Chapter 159 Lava pirates (1)

In the 64th year of the new emperor's calendar, the border space.

Large areas of darkness and sporadic brightness make up this cosmic space. Burning stars emit light of different wavelengths, scattered asteroids keep their tracks for tens of thousands of years, and silence embraces it all.

Before the footsteps of human beings arrived here, they operated according to the rules of the universe for hundreds of millions of years. But just over fifty years ago, the White Bird Expedition extended the footsteps of the imperial pioneers here.

Since then, occasionally starships have swept across this space, like black sparrows crossing the dark sea.

At this moment, a fleet is dragging a dim blue tail flame through this dark sea.

They are not flashy, the alloy hull is covered with transparent crystal spines. The traces of the alien creature attack scratched the military emblem of Yin Beidou.

It was the soldiers who were dragging their weary footsteps and trekking towards their hometown.

Outside the flagship's combat command room, two young men in silver Beidou uniforms stood guard at the door.

"Hey, Lieutenant Tang." One of the probes whispered to the chestnut-haired youth next to him.

"You said, who is the major general communicating with? It's been an hour, and there's no movement."

Tang Zhen rolled his eyes: "I don't know, I've been standing at the door all the time..."

Another young man scoffed, realizing he was asking a mentally retarded question. He twisted his neck and was about to stand for another hour when he suddenly heard Xie Yuduo's voice inside.

"Xiao Tang is outside, come in."

The automatic door opened. The spirit of the two young men standing guard was lifted, Tang Zhen immediately entered in three steps and two steps, and saluted: "Here! Major General is good!"

The command room was empty and no one else was there. Xie Yuduo sat alone on the innermost command seat, and the huge virtual screen was wrapping the Major General in a wrap-around form.

After many days of expedition, the youngest general of the Yin Beidou became haggard. He lost weight all over, and the dark blue eyes were clearly visible, but his demeanor was still determined.

At this moment, the major general stared at the window in front of him, as if he was concentrating on thinking about something, and he pointed casually: "Well, sit down."

The automatic door closes. Tang Zhen took another two steps in, and just found a place to sit down, when Xie Yuduo asked, "Xiao Tang, can you write a review letter?"

"Review?" Tang Zhen was taken aback.

"Yes," Xie Yuduo stretched out his hand and gestured, "in Mandarin, with format, and handed it over to the Imperial Army."

Oh... Tang Zhen showed a bright and enlightened expression. In this Crystal Nest expedition, they did make a lot of actions that did not fully comply with the orders of the military.

Now that his return to the country is imminent, Major General Xie is trying to fool the old-fashioned gang of the military again.

"It should work, I'll give it a try." Tang Zhen grabbed the military cap, pinched it down, and put it aside, pulling out a virtual screen in front of him.

In fact, this kind of thing used to be the major general's adjutant and secretary, Major Liu Rita, who was in charge. Unfortunately, Rita did not go out with the army this time, but was left by the major general to look after the house.

As for the members of this group of expeditionary forces, 99% of them are iron-blooded rough men who can only slash alien creatures, and can't write documents at all. Looking at it this way, Young Master Tang, who came from a meritorious aristocracy and just graduated from the military academy, has the most culture in this regard.

Tang Zhen complained again in his heart: Writing written documents is not bad. In the days when there is no battle, he has completely become a servant who takes care of the major general's daily life.

So the question is, why does the young master of his famous family have this kind of skill? Because he was born in the sixth academy of logistics, don't be kidding, obviously because he took care of a disabled human in the military school...

He opened the blank document and asked, "Major General, what do you want to write? Are you going too deep into the crystal nest?"

"Oh no no no, not those."

Xie Yuduo cleared his throat, his expression wandering, "Just say..."

"I feel very guilty about losing the first fortress."

Tang Zhen: "Oh."

He lowered his head and typed two words.

After a pause, he looked up dully: "...Ah?"

Xie Yuduo folded his arms and pondered: "I must call back as soon as possible."

As if struck by lightning, Tang Zhen jumped up.

"I-I want to lose the fortress!!?"

These words are no less than the sky is falling, Tang Zhen's face is pale in an instant, his teeth are rattling with fright: "What... when did it happen, how did it get lost, how did it get lost, who lost it—to whom was it lost? !?"

He turned around in a hurry, raising his hands incoherently: "Is there no support from the empire, where are the second and third fortresses, ah!? The rest of us who stay behind the fortress..."

Xie Yuduo still looks like the Deputy Old God is there. Just when Tang Zhen was about to rush up, the following criminal was shaking with Major General Xie's collar, a clear voice came from Major General's screen.

"It's not lost yet."

The voice sighed, "Tang Zhen, keep calm."

Tang Zhen was shocked as if he had been whipped, but when he regained his senses, he rushed up, put his head in front of the screen of the commander's seat, and even squeezed Xie Yuduo, who looked disgusted, to the side.

"Little Jiang!?"

In the center of Major General Xie's screen, it is not a three-dimensional star map or crystal particle monitoring data, but a real-time communication window.

Some pale black-haired youths sat opposite, with thick military coats draped over their shoulders, holding steaming white porcelain teacups in their hands, and their familiar eyebrows were smiling at him lightly.

"Tang Shaozhen didn't make progress." Beimaner walked over lightly, handed Jiang Jianming a vial, and stabbed Tang Zhen by the way, "Fortunately, it was a private occasion."

"..." Tang Zhen ate the coptis like a mute, his eyes twitching.

Damn, why do you blame him, which general would open his mouth in non-private situations and lose the fortress! Not even in private! !

No, the point is how Man Er and Xiao Jiang are on the starship together! ?

Bah, that's not right, the real point is—

Tang Zhen: "So, didn't you lose it?"

"Ah, this."

Jiang Jianming unscrewed the vial, poured out two white pills and bit it in his mouth: "We are discussing."

Tang Zhen: "Shang... what to discuss?"

Jiang Jianming on the opposite side ignored him, lowered his head and took a sip of hot tea to send the pills down.

Next to him, Xie Yuduo leaned on the chair with his legs upright, "Why did you lose the fortress?"

"In this situation, there is no point in defending. The first army of Yin Beidou is all elites. If the fortress is lost, it can be recaptured. If the soldiers die, they will not be able to come back."

An hour after the intergalactic remote communication ended, Jiang Jianming was sitting on the bed in the bedroom.

With a transparent mask hanging from his nose and mouth, he was inhaling medicine, aerosol tranquilizers and drugs to suppress chronic crystal disorder.

But this patient is not even the slightest patient's self-awareness. At this moment, he is looking sideways at the three-dimensional star map, his fingers beating on the virtual keyboard, "I still advocate strategic retreat, Your Highness."

As he spoke, a thin white mist appeared and disappeared on the mask.

Ryan stood at the head of the bed, stretched out his hand to adjust the speed of the drug delivery machine, and frowned: "What about Xie Yuduo's fleet?"

Jiang Jianming: "I discussed with the Major General just now. If we can get rid of the space thieves, we can make the fleet jump over and temporarily park at the second fortress."

Ryan was silent. Behind the two of them, the curved porthole reflected the universe outside, and the fleet dragging tail flames through the universe.

What they are currently riding is the "White Emerald". This starship with the same name as the palace is a flagship armed interstellar battleship that was only allowed to be dispatched when the royal family was in person. It adopts the most cutting-edge technology and can carry about 400 soldiers. It is the undisputed strongest ship of the Empire.

In the 64th year of the new emperor's calendar, the alien "Crystal Religion" rebelled, and many star cities headed by Aslan were attacked. Since then, the war has begun.

The arduous defensive battle lasted for two days, and finally the Crystal Cult was forced out of the empire's territory. Before getting a chance to breathe, the first fortress of Yin Beidou was attacked again.

The empire dispatched troops urgently, but before the reinforcements approached Alpha Alien, the first fortress was already in an emergency - the main general was not there, and the elite was missing, and it was really impossible to hold it.

At this time, the second fortress of the Silver Big Dipper located in Beta Alien also fell into a hard battle with the Lava Yubhi Group.

This group of thieves, who usually like to shoot and run away, suddenly bit them like a mad dog and couldn't get rid of them.

This is where trouble arises.

In the flagship of the reinforcement fleet, Jiang Jianming and Ryan also had a headache for three days.

If the reinforcements go directly to save Alpha Alien, it is easy to be harassed by the rear of the thief. If it delays for a while, let's not say how much the people of the first fortress will sacrifice; Xie Yuduo's expedition fleet will have nowhere to park, and it will be more dangerous for one more day in Yuyu.

In this regard, Jiang Jianming's plan was to retreat strategically. He simply gave up the first fortress for the time being, and let the Yinbei Diu Army in it withdraw.

First, join forces with the reinforcements to expel the thieves of the second fortress, welcome back Major General Xie's expedition fleet, and then retake the first fortress.

"Even if you say it, it won't be easy to fight back."

Lean snorted softly, he pulled a chair beside the bed, sat down next to Jiang Jianming, and pinched his lover's wrist to test his temperature.

"If you choose to retreat in front of a heretic like the Crystal Cult, who still can't figure out the details, who can predict what will happen next?"

The crown prince obviously didn't like this kind of battle plan of giving up one city before the official battle.

However, public is public and private is private. Differences in strategic opinion should not affect anything else—

"Time is running out." Ryan glanced at the drug dispenser again, and reached out to fish one from the fruit basket on the bedside table. "Do you want to eat apples?"

"Eat, don't use crystal bones for peeling," Jiang Jianming continued to type on the virtual keyboard without raising his head, "There are still a lot of omnics and drones in the fortress, and the main control system is also ours, and crystal teaching will be difficult for a while. crack."

"Besides, the Heroic Spirit Monument underground can be blocked, and the resources that cannot be taken away can be directly destroyed by blowing up, leaving only the empty shell fortresses to the enemy... The battle of recapture is still beneficial to us."

——Obviously, in order to save time before the anxious battle, both the crown prince and the crown princess of the empire had learned the mode of combining public and private with a tacit understanding.

Lean leaned over to get a fruit knife, and when he sat back, his expression was still calm: "Now the empire is preparing to reveal the truth about the crystal particles, at this time, especially after the Star City defense battle, the news of the loss of the front line will mean that What, have you thought about it?"

Jiang Jianming moved for a while, raised his eyes, and finally showed a look of embarrassment.

Drip - The machine emits a timing sound and the inhalation is over.

The black-haired young man slowly took off the mask, sighed and admitted: "...This is indeed the problem."

He also understands that if the truth is disclosed to the public in the face of continuous defeat, it will only cause large-scale panic.

What's more, the symbolism of the first fortress is too great. If you lose the fortress and can't get it back, it will also be a major blow to the morale of the imperial army.

Jiang Jianming picked up the towel next to him and wiped his face, rinsed his mouth again, and said in a low voice, "If you choose to retreat, there will be a lot of pressure in the follow-up battle, I admit."

Over there, Ryan cut a piece of apple, peeled it, and passed it carefully through the tip of the fruit knife.

With such a loving and considerate action, His Royal Highness's demeanor is very hard, "Even so, you still insist on your plan?"

Jiang Jianming leaned over, opened his mouth to take the pulp away, and said vaguely while chewing, "Yeah."

The crown prince stared at him: "What if I said, I am not allowed to retreat?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Jianming's answer was quick and calm.

He swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "That can be beat too."

After a pause, he added: "Although there may be more casualties."

"But if His Highness has made up his mind," the black-haired officer frowned and said warmly, "You are the commander-in-chief, and I will obey the order."

Ryan snorted lightly, saying that he obeyed the order... Isn't that still euphemistically saying that he doesn't agree.

He cut two more pieces of fruit before putting down the knife in his hand and said, "Come as you wish, Colonel Jiang."

"I guess you will agree." Jiang Jianming smiled warmly. He turned the screen he had been knocking on just now and pushed it towards the crown prince.

The above is a simple schematic diagram of the tactical concept.

"Then we will divide our troops into two groups." He said, "Please take half of the people with you to help Yin Beidou from the first fortress to evacuate, and I will go to Beta Alien to deal with the problem of thieves."

Sure enough, they are going to be separated again... Ryan gritted his teeth unhappily: "Every time you are not by my side, something happens."

Jiang Jianming: "No, absolutely not this time!"

Ryan: "Tsk."

Jiang Jianming: "Really—if I mess up again, you can just remove me from my post. You can also deduct my annuity, right?"

Ryan's forehead jumped, and he finally slapped the table and said angrily, "And then, I'm not raising you!?"

Jiang Jianming: "..."

It makes sense that he couldn't refute it.

The crown prince folded his arms and turned indifferently, making a "I'm angry" gesture. Yu Guang stayed behind, watching the disabled human reluctantly chasing after him.

... He felt that Jiang Jianming seemed to be more tense than ever since he learned the truth about the crystal particles.

In fact, patients with chronic crystal disorder can't help but work like this, and the mental and physical consumption will speed up the development of the disease. If the patient wants to live long, he must learn to rest, but it is Jiang Jianming.

Ryan had no choice. He knew that this person could not allow himself to stop... Whether it was for personal love or for the sake of the country.

...

"Okay, talk about something else."

After the noise ended, the two sat back on the bed. Lean put Jiang Jianming in his arms and rubbed the cold fingertips of the crippled human at will.

"Well, what?" Jiang Jianming squinted and smiled. He was nestled in the arms of the crown prince, a bit like a lazy black cat.It seems that the strategic policy has finally been finalized, and the mood is better.

Ryan pondered for two seconds and whispered: "That day... when my consciousness projection returned, the so-called Great Emperor Kaios... what did he look like?"