Chapter 102: The Founding of the Galactic Empire

At this moment, Zhang Desen was still inside the base, envisioning the future development of the joint industrial park, when Zhang Chengwei suddenly appeared, bringing some news. Aside from the events at the banquet, there was troubling news that the Liao Ancient Kingdom’s army, in their retreat, had vented their anger by massacring villagers from two border settlements in the Daxing Kingdom. This brutal act enraged everyone, strengthening their resolve that the next time they encountered the Liao Ancient forces, they would make them pay a heavier price.

As for the banquet incident, they decided to wait and see how the situation unfolded before making any decisions.

Early the next morning, General Feng Yucai, following the edict of Emperor Zhao Xinglong of the Daxing Kingdom, compiled a detailed report on the fierce battle with the Liao Ancient forces. He included his recommendations for rewards, emphasizing that honors must be granted according to merit.

When this information became public, the citizens were surprised. Previously, they had believed General Feng Yucai had single-handedly secured victory, but now it became clear there was another key figure involved. Upon learning the specifics of the resistance against the Liao Ancient army, Zhang Desen’s reputation rose even higher.

While rumors swirled in every direction, Minister Qian was inwardly seething. First, he had intended at the banquet to use any means necessary to bring down Zhang Chengwei, but the situation had turned out differently, leaving him bitterly frustrated. Moreover, he now worried that Qian Yanei, his own son, might not have actually reached the battlefield as General Feng claimed, which could spell trouble.

After much deliberation, Minister Qian decided to send a trusted aide immediately to the front lines in the Shu Chuan Kingdom, instructing him to arrive ahead of the imperial inspectors to investigate the truth and report back promptly.

Once his aide departed, Minister Qian contemplated his next move. He needed to act. He resolved to visit his long-time rival, Chancellor Zhang Chengwei. Since this matter involved his son, and his attempt to topple Zhang Chengwei had failed, it was wiser for now to prevent Zhang from supporting Feng Yucai, thereby safeguarding Qian Yanei’s position as much as possible.

After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to make some political concessions to Zhang Chengwei to at least secure his neutrality.

Of course, he also planned to visit Crown Prince Zhao Degou, whom he had long supported, hoping the prince would cooperate with his political maneuvering against the second prince, Zhao Feizhou, who was backed by Chancellor Zhang Chengwei. This strategy aimed to reduce opposition and ensure his son’s safety.

Meanwhile, not only Emperor Zhao Xinglong but also Crown Prince Zhao Degou and Second Prince Zhao Feizhou were considering how to deal with the mysterious group of elite family troops that had repelled the Liao Ancient southern invasion. If they could enlist these enigmatic warriors, it would greatly strengthen their respective factions in the ongoing power struggle.

Their first step was to seek advice from their supporters within the court—namely, Chancellor Zhang Chengwei and Minister Qian.

Zhang Desen and his allies promptly began devising responses to the new developments.

...

At this time, in the grassland base of the terrifying Ormei Empire, Supreme Leader Yuri Gottne gazed upon his nation’s flag and asked Kaba Dul standing nearby, “Dul, do you still remember the meaning behind the symbols on our flag?”

Kaba Dul replied, “Of course. The spaceship in the center represents our unparalleled scientific power, while the eight lightning bolts radiating in all directions symbolize our ever-expanding influence, enabled by technological advancement, touching every corner of the world, unstoppable by anyone. They also represent our nation’s tradition of unity and solidarity against external threats.”

Hearing this, Yuri Gottne continued, “Good. Now tell me, how is the restoration of the land base progressing?”

Kaba Dul began to report in detail on the development around their grassland base.

Despite concentrating nearly all of the Ormei Empire’s remaining population there, their numbers were still not large. After a period of chaos, the population had dwindled to just over 800,000. Yet, most of these remaining citizens were young, resulting in a significant demographic dividend. Under Yuri Gottne’s leadership, the Ormei Empire had begun vibrant development of the surface territory.

Though neighboring human nomadic tribes frequently harassed them, the Ormei Empire’s technological superiority allowed them to capture many of these human intruders as cheap labor. They enslaved the captives to help build infrastructure and develop agriculture, which ironically aided their progress.

As a result, during this period, the overall resource supply at the grassland base improved substantially, reaching a historic high of 65%, much to Yuri Gottne’s delight.

This progress enabled the Ormei Empire to independently fulfill their resource needs while maintaining a steady labor force, greatly reducing their reliance on cooperation with Minister Qian.

Apart from urging Minister Qian to pressure the Daxing Kingdom to dispatch troops to distract their primitive counterparts and buy them development time, contact had become infrequent. This frustrated Minister Qian immensely, yet he was powerless, pushing him to pursue his own interests more aggressively and with greater greed.

After hearing the report, Yuri Gottne exclaimed excitedly:

“Excellent. Next, we will focus on expanding westward, striving to conquer primitive tribes and compel their complete submission. Simultaneously, we will develop the unexploited northern territories, extracting rare earth elements, petroleum, uranium, and other resources vital to our growth.”

However, Kaba Dul voiced concern: “My Supreme Leader, although our technology holds absolute superiority and these primitive tribes are often at war among themselves, their populations are vast. Should they ever unite against us out of desperation—and considering threats like the Atlanteans behind us—our position would be precarious.”

Yuri Gottne dismissed the worry: “Have Minister Qian intensify attacks on our primitive adversaries, dividing their attention and resources. This will ensure our eventual conquest.”

Kaba Dul hesitated, “My Supreme Leader, Minister Qian has recently felt neglected by us and grown somewhat discontent. Might we consider—”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Yuri Gottne interrupted. After some thought, he added, “Very well, arrange some rewards for him so he will continue to keep those primitive tribes occupied. We will settle accounts with him later.”

Kaba Dul replied, “Yes, my Supreme Leader!”

Yuri Gottne then commanded, “Dul, work with the chief of staff to draft a document immediately. Once I approve it, announce that the grassland base will be renamed Grassland City and officially designated as the capital of the Ormei Empire. Understood?”

“Understood. I will attend to it at once!” Dul responded.

In comparison to Yuri Gottne’s management of the Ormei Empire’s grassland base (now Grassland City), Goba Xiaofu’s development seemed even more successful.

Having won the hearts of ten million primitive tribes, Goba Xiaofu had their genuine loyalty, ensuring stable growth. Under his chief of staff, Moer Ross’s meticulous planning, all operations proceeded in good order. For example, although agricultural land had only just been developed, its scale expanded rapidly.

Industrial growth was also swift, and several schools had been established to cultivate skilled personnel.

At this moment, Goba Xiaofu was listening to Moer Ross’s report. Hearing of their recent achievements, he exclaimed happily:

“Excellent. Had I known this earlier, I should have come here to develop sooner instead of wasting so much time.”

Moer Ross replied, “My Supreme Leader, the path is forged step by step. Without experience, we might not even know where to begin.”

Goba Xiaofu responded, “Indeed. Once we have built a solid base, I intend to push southward to subdue more primitive tribes. Of course, not all are easy to deal with, so sometimes conquest is necessary. But unlike that fool Yuri Gottne, I will not be so incompetent and one-sided.”

Moer Ross said, “Yes, your wisdom is unmatched.”

Then Goba Xiaofu asked, “By the way, how is our new national flag design coming along?”

Moer Ross immediately produced a design sample from his files. “Supreme Leader, please take a look.”

Goba Xiaofu examined the flag: it featured numerous star system patterns, with a space fleet emblazoned at the center. Moer Ross explained:

“These star clusters represent the entire universe. The fleet at the center symbolizes our destiny to become conquerors of this cosmos. In other words, our future…”

“Enough,” Goba Xiaofu interrupted. “This is excellent. What shall we name our new nation?”

Moer Ross considered for a moment and said, “Let us call it the Galactic Empire.”

Goba Xiaofu asked, “Why that name?”

Moer Ross replied, “Because the various star systems across the future sky will be like rivers and streams to us—a series of places we can freely reach and conquer.”

Goba Xiaofu said, “Very well. That shall be the name.”

Then he recalled something and told Moer Ross, “Draft a document at once. After I approve it, announce that the Basin Base and its surrounding 25-kilometer radius are now the city limits of Basin City, which will be the official capital of our nation. Understand?”

Moer Ross answered, “Understood, my Supreme Leader!”

However, Moer Ross also noted, “My Supreme Leader, some of our territory, including parts of the capital, overlap with the human Liao Ancient Kingdom’s land. Since the Liao Ancient Kingdom is allied with the human Gondor tribe, who have connections with the Gomars on Sirius B, we must remain vigilant.”

Goba Xiaofu pondered and said, “First, complete the tasks I mentioned. As for the humans of the Liao Ancient Kingdom and the Gondor tribe, let that fool Yuri Gottne worry about them. Now go and carry out your orders.”

“Yes, my Supreme Leader!” Moer Ross replied and set off.

Thus, the Galactic Empire was officially established under Goba Xiaofu, who became its first Supreme Leader. He declared June 23rd as the national day and soon held their inaugural military parade.

Neither Zhang Desen nor Yuri Gottne nor the others were aware of this development; they continued with their own affairs, oblivious to this new power rising.