The Starlight Empire · the Starlight Central Star Region · within a certain stretch of border space.
Several interstellar legions were pursuing, intercepting, and blockading an interstellar fleet of under 30 interstellar warships; and in the course of the pursuit, this fleeing interstellar fleet was, too, taking damage without cease.
"Report — going by our present situation: bitten onto by the enemy, we simply cannot escape. The enemy's interstellar warships pursue us without let-up, and we have no way to use warp-travel to flee either," the adjutant said, with some anxiety.
"Curse it! I never imagined they'd bite on so tight. That fellow Chu Wenlin's operation actually failed!" Chu Xiong ground his teeth.
"That child Chu Wenlin did his utmost too. In a situation like this, after all, who can guarantee that the plan carried out will surely succeed?" Facing the plight before him, Chu Changhe was, as before, a whole face of calm.
"I know Chu Wenlin had his difficulties too. That we die is a small thing. But Marshal… we must, without fail, send the Marshal out to safety!" Chu Xiong looked toward Marshal Chu Changhe.
Marshal Chu Changhe sat in the captain's chair, and said with a light laugh, "I'm but an old man with one foot in the grave; there's no need for so strong an obsession over it. To be able to get back is best, naturally; and if I can't get back… well, so be it. Only a pity that I won't get to see my precious granddaughter wed and bear children. I'd wanted to be a great-grandfather for a few days yet."
When Chu Changhe brought up this matter, he still wore a whole face of gladness, without the least sense of being amid a crisis.
Come to his age, he'd long since seen through everything.
Even if this escape plan failed, it was no matter.
In fact, before this, Chu Changhe himself hadn't known of this escape plan; he'd merely ordered the Chu Family Shadow-Guards to find a way to rescue the Empress out.
The Empress had shown kindness to the Chu family — this, Chu Changhe engraved upon his heart.
Only, he'd never imagined that the Chu Family Shadow-Guards would, of all things, unanimously hold that they must protect the Marshal — that the Marshal was their very faith.
And so this operation was, in truth, wholly an action of the Chu Family Shadow-Guards within the Imperial Capital Star system "disobeying orders."
But the thing being done, Chu Changhe did not upbraid this pack of children either.
In his eyes, these Chu Family Shadow-Guards were all pitiable children — from the time of their cultivation, they'd lived with their identities hidden; some had even married and had children, and their wives and children knew nothing of their true identities.
"Report! The imperial-army 17th Legion fleet has appeared ahead; our breakout route has been intercepted," the adjutant said in terror.
Chu Xiong ground his teeth and roared, "Attack! Break out at any cost whatever!"
"Chu Xiong… that's about enough." Chu Changhe spoke up at this point.
"Marshal…" Chu Xiong looked at Marshal Chu Changhe, grieved and indignant.
"If not for your own sake, then think of the other surviving Chu Family Shadow-Guards, and of these unrelated soldiers aboard these interstellar warships who've been dragged into this affair. This time… enough people have died. Don't go wasting these lives in vain any longer," Chu Changhe said mildly.
Having lived through far too much death, he knew all the better the preciousness of life.
Chu Xiong's expression was one of bitter unwillingness; he stared, unmoving, at the radar star-map, hoping he might find some chance to break out.
"How about this — I can pilot a shuttle-craft and take the Marshal out!" Chu Yilong, off to the side, counseled.
Chu Changhe looked at Chu Yilong, and said with a laugh, "Yilong, have you been in the Imperial Capital Star so long you've forgotten even so basic a bit of common sense? On the power of a single shuttle-craft alone — even the most advanced shuttle-craft — it's very hard to cross a star system's edge-space; the more so under the pursuit and blockade of so many interstellar warships."
Chu Yilong was left without words; this was the only method he could think of now.
At this point, an unexpected scene appeared: the interstellar legions ringing Chu Changhe about did not, in the first instant, launch an attack; they merely arranged their main-force interstellar warships to hem in the directions in which Chu Changhe might break out.
They'd thoroughly sealed off Chu Changhe's chance of breaking out and fleeing.
"Marshal, the enemy legion commander has sent a comm request." the adjutant reported at this point.
"Put it through. If I recall rightly, the commander of this capital legion opposite is an old fellow — one who's even taken my class before," Chu Changhe said, all smiles.
The video window opened.
An imperial general of some 40 or 50 years appeared, upon whose shoulders were four stars.
An imperial full general.
"Your student greets the Marshal. During these days the Marshal tarried in the Imperial Capital Star, your student did not come to call upon you; I beg the Marshal to forgive his student's discourtesy."
Chu Changhe sized up this middle-aged man before him.
"Zhao Ziying, is it — I recall your gifts were decent. Back in the day, on account of that name of yours, no small number of your classmates of the same term mocked you for being girly."
"Yes. Back then you said, straight out in the classroom: whether one is called Zhao Ziying or Chu Ziying, whether one is man or woman — so long as one can win the battle upon the battlefield, then one is a true soldier!" General Zhao Ziying looked at the Chu Changhe before him with reverence.
Among all the military generals of the whole Starlight Empire, at the least two-thirds could be counted students of Chu Changhe's — for, in former days, every general and commander had taken it for a point of pride to be able to sit through a single class of Chu Changhe's.
Even were it merely a private call upon Chu Changhe to ask one or two questions on matters of the military, they'd style themselves his student.
Never mind four-star full generals — even among the five-star marshals, half styled themselves Chu Changhe's students.
For, after all, even the present Marshal Huang Zhixiong had, before, been but a single soldier under Chu Changhe's hand.
"It was I who said it." Chu Changhe nodded.
"Zhao Ziying, since you're the Marshal's student — can it be you believe the Marshal would do such a thing as murder the Emperor!" Chu Xiong demanded, his two eyes bloodshot.
General Zhao Ziying said in silence, "I naturally don't believe this matter. But… in the factional strife of the empire, does the truth of a thing like this still matter? I don't wish to cut the Marshal down with my own hand; so long as the Marshal is willing to surrender, I'll join together with several of the military's high echelons, and, at the least, secure for the Marshal a… peaceful enjoyment of his twilight years."
Hearing this, Chu Xiong and the others were, oh, so furious beyond all measure; eyes glaring round, they could scarcely refrain from fighting the interstellar fleet opposite to a last mutual death.
And it was just at this moment that an anomaly appeared in the comm network.
The bridge crews on both sides of the comm sensed that an unidentified network signal was invading.
At this a comm window appeared, straightaway, on both ends.
A man clad in black military uniform sat in a captain's chair, wearing a faint smile, for all the world as though looking upon the people of both sides.
"His Excellency the General, as for the matter of how my old man is to spend his retirement, there's no need for your concern. And that 'hospitality' of yours toward my old man — that, too, I've noted down. But I have no wish to open a great slaughter before my old man's very face. You count, too, as half a student of the old man's; if you can turn a blind eye to this, that would be best of all. And if not… then let's fight it out."
Seeing this man, Chu Changhe was taken aback, and then laughed and scolded, "How'd you come here, you brat."
On the other side, General Zhao Ziying looked with narrowed eyes, seizing upon the identity-information of this man before him.
In truth there was no need to think too much about it, for upon the military uniform on his person there was already quite detailed information.
A dragon-patterned crest.
The Owl Dragon Legion… a young man… connected to Chu Changhe… and the identity presented itself of its own accord.
The lord of the Owl Dragon Star System, the culprit who'd slain the Third Prince Qin Hu.
Zhao Chen!