Chapter 392 Meeting Trouble
Imperial Star, Imperial Palace.
Yang Ming dressed neatly and walked out of the bathroom. Daphne, who had been waiting for a long time, came forward with two maids, straightened the folds of Yang Ming's military uniform, and pinned the Knight Commander badge taken out of the crystal on Yang Ming's chest.
"It is said that some great nobles will attend this meeting. If you can keep silent, then do so."
Daphne whispered:
"No matter what they say, you just keep silent. You are a bystander, just attending this meeting on behalf of your father."
Yang Ming nodded imperceptibly and said with a smile: "Are you worried about me?"
"Well," Daphne said with a smile, "You are my partner, shouldn't I care about you?"
"should."
Yang Ming glanced at the two maids, who lowered their heads and turned sideways, giving up the projection matrix that had been prepared for a long time.
For ordinary communication projection, only one instrument is enough, but for participating in such high-level meetings, considering confidentiality and full coverage of information, this kind of matrix-structured projection and capture device is required.
There is a chair in the corner of the matrix.
When Yang Ming stepped into the matrix, the surrounding environment changed rapidly, from the spacious and exquisite princess's bedroom to a virtual conference room filled with people.
This is more like a 'court' than a meeting room.
The entire venue is in the shape of a Chinese character "U".
The three highest commanders of the military, the grand elder of the Council of Elders, and two powerful elders sat in the highest row of seats. Below them were a dozen seats, with generals and elders of the Council of Elders each occupying half. Lieutenant General Thomas was also among them.
The other three sides are the princes and dukes of the empire, as well as the heads of various government departments.
Yang Ming deliberately glanced at the corner on his left, where there seemed to be some figures hidden.
——He is most likely a member of the elite ruling faction of the Sherman family.
When Yang Ming appeared in the venue, the crowd instantly fell silent.
"Hanton!"
Lieutenant General Thomas took the initiative to call out and pointed to the empty seat next to him: "Your seat is here."
So conspicuous?
Sitting in the center of the second row, right below the three supreme commanders and the three elders, he easily became the focus of the whole audience.
Yang Ming stepped forward calmly, and when he took his seat in the projection matrix, he happened to sit in the chair of the conference room.
The conference room was silent for a few seconds, and then began to whisper again.
Yang Ming glanced at the simple interface in front of him and found that this meeting should be of the highest confidentiality standard, and there was only one function menu option: "Exit".
Each of the nearly one hundred people here can be considered a dignitary in the empire;
For example, Atro’s third uncle;
If we take into account the 'round table members' hiding in the dark, whose exact number is unknown, it is no exaggeration to call this the highest power meeting in the empire.
Lieutenant General Thomas just smiled and winked at Yang Ming, and looked at the badge on Yang Ming's chest with a little envy, without saying much.
It was no secret that the two of them were close friends, and this kind of occasion was not suitable for joking or chatting.
After waiting for about half a galaxy, more than a dozen people arrived one after another and the virtual conference room was finally full.
The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army opened the meeting with his deep voice :
"We are now holding a closed-door meeting at the highest level of the military, namely the insect plague response coordination and preparedness meeting.
"During the meeting, please keep your communications silent and do not allow any information to be leaked. If leaked, the empire's most stringent confidentiality protection laws will be used to hold those responsible accountable.
"Please give a brief introduction to the content of the meeting, Thomas."
"yes!"
Lieutenant General Thomas stood up to answer, then grabbed a speech manuscript out of thin air in front of him and raised his hand to click on a 3D video that showed all four sides.
“I believe everyone has received the relevant information.
"The sixth-order queen of the space Zerg that previously invaded our empire's territory will soon complete her dimensional upgrade. According to the historical records of the empire and the long-term antagonistic relationship between the space Zerg and our human race, there is a 95% probability that the queen will launch a comprehensive eradication campaign against the human civilization in the Milky Way.
“As we all know, the human originated from the seeding of high-dimensional human civilization. We are the reserve force of human high-dimensional civilization, and we are also the extended tentacles of high-dimensional humans occupying the three-dimensional material world.
“The material world, where time develops linearly, is the basis of order in the higher-dimensional world. So in essence, the war between the space Zerg and the human civilization in our three-dimensional world is a continuation of the racial war in the higher-dimensional world.
"Therefore, this war will not be avoided just because we ask for peace, nor will it end just because the Zerg enter an inactive period.
“Being born in this era is both our misfortune and our luck. The luck is that after this war, our descendants will have hundreds of years of peaceful development.
“History has proven that when similar insect swarms break out, our imperial system, which the democratic camp calls backward and cruel, can always perform at its highest efficiency.
“Today’s meeting mainly includes three items.
“First, we will establish a committee to deal with the insect tidal wave. This committee will be composed of the heads of the Imperial Army, the Council of Elders, and relevant departments. It will have the power to formulate various plans and supervise their implementation.
"Second, establish a main plan and backup plan for dealing with the insect infestation.
“Third, formal members of each committee will propose and discuss each proposal.
"Let's proceed to the first item..."
As Vice Admiral Thomas made his introduction, the stereoscopic projection kept changing, revealing a swarm of Zerg gathering at the border of the Milky Way.
The swarms of insects that wrapped around the planets and gathered around the stars like dark clouds made many old nobles feel tingling on their scalps and feel unwell.
The meeting room maintained a serious atmosphere and the first meeting item was completed quickly.
The committee list had been finalized in advance. Yang Ming was one of the 36 official members of the committee and had the power to initiate proposals subsequently.
He was quite emotional at first.
——The empire finally began to show its efficient side.
This serious atmosphere and the picture of unity among all departments of the empire made his blood boil.
Then... this bit of enthusiasm quickly died down.
Lieutenant General Thomas announced that the meeting entered its second phase.
The main plan and backup plan for dealing with the insect swarm have been prepared in advance by the military and the Council of Elders and need to be discussed and approved by the committee.
Yang Ming roughly summarized that there are actually three plans, or three schemes, and the only difference between the different schemes is the location of the defense line.
The main plan, which is now considered the most feasible plan, is to lure a large number of Zerg to gather outside the Imperial Star Circle, and then concentrate the Empire's fleet firepower to annihilate the Zerg.
Alternative plan one is to push the decisive battle line outward to protect the economically developed planets outside the imperial star circle.
Alternative plan two, snipe the Zerg at the border of the empire.
Almost 60 percent of the people present agreed with the main plan; the remaining 10 percent agreed with Alternative Plan 1, and 20 percent suggested Alternative Plan 2.
Boss Yang almost cursed.
It seems that the residents of the empire's ordinary administrative planets within the vast area from the empire's border to the imperial star circle are not considered human beings?
When it came to the discussion session for each committee member, Yang Ming spoke directly:
"Does the master plan mean that we have to abandon 40% of the current population? And also transfer the local defense forces?"
Lieutenant General Thomas sighed, lowered his head and sat down without saying a word.
An elder took the initiative to explain:
"Knight Commander Hanton, you should consider this issue from a different angle."
"Then please give me an angle."
"OK."
The elder was clearly well prepared, and he explained slowly and calmly:
“First, this is a war between civilizations, a war between two dominant races, and it cannot be divided by the gains and losses of an administrative star.
"Secondly, the Zerg will definitely prioritize attacking the most prosperous Imperial Star Circle, just like last time, when the big queen Zerg launched an attack directly at the Imperial Star. They have a very high level of civilization, and they know how to extinguish civilization. In a war of this level, we cannot expect to ensure that every citizen of the empire will not be harmed.
"Third, we must concentrate our superior firepower. This insect plague is unprecedented in the past few thousand years. It may be more tragic than we imagined. Gathering all our forces is the best way to fight the insect tide.
"This is the best tactic the military has obtained after opening up the Empire's military database spanning tens of thousands of years. Rather than dispersing our forces and letting them be eaten away, it is better to gather them together and fight the Zerg to the death.
"If we extend the battle line, that is, deploy all military forces on the border, our core areas will be directly exposed to the threat of the Zerg swarm, and the enemy's jump capability is better than our fleet.
"The fourth and most important point is that the first thing we should do to extinguish the insect tide is to use our military forces, and then we should massacre civilians.
"I have finished my speech."
Yang Ming nodded, thought carefully for a few seconds, and just asked: "Fourth point, how did you come up with it?"
The elder groaned for a few seconds and said, "It should be like this, just like when we go to war with the New Federation."
"But," a general couldn't help but speak up, "according to the model we made, there is a 60% chance that the Zerg will adopt a strategy of advancing along the entire border. There are simply too many of them. They are very likely to slaughter hundreds of planets at the same time and then gradually gather inwards."
An elder asked in return: "How did the general come to this conclusion?"
"I just said that the model is deduced," the general frowned, "the model and deduction conditions are based on the precious data obtained by the empire over tens of thousands of years. This is an advantage that other political systems cannot match."
An elder immediately said, "That's only a 60% chance. A 40% chance is already not low. If we disperse our forces and the enemy's main force attacks the Emperor Star directly, what will be the consequences? Have you ever thought about it?"
Yang Ming said: "The consequence is that the Imperial Star activates its secret weapon and directly defeats the enemy... Are you questioning the firepower deployment outside the Imperial Star?"
Several generals smiled.
Next, the military and the Senate engaged in a war of words.
"You have all seen the number of Zerg. If we try to defend the entire territory by force, we will end up losing sight of one thing while focusing on another!"
"But if we only defend the Imperial Star Circle, and the Zerg choose to slaughter our ordinary administrative stars, are we sure our army won't mutiniate? Ladies and Gentlemen, 80% of the Empire's soldiers come from outside the Imperial Star Circle. This ratio is almost the same regardless of the branch of the military."
"The Empire's territory is so vast. If the Zerg focuses on attacking us, the most powerful in the galaxy, the support from other countries will be almost zero."
"Faced with a swarm of insects of this magnitude, our only concern must be the survival of the empire."
"Is it the survival of the empire or the survival of the families and assets of the elders?"
"We are here to discuss a matter of life and death for the empire. What on earth are you thinking, military? Are you planning to put the Imperial Planet in danger?"
"Fighting the Zerg is not like fighting the coalition of three powerful countries. What we need is firepower and protection capabilities, not so-called advanced avionics. All kinds of old warships that we have sealed up can be used. We actually have the ability to fight a blocking war with the Zerg outside the second line of defense!"
"The star field structure of the empire is the Imperial Star - Imperial Star Circle - Pan-Imperial Star Circle Economic Belt - Outer Ordinary Administrative Star. The last option is the strategic buffer zone."
"If the Zerg tide attacks most political systems in the galaxy simultaneously... Based on the current distribution of the Zerg swarms, they have integrated into six major swarms. The six swarms will attack the human civilization in the galaxy from four directions. The Empire will most likely face two major swarms! If we start sniping at the periphery, what will be the consequences? If the Zerg swarms increase their forces, they will inevitably mobilize more high-level Zerg to the Empire, and we will be under more additional pressure."
"Everyone, please fully consider the Empire's position among the strongest in the galaxy after the Zerg Tide. As long as the Imperial Star Circle and Pan-Imperial Star Circle economic zones are not lost, our position will be extremely stable!"
"I am against the master plan! Abandoning the people is not what we soldiers should do!"
"We must advance the main plan. The Empire's preservation of its core strength is the main reason why we can stand firm in the galaxy!"
The venue became increasingly chaotic.
Yang Ming finally understood that there were mysteries hidden in these three plans.
The imperial soldiers, from soldiers to generals, all retain their bloodiness. They actually tend to engage in sniper wars on the borders of the empire to protect every inch of the empire.
The nobles and elders of the empire demanded the protection of the core prosperous areas of the empire, leaving the ordinary administrative stars to their fate.
What they are betting on is that the Zerg will not advance widely and dispersedly. As long as the bet is won, the Empire has a great chance of winning, and the Imperial Star Circle will have relatively higher security guarantees.
What was the attitude of the highest echelons of imperial power?
The most likely scenario is a compromise.
If Yang Ming guessed correctly, the two sides would gradually reach a consensus during the argument and then implement alternative plan one.
For ordinary administrative stars, give up some and protect some;
Protect the Imperial Star Circle with all your strength.
There is a precedent for the Empire doing this kind of thing. Planets with small populations and poor economies will be used as sacrifices.
The last time a fourth-order Zerg swarm appeared across the empire, the empire's most core combat force, the 'Levi' fleet, did not show up to participate in the battle.
This also reflects to a certain extent the will of the Sherman family's elite ruling group.
Emperor Star Circle...
No wonder young people in the empire are trying their best to squeeze into the imperial circle, even if they enter these prosperous areas and become the bottom of society, suffering exploitation in all directions; and those imperial citizens born in remote areas of the empire, even small nobles like Godoy Saka, will not be truly regarded as human beings by the empire.
The reason why the empire's population continues to decline is not just a social problem such as the siphon effect of big cities.
The difference in birth and class oppression are problems that the Empire cannot solve even in the interstellar age.
"What will the New Federation do?"
Yang Ming suddenly spoke, and with just a few simple words, the whole place fell silent again.
Yang Ming said calmly: "What is the plan formulated by the New Federation?"
The group of people fell silent again.
Lieutenant General Thomas whispered, "From what we know, they are conducting regional endpoint defense, abandoning agricultural planets, resource planets, and old industrial planets. Forty percent of the military will protect Minter City. Local defense forces will conduct regional assembly and transport as many people who may be affected by the insect plague as possible into the protected area."
Yang Ming spread his hands and said, "Is it difficult to copy homework?"
"Knight Commander Hanton," an elder said calmly, "I must remind you that we are not the hypocritical New Federation. The so-called protected area is just a fixed vote bank for their ruling party."
"Knight Commander Hanton, if you don't have a solution, then we ask you to remain silent during today's meeting."
“How do you know I don’t have a solution?”
Yang Ming asked back, and many elders and nobles frowned.
Yang Ming smiled calmly.
"Everyone, I was the one who gave the warning about the insect tide. Do you think I don't have a plan to deal with it? Look at this."
He pointed to his Knight Commander badge.
"Now I represent your great and wise Majesty, and you'd better be polite to me."
The elders were speechless for a moment, and the faces of several old nobles turned purple.
