Him and their stars.

Chapter 2009 Only Villains Flaunt Death
Of course, as the nemesis of a certain dragon that cannot even be mentioned, Lieutenant General Jaeger Sobyk could not possibly be a coward who fears death, and he could not possibly abandon the personnel in these space factories.

In fact, while the Earthlings on Fortress 1 were still enjoying their dragon meat feast, the Imperial Army had already begun relocating its own personnel.

From this perspective, it seems they really had been planning to escape for a long time.

Since the other side is so sensible, the Earth fleet naturally cannot afford to wipe them out completely.

Both sides exchanged barrages at maximum range, exchanging shells and beams while gradually increasing the distance between them. Earth and Empire's fighters did enter the killing zone, but after only a few exchanges, they quickly returned to base.

In short, the Earth soldiers of Eleanor's fleet watched as the last Imperial defenders of the Gate of Glory retreated step by step into the influence of the galactic gravity well before disappearing from sight.

Thus, before January 2nd arrived, in one side of the galaxy, the Gate of Glory had no Imperial citizens left except for prisoners.

However, this is certainly far from over.

After ensuring the Imperial fleet had completely withdrawn, the Earth fleet regrouped and headed towards the stargate in a grand procession. This time, however, the Silent One personally led the vanguard.

"There's only a cluster of turrets at the Gate of Glory β, but it was almost completely destroyed when we arrived. Now, only a group of distraught Imperial remnants remain. The reinforcement fleet will probably be coming from the New World Highway," Eleanor told Captain Nemo.

"Considering the communication efficiency in the New World... are you telling me that we have plenty of time to operate?"

"That's right. Moreover, I have never seen such an Enlightened warship before. Our forces may be more abundant than our time."

"Understood! Leave no one alive!" Captain Nemo exuded domineering confidence.

“And we’ll tear it to shreds!” Anne Romanova added.

"Yes! All the foundations of the Empire's rule in the colonies will be burned to ashes under the judgment of justice! Long live the Emperor!"

The exhilarated Captain Nemo, like a chosen warrior, swaggered into the stargate with her Silent Ship, exuding an aura of dominance. She had been a "ghost" for two months; now she was truly ready to become an invincible "troll."

Ten minutes later, having received a signal from the Silent One behind the stargate, the other Earth warships naturally followed suit.

It's clear that the Silent One behind the Stargate is in a very good mood.

As for Yu Lian, he certainly didn't stay on his loyal ship, the Silent One, to go on the mission. Since he had already said that he would focus his energy on diplomacy, he couldn't go back on his word.

In the fortress command post, he said to the two rebel leaders, "That's how it is. Soon we will have to abandon the fortress and evacuate."

Mr. Ai Meng, leader of the People's United Front, said: "We had already communicated with Ms. Li and General Bonaparte before you convened the meeting."

Why is Colonel Feifei ranked ahead of Brigadier General Xuejie? Has she really become the second-in-command of our group now? Even you "outsiders" have accepted this, right?

Mr. Ai Meng said, "If you are willing to trust me, how about handing over this fortress to me?"

Tuken from the Tarim Liberation Organization chimed in, "I've brought ten thousand men. Together with Mr. Aimeng's men, that should be barely enough to defend the city."

It's important to understand that the garrison at Fortress No. 1 numbered over 500,000. A mere 10,000-strong rebel army, no matter how fervent, brave, or resolute, was simply a motley crew. How could they possibly hold this fortress?
Yu Lian looked at the two volunteer rebel leaders without surprise. He said, "After we leave, this fortress will be ownerless, and anyone can take it. However, you two were both present during our meeting just now, weren't you?"

Ai Meng smiled knowingly: "Yes, of course we can't hold this place. If you leave, even if it's just the Glory Gate's garrison fleet returning, we won't be able to hold out for a single day."

“…You really know how to flatter yourself.” Tuken, wearing a respirator, spoke in a muffled voice from behind his mask: “It would be quite good if you could last two hours.”

So, the terrorist leader from the previous timeline, now the rebel leader, gave the other party a wry smile and said, "Fine, as long as you can figure out the port's maintenance and supply equipment, that's enough. One day is enough."

“We’ve brought all the usable cargo ships. How many we can take depends on your cooperation. You’re the head of the shipping management office, Director Ai.” Mr. Tuken patted the other man’s shoulder with his iron hand encased in his mecha.

If Mr. Ai Meng hadn't been a psionicist, that literally iron palm might have ripped out the lungs of this frail scholar.

Yu Lian, however, watched them with great interest.

These are people from different species, different backgrounds, and even different galaxies; their only similarity is that they are all rebels. Considering their past experiences, they may have only known each other for two or three months, but they already seem like old buddies who can vent to each other. That should be something to be happy about.

The leader of the People's Liberation Front said, "Please don't misunderstand, we are not prepared to risk our lives to cover your retreat. We don't have that capability, and even if I were to say that, given our current relationship, you certainly wouldn't believe me, would you?"

Yu Lian poured tea for the other party, saying, "You are truly a realistic and honest gentleman. I am relieved that we are kindred spirits, and I can tell that."

Both rebel leaders were deeply moved, as if they were devoted fans who had received recognition from their idols.

However, Yu Lian was even more moved than they were. He was moved because although they respected and admired him, they did not blindly believe in him, and were even willing to discuss issues with him on an equal footing.

Ai Meng continued, "The Galactic Empire cannot be overthrown in a short time. Millions of years of hierarchical order, the cowardice and compromise in people's hearts are far more indescribable than a mere Galactic Empire. Our journey is not a marathon, but an expedition accompanied by blood and fire. In this process, many will die, and even more will fall behind, desert, or even betray us. The more this is the case, the less we can afford to overemphasize or flaunt pointless sacrifices. Only a political entity like the Empire, driven by a group of war-crazed madmen, would use such vivid imagery to depict the splendor of death!"

Ai Meng, who also comes from a military (and war-crazed) aristocratic family, said this. He is now a typical example of someone who has betrayed his own class.

"No wonder he's a cultured person; he can make being afraid of death sound so noble." Tuken made a bubbling sound from behind his mask, a way this amphibious race, who prefers to live in shallow waters, likes to express laughter.

"So, are you ready to die?" Ai Meng asked his fellow rebel.

The leader of the Taren rebels shook his head repeatedly, even the long, gray-blue fins peeking out from behind his protective suit seemed to sway: "I'm not afraid of death, but dying like the Fujie Array and the Sumi Free Army would be utterly meaningless. Yes, yes, rivers of blood flowed beneath Dantie City, we were pulverized in the Wanfan System, and we even killed more than one Astral Knight and Imperial General. But so what? The Galactic Empire has no shortage of psionicists, and their military training system has never lacked excellent high-ranking officers."

This man seemed to have no respect for his predecessors in the rebel army.

Yu Lian, however, felt that he was being a bit harsh. Often, tactical victories can at least have a historical impact, at least solving the problem of starting something from scratch. How could that not be considered a strategic achievement?
Then, Ai Meng said, "It's easy for you to talk when you're not the ones suffering. You New World people have never seen an Astral Knight descend from orbit, landing like a demon god next to the rebels, single-handedly slaughtering them. Before this, a single Astral Knight could often suppress an uprising in an entire city. Now, at least the Astral Knights don't dare to treat the rebel soldiers as walking achievements and act recklessly."

Tuken pressed his mask: "So, they became the achievement of the Heraldry Academy, didn't they?"

This leader of the Tauren rebels from the New World, despite his massive physique and the fact that he was encased in a mecha and looked like a strong, martial arts expert, turned out to be quite sharp-tongued...

However, it makes perfect sense that the person acting as an external liaison for an organization is invariably the most eloquent and sharp-tongued.

His words, though unpleasant to hear, were nonetheless quite reasonable. After a massive uprising that raged across the heart of the empire, the bravest rebels were dead, and the most steadfast leader was betrayed by his comrades. The remaining leaders huddled together, awaiting amnesty. Wasn't this the very achievement of the Imperial Crest Academy?

Tuken added, "General, you know, don't you? We originally did intend to attack this fortress."

Yu Lian nodded. One of the main purposes of Gongsun Qing's wandering around Manxinghe as the representative of the Taren rebels was this. Of course, she didn't hide it from Yu Lian and Feifei at all.

"The Gate of Glory has recruited another 100,000 laborers from the colonies, the majority of whom are Taureans. We can infiltrate their ranks and, together with Generals Bonaparte and Wayne's fleet, it's not entirely without a chance of success." He tapped his mask, slightly embarrassed, and then blew out a few more bubbles. "Well, the success rate is low, but there are still plenty of opportunities to sabotage the fortress and destroy it directly. The Ero technicians we've taken in have trained many excellent explosives technicians for us."

In fact, this is the true purpose of the two rebel organizations inside and outside the Gate of Glory.

They were all idealists who wanted to overthrow imperial rule, but their methods were those of clear-headed realists. They never believed they could occupy any of the empire's important military strongholds for long.

However, if the fortresses inside and outside the Gate of Glory can be destroyed, the stargate will become a smooth road.

“The gravitational tidal energy of the stargate forms a black hole for radar. Even the most advanced and sensitive active gravitational source radar cannot detect the signals of all spacecraft entering and leaving the stargate. In case of an emergency, we still have to rely on psionicists to detect it with the naked eye. The reason I was able to become this director was because I awakened my psionic abilities on my first day of work and happened to catch a smuggling ship passing through the stargate.” Ai Meng seemed quite proud, then changed the subject: “You see, even with fortresses, pirates and smugglers can still pass through stargates into the New World. Let alone when they are all gone?”

In this way, the outer star sectors of the Empire and the L3 colony sector can be connected into a large area, and the space for maneuvering and teleportation will be much wider.

Yu Lian thought of another of his little admirers, the Flammore rebel leader who was still lurking in the Diamond Nebula waiting for his chance, and also of his last conversation with Berry before he led the Silent One away from the Diamond Nebula.

He told himself that he had met a representative of the Towerman resistance from the Glory L3 colony sector in June 833.

By this calculation, the Tauren rebels in this timeline were clearly established before the war even began. In terms of seniority, they weren't late to the game.

Belliu also told Yu Lian that the Ta people were actually influenced and inspired by some kind of rebellious ideology from Xinyumen, which is why they decided to start the uprising.

"With the changing situation in the New World war, their operational space in the colony sectors has expanded considerably, making it the perfect time to strengthen their forces. They lack experienced veterans, while we lack operational space to utilize, so it is indeed time to unite. I believe that the enemy is too powerful on their homeland, but there are many gaps in their power in the colony sectors of the New World. If we can break free from the constraints of our homeland, we might be able to consider the future of the Frammores from a different perspective."

At that time, Peleliu had no idea that the Tower People had joined forces with the Earth fleet, nor did he know that they even possessed a planet.

Of course, Yu Lian was unaware of this, and expressed his concerns: "The Community still has fleets and strongholds in the New World, and the Empire might send reinforcements. Your lives may not be any better than they were on the mainland."

"The student understands. However, strengthening military deployments on major shipping lanes and transportation hubs is different from creating a vacuum in grassroots governance. Or rather, the two are mutually reinforcing effects. After all, the New World is not the homeland that the Tyreiro people have cultivated for thousands of years; its infrastructure and population cannot sustain a large army."

It must be said that after experiencing several failures and betrayals, Berry has truly grown a lot, and is more like a great figure who will go down in history than his brother, who was a Privy Councilor in the previous timeline.

Yu Lian smiled.

He's really looking forward to seeing what the effects will be after this guy joins forces with the Tower People.

He turned to Tuken and said, "So, you didn't make such a big fuss just to welcome Berry River and his men from Blackwood, did you?"

Mr. Tuken stared with his large, bubble-like eyes, a hint of guilt flickering in those eyes where the pupils and irises were almost the same color: "Wasn't it you who caused all this trouble?"

What this kid said actually makes a lot of sense.

Instead of being angry, Yu Lian laughed and looked at Ai Meng, saying, "Speaking of which, your people's integration is also like this, isn't it? Perhaps even now, the Empire doesn't know that you played a key role in this Fortress No. 1 conquest."

"...The People's Unity Movement doesn't even rank in the top ten of the Empire's list of rebel forces. Even after the Battle of Cold Harbor, without Miss Gongsun Qing, we would still be nothing special! However, because of her, the Eagle Claws' attention has been diverted," Ai Meng said.

This guy is admitting that he pushed Gongsun Qing out as a shield, right?

However, the naturally naive swordswoman was well aware of this and even relished it. Since she wasn't directly involved, she really had nothing to say.