Having heard this whole string of words from Marshal Medusa,
Marshal Chu Xuan clapped and said, "Marshal Medusa's idea is very like mine. And of the targets of attack we've foreseen, there are already several. First: on the Dax Empire's key starship factories, we've already found a lead. In one starship factory there's a batch of thirty T3 interstellar warships. If we can destroy this starship factory's T3 starship production line, along with those thirty T3 interstellar warships not yet off the line, it's certainly a high-value target. Second point. The Dax Empire has several very large naval ports, and these naval ports have been set up as starports dedicated to the expedition against our Fierce Dragon civilization. A great many interstellar warships are deployed there, and the strategic supplies needed are stockpiled there. If we can make a surprise attack on these starports and destroy the interstellar warships in them before they come out, then destroy those supplies, we're bound to deal the Dax Empire a heavy blow!"
Zhao Chen had listened to the whole thing.
A surprise attack on the Dax Empire, to catch them completely off guard.
The Dax Empire as it was now would surely never imagine that the Fierce Dragon civilization, which to them was a stumbling block both hard and ugly, would attack them on its own initiative.
Only an attack wholly unforeseen like this could meet the Fierce Dragon civilization's requirements.
"When do we attack?" Zhao Chen asked.
"By the word we've received, the Dax Empire means to attack a year after the last campaign ended, about four months from now. Then we'd best launch military action within two months. I've worked out when our next batch of interstellar warships comes off the line: within a month at most. Add our time for readying them, and in two months it's time for us to attack!" Marshal Chu Xuan said earnestly.
Two months.
And from that, the Dax Empire's attack would also be just two months off.
This point in time was special:
it came both at the critical juncture of the enemy's preparations and when the enemy was most likely to be off guard.
"Before the fighting, we must make thorough preparations too. Send our interstellar stealth scout ships over to fix the anchor points we'll be delivered to, and fix the targets to attack. Make sure this attack of ours can't fail!" Zhao Chen said earnestly.
"Yes!"
the many Fierce Dragon officers said in unison.
Everyone began busily preparing for war.
Zhao Chen looked at the interstellar map before him, on which the positions of several star systems had already been marked.
He pointed at the three star systems held by the Dax Empire and said with a cold smile, "It's ill manners not to return a visit. Before, they attacked us twice running. As the saying goes, once, twice, but never a third time. This third time, it's our turn to come calling. Only, it's a pity: with our military strength now, it's only enough for one round. After one round of blitz, our forces have to pull back. If we could take the chance to occupy these star systems of the Dax Empire, so much the better. For our Fierce Dragon Empire now, we have a large enough industrial foundation, but the biggest problem is not enough raw materials. According to Annie, our raw materials now can no longer bear the consumption of our industrial production lines at all. Were it not for that wave of raw materials from the Lanners civilization before, our production lines could probably only work three hours a day and rest the rest of the time."
Marshal Chu Xuan said beside him, "Though with our military strength now we can't fully occupy these star systems' territory, we can plunder, and carry off all the raw-material resources of these places. Above all those strategic supplies at the enemy's forward naval ports; they can meet a good many of our needs."
"Actually… I think that if this plan is carried out, we may even kill two birds with one arrow!" Secretary Officer Barbara said thoughtfully beside them.
The others all looked over.
Secretary Officer Barbara pointed at the Lanners civilization's position on the star map: "Everyone knows we're Trial civilizations; in this Trial of the Gods there will be only one victor. So we and the Lanners civilization are bound to have a war in the future too. If we make a show of meaning to annex the star systems the Dax Empire holds, what do you think the Lanners civilization will think, and what will it do? Will it just stand by and watch us occupy the Dax Empire's star-system territory?"
"Never. They know very well too that the limits of star-system territory are just what's needed to stop us growing fast. So they'll never just watch us take the Dax Empire's star-system territory!" Marshal Medusa said, shaking her head.
Secretary Officer Barbara said with a smile, "That's right! Then we'll put out the word that the aim of this operation of ours is to seize the Dax Empire's star-system territory. Once that word is out, whether the Lanners civilization believes it or not, they can't sit by and do nothing. Once we have new star systems, our strength will rise fast. So the Lanners civilization will then have only two choices. Either attack us. Or attack the Dax Empire and take a share of the cake."
Zhao Chen seemed to see the Lanners civilization standing at a fork in the road, the Fierce Dragon civilization on one side and the Dax Empire civilization on the other.
"Then how can you be sure the Lanners civilization won't choose to turn on us?" Zhao Chen asked curiously.
Secretary Officer Barbara tapped her head: "So long as the Lanners civilization isn't stupid, they won't choose us. Though our rate of growth is very fast, at present our overall fighting strength is still the weakest of the three powers. Tell me, does it make sense for Number Two to gang up with Number One on Number Three? Number Two would be tired of living. So then the Lanners civilization is bound to choose to strike back at the Dax Empire civilization, attack their star systems and seize their star-system territory. For them too there's enormous benefit in it. Since they can't stop us growing strong, then they grow strong themselves too; that way, isn't their problem solved?"
Zhao Chen understood, and said with narrowed eyes, "And just at that time, we choose to withdraw. And for the Dax Empire, there's then only one rival left, the Lanners civilization; they can hardly leave the Lanners fleets running riot on their own ground and chase us to the Fierce Dragon System. And the Lanners civilization will have to make a choice: in a battle suddenly begun, the star-system territory they've finally seized, do they spit it back out and go home with clipped wings, or hold on hard and fight for this gain! Given the Lanners civilization's situation, most likely the latter. For this is a chance for the Lanners civilization to rise. And we, while the Lanners civilization and the Dax Empire civilization are at the height of their fighting, use the supplies and resources we've seized to develop and grow strong fast. And prepare our second counterattack in the true sense!"
Having heard Secretary Officer Barbara's words,
everyone thought them very sound.
It truly made Chu Xuan's and Marshal Medusa's battle plan more complete.
"Very good; the military side is the military's responsibility. As for the psychological war, Barbara, you'll arrange that. In two months it's time for us to strike back!" Zhao Chen said with a cold smile.
Over the next two months,
the Fierce Dragon civilization's interstellar fleets made preparations with great fanfare.
Batch after batch of interstellar warships came off the line into service, and the crews long since ready boarded the interstellar warships they had long been waiting for.
And at this time they all believed they were preparing to hold off the Dax Empire's coming attack.
Until one day,
a T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship, moored and resting in a starport, received word that within twenty-four hours it was to muster at certain coordinates to take part in an exercise.
At once the call to muster began sounding through this starship.
At the same time the crew not aboard the starship were hurrying back to it at full speed.
As this starship's captain, he gave the orders concerned quickly:
"All crew back aboard within five minutes. Leave port within thirty minutes! Reach the designated coordinates within five hours!"
Over the past two months, exercise orders like this had come almost every so often.
They had long since grown used to them.
At the same time, they had never once let their guard down because it was an exercise.
For in the Fierce Dragon fleet there was a rule:
whether in real combat or an exercise, any order from above had to be carried out unconditionally as required.
And before this, one captain, because it was an exercise, had not paid much attention, and had failed to complete the exercise as required.
The result was that he was stripped of his captaincy outright; but, considering how sincerely he had admitted his fault,
his military status was kept, and he was knocked down to the lowest crewman to start again.
With an example like this before them, no one dared take the Fierce Dragon civilization's exercises lightly.
And at the same time, more and more starships were receiving exercise orders, and the starships that had been gathered in this starport left one after another.
A staff member in the starport looked in puzzlement at the empty harbor outside.
"Strange; is something going on today? So many starships have all left. In the less than a year since, this starport of ours has never been this empty."
"Who knows; maybe there's some big exercise."
Even at this moment, no one had yet noticed the storm about to break behind it all!
And in a certain stretch of space at certain coordinates,
that T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship, N013, had already arrived and reported in as required.
At this moment, the captain of this N013 found that his whole fleet had arrived here, every ship.
This made him realize too that something was not right.
But he did not ask, for he knew the rules.
Whatever the time, whatever came down from above, you simply carried it out.
What you ought to know, you would be told in due course.
What you ought not to know, don't go guessing about yourself!
But he still quietly swept his eyes around.
Gathered here were at least three hundred interstellar warships,
just right for the makeup of one standard fleet, with a certain number of T3 interstellar warships besides.
And every interstellar warship was standing by in place; it felt nothing at all like preparing for some exercise,
but rather like preparing to set out on campaign.
The thought flashed through this captain's head, and he could not help looking excited.
But he soon reined it in again.
As a captain, he naturally hoped to have a chance to go on campaign.
For it should be understood that this T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship he commanded had not yet had a single chance to show what it could do.
He raised his hand and opened his starship's data panel.
Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship
Ship-type: Missile Ship
Tech grade: T3
Hull armor strength: 1,000–1,100 units
Shield energy value: 10,000 units
Cruising speed: 80 star-knots
Warp engine: tier-6 warp engine
Length: 1,098 meters
Mass: 680,000 tons
Crew posts: 300
Ship weapons: 10,000 Judicator Type-I conventional interstellar missiles; 2,000 Judicator Type-II mid-range heavy interstellar missiles; 2,000 Judicator Type-III ultra-long-range medium interstellar missiles; 500 Judicator Type-IV mid-to-long-range cluster-submunition missiles; 500 Judicator Type-V heavy anti-energy-shield special missiles.
When he had received this class of interstellar warship's information, and been told that what he would take over next was an interstellar missile ship,
he had not yet realized what had happened.
At the time, what he had most wanted was still a T3-grade interstellar battleship.
After all, what man doesn't want big ships with big guns?
But once he had truly come to know this class of interstellar missile ship, he had become infatuated with it.
And in one small-scale test firing, in which they had fired only a tenth of the interstellar missiles their interstellar missile ship carried, the sight was one he would never forget as long as he lived.
For it had been too stunning.
From then on, he had begun looking forward to a real war, a battle in which this T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship of his could go all out and carry out a saturation strike.
Time passed little by little.
Suddenly a video window popped straight up on his handheld terminal.
On the other side was a familiar face:
Marshal Medusa.
"Greetings, everyone. You've now been formed into the Fierce Dragon Third Fleet, under my command for the time being. Listen well to what I'm about to say. This time it isn't an exercise but real combat. Our enemy isn't here, but in another star system: the Third System of the Dax Empire. That's right! The very Dax Empire that attacked us twice running before. This time it's our turn to attack. Next I'll tell you the whole battle plan. You get only one chance to understand it. …"
Marshal Medusa went through the battle plan once, quickly and briefly.
Then she said, "All starships have a last fifteen minutes to prepare. In fifteen minutes we formally set out: the expedition against the Dax Empire!"