The course entered its third week.
Jiang Ye had already become familiar with all the students.
Every day during class, a swarm of students would raise their hands to ask all sorts of questions. After class, Jiang Ye couldn't leave as students would jump out of their seats and rush to the front of the classroom, surrounding him to discuss various issues.
Before coming to teach, Jiang Ye felt he didn't know much, and might mislead his students.
However, after interacting with the students, Jiang Ye suddenly realized he knew quite a bit.
Many of the questions students asked, Jiang Ye's first reaction was, "Why are they asking about something so simple?"
But after answering, he would carefully consider it. Jiang Ye suddenly realized that the reason he found it simple was because he had personally experienced similar things or heard other planetary leaders discuss similar matters in detail. In other words, it was all accumulated experience from years of being a leader.
In the eyes of the students, Teacher Jiang Ye was a walking, talking experience pack, a living search engine for planetary governance. They just needed to latch onto him and absorb as much as they could. The more they absorbed, the more they gained.
In the evenings, Jiang Ye worked in his dorm, and students frequently knocked on his door.
If Jiang Ye was close to finishing his work, he would open the door to guests.
If he wasn't finished, he would put on noise-canceling headphones and pretend to be unresponsive in his room.
Of course, even more students called and messaged him, keeping his phone warm all day.
At this point, Jiang Ye finally understood what it felt like to be a teacher. It was truly tiring and annoying. No wonder the teachers at school back then always looked old and had resentful, world-weary faces; it turned out they were all worn out by their students.
The third week passed in this uneventful manner, with everything proceeding as usual.
On Monday of the fourth week, Jiang Ye had just finished lunch and returned to his dorm. He lay down on his bed, intending to take a nap.
Two call pop-ups appeared on his phone simultaneously: one from Tian Rao, and one from Che Zhen.
Jiang Ye's eyelids twitched violently. He immediately answered Che Zhen's call. Che Zhen was in charge of military affairs, so it was a priority to hear from him.
"Speak," Jiang Ye said concisely.
"The situation on Wheeler has worsened. Our agents stationed there have sent back messages indicating that some warlord factions seem to have learned of Jiang Ye Star's involvement, likely related to the group of spies who went missing earlier," Che Zhen reported. "No warlord faction has publicly declared anything yet."
"As expected," Jiang Ye replied. "With so many spies disappearing consecutively, the warlords must have sensed something. Continue to observe and report any new information. Send a small fleet over as soon as possible to wait near Wheeler. If necessary, I'll give you the order for armed engagement."
"Understood," Che Zhen replied crisply.
The call ended.
Tian Rao was making her second call.
"What is it?" Jiang Ye answered.
"Bad news, Jiang Ye. It seems the warlords on Wheeler know about you. Two of the spies who went missing earlier have just been found, both dead. One was dumped by the river for days, its body already gnawed by fish. The other was frozen solid in the snow, with clear signs of torture, its face mangled," Tian Rao said. "The other spies are still searching for the remaining missing individuals, and I fear the worst for all of them."
"I've just received the news," Jiang Ye said. "Tell your people there to assess the situation and decide on the next course of action. If necessary, some of those in danger can be evacuated. Their lives are important."
"Okay, I'll notify them then," Tian Rao said. "And what are your plans?"
"No action for now. We'll wait and see the reactions of the various warlord factions," Jiang Ye said. "I've already dispatched troops. If the situation deteriorates, we may resort to armed engagement."
"What do you mean by armed engagement?" Tian Rao's voice clearly held her breath. "Are you declaring war?"
"Of course not. It's merely forcing a meeting to negotiate with the warlords. The warlord forces on Wheeler are very backward and have no power to contend with us. My fleet can land directly in their capital city," Jiang Ye said.
"If you can land directly in their capital, why not go for a decapitation strike?" Tian Rao asked.
"How naive. Decapitation is not as easy as you make it sound. Besides, even if you succeed, can you just swallow Wheeler whole? This isn't a chess game where checkmate means victory. Killing one leader will only cause a bunch of minor leaders to emerge and carve out their own kingdoms, making the situation even more chaotic," Jiang Ye chuckled. "Focus on your work. You don't need to worry about military matters."
"Alright, I'll contact you if there's any news," Tian Rao said obediently.
The call ended.
Jiang Ye remained silent for a moment, showing no particular expression, and retreated back into his blanket to sleep.
While the matter on Wheeler was important, those minor warlords couldn't stir up much trouble. It was merely a matter of time, method of resolution, and the number of casualties. Therefore, Jiang Ye felt no emotional fluctuation.
After sleeping for half an hour, Jiang Ye woke up automatically.
Lately, his naps had all been precisely thirty minutes; his biological clock had adjusted.
He got out of bed, sat down at his desk, and began his work.
He worked until six in the evening. As the sun set outside, a red circle suddenly popped up in the lower right corner of his desk screen, indicating an important video message.
Jiang Ye clicked it open. It was a live stream sent by Che Zhen. A small fleet from Birong Star, consisting of nine Star-class warships, had arrived near Wheeler and was anchored on the far side of Wheeler's moon, Huowei I.
In interstellar warfare, a fleet reaching this position was already within striking distance. If Jiang Ye ordered an attack now, the fleet's firepower could reach the surface of Wheeler within minutes.
Jiang Ye opened the live stream. The camera's position seemed to be at the top of a warship. The surrounding environment was a deep valley with towering gray stone cliffs on both sides. There was no sunlight, and the air was as dark as if it could drip ink.
At the end of the valley, another warship could be seen anchored, its lower porthole lights illuminated, resembling a dormant steel monster. Some figures were moving around the lights, and small box-shaped transport vehicles zipped by, busy, possibly constructing something.
Jiang Ye watched the live stream for a while, and Che Zhen sent another text message.
"The fleet has landed on the far side of Huowei I, dispersed and hidden in valleys and basins, with signal jamming activated. They should not be detected by the artificial satellites above Huowei I. The fleet is currently in good condition and ready to execute the mission at any time."
"Good," Jiang Ye replied briefly.
"Our intelligence agents have sent back news that the King of the North, Rao Cheng Zhou, is summoning regional governors for an urgent meeting. The Chess Player, Gaunt, has hastily ended his vacation midway and returned to his residence. The Soft Bone, Valk, has shown no movement, but news from Valk's faction is spreading very quickly. Lower-ranking officers are all discussing the involvement of Jiang Ye Star's forces in Wheeler."
"Our intelligence agents embedded within Valk's faction have all reported that the local officers they've contacted are extremely panicked, holding frequent private meetings. Some officers are repeatedly inquiring if their families can be sent to other planets using the ships of interstellar smugglers."