Just then Marshal Shen Bing spoke up with her brows knit: "If it were only picking a few legion fleet commanders, that wouldn't be a problem. But thirty-odd? To tell the truth, I don't think our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets have that many people who meet the standard. And handing a legion fleet group to a commander who doesn't meet the standard would be irresponsible to that legion fleet group, and on the battlefield it might very well keep it from fighting as it should."
Many present agreed with Marshal Shen Bing's words.
They had no say in appointments, but in military command they were the professionals, and they knew very well which of their comrades-in-arms had real ability.
"The main thing is lack of battle experience. Commanding legion fleets on a large scale isn't something that comes from simple study and training. It takes experience in command. But as things stand, in the next two and a half years we may not have that many chances of real combat. And I don't think it fitting to make people without much real combat experience commanders of legion fleet groups either," Marshal Chu Xuan added beside her.
Zhao Chen said nothing, for he too agreed with this very much.
At least for now, of the candidates in his mind who met the standard for legion fleet group commander, he could think of only a few:
Xiong Xiangxiang, Ye Xiaotong, Wu Chuner, Hu Xiner and a few others.
Not even ten.
And in future there might be thirty openings.
Zhao Chen and the others would never allow anyone to "make up the numbers" without merit.
That would be utterly irresponsible.
People could not be trained out of thin air.
So the only choice left before them now was one.
Grand Marshal Charlotte spoke just then: "That being so, our only choice now is to change our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's interstellar fleet system. I have an idea. Right now one legion fleet group of ours has ten legion fleets, a legion fleet is fifty thousand interstellar warships, and a legion fleet group is five hundred thousand interstellar warships. My idea now is this. The organization of the corps-level fleets below stays as it is. First, enlarge each legion fleet from its full fifteen corps fleets to thirty corps fleets, a hundred thousand interstellar warships. Then raise each fleet group's establishment from ten legion fleets to thirty legion fleets, so that at full strength a legion fleet group is three million interstellar warships. That way, the ten legion fleet groups we have now would come to thirty million interstellar warships at full strength."
Grand Marshal Charlotte set out her idea.
Then she looked around at all the army commanders present. "Any problems?"
Just then one could see the army commanders present wearing different looks.
Some did not care at all; however many interstellar warships were under their command, they had no objection.
Marshal Medusa was of this kind.
And some liked the more the merrier; hearing that the number of interstellar warships they would command in future was going up, their faces were quite excited. Marshal Chu Xuan, for instance.
And the rest had mixed feelings: excited, and nervous, and worried.
Most of these were the ones whose legion fleet groups had only just been formed,
such as Marshal Qingman, commander of the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group, or Marshal Midai, commander of the Owl Dragon Ninth Legion Fleet Group.
For the interstellar warships under their command to go from five hundred thousand to three million at once: the scale grew sixfold in one stroke.
An ordinary legion fleet group commander could indeed hardly digest it all at once.
"Since no one speaks, the detailed new system will be drawn up later. I know some may think this will be rather hard. I won't deny that commanding three million interstellar warships will be hard. But everyone here has more or less had experience commanding legion fleets on a large scale; compared with those below, you're better suited. I believe that in future you'll soon master the essentials of commanding legion fleets on a large scale."
When she had said this, Charlotte looked at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded slightly, and spoke up just then too: "I think the Grand Marshal's arrangement is very fitting too. The army is to draw up a detailed organization plan and start arranging it within a week. The existing legion fleets won't be adjusted; the legion fleets formed later will fill the vacant places."
"Yes."
What was discussed next were matters the army did not think very important.
Very soon the discussion was over.
When this meeting ended, only Zhao Chen, Charlotte and Lilith were left in the meeting room.
Only then did Lilith look at the two before her, somewhat aggrieved.
"You touch your upper lip to your lower lip, and just like that you settle a plan to build up to twenty million interstellar warships. You really don't care at all how the rest of us feel."
Charlotte looked at Lilith with a smile and said, "Little sister Lilith has always been our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's ablest secretary-officer. Since you didn't object when it was raised just now, you must have a way to carry it out. We trust you."
"You're our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's god of wealth, and the god of wealth always has a way, doesn't she?" Zhao Chen grinned at Lilith too.
Lilith smiled helplessly. "It's my bad luck to have landed the two of you. But to tell the truth, by the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's future growth as we've planned it now, building up to twenty million interstellar warships is no hard matter; to build up to thirty million interstellar warships, we'd have to push harder on interstellar trade. And we may also need to reach and control a few more interstellar civilizations' universes; the three we have now are nowhere near enough."
Hearing Lilith say so, Zhao Chen and Charlotte were set at ease at once.
With Lilith as housekeeper, so long as she said there was no problem, there would certainly be no problem.
Zhao Chen stated his position at once: "Never mind anything else; whatever you need on this front, the whole Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire will back you all the way. Even I will back you without condition."
Charlotte said beside him too, "Not just reaching a few interstellar civilizations' universes. Little sister Lilith, take your pick; whichever interstellar civilization's universe catches your eye, just say the word, and we'll send interstellar legion fleets to make contact at once. If they're willing to work with us, so much the better; if they're not willing to work with us, we have plenty of ways to make them work with us."
A look of deep meaning came over Charlotte.
Zhao Chen and Lilith naturally knew what Charlotte's look meant.
In truth, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's standing among the known universe's civilizations now, which before might still have been below the Holy Elf Empire's, was now beyond doubt second to none.
Even the Holy Elf Empire had to stand aside.
Just think: the Holy Elf Empire had the strength to fight the Devourer Civilization, but did the Holy Elf Empire have the courage to send an expedition against the Devourer Civilization?
That alone was enough to show the gap between the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire and the Holy Elf Empire.
In the records of later ages,
the two campaigns between the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire and the Devourer Civilization were described thus:
In the first campaign, the Devourer Civilization itself brought the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire onto history's stage, and let the other interstellar civilizations know that such a mighty interstellar empire existed.
It could be called the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's campaign of making its name.
In the second campaign, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire took the war to the Devourer Civilization, which could be said to have seated the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire firmly on the throne as first overlord of the interstellar civilizations' universes, the Devourer Civilization aside.
And the Holy Elf Empire's age had faded away entirely.
What came next was the age of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire!
"In truth the Holy Elf Empire has a good deal of industrial potential too. But that lot have stayed in their comfort zone too long. If they could be brought to change their attitude completely and throw themselves heart and soul into our fight with the Devourer Civilization, it would be a very great help to us!" Lilith added just then.
Zhao Chen nodded in agreement.
The Holy Elf Empire was not what it had been, and had something of the setting sun about it.
But a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
The Holy Elf Empire's military strength and reserves were still there.
Charlotte and Lilith both looked at Zhao Chen just then.
"What are you looking at me for?" Zhao Chen looked at the two of them oddly.
"Because only you can handle the Holy Elf Empire's affairs." Charlotte shrugged helplessly.
She could hardly send troops against the Holy Elf Empire.
Conquering the Holy Elf Empire by force now would beyond doubt be a very foolish thing.
"How am I supposed to handle it? Am I to use a handsome-man trap?" Zhao Chen rolled his eyes.
Lilith and Charlotte said nothing, but their eyes were full of meaning.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, what's with those looks? I'm a respectable man." Zhao Chen made a show of pulling his clothes tight around himself, looking every inch the respectable man.
"Anyway, things in the Holy Elf Empire are very tangled; it's nothing we can handle. Only you can step in," Lilith said.
Zhao Chen sighed; he knew how things stood too. He sighed, then said, "All right, I understand. Leave it to me. But don't get your hopes up too high."
Zhao Chen naturally hoped too that he could bring the Holy Elf Empire wholly into his own camp.
But it was very hard.
The way things stood with the Holy Elf Empire now, handle anything a little badly and it might be lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own feet.
Who knew how things stood with the Flame Elf Queen now that she had gone back?
"Speaking of which, has that Golden-Scarab-class Heavy Interstellar Dreadnought of ours been sent over?" Zhao Chen asked.
"It's been repaired and sent over," Lilith answered.