"What's the Galactic Empire's stance?" Fu Qiuyan asked.
"You should know that the Galactic Empire doesn't care about ordinary planets, whether it's a change in power or a civil war, as long as there aren't many civilian casualties," Jiang Ye said. "You've deceived many planetary leaders. Many people have informed me, and everyone is angry about your deception. You've put our personal safety in danger. What's your explanation for this act that has angered the masses?"
Fu Qiuyan felt blood rush to her head, a suffocating sensation gripping her throat.
But her prepared words came out stiffly from her lips, "I haven't deceived you. I believed I could resolve this matter, that the summit could proceed smoothly. I even asked about the venue's deployment an hour ago. If there was a slight manipulation, I admit it. If you had come to the summit promptly, the court would have seen it as your support for me. If things had escalated, I wouldn't have let you risk coming."
"Time is short, and I won't waste words with you. Survive first, and then you can explain to everyone later. I've just received authorization from the Galactic Empire, and I can help you or not. I want to know your attitude," Jiang Ye said.
Fu Qiuyan trembled for a long time, taking deep breaths repeatedly. "There must be conditions, right?"
"Decide first, then I'll tell you the conditions. We're old friends, I won't make things difficult for you," Jiang Ye said. "I'll give you an hour. Let me remind you, your planet's Commander-in-Chief of Foreign Conquest, Chen Ruizhi, her fleet has been traveling for a day and will arrive at Daughter Planet in an hour and a half. Her fleet is currently in warp, so contact is temporarily lost. Her stance is unclear, and she might also be weighing her options. If she also decides to relegate you to a page in history, things will be difficult. I can't risk my life to help you. Chen Ruizhi's forty large ships and hundreds of thousands of troops are not to be trifled with."
The call ended abruptly.
...
In orbit around Jiangye Star, a vast fleet emerged from the atmosphere, one by one, their dark hulls flashing with red and blue lights.
In the spacious command center of a Nebula-class warship at the core, Jiang Ye put down his phone.
The sofas beside him were filled with high-ranking personnel: Che Zhen, Cen Yemeng, Hua Qing, Wei Hongyang, Huang Bingyan, Li Nannan, and Isabella.
Che Zhen, Cen Yemeng, and Hua Qing were physically present on the sofas, while the others were holographic projections. Huang Bingyan was leading the refugee fleet to rendezvous, and Li Nannan's fleet had already assembled and was waiting a light-year away.
"What did Fu Qiuyan say?" Li Nannan asked.
"She definitely needs time to consider. If she could resolve this herself, Daughter Planet and its affiliated planets would remain firmly in her hands. If foreign troops are needed to resolve it, her authority will be less solid, and she might become a puppet," Jiang Ye said expressionlessly. "But she will definitely agree. A puppet can still make a comeback, but death means nothing."
"Do you need me to lead a team to intercept Chen Ruizhi's fleet?" Li Nannan asked. "If Chen Ruizhi intends to rebel, it's better to deal with it from a distance."
"She won't rebel. If she were part of the rebellion, there would be no need for all this fuss. The Northern Army plus the Foreign Conquest Army could have directly forced Fu Qiuyan to abdicate. Why would this day have come? Fu Qiuyan's niece, Fu Conghan, only controls the Northern Army, which is why she had to resort to such a sudden coup, trying to gain a time advantage to achieve her goals, holding the emperor to command the feudal lords," Jiang Ye said. "Chen Ruizhi only returned after the coup began. She likely wants to return to maintain the situation."
Li Nannan seemed to find this logical and nodded repeatedly. "That makes sense. Even if Chen Ruizhi's attitude is wavering, if we just contact her and state the Galactic Empire's stance, she'll be able to make up her mind."
"I'll trouble Chief Li with contacting Chen Ruizhi's fleet," Jiang Ye said with a smile.
"Leave it to me," Li Nannan replied with an easy expression. This was a piece of cake for her.
"Wife, you'll have to play good cop and bad cop with me. I'll play bad cop and negotiate tough terms with Fu Qiuyan, while you'll be responsible for building rapport with her and advancing the specific matters. Create an impression that my wife and I have disagreements," Jiang Ye said.
"She knows we have a good relationship. If we act like this suddenly, will she understand it's an act?" Cen Yemeng asked.
"Of course, she'll understand. We're a couple, after all. It's impossible for her to be closer to you than to me," Jiang Ye chuckled. "But our act is also a form of attitude. Willingness to act is better than not acting at all. Acting can also make her feel a little more comfortable. People are not made of wood; no one is 100% rational."
Cen Yemeng nodded. "Then, husband, you'll have to bear the scolding."
"Are the troops ready?" Jiang Ye looked at Che Zhen.
"Ready, and we guarantee the mission will be completed," Che Zhen said, standing up with the composed demeanor of a great general. He then looked at Hua Qing.
Hua Qing also stood up crisply. "I've brought some advanced weapons newly produced by the military factories. If the timing is right, we'll use them. I'll need your approval then, Chief."
"Advanced weapons?" Jiang Ye shook his head. "This time, let's try not to cause any casualties. With absolute military superiority, we'll use coercion and temptation to force the other side to surrender. Our planet and Daughter Planet are on equal footing. It's inappropriate for us to deploy our army and cause a massacre."
"Some of the weapons are not for mass destruction," Hua Qing said, picking up a folder and handing it to Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye took it and looked, his eyebrows rising. "They're already in mass production? So quickly?"
Hua Qing smiled. "We didn't bring many. The factory rushed them out overnight."
"Good, we'll talk about it when the time comes," Jiang Ye said, returning the folder.
Now, all that was left was to wait.
Jiang Ye stood by the window, the dark expanse of space filled with shining stars, lit silently, possessing a grand solemnity.
He remembered looking up at the starry sky as a child, imagining them as lonely stars, with desolate planets nearby filled with sandstorms and strange rocks.
But now, looking at the starry sky again, Jiang Ye's mind conjured images of countless planets in every star system teeming with people, the red-hot lights of cities illuminating the night hemisphere, diverse social models, alien species with vastly different appearances, their rise and fall, and their bustling activity. Rebellions like the one on Daughter Planet might happen tens of thousands of times a day across the universe, more than the daily plays of some songs.
From where Jiang Ye stood, he could see a group of Nebula-class warships through the porthole. Even from a distance, he could feel the scale of each warship, as vast as small towns. Ancient aircraft carriers were like mere sampans in comparison.
For a moment, Jiang Ye felt a sense of daze, recalling his days of digging mines with all his might, facing the yellow earth. Back then, he never would have imagined that he would one day command such a massive space army, capable not only of defending his own planet but even of stopping rebellions on other planets.
The daze didn't last long. His phone rang again. It was Fu Qiuyan calling.