The subsequent developments once again shocked the world.
Even though every step taken by the Blue Mother Star rebel army had been surprising and risky so far, no one had expected that: just three months after the imperial army withdrew from Woll Star City, the rebel army would again actively launch an offensive.
The year-long siege of Woll had not extinguished the rebel army’s flames of anger in the slightest, but instead made them burn even more fiercely.
In the 57th year of the Old Imperial Calendar, Kaios announced that he was abandoning his title of prince. In a brief six-minute speech, he listed eighteen major crimes of the empire and the royal family to the three major star systems, and formally declared war on Andrew Odin.
Although he had not yet publicly claimed the throne, the rebel army had already begun to address him as “Your Majesty” instead of “Your Highness,” showing a very clear inclination.
“Your Highness” was for the prince of the Holy Human Empire. “Your Majesty,” however, was for the new empire.
Temporarily continuing the interstellar imperial system was also the result of private discussions between Jiang Jianming and Ryann.
Not to mention anything else, the gap between the new humans and the disabled humans was very serious. If there wasn’t a strong force to stabilize the situation, it could possibly result in racial division.
Jiang Jianming actually knew that even among the soldiers who supported him, they would occasionally mutter. “We have never seen His Excellency the Commander’s crystal bones.”
Sometimes he would quietly walk the streets of Woll in plain clothes. The air here was fresher than on the polluted Blue Mother Star, and the wind was long, as if singing.
He would see people finally daring to walk with their heads held high after being freed from tyranny, and would also hear very quiet discussions.
“Hey, do you think… Commander Aslan might have low-level crystal bones? I’ve heard some rumors…”
“How low could it be? B-level, C-level? Surely not F-level?”
“I heard the commander is always ill. Could it be that he can’t release his crystal bones due to illness, so he never appears in public…”
Whenever this happened, Jiang Jianming would hide in a street corner where the sunlight couldn’t reach, lower his head and pull up his collar, quietly listening.
He had actually secretly hoped that someone would jump out and shout: “So what?”
“Even if the commander is a remnant crystal human, so what? That’s our commander!”
— If he could hear such voices, there would be hope for some things, at least not as helpless as now.
“Nonsense!”
Suddenly, a young man stood up excitedly, “What do you mean unable to release crystal bones? Wouldn’t that make him the same as those lowly disabled humans!?”
“Who dares to insult the commander like this? If I hear it again, I’ll report you…”
Jiang Jianming closed his eyes and sighed softly, shaking his head as he turned to walk back.
It just needed a little more time, he thought.
These doubts about the commander’s crystal bone level didn’t last long, because Ryann took him on a personal expedition.
The night before the expedition, Ryann personally warmed up the dark gold mecha bracelet and slipped it onto his wrist.
“This is what I promised to give you back then.”
Mecha L-Crown of Golden Dawn, ultra S-class body, dual cockpit, an unheard-of design.
When Jiang Jianming activated the mecha and looked inside, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Ryann had actually made the first cockpit comparable to a treatment cabin, clearly determined to keep him there.
For a long time afterward, this golden mecha carried him soaring, breaking through gunfire and the sea of stars, tearing through one bloodbath after another.
In the 58th year of the Old Imperial Calendar, the empire’s Watson Star City fell, and a large number of imperial nobles were captured. Just four months later, Eden Star City fell in the same year.
The rebel army’s momentum was unstoppable.
The empire was in full decline, unable to deal with both fronts. They had no choice but to withdraw troops from the Glorious Autonomous Dominion and turn back to deal with the rebel army again.
Jiang Jianming seized this opportunity and suggested that Ryann send someone to the Glorious Autonomous Dominion to try to form an alliance.
“Who should we send?” Ryann shook his head, “Although the pressure on the Glorious Autonomous Dominion has suddenly decreased, it’s true, but going there from Woll requires crossing star systems. We’re bound to encounter imperial army interceptions along the way.”
… This was indeed a big problem. Moreover, with communications possibly being intercepted and eavesdropped, it was difficult for both sides to form a connection.
As Jiang Jianming was frowning in thought, occasionally covering his mouth to cough and gasp, suddenly an arm crossed in front of him.
Ryann leaned in close from behind, loosely encircling him as he sat, and said in an amusingly lowered voice. “If the commander lets Zhen hug him, Zhen will go personally. How about that?”
Jiang Jianming’s face was expressionless as he stood up and turned to leave.
His Majesty laughed heartily behind him, repeatedly apologizing and saying he knew he was wrong.
… Jiang Jianming felt very troubled.
He had rejected Ryann’s show of affection, but it seemed he had rejected in vain.
The other seemed to have automatically formed an immunity, becoming more indifferent the more he was rejected, always coming to nuzzle when he was in a good mood, stealing a taste and running away.
Jiang Jianming was completely helpless. He questioned countless times where he had gone wrong to end up in this situation.
At some point, they seemed to be just a kiss away from the so-called lovers’ relationship. Yet at that final step, both sides had unyielding obsessions.
He could come up with numerous strategic plans, but he didn’t know what he and Ryann should do in the future, or what they could do.
The future had always been unclear to everyone.
Just as Jiang Jianming couldn’t have imagined that Ryann would personally venture to the Glorious Autonomous Dominion, and unexpectedly take a month to return to Woll.
When he returned, his expression carried an unusual excitement. His first words upon seeing him were actually:
“Aslan, Zhen met a very special woman in the Glorious Autonomous Dominion.”
At that time, Jiang Jianming was reaching out to help the travel-worn young emperor remove his black and red outer robe. Upon hearing this, his fingers trembled.
Ryann had always been terribly sensitive about his commander’s matters. Usually, even a slight unsteadiness in Jiang Jianming’s breath would be enough to alert him.
But this time, the overly excited His Majesty didn’t notice anything unusual at all, and continued speaking on his own. “Her name is Sylph Song, the daughter of Joshua Song, the governor of the Glorious Autonomous Dominion… When I heard her name, I remembered that we had met as children, in the Gray Owl Laboratory.”
“An old friend reunion?” Jiang Jianming steadied his thoughts. He held Ryann’s outer robe, preparing to hang it up.
“Sit down, I’ll put it away myself later.” Ryann pressed him back onto the bed, his eyes bright, speaking somewhat quickly, “Listen to me, this woman called Sylph… well, she’s not of age yet, so maybe I should say girl. She’s Vladimir’s granddaughter, and has a great talent for crystal particle research.”
Jiang Jianming slowly raised his face, as pale as paper.
“…” He looked at Ryann’s eager and joyful expression, almost in shock. He moved his lips, not knowing what to say.
In these two years, his chronic crystal disorder had worsened again. His body was weakening by the month, and every change of season felt like a tribulation.
Coughing blood and fainting, being sent to the emergency room was not uncommon. The most dangerous time was when his heart suddenly stopped, and although it recovered in less than thirty seconds, the brush with death was real.
To be able to stay with Ryann for a few more years, Jiang Jianming had been undergoing surgeries repeatedly, even willing to accept treatment plans that would bring enormous pain.
Even so, he could still clearly feel the ebb of life.
Now it had developed to the point where even when remotely attending military meetings while lying in bed, he would often run out of strength midway through speaking, forced to stop to take medicine and oxygen, resting for a while before being able to continue.
Also because of this, every time Ryann parted from him, even if only for a few days, the first thing he would do when they met again was always to ask about his health, if there was any discomfort, if there was even the slightest bad feeling.
Fearing that if there was any oversight, this person would disappear like a bubble.
But today, His Majesty had stayed in the Glorious Autonomous Dominion for a month and returned, and the first topic he brought up was… mentioning a woman to him?
Jiang Jianming suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart, as if a favorite sweater had been caught on a nail, pulling out a long thread.
It felt scattered and uncomfortable, tugging at him.
He thought: Could it be that “His Majesty’s person” had really appeared, and it was time for him to leave?
In an instant, a thousand thoughts ran through Jiang Jianming’s mind, and he even listed out one, two, three plans on how to withdraw without awkwardness.
“Aslan, are you listening?”
Suddenly, Ryann showed that slightly proud and slightly mischievous look of satisfaction, leaning in rather mysteriously. “I saw a research proposal she wrote, suggesting that crystal particle tranquilizers still have a lot of room for improvement, so…”
“I plan to bring her over to treat your illness.”
Jiang Jianming: “?”
Jiang Jianming: “…”
“?”
Ryann asked curiously. “What’s wrong with you now?”
“Nothing… it’s nothing.”
Jiang Jianming sighed deeply, supporting his forehead with his knuckles and falling into silence.
He closed his eyes tightly, struggling to push back a string of thoughts in his mind. “The daughter of the Glorious Autonomous Dominion’s governor involves too much, if His Majesty truly likes her, we could consider a formal proposal in the future, but at this stage we need to think long-term, just don’t know if His Majesty is willing to wait…”
Ryann was completely puzzled. “You’re really hard to please.”
Jiang Jianming was too embarrassed to say he had misunderstood, his ears slightly reddening. He mumbled. “Your Majesty, you’re not a bandit. You can’t just talk about capturing people.”
Ryann: “Then we won’t capture for now. I didn’t tell her your true identity, only said you were a disabled human patient with chronic crystal disorder who had survived for over ten years. She was very interested… heh, all science enthusiasts are like this.”
“How about it, want to meet her?”
From then on, Jiang Jianming and this Miss Sylph formed a relationship with a subtle… online consultation relationship.
At this time, the relationship between the rebel army and the Glorious Autonomous Dominion was still quite delicate, and neither side could reveal their true identities. Miss Sylph very much wanted to study Jiang Jianming’s case, but dared not say she was the governor’s daughter, claiming to be just an ordinary civilian doctor; while Jiang Jianming certainly couldn’t say he was the rebel army’s commander, claiming to be…
“My wife.”
Ryann peered over from behind with eager anticipation, watching him type, as if he wanted to control Jiang Jianming’s keyboard with his mind, “Quick, say you’re my wife.”
Jiang Jianming turned his head to give him a cold glare. His Majesty then said softly, “Lover is fine too, but say it’s the engaged kind…”
Jiang Jianming’s expression was indifferent as he mercilessly typed the word “friend”.
Ryann walked away, disappointed.
After Ryann closed the door, Jiang Jianming looked back, quietly deleting “friend”.
He hesitated for a few seconds, looked back at the door again, then his fingers tapped, changing it to another word. After a moment of daze, he shook his head, sighed, and deleted it again.
……
In the 59th year of the Old Imperial Calendar, Maz Star voluntarily surrendered.
Maz’s situation was even worse than Blue Mother Star. In this almost forgotten star city, only tens of thousands of people were barely surviving. Their surrender was a plea for survival.
The rebel army generously accepted Maz. At this point, of the empire’s nine star cities, five – Blue Mother Star, Mars, Woll, Eden, and Watson – were under the rebel army’s control.
In the 60th year of the Old Imperial Calendar, one of the most famous battles of the founding war, the Albourne Campaign, began.
It was at this time that the Imperial Commander and His Majesty rarely had a strategic disagreement.
Albourne was a military stronghold of the empire. Not only did it have strong military forces, but it also had artificial space military fortresses and satellite-level space stations outside the star city, making it the toughest nut to crack.
Jiang Jianming was willing to spend more time, proposing to make a wide detour for a surprise attack, first taking the space station and then returning to attack the star city; Kaios, however, was unwilling to be delayed for too long and wanted to attack Albourne directly.
The two argued back and forth for three days, with a strong air of gunpowder. The situation made all the officers fear they might fall out.
After all, in most people’s subconscious, an emperor was an emperor, with the power of life and death, and his word was law.
As for Aslan… honestly, many in the army felt that the commander was really too presumptuous.
Over these years, even Lin Ge had gradually grown more thoughtful, no longer calling Kaios “big bastard” or “little bastard”, at least showing all the proper etiquette on the surface.
But the usually cautious and wise Commander Aslan seemed to be missing a string in this aspect, his daily words and actions seemingly putting himself on equal footing with His Majesty. How could this be allowed?
Take the grand feast of the last Autumn Harvest Festival, for example. All levels of officers and officials were seated neatly, in a festive and lively atmosphere.
Only the commander sat beside His Majesty, not speaking, not touching his chopsticks.
The old empire’s Autumn Harvest Festival emphasized “eating without end”, with nobles particularly fond of showing off their wealth through waste. The commander, coming from a poor background, greatly disliked this wasteful old custom, which was known to all.
But a few days ago, His Majesty had already listened to him and lowered the standard of the banquet. Now it was just a slightly more lavish celebration feast… was he still not satisfied?
Even if he wasn’t satisfied, he couldn’t disrespect His Majesty like this.
However, what was more shocking was yet to come.
His Majesty caringly asked the commander why he wasn’t eating. Aslan said softly that he felt unwell and couldn’t eat. His Majesty personally picked some light dishes for him, telling him to eat a little.
Unexpectedly, the commander frowned on the spot, covering his mouth with his sleeve. “I really can’t eat, you… take it away.”
In an instant, the whole place fell silent.
Almost everyone was so scared they didn’t dare to breathe.
Under countless terrified gazes, His Majesty suddenly stood up, pushing the dish away, his face extremely unpleasant. “If you’re feeling so unwell, why are you still here?”
The commander stood up. “… Please forgive me for taking my leave.”
He left without looking back.
What was even more deadly was that His Majesty, probably in a ruined mood, swept his sleeve and left with a dark face.
Immediately after, General Lin Ge, the only one who might have been able to save the situation, also stood up. Whether she wanted to mediate or not, she ran after the two!
“This…”
The remaining people stared at each other in bewilderment.
— Yet all the food had been served, and they had to continue eating, because if they didn’t finish, the commander might scold them for being wasteful…
It was truly an agonizing meal, everyone ate as if chewing wax.
Fortunately, whether it was strategic disagreements on major issues or such daily conflicts, they always passed.
In the blink of an eye, His Majesty and the commander would always reconcile, as if nothing had happened.
At the end of the 60th year of the Old Imperial Calendar, after seven full months of bloody battles, the empire’s sacred flag flying over Albourne Star City fell with a crash.
Finally, all the star cities in the secondary star system were occupied by the rebel army. The balance of victory tilted completely towards the rebel army’s side.
