Chapter 44: Counterattack, Section 3

In the vast starry sky, countless ships collided wildly like a tidal wave. There was no direction, no purpose, not even basic artillery fire. All the vassal races fled blindly in whatever direction they thought was safe, like wasps whose nest had been destroyed. The public channels were filled with tragic cries, and chaos spread like a tide.

Yet, in such a vast battlefield, where could there be safety? The giant ships of the Smo Empire, just like those of the Moor race, had a range of tens of millions of kilometers. Almost every part of the battlefield was covered by powerful beams of light, with deadly beams visible everywhere in the starry sky.

Evacuation after evacuation.
Watching the chaos ahead, the Moor fleet sent to suppress rebellion behind them grew restless. Under normal circumstances, they could rely on discipline and their reputation to subdue these vassal races, but who still remembered the Moor race’s authority now? Those vassal races were only focused on escaping—it was already good enough if they didn’t kill them. After all, their current position was right at the back of the battlefield, blocking the only escape route for the vassal races.

“General, what should we do now?” asked a young Moor officer in the flagship behind them, the atmosphere tense as solid matter. Before him, the white-bearded old Moor general had remained silent for an entire hour. Now was the time for him to speak.

The Moor Empire was built on military strength, where military achievements held great weight, but so did terrifyingly severe punishments. Everyone present understood what failure meant. Yet they still dared not move a muscle. According to the empire’s military rules, acting without a commander’s orders was tantamount to rebellion.

Silence. A long silence. Under the anxious gazes of everyone, the old general finally sighed. After glancing once more at the chaotic fleets on the screen, he spoke up.

“Retreat. We have no chance left.”
“Yes!” The young officer breathed a sigh of relief. Since the commander had spoken, it meant he was willing to take on most of the responsibility. Even if the empire pursued them, it would be far better for lower-ranking officers like them. Though, the commander himself might…

He shook his head. The young officer stopped himself from thinking further. The decisions of the high military leadership were beyond the understanding of a low-ranking officer like him. What mattered now was to quickly issue orders and get the entire fleet out of this chaotic battlefield.

With that thought, the young officer hurriedly stepped forward. Just as he reached the command console, he suddenly gasped, his mouth falling open wide.

“What’s the matter? Hurry up and pass down the orders! Do we have to wait until those damned allied ships disrupt us?” From behind, General Moore seemed displeased with the young officer’s hesitation and snapped at him.
“General, sir…”
“What is it? Stop dawdling!” General Moore raised his eyebrows, fury evident on his face.
“The allied ships… they’re coming!” After swallowing hard several times, the young officer finally finished speaking.
What!?
Everyone on the ship was shocked. Following the young officer’s gaze, they indeed saw the chaotic battlefield ahead. Thousands of allied ships had found their direction and were charging toward them. Their ships were in tatters, covered in wounds, with flames burning everywhere—clearly on the verge of collapse.
But everyone knew that even the most damaged ships could cause disaster if allowed to break into formation! After all, those panicked allied ships wouldn’t obey orders. They would act like headless flies, throwing chaos everywhere. If the imperial fleet were invaded by them, it would likely become prey in an instant!
That must not happen!
All the commanders exchanged glances, seeing determination in each other’s eyes. In the tense command cabin, several young officers suddenly stepped forward together and saluted General Moore.
“General, we request to launch an attack!”
“General, we request to launch an attack!”
“General, we…”
“You…” The old general’s lips trembled. As a veteran who had fought his whole life, he knew exactly what these young officers were doing. To request an attack at this moment was tantamount to seeking death! A chaotic onslaught couldn’t be dealt with by just a few imperial ships. If the entire imperial fleet were deployed now, it might still be possible to turn the situation around. But…
His gaze drifted into the distance as he let out a long sigh.
The chaos was already in full swing. Even if the imperial fleet managed to restore order, the cost would likely be unacceptable to anyone. Defeat was inevitable.
With that thought, the old general seemed to lose all strength and waved his hand lightly.
“Go. Be careful of yourselves. I’ll leave you coordinates for retreat. Wait there for three days. If…” The old general shook his head, then suddenly gritted his teeth. “No ‘ifs’. You must return!”
“Yes, General!” The young officers saluted again in unison. Tears could already be seen in each of their eyes.

There is no sorrow, nor weakness. The value of a soldier lies in fighting on the battlefield. Perhaps they will never return after going there. But isn’t that the fate of soldiers? What moved them was the understanding of the old general—a soldier’s understanding of sacrifice.

Three officers and three giant ships quickly separated from the main force and charged at the approaching chaotic army. Though in small numbers, they seemed like an army of thousands, with a fierce killing intent that seemed tangible. Watching their retreating figures, the old general appeared even older, barely able to stand straight. He simply waved his hand.

“Retreat. Those three should be enough.”

“Yes, General,” the remaining officers replied in unison, each with a resolute expression on their face.

It was a devastating defeat. Everyone knew that this retreat meant losing all the territory they had painstakingly gained. For the Moorish soldiers, it was a disgrace—a greater shame than Viscount Beck’s failure some time ago!

But they had no choice. They could fail, but they couldn’t lose the core strength of the Moorish Empire. The fleet now consisted mostly of veteran soldiers who had endured countless battles—elite troops that must be preserved at all costs. Perhaps many of them would face severe punishment after retreating, but no one was thinking about that now.

In the distant starry sky, more ships of the vassal tribes were coming from behind like ants, with the terrifying ships of the Smo Empire following closely behind…

In August of the 13751th year of the Imperial calendar, the Rebel Suppression Army suffered a crushing defeat. In this battle, the Smo Empire, riding the wave of the chaotic army, pursued the Imperial suppression fleet for five standard jumps, seizing all the star systems along the way. Imperial morale plummeted.

Afterward, Admiral Dis, the commander of the Imperial suppression fleet, resigned in shame. His position was taken over by Harvey, the most outstanding young general in the Imperial military.

Lieutenant General Harvey was a highly aggressive commander and a role model among the younger generation of the empire. He was also the champion of the previous imperial competition as fleet commander, known for his bold command style. His appointment was part of the empire’s efforts to turn around the situation on the front lines. Everyone hoped that such a daring commander could bring about some change on the front.

And indeed, this young general performed well.

Having just taken office, Lieutenant General Harvey led his ships in a brilliant ambush. They lay in wait along the Smo Empire’s main route and struck at the moment the enemy emerged from teleportation, destroying over a hundred of the Smo Empire’s massive warships in one fell swoop. This action halted the Smo Empire’s fierce pursuit. As news of the battle reached the imperial capital, it caused an uproar throughout the empire.

Yet this uproar was not solely filled with excitement; it was also marked by outrage. The reason was that this tough-minded young general turned out to be a bloodthirsty butcher. His ambush targeted not only the Smo Empire’s ships but also those of the allied tribes who had been fleeing. While it’s true that he destroyed hundreds of Smo Empire warships, he also killed thousands of ships belonging to the allied tribes in their panic!

When this news spread, the entire empire was in an uproar. The Moor military leadership was both pleased and worried, while the general public condemned this commander for his excessive killing, even against his own allies. At first, these criticisms came only from a small number of high-ranking officials. But as more battle reports circulated, the whole empire was shaken, with accusations heard everywhere. The decisions of the imperial military were also questioned. Under such circumstances, the military urgently sought the emperor’s guidance. It’s unclear how they explained this “victory,” but the emperor eventually issued a statement urging the people to view the matter rationally and to place greater trust in the military. This barely suppressed the growing public outrage.

But no one could have predicted that just as things seemed about to calm down, another piece of news suddenly spread throughout the empire. It claimed that General Harvey’s actions were not spontaneous but were ordered by the imperial military. The military planned to use this opportunity to send more of the empire’s growing number of allied tribes into battle, aiming to reduce their population through war. The first conscription order had been issued for this purpose but failed due to unexpected chaos. So this time, the military directly ordered Lieutenant General Harvey to target the allied tribes during the suppression campaign to continue reducing their numbers.

This news caused an even greater upheaval in the empire. It spread like a plague. Within just a few days, the entire empire was in an uproar, with everyone discussing it. Aside from the Moors, who still had absolute trust in the imperial military, most other races expressed skepticism!

The news naturally reached Grand Duke Taro as well, who was having dinner at the time. Upon hearing it, he was stunned speechless; the glass in his hand slipped quietly and shattered on the floor.
“Rumors… false rumors?”