The interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships sent to patrol this stretch of starry space very soon sent back several reports.
First, they had fixed where they were:
in the northern territories of the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe, at what was likely the meeting point of three interstellar powers' territories.
For not far off, they had found an interstellar battlefield where fighting was under way.
The fleets of two interstellar powers were besieging the fleet of a third.
By the reports sent back, the forces committed by the sides came to a million interstellar warships in all, with an average of three hundred thousand interstellar warships sent here by each side.
And with two sides catching one between them, that meant twice the force closing on a single interstellar fleet, where the fighting strength of the sides' interstellar warships differed little.
The way this situation was going was already plain: the besieged side's defeat was only a matter of time.
At the same time, the Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship also made contact with the Owl Dragon legion fleets lying hidden here!
A video window appeared before Zhao Chen.
It was somewhat blurred, but Zhao Chen could still make out the figure on the other side.
A woman officer in Owl Dragon uniform stood straight and saluted. "Commander of the Owl Dragon Fifth Legion Fleet Group, Leona, presents herself to Your Majesty."
That was right.
The one in charge of the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe was this Dragon-folk princess, Leona.
Leona now had lost the arrogant, overbearing fierceness of years past; she was more like a strict, commanding officer now,
her eyes full of rigor and fearlessness.
"Tell me how things are going here now," Zhao Chen asked, coming straight to the point.
Leona at once reported her progress here over this time.
Because cross-universe communication was impossible, Charlotte, once she had given Leona a series of tasks, had handed everything here over to Leona.
So it could be said that before Zhao Chen came here,
Leona was the highest authority here!
She controlled the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's progress here!
"We slipped into the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe, and as Lady Marshal Charlotte instructed, we didn't alarm the local interstellar powers right away. We quietly made contact with the Giant-Fang Siren Tribe's 'Carefree King.' He has since begun his plan to unify the Giant-Fang Siren tribes, all with our help. Popular support is his own affair. Anything that involves the threat of force is entirely ours. We haven't made our identity as Owl Dragon legion fleets known to anyone. In every armed action, we've given out that we're a private army the Giant-Fang Siren Carefree King has trained for many years. And we've kept strict control of how much of our legion fleets is exposed. Up to now, though we have three hundred thousand interstellar warships, fewer than fifty thousand have been committed to military action. And we haven't used any T6-grade interstellar warships, so up to now no one suspects us. By our latest meeting with the Giant-Fang Siren Carefree King, barring accidents, in ten days at most he'll control over 80% of the Giant-Fang Siren Tribe's important departments with our help. Then we can make the Giant-Fang Siren Tribe the center and bring together every interstellar power around it. By what we've worked out with the Carefree King, the Carefree King will set up something called the 'Cancer Federal Royal Court,' within three years at the outside. At the least, it can control about half the territory of the present Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe. To control all of the universe's territory, with opposing forces held below 5%, will take half a year to a year."
Dragon-folk Princess Leona's report was perfect.
Zhao Chen could already see the plan clearly, step by step.
"You've done very well. Develop it step by step in order, and we'll gradually control the whole Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe."
Zhao Chen paused, then asked, "What do you think of this Carefree King of the Giant-Fang Siren tribes we've chosen? Is he suitable as the proxy we back?"
Dragon-folk Princess Leona thought a moment and said seriously, "From what I've seen of him over this time, he's a man without much desire; if he didn't want to end the war in the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe, I'd guess he has no interest at all in power. A man like that has no great ambition. He won't go very far in future either, but for us these are all advantages: he's suited to our control."
Hearing Dragon-folk Princess Leona's account,
Zhao Chen nodded with satisfaction.
This was the answer he was very glad to see.
He did not want the proxy he backed to have too great a talent, or to be some child of heaven.
For such a person was bound not to stay penned in his own little plot of ground, nor be willing to act as a puppet.
So Zhao Chen preferred someone without great ambitions; that way he was easy to control.
So long as you obey, I can give you peace, a life of ease, anything.
That was what Zhao Chen thought.
"Your Majesty, where are you now? Do you need me to send legion fleets to protect you?" Dragon-folk Princess Leona was concerned now for Zhao Chen's safety.
Since joining the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, little by little without noticing,
Leona had come to count herself a part of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire.
She naturally revered the Owl Dragon Emperor greatly, and like everyone else, she knew clearly how important the Owl Dragon Emperor was to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire.
Everything put the Owl Dragon Emperor's safety first.
Zhao Chen shook his head and said, "What matters most right now is that you see to the work in your own hands. My safety is the Emperor's Guard Fleet's charge. Besides, I'm quite far from where you are now. Without using one of those delivery starships, warp travel alone would take at least a day and a night. Wasting such important strategic tools at a time like this would be rather wasteful."
Hearing the Owl Dragon Emperor's words, Dragon-folk Princess Leona nodded in silence, but she still said gravely, "Very well. But Your Majesty, if you run into any danger at all, you must let us know at once! Our first duty is to protect your safety."
"Don't worry. Here, the starship that can kill me hasn't been built yet," Zhao Chen said cheerfully.
The communication soon ended.
But now Secretary-Officer Lilith came over beside him with a grave expression.
"What is it?" Zhao Chen noticed Lilith's look and asked with concern.
Lilith opened the map of this Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe.
She said with a grave expression, "I think our idea of backing a single proxy in a universe may be somewhat naive. I think perhaps we should back several proxies. That way, not only will the work go much faster; in future, these proxies' interstellar powers can also check one another. Mind you, everyone has always known that in any situation, a triangle is the most stable."
Zhao Chen thought about it, and felt there was indeed a great deal of sense in what Lilith said.
"If so, then here's an opportunity right now!" The corners of Lilith's mouth turned up slightly.
She opened a file.
Zhao Chen looked at the file page.
The file page described an interstellar power:
the Luohe Kingdom.
The Luohe Kingdom's history was very long.
It had once been the mightiest interstellar empire in the largest star region of the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe.
The star region was called the Luohe Star Region because in its river of stars there was a belt of meteorites like a long interstellar river,
which was called the Luohe.
And the power that ruled the Luohe Star Region in those days called itself the Luohe Empire.
After flourishing for a time, the Luohe Empire began to go downhill, through civil strife, division, foreign enemies and the like.
The Luohe Empire fell to pieces.
The Luohe Empire, which had once held a vast star region, now held under a tenth of its former territory, and had gone from the Luohe Empire to a small Luohe Kingdom.
And of the interstellar territory that had once been the Luohe Empire's, part had been seized by foreign enemies, and more had broken away.
On the former Luohe Empire's star-region territory, five kingdoms had appeared.
One of them was the Luohe Kingdom, the legitimate heir; the other four kingdoms had all been founded by the rebels of those days.
And for this reason
the Luohe Kingdom had been bullied all along, and its territory had kept shrinking.
If things went on as they were,
the Luohe Kingdom might very well vanish entirely before long.
And the Luohe Kingdom today was ruled by a young queen, a woman of some talent, who since taking the throne had kept working to develop the Luohe Kingdom.
At first she had indeed stirred up some movement.
But the good times did not last; the other four kingdoms noticed the Luohe Kingdom's rise too, and as the rebels against the former Luohe Empire, how could these four kingdoms allow the Luohe Kingdom to grow strong again?
So they began to strangle the Luohe Kingdom's development on every front.
That left the Luohe Kingdom's development struggling at every step.
Now very great problems had appeared on every side.
"That battlefield we scouted just now: from what we observed, the interstellar fleet ambushed by the two interstellar powers' fleets is the Luohe Kingdom's Third Legion Fleet. If we want to make contact with the Luohe Kingdom and win it over, now is the best chance," Lilith said, analyzing it.
Zhao Chen thought it over, then opened the interstellar map of the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe.
The Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe was very large, a very broad interstellar universe.
Reckoned by the standard extent of a star region,
there were nearly thirty star regions in all in the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe.
Here, only three powers held interstellar territory of a star region or more.
The rest that counted as interstellar kingdoms, large and small together, came to nearly a hundred interstellar kingdoms!
And the Luohe Kingdom was one of those hundred kingdoms large and small; once it had counted as an interstellar empire,
one of the top five powers in the whole Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe.
But now it had sunk to being bullied by others.
"The Luohe Kingdom has depth of history; though it's fallen now, it still has some repute. And an interstellar power like this, unless it's rotten to the bone, longs to recover its former glory. From what we've observed so far, the present Queen of the Luohe Kingdom meets our standard. She's someone worth cultivating." Lilith set out her idea.
Zhao Chen nodded, then said, "What you mean is that we first rescue this Luohe Kingdom interstellar fleet in front of us, then use the favor to get close to that Queen of the Luohe Kingdom, and cultivate her into one of our proxies in this universe."
Lilith nodded.
Having thought it over, Zhao Chen felt Lilith's idea was indeed very good.
From any angle at all,
backing another proxy had nothing but advantages for Zhao Chen.
First was the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket; who knew whether the one Zhao Chen had backed at first could truly, honestly be the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's proxy here?
And with several proxies checking one another, that was beyond doubt the best choice.
There need not even be only two, but three or more.
For the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe's territory was very large, and with several proxies acting at once, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire could take control of the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe much faster too.
"Then pass the order to Xiong Xiangxiang and carry out your plan," Zhao Chen agreed with a nod.
"Very well." Lilith at once contacted Xiong Xiangxiang, commander of the Emperor's Guard Fleet.
Xiong Xiangxiang's video window appeared before Zhao Chen as well.
Hearing that she at last had a chance to fight, a flash of excitement crossed Xiong Xiangxiang's eyes.
As the Owl Dragon Emperor's guard fleet, compared with the other Owl Dragon legion fleets, its standing was lofty, but its chances of real combat were pitifully few.
Now that such a chance had come at last, how could Commander Xiong Xiangxiang not be glad?
But at the same time Xiong Xiangxiang looked at the Owl Dragon Emperor with worry. "Your Majesty. What about your safety?"
Zhao Chen said calmly, "You needn't think about my safety. All you need to know is that your opponents will be six hundred thousand… no, by now it seems it should be under four hundred fifty thousand interstellar warships. With the three thousand interstellar warships in your hands alone, is there any problem dealing with them?"[1]
The Emperor's Guard Fleet had always had only three thousand interstellar warships.
The number had never changed.
Because it followed the Owl Dragon Emperor, for convenience the fleet's size could not be too large.
But these three thousand interstellar warships were T5- and T6-grade interstellar warships without exception.
And there was also a super-flagship present, the T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship.
It was only an auxiliary flagship, but its effect on the battlefield was quite astonishing too.
The corners of Commander Xiong Xiangxiang's mouth turned up slightly in a confident smile. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. Four hundred fifty thousand interstellar warships: our Emperor's Guard Fleet can deal with them easily."
"If you can deal with them, don't waste words. Set out now. The operational task is very simple: rescue the besieged Luohe Kingdom interstellar legion fleet, and drive off the enemy's two legion fleets," Zhao Chen ordered.
Commander Xiong Xiangxiang at once stood up straight and answered earnestly, "Order received! Rest assured, Your Majesty; I guarantee the operational task will be carried out!"
——————
The Luohe Kingdom Third Interstellar Legion Fleet · the flagship
On the bridge of a T5 interstellar battleship,
a middle-aged woman general could be seen standing on the command platform, directing the deployments of the whole interstellar battlefield without pause.
The bridge too was full of an air of death.
Their general and commander was trying to find a way through the crisis before them, but the enemy's interstellar fleets outnumbered their own more than two to one.
In the Luohe Star Region, the interstellar warships the various kingdoms fielded were much the same in fighting strength; the only things that could open a gap were the tactics and skill of the sides' fleet commanders, and numbers.
The woman general was one of the very best commanders in the Luohe Kingdom.
But this time the enemy's attack had come well prepared, and had put twice her own number of interstellar fleets onto the battlefield.
Even using every trick she had, she could hardly deal with the plight before her.
"Report: our legion fleet's remaining combined combat resources are down to only 40%. If we keep fighting like this, even if our interstellar legion fleet isn't wiped out to the last ship, we'll run out of ammunition!" the secretary-officer beside her said in haste.
Then he said at once, "General Leng Qian, as things stand, our Third Legion Fleet can't possibly break out. You can't die here. I suggest we start the emergency plan right now. You take an interstellar fleet and break out; at least that way there's a sliver of hope!"
The woman called General Leng Qian pressed both hands on the console, as if only so could she hold her body up.
General Leng Qian bit her red lip lightly, her eyes troubled, and said, "I could escape. But what good would my escaping do? Yuner sent a call for help from the capital star system; she lost contact afterward, but it must have been some great upheaval that made her contact us and ask for our support. And here we are, ambushed by the Meng family's legion fleet and the Hu family's legion fleet. Mind you, this is within our Luohe Kingdom's own territory, and not even in a border area! That they can appear here at all means something is wrong. And ambushing us here besides. There must be a great plot against Yuner behind this. They foresaw long ago that Yuner would call on us for help, and knew our Third Legion Fleet would come back to support her. They prepared everything here just to destroy our Third Legion Fleet here, to destroy the hope that stands behind Yuner! If I can't bring the Third Legion Fleet back, and only I go back, what would that change?"
The secretary-officer looked at the helplessness in Leng Qian's eyes.
He knew it too: from the moment this battle began, it had reeked of a plot.
It was anything but ordinary.
"Then… then at least you'd get back to the capital planet; if something really has happened to Her Majesty the Queen, you… you could find a way. If all else fails, you could even get Her Majesty the Queen out. So long as you two are alive, at least, our Luohe Kingdom still has hope!"
General Leng Qian gave a self-mocking smile; she seemed to see her own stubborn niece. "Don't you all know my niece's temper? The Luohe Kingdom is now the one belief she lives for. To have her give up everything of the Luohe Kingdom now and be a queen in flight: she would never agree."
At that, all of it seemed to become a deadlock.
A guillotine blade had already appeared over the Luohe Kingdom's head, ready to fall at any moment and destroy this empire of former days.
Just as this woman general of the Luohe Kingdom's heart had turned to ashes,
suddenly the NCO in charge of the radar section on the bridge reported loudly, "Report: an interstellar fleet has appeared on the outer edge of the battlefield. About three thousand ships. The crest on their hulls is one we've never seen; we don't know what interstellar power it's from."
At this news,
General Leng Qian frowned slightly, and looked at the dots on the starship radar at the edge of the battlefield.
She muttered, "Only three thousand interstellar warships? Could it be an interstellar fleet passing through? But the Luohe Star Region is no rich place, and where we are isn't any busy shipping lane. How would they turn up here?"
The three thousand interstellar warships of unknown origin stirred up a little movement among the command of both sides in the fighting.
But neither side paid it much attention in fact,
for these were only three thousand interstellar warships.
The two legion fleets besieging the Luohe Kingdom's Third Legion Fleet were the first to act on the three-thousand-ship fleet that had suddenly burst in.
They sent this interstellar fleet a warning:
an interstellar war was being fought here; this was a war zone; leave at once, or it would be taken as a declaration of war on them.
To this, the three-thousand-ship interstellar fleet gave no answer at all.
Instead, the bridge of the Luohe Kingdom Third Legion Fleet's flagship received an unfamiliar request for communication.
"This is a communication request from that three-thousand-ship fleet?" General Leng Qian looked at the abrupt request and frowned slightly.
After hesitating a moment, she chose to take it.
Whoever the other side was, whatever their aim,
at least for their Luohe Kingdom Third Legion Fleet there was no situation worse than the one before them now.
The video window connected.
What appeared on the other side was a bridge of incomparable splendor.
In the middle of the picture sat a man in a black uniform edged with gold; his face showed no expression at all, yet he gave off an air of authority without anger.
In those eyes no stir of feeling could be seen;
he gave the feeling of a bottomless depth.
This man is no ordinary person!
That was General Leng Qian's first impression.
And behind the man, to one side, stood a woman likewise in uniform, very beautiful.
Even General Leng Qian, called a woman of matchless beauty in the Luohe Kingdom, fell short before this woman, and knew it.
At least in her whole life she had never seen a female creature more beautiful than the woman before her.
And many airs mingled in her: bewitching, graceful, noble, and a firmness within softness besides.
"General Leng Qian, hello." Lilith stepped forward and spoke first.
"You know who we are? Who are you?" General Leng Qian could see the other side had come prepared, and was surely here for their Luohe Kingdom.
Could it be the foreign power behind those few fellows?