Having given Chu Xuan a brief account of a few matters, Zhao Chen brought the comm to an end.
Afterward Chu Xuan would lead a fleet to come and receive them; at the same time, Chu Changhe had some arrangements besides.
"You, boy — just how much interstellar-warship technology have you got a grip on?" Chu Changhe looked at Zhao Chen with suspicion.
"A little, a little." Zhao Chen held up two fingers and marked off a length of a few centimeters.
Chu Changhe rolled his eyes.
"A little? And yet you had that T3-grade interstellar missile ship self-developed and self-built — what's that one called again?"
"The T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship."
"Judicator — that's a fine name. When the interstellar missiles carpet the field in a blanket of firepower, it does have that flavor to it. It's just a touch of a money-burner; if one were purchasing the interstellar missiles from outside, there aren't many who could afford to keep this ship-class. And then you've now got the T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser — I see you have 10 of them already. Apart from that, your Owl Dragon Legion is, one and all, T3-grade interstellar warships. In outsiders' eyes, I'd reckon, there's only the Royal Legion that could match itself against you," Chu Changhe said.
"Then in your view — my Owl Dragon Legion, and the Royal Legion, just which is the stronger!" Zhao Chen inquired with curiosity.
"On the strength both your sides show on the surface as things stand — given no other interstellar legion intervenes — your Owl Dragon Legion wins beyond doubt. The Royal Legion takes the T4 Starlight Emperor-class Medium Carrier Starship as its strategic core, with the T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship in support. Its positioning has all along been that sort of long-range strike warfare, relying on interstellar fighters and interstellar drones, and then relying on its other conventional T3 interstellar warships to secure the victory. But in this respect your T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship is not a hair inferior — it in no way fears this sort of interstellar air-battle; when you matched yourself against the Third Prince's fleet before, you must have seen this too. And besides, the long-range firepower output of your interstellar missile ships can bring a powerful suppression to bear on the enemy's fleet. As for the other ship-classes — apart from the T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship, which might be somewhat troublesome to handle — the other T3-grade interstellar warships, set against your T3 interstellar warships, simply aren't in the same class; it's a flat steamrolling." Chu Changhe analyzed.
Zhao Chen nodded; this was likewise the analysis Charlotte had given him before.
Never mind that Zhao Chen had annihilated several T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships with ease — that hadn't been by winning through a head-on hard fight; it had been, wholly, a gang-beating.
First the interstellar-missile bombardment, then, in concert with interstellar warships of the various classes — the T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser as the main attacker, the other T3-grade interstellar warships as wingman ships — in the end, one T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship annihilated.
"Come to think of it, I heard from Chu Xuan. That T4-grade interstellar destroyer you promised me before — you can deliver the sample ship and the technical blueprints to me by the end of this year." Chu Changhe suddenly fixed Zhao Chen with a 'greedy-eyed' sort of look.
"There's less than half a year left now till year's end; is there any result you can let me see first?"
Zhao Chen said at once, "The time we agreed on is the time — even if there's only half a year left, you'll have to wait out the half year. Surely you can't be unable to wait out even this half year."
"I can wait, all right — I'm just afraid certain fellows won't give us the time." Chu Changhe seemed to have some other meaning in his words; his look was somewhat grave.
"Rest easy. When the time comes I'll be sure to prepare you a T4-grade interstellar destroyer of downright outstanding value for money." Zhao Chen, for all the world like an old friend, clapped Chu Changhe on the shoulder.
Chu Changhe said nothing, a certain depth in his eyes.
"As for what comes next — what plans have you, old sir? As things stand, it's reckoned a thorough falling-out with the Prince Faction. Even if you don't revolt, the Prince Faction absolutely won't suffer you to live." Zhao Chen looked at Chu Changhe.
Chu Changhe heaved a long sigh.
"I understand the present situation clearly. I'm not the sort for foolish loyalty; since they mean to kill me, I won't hand my head over to them so obediently. I have still my clansmen, and my people, to protect. And there are still those enemies who've all along coveted our interstellar homeland to fend off. Only… to have my Chu family take the high seat — that I cannot do. I'm not the stuff for it, and neither is Chu Xuan. We Chu are skilled at commanding troops, but not at governing a state; were the Starlight Empire handed into my keeping, it might even last a shorter span than under the Prince Faction's governance. And there'd be many who wouldn't accept it — it might even lead outright to the Starlight Empire's splitting apart."
Zhao Chen nodded; one who can fight isn't necessarily one who can govern, and one who can govern isn't necessarily one who can fight.
If a man held both of these, then he'd be what's called a heaven-chosen son.
But Chu Changhe's present dilemma — Zhao Chen could, as it happened, settle it.
"Old sir, for this worry of yours, I have a remedy here that can cure it." Zhao Chen looked at Chu Changhe mysteriously.
Chu Changhe looked at Zhao Chen with suspicion.
"You have a way?"
Zhao Chen nodded, then let a few words out of his mouth: "The little Princess is in my hands."
Chu Changhe's eyes went wide all at once; he looked at Zhao Chen in astonishment.
Very soon, he grasped what lay within it, and pointed at Zhao Chen.
"Before this, Qin Hu was pursuing the little Princess's fleet in the Grey Moon Star Region, but was set upon and stopped by a mysterious fleet. The little Princess's fleet was taken away by this mysterious fleet, and suddenly its whereabouts were unknown; they turned the whole Grey Moon Star Region upside down and couldn't find a sight of it. I'd puzzled over this before too, and could never come to an answer. That T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship! So the man behind it all was you!"
Zhao Chen gave a hee-hee laugh.
"Keep it quiet, keep it quiet."
"Where's the little Princess now?" Chu Changhe asked.
"In my Owl Dragon star system — very safe. The problem you were worried about before, of what comes after the Prince Faction's overthrow — I've now solved that problem for you. The little Princess is beyond doubt the finest choice," Zhao Chen said.
Chu Changhe nodded, rubbing at his stubbled chin.
"That's no problem, indeed. I've had contact with the little Princess a few times; though she may not be very suited to serving as Empress, under the Starlight Empire's present plight, she's the only choice."
"How many people in this world are born already knowing how to be an emperor or an empress? If she doesn't know, she'll learn it slowly, be taught it slowly," Zhao Chen said indifferently.
Chu Changhe went on: "Since we have now a just cause to raise arms in, then there's only one last problem left to settle. And that's our reserves of strategic resources. We've now torn open our faces with the Prince Faction; once the interstellar war begins, both sides' strategic resources will be consumed at a headlong rate. Our Chu family legion may be strong, but we haven't too much in the way of strategic resources to draw upon. In half a year at the most, the stored strategic resources will be spent to the dregs. And the Prince Faction, so long as they drag it out, are bound to hold the winning hand."
"As for the matter of strategic resources, I have a scheme for that too." Zhao Chen looked at Chu Changhe with a smiling squint.
Chu Changhe looked at that smile of Zhao Chen's, and couldn't shake the feeling — why was this fellow's smile a touch like his own, in a way that set one's teeth a little on edge to look at?
"Speak."
"The strategic resources of the Chu River Star Region and the North Wind Star Region aren't enough to sustain this interstellar campaign before us. But we can look further afield," Zhao Chen said with a smiling squint.