Chapter 2874: The Federation’s Choice
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“As expected of General Hu. What an impressive strategy.”
Boss Bai did not give in at all. He said coldly, “But no matter how big the pie is, it will only count if it can be eaten. Have you ever thought about what to do if the combat ability of our army is not enough to support continuous battles and long-distance a.s.saults? The so-called ‘straight to the enemy’s base’,
in other words, is a long expedition with a lone army. By then, as long as the tiniest accident occurs, the entire army might be wiped out!
“The safest strategy is to take over Jade Tripod and transform the resource-rich planet into our forward base and the pivot of our logistics supply line.
“Safety? There’s no time for that!”
Lei Chenghu’s face was even darker than before. He said solemnly, “The movements of the fleet of the Sanctuary Alliance in the battlefield in the west are getting more and more ambiguous. They might launch a fatal attack toward the center of the imperium at any moment. If I were the commander of the
main fleet of the Sanctuary Alliance, it is very likely that I would have stabbed my sharpest blade into the heart of the imperium!
“When the main fleet of the Star Glory Federation shows up in the capital city, it will be even more impossible for the remaining members of the four electors’ families to surrender. We will be caught between a rock and a hard place. By then, what can we do even if we occupy a tiny planet?
“That is not a good reason to attack the enemy’s capital city when we are exhausted and running out of supplies!
Boss Bais fury burst out again. He bellowed, “How are we going to fight a war if we don’t rest?”
“Even if we can’t hold on, we have to hold on. Right now, we are fighting with our last breath and winning one victory after another to stimulate the troops to charge at the enemy in one go. If we stop and rest, our breath will disperse, and our combat ability will hit rock bottom. We will never be able to
stand up again!”
Lei Chenghu declared, “This is a battle that risks the fate of the imperium. Even though we know that the odds are slim, we have no other options!
“No. You don’t have a choice, not ‘we.
Boss Bai narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Whatever General Hu says, I still think that your strategy is too risky. My subordinates have no reason to do such a thing for the imperium. We have our own missions and missions.
The two of them fell silent at the same time.
It was true that the two of them had been at loggerheads since the very beginning.
With Lei Chenghu’s expertise in commanding, how could he not know how reckless and risky it would be if he did not resupply and reorganize his troops, which had been pushed to their limits?
With Boss Bai’s unpredictable hunting and looting, how could he not know the importance of ‘time’ and ‘mobility’? How could he not know how troublesome and idiotic it was to pry open the crust of a planet with a fleet?
Thinking back to his life as a s.p.a.ce pirate, he had been famous for running away after a battle. Was there something wrong with his head? Why did he want to attack a planet where so many soldiers were gathered? Why did he want to fight a G.o.dd.a.m.n ground battle? Why did he want to fight a civil war?
However, the stance of the two of them and their mission forced them to ignore the risks and loopholes in their plan. They could only hope that a ‘miracle’ would occur so that they could finish the job in one shot.
Lei Chenghu had to take care of the surviving members of the four electors’ families before the main fleet of the Sanctuary Alliance showed up. Every fleet that could perform a s.p.a.ce jump would seal the remaining members of the four families on every lone planet.
Boss Bai, on the other hand, was trying to preserve his strength in order to win more chips for the game between the federation and the imperium.
After all, Boss Bai did not care about the difference between Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators. As a s.p.a.ce pirate, he was not a saint.
However, it was one thing to help the Immortal Cultivators fight a war, and it was another thing to help the Immortal Cultivators collect the chestnuts from the fire at the risk of death.
Such silence also revealed the biggest weakness of the rebelling coalition army, which was the lack of unity of command.
Lei Chenghu was the nominal commander-in-chief of the rebel army. Boss Bai and the fleet of arsonists were all under his control.
However, there was no way that Boss Bai would really hand over the military power to someone else. Of course, it was a self-sustaining system that could only work together.
The continuous victories were still acceptable, but when they were faced with a tough battle in which the entire team was likely to be wiped out, the cracks between the two of them were beyond repair.
Faced with the unruly Boss Bai, Lei Chenghu did not have a good solution, either.
He wouldn’t tum against his only strong ally at such a critical moment, would he?
“Any news about the reinforcements of the federation?”
He could only change the topic to ease the tension.
It was true that, if the reinforcements of the Star Glory Federation arrived in time, the number of soldiers who could resist the coalition army would increase significantly, and the strategists would be much more at ease. With the capability of Lei Chenghu and Boss Bai, they would certainly be able to
swallow the remaining members of the four major families alive.
“Not yet. It is still unclear whether or not the federation is willing to send reinforcements and how many reinforcements they can send.”
Boss Bai said gloomily, “It was a good lesson for you, General Hu. A few years ago, the war machine of the Star Glory Federation was still functioning to defend against the Imperium of True Human Beings. It even fought a solid war against the Black Wind Fleet that belonged to the imperium.
“Although the Black Wind Fleet did not invade the heartland of the federation and commit crimes such as robbery, countless children of the federation still sacrificed their precious lives in the battle.
“The hostility and wariness of the federation toward the imperium have seeped into the blood and bones of every citizen of the federation during the hundred years of education. Right now, how difficult do you think it is to make every citizen of the federation make a 180-degree turn within a few months
so that the federal army, which we have painstakingly trained for a hundred years, will fight to ‘defend the imperium?
“It’s true that Li Yao is trapped in the depths of the sea of stars, and his wife is the Speaker of Parliament. But the Speaker of Parliament is not the emperor of the imperium. The decision on whether to send troops or to declare war on the Holy Accord Alliance is in the hands of the parliament. The
decisions of the parliament must reflect the will of all the citizens. If all the citizens are against sending troops both in society and in the circle of public opinion, the parliament and the Speaker of Parliament will not be able to defy the universal order.
“Therefore, this is why the imperium does not need the d.a.m.n parliament.
Lei Chenghu gnashed his teeth. “The idiotic parliament, the idiotic citizens, and the idiotic so-called ‘public opinion’ are merely the ideas of a bunch of pigs to bind a ferocious tiger. They will only drag the Star Glory Federation into a dead end. Don’t you understand the simple logic of ‘when the lips are
gone, the teeth will be cold? If the imperium is destroyed and the Sanctuary Alliance rises, will the federation be able to hide in a corner of the sea of stars and live a peaceful life? It’s just a matter of time!”
“Lunderstand. I think so, too. But it’s too late now. We can only wait for the federation to make a decision.
Boss Bai looked at Lei Chenghu and finally made a concession. “General Hu, even if you don’t agree to attack Jade Tripod, can you at least ask your troops to take down ‘Jade Child’, the main satellite of Jade Tripod? The docks, crystal mines, refining centers, and weapon factories on it will be of great help
to our army, which is short of resources.
“Anyways, if you are going to play the trick of ‘surround the enemy and attack their reinforcements’, you have to make sure that the enemy is fooled, don’t you?
Lei Chenghu stared at Boss Bai for a long time.
“Alright. Three days.”
His neck was like a rusted gear. He nodded hard and extended three mechanical fingers. “In three days, we must breach the defense line of ‘Jade Star’ and take over the satellite. Let’s hope that good news comes from the Star Glory Federation before that!”
The light beam gradually dimmed.
Lei Chenghu’s face was replaced by a dark vacuum where stars were burning and planets were glittering like cakes.
Watching everything, Boss Bai’s hollow eyes seemed to have pierced through the three-dimensional universe and reached somewhere far away.
After a long time, he sighed and expressed the same feelings as Lu Qingchen did.
“Federation, my Federation!”
At the same time, at the edge of the sea of stars, in the Heavenly Ring Sector of the Star Glory Federation.
While Lei Chenghu and Boss Bai were having a heated debate about the strategy to march into the s.p.a.ce port, on the super orbital dock at the periphery of Heaven’s Ring, a large mothers.h.i.+p that had just been modified was slowly sailing away from the s.p.a.ce port, towed by the towing stars.h.i.+p. It could not
wait to join a brand-new enormous fleet that was as brilliant as the stars before it was tested.
On the mothers.h.i.+p, an intense argument broke out in the secret meeting room.
The parties to the dispute included the leaders.h.i.+p of the federal government, the experts of various forces, and the generals and experts of the military and the academic world.
Ding Lingdang, the Speaker of Parliament of the federation, Jin Xinyue, the previous president of the Dark Moon Foundation, Bai Kaixin, the chief of staff of the federal army, Peng Hai, Meng Chixin, Han Baling… The resounding names and the faces that appeared on the headlines every day were
indicative of the importance of the meeting.
‘What they were concerned about was naturally the news between Li Yao and the imperium. They were also arguing about whether or not the federation would send troops and how far they would be involved in the swirl at the center of the sea of stars.
Such a meeting should’ve been held in the capital city of the federation.
However, it was too sensitive whether or not the federation was going to interfere with the situation of the imperium, especially the latest news that Li Yao had gone missing. It was too serious and destructive. If it was exposed by the media, who knew what kind of earthshaking waves it would set off in
the entire federation? Even the morale of the army would be halved before they set off.
Therefore, the leaders.h.i.+p of the federation decided to keep a low profile and conduct preliminary discussions and deductions in the forum of the think tanks. When they came up with a general solution, they would release all the news, especially the disappearance of Li Yao, to the entire federation.