And they had to pick this very moment to come calling.
If they left quietly now, it could still be treated as if it had never happened.
But if that crowd outside the gate stirred up any more mischief, they need not blame anyone when accounts were settled after the harvest!
"All right, don't be angry. Let's go on eating." Zhong Xiaoyun signaled the man to go and pass on the word.
Then she urged the family to enjoy the fine food quickly.
"It's delicious! Better than at a state banquet!"
"They're all the dishes we love; how I've missed this taste."
"When we went to the North Star Starship Military Academy, Mom and Dad worried we'd work too hard, and rented a place near the North Star Starship Military Academy specially to keep us company while we studied. It wasn't a big place, but we got Dad's cooking every time, and I felt the pressure of studying was a great deal less!"
"Yes! After a whole tiring day at the academy, coming home to this was what we lived for. If it weren't for this, I don't know how I'd have got through!"
The Zhong sisters ate and praised as they ate.
Listening, Father Zhong's face was so full of smiles it nearly burst into flower.
"That'll do; don't just sit there smiling. Hurry and eat." Mother Zhong glared at Father Zhong, and put food in her two daughters' bowls.
In their Zhong family, in fact, Father Zhong ran the inside of the house and Mother Zhong mostly ran things outside.
The Zhong family's holdings now were basically all run by Mother Zhong.
And I'll say this: Mother Zhong had actually made something of them.
The Zhong sisters had never imagined their mother would turn out to have the makings of a businesswoman.
"Speaking of which, Xiaoyun, your Fifth Legion Fleet Group, wasn't it carrying out that mission of His Majesty's……"
"Xiaoxia!" Mother Zhong glared at Zhong Xiaoxia now. "Don't forget your discipline!"
Only then did Zhong Xiaoxia realize she had let herself relax too much; she had not even avoided talking in front of her parents.
She herself did not mind much, but by the rules, this still counted as a military secret.
Zhong Xiaoyun, beside her, at once smoothed it over: "We won't talk about anything secret, only what can be said. I'm back this time with Marshal Leona's permission; you could call it leave."
Zhong Xiaoxia understood; mindful of her mother's reminder just now, she said no more on that, and chatted with her parents and sister about family matters.
The meal was half over.
Suddenly Zhong Xiaoxia's handheld terminal flashed.
Seeing the alert, Zhong Xiaoxia's expression changed at once, from a daughter of the family back to the bearing of an Owl Dragon officer.
"Is it something urgent?" Mother Zhong asked at once.
"It's an emergency communication of the highest grade. Even if Big Sister doesn't take it, after five seconds it will be forced through by default. As a rule they come from the Owl Dragon Emperor, Chief Secretary-Officer Lilith or Grand Marshal Charlotte," Zhong Xiaoyun explained beside her, curious too why someone would contact her sister at this moment.
Hearing these three named, Father and Mother Zhong were quite startled.
After all, these three were the three at the very top of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's pyramid now!
"Then should we step away?" Father Zhong asked at once, nervous.
But Zhong Xiaoxia raised her hand now, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Then she tapped a few times on the device at her wrist, and a thin screen appeared around Zhong Xiaoxia.
In that moment Zhong Xiaoxia's figure blurred, and no sound from within could be heard.
"Big Sister has switched on privacy mode." Seeing her parents holding their breath as if afraid even the sound of their breathing might disturb their daughter, Zhong Xiaoyun explained at once.
That let Father and Mother Zhong breathe again.
Father Zhong glanced at his elder daughter inside the screen and asked cautiously, "Aren't you both on leave? For those great people to contact your sister directly at this moment, is it something very important? Surely your sister hasn't done something wrong?"
By the end, Father Zhong looked nervous at once.
Zhong Xiaoyun shook her head and said, "It's not that she did something wrong; if she had, it would have been announced before the New Year. It wouldn't wait until now. I'd guess it's some important task."
Zhong Xiaoyun's face now wore a grave, curious look too.
As an Owl Dragon officer, an imperial lieutenant general, she knew very well that when the top contacted you directly during leave that had already been set,
they would not come to the temple without business; there must be something very important.
But as things stood, what could be so especially important that they needed to contact her sister alone?
This baffled her completely; she could only wait for her sister's answer in a while.
Zhong Xiaoxia's call in fact lasted under three minutes all told, but to Father and Mother Zhong it seemed very long indeed.
When the screen fell,
the holographic communication window dispersed too.
Father and Mother Zhong looked at their elder daughter, meaning to ask, yet seemingly afraid of something, hesitating on the brink of speech.
"Sis, who was that? Can you say?" Zhong Xiaoyun asked straight out.
"It's no secret. I can say," Zhong Xiaoxia answered.
Father and Mother Zhong asked at once with concern, "Which great person was it?"
"Supreme Marshal Charlotte," Zhong Xiaoxia answered.
"Lady Supreme Marshal? What important business does this great lady have with you?" Father Zhong asked with concern.
Zhong Xiaoxia hesitated a moment.
Mother Zhong noticed and said at once, "If it has to do with secrets of your work, don't tell us. We both know the rules."
"It isn't really any secret; it'll be announced in a while anyway." Zhong Xiaoxia paused, then went on to explain, "In fact Grand Marshal Charlotte contacted me directly this time because the military leadership has decided unanimously, with His Majesty the Emperor's consent and approval, to set up an ace fleet group made up solely of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships. And I'm to serve as this ace fleet group's supreme commander alongside my present post. My leave ends today; after that I have to go back to my post, and I'll be in charge of everything to do with forming this ace fleet group."
Hearing Zhong Xiaoxia's explanation,
Father Zhong let out a breath and patted his chest. "You scared me half to death; I thought you'd done something wrong and were being punished. So they only want you to go and form an ace fleet group…… Wait… form… an ace fleet group? The supreme commander of an ace fleet group?"
Father Zhong's eyes went wide all at once, as if he had realized something.
Mother Zhong, beside him, simply jumped up. "You're to be the supreme commander of an ace fleet group? Then won't that… won't that……"
"My sister's going to be a marshal!" Zhong Xiaoyun said the answer outright, her face full of joyful surprise too.
Zhong Xiaoxia smiled faintly and said modestly, "I haven't been made a marshal yet. I'm only in charge of forming this ace fleet group. And it isn't a combat ace fleet group either; it's only the interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships."
"Putting you in charge of forming it means giving it to you to run! Weren't those other ace fleet groups each formed by those marshals themselves, and aren't they each run by them now? Doesn't that just mean you'll be an ace fleet group's supreme commander in future! You're not a marshal now, Sis. But right now, which ace fleet group's supreme commander isn't an Imperial Marshal? Your promotion to Imperial Marshal is only a matter of time. What, is an ace fleet group of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships not an ace fleet group?" Zhong Xiaoyun looked at her sister excitedly.
It was as though she herself were about to become an Imperial Marshal; she was glad for her sister from the bottom of her heart.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha! This is good news! This is great news for our Zhong family; our elder daughter's going to be a marshal. My daughter's a marshal!" Father Zhong set his hands on his hips, the picture of pride.
But the next second, Mother Zhong slapped him on the head.
"What are you shouting so loud for; are you afraid the people outside won't hear? This may be no secret, but it hasn't got around outside yet! Keep your mouth in check!" Mother Zhong glared at her husband.
Father Zhong laughed foolishly, but still could not keep the smile off his face.
Then Mother Zhong looked at her elder daughter with gratification, yet with tenderness and worry in her eyes too: "Xiaoxia. You becoming the supreme commander of an ace fleet group makes us glad and proud for you. But don't put too much pressure on yourself either; if… if it doesn't go well, if it's too tiring, then we'll step back. Our Zhong family's little patch of ground now is enough to let you live well. You're the best of our Zhong family. Of course, our Yuner's the best too!"
"Heh, heh, heh, someday I'll catch up with Big Sister too!" Zhong Xiaoyun set her hands on her hips and swore it.
Then Mother Zhong asked Zhong Xiaoxia cautiously, "Then with this sudden appointment, and this task, do you… have to go back right now?"
Father Zhong realized it now too: it seemed his daughter would have to leave right away.
At that, Father Zhong was rather loath to let his elder daughter go as well.
They had not even finished a proper meal yet.
Zhong Xiaoxia looked at her parents and her sister with a smile and said, "Didn't I just say? My leave runs until the end of today; there are still five hours left of today. So we can finish this meal!"
Hearing they could finish the meal, much of the sadness on Father and Mother Zhong's faces lifted.
"Ha, ha, good, good. Let's keep eating! No, I must go and add a few more dishes. This is a happy day for our family; we have to celebrate Xiaoxia's promotion!" Father Zhong stood up and went out, murmuring the names of a few dishes excitedly.
Mother Zhong stood up now too, and said with a grave expression, "I'll go and see to those few servants standing outside, and remind them of a thing or two. Your dad spoke rather loudly just now; they may have heard. I'll have them hold their tongues, then arrange for others to watch them in private, so they don't let out what they shouldn't."
With that, Mother Zhong went out.
Seeing her parents think of her so, Zhong Xiaoxia felt warm inside.
She looked at her sister and said, "Xiaoyun, I'll be leaving once we finish this meal. You still have a few days' leave; stay with Mom and Dad for me and keep them company. We hardly get home a few days a year. And now that I've finally come home, I've only stayed one day before I have to go. They're sure to be very sad. Make it up to them for me, and comfort them well."
Zhong Xiaoyun nodded hard. "Go to your work with an easy mind, Sis. Leave things at home to me; these few days I'll keep them good company."
Zhong Xiaoxia used this little while to open a document window and begin editing some material.
Having been given so important a task, had she not been thinking of her parents, someone of her character would have gone to do the work at once.
After all, for Grand Marshal Charlotte to contact her at once showed well enough that the task was very important.
"Sis, this ace fleet group of yours: how big an establishment has His Majesty given you?" Zhong Xiaoyun asked curiously.
Zhong Xiaoxia kept nothing back either, for this was not classified in itself.
A fleet of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships on such a scale could never be wholly hidden from the outside world.
So later on, the Owl Dragon military department would take time to announce publicly the founding of this ace fleet group and Zhong Xiaoxia's appointment.
"What's arranged for now is a hundred thousand interstellar warships, but since a good many of those are interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships in service with the various legion fleets, only forty thousand interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships come directly under me," Zhong Xiaoxia said.
Zhong Xiaoyun nodded in understanding; her eyes darted, and she sidled up to her sister and whispered, "Sis, tell me: at a time like this, suddenly setting up such a large ace fleet group of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships in a hurry; does it mean we've got some big move coming soon? And setting up such a special ace fleet group is bound to change our original command system. So that means this big move is surely different from before. Then… is it fighting across universes? And the opponent we'd fight across universes now: the Devourer Civilization? Attacking first, using the best attack as defense?"
Zhong Xiaoyun was worthy of being an officer the Owl Dragon had trained; from this one piece of intelligence alone, she could work out the broad outline.
At the very thought of it, Zhong Xiaoyun's eyes shone with excitement.
But Zhong Xiaoxia rapped her on the head without the least ceremony, then said, "Don't go guessing wildly. For us soldiers, obeying orders is our bounden duty; we need only follow orders. Anything else, don't think about it wildly, and don't guess wildly either. You're a legion fleet group's deputy commander yourself now; you need to break this habit!"
"Heh, heh, heh, you're not even a marshal yet, and already lecturing me!" Zhong Xiaoyun pouted and stuck her tongue out at her sister.
…………
Galactic Star Calendar 3040, the end of January
In this first month only one great thing happened:
the first senior officer appointment of the new year, and the forming of a new ace fleet group.
The Owl Dragon Emperor formally announced that the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire would set up an ace fleet group made up solely of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships,
and that General Zhong Xiaoxia was in charge of its forming and training, and would serve for now as its supreme commander.
At the same time, this ace fleet group was formally named "Phantom Scout."
With that, it counted as the sixth ace fleet group the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had founded.
And not long after the appointment was issued, Zhong Xiaoxia had in fact already finished building this ace fleet group.
The Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · the bridge
"This is some of the data on forming the Phantom Scout over this time. I've marked the important points. Please look it over, Your Majesty." Zhong Xiaoxia stood before the Owl Dragon Emperor and reported with a grave expression.
Because the matter was rather important, and since she was in the Owl Dragon Star System anyway,
Zhong Xiaoxia had come to report it in person.
Zhao Chen did not look at the document; he handed it straight to Lilith beside him, telling her to note it and have the Secretariat check it.
"I won't look at it. I trust your ability. I'll just ask you a few things simply." Zhao Chen looked at Zhong Xiaoxia.
Zhong Xiaoxia stood up straight. "Ask, Your Majesty!"
"I hear you have ideas of your own about forming and training the Phantom Scout, and have already put them into effect. Considering that in matters of each ace fleet group's training, that ace fleet group's supreme commander has the highest authority and can act without the military department's approval, what you've done follows procedure. But I'd still like to ask your thinking here. After all, the other ace fleet groups at most set their tactics somewhat differently from the regular imperial legion fleet groups. In their framework of establishment, they're still the same as regular legion fleet groups. Only your ace fleet group goes its own way. The military department has no right to ask about it, but a good many people are talking, even raising doubts. You must know all this?" Zhao Chen looked at Zhong Xiaoxia.
Zhong Xiaoxia said at once, "The establishment and training of the Phantom Scout are arrangements I've made from the experience I built up as captain of an interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship before, and from commanding interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships on missions all these years. This arrangement isn't its final form yet. It will be adjusted after it's been put into practice and carried out missions. As arranged now: first, I've divided the Phantom Scout's interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships into direct-command ships and attached ships. As the names say, attached ships are the interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships placed with the various legion fleets, working with the legion fleets on their missions. And the direct-command ships number forty thousand at present. For these forty thousand interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships, I haven't used our usual three tiers of 'legion,' 'corps' and 'small fleet.' The numbers are different too. After all, these are interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships; they don't need to fight; their task is more to scout. Scouting and fighting are two wholly different things. Making interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships follow the establishment of combat interstellar warships is very inefficient."
Zhong Xiaoxia began setting out her thinking in a steady stream, and even opened the document of the establishment framework her Phantom Scout ace fleet group now followed.
"My Phantom Scout ace fleet group uses 'battalion,' 'company,' 'platoon' and 'team.' A fleet team: we also call it a scouting team. It's made up of three interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships, just right on a mission for frontal scouting, flank watching and central command respectively. When their movements are exposed, two of the interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships will also cover the third's withdrawal, so as to make sure the intelligence gets through. The scouting platoon level has nearly thirty interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships, made up of ten scouting fleet teams. It can usually carry out detailed scouting across a star system, or scouting on part of a battlefield. The scouting company level is made up of ten scouting platoons, nearly three hundred interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships in all. A scouting company can carry out scouting missions over several star systems, and keep a firm hold on intelligence and its passing within a battlefield. Above that is the highest level, the scouting battalion. It's made up of ten scouting companies, with three thousand interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships. At present there are thirteen scouting battalions in the Phantom Scout ace fleet group in all. And these scouting units are also sorted somewhat by the missions they carry out: fast scouting platoons, armed scouting platoons, battlefield scouting platoons, behind-the-lines scouting platoons and so on. Different types of scouting platoon are good at carrying out different kinds of mission. Because intelligence and scouting look very simple. But in practice they're very different. That's something I felt myself when I was captain of an interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship. Behind-the-lines scouting platoons, for instance, are divided again into long-term and short-term. A long-term behind-the-lines scouting platoon has to think more about staying hidden for a long time, so before its mission it needs more stores of resources, to make sure the platoon can lie hidden a long time: a month, half a year, even a year, three years, even five or ten years! Or the armed scouting platoon: as the name says, it may come into armed clashes with the enemy, so it needs to carry some weapons: more weapons and ammunition, and some added gun turrets and the like. So in fact our types of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship are too few at present; they're very good, but they aren't suited to carrying out every kind of operational task……"
Zhong Xiaoxia set out her thinking very earnestly,
telling the Owl Dragon Emperor everything she thought about interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships.
Zhao Chen looked at this general before him and felt that she was glowing all over at that moment, with a very firm resolve in her eyes.
In that moment Zhao Chen knew very well
that the person Charlotte and Xue Xiaoxiao had recommended to him was no mistake.
Zhong Xiaoxia truly was the leader best suited to this post.
"All right, that's about enough. After all, I only understand the broad outline; I'm no professional." Zhao Chen cut off Zhong Xiaoxia, who wanted to go on.
At the rate Zhong Xiaoxia was going now, she could most likely have talked for a day and a night with no trouble.
But Zhao Chen did not have that much time.
"From what you've said, though I don't understand much of it, I can see how much you've put into the Phantom Scout. Do as you think; don't worry; no one in the military department will interfere. Even if you make mistakes, it doesn't matter. If you're doing things at all, you can't go without ever making a mistake. So long as you find your mistakes in time after making them, correct them, and cut our losses, that's enough."