old princess reminded gently, "If you are not good at these things, my child, I can perform it myself. I brought a few male favorites with me."
"I know these aunts."
"Well, that's good. Don't let Uncle Ino worry about such trivial matters anymore."
…
Awarding commendations in the middle of a war?
In the generals' lounge at the rear of the industrial ship, Yang Ming grabbed a baseball bat and turned to look at Lieutenant General Thomas beside him.
He wondered, "Just for me?"
"Hmm," Lieutenant General Thomas said with a smile, "This time the two princesses are here to present you with the award, and it will be broadcast live across the empire later. Your military journey will come to an end for the time being, Hanton."
"Ah, this," Yang Ming muttered, "The war isn't over yet, and I've been rewarded... They want to transfer me out of the army?"
"Your symbolism has already worked. They should be worried about your influence in the military."
Thomas took the energy drink handed to him by the guard, raised his head and took two sips, and couldn't help complaining:
"You have such abnormal physical fitness that you don't even sweat after playing basketball for an hour. You are really inhuman... Next, we will continue to consume the New Federation. There should be no large-scale wars in the next year.
"You can go back to the rear without worry. Although we are constantly draining blood from the New Federation, the more military expenditure the better. Once the main gun of the dreadnought is fired, the cost of upkeep and maintenance will skyrocket.
“Don’t worry, Hanton, everyone speaks highly of you.
“You know what’s the funniest thing?”
when!
Yang Ming casually hit the flying ball away and asked casually, "What is it?"
"They did several scans on us generals to make sure we weren't being controlled by you. This is simply, hahahaha!"
Yang Ming clicked his tongue: "They have a very rich imagination."
"I heard that there is a guy named Bly among the super modifiers who likes to control others with mental manipulation," Lieutenant General Thomas said in a gentle voice, "I received some information in advance. One of the positions you may take up in the future is to manage these super modifiers."
Yang Ming paused.
He thought of Catherine, whom he hadn't contacted for a long time.
Although there is less contact, Lu always reports her whereabouts. She is currently meeting with the leaders of various underground revolutionary armies.
Always walking on the edge of danger.
Yang Ming said: "I used to be a member of the Super Reformers, which is somewhat ironic."
"Who knows?" Lieutenant General Thomas smiled. "Let's put everything else aside. You and Captain Catherine are still in love, right?"
"Yes, but everyone is busy and we haven't been in touch for a while."
"Stay away from her," Thomas whispered, "She seems to have some problems. The Military Intelligence Agency is secretly investigating. It would be best if you could show up intimately with other women in public and announce that you have ended that relationship a long time ago."
Yang Ming was stunned for a moment and looked up at Thomas.
Lieutenant General Thomas accurately hit the slowly flying ball away and said with a smile: "Go take a shower and get ready. Your Highnesses, you will be busy now."
"Okay, General," Yang Ming put down the club and stretched out his right hand.
Thomas smiled and grabbed his right hand, and the two shook hands vigorously and touched shoulders.
"Thanks."
"Small problem, I know you won't get involved in this kind of thing," Thomas whispered, "I think you have already understood that the Imperial Military is only the peripheral force that maintains the empire. The real core force is indestructible, and even the three major powers combined cannot shake it."
Yang Ming nodded vigorously: "I will use my strength in a more reasonable place."
"Come on, go ahead."
Thomas smiled and raised an eyebrow.
Yang Ming saluted.
Thomas waved his hand and watched Yang Ming walk away.
Thomas looked at the guards beside him and whispered, "Tell the second monitoring team to be alert and not miss any form of communication signals."
"yes."
…
Amid the sound of rushing water, Yang Ming was taking a luxurious shower in space.
Catherine was exposed so soon?
Or does the Empire just suspect that there is something wrong with Catherine?
Yang Ming kept thinking, looked up at his watch, but resisted the urge to ask Lu.
Lu had reminded him before that the Military Intelligence Bureau had arranged for people to detect signals on him. Although the gravitational communication device would most likely not be detected, there would always be some small probability events.
Besides, Lu should have heard their conversation.
——Lü had previously used his boss as a springboard to slightly invade the internal monitoring system of the Imperial Fleet.
Let Xiaolu remind Catherine.
Catherine had actually mentioned breaking up to him before, and she also explained the reason, which was that she could become the leader of the rebels and the empire's most wanted criminal at any time, and Yang Ming's overt relationship with her must be severed.
Yang Ming also agreed with this.
He has no right to be willful, everything must be run in a way that maximizes benefits.
The Empire is now mired in the quagmire of war, domestic conflicts are still intensifying, the Sherman family is concentrating on conquering the New Federation, and the Empire's Invincible Fleet has lost a large number of conventional combat forces.
This is their best time.
The rise of one force must be based on the ruins of another force.
Even if countless humans would be killed or injured as a result, Yang Ming no longer had any reason to retreat.
Daphne, Sherman family.
Yang Ming let out a light click of his tongue.
Even though this woman is a bit annoying, he has to make use of her now.
Buzz, buzz!
There was a vibration sound coming from the plastic bathroom. Yang Ming turned his head and saw that it was his communication device .
He pressed a few buttons, stopped the shower, and the warm air quickly took away the moisture from his body. He walked barefoot to the shell-shaped communicator and clicked on the message alert.
The person who sent the message was a bit surprising, it turned out to be Director Riva of the Super Modifier Center.
The information content is also simple.
[How much do you know about Captain Catherine? This is a question on behalf of the Super Reformer Organization.]
Yang Ming: …
She was actually exposed.
