"The same," Kolev said, "for now, the New Federation does not dare to provoke the Empire again, so all the pressure falls on the Wind. This is the best time, because if the current window period is missed, the Wind will face triple pressure from the Insect Swarm, the New Federation, and the Sherman Empire."

"It feels like this is not a complete victory."

"This is just the beginning of this campaign... these can be eaten, quickly send them to those two big bosses."

"Got it!"

Emily picked up the plate and eagerly ran to Yang Ming and Edwan's side.

Yang Ming smiled and thanked her, and Emily stood by with the plate, seamlessly joining their conversation.

Of course, the three of them were discussing serious political issues.

...

At the Empire borders, amidst the intervals of consecutive jumps, in the Empire's escort fleet

Luna sat in a zero-gravity massage chair, a facial mask covering her face, enjoying the slight pleasure from the vibrations.

The sound of footsteps echoed, and Lady Mag arrived at her side, greeted Princess Luna with a noble gesture, and said softly, "Your Highness."

"Yes, how is the investigation going?"

"The other three participating countries of the Wind Alliance have been completely controlled by the Wind."

Lady Mag said softly:

"Although I don't know how Edwan managed it, he is indeed very capable. The Wind annexed these three small countries in the form of an alliance, not only making the original nationals of the three small countries less resentful but also avoiding the influence of our Sherman Empire.

"Of course, this form of alliance also has drawbacks, and it may easily lead to a situation that is difficult to manage in the future.

"But, Your Highness, if we think about it the other way around, they use this method to continue absorbing countries that are physically adjacent to the alliance, entering this treaty... the Wind might soon escape our control."

Luna asked, "Is it very serious?"

"Yes, Your Highness, it is very serious."

"But I read their alliance treaty, and it indeed focuses more on dealing with the insect disaster."

"That's just the surface," Lady Mag crossed her arms, leaned against the edge of the table, "Your Highness, you probably haven't carefully read the Empire's history; this history, spanning tens of thousands of years, is our source of good governance strategies."

Luna nodded slightly, signaling Lady Mag to explain more clearly.

Lady Mag sighed:

"I greatly admire Edwan, and personally, I also really like that General Yang Ming. If these two young men were new stars rising in the Sherman Empire, it would definitely be a fortunate thing for us."

"I digressed too much."

"First, we must understand why the Empire needs vassal states."

"To have more helpers shouting in interstellar politics?"

"That's just one reason," Lady Mag said, "Economically, the vassal states' annual silver system can effectively transfer and conceal our domestic conflicts. This system allows us to have an income independent of the normal finances, which can patch up any issues in the Empire, not just to maintain military expenses."

Luna asked, "What about the others?"

"The second is the strategic military buffer and, during full-scale war, the helpers.

"These vassal states are spread all over the Sherman border, their size may not be large, but each one can help the Sherman Empire hold a region.

"I'm not only referring to fighting against human fleets, primarily it's to combat the real large-scale insect swarms invasion."

Lady Mag adjusted her glasses:

"The third is at the political level, it's not just about having more shouting helpers in space, their existence under the Empire's name makes the Sherman Empire less conspicuous in interstellar political groups.

"We must admit that our country stands on military power, the great founding emperor conquered vast territories and created this great country.

"But the Empire's system truly does not fit the current interstellar environment, the interstellar political environment changes cyclically in a spiral form."

Luna slowly nodded, peeled off the facial mask, and asked softly, "Then what? Why do you say that their organization of the alliance is very serious?"

"Sigh," Lady Mag sighed softly, "You should study the materials we submitted to you."

Princess Luna shrugged: "Anyway, my job is just to voice out strong words based on the speech drafts you give me."

"Your Highness, you are also a part of the Empire."

Lady Mag continued:

"The vassal states of the Empire are constantly changing. Since the establishment of the Empire, it has had over six hundred vassal states, with dozens existing at any given time, lasting longer on average than other regimes."

"Most vassal states implement a reign of terror, restricting the freedom of their people and providing resources to the Empire."

"A few vassal states experience an awakening of leadership thought, but for these states, there virtually remains only one path of evolution."

"To betray us."

Luna paused for a moment.

Lady Mag smiled bitterly: "Edwan and Yang Ming, as well as Gudun Mah and Leon, believe their policies to be exceedingly correct, expanding their influence through alliances, then transforming the Luofeng Empire into the Wind Alliance. Using the same method to seek broader regional unity, they intend to eventually develop into a large political entity composed of dozens of administrative stars, then unite with other strong countries, change ideology, and add a 'country' behind their alliance."

"Wind, allied country?"

"This is likely their plan, a perfect plan," Lady Mag said indifferently, "provided they can influence Sherman Empire's domestic politics through other means, like now, bribing our officials with money—I haven't investigated, but I can almost be sure it's happening."

Luna asked: "Is this just your speculation?"

"It's not speculation, but rather a system, the hidden system of the Foreign Affairs Bureau."

Lady Mag looked out at the starry sky through the window:

"Upon returning, I must report the Wind Alliance affairs entirely to superiors."

"I hurried over upon hearing this news to save them... You don't have to laugh at me; I am a peace enthusiast, unwilling to witness countless humans sacrificed to war."

"Wind expands externally through treaty-making, which coincidentally is one of our hidden red lines, an absolute red line never disclosed to outsiders."

"These young people suffer from a superficial understanding of the Empire, feeling the vast Empire's existence over tens of thousands of years is a historical fluke, without inherent strength."

"War..."

Princess Luna softly bit her lip: "Can this war be avoided?"

"It's already unavoidable; they chose to sign the alliance directly," Lady Mag sighed, "but the specifics will surely proceed through subsequent negotiations. The Empire won't directly bully a loyal follower; instead, it should let other vassal states take action, with us aiding secretly."

Luna said: "Inform them, let them voluntarily acknowledge their errors, retreat proactively..."

Lady Mag gazed down at Luna, whispering: "Politics is no child's play. Your Highness, since they've chosen to break free from chains, they must endure the pain inherent in freeing themselves."

"Why?"

"Reformation entails casualties; there's no such thing as a gentle reform where our interests are not harmed."

Luna found herself momentarily unable to respond.

"I can tell you one thing that's been thoroughly sealed internally," Lady Mag said, "the Old Emperor of Luofeng Empire was previously replaced by us, with an Intelligent Machine, and his funeral was actually a collection ceremony for the machine."

Luna said: "I know about this, and then?"

"This was actually our countermeasure; Edwan's father, who outwardly appeared entirely obedient to us, secretly maintained close contact with the Free Federation, seeking ways to break away from the Sovereign Country treaty."

"We identified his plan to stage a self-directed revolution from the Fifth Administrative Star."

"We were the ones who thwarted him at the critical moment."

Lady Mag spoke gently:

"In that turmoil, we sacrificed only Edwan's father, while saving tens of millions of Wind citizens. If we couldn't resolve it, our fleet would have taken care of the Luofeng Empire."

"It was a remarkable achievement for us."

"But by that time, the Luofeng Empire had already been listed by us as a replaceable vassal state."

Luna softly pursed her lips: "Does Edwan know?"

"He doesn't," Lady Mag replied, "Yang Ming knows but chose to hide it from his friend."

Luna leaned on the massage chair, silent for over ten seconds: "He might have guessed."

"Don't think too much, Your Highness; you are royalty of the Empire, beneficiary of all privileged Empire rights, don't let personal subjective feelings cloud your judgments. At this stage, let Wind indulge in their beautiful dream."

Lady Mag whispered:

"We all must remain loyal to our country."

Luna turned to look toward where the Head Star of Luofeng Empire was situated.

The porthole was narrow, only rendering a speck of light.

Bright, yet small.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.