"If you hadn't told me before to let you know the first instant, should the Holy Radiance Empire or the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth make contact — I'd have deleted this message the moment I saw it." Chu Changhe gave a yawn.
Waging a civil war against the Starlight royal house though he was, a thing like throwing in with an enemy nation, leading an alien race across the border — that he would never do.
"Then leave this matter to me." Zhao Chen looked at Chu Changhe, a flicker of excitement in his eyes.
"You're off to stir up trouble again, aren't you? Well, since you have a notion, then I'll leave it to you. I'll send the Holy Radiance Empire a reply on my end, saying you're my representative and speak for me in full," Chu Changhe said.
Zhao Chen nodded, and looked at the somewhat weary-faced Chu Changhe: "How goes the fighting on your side?"
"It's the fourth month now; the combat expenditure's running far higher than we'd reckoned. If Xuan-er hadn't urgently laid in another batch of strategic materials before, by all estimates we'd be down to spent shells and empty granaries by now. Still, I reckon we won't be able to hold out to the sixth month. I've tried going on the offensive a few times, driving into the Starlight Central Star Region. But the Starlight Central Star Region is thick with defensive fortresses; on my strength alone, taking them is easy, holding them hard — never mind driving straight through to strike the Imperial Capital Star. Happily, though, there's no great problem with our defense as things stand," Chu Changhe said.
"Which is to say, you can hold on at least two more months, yes?" Zhao Chen asked in earnest.
Chu Changhe nodded: "Two months is no problem at all."
"Good, then. Starting next month, I'll supply you, Governor, with 50 billion star coins' worth of strategic resources a month — that should ease, for the moment, the pressure on your combat-expenditure side," Zhao Chen said.
"50 billion a month?" Chu Changhe looked at Zhao Chen in astonishment: "You've made headway on those star-system resources out there? But you've only had it in hand three months and more — how could it be this fast?"
"Old sir, this side of things you needn't trouble over. All you need do now is fight well, and make sure the situation doesn't fall into disadvantage," Zhao Chen said with a light laugh.
"You, boy — all mysterious." Chu Changhe pursed his lips.
"Oh, right — one more thing to ask you. Old sir, is your side well-stocked with war-ready personnel?" Zhao Chen suddenly put in.
"War-ready personnel? Plenty. My Chu River Star Region's short of everything just now — everything but war-ready personnel. If need be, I could even haul out a whole corps of veterans!" Chu Changhe said, swearing it with an oath.
"Then I'm set at ease," Zhao Chen said with a smile.
"Set at ease about what? I've noticed you've been all secretive this stretch of time — as if there's something you're keeping from me. Are we still allies or not? My granddaughter is, after all, your not-yet-wedded bride!" Chu Changhe said, a threat seeming to lurk in his words, eyeing Zhao Chen sidelong.
Zhao Chen shrugged, and said: "Some things, before they're nailed down, are best kept hidden a while. To speak plainly — it's your people I can't quite set my mind at ease about. After all, I've heard that even the brothers who've followed you many years had a royal-house mole among them. I'm not easy, just now, about telling you some of my secrets. But I won't keep you waiting long."
"You, boy — still don't trust me…" Chu Changhe was a touch nettled; but thinking on his own situation, there did seem to be nothing much he could say to that.
"All right — I have a few military conferences yet to attend on my end. I'll not go on chattering with you, boy. If you have the time, talk with Chu Xuan more. The pressure on her now is far greater than on me. I hear she's still drawing up combat tasks — near a full day and night now without rest. Your own bride, and you feel no tenderness for her?" Chu Changhe finished, and cut the video comm outright.
Chu Xuan…
It did seem he'd not been in touch with the girl a while.
Zhao Chen thought a moment, then pressed that comm address.
Very nearly the instant he did, the other end connected.
"Hi — what made you think to contact me?" Chu Xuan looked at Zhao Chen with a face full of smiles, a projection of an interstellar map behind her; by the look of it she must be somewhere like a war-room.
"A certain old man says that if I don't come and show my bride some tenderness soon, I'll be losing her." Zhao Chen teased.
Chu Xuan's face went red at once.
Stammering, she murmured bashfully: "Who… who… who's your bride."
"Haven't you gone a long while without rest?" Zhao Chen asked, deliberately putting on a stern face.
"Not at all — I slept five or six hours just now! I'm full of energy!" Chu Xuan said, feigning briskness.
Through the screen though it was, Zhao Chen could still see the bloodshot in Chu Xuan's eyes.
"Go to sleep this instant," Zhao Chen said sternly.
"But…"
"Right now, this moment — hand off the work in your hands to your subordinates, then leave your office. Go back to your quarters and rest!" Zhao Chen said in righteous, ringing terms.
"I have still a great deal of work on hand…" Chu Xuan wore a look of difficulty.
"Don't make me use my methods — hack into your interstellar warship's comm system and broadcast, ship-wide, my nagging at my own bride to go to sleep. If you want to give it a try, I can oblige you."
Hearing this, Chu Xuan gave a start of fright.
If Zhao Chen truly did that, it would be an execution on the spot!
What face would she have left to direct the work aboard her own flagship!
"Don't! I'll go rest right now!" Chu Xuan, pouting, obediently agreed.
She knew that when Zhao Chen said such a thing, he'd surely do it.
"Good girl — mind and behave," Zhao Chen said.
Chu Xuan's cheeks flushed; who knew what was in her heart.
In a few minutes she handed her work off to her subordinates, charging them to contact her the instant any emergency arose.
Only then did she obediently return to her captain's quarters.
"There — now you can set your mind at ease, can't you." Chu Xuan pouted.
"I'm going to watch you rest. If you dare close the video comm, I'll come find you this instant," Zhao Chen said.
Chu Xuan gave a start, and said, cheeks crimson: "Watch… watch… watch me sleep… this… this is outrageous, it won't do! How can you be so overbearing — whoever heard of watching a girl sleep."
"What's wrong with watching my own bride sleep? Don't tell me you sleep without your clothes on?" The corner of Zhao Chen's mouth curled faintly upward; he'd found that teasing this fiancée of his now and again was rather good fun.
Chu Xuan wore a look of shamed vexation.
To have a man near her own age watch her sleep — this was a thing that had never once happened in all her life.
Too mortifying.
But however Chu Xuan sparred with Zhao Chen, on this matter Zhao Chen wouldn't yield an inch.
Chu Xuan could only, with a thoroughly wronged air, obediently change into her sleepwear and lie down on the bed.
"There — satisfied now?" Chu Xuan pouted, wearing a face of great indignation.
"Rest well, and no sneaking off to work!" Zhao Chen made a little gesture at his own eyes, signaling that he'd be watching her the whole while.
Chu Xuan hissed and bared her teeth at Zhao Chen.
But before long, Zhao Chen heard the even sound of her breathing.
Looking at that lovely sleeping face, Zhao Chen let show a trace of a smile.
He muted the sound on his own end, and shrank the window to its smallest — but kept it always within his line of sight.
"Lilith, get in touch with the Holy Radiance Empire's side. Tell them I'm willing to have a talk with them. Arrange a time," Zhao Chen said, contacting Secretary Lilith to see to the matter.
The Holy Radiance Empire — this was Zhao Chen's first dealing with them.
In the rumors, the mightiest interstellar empire within the Galactic Alliance!