The communication with his elder sister ended.
Zhao Chen looked at the several senior officers of the Owl Dragon Legion now gathered before him.
Charlotte, Lilith, Chitong, Shen Bing, Chu Xuan…
"I think you have all had the intelligence by now. It is the latest word sent back by the T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth-Scout Ship we posted to watch and hold that lane running from the Demon Race to the Warhammer. A Demon Race fleet called the Red Demon Legion has gathered 10 legion fleets, above 300,000 demon-line interstellar warships. And means to launch a second round of attack upon us," Zhao Chen said.
"300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships — then that is above 30,000 T4-grade interstellar warships!" Shen Bing exclaimed.
"Are there T5-grade interstellar warships?" Chitong asked warily.
Lilith helped to answer from beside them. "By the word we have at present there are T5-grade demon-line interstellar warships, but the particular number, and the particular models and types, we cannot yet determine."
"And when will they arrive?" Medusa inquired.
"It is projected they will reach the Dragon-folk tribe's border country about the 20th of December, and after a brief refitting will launch their attack upon us. From the intelligence we intercepted, this Red Demon Legion's demon marshal is the same supreme commander who sent the four demon legions before. He is much displeased with the earlier defeat, and so has sent 10 demon legions this time, wishing to wash away the former shame. By my estimate their attack will come very fast," said Lilith.
"The 20th? Then that leaves about five days to make ready." Su Lan knit her brows slightly.
"At present our three newly raised Owl Dragon legions have only just been posted to service, and in combat experience and combat capacity they have not yet been tried in a real engagement. And over in the Holy Radiance Empire besides, this while past we have sent out three Owl Dragon legions to assist the Holy Radiance Empire in holding off the interstellar hive-race. Were they all moved away at such a time, it would leave the order the Holy Radiance Empire has established with such difficulty at risk of collapse. Which would not serve the stability of the Holy Radiance Empire's polity," Chu Xuan said.
She raised this matter because her own Owl Dragon Fifth Legion was supreme commander over that local field in the Holy Radiance Empire.
Though Zhao Chen, out of regard for the Demon Race threat, had not gone about the encirclement and destruction of the interstellar hive-race pouring from that permanent Grade-5 cosmic bug-nest in the Holy Radiance Empire with any great flourish.
He had all the same sent his own regular fleets to help, only with such requirements laid on them as not to grow too fond of a fight, and not to fight battles of attrition.
Happily their luck this while had been tolerable, and no second T5 Hive Mothership had emerged from that permanent Grade-5 cosmic bug-nest.
And that first T5 Hive Mothership, perhaps nursing its wounds, had not appeared again this while either.
With no T5 Hive Mothership appearing upon the frontal field, the pressure upon Saint Cana was a good deal less.
But if, while they were engaged with the Demon Race, the back courtyard here in the Holy Radiance Empire took fire, that would assuredly be exceedingly thorny.
This was a question that must be reckoned with.
"I think we should settle it fast and settle it quickly!" Charlotte said gravely.
"These are 300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships, not those rotten fish and shrimp we fought before in the Starlight Empire or in the Warhammer. And there are other fields to be regarded besides; to settle it fast and quickly is no such easy matter," Shen Bing cautioned.
"But we have a great instrument of slaughter now," said Charlotte.
At Charlotte's words the eyes of the other commanders could not help brightening.
And with one accord they looked toward the Commander.
Zhao Wan'er was first to put the question to her own elder brother. "Brother — can it be our…"
Zhao Chen nodded with a smile. "Though these interstellar warships will not be arranged into the regular legion fleets for service just yet; they will take my transfer orders directly, and carry out special tasks upon the field."
Hearing this, these commanders were somewhat disappointed.
They had supposed they might be changing flagships.
But within themselves they felt pride all the same for these great instruments of slaughter the Owl Dragon Legion had gained.
And no chance now did not mean no chance hereafter.
"I too agree with Charlotte's proposal of settling it fast and quickly. And I think we possess besides the conditions for settling it fast and quickly at present." Zhao Chen raised a hand and opened a star chart.
This was a very large star chart, taking in the Warhammer's territory, and beyond the Warhammer's northern holdings, reaching all the way to the Demon Race's territory.
Within it, the territory the Machine Race controlled, and those star districts under cosmic disaster the year round, were shown in black.
So that one could see with perfect clarity that long narrow lane.
Zhao Chen pointed at that lane. "Do you not feel that this one lane leading to our side is precisely our advantage! We may perfectly well spring an ambush upon the enemy here!"
Zhao Wan'er's eyes lit up; she had thought of her elder brother's plan, and said outright, "Is it to use the T3 Ranger-type Interstellar Warp Interceptors!"
Before this, Zhao Wan'er, following her own elder brother, had taken part in an ambush of just this kind, and a most exhilarating fight it had been.
"This while past I had Annie see besides to the rush-building of a batch of T4-grade interstellar warp interceptors. When the time comes, these two models of interstellar warp interceptor can be used in concert with one another," said Zhao Chen.
This T4-grade interstellar warp interceptor did not cost very much, so Zhao Chen had redeemed it outright.
For at the time, looking at that long narrow lane, he had felt it a born route for an ambush — for all the world like a sheep-gut path running through a valley.
There was besides a long narrow lane of the same kind running from the Holy Radiance Empire to the Angel Race; and though Zhao Chen wished for an alliance with the Angel Race.
As the common saying has it: one must harbor no intent to harm others, but must never be without the intent to guard against them.
So Zhao Chen had made his preparations long since.
For friends there is fine wine; for enemies, ship's guns.
"There is no problem with this battle plan. But the enemy would seem to be guarding against this very thing. Those three demon legions that fled in the earlier fighting are stationed at the mouth of this lane. For a few interstellar scout ships to steal quietly across is no trouble at all. But our interstellar legion fleets, being so vast, have simply no way of crossing over to lay an ambush for the main demon legions without alarming them. And were we to finish those three demon legion fleets, they would assuredly send word to the rear; and the rear fleet, coming on afterward, would assuredly be most wary, so that our ambush plan would be very hard to bring off. And as for using the T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship, we have looked into that before as well. Because the star-heavens flanking this lane lie under cosmic disaster the year round, the space there is exceedingly unstable. It can satisfy warp navigation and star-gate passage, and no more. For a technology such as spatial jumping, which requires space to be exceedingly stable, the risk is very great!" Chitong cautioned warily.
Zhao Chen smiled slightly. "That too we have reckoned with. We shall not use spatial jumping; we shall kill our way straight across!"
Chitong was blank a moment; then she seemed to catch at something, and asked Lilith hurriedly, "Those 10 demon legion fleets, coming over from the Demon Race's territory under warp navigation — how long do they need?"
Lilith answered, "20 hours."
Chitong woke to it on the instant, and looked to the Commander in excitement. "Commander, your thought. Is that we use the moment those 10 demon legion fleets set out — when, being in the warp-navigation phase, they cannot conduct quantum communication. And within those 20 hours annihilate the three demon legions at that lane-mouth position. And then, at some position, set our interstellar warp interceptors, lay our ambush, and wait by the stump for the hare!"
Zhao Chen nodded, and a cold gleam flickered in his eyes.
"To prepare the ambush requires five hours' time. So what I need from you is a battle plan that annihilates these three demon legion fleets entire within 15 hours!"