Chapter 2588: His Lordship’s Assistance
Lei Chenghu put on the nerval interaction again and displayed the deduction that he ran with his remarkable computational ability on the light beam.
It could be clearly seen that if Lei Chenghu, Yun Xuefeng, and the mysterious fleet did not change their speeds and tactical purposes, Lei Chenghu and Yun Xuefeng’s fleets would collide first. No matter how weak Yun Xuefeng’s command was and how chaotic his fleet was, they were a fearsome tide of starships at least in terms of quantity.
When the Astounding Thunder Fleet pierced through such a tide of starships, the Astounding Thunder Fleet’s own battle formation would certainly be greatly affected. Too many starships would be stalled by the enemy. Part of the starships would be destroyed immediately, and another part of the starships would be busy dealing with Yun Xuefeng’s Colossi. It would be impossible for them to retain the perfect, flawless battle formation that they had right now.
At this moment, the mysterious fleet that had jumped out of nowhere would be running into the Astounding Thunder Fleet that was in the most chaotic state, reaping the greatest fruit.
“Do you see it? This is their commander’s intent.”
Lei Chenghu said coldly, “He is planning to disrupt our regathering after the second round. If he grasps the timing well and employs appropriate tactics, it will be possible to shatter the Astounding Thunder Fleet. We will never be able to regather anymore.”
It was not until Lei Chenghu’s enlightenment that the many advisors finally realized what was going on. Then, they all felt chilly and scared.
The commander of the mysterious fleet was too terrifying! He had taken both the Astounding Thunder Fleet and Yun Xuefeng’s group, the strongest forces in the space battlefield right now, into consideration!
If Commander Lei hadn’t seen through it in time, wasn’t it possible that the Astounding Thunder Fleet might be knocked out in carelessness?
“Commander Lei, what do we do now?”
One of the advisors wiped his cold sweat and asked, “Should we turn around and deal with the mysterious fleet first?”
“There’s no need for that. Continue charging at Yun Xuefeng’s group, but lower the speed by 20% to disrupt the enemy’s pace. We have paid such a high price to blow Yun Xuefeng’s troop apart. It will be a shame if he is given enough time to regroup his army!”
Tapping the nerval interaction helmet, Lei Chenghu pondered for a moment and said, “Also, the mysterious fleet jumped out slightly too soon. Or rather, considering the abilities of its commander, if he had really intended to carry out the tactic we discussed just now, he could’ve hidden himself a while longer until the last moment before he blew out the maximal power and revealed himself to us.
“So, he intentionally jumped out earlier to be detected by us?
“Is this some sort of demonstration of his power, or a way to stall us from attacking Yun Xuefeng’s army, or even a message?”
“A message?”
The advisors of the Astounding Thunder Fleet looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what their commander meant at all.
Although they were unaware of the background of the mysterious fleet, considering their terrifying expertise, they must be a hardcore supporter of the four families and a sworn enemy to the Astounding Thunder Fleet. What message could they possibly send?
However, in the next second, another thing that shocked all the advisors took place. Iron Torrent did receive a secret communication request from the mysterious fleet!
“This is…”
The advisors couldn’t have been more confused. “Commander Lei, you must be careful! This might be the enemy’s trap!”
“Even if there is a trap, it cannot be activated in the communication channel.”
Lei Chenghu smiled and hinted at his subordinate. “Turn on the communication. I’m going to see who it is that has raised my highest fighting will!”
If the mysterious fleet hadn’t demonstrated the strength a moment ago, Lei Chenghu probably wouldn’t have bothered with such an insignificant fleet.
However, since the enemy was so capable, Lei Chenghu, who had always tried to unite all the soldiers of the Imperium into a powerful national army, had no choice but to pay enough attention to them.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!
Waves that were seriously jammed appeared on the light beam in crazy swirls, which swallowed and melted with each other, gradually turning into a clear image. However, it was a face that astounded everyone.
Even Lei Chenghu, who would not blink even if a planet exploded right before his eyes, snorted and raised his eyebrow, showing obvious surprise. “Marquis Yongchun… Li Wuji?”
Yes, speaking to the Astounding Thunder Fleet for the mysterious fleet, with an unpleasant face as if he was reluctant to stand before Lei Chenghu, was exactly Li Wuji, Marquis Li!
“Commander Lei!”
Li Wuji narrowed his eyes and covered his mouth with a handkerchief, mainly to cover his lips that were cramping nonstop. “I did not expect that we would meet in such a way.”
“I did not know that Marquis Yongchun should be such an expert and so good at hiding yourself. Your fleet is so well-trained that it could almost be called the four Kurfürst families’ secret weapon!”
With immeasurable brilliance flashing in Lei Chenghu’s eyes, he observed the conditions in the bridge of Alloy Virus behind Li Wuji before he said casually, “A great commander like you turns out to be only a marquis. The four families are truly terrible at recruitment. According to the abilities you showed just now, you are a hundred times better than the arrogant Yun Xuefeng, and you are more than capable of commanding the whole coalition fleet.”
“There’s no need to sow discord between me and Commander Yun. Or rather, if that is what you want, words are useless, and only the concrete benefits are convincing!”
Narrowing his eyes, Li Wuji made up his mind and asked, “Commander Lei, I only want to know if the Letter To The Soldiers Of The Imperium that you sent to all the fleets on the space battlefield a moment ago includes the fleets under the four families? If we are willing to accept your command, will we receive the corresponding privileges and positions, including the ‘glory that the soldiers of the Imperium deserve’?”
After hearing that, the advisors on Iron Torrent all whispered to each other. What was the meaning of that? Was Li Wuji planning to rebel too?
Li Wuji, Marquis Yongchun, was merely an insignificant character on the four families’ side.
Even though they learned that he had subdued the twenty-eight toughest pirate gangs at the edge of the Imperium and conquered the “Blue Sky Market”, one of the largest free fairs under the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, and that he had remarkable performances in the battles to block the sailing routes, the many Immortal Cultivators in Lei Chenghu’s group did not think too much of him. They thought that he was just another “great general” that the nobles adulated him to be like Yun Xuefeng.
After they saw him in person today, they finally realized that the man was unusual. However, even such a rarely-seen talented general was going to betray the four families?
Was his surrender sincere, or was it a trap?
“Never for one second have I planned to fight this goddamn civil war. As long as the civil war can end as fast as possible with the minimal cost, and a powerful and united national army can be established, I can compromise on any term or negotiate with anybody. This is my attitude that I have never hidden.”
His hands in his back, Lei Chenghu declared resolutely, “Even though I find the corrupt and decadent leaders of the four families disgusting, most of the soldiers in the four families’ coalition fleet are innocent. They are even the most exploited ones. I am absolutely unwilling to fight any of them or stain my hands with your blood. Therefore, I can’t welcome Marquis Yongchun enough if you intend to shift your sides. I swear with my life that every word in the Letter To The Soldiers Of The Imperium will be fulfilled!
“However…
“Marquis Yongchun has just regrouped twenty-eight pirate gangs, conquered the Blue Sky Market, and distinguished yourself in the following battles. You are a rising star on the four families’ side, and you have such a marvelous fleet under your command. Your future is nothing but promising. Why do you choose to betray your family when the situation is not clear? Are you so unconfident of your own fleets, and are you not scared of the fury of the four families?”
“You may not know this, Commander Lei, but I-I am desperate now.”
Li Wuji said with a bitter smile, “Tall trees in a forest are hit first. My performance earlier has already raised the jealousy and dissatisfaction of too many people. Also, due to the series of accidents, the Li family is now the weakest of the four families and cannot protect a minor marquis like me. Even the National Protection Army that… I regrouped after all the trouble may be taken by somebody else.
“For self-protection, and to get more room for my development, I had to join Yun Xuefeng, the commander of this battle. Under Yun Xuefeng’s support, I was given abundant resources and a chance to distinguish myself.
“However, Yun Xuefeng’s support came with a price. He used my fleet as the ‘supervisors’ of this battle and asked me to inspect the battlefield and execute the disobedient guys in the four families who violated his command. Essentially, he was pushing me forward to piss off the great nobles in his place.
“I had no choice except to follow Yun Xuefeng’s arrangement as his executioner. The intense conflicts with many nobles were inevitable. I even executed Song Changlie, ‘Marquis Hushan’. I have pissed off all the people that I can and can’t afford to piss off!
“Do you see, Commander Lei? For me, the only way out is if Yun Xuefeng secures a great triumph and wins the war quickly and unstoppably. Then, Yun Xuefeng’s prestige would be higher than ever, and there would still be a chance for me to keep my life under his protection.
“I didn’t know that Commander Lei would suddenly show up, and Yun Xuefeng would prove to be such a worthless man that he would be crushed after only the first round. It is now only a matter of time before his total collapse.
“Yun Xuefeng and I are on the same boat. If he is screwed, I’ll be dead for sure too. Even if the other three families could take over his flag, defeat the Astounding Thunder Fleet, and win this war, how can I benefit anything from it?
“Right now, the Song family is the strongest apart from the Yun family. Song Yushi, the Song family’s commander in the Seven Seas Space Zone, is an experienced, brutal, and prestigious general who was supposed to be the general.
“If Yun Xuefeng is killed in the battle or goes missing or surrenders, the commandership will definitely go to Song Yushi. But I just killed Song Changlie, Song Yushi’s family member. I can’t imagine how the new commander will treat me.
“Therefore, do I want to wait and get myself killed instead of finding a new way out for me and my brothers before Yun Xuefeng’s total collapse?”