Vol 1 Chapter 10 (1/1)

Chapter TenA New PrologueI… This series of battles was named, “The Battle of Amritsar,” after the na this battle, the Free Planets Alliance Fleet suffered an overwhel defeat The consequences were obvious While the Iic retreat, the Alliance Fleet abandoned all of the over two-hundred star systems that they temporarily occupied, and they barely held onto the Iserlohn Fortress

The Alliance Fleet mobilized over thirty-h Iserlohn to return to their ho in a devastating situation where the dead-or- rate reached seventy-percentThis defeat of course casted an enormous shadow over the political, economic, social, and military aspects of the Alliance Blood drained from the Treasury officials’ faces when they estimated their past and future expenses for the bereaved faes done by Astarte was no match for thisThe bereaved families and the anti-war faction also showered iovernment and the military illfully carried out this reckless expedition The citizens who lost their husbands and sons due to low-dieneral staff officer’s desire to succeed laovernment and the military“Although a lot of lives and s we should respect beyond that We should not plunge into emotional anti-war principles”It should be noted that a the pro-war faction, there were still people who defended the expedition as such“Money aside, what do you s that we should respect beyond human lives? Do you mean political entrenchment or military ambition? The blood of twenty- worthy of respect!?”This curt retort compelled silence Except for a handful of those whose conscience were , most re in safetyAll of the h Council subnationThe pro-war faction’s popularity waned, and relatively, the anti-war faction rose into the liainst the expedition were praised for their insight, and Secretary of Defense Trunicht became the interi yearIn the study of his hoht He would not have to wait long before the word “interim” would be removed from his titleIn the military, chief of Joint Operations, Fleet Admiral Sithole, and chief space Fleet coether It was said that Lobos dragged down his opponent Sithole by Lobos’s own failureThe two fleet coht bravely until their deaths, Vice Admiral Ulanhu and Vice Admiral Borodin, received the rank “fleet admiral” with a two-rank proh admiral,” so the next rank above an admiral was a fleet admiral Adated to the position of the inspector general (査閲部長) of the National Defense Commission General Secretariat (国防委員会事務総局), and reainst the Imperial FleetRear Adated to the position of the 14th Supply Base commander, and departed from the capital, Heinesen Someone had to bear the responsibility of the failure of supply and replenish the Battle of Amritsar He left his family in the capital, and reported to his new post in the frontier land five-hundred light years away His wife brought his two young daughters to stay with her parentsAfter Coned to reserve duty, which appeared to be the end of his ambitionThus, the Alliance leadershi+p becanificantly deficient in terms of personnel And who should fill such a vacancy? The person who assumed the position as the chief of Joint Operations, as proinal 1st Fleet commander –Kubrusly (クブルスリー)He did not participate in either the Battle of Astarte or the Battle of Amritsar, so he did not have to bear any responsibility for either defeat Since his appointht about solid achieveroups and ensuring trade route safety While he graduated with honors from the military academy, and it was presuhest peak in the military, this was realized at a speed that he himself did not even expectThe person who succeeded Kubrusly as the commander of the 1st Fleet was Vice Ad fro the Battle of AstarteBewcock was appointed the chief space Fleet commander, and of course, he was also proiven a position worthy of a veteran admiral This personnel appointment ell received both in and out of the h Bewcock was renowned and rose up from the rank of spaceman, if the situation was not as such, he would not have been given the position of chief space Fleet coood fortune was born to an unfortunate crushi+ng defeatYang Wen-li’s treatment was not immediately determinedMore than seventy-percent of the officers and men in the 13th fleet under his command returned alive Such survival rate was unparalleled Additionally, no one could accuse hi hidden in a safe place The 13th Fleet was constantly in the midst of fierce battles, and moreover, he remained on the battlefield until the end to secure his allies’ escapeKubrusly had hoped that Yang would become the chief-of-staff of the Joint Operations Headquarters, and Bewcock had stated that he intended to seat Yang as the chief-of-staff of the space FleetOn the other hand, the officers andas their commander As Schönkopf correctly assessed, the spacemen desired a commander who had both ability and luck, because that allowed them the best chance of survivalBefore his future was deter vacation When he was at his residence in Heinesen, stor citizens and journalists ished toout fairly i his video phone, so he did not get any restThe electronic document transmitter printed out a few letters One was a letter fro the Great Patriotic Coh However, when he saw the letter from the mother of one of 13th Fleet’s fallen spacemen, where she wrote, “When it comes down to it, you are in cahoots with the murderers,” his mood dampened The reality was that it was six of one, and half dozen of the other Both honor and glory were built upon thousands upon thousands of anonymous spacemen’s corpses…Julian proposed a vacation, probably because he saw that the a due to his depression Although Yang was not a loud and handsy drunk, alcohol was still harmful to the body if it was not drunk out of enjoymentYang was soestion, he agreed to it right away They spent three weeks a suppressed his urge to drink, and when they returned to the capital, an appoint for himIserlohn Fortress Commander (イゼルローン要塞司令官), Iserlohn Garrison Fleet Commander (イゼルローン駐留機動艦隊司令官), and Free Planets Alliance Chief-of-Staff Council Representative (同盟軍最高幕僚会議議員)This was the new identity that was given to Yang Wen-li He was also proh there were so-year-old admirals, this was the first time an officer advanced three ranks within one yearThe Iserlohn Garrison Fleet was created by co the old 10th with the 13th Fleet, and it was co Fleet (ヤン艦隊)”Towards the young national hero, the Alliance had been showing hireatest respect However, however much they honored hi to be an honored ad yearned was to retire from the military and live peacefully as a civilianIn any case, Yang reported to Iserlohn, and became the chief commander on the front line of national securityOf course, with his life in Heinesen co to an end, what should be done with Julian? This worried Yang He considered giving Mrs Cazerne custody, but Julian was unwilling to leave Yang’s sideLooking at Julian who had been preparing to go with Yang fro hesitated, but eventually decided to take Julian with him He needed to find a steward to take care of his affairs anyway, and it would be easier for Yang if Julian took the position Even though Yang did not want Julian to follow his footsteps, he also did not want to abandon Julian Julian therefore entered thean able-spaceman (兵長)-equivalent rank, and was paid a salaryOf course, Julian was not the only person who followed YangFrederica Greenhill was the adjutant (副官), Fischer was the Garrison Fleet deputy commander (駐留機動艦隊副司令官), and Schönkopf was appointed as the fortress defense coeneral staff officers were Murai, Patrichev, and Lao who assisted Yang during the Battle of Astarte Pouplin was given the position of captain of the First Fortress space Squadron (要塞第一宙戦隊長) In addition to the above people, the original staff fro Fleet’s” personnel line-upYang also wanted Cazerne to be in charge of the ad Cazerne over as soon as possibleNevertheless, he found the Imperial Fleet’s ramm aside, there were noble-birth admirals ere spurred by Reinhard’s feats-of-valor, so ould happen if they plot an invasion and attack the Alliance Fleet during this opportunity where the Alliance’s defense eakened?… Fortunately, his worries did not materialize A situation arose within the Galactic En abroadIt was the sudden death of Kaiser Friedrich IVIIWhat greeted Reinhard as he returned victoriously fro the surface of the Imperial capital OdinThe kaiser is dead!The cause of death was acute heart attack Not only did his indulgence and interee was also itself turbid As if to deanism, his death was too sudden“The kaiser is dead?”As he surveyed his subordinates ere understandably stunned, Reinhard muttered in the back of his mind“Heart attack… so natural death? That is too good for that man”‘If he lived five er, I would be able to deliver hiuilty of,’ thought ReinhardTurning to Kircheis, the eyes that h Kircheis was not as vicious as Reinhard, Kircheis’s pain was perhaps more deeply felt The man who robbed the beautiful Annerose froone years translow seemed to dance wildly around them…“Your Excellency”An excessively calht Reinhard immediately back to the shore of reality There was no need to confirm the source of the voice It was Oberstein“The kaiser died without establishi+ng a successor”Oberstein openly omitted the honorific For a moment, all officers other than Reinhard and Kircheis were horrified“What are you surprised about?”The grey-haired general staff eyed everyone with the inorganic light of his ocular prostheses“The only person I swore allegiance to is Ira honorifics for the kaiser?”After saying that, he turned around to face Reinhard“Your Excellency, the kaiser died without establishi+ng a successor It is evident that his three grandchildren rangle to inherit the throneWhoever inherits the throne right noill only have it teh bloodshed”“……You are correct”With the harsh expression of a careerist, the young Imperial fleet admiral nodded“Whoever gets chosen out of the three will deterrandchildren will reach for my handshake?”“It will probably be Marquis Lichtenrade While the other two have their own armed forces, Marquis Lichtenrade does not He ant the assistance of Your Excellency’s armed forces”“Indeed”Reinhard flashed a beautiful smile that was different from the kind that he showed Kircheis“In that case, I will sell it to hih price”…Most people thought that the sudden death of the kaiser would shake Count Reinhard von Lohengramm’s position profoundlyThe result was the opposite That was because the minister of state, Marquis Lichtenrade, planned to install the five-year-old royal grandson, Erwin Josef (エルウィン・ヨーゼフ), as the next kaiserSince this toddler was a direct descendant of the late Kaiser Friedrich IV, the coronation itself was not peculiar However, he was too young, and he did not have the support of powerful nobles, so he was thought to be at a disadvantageUnder this situation, it would not be unusual if Lady Elisabeth (エリザベート), the sixteen-year-old daughter of Duke and duchess Braunschweig, or Lady Sabine (サビーネ), the fourteen-year-old daughter of Marquis and Marquise Littenheient with their fathers’ power and faround to support them There were also some precedents for this If that were to happen, then since the kaiserin-regent would be too young, her father would assist as regentBoth Duke Braunschweig and Marquis Littenheim were ambitious and confident men Because they both expected this situation, and they both planned to realize their expectations, they both engaged in inforIn particular, nobles with young, single sons becahter’s ascending to the throne, then I will consider your son as the new kaiserin-regent’s husband——If the verbal agreehters of the kaiser would end up with dozens of husbands It was apparent that if the girls had lovers already, their wishes would be ignoredHowever, minister of state, Marquis Lichtenrade, who controlled both theImperial Seal (国璽) and the I to allow the extended royal fa influence to privatize the empireHe was concerned about the prospects of the empire, and moreover, he treasured his status and power He had decided to support the direct descendant of the late Friedrich IV, Erwin Josef, as the kaiser, and given the tremendous power those in opposition held, it was necessary for hi, yet easy to controlAfter careful consideration, Marquis Lichtenrade made his selection The person could not be said to be tractable Rather, he was a dangerous person However, no one could disagree that he was powerful…Thus, Count Reinhard von Lohengramm was promoted to marquis and appointed the commander-in-chief of the Imperial space Fleet (帝国宇宙艦隊司令長官) by Lichtenrade who had just become dukeWhen the coronation of Erwin Josef was announced, the nobles led by Duke Braunschere first surprised, then disappointed, and at last, enragedHowever, the axis that was born to Duke Lichtenrade and MarquisLohengra One of them controlled the military and was popular with the commoners, and the other had authority in state affairs and was influential in the court The two of thee of the authority of the new kaiser because they must establish their position and powerWhen Erwin Josef II’s coronation cere held, two representatives of senior states kaiser embraced between the nanny’s knees The representative for the civil officials was Duke Lichtenrade as appointed regent, and the representative for the military officers was Reinhard The aristocrats, bureaucrats, and athered reluctantly affirimeThe aristocrats ere alienated by this new regi and Marquis LittenheiimeDuke Lichtenrade was an old and useless person who should have retired from national politics and ended his role after the death of the late Kaiser Friedrich IV On the other hand, just as Marquis Lohengrah he earned many brilliant deeds-of-valor, he was born into an impoverished family that was aristocrat in nae of the kaiser’s love for his sister to rise into success, and then offend his superiors? People like them think they would be allowed to monopolize national affairs? ……The aristocrats converted their private and public indignation into their drive to overthrow the new regimeIn this way, as long as they share this coranable like an iron wallReinhard who becah admiral in one fell swoop, and appointed him the deputy commander-in-chief of the space Fleet (宇宙艦隊副司令長官)Duke Lichtenrade agreed wholeheartedly with this personnel arrange Kircheis a favorThe person who felt concerned was Oberstein While he was promoted to vice admiral and appointed to two concurrent positions as the chief-of-staff of the space Fleet (宇宙艦隊総参謀長) and the executive director of the Lohengraave a word of advice in awith Reinhard“Your childhood friend is a well-qualified deputy coerous to have the same person in both positions Since the deputy coin with, should you not place High Admiral Kircheis on the same level as the other admirals?”“Say no more, Oberstein It has been decided already”The young commander-in-chief of the Imperial space Fleet’s morose response sealed the lips of the chief-of-staff with the ocular prostheses Although he valued Oberstein’s strategic mind, he did not consider Oberstein a confidant hoainst his alter ego did not leave hiAfter the death of the kaiser, Countess Annerose von Grünewald retreated from the court, and moved into the Schwarzen Mansion (シュワルツェンの館) that Reinhard had prepared for his sister and himself When Reinhard welcoer:“I am sorry that I made you suffer Please live blissfully from now on”While it was an unremarkable speech by Reinhard, it was filled with sincerityHowever, he still had that ruthless careerist side that he did not wish to show his sisterWhen he discovered that Duke Braunschweig and Marquis Littenheim secretly formed an alliance, he welcomed the news‘I hope it blows up Not only can I sentence theainst the new kaiser, I can also wipe out the nobility influence’ Once the two nobles that were Friedrich IV’s son-in-laere dead, the rest would have no choice but to bon to Reinhard’s hegemony The nobles would kneel on the floor and swear their obedience At that time, naturally, his covenant with Duke Lichtenrade would be broken ‘Old raccoon, you best celebrate your utmost position as the kaiser’s subject now before it is too late’On the other hand, Duke Lichtenrade was also not planning to perpetuate his axial relationshi+p with Reinhard Si forward to the explosion of Duke Braunschweig and Marquis Littenheiate theerous person like Reinhard around anymoreUnder Reinhard’s direction, Siegfried Kircheis was steadily preparing for the war against the projected ar and Marquis LittenheimAlthough he could feel Oberstein’s cold and dry stare pouring into his back, he did not want his relationshi+p with Reinhard and Annerose to have any cracks, so he decided not take ainst the shadow behind himWhile striving towards his mission, Kircheis also had more opportunities than before to meet up with Annerose, so his days were blissful and he felt fulfilled It would be nice if days like this could continue forever……IIIThe Empire and the Alliance Both countries finally established new regi for air as they cli up the stairs to the futureIn the Do in a secluded room in his private residenceThis less room was sealed with thick lead walls on all sides, and the space itself was polarizedThere was a pink switch on the console (操作卓) that, if switched, would activate the conize with the naked eye because the room itself was the coht waves beyond the space of several thousand light years It was accoht waves into special varied wavelengths and sending theh FTL communication“It is I Please respond”The highly secretive, regularly conducted co in the fore“Who is this ‘I’?”The reply that caant“I am Fezzan’s landesherr, Rubinsky Is Your Holiness the Grand Bishop in good spirits?”Rubinsky was unbelievably submissive“I have no reason to be in good spirits… Our Terra still has not been restored to its rightful place Only when Terra is restored to its past glory and worshi+pped by all humanity would my heart be filled with sunshi+ne”He took a big sigh using his entire thorax while he was thinkingTerraThe appearance of this planet that floated in the void, 3,000-light-years away, eed as a vivid picture in Rubinsky’s headAfter becoh destruction and exploitation, the frontier planet was abandoned Senility and devastation; exhaustion and poverty Ruins dotted aing to the contaminated soil that had forever lost its fertility, a s Glory and rees A helpless planet that even Rudolf ignored The third planet of the Solar Syste of the future…However, this forgotten planet was the secret ruler of Fezzan Leopold Laap’s funds came from this supposedly impoverished Terra“Over the past, lengthy, 800-year period, Terra had been unfairly diets lifted is almost here Terra is the cradle of huoverns the entire universe Those ingrates that abandoned their mother-planet will realize it in the next two to three years”“Would it be that fast?”“Do you question me? Fezzan’s landesherr?”The thought wave played the hter of the so called “grand bishop,” the ruler of Terra’s theocracy, caused all of the hairs on Rubinsky to shudder“The flow of history can be accelerated Especially when both the Galactic E their power and th And, soon, the ale in will swell The Back-to-Terra spiritual led into both sides will coanization and financing, but do not o”“Of course”“Our great predecessors selected the planet that became Fezzan precisely for that – to accumulate wealth to deliver to those faithful to Terra In terth, we cannot stand up to the Empire and the Alliance yet However, Fezzan doth born to its particular location, and Terra doh faith… The universe can be recaptured into the hands of Terra without any crossfire This grand plan has taken several centuries to come to fruition Finally, our predecessors’ wisdoeneration…”Here, the tone of the thought coed, and became sharp“Rubinsky!”“Yes…!?”“Do not betray me”Fezzan’s landesherr was seeping cold sweat through his skin If anyone who knew the landesherr was present and saw this scene, he would be shocked“I… I would not even dare to think of so like that”“You have talent and ambition… so be advised: Do not be lured by false temptation Do you fully understand why Manfred II (マンフレート二世) and the landesherr before you died?”Manfred II held the ideology of the E peacefully, and worked towards i that Rubinsky’s predecessor, Vallenkov (ワレンコフ), resented Terra’s control, and wanted to act autonos that were adverse to Terra“It is all thanks to Your Holiness’s support that I was able to becorate”“That would be best Though aduard your heart”…After the regularly conducted communication session was over, Rubinsky stepped out of the room, and looked up to the starry sky as he stood on the marble terrace Fortunately, he could not see Terra He felt a gradual sense of relief as if he just came back to this world from another dimension It was a while before his normal fearless confidence was restoredIf Fezzan belonged only to Fezzan, then he would probably be the material ruler of the Milky Way Unfortunately, the reality was differentFor those monomaniacs anted to reverse history by 800 years, and ain, he was but a servantHowever, would it be like this forever? There was probably not a single legitimate reason in this universe on why that must be the case“So, I wonder in at the end Empire? Alliance? Terra…?”Rubinsky, as speaking to himself, all of a sudden smiled exactly like a fox“Or maybe me…?”IV“The fight to the death with the nobles is unavoidable It ht be the battle that splits up the Empire”Kircheis nodded to Reinhard’s statement“I consulted with Mitter s…”“The rebel fleet attacking, right?”“Exactly”The do split into a civil ith the Lichtenrade-Lohengra-Littenheiap and invade? Although Kircheis was confident with the planning and execution of his operation plan, he still felt uneasy regarding thisThe blond young man chuckled at his red-haired friend“Don’t worry, Kircheis I have a plan However aic ability is, I still have ways to keep hi Iserlohn”“How?”“Like this”With passion beaan to explain…V“So te”As if he was pondering so murmured before he even accepted the black tea into his hands Julian put down the cup while he stared at Yang, wide-eyed Feeling the atmosphere, he hesitated to ask, and remained silentAlthough the rapid establishramm Axis seemed to have subsided the political situation in the Erate towards a period of stability The Braunschweig-Littenheim Camp would utilize their armed forces and make a stand No, they would be forced to make a stand A civil war that would divide the Empire would occurAt that time, if one were to cleverly read the situation and intervene – for exaroup to pincer Marquis Reinhard von Lohengrahter Braunschweig’s group, then the Galactic Empire would probably perishAlternatively, one could provide Braunschith strategies to allow him to be on par with Reinhard, and strike when both sides have reached the point of exhaustion… ‘I can probably do that by usted with hi ,” it was about thisIf he were a dictator, then he would do that; however, he was just a spaceman of a democratic country, and his actions were inevitably constrained If he broke through that constraint, then he would become Rudolf’s successor…Julian removed the tea that had already cooled, and placed a newly brewed hot tea on Yang’s desk, before Yang finally noticed “Oh, thank you,” he said“What are you thinking about?”When asked about his thoughts, the youngest adave the embarrassed expression of a boy“Don’t tell others Tsk, when hunant”“……”“By the way, isn’t Schönkopf teaching you how to use firear?”“Commodore told me that I aim well”“Oh, that is good”“Does the commander want to come practice a little?”Yang laughed“It seems that I don’t have that talent I also can’t be bothered to try I a the Alliance Fleet by now”“Well, then hoill you protect yourself?”“If the cohting a losing battle I just have to think about not being in that situation”“That is true Well, I will protect you”“Then I aood hands”With a laugh, Yang picked up the cup of black teaWhile watching the young coht: ‘This man is only fifteen years older than me Would I be able to reach his level in fifteen years?” ‘That distance seeer…The universe rotated with a hts796 UC, 487 IC Neither Marquis Reinhard von Lohengra Wen-li, was able to foresee his own future