Him and their stars.

Chapter 2128 The Empire Pursues Peace
"Eek..." The girls all showed expressions that were either malicious or excited. Even Xiao Siwang, who had been assembling furniture, was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief that "the relationship is so exciting."

Seriously, you're just a little girl who probably didn't even finish high school, yet you understood it so quickly. There must be something wrong with the education system of the imperial nobility, right?

Feifei asked curiously, "How did you know?"

"Of course... it's the embassy. The embassy used to do a pretty good job with intelligence."

Although Feifei was clearly not very convinced, she didn't dwell on such a minor issue for too long. She simply pondered, "Then, if the Duke can really return to Quesant in time and take over the defense there, wouldn't that stop the orange cat from getting there?"

Yu Lian felt that he not only wanted to let the Duke go, but he even wanted to give him a fleet.

However, considering that the Quesant sector also has shipyards and arsenals, it is hoped that Duke Yarosan can really pull himself together and not lose face. He must really mobilize a sizable fleet to live up to his status as Imperial Marshal, Privy Councilor, and the 48th Duke of the Founding Dynasty.

The telegram ended there. On the screen, Duke Arosan opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't utter anything to bolster his image. He simply gave a sarcastic "humph" and then the video cut off.

Throughout the entire ordeal, he never revealed any personal resentment towards the person who killed his son. Judging from this alone, this "Guardian of Quesant" must have possessed top-notch composure.

As for those armed merchant ships, most of them have already sunk into the gravity well, getting further and further away from the capital they were supposed to protect.

Thus, the soldiers and mobilization fleet of the Junlin Star Sector did not even last three minutes, and failed to hinder the Yu fleet in the slightest.

The intelligence department quickly gathered the latest movements of the Sobek fleet from surveillance. They had probably already received news of the complete defeat of the Fubing army, so they abandoned their plan to accelerate the pursuit of the Yulian fleet and instead headed straight for the capital.

They probably want to reach the capital before the Earthlings. If they can really do that, the empire might still be salvageable.

In reality, even if the Yu Lian fleet started eating hot pot and singing songs all the way right now, it would still be able to reach the Heavenly Domain in three to five days.

No matter how fast the Sobyk fleet travels day and night, it is now an act of doing its best and leaving the rest to fate.

Around 10 a.m. on May 15, the Yulian Fleet, which had been sailing unimpeded, encountered an interception once again. A fleet consisting of only about a dozen small and medium-sized ships, in coordination with the security posts along the main channel, launched a surprise attack.

These Imperial soldiers used medium railguns from guard outposts, but they had clearly undergone horrific modifications, with new capacitors and rail accelerators installed, instantly giving them the range of cruiser main guns.

Of course, they missed, but their courage was commendable, and they certainly gave the Yulian fleet a little fright.

However, each shot fired by this modified railgun would inevitably have a devastating impact on the outpost. Clearly, at this point, the Imperial garrison had given up hope of the outpost's or their own survival.

Because of the one-way transparency of information, the Earthlings quickly learned that the real garrison had either fled back to the capital in a panic, or had joined Duke Yarosan in that massive "expedition," and after the defeat, they had naturally gone their separate ways.

Right now, guarding the outposts and surrounding the waterway leading to the capital are a group of senior military academy students.

Yu Lian then remembered that the Imperial Royal Fleet Academy was indeed nearby. In that other virtual timeline, he had long since taken over the academy, recruited all the instructors and students, and thus seemingly had long since taken over the future of the Imperial Army.

During that "battle of flowers and wine," he, Commander Yu... no, he, "Mocking Bird Knight," also served as the principal of this Royal Fleet Academy in his capacity as Grand Duke of Terra and Imperial Regent.

It has become an open secret among dictators that being a good school principal is a prerequisite for being a competent dictator.

Now, these 1000 future Imperial Fleet officers and elite non-commissioned officers, aboard the academy's training warships, have arrived at the outpost, determined to dedicate their young lives to the last line of defense for the capital.

They used their expertise to upgrade the weapons on the training ships and outposts to military grade, and also removed armor plates from a nearby commercial space station to construct a defensive line.

Their actions might not have any practical effect against the Enlightened Ones' warships, but the soldiers did the same without hesitation.

Come to think of it, we did the same thing back in the day for Navy Day.

“I wasn’t there. I was the host on the Galaxy at the time,” Fei Fei laughed.

“I was there, but I was the assault captain, and I was killed very quickly,” Gongsun Qing said with dissatisfaction.

“We are the losers,” Deng Zhengqing said, shrugging.

"And adjusting training weapons to actual combat is Horatio's philosophy." Kent immediately betrayed his childhood friend.

"Please don't make any unnecessary assumptions, sir. All the best military cadets in the universe are like this." Horatio Wayne stroked his red hair. "You wouldn't be showing mercy, would you?"

In short, at this moment, the fusion of past and present, virtual and reality, truly sparks a great deal of imagination.

Yu Lian immediately ordered an attempt to persuade them to surrender, but the students guarding the small outpost displayed considerable courage. The commander on site, the president of the Royal Fleet Academy's student council, issued the following declaration:

"To the Demon Dragon! I am Lieutenant Commander Ruf Roger, the student council president of the 835th class of the Royal Naval Academy. I am a trainee knight of the Imperial Royal Fleet Academy, the last bulwark between the capital and my alma mater! Though the academy's training fleet is fragile, our blood and bones can build a new wall! The outposts may lack giant cannons, but our heroic spirits can become swords of vengeance! With this body as shield and this will as blade, even as a firefly, we dare to rival the bright moon! Behind us lies the capital! Imperial knights, we will only move forward, never retreat! Today, this starry sea is our best graduation gift!"

Judging from his name, he shouldn't be from a noble family, but rather an ordinary citizen family in the empire. However, the fact that he could become the student council president despite such a background speaks volumes about his excellence.

Despite not being a nobleman, he was prepared to die for the Galactic Empire out of loyalty, which is a testament to his exceptional loyalty.

Are these mere students far more passionate and enthusiastic than His Excellency the Duke just now?

Isn't this the admirable spirit of youth? From this perspective, the future of the Galactic Empire is still quite debatable.

Feifei laughed and said, "We used to think that only the Dragon King and the nobles were responsible for the future of the Galactic Empire. We thought that as long as we defeated that small group of imperial rulers, we would also defeat the nobles."

"Revolution is never that simple. Even the most optimistic romantics shouldn't have such unrealistic expectations. In fact, we should all know that if the course of history were so clear, civilization would not have stopped, much less been destroyed. However, judging from the course of history as we know it, civilization can go backwards and will always be destroyed by barbarism."

Yu Lian glanced at the young face on the screen.

Once upon a time, on that virtual timeline, he had seen far too many such spirited and passionate young faces. They included elite sons of noble birth, but also children from commoner families. By the tenth year of his and Brunhilde's reign, large numbers of children from ordinary families had also entered the empire's various military academies.

Each of them was filled with anticipation for the future of the Galactic Empire and was determined to protect it.

Just like the young people on screen today.

"So, should we go around it?" Fei Fei asked.

The understanding girl seemed to sense the subtle fluctuations in Yu Lian's emotions, so she considerately asked another question: "If we find a way to bypass their outposts now, it will only take an extra ten or so hours."

Yu Lian shook his head slightly: "Since they have already developed the awareness of being soldiers, there is no need to treat them as students anymore."

"I understand," Fei Fei smiled.

Three minutes later, four sub-light-speed missiles fired from the cruiser USS Corsica completely reduced the outpost to interstellar dust. The remaining training warships launched a valiant charge, but were all sunk within the next five minutes.

More than a thousand brave military cadets went down with the ship, and none of them survived. They resisted for two minutes longer than the million soldiers who had just fought the ship.

After briefly composing themselves, the Earth fleet continued its advance. The next day, when Yu Lian could see the sun of the Torristan system with his naked eye and was wondering whether he should go and check if the city where he had lived for several years was still there, a formal notification from the capital was finally sent to the Silent Ship.

The representative of the Imperial Privy Council, who is currently in charge of affairs in the Heavenly Realm, hopes to speak directly with Yu Lian.

Considering the sheer number of people wanting to speak with him lately, and the fact that the Galactic Empire will continue to exist for a long time even after this expedition's victory, a mature, rational, and competent commander-in-chief still needs to observe diplomatic etiquette.

Soon, the image of Duke Feixu, the Privy Councilor and Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, appeared on the screen.

Well, this is an old friend. Is something big going to happen soon? All sorts of "old acquaintances" always seem to suddenly pop up in front of me.

However, at the Navy Day celebration that year, the Duke was a distinguished guest, while Commander Yu was just an ordinary student. In reality, the two only exchanged a few pleasantries after everything was over, wearing impeccable professional expressions.

Now, five years have passed, and everyone's positions and status have changed. Duke Feixu, who has now become the head of the Court of State Ceremonies, seems to have perfected his business smile to the point of perfection.

The Imperial Foreign Minister, a former ace pilot, smiled like a kind and benevolent elder: "It's been a long time since I've greeted you. General, I always thought you would be a hero who would one day stir up a nebula storm. I was fortunate enough to be right, but I never expected that day to come so soon."

Yu Lian nodded slightly: "It was my rudeness. I forgot to offer my congratulations on your official appointment as the Empire's Foreign Minister. But speaking of which, didn't I hear that you had already resigned before the war began?"

A hint of resentment flashed across Duke Fexu's face: "Yes, I was already at the age where I could enjoy my retirement and be content with my old age. But in reality, that was all after the War of Judgment ended. At that time, we were still allies. We completely extinguished the last ambitions of the Ero people, and we explored new worlds in the New World. Whether you believe it or not, General, at that time, most people in the Empire truly believed that human civilization joining hands to develop new universes was the mainstream of future world development."

Yu Lian interrupted him: "Sir, it's a bit too late for you to regret those routes that never happened at this point."

"I have no right to regret the Empire. I just want to tell you that back then, the future goal was to cooperate with the Community to develop the Dawn Starfield, and diplomacy was of paramount importance. Obviously, it would be very easy to make a name for oneself in the diplomatic field in the future, so it should be handed over to the younger generation."

Yu Lian opened his mouth slightly, then showed a sympathetic expression: "I never thought that someone of your status could be replaced."

“The Empire is not perfect. I am, after all, someone who is about to be phased out, and it is inevitable that I will make way for the younger generation.” The Duke wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and forced an awkward smile: “What happened next was something none of us wanted to see. The situation became increasingly difficult, and I was ultimately unable to enjoy my old age in peace.”

"I understand. You've clearly come out of seclusion to take the blame." Yu Lian's sympathy became even more pronounced.

Duke Fexu quickly suppressed his wry smile and solemnly declared, "I would prefer this to be a mission undertaken in a time of crisis. As you have seen, the situation has developed to this point, and ultimately, it is an old fellow like me who needs to step up and clean up the mess. I must firmly believe this in order to be certain that I have not been eliminated."

The old duke's words were so humble yet so loyal that Yu Lian was unsure whether he should continue to sympathize with him.

"Let's speak frankly," the Duke said earnestly. "General, we all know that at this point in the war, there are no real winners. Why not stop here and preserve the last vestiges of dignity for both great human civilizations? Let me tell you, even now, I still believe that peace and prosperity are our future. And this future is not entirely shattered."

Yu Lian shrugged slightly and chuckled, "I'm about to enter the Heavenly Realm now, so how can you say there are 'no winners'?"

"Is this the achievement you seek? To pursue a genocide of equals?" He leaned forward slightly, his tone more sincere: "General Yu, you are the most outstanding military strategist and tactician of our time; you should be able to see the big picture. The flames of the loyalist fleets have already spread across the star field, and they are coming from all directions. Even if your fleet can miraculously conquer the Heavenly Realm, how will you deal with the entire Imperial army that arrives afterward? It will be a scorched-earth scenario. In the end, who will truly benefit?"

The Duke lowered his voice, adding a hint of warning: "Who has been hiding in a safe place, despicably stirring up this war? They have been doing it all along, fanning the flames all over the world. But we can completely avoid this lose-lose situation."

Yu Lian sneered, "But it was you, not the Alliance, who ignited the community's starry sky with artillery fire."

“You’re right. Those who advocate war are wrong!” the Duke said matter-of-factly.

Yu Lian was speechless for a moment.

The other party's frank apology was somewhat unexpected, but to be fair, their shamelessness to this extent was indeed somewhat poetic.