On the bridge of the Starship.
In the center of the panoramic screen, the busts of the three overlords were displayed. On either side, heads of the Falling Mountain, various fleets, and other departments were present.
Besides them, a few fellows with high noses and blue eyes were in the corner of the screen.
Ling Xiao leaned closer to Ou Zhanpeng's ear and whispered, "Isn't this our own meeting? Who are those people?"
"Them? They're representatives of our other allies, here to observe."
"Observe?" Ling Xiao looked astonished. "Did I hear that right? They can observe such an important meeting?"
It wasn't that he was being fussy. Although he didn't know the specifics of this meeting, he could deduce with his eyes closed that it was related to the recently concluded campaign. The meeting's content was only disseminated down to the division level internally, yet outsiders were allowed to observe?
This joke was far from funny.
Ou Zhanpeng shrugged. "After such a great victory, we naturally need some younger brothers to cheer us on, right?"
Ling Xiao was stunned for a moment, then displayed a look of indignation. "Don't give me that nonsense, who are you trying to fool?"
For them to do this was definitely more than just cheering. More importantly, it was to let the other allies understand what had happened.
Firstly, it would quell the chaotic public opinion. Secondly, wasn't it also a way to display their might and threaten those who were disloyal?
Killing two birds with one stone, not bad!
At precisely nine o'clock, Zhou Guangyi tapped the microphone on the table. The crisp sound immediately echoed in various sub-conference rooms: "The meeting is now in session. The main content of this meeting is the handling of post-campaign issues. First, let Commander Dan report the basic situation of the campaign!"
Dan Qiuyu continued to speak: "Comrades, in this campaign, we destroyed a total of 814 enemy ships. Our side lost 42 warships and had 102 damaged. As of this morning, we have captured 2,464 aliens, including 325 high-ranking officers. We have also seized a considerable amount of alien weapons and equipment. That's the basic situation. The follow-up cleanup work is still ongoing, and there should be more gains."
Although the report was brief, the attendees were in high spirits, each beaming with joy.
"It's no exaggeration to say this is an unprecedented victory!" Zhou Guangyi couldn't hide the smile on his face. "It shows that our fleet has the resolve and capability to protect humanity and Earth! This is a very significant advancement. However, we must not let ourselves be intoxicated by victory. We must clearly recognize the many shortcomings of the fleet itself, and even more so, we must clearly recognize the unfavorable situation we face!"
At this point, Zhou Guangyi paused. "Seven alien civilizations, comrades. The thought of this makes my heart ache... Never mind, let's not dwell on it. Now, let Falling Mountain introduce the interrogation situation!"
The image on the screen shifted, showing a capable female officer: "Hello everyone, I am Kou Xuehua. From yesterday dawn until now, we have conducted isolated interrogations of all officers from the seven civilizations and over three hundred ordinary prisoners. From the current interrogation results, we have found no evidence linking the enemy to the Roer people."
"Comprehensive analysis indicates that the main reason for the attack was that the Anti-Roer Alliance's negotiations with the Roer people did not satisfy the conditions proposed by these civilizations. They were very displeased with our agreement to negotiate with the Roer people, and therefore, they united together to launch this retaliatory surprise attack."
"In addition to the seven civilizations that have already appeared, two other civilizations were aware of this but failed to report it... That's all the information we have currently."
After listening to Kou Xuehua's explanation, everyone's expressions turned grim.
No one could feel good knowing they were so widely despised.
On the screen, Kou Xuehua's figure shrank to a corner, and the three overlords once again occupied the central position.
Zhou Guangyi sighed and said, "I always thought this attack was instigated by the Roer people, but the interrogations have yielded such a result!"
"I still maintain my previous opinion; we cannot rule out the Roer people's suspicion," Dan Qiuyu said. "For the Roer people, we are the barefoot ones, but compared to other civilizations, we are the shod ones! The issue now is not who the mastermind behind the scenes is, but how to retaliate!"
A single punch can ward off a hundred blows.
Not a single interstellar civilization speaks of ideals or morality. Strength of arms is the sole criterion for judging a civilization's power or weakness!
Educating alien civilizations?
Don't be ridiculous. Even for education, one must first subdue them by force.
Therefore, retaliation has never been the question; how to retaliate is.
Dan Qiuyu's statement cast a silence over the venue. Thoughts churned in everyone's minds, yet no one spoke up.
War is the continuation of politics. The administrative planets of these seven civilizations are not secrets to humanity. Even if they are not clear for the moment, precise information can be obtained through pirates or the Anti-Roer Alliance.
The problem is, how to retaliate appropriately?
Directly destroy their administrative planets?
Doing so would be simple and within their capabilities, but pure destruction would not align with humanity's interests and would also cause humanity's image among other civilizations to collapse.
After a silence of nearly half a minute, Mu Xingyu spoke slowly, "Since no one has an idea yet, let me start the ball rolling. First, retaliation must be limited. I don't know if annihilation is standard practice in interstellar warfare, but I don't think it's appropriate. Of course, if there's any information I'm unaware of, please feel free to correct me. Secondly, the rules of warfare between humans cannot be simply applied; this must be made clear. Thirdly, it must achieve the purpose of deterrence, preventing similar incidents from happening again... Little Ou, you are most familiar with the outside situation, do you know anything about how wars between alien civilizations are conducted?"
Upon being named, Ou Zhanpeng looked troubled. "Sir, we have contacted too few alien civilizations, and the time has been too short. I really don't know about this matter. Elder Gong, what do you think?"
Gong Yiding stroked his chin. "Based on the information available, total destruction is the norm in interstellar warfare."
Total destruction and annihilation are not the same, but their practical implications are not significantly different.
One is to turn a blind eye and carry out a devastating frontal assault; the other is to carefully distinguish and carry out pinpoint strikes.
The process differs, but the outcome is the same.
Mu Xingyu frowned. "So, my idea is a bit too lenient!"
"That's not necessarily true," Zhou Guangyi waved his hand. "How alien civilizations wage war has nothing to do with us. We can't all turn black just because all the crows in the world are black, right? I think it's better to stick to our own customs. Otherwise, when the news gets out, not only will public opinion condemn us, but even the morale of the troops might be affected."
Upon hearing this, some nodded in agreement, while others secretly opposed it.
Morale and spirit, though seemingly intangible, were in fact very real.
Simply put, the fleet, from top to bottom, consisted of soldiers trained in the modern education system. While their personalities differed, the vast majority possessed fundamental concepts of good and evil.
This was not the case a few world-cycles ago. Massacre, torture, and genocide were far beyond the limits of the vast majority. If such orders were given, even if executed, they would provoke strong resistance from the soldiers.
Some might say that the Starship had already annihilated the Black Horn people and destroyed several of the Roer people's planets, so this argument might seem inappropriate.
However, facing a strong enemy was called resisting to the death, refusing to yield. Facing the weak was called bullying the weak and oppressing the weak. The process and the outcome were not the same.
"How about this: first, reparations. No one has any objections to this, right?" Zhou Guangyi asked.
Everyone nodded in unison; no one objected to this suggestion.
"Second, demilitarization, with our fleet stationed to provide protection," Zhou Guangyi added.
This statement once again cast a silence over the room.
"Stationed troops?" Mu Xingyu was the first to raise an objection. "Is that appropriate?"
These words reminded him of the wicked old society.
"Why is it not appropriate?" Zhou Guangyi retorted. "Not only stationed troops, but also military expenses."
"Do you think that's possible?"
"Why not?" Zhou Guangyi retorted again. "We are not doing charity. We don't need to deter enemies, but we must have benefits, and long-term benefits at that. War is not a banquet. If the enemy resists stubbornly, then completely eliminate them and seize their planets!"
"Isn't that a bit too radical?" Mu Xingyu suddenly felt that he had never truly understood Zhou Guangyi.
The gazes of the two men focused on Dan Qiuyu. Commander Dan thought for a moment and said, "It's too early to say. I think it still depends on the specific situation... Also, is it too strenuous for our own fleet to deal with seven civilizations?"
"What are your thoughts?" Zhou Guangyi asked.
"Perhaps we should seek external aid?" Dan Qiuyu suggested very cautiously.
"I think that's a good idea," Mu Xingyu stated.
"Then let's contact the prehistoric civilizations and have them join us!" Zhou Guangyi said.
After all, Earth was the homeland of the prehistoric civilizations. Although there had been considerable conflicts back then, their relationship had been improving in recent years, with very pleasant cooperation in various aspects.
Although the four human civilizations were independent, in the eyes of other civilizations, they were a single entity.
Sharing blessings and bearing hardships together, bringing the prehistoric civilizations into this situation now would not only enhance their own strength but also alleviate the pressure from other civilizations, achieving two objectives with one action. Why not?
All the topics for discussion had been covered, and Zhou Guangyi concluded with a few remarks, bringing the meeting to an end.
After the meeting, the foreign affairs department immediately contacted the three major prehistoric civilizations, explained the situation, and extended an invitation.
Although humanity had made a decision, war was not something that could be fought at will. The fleet needed to be mobilized, supplies needed to be prepared, and public opinion needed to be stirred up. All of this required time.
The prehistoric civilizations were the same. Whether to participate in the action, how to participate, how to divide the benefits, whether to contribute only labor or both labor and effort – all these were issues that needed to be negotiated and resolved.
However, what Ou Zhanpeng never expected was that later that evening, he received a communication from Mi Sha!
He couldn't help but be taken aback. As soon as the signal connected, he immediately put on a smile. "Your Excellency Mi Sha, long time no see. May I know why you are looking for me today?"
Getting straight to the point, the underlying meaning was: if you have something to say, say it quickly; I don't have time to waste with you.
Mi Sha's face was full of smiles. "Oh, don't you know? I am the Imperial Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Blue Star."
Ou Zhanpeng frowned inwardly. "Is that so? Alright, Your Excellency Mi Sha, I'm a bit busy today. If you have anything, please contact the foreign affairs department directly."
He was a relatively pure soldier and did not want to have any improper contact with outsiders, especially aliens.
"No, no, no, dear Ou, I only need a little of your time, just a little. I'm sure you won't make things difficult for a lady, right?"
"Is it personal or official?" Ou Zhanpeng asked.
"Sorry, your rules are too numerous, and I don't understand your customs," Mi Sha said slyly. "How do you say personal matters? How do you say official matters?"
Ou Zhanpeng smiled slightly. "There's nothing personal between us. For official matters, please contact the foreign affairs department!" With that, he was about to cut off the communication.
Mi Sha could no longer maintain her smile. "Wait, Ou, we have just reached an agreement with the foreign affairs department for cooperation in sending troops!"
Ou Zhanpeng raised an eyebrow and stopped his action. "And then?"
Mi Sha dared not keep him in suspense and immediately stated her purpose. "We hope you can help us persuade the military to engage in deep cooperation in terms of technology."
Ou Zhanpeng blinked. "I don't understand this. Isn't cooperation already ongoing?"
This was pure nonsense. Cooperation had been ongoing, but besides resources and technology, there was one thing that surprised everyone: cooking, or rather, culinary arts.
It was a tearful story. The three major prehistoric civilizations had developed under the deep guidance of prophets. While the specific guidance methods differed, there were not many differences overall – they all focused on technological development, especially military technology.
Prophets invested little energy in civil affairs. It was an imperial system from beginning to end – this system was most conducive to concentrating power and resources.
For humanity, the prehistoric civilizations had many advanced aspects, but there were also many things that simply couldn't keep up with the times.
To put it more bluntly, in terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, the prehistoric civilizations had always been at a relatively low level, especially in terms of food, which was outrageously crude.
To put it bluntly, even the "Star Gazer Pie" of the John Bull nation would be considered top-tier cuisine in the prehistoric civilizations.
In the beginning, no one had realized this problem until formal foreign relations were established between the two parties, and the foreign affairs department arranged a diplomatic banquet.
The result was that the foreign affairs personnel from the three major prehistoric civilizations became uncontrollably captivated by the cuisine of the great foodie empire.
They had never imagined that simple food could be so complex and so delicious, and from then on, they were unwilling to leave Blue Star.
Did you think that was the end of it?
It wasn't that simple.
The first batch to be exposed to Xia Guo's cuisine was only the foreign affairs personnel of the prehistoric civilizations. When their term of office ended, their only wish was to continue to have Xia Guo's cuisine.
Thus, they simply sent a formal dispatch to the foreign affairs department, requesting to hire a few authentic human chefs to work on their planets for a long time, which made the foreign affairs department laugh and cry.