Chapter 284: 277 The Last Three Days of Peace (Part 3)
Bai Zhongqi walked into the joint command center in Earth's orbit. All high-ranking officers and staff officers of the Universe Army stood up and saluted him.
Xu Lanzhou stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, all fleets of the Universe Army have assembled and are either already deployed or in the process of deploying to designated areas. We are prepared and ready to fight a desperate battle with the enemy at any time."
Bai Zhongqi's expression was calm. He looked seriously at the beautiful commander and said word by word, "I do not need you to fight to the death or desperately; I want to win."
On a large screen slightly to the right of the center of the command center, all the combat vessels of the Star Alliance Universe Army were marked. Looking at the small icons representing the warships, which were identical to those in a video game, Bai Zhongqi felt somewhat surreal. However, he was well aware that he was not playing a game, but rather, he was staking the fate of the entire planet and civilization, battling for the safety and welfare of now eight billion people (including those from other planets) of the Star Alliance.
Bai Zhongqi instructed everyone to do their jobs, while he himself merely observed from the sidelines, with Zero standing beside him, accompanying the Chancellor.
Zero, looking at the screen showing all the warships, exclaimed, "In just over a year, you have managed to build a collection of weaponry that many civilizations could only accumulate over centuries or even millennia. Although Iridium Star's technology played a significant role, you organized the previously scattered Earth and directed all of its forces in one direction, training over four hundred thousand indigenous people who knew nothing about universe navigation into Universe Army soldiers in just over a year. This kind of boldness and skill is beyond what most people can achieve."
Bai Zhongqi did not deny how much effort he had put into building the Star Alliance Universe Army and how much thought he had spent integrating officers and soldiers from different countries and races into a unified collective. He dared not boast that there were no internal issues and that the combat effectiveness of the current Universe Army was extremely high. However, he was quite certain that the current Star Alliance Universe Army was definitely a capable fighting force.
This alone was an achievement that has almost never been accomplished in the Galaxy.
The reason why most Earthlings had little to say about Earth becoming a "poisonous vegetable" regime, even hailing Bai Zhongqi as their leader, was not only because he had elevated the level of civilization on Earth and improved many people's living standards, but also because of this vibrant and spirited Chancellor, a true leader who could give people hope.
Interestingly, when people realize they cannot change a fact, they often automatically rationalize it in their minds.
Regardless of whether people emotionally liked Bai Zhongqi, the actual ruler of Earth and Chancellor of Iridium Star, he indeed ended the internal strife on Earth. For the first time, he got all people on Earth to start cooperating in a real sense and led everyone to face dangerous and brutal invaders together.
It was clear that this was not something just anyone could achieve, and those who could were revered by others.
Xu Lanzhou came to Bai Zhongqi's side, and seeing the Chancellor's usual composure, she felt somewhat reassured. She explained to Bai Zhongqi, "The Sirius Galaxy, as the gateway to the entire Danlu Interstellar Cloud, is the core position we are defending this time. We have dispatched one-third of our main battle ships to the Sirius Galaxy to form our First Strategic Fleet Group, with a total of 311 warships. Given the considerable gap in technological power between us and the Teizene civilization, if nothing unexpected happens, we should be able to crush the Teizene invasion fleet in a single offensive."
Bai Zhongqi simply nodded, offering no further comments. To counter the invasion by Teizene, he had set a rapid development path. Thanks to Iridium Star's Atomic Substance Construction capabilities, describing the growth in the Star Alliance Universe Army's fleet size as 'exaggerated' was an understatement. As of now, the Star Alliance Universe Army had completed 12 Bojiang Class Battleships, 4 Aquarius Class Aircraft Carriers, 6 Yufu Class Battlecruisers, along with the long-serving Sacred Falcon, totaling 21 main battle ships.
The quantity of other types of ships was even greater. The Universe Army produced a total of 88 cruisers, including the Cloud Dragon Class, Sichuan Class, and Hipper Class; 24 Carrier Cruisers of the Shangri-La Class; and 146 destroyers, including Nelson Class and Shenyang Class. The most numerous destroyers were of the Teia Class, with a whopping 470 ships.
Although the more than 700 warships were slightly fewer than the 1,000 of Teizene's first invasion fleet, the Star Alliance was extraordinarily confident in the performance of their own vessels. They believed their ships had superior firepower and defenses compared to those of the Teizene.
Xu Lanzhou couldn't help but steal glances at Bai Zhongqi, thinking to herself, "The Chancellor truly is the Chancellor, more composed than anyone else during this time. That is expected, after all, he has led Iridium Star for 5,000 years, having experienced so many battles. Although this war might eventually surpass the epic warfare between the Empire and Spiral Mosquito Star in scale, with the Chancellor here, victory is certain."
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Although she appeared stoic, her heart was somewhat tumultuous. Originally, as a mere Commodore in the Iridium Star Universe Army, commanding a numbered fleet was the limit of her abilities. But now, as Bai Zhongqi's most trusted Universe Army Commander, she had to coordinate the strategic planning of over 700 warships across dozens of galaxies. While she had often dreamt of being in such a scenario, she had thought it would be something a hundred years in the future. Now, at just over twenty years old, she was overseeing a vast universe war, her palms sweating involuntarily.
"It's okay. The commander of the First Strategic Fleet Group in the Sirius Galaxy is General Sang Jishi from the Military Academy, who has served many years in the Universe Army and has ample experience. Trusting in his strength is definitely the right choice," Xu Lanzhou reassured herself.
In this grand battle, Bai Zhongqi had mobilized every usable resource and person, even the training systems for new crew members and officers. The experienced citizens of Iridium Star were reassigned back to the fleets to oversee their operations. Meanwhile, the Bupinga and other former slaves who wished to fight against Teizene, after receiving some training, now also appeared on the warships.
Even so, Bai Zhongqi still had a large number of undermanned warships, so when the real battle commenced, he would have to control these ships personally, delivering a crushing blow to the enemy.