Him and their stars.

Chapter 2086 The Empire is Vast, But Behind It Lies the Celestial Realm

The soldiers cheered in unison, placing absolute trust in their commander, even though their task was to lead a patrol fleet to storm the largest fortress in the heart of the Galactic Empire.

As long as we stand with the invincible commander, we can overcome any enemy, no matter what kind.

Of course, ordinary soldiers could display a fanatical attitude, but Yu Lian had to require his soldiers to maintain the most important calmness and rationality even amidst their fanaticism and fearlessness.

He told everyone, "The Galactic Empire has deployed at least a million men in this fortress, and King Werrent's fleet is also ready. However, this is not a problem. The enemy is convinced that we will take the Heavenly Blessing Route to enter the Celestial Realm to avoid their advance. It is foreseeable that Jaeger Sobek and Gong Xiao's fleets have already joined forces and are probably waiting to intercept us in the Whirlwind System. As long as we are held up by the well-prepared enemy for 24 hours, we will definitely be caught up by the main force of Duke Barryen or Marshal Betaway, and be caught in a pincer movement."

At this point, Yu Lian revealed a sinister sneer: "But I'm determined not to let them have their way. We're determined to go through Chenxiao Fortress."

Not a single comrade voiced any objection. Even Fei Fei, the only one who would pour cold water on Yu Lian's plans, simply listened.

Captain Nemo laughed and said, "The so-called attack where the enemy has nothing to defend! Commander's actions are certainly in accordance with military strategy!"

In reality, Chenxiao Fortress also had an Imperial fleet on high alert, including a newly launched Titan. In addition, there was a massive Qingtian Fortress, with millions of Imperial soldiers, thousands of fighter jets, tens of thousands of various defensive cannons, and more than a dozen high-powered fortress cannons capable of inflicting absolute damage on the Silent Ship.

From any perspective, it should be more difficult to attack than that swirling galaxy, so how can it be said to be "undefendable"?

However, all the officers present, as well as all the soldiers in the fleet who were listening to the commander's speech, had no doubt whatsoever about the commander's demands.

They had already wasted a lot of time in the Shengyuan Star Sector. Along the way, they destroyed important strategic targets such as Captain Breeze, Skyfire Starforge, and Skyfire Laboratory, and even resorted to the routine operation of "opening the hatches to release food".

The results were undoubtedly brilliant, but whether the strategic plan was affected is a matter of opinion. What is certain at least is that, due to the delays in the above operations, the Imperial fleets that had finally managed to outrun our forces caught up again.

Forty-eight hours earlier, the probes taken over by Bifang had detected the vanguard of the Nobov fleet. Judging from their flight path, they shouldn't have found us yet, but they were indeed very close.

Once you discover yourself, it really is just a matter of a forced march.

Even so, the soldiers present did not feel nervous at all.

It was as if the more than a thousand imperial warships following behind him were just a bunch of chickens and dogs.

"Our goal now is to breach the Galactic Empire's most powerful fortress in a fair and square manner, and to arrive at the Galactic Empire's capital in a fair and square manner."

Senior Eleanor glanced at Fifi and, on behalf of the highest-ranking officer among her subordinates, declared, "We will naturally follow you to the very end! Side by side... well, we can't say we'll die side by side at this point, can we?"

“You should understand. I do not reject sacrifice, but I am disgusted by the glorification of death. Any sacrifice that is not for victory is a pointless death.”

"Then, we will follow you to victory!"

Yu Lian waved his hand, straightened his collar, and said to the officers who saluted him, "Proceed according to plan. Initiate the entire fleet's warp drive. Once we enter the Chenxiao Fortress area, we can lift the communication silence. Gentlemen, I will host a banquet for you all in the Chenxiao Fortress banquet hall in six hours."

His tone was so confident it was almost arrogant, but it didn't sound like he was popping champagne at the halfway point.

"Attention all fleets! Final warp command confirmed! Target: Chenxiao Fortress! Countdown: three minutes!" Eleanor Bonaparte's voice immediately took over the entire fleet's communication channels, clearly reaching the bridge of every warship and igniting the hearts of every ready-to-go warrior.

Inside the warship's cabin, the previously soft, flickering navigation lights were instantly replaced by blinding red combat lights. Short, sharp alarms blared, one, two, three—like the resounding beat of a war drum, pounding on everyone's nerves.

"Engine overload initiated! Energy-directed jump engine!"

"Force field shield activated! Prepare for impact!"

"Weapon system final self-check! Sub-light speed missile loading commenced!"

On May 7, 835 AD (Common Calendar), at 3:15 AM Standard Time, this "small fleet," which had already penetrated deep into the heart of the Empire, launched a preemptive attack on the Empire's largest fortress.

……

At the same moment, in the Xuanwu star system, 450 light-years away from Chenxiao Fortress, two Imperial fleets led by Lieutenant General Sobek and Lieutenant General Gong Xiao had already completed their preparations here. With a total strength of more than 500 ships, they were ready to set sail and await the arrival of the enemy.

As a member of the Imperial Noble Family and the Knights of the Stars, Lieutenant General Jaeger Sobek of the Imperial Army naturally became the undisputed commander of this combined fleet.

Despite saying that, he said to Gong Xiao, "I think you should still take charge of the overall situation. You organized and commanded the mobilization fleets in the three border star sectors. You are also a veteran who has been through many battles. It was you who blocked that person outside the Nebula border back then. You have advanced and successful experience in dealing with that person... uh, that demonic dragon."

Jaeger Sobek was, of course, a humble man, always feeling he should respect his battle-hardened predecessors. Moreover, with the war at this stage, this pirate-turned-general was the only one in the Imperial army to have truly defeated that dragon; he might even need to rely on his strength.

That's the truth, of course.

That's how this guy got his lieutenant general rank, and he even received a second-class gold shield knight's medal and a lifetime knighthood.

Despite being recruited by pirates and merely a retainer of Queen Brunhilde, his future in the Imperial Army was clearly promising.

However, despite being a promising newcomer, he appeared even more humble than Sobek: "I am merely a lowly executor, simply turning the well-thought-out plans of His Highness Brunhilde and the Privy Council into reality. In reality, even with complete preparations, if my uncle had truly been determined to launch a full-scale attack back then, I would have had absolutely no chance. Even if I had managed to stop his fleet at the border of the Far Frontier, my large head would certainly not be here today."

Even when holding military conferences, Gong Xiao never shied away from mentioning his "family relationship" with Yu Lian, but it was unclear what his true intentions were.

"In short, you think too highly of me. It is my great honor to be able to work with a renowned general like you! His Highness has also told me long ago that I should humbly learn to leave professional matters to professionals. Please give me your orders, and I will assist you."

"But I'm not a professional either!" Sobek wanted to say. But at this point, he simply couldn't bring himself to say it. "I'm a junior, so I'll have to trouble you to take care of things in the upcoming battles," Sobek said.

"No, no, no, I am the junior. You are my uncle's acknowledged nemesis! How could I, a mere pirate, have the right to give orders here?" Gong Xiao continued to decline.

If Duke Gérard Béan hadn't been present, these two highly intelligent generals would surely have remained humble until the next century. Of course, it was precisely because of her presence that the overall situation was relatively normal.

"Both of you are loyal and brave generals of the empire, why continue to refuse? As long as we unite sincerely, we will surely be able to stop that demonic dragon that is ravaging the empire at the gates of the capital! His Majesty the Emperor will award us medals, and the citizens of the capital will regard us as guardians and saviors!" His Highness the Duke said to everyone.

Duke Geribean must have been just as confident during "Operation Metamorphosis." The thought flashed through Sobek's mind, but he was immediately rendered speechless by his own blasphemous nature.

Why am I becoming more and more anti-establishment lately?

Fortunately, no one noticed this.

Duke Geribian felt that the fact that the Sobike fleet arrived in the Whirlwind Galaxy 12 hours ahead of schedule, before May 6th, and completed the final blockade of the Dragon Operation, was already a huge surprise that exceeded his expectations.

Moreover, even with such a forced march, less than half of the warships fell behind, and these were all guard fleets recruited from the Black Lawn border. How can this not be considered an achievement?

When she learned that Gong Xiao's fleet had also arrived from the direction of the extreme frontier, she was overjoyed.

She reiterated, "The destruction the Demon Dragon has inflicted on the Shengyuan Star Sector is devastating, but now we must look forward. We have now seized the high ground; we are the last line of defense for the capital. Facing the Demon Dragon's attack, as long as we hold firm, we will receive reinforcements and achieve victory!"

Even though she couldn't see the enemy, she was already trying her best to inspire the entire fleet to fight to the death, creating an atmosphere that was both tragic and heroic. If that demonic dragon didn't come, everything would seem rather awkward.

“He will definitely bypass Chenxiao Fortress and launch an attack on the Xuanwu Galaxy,” Duke Gerebean was absolutely certain.

Therefore, the fleet that had rushed to this star system did not even have time to complete preparations and rest before naturally beginning to deploy. More than five hundred warships had already deployed their forces towards Shengyuan.

At the same time, reinforcements from the Heavenly Realm boosted the morale of the soldiers after their forced march.

Of course, it wasn't reinforcements—a vast galactic empire was already "out of troops," which was undeniably a cosmic-level abstract historical joke. But the battle had to continue, and the gateway to the celestial realm had to be defended.

Therefore, although the Heavenly Realm could not send out a fleet, it dispatched a large number of armed merchant ships, carrying a dense array of mines and turrets.

They scattered hundreds of millions of autonomous mines and millions of turrets around the gravity wells leading to the central star sector in the Whirlwind Star System. These automated weapons roamed the nebula, forming the most dangerous "reef" region in space. Even if the Empire itself came to clear the mines, it would probably take them a day or two.

If that demonic dragon really manages to fight its way through, even if it breaks through the Imperial fleet's blockade, it will surely be trapped in this endless "swamp".

From this perspective, while the imperial leadership's considerations lacked creativity, they at least appeared pragmatic.

Of course, such a dense minefield would also block the retreat of Sobek and Gongxiao's fleet, but this is also a tactic of warfare.

"Throughout history, every nation and race has its own stories of fighting with their backs to the river. Even in the space age, there is no shortage of successful examples. Gentlemen, although the empire is vast, we have nowhere to retreat; behind us lies the heavens!"

Duke Garybain was, after all, a former high-ranking inquisitor and the (acting) Grand Master of the Knights of the Stars, a high-ranking mystical nobleman. Such a person should be unfathomable. Why would such a person lower himself to encourage ordinary soldiers like this?
But she did it anyway, and she did it quite sincerely.

As a result, whether they were soldiers from the Zhechong Prefecture in the far reaches of the world, or the reorganized guards of Hellow and Simo'e, or former subordinates of King Slein who wanted revenge, they were all moved to tears and wished they could die a heroic death.

Of course, some people felt that His Highness's posture was far too humble.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think we were surrounded by a massive enemy army and that the Heavenly Realm was about to fall," Viscountess Sellu muttered.

"Such examples have occurred in the history of almost any nation. Some survived, some perished, but a few have repeatedly risen from the ashes," the navigator said.

"The empire has no such history."

"That is perhaps the part that the imperial national character lacks, a very, very important part."

Captain Pegsey glanced sideways at him. He thought to himself, although he was a traitor, what was he compared to these two noble ladies?

Even after receiving news that the Dragon Fleet had vanished, the Duke remained remarkably elated, even excited. She firmly believed that the enemy would arrive in the Whirlwind Star System before the 8th. At that time, it would be time for her to prepare for war.

Humans, after all, only believe what they want to believe.

In short, since Duke Geribean was convinced that he would be the last line of defense for the Heavenly Domain, the main force of the fleet had naturally already made arrangements in front of everyone.

However, Sobek still felt that something was amiss. He felt that the Duchess's current reaction was somewhat overdone.

"What if he doesn't come?" the very responsible Sobek asked the Duke again.

The duchess, who almost became the Dragon King, pondered for a moment, glanced at the other party with her sharp dragon eyes, and sighed, "Jaeger, you are a brave man! Only you would ask this question again and again."

I have many strengths, but courage shouldn't be among them. Sobek didn't know how to respond for a moment, so he could only give a formulaic reply: "...Well, it's my duty. Under your wise leadership, I always seem to have more initiative."

When you don't know how to answer your boss, first be humble and praise them a bit. This is basic workplace etiquette.

"But you must understand, we are all fulfilling our duties. Fate and the future require us to be here, to intercept the demonic dragon. Just as fate required the King to be at Chenxiao Fortress. Don't force it, Jaeger, you have already done very well. I don't object to people like you showing more responsibility, but not now. The future Galactic Empire needs your wisdom, your sense of responsibility, and your perspective on problems, but not today."