"But are a hundred thousand truly enough?" Zhao Chen asked now, curious too.
General Leng Qian said seriously, "If you mean using these hundred thousand Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships to wipe out every armed force of the other four interstellar kingdoms, twenty days isn't enough. But if it's only to let me control every power in the Luohe Star Region, twenty days is plenty. To bring these fellows to heel, one battle is enough."
Zhao Chen could roughly guess General Leng Qian's thinking.
She meant to settle it with a single blow of the hammer.
"A hundred thousand interstellar warships, in place within ten hours. These hundred thousand Owl Dragon interstellar warships will work fully with your operational plan," Zhao Chen said.
General Leng Qian at once saluted in delight and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Zhao Chen's voice dropped now, and he said in a low voice, "But remember: this is a bargain between you and me. From now on, your Luohe Kingdom will be part of our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. I'll help you develop, bring you back to prosperity, even beyond any age before. I'll help you destroy every enemy standing in your way. But if one day you try to stand in mine, you'll end like those two hundred thousand interstellar warships today."
Zhao Chen's words told General Leng Qian where she now stood and how things lay, and warned her not to cross the red line.
General Leng Qian saluted and said seriously, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty the Owl Dragon Emperor. From now on, the Luohe Kingdom will be the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's most loyal ally, and we'll offer everything we have to the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire. We will never do anything to go against you or defy you!"
"And if, when the time comes, it's your niece who does these things? Young people, after all; they can't help being hot-blooded. Once she has some strength, she won't be willing to stay below others, and if some opportunity comes along, then……" Zhao Chen did not finish, but his teasing eyes swept over General Leng Qian before him.
General Leng Qian said at once, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty; such a thing will never happen."
She saw His Majesty the Owl Dragon Emperor's eyes still fixed on her.
She steeled her heart and said decisively, "If such a thing truly happened, I would clean my own house, and guarantee the Luohe Kingdom's absolute loyalty to you."
A smile appeared on Zhao Chen's face, and he said with a light laugh, "Only joking, only joking. No need to be so serious. I know such a thing won't happen too. All right. Hurry now and gather your legion fleet; my interstellar fleet will go back with you to the capital planet. The hundred thousand interstellar warships of reinforcements need ten hours to arrive, but any awkward business in the short term, my guard fleet should be able to settle as well."
"Yes," General Leng Qian answered; her manner and bearing now set her wholly in the place of one of Zhao Chen's subordinates.
The video communication ended for the time being.
Zhao Chen looked at Lilith beside him. "How does she strike you?"
"This General Leng Qian is a clever person. With clever people like this, working together does save a great deal of worry. But one can't rule out that at some point she'll do something too clever by half," Lilith gave her assessment.
Zhao Chen thought about it and said, "That possibility can't be ruled out. But right now she really is the most suitable partner we have. That being so, we ought to leave matters here to her without worrying. We need a clever proxy to handle everything here for us, and affairs to come. Of course, if something we don't want to see really does happen, we're fully able to deal with it."
Lilith nodded and looked at Zhao Chen. "Then how do you mean to help this Luohe Kingdom, Your Majesty? Send Owl Dragon legion fleets in to intervene directly? Or sell them military equipment from behind the scenes, advanced interstellar warships for instance, build interstellar legion fleets for them, and let them use that to strengthen their own interstellar kingdom?"
Zhao Chen thought about it and said, "I think we're pressed for time now. We may as well take both hands to it. On one hand we supply the military support needed; of course, on condition that it doesn't affect our home universe's defense. On the other, we can sell them a batch of interstellar warships. By the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe's military grade, the T4- and T5-grade interstellar warships in our hands would be more than enough used here. Besides that, for convenience, we could even have the Northern Goose Group set up a starship factory here, to produce T3 and some T4-grade interstellar warships directly here. That way the Luohe Kingdom's overall strength can be raised faster! Of course, later on we'll also build a great deal of infrastructure here: star ports, interstellar fortresses, star gates and so on. Since we mean to back the Luohe Kingdom, we naturally can't leave this place backward. We need them to give back to us, so naturally this place needs a fairly advanced industrial base."
Zhao Chen nodded and looked at Lilith.[1] "Then in that case, it seems we'll need to make an investment here? I wonder whether the Luohe Kingdom's royal house can pay the cost of this early investment."
Lilith now brought out a template plan: "If they haven't enough funds, we can give them a loan. Afterward they repay the loan with local resources, or other things of value."
Zhao Chen looked at Lilith with her air of doing the accounts, and at the template plan. "It seems you thought of all this long ago."
Lilith shrugged and said, "Better prepared than sorry. And this way can also help us control and influence these local powers indirectly. When the time comes, for instance, we can set up a joint-venture company, or set up an investment company of our own and invest in some local groups and companies for a controlling stake. That way, on the surface everything still looks normal. In fact, most of the wealth inside this kingdom will be in our hands."
The Luohe Kingdom's capital star system
This capital star system could be said to be living under a white terror at that moment.
For every shipping lane here had come under military control.
The Luohe Kingdom's Second Legion Fleet had declared it was taking over the Luohe Kingdom's capital star system; without their permission, no interstellar warship, civilian or military, was allowed to lift off.
Any that lifted off could be shot down outright!
At the same time, many great families on the planets had been placed under control.
Outside the mansions of great families on some planets, a few interstellar combat mecha could be seen standing, their huge, terrifying cannons aimed at the mansion buildings.
At a single order, the mansion would be wiped away in an instant.
Under this white terror, almost everyone could feel that a storm was breaking over the Luohe Kingdom now!
Very likely a storm aimed at the Luohe royal house.
And those with a little power could see
that outside the capital planet, a standoff had already formed.
Nearly three hundred thousand interstellar warships surrounded the Luohe capital planet, while in the Luohe capital planet's low orbit were the royal fleet's hundred thousand interstellar warships.
Besides that, all the Luohe capital planet's defensive weapons had been brought online.
Matrix-type defensive railguns could be seen showing on several satellites, and even in some remote, empty places on the Luohe capital planet,
mountains had split open to reveal huge guns of startling caliber, one after another.
Openings had appeared in some dried-out land too, and missile silos had come into view, one after another.
At the same time, the whole capital planet had been declared in a state of war, and all non-combatants had gone at once into the shelters.
Those on the planet could all feel the heavy smell of gunpowder smoke.
And as the supreme Queen of the Luohe Kingdom,
Queen Leng Yun stood in her own palace, looking at the hologram of a man before her.
He stood in the great hall, looking up at Queen Leng Yun on the throne, yet his aggressive eyes and his manner
made it seem as though he were the master here, the master of everything.
"Your Majesty the Queen. This may be the last time I call you that. Fifteen minutes have passed since my last warning to you. In another fifteen minutes, if your side still hasn't surrendered, my Second Legion Fleet will launch its attack on the capital planet. You don't really think the defense systems on this planet alone, and the hundred thousand interstellar warships outside, can stop my army of three hundred thousand? Or are you pinning your hopes on that aunt of yours? I can tell you straight out: your aunt's Third Legion Fleet can't even save itself now, so don't count on that. As for the old general's First Legion Fleet, it can't get free at all either. Facing the direction the First Legion Fleet guards, two families have a million ships drawn up; do you think the old general will give up the border to rescue a queen like you? With the old general's temper, in his eyes you as queen are worth less than the subjects he guards."
The man's tone was flippant, and his eyes kept looking this young queen before him up and down.
Before, he would never have dared act like this, but he was different now.
This woman before him would become a plaything in his hands.
At the very thought of it he felt unbearably excited, which was why he had come to urge her to surrender again.
He truly did not want to see so fine a plaything perish here.
Queen Leng Yun glared furiously at the man before her, clenched her fists, and shouted at him, "Chang Liqun! Do you know this stupid act of yours will ruin the Luohe Kingdom? Do you really think those fellows you've made your deal with will tolerate your existence? You're asking a tiger for its skin!"
Chang Liqun, supreme commander of the Luohe Second Legion Fleet, said with a light laugh, "Of course I know I'm asking a tiger for its skin, but I know even better that if I don't do it, I'm dying a slow death. Perhaps you don't know. A great civilization from an outside universe has its eye on the Luohe Star Region; they want to build a powerful interstellar federation in the Luohe Star Region. The other four interstellar kingdoms have all agreed; they're willing to pledge allegiance to that outside universe's civilization, but their only demand is that in this Luohe Star Region federation there can be only four interstellar kingdoms. They won't allow the Luohe Kingdom to exist. And that outside universe's civilization has agreed to it too. That's a quasi-T6-grade interstellar civilization. If they take part in the Luohe Kingdom's affairs, do you think your Luohe Kingdom can stop them? The Luohe Kingdom's destruction is only a matter of time. Since I know such a thing is bound to happen, why should I be buried with your Luohe Kingdom? While I still have some value, I naturally have to go after the best chance there is. I've already settled terms with the Meng family. Once I've seized the Luohe Kingdom, the Luohe Kingdom will be split in two. I'll take half the territory and the Luohe Second Legion Fleet over to the Meng family, and the other half of the territory goes to the Hu family. The Meng family's king has promised to marry one of his daughters to me and grant me the title of prince! I can go on enjoying everything I have now with the Meng family! And what can I get in the Luohe Kingdom? Nothing but a death that's on its way."
At Chang Liqun's words, Queen Leng Yun's heart gave a jolt.
About an outside civilization having its eye on the Luohe Star Region, she too had heard some whispers, but there had never been any sure word.
If it was truly as Chang Liqun said, the Luohe Kingdom's fate was indeed sealed.
Queen Leng Yun felt her body grow a great deal weaker in that moment.
In her heart was a feeling of having no strength at all to resist; she had already tried everything for the Luohe Kingdom.
She had thought everything was getting better, yet it had taken a sharp turn for the worse, as though everyone were set against her.
And now a sealed fate was laid right before her.
"So surrender, Leng Yun. If you surrender now, I can still give you a rich life; but at the moment my fleet storms the palace on the planet, I can't promise what that crowd under me will do to you. After all, a young queen is quite a temptation." Chang Liqun licked the corner of his mouth and showed a savage grin.
Queen Leng Yun clenched her fists, sprang to her feet, and glared at Chang Liqun. "Chang Liqun, let me tell you: I am Queen of the Luohe Kingdom; I was, I am, and I will be! The Queen of the Luohe Kingdom will not surrender, nor kneel to beg for her life. I will fight with the Luohe Kingdom's capital planet to the very last moment. If that's all you have to say, you can get out now; I'll let my ship's guns show you my will!"
"You……" Chang Liqun had not expected this stupid woman to be so impossible to move; just as he meant to say something more,
the communication was cut off outright, and the hologram dispersed.
Looking at the blackness before him,
Chang Liqun's expression turned somewhat savage.
"This damned woman!" Chang Liqun crushed the wine glass beside him; he had not expected this woman to be so blind to her own good.
He had given her so fine a chance, and she had not taken it.
Did she really not see how things stood now!
"General, what do we do now?" the deputy beside him asked.
Chang Liqun looked at the wine stain on his hand, picked up a towel, and said as he wiped it, "Since this woman is so blind to her own good, there's no need to give her another chance. Pass on my order: the attack time is moved up. In five minutes, launch the attack on the capital planet. Every interstellar warship and combat unit that doesn't surrender, destroy them all! Oh, and don't attack around the palace. I want to enjoy this woman's last stubborn look properly; perhaps I'll even get the chance to see her begging me for mercy."
Chang Liqun pictured the scene, and an excited, lewd smile came over his face again.
On the other side,
when the communication was cut, Queen Leng Yun sank down onto her throne.
The palace, once lively enough, now held hardly anyone.
"Your Majesty, the most urgent thing now is that we find a way to escape. As things stand on the capital planet, without support, it will be very hard to stop the enemy's three hundred thousand interstellar warships. But if we break out, there's still a chance!" A minister stepped forward and spoke.
"Yes, Your Majesty. So long as you live, so long as our Luohe Kingdom's royal bloodline survives, we still have a chance. Please think again, Your Majesty!"
The few people left were all loyal ministers, and now all of them were begging Queen Leng Yun to break out and flee.
But Queen Leng Yun said calmly, "I'm tired; I don't want to run anymore. When I was small, civil strife broke out inside the Luohe Kingdom. My royal father and mother took me hiding east and west; some years I moved across sixteen planets in a single year. Two-thirds of my past I spent aboard starships. I'm sick of that life of hiding east and west. And when we sought others' help, having to bow our heads, so humble. I don't want to live like that anymore. Nor do I want to go on clinging to life like that."
Queen Leng Yun raised her head and looked at the palace ceiling as though gazing at something there, and murmured, "Royal Father, Royal Mother, I'm sorry. Yuner is useless; I couldn't fulfill your last wish, to restore the Luohe Kingdom in my hands to the glory of the old Luohe Empire."
Seeing the Queen like this, the ministers in the palace began to panic,
and one after another they began to plead with her.
But Queen Leng Yun's mind was made up; she looked at the ministers, raised her hand and said, "Enough. Don't try to talk me round, any of you; you all know my temper. When I've decided something, there's no changing it. But if you want to go, you may go now. As for the royal bloodline you're worried about, I've already had gene boxes prepared; you can take them when you break out. If you're willing and have the chance, you can find your own way to restore the Luohe royal house. If there's a better choice… let it be."
Despair filled almost the whole of the upper ranks on the Luohe Kingdom's royal capital planet,
like black clouds pressing down overhead!
Very soon the Second Legion Fleet surrounding the Luohe capital planet began to tighten its ring around the Luohe capital planet, and at the same time opened its attack.
The interstellar battleships at the very front began firing without pause, and the interstellar destroyers close behind poured out fire too.
Several of the Luohe capital planet's defense satellites became the main targets.
The Royal Guard Fleet holding the capital planet held its battle positions, for in this battle they had no room at all to fall back.
They had no defensive depth at all; they could not even dodge,
for the capital planet was right behind them!
A screen of light lit up in the sky above the capital planet: the planetary energy shield.
By rights the defending side held the advantage, with the help of some defensive weapons besides.
Even with the enemy's three hundred thousand interstellar warships, the situation would not collapse too fast.
But something unexpected happened.
From several directions of attack, a few giant interstellar ships appeared!
These giant interstellar ships first trained their guns on the defense satellites outside the capital planet.
Once they opened fire, the defense satellites' star shields were soon torn open, and the attacks fell on the defense satellites' surfaces.
Every battle position was blanketed in fire.
Very soon these defense satellites had been smashed to pieces, even turned into fireballs.
What became of the fighting men holding the defense satellites can be imagined.
"This is bad! The enemy has brought out three T6-grade interstellar warships. Suspected T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships!" In a video window, the commander on the front line reported the situation to Queen Leng Yun in haste.
T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships!
At the name of this interstellar warship, Queen Leng Yun's face darkened.
No interstellar power in the Cancer Interstellar Civilization Universe could produce T6-grade technology goods, so naturally none could produce T6-grade interstellar warships either.
But that did not stop some interstellar powers with the right channels from spending vast sums, or paying some other price, to buy interstellar warships from the universes of outside civilizations.
And among them, the T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleship was a class of interstellar battleship that sold in very large numbers!
It was said that the purchase price of a single ship had reached a terrifying 50,000 trillion star coins![2]
At so terrifying a price, ordinary T5 interstellar civilizations and powers could hardly buy one.
So in most cases there were conditions attached:
a hundred years' use of such-and-such an interstellar mining area, say, or the right to use such-and-such a part of the other side's interstellar territory, the right to station troops at a star port, even selling land outright in exchange for interstellar warships.
Payment in full was very rare.
So much so that simply paying 50,000 trillion star coins to buy a T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleship was a vain hope in itself.
And as far as Queen Leng Yun knew of the family kingdoms, they should have had no T6-grade interstellar warships before this.
So there was only one possibility: by some promise they had bought the support of that outside universe's civilization behind them, and that support included T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships.
Though there were only three T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships, for her, who had no T6 interstellar warships, it was enough to destroy the capital planet's defenses.
With several defense satellites collapsing, the hundred thousand ships of the Royal Guard Fleet faced that pressure head-on in that moment.
Some interstellar fleets began trying to attack the enemy's T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships, for if the T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships could not be destroyed,
then once they attacked the royal capital planet's surface, it would be catastrophic!
But never mind one T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleship: mind you, the enemy still had three hundred thousand interstellar warships.
How could they stand by and watch you move against their T6 Savage-Tiger-class Medium Interstellar Battleships?