T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates and T4 Paladin-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Frigates closed slowly into a ring of encirclement about the Dragon-folk fleet groups' warships.
And after that came the shutting of the gate and the loosing of the hounds.
T3 Wolverine-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyers and T4 Skeleton-King-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyers took on this task; these two classes were for all the world like hunting dogs, "clearing away" every enemy ship within the ring.
And among this prey there were naturally some target groups a little harder to chew.
Those were left to the T3 Imperial-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships and the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleships.
Under the threat of these three strokes of the axe, the Owl Dragon Second Legion's advance was not affected in the least; the Dragon-folk warships they hemmed in fell into their pocket and were torn to pieces.
For all the world as though a paper-shredder had passed over them, leaving nothing but heap upon heap of wreckage.
This slaughter went on near an hour.
The Dragon-folk Thirteenth Fleet Group and Seventeenth Fleet Group were annihilated utterly here; save for a small number of Dragon-folk warships that shut down their engines, gave up resistance, and surrendered—
not one warship got out!
"Well, old ram — have you anything more to say?" Zhao Chen looked in mockery at that old fellow, whose spirit had gone clean out of him.
Elder Ram's eyes were vacant, like a corpse that had lost its soul; he made no sound.
While those councilor-leaders who had stood with the peace faction a moment ago now knelt outright before Zhao Chen, for all the world like clowns.
"Your Excellency the lord — a misunderstanding… this is all a misunderstanding… we were bewitched by that old creature; we never meant to betray the Revolutionary Army!" the rooster-headed beast-folk said fawningly.
"Yes, yes, yes! It was all that damned old ram; he threatened us! If we did not obey him, he would have the Dragon-folk tribe's fleets destroy us and slaughter our kin. We… we had no choice either." The boar-headed leader-councilor knelt on the ground, and made to crawl toward Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen.
But in the next second a laser bolt struck the floor directly in front of his head.
The black hole in the floor was still smoking.
The boar-headed leader-councilor's body went limp on the spot.
"We know we were wrong! Chieftain Ted, plead for us — we fought shoulder to shoulder together once!"
"General Charlotte, we beg you, spare us this once; I promise that from this day forth my lineage and I will obey your arrangements. Bid us go east and we shall never go west!"
For a time the conference room was full of wailing and crying of every sort.
The councilor-leaders who had opposed peace now fell to reviling these traitors one after another, and even threw things at them.
Zhao Chen took all of it in and said nothing, for all the world as though watching a circus.
The rooster-headed leader-councilor's feelings seemed to slip out of control; red-eyed, he looked at that soul-lost Elder Ram, flung himself upon him, and beat him while cursing.
"You stinking sheep — if you had not bewitched us, how should we have come to such a pass as this!"
Seeing it, the others swarmed up as well.
And thrashed this old senior who had, among the Revolutionary Army's leaders, once been counted a man of high standing and virtue.
"Charlotte, that old ram's frame is not up to much; don't let them take him apart," Zhao Chen said.
Charlotte at once ordered the crowd to stop; but perhaps their feelings had run away with them, for they did not hear at all, and went on beating Elder Ram.
In the end it took the soldiers about them hauling each man off by force before they were separated one by one.
"Bah — you undying old thing. Give me two more minutes and see if I don't peck you dead!" the rooster-headed leader-councilor cursed, his mouth full of wool.
And looking at Elder Ram now—
Zhao Chen very nearly failed to recognize him.
At the meeting's opening he had still seemed a man of standing and virtue; and now, in this state… the wool had been plucked clean off him, and both his horns snapped away.
Both eyes had been blacked by someone or other.
There was near enough no unmarked place left on his hide.
Sprawled on the floor now, he would, at a guess, be finished if he got no treatment.
And at this moment Charlotte spoke up from beside them. "Latest word received: at the other four fields, including the two Dragon-folk fleet groups that had meant to strike here— on discovering our Owl Dragon Legion fleets posted to intercept them, they chose at the first moment to withdraw. Only at some smaller fields was there local fire exchanged with other tribes' fleets; but happily, under our arrangements made beforehand, the losses were small."
Hearing this, the councilor-leaders cheered without cease.
And looked at this human lord with the greater awe.
Two Dragon-folk fleet groups annihilated entire, and the rest cowed and driven off outright.
The other Dragon-folk fleet groups had, at a guess, learned of the fighting here, and in their shock — to keep so grievous a case from happening again — chose first to withdraw and take longer counsel.
For mighty though the Dragon-folk tribe were, of fleet groups such as these they held only 20.
And here, at a stroke, they had lost a tenth of them.
Whose heart would not ache at that?
"With this, our Revolutionary Army's crisis is lifted for the present." As Chieftainess Hu Ya spoke, her lovely eyes were on Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen.
At this hour that Commander-in-Chief rose, walked slowly over, and looked down upon this once high-standing Elder Ram before him.
"Have you anything to say now?"
Elder Ram lifted his head, forcing his blackened eyes open, and looked at this tall man before him.
"Can you… truly… defeat the Dragon-folk tribe… and overthrow the Warhammer's present order?"
"If I say I can, will you believe it?" Zhao Chen said with a smile.
Elder Ram laughed, and shut his eyes, unburdened. "I was wrong. I was wrong past all reckoning. My lord, I do not ask your pardon; I ask only that you treat my lineage well. They are guiltless."
Zhao Chen said nothing, and only waved a hand.
Charlotte understood the meaning of it, and had men take Elder Ram away.
As for the other councilors, not one dared ask after him.
A man who does wrong must naturally pay the price.
The more so as, had this man's Owl Dragon Legion not arrived in good time and broken this plot—
it might well have been they who died.
"That… my lord, as for them and… and their lineages… how do you mean to deal with them?" Chieftain Ted looked at Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen with some anxiety.
He feared Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen might open a great slaughter.
"Set your mind at rest; I am not a man who kills wantonly. Their kin behind them — so long as investigation establishes they had nothing to do with this business, I shall not touch them." Zhao Chen said it mildly.
Elder Ram might die; but the ram-folk behind him were among the more numerous of the many tribes, and Zhao Chen could not possibly kill them all.
Zhao Chen's gaze swept over the other councilor-leaders who had gone over to the peace faction. "Your guilt makes it unfitting for you to go on sitting in the seats you hold now. Do you understand my meaning?"
Those councilor-leaders understood at once, and nodded without cease.
"We shall yield our seats the moment we return!"
Zhao Chen looked to Charlotte.
Charlotte walked up before these men and let each of them see a roster, upon which stood several names — all of them their own kin.
Chosen with care by Zhao Chen, and already approached in private by Charlotte besides.
The meaning of it was plain enough.
"Do you truly mean to let them off?" Midai'er had slipped up behind Zhao Chen at some point, and asked it in a low voice.
Zhao Chen looked at this white-tiger girl, nine parts like Charlotte, and felt a natural liking for her.
And said in a low voice, "I said they need not die. I never said I would let them live well. It happens my slaughterhouse over there is short a few laborers. Let the rooster-headed one go and kill chickens, and the boar-headed one go and slaughter pigs…"
Midai'er looked at Zhao Chen in astonishment — and yet showed not the least distaste for the arrangement.
Instead she raised a thumb. "That arrangement of yours — I think it's a very fine one."