The Dokor Federation, ranking merely above average among Four-Star Civilizations, a nation whose strength was only considered middling even within that tier, had the audacity to meddle in a neighboring nation’s civil war, seizing the opportunity to eliminate over a thousand envoys from various powers. The high and mighty Star Alliance’s Standing Arbitration Committee had already issued its decree: a coalition force composed of all nations harmed in the incident would impose sanctions upon the Dokor Federation!
A coalition of over a thousand civilizations launching a punitive expedition against an ordinary Four-Star Civilization—what an enormous spectacle, what a sensation!
The top ten thousand major media corporations in the Star Alliance had dispatched their intrepid reporting teams. From the Kingdom of Yafik to the Dokor Federation, from the Star Alliance headquarters to every nation sending troops, countless journalists sharpened their focus, scrambling to find the freshest angle guaranteed to ignite public attention.
Every citizen across the Seven Spheres Alliance fixed their gaze upon this conflict, one destined to be etched into historical annals. The siege of a single Four-Star Civilization by a thousand-plus nation coalition—this abusive level of warfare satisfied the darker recesses of almost everyone’s psyche.
The outcome of the war was obvious, but the process was bound to be spectacular!
All the bookmakers in the Star Alliance had opened colossal betting pools, and Alliance citizens flocked to wager on how many days the Dokor Federation could hold out against the coalition's onslaught. Even the longest odds offered by these bookmakers stretched only to three standard Star Alliance months; the consensus was overwhelmingly one-sided: if the Dokor Federation managed three months, it would be considered remarkable.
Just one hour after the soldiers under Gu Xichen’s command caused a stir in the Yafik Royal Palace, live broadcasts from the Dokor Federation began flooding the Star Alliance news network.
The President of the Dokor Federation stood before a gigantic Federation flag, behind him a semi-transparent backdrop revealing massive assembly lines churning out military hardware at full capacity. Accompanied by the clangorous rhythm of robotic arms, the current Dokor Federation President, Dagor, waved his arms and roared with almost manic fervor, “To the great citizens of the Federation, crisis looms before us! Arm yourselves, defend the Federation, and we shall fight to the very end!”
“Arm yourselves and fight bravely! We shall fight on the ground, we shall fight on the seas, we shall fight in the skies, and we shall fight in space. We will fight wherever our feet can carry us, and we shall stain the Federation’s battle standard with our very blood.”
“Victory, victory is our only pursuit! No matter how powerful the enemy, as long as we stand united, as long as every Federation citizen fights fiercely, we will ultimately achieve final victory! Victory is our sole pursuit, our singular objective, because only through victory can we survive, and only through victory can our Federation endure!”
“No matter how formidable the enemy, they represent tyranny—an unjust tyranny! Citizens of the Federation may only live under the banner of the Federation; the citizens of the Federation belong only to the Federation! Whatever outsiders impose upon us—be it death or ultimate annihilation—we shall crush this tyranny, and we will, without fail, secure final victory!”
As the Dokor Federation’s stirring military music swelled, President Dagor’s image slowly dissolved. The screen filled with images of soldiers marching forward in perfectly ordered phalanxes. Heavy vehicles rolled out of the factories, heavy fighters roared into the sky, and menacing armed mechs ascended, lifted by anti-gravity engines.
On the ground, brand new anti-aircraft emplacements were being rapidly constructed; warships, some still unpainted, patrolled the oceans; massive battleships continuously lifted off from the shipyards into space, assembling into disciplined formations near several space defense fortresses.
The high-pitched military music accompanied Dagor’s fiercely inflammatory speech as the camera views shifted constantly, finally centering on a wormhole in space.
Twenty colossal mother ships, each exceeding twenty kilometers in length, drifted slowly through the wormhole at what seemed like a walking pace. A multitude of space fighters launched from these gargantuan vessels; each mother ship carried no less than fifty thousand fighter craft. The energy shields covering the surfaces of every mother ship possessed a thickness more than ten times that of the primary shields on a standard Star Alliance Tier-One warship. The dense array of weapon emplacements on their hulls only accentuated the immense destructive power and deterrence held by these behemoths of war.
Over one hundred thousand Tier-One warships streamed out behind these twenty behemoths. These warships were clearly fresh off the assembly lines, their surfaces still lacking the necessary anti-electromagnetic and stealth coatings. Furthermore, their speed was not significantly greater than that of the super-motherships. Their hulls were densely packed with massive gun barrels, clearly indicating they were firepower-specialized vessels, akin to heavily armed artillery platforms. “Great citizens of the Federation, you are not alone! In this cold and merciless universe, our allies stand with us!” Dagor’s triumphant voice rang out.
“This time, they have delivered new-model mother ships, they have delivered one hundred thousand new Tier-One warships, and they will deliver even more armaments. With the help of our allies, as long as we stand united and fight bravely, no one can crush us!”
“Fight, fight, fight! Citizens, it is the sacred duty bestowed upon the Dokor Federation by the gods to fight! Arm yourselves, fight to the last, fight until the final man, and even in death, let our enemies fall before us! Fight, fight, fight with all our might! Citizens, this is our glory!”
In a conference room within the Yafik Royal Palace, Gu Xichen sat reclined on a comfortable couch, frowning and shaking his head. “That Dagor is insane! Does he truly intend to stake the entire nation on this battle?”
Fuya.Ming also frowned deeply. “The Dokor Federation has always been manic. They have instigated dozens of wars externally, but each time the Star Alliance intervened to mediate. This time, they are going all or nothing.”
A thin beam of light shot out from the vambrace that formed the planetary defense system’s control interface, and a light-screen unfolded slowly. Fuya.Ming glanced at the screen, stood up abruptly, and exclaimed, “Dagor really is mad! He has mortgaged all of the Dokor Federation’s assets and investments in the Star Alliance banks, taking out a massive loan from the pirates’ underground banks to purchase a huge quantity of warships! Among them are twenty new mother ships just developed by a Five-Star Civilization!”
“Mortgaged?” Gu Xichen frowned. “So, the Dokor Federation has no actual allies backing them?”
Fuya.Ming looked helplessly at Gu Xichen. “Yes, it seems this so-called alliance is something he fabricated. The Dokor Federation has a terrible reputation; even if they had allies, they wouldn’t risk offending over a thousand civilizations just to help them.”
Gu Xichen nodded. He rose and walked to a specially built pedestal in the corner of the conference room, tapping it lightly a few times with his finger.
A massive beam of light descended from the ceiling, displaying the entire star map of the Spiral Sector before them.
The Spiral Sector was surrounded by chaotic, desolate star fields, much like an ocean separating it from the other sectors of the Star Alliance. The Spiral Sector possessed seven external exit passages. Its two immediate neighbors, the Kingdom of Yafik and the Dokor Federation, stood guard, one on the left and one on the right, over the passage leading to a Five-Star Civilization just outside the Spiral Sector. The civilizations beyond the other six passages were overwhelmingly low-tier, mostly Three-Star, or even Two-Star and One-Star.
Clearly, this passage had become the most vital commercial nexus for the Spiral Sector, making the Kingdom of Yafik and the Dokor Federation the rightful masters of this gateway. All passing merchant convoys stopped here for logistics replenishment or to trade a portion of their goods.
However, due to significant differences in national temperament and policy, ninety-five percent of convoys chose to resupply and trade in Yafik, as the reserved and conservative nature of Yafik exuded an inexplicable sense of security. Yafik’s tax officials were even secretly referred to as the most adorable tax collectors in the entire Star Alliance; the amount of tax revenue slipping through the fingers of these officials, who were focused solely on the pursuit of art, amounted to trillions annually. In contrast, the harsh and aggressive Dokor Federation was dreaded by the convoys, with few willing to approach them.
With this contrast, although the Kingdom of Yafik lost immense tax revenue due to its unmotivated tax collectors, the sheer volume of trade passing through ensured Yafik’s annual fiscal income remained an astronomical figure. This allowed the Kingdom of Yafik the ample funds to continually upgrade its already monstrous planetary defense system year after year.
And the Dokor Federation? They could only watch their neighbor grow wealthier while they were stuck guarding a golden field, watching others feast and live lavishly.
The sudden appearance of thirteen princes fawning over Fuya.Ming and challenging Gu Xichen to a duel last time was directly related to the geographical position of the Kingdom of Yafik! Guarding this golden port, the Yafik people, even doing nothing, enjoyed an average income tenfold higher than the common folk of other nations—it was a treasure trove from which gold and jewels could be dug up effortlessly.
The reason over a thousand civilizations unhesitatingly decided to join forces against the Dokor Federation this time also lay in this profound interest. If they could carve up the Dokor Federation and establish it as a new port capable of competing with the Kingdom of Yafik, the potential tax revenue alone was a figure beyond comprehension. Even if divided equally, the annual income would be enough to add several new warships to each nation’s fleet—who wouldn't want that?
If such massive benefits weren't involved, the deaths of a few envoys would have resulted in nothing more than a few angry condemnations, and the Dokor Federation could have solved the issue by emptying its coffers to pay compensation.
Fuya.Ming stared absently at the star map of the Spiral Sector, slowly extending a finger to point at the locations of the Kingdom of Yafik and the Dokor Federation.
“Here is ours, Yafik; right next door is the Dokor Federation!” Fuya.Ming stated. “If we can gain control of the Dokor Federation, the future developmental potential of the Kingdom of Yafik will be even greater. Xichen, how do you think we can swallow the Dokor Federation entirely?”
The Fuyao Fan waved gently, and Gu Xichen looked at Fuya.Ming, who was blinking at him, and suddenly laughed. “If you want to take sole possession of the Dokor Federation, we’ll have to put in a bit more effort.”
He paused, then asked, “What do you think of the plan I proposed to Duke Shenbing and the others?”
Fuya.Ming smiled. “I only worry they might have second thoughts after seeing the troops you command.”
Gu Xichen chuckled. He pointed at Dagor, who was still capering on the screen, and said, “Originally, they wouldn't have agreed. Given the Dokor Federation’s original military strength, we might have gobbled up this piece of cake ourselves. But now that Dagor is madly arming the entire populace, ha! Duke Shenwu and the others will be delighted for us to take the vanguard and exhaust some of the Dokor Federation’s military strength first.”
Nodding in understanding, Fuya.Ming looked coldly at Dagor, who was gesticulating wildly and shouting on the screen. “Since he insists on mobilizing the entire nation for a decisive battle, we shall oblige him. I have no desire to have restless citizens on my future territories; killing all dissenters will greatly benefit our subsequent rule.”
Stamping her foot slightly, Fuya.Ming ground out, “Xichen, at the very least, we must secure half of the Dokor Federation’s spoils.”
Seeing Fuya.Ming’s slight anxiety, Gu Xichen laughed heartily. Waving the Fuyao Fan casually, Gu Xichen spoke word by word, “Rest assured, what is ours will definitely be ours.”
Three days later, the envoys from the one thousand four hundred and seventy-seven civilizations participating in the joint assault on the Dokor Federation gathered at the Yafik Royal Palace. Under the chairmanship of Fuya.Ming, the assembly unanimously approved Gu Xichen’s operational plan to divide the Dokor Federation’s interests based on military merit. Under the witnessing eye of You You, the Star Alliance Administrative Commissioner stationed in Yafik, the attending envoys signed a joint communiqué, agreeing upon the combat plan against the Dokor Federation and the subsequent division of spoils.
On the screen in the conference hall, Dagor was still howling wildly, nearly hysterically roaring that he would bury all invaders with the blood of hundreds of millions of citizens.
The scene that caused the attending envoys to collectively lose composure appeared: Countless citizens of the Dokor Federation, bringing their families, headed towards the conscription points centered in various cities. Elders, children, women, and able-bodied men—vast numbers of Dokor citizens swore fervent oaths before the national flag, collected a set of rudimentary combat uniforms, and returned home laden with weapons and ammunition.
Dagor’s triumphant maniacal laughter echoed through the hall: “Every inch of land will bury the body of an invader. Every citizen of the Dokor Federation will take down one or two invading enemies. This is the Dokor Federation; this is the battlefield where we fight to the death; this is the Dokor Meat Grinder!”
On screen, massive engineering machinery emptied the strategic resource vaults of the Dokor Federation. All the precious metals stored within were poured into the enormous production lines, and new warships, new fighters, new vehicles, and new firearms and ammunition continuously streamed out of the factories, immediately entering the operational sequence.
Reports streamed in continuously: after mortgaging all its overseas assets, the Dokor Federation had also centralized all the overseas investments of its citizens into the federal government, mortgaging everything to the underground banks. The overseas investments made by the hundreds of millions of Dokor citizens added up to an extremely substantial sum. Intelligence indicated that several of the largest arms dealers in the Star Alliance were secretly organizing large numbers of small vessels for the Dokor Federation. These ships had been completely stripped of defensive capabilities, prioritizing only the fastest possible penetration speed and the largest possible ammunition loadout. “Kamikaze squads?” Gu Xichen raised an eyebrow, recalling an ancient case from the Earth Federation.
“I hate these kinds of suicide squads the most; they have zero technical merit. Once the soldiers are dead, who are we arms dealers going to sell munitions to?” Gu Xichen couldn’t help but severely criticize the professional standards of his Star Alliance counterparts. Had these damned scoundrels forgotten the principle of ‘people first’? The highest achievement for an arms dealer isn't how many people their sold munitions can kill, but ensuring their clients have enough manpower to continuously use the weapons supplied to them. If everyone played a suicidal game like the Dokor Federation, it would be a one-time transaction, cutting off at least thirty percent of follow-up profits!
Gu Xichen felt a bit amused looking at the grim-faced envoys from various nations in the hall. Perhaps it was due to the difference in their perspectives? Gu Xichen felt absolutely nothing about the hysterics of the Dokor Federation. There were plenty of ways to crush the Dokor Federation; regardless of how many warships or mother ships Dagor amassed, those assets would ultimately become the property of the Kingdom of Yafik!
Sighing, Gu Xichen secretly connected to the websites of the largest bookmakers in the Star Alliance. Perhaps Dagor’s all-or-nothing momentum had frightened them, as they had extended the final deadline for crushing the Dokor Federation to half a year, while the fastest possible conclusion time for the Dokor conflict was set at ‘one month’! In other words, these bookmakers believed that even a coalition of over a thousand nations would require at least a month to achieve strategic objectives against the Dokor Federation.
Tilting his head in contemplation for a while, Gu Xichen decisively used the universal Star Alliance account Fuya.Ming had arranged for him, using the fiscal revenue of the Kingdom of Yafik as collateral, to place enormous wagers on several Star Alliance bookmaking websites: Ten days to completely crush the main forces of the Dokor Federation, minor sporadic civilian resistance not counted.
The wager Gu Xichen placed was one million tons of Starlight Silver—a sum large enough to terrify the vast majority of people in the Star Alliance.
The bookmakers quickly sent a confirmation request to the Kingdom of Yafik, asking for confirmation of collateral for this bet. The confirmation document was transmitted to Fuya.Ming’s personal terminal. She glanced at Gu Xichen with surprise, smiled, signed the document, and then unhesitatingly threw all of the Kingdom of Yafik’s investments and deposits within the Star Alliance onto the exact same wager as Gu Xichen. With this massive sum placed, the odds offered by the bookmakers for resolving the main fighting within ten days immediately plummeted from the original 1 to 27 down to 1 to 1.001!
Gu Xichen looked at Fuya.Ming, and the two shared a knowing smile.
Such perfect synchronicity! Both felt that their moods were excellent, truly excellent.