"You have it half right. Showing the enemy weakness can make a part of them careless. The Holy Radiance Empire's people have always kept their eyes fixed above everyone's heads. And on the Warhammer side, owing to their system, the scale looks very great, but the command apparatus is in fact much confused; those tribal fleets obey the Dragon Emperor's orders on the face of it. While the real control remains in the hands of those tribal chieftains. If in their eyes we are a paper tiger — and a succulent paper tiger at that — what do you suppose certain of them will do?" Zhao Chen asked with a light smile.
Chieftainess Hu Ya said without hesitation, "They will attack of their own accord without the least ceremony, like a pack of mad dogs, and seize what resources they can."
Zhao Chen nodded.
"Just so. And this is the Warhammer coalition's one fatal defect. The command apparatus of a great campaign of this kind must achieve one mind throughout; and once there appear within an army people who will not obey orders and act on their own authority— the whole situation is thrown into confusion. That Dragon Emperor must naturally consider the larger situation, and will be forced against his will to alter his original operational strategy; and under a command apparatus pulling this way and that, it is like a soldier with his hands tied. Their Warhammer coalition's fighting power will suffer before the fighting even begins."
Chieftainess Hu Ya nodded; there was no fault in the reasoning.
There have been examples of this in history long since.
In war it is commonly a leader who can grasp an army wholly who can better lead that army to victory.
As with the Owl Dragon Legion's present system.
"Let the shells fly a while longer yet. No hurry, no hurry. And when it becomes necessary, our Owl Dragon Legion may go up and play a part in the theatricals too. For this play must be acted convincingly." Zhao Chen said it serene as a light cloud in a calm wind.
For five days together thereafter.
The situation upon every battlefield was essentially one-sided.
The Warhammer coalition and the Holy Radiance expeditionary force gained an enormous advantage.
Wherever they chose to attack, they commonly met only the slightest resistance before the enemy fled in disorder and yielded the position to them.
In the Black Tiger Star Region above all, they had by now taken direct control of above 10 star systems.
"What is going on here? Why has the Owl Dragon Legion been avoiding battle with us all this while?" Princess Blanche looked at the interstellar holo-table before her and knit her brows.
Of all the battle reports received so far, the Owl Dragon Legion's losses did not exceed 300 interstellar warships.
And she doubted deeply whether even that figure was true.
This campaign's progress was wholly unlike what she had anticipated.
Everything was going far too smoothly.
And on this Black Tiger Star Region battlefield above all.
"Report — an unexpected situation. Certain tribal fleets have acted on their own authority." A subordinate suddenly reported the news up.
"What? Acted on their own authority?" Princess Blanche was astonished.
"Yes. They asked leave to give battle, saying they meant to recover those systems of the Black Tiger Star Region; but without waiting for headquarters' permission, they have already left their stations. This has occurred at the other two battlefields as well. The Holy Radiance Empire's expeditionary force requires us to abide by the operational orders as laid down and act in concert, or they will refuse the next stage of military action," the subordinate said.
Princess Blanche knit her brows, an angry color in both eyes. "Those swine — the campaign is not even over, and already they are thinking of fishing up their profit."
How should Blanche not know what this crowd were thinking?
They spoke of fishing up profit; in fact they meant to seize first those fallen systems of the Black Tiger Star Region, and the interests in the other theaters besides, and scoop up what they could.
"Get me Leona, and the chieftains of the other great tribes! I mean to convene a headquarters conference." Blanche gave the order at once.
The Warhammer coalition this time was, on the face of it, under Blanche and Leona jointly as supreme commanders, standing for the Dragon Emperor.
With the chieftains of the twenty great tribes serving thereafter as headquarters members.
A conference channel soon opened.
But several of the video windows were, astonishingly, dark — signifying that those parties were absent.
Which left Blanche's face very ill indeed.
And among them were the Three Giants' tribes: the Giant Lion tribe, the Minotaur tribe, and the Fox-folk tribe.
"What is it? Why convene a conference all at once?" Leona looked at Blanche in puzzlement.
Blanche said gravely, "I hold that certain unstable elements have appeared within our coalition. I require that all military action stop now, and that we first set our coalition fleets in order. And that those tribal fleets which disobeyed orders and acted on their own authority be severely punished."
Hearing this from Princess Blanche, the other great tribes' chieftains naturally understood what this princess meant to do.
Before they could open their mouths.
Princess Leona was the first to object. "Why should we stop the attack? Everything is going very smoothly for us now. At our present speed of movement, in two more days we can encircle the Black Tiger Star Region's First Star System. And by then we can annihilate the rebel army of the Black Tiger Star Region entire, and those damnable Owl Dragon Legion fleets besides! The situation at the other battlefields is going most smoothly too. I hear that over in the Sacred Plume Star Region a general offensive can be launched in another day."
At the thought that she might wash away her old shame, Princess Leona was excited past all bearing.
"Have you not seen the confusion in our coalition's command at present! In a state like this, to launch a general offensive and a decisive battle on our own authority will only produce more casualties among us. And besides, I feel there is something very wrong with the Owl Dragon Legion's military dispositions so far — they have not engaged us head-on at all. I suspect they have some other arrangement in hand; we cannot act rashly!" Princess Blanche cried out loudly.
Princess Leona retorted at once, "I hold that you are thinking too much! We now have 1,600,000 interstellar warships in all. That the Owl Dragon Legion should shrink from battle in cowardice — is that not a most natural thing? I even think that next they will presumably choose to slink back to the Owl Dragon star system with their tails between their legs. It is only that at present they cannot bear to abandon the ground they have taken here. If we do not seize the time and act, then this crew will all of them escape. And by then, would you have us pursue them to the Owl Dragon star system!"
"Princess Blanche, I hold that you have too many misgivings. The Owl Dragon Legion is very strong, granted; but their Owl Dragon Legion has under 20,000 interstellar warships, and has come a long road to fight besides. The remaining Dragon-Tiger Legion has fine combat power, but it is only a match for our own Dragon-folk fleet groups. As for that newly raised Hundred Beasts Legion or whatever it is — how much combat power can that pack of trash out of the rebel army have? We have 1,600,000 interstellar warships, and two Sacred-Light Legions besides! This campaign we must certainly win!"
"Just so, just so. As I see it, there is no need even to rest now; let us kill our way straight across. And if we can seize a few Owl Dragon Legion interstellar warships to study, perhaps we may even break through in our own technology." The great tribes' chieftains chimed in one after another.
Set beside the half-dragon, half-human Princess Blanche, the pure-blooded dragon Princess Leona had the better of them in popular favor.
Though it may also have been because Princess Leona indulged their seizing of spoils.
At this moment Princess Blanche looked at this crowd as though looking upon one crafty, scheming face after another.
"Enough, my dear sister. Let us act by our original plan. Two days hence, I shall encircle the Black Tiger Star Region and wipe out the Owl Dragon Legion!" Princess Leona said it with confidence.