Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 117
“Her Royal Highness the Princess has arrived!”
The metallic doors slowly opened to the loud voice of the herald, and Princess Alveira, dressed in a black military uniform, walked straight into the conference room without looking around. She was followed by two tall men who didn’t wear military uniforms, making them particularly conspicuous in the dimly lit room.
“Salute!”
Alveira didn’t glance at the people standing in textbook-perfect salutes and walked directly to the head seat at the conference table. The dark-haired man following her pulled out the chair for her, but she didn’t sit immediately. Instead, she scanned the room with her purple eyes before finally sitting down.
Shortly after the battle against Grisofin’s rebel forces concluded, Alveira ordered a meeting of all the commanders. Usually, such meetings could be conducted quickly using holographic projections, but she insisted everyone come to her flagship, Lady of the Night. This was undoubtedly a show of force, using this warship, once a space pirate vessel and now hers, to display her power and intimidate those with dissenting thoughts or insubordination.
“Please be seated.” Alveira clasped her hands together, resting her wrists on the table. The “bodyguards” behind her looked stern, like two gods of death. To her left sat Darius Bayes, an Admiral of the Empire of high rank, and to her right was a young man with purple hair. Everyone knew that this young man was the AI installed on the Lady of the Night, named Leonard. Many people secretly wondered why the Princess would allow an AI to attend such a confidential military meeting and thought how unusual her mind was.
“In the recent battle, everyone’s performance was commendable, and I have noted each of your contributions. Rewards will be given after this campaign is over… Lieutenant Colonel Hauser!”
“Yes!” The named lieutenant colonel stood up hurriedly.
“In battle, you were too aggressive, got surrounded by the enemy, and nearly caused a defeat.” The Princess leaned forward. “You are ordered to reflect on your actions in confinement for three days, and I hope you can make amends in the future.”
“…Yes!”
The Lieutenant Colonel breathed a sigh of relief and sat down quickly, hoping not to attract further attention from the Princess. Despite his tall and imposing stature, he felt incredibly small before the petite Princess.
“It has been nearly two months since the war with the rebels began. Previously, I left the Empire to seek allies, leaving many affairs for you to handle. I feel very sorry for this.” She paused to observe the reactions of those at the table. She was very pleased that most understood her implication: I was away before, leaving you to handle things, but now that I’m back, I should rightfully take charge again.
“I am but a woman, quite an amateur in military strategy, and I will need your guidance.”
Everyone nodded, murmuring, “Understood.”
Alveira smiled slightly. “I didn’t spend the past two months idly. Now, please allow me to introduce two friends.” She raised her left hand, and the black-haired young man on her left stepped forward and bowed slightly. “Alois Lagrange, one of the pilots of the Lady of the Night. Many of you may know him. He was framed by Winnet and imprisoned unjustly before joining the space pirates. However, now that the pirate remnants have been incorporated into my forces, they will become part of the Empire regular army. I hope everyone will get along well in the future.”
Then the Princess raised her right hand. “This is Joshua Plank. You may not know him, but you must have heard of his name—the Assassin Mourner.”
A small gasp went around the table. No one expected this handsome man to be the legendary, blood-soaked, ruthless Mourner. Joshua’s black-gold eyes glanced around; he neither bowed nor even nodded, as if the highest-ranking Empire officers before him were nothing but a pile of corpses—perhaps he would be more excited facing actual corpses.
“That’s enough introductions. Let’s get to the main topic.” The Princess leaned back in her chair. “Leo, please brief us on the current situation.”
“Yes.” The AI Leonard made a set of data appear above the table. “In the previous battle, we lost 52 warships, 449 were damaged, of which 105 were severely damaged; 1,370 people were killed, and more than 6,000 were wounded to varying degrees; we sank 142 enemy warships, damaged approximately 980, and the enemy casualties are unknown, estimated to be around 20,000.”
For a military commander, focusing on specific casualty numbers was meaningless; knowing that they paid a small price to deal a heavy blow to the enemy was sufficient.
The numbers above the table flickered and transformed into a vast star map, with red and blue colors marking enemy and friendly territories.
“After retreating, Grisofin’s fleet moved towards the Mist Port system in Cassiopeia, which is one of the rebel camps. The third army, led by Chast, is stationed there, with 1,287 warships and over 90,000 soldiers. Winnet’s first army is stationed 573 light-years away in the Demony system, with an estimated 1,800 warships and over 100,000 soldiers.”
Alveira gestured for the AI to reduce the star map, as the moving planets were almost obscuring the officers’ faces.
“What are your thoughts on the next strategic move?” The Princess kindly invited everyone to speak freely, but no one dared to open their mouths. They couldn’t grasp the Princess’s intentions and feared their suggestions might contradict her plans, causing embarrassment or angering her.
Seeing the silence, the Princess frowned, making the atmosphere in the room tense.
“Nobody has anything to say?” She tapped the table with her index finger. “Then I’ll speak. After Grisofin’s and Chast’s fleets unite, they will become a formidable barrier to our front line. A frontal assault would have a slim chance of success. However, the Mist Port system is resource-poor, and the rebels rely heavily on supplies from the Sword Bow star system and the Redstone system in Orion, which are less well-defended. We could feign attacks on Sword Bow or Redstone to disperse the Mist Port troops, then launch a real attack.”
“Your Highness,” said the elderly Admiral Anderwell, “I believe attacking now is unwise.”
“Oh?” The Princess shifted to a more comfortable position in her high-backed chair. “What is your opinion?” You wouldn’t speak earlier, but now you want to share your thoughts!
“Our forces are inferior to the enemy’s. If we engage directly, we will suffer heavy losses. I recommend a defensive strategy. Although Winnet commands a large force, he lacks legitimacy and will eventually lose public support. Moreover, the Sword Bow system and Redstone system can’t sustain the rebels’ supply lines indefinitely, whereas we control the entire Empire’s resources. If the stalemate continues, we will ultimately emerge victorious.” Finished, Anderwell smiled smugly.
The Princess said, “Before I left the capital, Chancellor Greenwood gave me the same advice.”
“The Chancellor’s counsel is undoubtedly wise.”
The Princess lazily looked at him. “Greenwood’s old advice isn’t worth listening to.”
The young officers couldn’t help but laugh. Anderwell’s eyes nearly popped out. “Your Highness, that was extremely disrespectful!”
“I don’t know why your thoughts are so in sync, but I guess Anderwell wants to preserve our forces, while the Chancellor’s goal… if we retreat, he has ample opportunities to manipulate and control the army. After eliminating Winnet, the Chancellor could overshadow my authority and become the Empire’s de facto ruler.” Alveira spread her hands. “But he’s dreaming. After I deal with Winnet, I’ll settle with him.”
She turned to Darius. “Admiral Darius Bayes, please lead your fleet to attack the Sword Bow system and the Redstone system. I will personally command the other forces.”
Darius bowed his head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Anderwell was about to burst with anger. “Your Highness, you are too capricious! Please heed my advice!”
“Enough!” Alveira snapped. “I know you have extensive experience from years on the battlefield. Use that experience to assist me! If you’re unwilling, you may retire, and I will approve it immediately!”
The old general’s beard quivered with rage. He clenched his fists, seemingly ready to jump on the table and punch Alveira, but he eventually unclenched his fists and said weakly, “Yes, I will follow your orders.”
The Princess nodded. “That’s settled then. The next directives will be sent to your bridges. Dismissed!”
The officers stood, saluted, and filed out of the conference room. After Anderwell, supported by his adjutant, also left, Darius whispered to Alveira, “Aren’t you afraid he’ll secretly inform the Chancellor?”
Alveira raised an eyebrow. “I’d love to return to the capital immediately to see the Chancellor’s reaction.”
“He might rebel like Winnet.”
“He wouldn’t dare, or he would have done it already. Besides, I have the army. What do I have to fear!”
Darius chuckled, ruffling Alveira’s hair. “You’ve grown up.” After saying this, he felt a pang of sadness. His little Alveira had grown up overnight, no longer the little sister hiding behind her brother making faces at him.
Darius stood up. “I’ll prepare for the surprise attack immediately. But before that, Your Highness, may I borrow someone from you?”
He looked at the person behind Alveira as he spoke.
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