"Remember: besides keeping up output, speed up our production as much as you can. Everyone works three shifts; no one is to come late or leave their post early. And make sure raw materials arrive on time; the purchasing department's people must make sure every production line's raw materials reach the line on time! If our production lines run into trouble because of the supply of raw materials, I'll hold them to account." At this point the manager paused, then went straight on: "And tell every department's people too: so long as every production task is completed during this wartime, or even more than completed, I'll give them all a big, big bonus! But if anyone drops the chain on me at a time like this, no matter what post he holds or what grade he is, he can get out!"
"Yes." The secretary swallowed beside him.
The same was happening in every other starship factory of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire.
At this moment the whole Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire was like a warrior who had put on armor and taken up a sharp sword, ready to march to war.
And the mood was heavier still where each Owl Dragon legion fleet group was gathered now.
Because of the vast number of interstellar legion fleets,
every Owl Dragon legion fleet group now had a garrison star system of its own, and this time it was their point of departure for the expedition.
The Reverse Scale military star system · the Reverse Scale ace fleet group's garrison
The T6 Rakshasa-Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought · the bridge
Charlotte stood before the huge interstellar war holo-table.
The interstellar war holo-table before her was rather special at that moment, for it covered two interstellar civilizations' universes, split in two:
on the left, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe; on the right, the Devourer Civilization's universe.
Charlotte was studying the star chart of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe; on it, every legion fleet group's garrison had now been enlarged, plainly tagged with a red dragon-pattern banner.
There were fifteen dragon-pattern banners in all,
standing for the ten regular Owl Dragon legion fleet groups and the five ace legion fleet groups now in service.
There was also the rather special, newly founded Phantom Scout ace fleet group, which had no garrison of its own for now.
For in peacetime it answered directly to the Owl Dragon Emperor and Grand Marshal Charlotte.
So the Phantom Scout ace fleet group was stationed for now in the old military base in the Owl Dragon Star System.
"How do the legion fleet groups' preparations stand?" Charlotte asked, looking at the star chart before her.
The secretary-officer beside her answered, "At present every legion fleet group has reported its state. Every legion fleet under every legion fleet group has gone onto wartime standby. All the related combat equipment is ready. The moment the order comes, they can set out at any time and meet any situation in battle!"
Charlotte nodded, then looked at the video window beside her; on the other side was no other legion commander,
but the commander of the newly founded Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group, Zhong Xiaoxia!
"General Zhong. How do things stand with your preparations?" Charlotte asked.
Zhong Xiaoxia said with a grave expression, "Rest assured, Marshal. Everything on our side is ready. Twenty-four hours ago, the second batch of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship fleets set out. As we agreed, unless something special comes up, no report back is needed. So as things look up to now, everything over there should be normal. Later, the interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship fleets we've placed over there will send high-frequency cosmic wave signals. So long as we catch these cosmic wave signals, we can use them to cross accurately to the coordinates in the other universe."
Charlotte nodded with satisfaction.
That too was the use of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships, and why Charlotte had asked for such an ace fleet group to be set up at this time.
An ace fleet group of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships like this in fact had a great many uses on the battlefield;
not only battlefield reconnaissance.
It could also assist the other combat legion fleets in the fighting,
as in the situation now.
These interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship fleets could serve as the main fleets' eyes, seeing the battlefield ahead of time, scouting it, preparing it.
And once the main fleets were sent onto the battlefield afterward, they could at once tell the combat legion fleets every kind of battlefield intelligence.
That way the combat legion fleets could learn every side of the battlefield accurately at once, which would help them seize the initiative on the battlefield.
Charlotte glanced at the time. "There's one last hour before the operation begins. General Zhong. When it comes, we'll carry out the original plan of attack. And you'll begin your main task. Your responsibility is very great. How far your task is completed bears on whether this operation succeeds or not. You should know that your Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group wasn't set up earlier or later, but in haste only after this operation was settled. In large part, it was for this operation. This will be the first stage on which your Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group shows what it can do. You're not a front-line combat legion fleet. But I believe your part on the battlefield will exceed any combat legion fleet's!" Charlotte looked at General Zhong Xiaoxia across from her.
The other was a commander with many years of combat experience too.
But this was, after all, her first time serving alone as a legion fleet group's supreme commander, and at the head of a brand-new legion fleet group at that.
There was no combat experience built up by those who came before; everything with them was a first.
So the pressure on General Zhong Xiaoxia was bound to be very great!
And what Charlotte said now was partly to remind Zhong Xiaoxia, and partly to give her encouragement before battle!
"Rest assured, Marshal; we know our mission and our responsibility clearly. We'll do our duty well. We'll never fail your expectations or His Majesty the Emperor's!" Zhong Xiaoxia swore.
"Mm." Charlotte nodded with satisfaction.
The video window was set aside for the time being.
On her side, having ended the communication with the Grand Marshal, Zhong Xiaoxia let out a long breath.
To say she felt no pressure would in fact be a lie.
The pressure this operation put on her was far beyond anything before.
She had thought her years of combat experience had long since left her unafraid of such a scene.
But truly standing in the place of a legion fleet group's supreme commander, she found she had been badly wrong.
A legion fleet group's supreme commander and its deputy commander looked only one grade apart.
But what the two bore was as different as heaven and earth.
Before, as a deputy commander, she had only had to think how to complete the combat tasks her superior gave her and do her own job.
But now she not only had to do her own job; she had to keep the whole picture in mind and think of every side of things.
It was like a great mountain pressing down on her.
"One hour left……" Zhong Xiaoxia murmured to herself.
Then she patted her own cheeks and looked at her secretary-officer beside her. "There's still time; call in every commander at company level and above for me again. We'll hold a meeting of the command!"
"Yes!" The secretary-officer could see how tense her commander was.
For in these three days, Commander Zhong Xiaoxia had already held three meetings at this level, one after another.
It was plain she held this combat task dear, and would allow no mistake or slip at all.
And now there was one hour left before the task began.
This counted as the last meeting and charge before battle.
Very soon every commander at company level and above of the Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group still in the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's universe had entered the video meeting's channel.
Seeing that everyone was present, Zhong Xiaoxia said with a grave face, "Everyone, there's one hour left before the military operation begins. You should know why I'm calling you to a meeting again now. You may find me tiresome, think I go on and on. I admit I've said rather a lot. But I hope you'll listen, and keep it in mind. Because this is our Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group's first battle. And we aren't like the other legion fleet groups. We're a fleet group made up of interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships. To outsiders, we're just some interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships, in charge of scouting for intelligence on the battlefield. Not a few people even think work like this doesn't need a legion fleet group of its own at all. Outside, there's no shortage of voices doubting us! And in this battle, if our results are poor, those people are bound to attack us by tongue and pen. Then still more people will doubt the point of our Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group's existence! So our first battle must be a victory, and every combat task must be completed perfectly. Make those who question and doubt us shut their mouths like good children! That's enough of my going on and on."
Zhong Xiaoxia said with a grave expression, "Because most of our reconnaissance battalions are already deployed over in the Devourer Civilization's universe, they're already at their own battle posts. When the time comes, I'll give them their combat tasks too. But to make sure the overall operational plan goes smoothly, I'll be stricter with you. I need you, once you're in the enemy's universe, to plunge into where you're meant to be within the time required. Open up our intelligence network! I want to know the enemy's every move; I want every movement of the enemy's interstellar legion fleets right under our noses! If any one of your reconnaissance units fails to reach its appointed position within the time required, I won't ask why; you may have all sorts of reasons, it may even not be your fault. But I'm putting it plainly right now. This time I shall not be reasonable!"