As soon as these two words of ridicule came out, Jiang Jianming’s heart sank, and he first slapped the wrist of the crown prince next to him.
Then he moved his gaze, and sure enough, Ryann’s face had already covered a layer of coldness, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost about to turn into a piercing sharp sword.
“Your Highness.” Jiang Jianming suddenly lowered his voice and gave him a look at the same time.
Regardless of other things, Ryann should not stand up for him at this moment. The crown prince just returned after disappearing for three years, and he shouldn’t give people the excuse of favoritism.
“Admiral Celine, I know you just lost a lot of excellent soldiers, and it’s inevitable to be sad.”
The one who broke the deadlock was Xie Yuduo, he said lazily, “But it’s not so bad that you’ve fallen to the level of Lieutenant General Boris, right?”
Boris glared. “Xie Yuduo!!”
A sentence that ridiculed two people, brilliant… Tang Zhen quietly gave the major general a look of admiration on the side.
Celine: “Major General Xie, this is the military general meeting. A newly appointed colonel, even if he is a person loved by the crown prince, should not have the privilege of talking nonsense and disrupting the order.”
She said, casting a contemptuous look at the young disabled human, “Of course, if he has any insights, he can try to convince me.”
The whole scene was quiet.
Jiang Jianming frowned – that sentence just now was just a flash of inspiration, and at this moment there was indeed no evidence of the connection between alien creatures and crystal disorder, he did not intend to cause trouble.
The black-haired young man lowered his eyebrows and pursed his lips, then slightly lowered his head and calmly said, “No, I was rude and presumptuous.”
“The defeated general,” unexpectedly, the crown prince suddenly raised his eyes, looked at Celine with a sideways face, and sneered from his thin lips, “The mouth is not reduced, the spirit is commendable.” (TL: mouth here is verbal skills)
This sentence was so sharp that it could dig out the heart, Celine’s face suddenly turned pale, and then turned into purple and red. “Your Highness!”
“Your Highness.” Jiang Jianming also called him in a deep voice, the pupils of the disabled human were like transparent jade.
He tightened his hand, and there was almost a stern meaning in his tone, using a nearly inaudible voice. “You can’t do this, Your Highness.”
Ryann ignored him, he chuckled, “Every sentence must be carefully considered, and seniority…..Admiral, do you think this is a gathering to write a military report?”
He raised his eyebrows like a cold knife, suddenly stretched out his hand to hug Jiang Jianming into his arms, and proudly said, “But my person is not, don’t provoke him.”
Celine stared at the crown prince incredulously, her teeth creaked for a long time, and she finally didn’t dare to speak, and sat down angrily.
“…” Jiang Jianming helplessly pulled Ryann’s hand down.
He knew that for the Little Highness, just ridiculing the other party twice was the maximum tolerance.
“Okay.” Old Marshal Chen suddenly spoke, “Your Highness calm down, let the meeting continue.”
Old Lieutenant General Luther was scared into a cold sweat by the tense situation just now, and he quickly stood up to make peace, “Yes, let’s continue the meeting, continue the meeting.”
“The current situation is like this… Preliminary judgment, the Lava Space Bandits, the Crystal Sect, and this group of highly intelligent alien creatures, all three belong to the same gang. The enemy’s details are not clear, posing a certain threat to the empire.”
“Especially those alien creatures, their existence alone is enough to cause a great panic throughout the empire, although we have strictly blocked the news, but…”
The old general chattered for about ten minutes, summarizing and analyzing the situation. The content was nothing more than how dangerous the situation was.
Soon someone lost patience and asked, ‘so what are the thoughts of the military headquarters and the generals?’.
“Very simple…Major General Xie.”
It was Celine who cleared her throat again, she once again looked around at the three Silver Big Dipper generals, “And Lieutenant General Jin, Major General Emma.”
The names of the three Silver Big Dipper generals were mentioned. Jiang Jianming, who was quietly listening to the meeting, suddenly had a bad premonition.
Subconsciously, he looked at Ryann again. The latter seemed to be still in a bad mood, and after coming back to his senses, he glared at him fiercely.
They only heard Celine said, “I hope that the Silver Big Dipper Interstellar Expeditionary Army will adopt a defensive posture in the future period, and take on the responsibility of defending the empire together with the Golden Sun Wheel.”
“First of all, starting from a thorough investigation of the universe from the three alien stars to the territory of the empire, if there are traces of alien life, immediately wipe them out to ensure that such a tragedy will not happen again.”
Xie Yuduo was rarely stunned. “What did you say?”
“Admiral Celine,” the second fortress’s Lieutenant General Jin stood up, his face as cold as water, “You are not unclear about how far the alien star is from the territory of the empire, this is a huge amount of work.”
“Can I understand that… you hope that the Silver Big Dipper, especially the first fortress of the Silver Big Dipper, stops exploring the Far Star – completely turning to a contraction strategy?”
Hiss… A thin gasp sounded, and several generals whispered to each other.
Jiang Jianming’s face turned pale, and he suddenly clenched his teeth, but his hand was pressing on His Highness Ryann.
Celine nodded. “Yes, this is also the last topic of our meeting.”
“The overall policy adopted by the Silver Big Dipper Interstellar Expeditionary Army in the future period is to advance or shrink-”
Before Celine’s voice fell, Xie Yuduo had already sprung up, pointing at the female general’s nose and cursing. “Celine!! Don’t talk ******** here!”
“The hundreds of thousands of people in the Golden Sun Wheel can’t defend the empire, you don’t want to wipe the rust on the golden shield, but want to abolish the silver spear, I tell you… don’t even think about it, don’t even think about it!!”
Everyone in the audience was startled by Xie Yuduo’s sudden outburst, the major general looked like a dragon whose reverse scale had been touched, his eyes red and roaring, most of the generals of the Golden Sun Wheel were pointed at and scolded by him.
Tang Zhen behind him couldn’t hold him back. “Major General! Major General, you, please calm down Major General!”
“Xie Yuduo!”
Old Marshal Chen said sternly, “You sit down for me!”
“Commander in Chief!!” Xie Yuduo suddenly raised his head, panting in agitation, his neck veins bulging, “The expeditionary fleet is already very close to the outer perimeter of the Crystal Nest, the Silver Big Dipper has never sailed smoothly before, this is because we finally opened the Crown of Golden Dawn, relying on those remaining information!”
His voice was hoarse, “…This is the opportunity that the young crown prince exchanged for his life, Commander in Chief!!”
Across from Xie Yuduo, Major General Tang spoke with a complex expression, “Major General Xie, but you need to know one thing…..It’s not that no one has ever reached the Crystal Nest before.”
Tang Zhen let go of Xie Yuduo’s hand in a daze. “Dad?”
“From the Holy War of the Great Emperor to the countless expeditionary fleets of your Silver Big Dipper, many of those brave soldiers did indeed break through the outer perimeter of the Crystal Nest…”
Major General Tang seemed a bit unbearable, but a few seconds later, he still told the truth. “It’s just that, after they reached the Crystal Nest, they all…..died.”
Celine said lightly. “There is a high possibility that there is actually nothing in the Crystal Nest, it is just a dead place in the universe, like a black hole that will be torn apart as soon as you walk in.”
Luther sighed and murmured. “Yes, but the empire is alive, hundreds of millions of soldiers and civilians are alive, in the video brought by General Celine – those two maintenance officers, and the mother who will never wait for her son to come home, are all people living in the present.”
The old general almost pleaded with Xie Yuduo. “…and your wife and daughter, Major General Xie.”
Several generals spoke in succession, and more and more people nodded in agreement. Even if there were a few people who opposed, their voices were quickly drowned out.
Xie Yuduo stood there with a hunched back, his eyes red and panting, and for a moment he seemed to be in a state of desperate resistance.
Even though the full name of the Silver Big Dipper was the Silver Big Dipper Interstellar Expeditionary Army, the second fortress still bore some pressure to resist the space bandits, and the third fortress mainly supported the research of the Black Shark Base.
For so many years, the only military fortress that had truly maintained an offensive posture towards the Far Star was the first fortress of the Silver Big Dipper.
The so-called contraction was also the contraction of the first fortress.
Seeing the young general who had always been flamboyant looking like this, even Celine seemed uncomfortable and couldn’t help but persuade, “This is only temporary, Major General.”
“After the intelligent alien life forms are wiped out, your Silver Big Dipper is still the Silver Big Dipper pointing to the Far Star.”
“Sit down.” Old Marshal Chen said to Xie Yuduo, although his face was still stern, his voice slowed down, “Be obedient.”
Xie Yuduo closed his eyes, sighed long, and sat back in his seat with a bang, “The Silver Big Dipper is not mine, it belongs to the empire… I obey orders.”
Jiang Jianming looked at the major general.
Now he understood why Xie Yuduo would rather risk a big crime and act on his own, and why he said to him in that tone, that this might be the last chance.
Ryann was also looking at the major general.
Once, when he was still Garcia, he stayed in the first fortress of the Silver Big Dipper for three years and also watched Xie Yuduo for three years.
He knew better than anyone that the expedition to the sea of stars was this man’s belief.
So at this time, he should speak, Ryann…or rather, Garcia thought so.
He chose to take on the identity of the crown prince, isn’t it just to be able to speak at such times?
But his wrist was pressed so hard by Jiang Jianming, this man’s pale side face was calm to the extreme, as if nothing could crush him.
He should clearly know that if the strategic policy of the Silver Big Dipper turned to contraction in the future, it was very likely that no expeditionary fleet would be dispatched for several years or even decades.
And a disabled human who suffered from chronic crystal disorder and did not receive timely treatment in the early stage of the disease did not have a “decades” long life.
“Your Highness.” Jiang Jianming lowered his eyes and spoke quickly in a low voice, “You can’t be willful more than once, please don’t comment this time.”
It’s easy for me to speak now, Garcia thought to himself.
But the generals’ questions would also come in droves.
If he wanted to debate the situation in the Far Star and analyze the best strategy for the fleet, he’s fearless.
But what if they asked about the situation of the various legions within the empire?
What if they asked about finance, public opinion, and any corner of the nine star cities? Can he answer fluently without revealing any flaws?
The depths of Garcia’s pupils darkened coldly, and his teeth were trembling under the excessive restraint of anger, but he didn’t speak.
He can’t speak…
He has not yet become the real Crown Prince Ryann.
Jiang Jianming suddenly stood up.
“Excuse me, can I speak?” The clear and calm voice echoed, the young officer looked at the Old Marshal Chen at the top, “Just a few words.”
Old Marshal Chen smiled, this was the first time he smiled at the meeting: “Of course.”
“The Crystal Nest has not been without survivors.”
Jiang Jianming said indifferently. “Because of some private matters, I have carefully read the historical materials related to the Holy War. In the fourth Holy War, the Great Emperor is very likely to have broken through the outer perimeter of the Crystal Nest.”
“You should all know what happened later, the Great Emperor unusually replaced the ‘Defending the Empire’ Golden Sun Wheel with the ‘Expedition to the Far Star’ Silver Big Dipper, leading two hundred thousand elites to the Crystal Nest, and finally all sacrificed there.”
Jiang Jianming sat down, “That’s all I have to say.”
…Huh?
After finishing speaking, Jiang Jianming suddenly froze, and he realized that this matter was subtly matched when put together, like two gears that could mesh.
The Great Emperor Kaios was suspected to have entered the Crystal Nest in the fourth Holy War, and a few years later, he suddenly took two hundred thousand Golden Sun Wheels to the Crystal Nest again without any reason, and never returned.
And the “only child” of the Great Emperor – of course, after seeing the secret of the Black Shark Base, this “child” also needed to be questioned first – Ryann Kaois also suddenly wanted to go to the Crystal Nest one day, refused to reveal the reason, and also never returned.
Silence. It lasted for a while in the virtual space meeting.
The time everyone was silent had already exceeded the time Jiang Jianming used to say that short paragraph.
A moment later, Major General Emma of the Silver Big Dipper licked her dry lips and spoke unsteadily, “What do you…want to say?”
Jiang Jianming said calmly, “Supplement the historical materials, it’s better to be rigorous.”
Silence spread for the second time.
Of course, no one would believe such nonsense about supplementing historical materials.
Old Marshal Chen’s gaze became more and more deep and complex, he didn’t speak, just exhaled silently.
Xie Yuduo frowned and tentatively said, “What about corroborating materials, evidence?”
Jiang Jianming: “Major General, I did not know the topic of this meeting in advance. But I have an impression of the materials I consulted before, please give me some time to sort it out.”
****
Half an hour later, Jiang Jianming pulled off his terminal patch and took a long breath with his eyes closed.
In front of him was still a clean conference room in the military headquarters, and the communication equipment was still flashing a small green light.
The military general meeting was over.
The pressure of holding such a meeting was actually quite high, with virtualization of the five senses, high-intensity mental concentration… various kinds of fatigue come up, making him feel short of breath for a while.
The final result, Old Marshal Chen ordered the Golden Sun Wheel Army to enter a state of war, fully investigate and wipe out the possible existence of highly intelligent alien life forms within and outside the empire.
Next was to guard against the Lava Space Bandits causing trouble, and continue to pursue the Crystal Sect.
Allow Xie Yuduo’s expeditionary fleet to go to the outer space of the Crystal Nest, but not to go deep, and withdraw immediately.
And the strategic policy of the Silver Big Dipper was yet to be determined.
Jiang Jianming recovered from that bout of fatigue and turned to look at the crown prince next to him, “It’s a pretty good result, I feel that Old Marshal Chen himself is also hesitating, or maybe he wants to ask the emperor’s opinion…”
He deliberately laughed lightly, “That’s easier to handle, I feel that the emperor’s intention to advance is quite obvious.”
…But Garcia didn’t look at him, but kept silent, and there was no joy or anger on his cold face.
Jiang Jianming realized that the spirit of this golden rose had wilted again, and if there was a bed and quilt here, his highness might collapse in it.
He knew why, so he didn’t ask.
Instead, he said softly, “Your Highness, let’s go home first?”
Garcia turned his head and looked at Jiang Jianming seriously, his pupils were clean as if they could be seen at a glance.
“Before, when someone bullied you,” he said very slowly, “I saw it and immediately pierced his arm with a real crystal, do you remember?”
Jiang Jianming thought for a while and remembered a person. When he was an adaptation period officer in the Silver Big Dipper, there was a young man named Joe Brown in his squad.
“I remember,” he said, “You really treated me well.”
“But today,” Garcia said hoarsely, “someone bullied you in front of me, disrespected you, and I just lightly reprimanded them.”
Jiang Jianming felt guilty, “Sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
Garcia beckoned, “Come over…I want to hug you.”
The slender body of the black-haired young man in front of him really leaned over, and Crown Prince Ryann sighed and rested his forehead on his shoulder.
“Was he like that before too? Restricted by the identity of the crown prince, he couldn’t really protect you?” (TL: Garcia meant the old Ryann.)
Jiang Jianming laughed, thinking to himself: Now, has it changed from “I” to “he” again?
But he said, “Why does he have to protect me, Your Highness. We are all equal lovers, why, can’t I protect myself——”
He didn’t finish this sentence, but suddenly he couldn’t make a sound, his trachea seemed to spasm, and in a blink of an eye, even the most basic breathing became difficult.
A strange pain arose in his internal organs, and Jiang Jianming’s eyes suddenly blurred. He opened his mouth slightly, but his legs softened first, quickly lost strength, and fell into Garcia’s arms all at once.
