The whole company of councilor-leaders gulped, watching the Owl Dragon lord sit back down in his place.
And then looked at that Minotaur councilor-leader — a great burly fellow, but with his spirit gone clean out of him, as though he had suffered some manner of humiliation, sitting where he was with a pale face.
And could not help casting a look of sympathy upon him.
"Who else wishes to discuss things with me? I have always been a most democratic man; whatever the problem, we can discuss it slowly." Zhao Chen looked with narrowed, smiling eyes at the whole company of beast-folk councilors about the conference table.
That smile, for reasons none of them could say, gave these councilor-leaders a feeling of blood running cold — as though each of them were a dish set out before the man.
At this moment no one dared say half a word more.
"Since no one speaks, then you agree," Zhao Chen said.
"I am wholly in accord with the Owl Dragon lord's view," Chieftain Ted said, taking it up first.
"I am in accord as well; this is all for our Revolutionary Army's future development," Chieftainess Hu Ya said.
With these two to break the road open, the others could only voice their agreement in turn.
And what could they do but agree?
Had they any other road to choose?
"Very well. Let me set out the particulars. First, those places I marked just now — withdraw from all of them within three days. Mark me: I give you three days only. If any man drags his feet and hinders my plans hereafter— then do not blame me for showing no courtesy." Zhao Chen's eyes narrowed.
The next moment his face changed, and he went on with a smiling manner: "And then there is the matter of the Revolutionary Army's transformation. I propose the establishment of a political order — to be called… the 'Hundred Beasts Alliance.' And since it is an alliance, it must have someone to call the shots. I propose that General Charlotte take that place as the Alliance's leader."
Zhao Chen pointed at Charlotte, seated beside him.
Hearing that it was Charlotte who was to be set in that place, most of them were, though with some reluctance, convinced of it in their hearts.
As for the tribal kinsmen under their hands, those would have no objection whatever.
Because the Dragon-Tiger Legion's record over this stretch had already made Charlotte the most highly regarded existence within the whole Revolutionary Army!
"The Dragon-Tiger Legion, as the elite force, will remain under Alliance Leader Charlotte's own direct charge. The legion fleets formerly held by the Revolutionary Army's several tribes — those so-called 300,000 interstellar warships— of them, only the interstellar warships of T2-grade and above; which does not, mind you, include any of those venerable old hulls that have been in service two or three hundred years. With these a new Hundred Beasts Legion force will be raised, established for the present at 100 legion fleets — that is, 300,000 interstellar warships. The shortfall in that number our Owl Dragon star system will supply directly. Note well: this is not a free gift, but war aid for consideration; once the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth's old order has been overthrown in time to come, these are to be repaid," Zhao Chen said.
That last line of Zhao Chen's, most of those present chose to ignore.
They had heard only those few words.
The Owl Dragon star system supplies the interstellar warships.
100 legion fleets… 300,000 interstellar warships.
"Your meaning is that you will help us build legion fleets of 300,000 warships, all T2-grade and above — and that we may make use of those interstellar warships of the Dragon-Tiger Legion's as well!" Chieftainess Hu Ya asked in astonishment.
Before this, everyone had envied the Owl Dragon-series interstellar warships in the Dragon-Tiger Legion's service, which upon the field could commonly take on 10 times their number, and even annihilate an enemy of a grade above their own.
But there was nothing to be done: apart from a few occasions when Charlotte, for the sake of binding allies and the like, had made a present of a small number of Owl Dragon-series interstellar warships to a few of the councilor-leaders—
the rest of the Owl Dragon-series interstellar warships were fitted out to the Dragon-Tiger Legion alone.
And now the Owl Dragon lord was opening that privilege to them.
As for its being aid for consideration and so forth — was that of any importance?
Win the fight before them first, and speak of it after.
"And who is to command these Hundred Beasts Alliance legion fleets?" Hu Xin'er asked a question of the first importance — and one the other councilors were curious about besides.
Zhao Chen had just now had them surrender jurisdiction over those old fleets of theirs; so as to the authority over these Hundred Beasts Alliance legion fleets, they must by all means contend for a share.
The territories lost counted for nothing.
They understood very well that authority over the army was what mattered most.
Whoever controls the army has the say!
Zhao Chen naturally saw through what these people were thinking.
"The men to manage these legion fleets we shall choose upon merit, with preference to serving senior officers in the several tribal fleets. Though as I said before, a certain quantity of rotten fish and rotten shrimp must be cleared away; we cannot have our good fleets handed into the keeping of a pack of good-for-nothings. So they must pass an examination. And Charlotte will review and assign the appointments at the last. You gentlemen present are also the Revolutionary Army's old seniors. I shall have Charlotte allot a certain number of places to you; but I stress one point — they must be people of ability. I trust that with your tribes' flourishing numbers, you cannot possibly be unable to find so much as one talent in military administration?" Zhao Chen said it with a laugh.
Having struck them with the stick, he must naturally give them a little sweetness — and paint them a few great pancakes besides.
As for whether military authority would truly be handed to them—
if the man were a genuine talent, then of course he would be used.
The more so as the interstellar warships in question were the ones Zhao Chen provided; he could set his mind quite at rest.
"And one thing further: you gentlemen must certainly feel some grievance at my making you give up those territories won with no small trouble. That too I can understand. But set your minds at rest. One week! One week at the most. I shall take an entire star region; and by that time there will be a great many vacant administrative posts, for which you gentlemen may all have first consideration. Think of it: what interest is there in administering a place where the birds don't defecate? How is that to compare, for a sense of achievement, with administering a whole star region? And this one is only the beginning. After it there will be a second, and a third. Indeed, by the time the Warhammer's old order is overthrown, you gentlemen will all have merit to your names; perhaps every one of you may get a star region of his own to administer. Do not, for these petty fly's-head profits before you, give up a beautiful future!" Zhao Chen painted these people a truly enormous pancake.
Though this was not mere pancake-painting either, for Zhao Chen would very shortly make good upon some of these promises.
Only so could this crew be brought to follow obediently beneath Charlotte's banner.
At this moment, of the councilor-leaders about the conference table, a part had already had their passion kindled and looked with longing toward that beautiful tomorrow; while a part still held to an attitude of doubt.
Zhao Chen leaned close to Charlotte's ear beside him. "The rest of this I leave to you to arrange. Remember: cut the tangled hemp with a swift blade. Settle the troublesome matters now, and spare yourself worse trouble later."
Charlotte nodded; she knew the Commander-in-Chief's meaning.
What the Commander-in-Chief was doing now was all of it for her sake.
And she would not fail these arrangements of his.
She would win the whole realm of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth for the Commander-in-Chief!
From this day the Hundred Beasts Alliance stepped formally onto the stage of this beast-folk world, and Charlotte too passed on from being a mere general, a goddess of war—
to a higher stage than that.
The birth of an Alliance Leader!
"You said just now that you meant to go and take a star region? Which do you mean to attack?" While Charlotte went off to arrange those matters of detail—
Midai'er sidled up beside Zhao Chen and asked it in a low voice.
Zhao Chen said, with an air of great mystery, "This quarry your White-Tiger tribe knows best of all. Since we are to try our strength against the Warhammer's rulers, let us pick first the one whose name rings loudest. This is, after all, the Hundred Beasts Alliance's first battle."
Midai'er's pupils dilated wider and wider; she looked at Zhao Chen in shock and excitement, and out of her mouth came the name of that tribe.