The reinforcements from the Empire's borders began to return to their original worlds in batches, and the evacuation would take days to complete. That was because before these fleets returned, many wounded soldiers and heavily damaged spaceships had to be relocated, especially the latter. A large number of spaceships had been destroyed in the battle, and now many of the reinforcements and reserves did not have enough spaceships to return. Many wounded soldiers and their escape pods were stranded near temporary Void nodes, waiting for reinforcements. The macro world network and the military World Gate had limited capacity, and it was difficult to evacuate the entire Empire's forces in a short time. That was why Sandora had ordered the establishment of hundreds of temporary garrisons in the two nearest springboards to accommodate the most heavily damaged troops. At the same time, we had also begun to summon the Church of the Goddess of Life believers and more medical personnel to these garrisons to save the wounded as much as possible.
The post-war work was sometimes even more complicated than the pre-war organizational preparations. It was the same principle as having a child. Everything was fine before you had a child, but after the child was born, you would have a headache for decades. Also, if you met a super naughty child like Xiaoxue, it would be normal for your headache to last for centuries. Furthermore, this magical naughty child would come to harm her father before she was born … Oh, I digress.
The celestial system fleet was originally supposed to return to the universe of the civilization community, but because there were many wounded troops that needed to be relocated, this fleet of planetary fortresses served as temporary garrisons. The Psionic Death Star and the twelve giant armed planets returned first as the core of the fleet, while the remaining dozens of planetary fortresses were left in the two universes near the battlefield. The orbit of each planet was filled with repair stations and medical bases, and tens of millions of Church of the Goddess of Life had built divine temples called "Instant Heaven" on those planetary fortresses. The powerful power of the temples permeated the temporary star systems that were built overnight, ensuring that the wounded soldiers within the range of the heaven would not die due to lack of treatment. There were simply too many wounded soldiers that needed medical attention, and without the use of divine spells of this level, ordinary priests and monks would not be able to help.
In fact, Dingdang had even personally gone into battle. The Goddess's power was capable of saving even the most unlikely of soldiers. For the sake of those loyal servants and warriors, I had already left Dingdang in the kitchen to stew for almost four hours … Although I felt like I was trying in the wrong direction, it seemed that the effects were quite good.
The Empire's soldiers were also heavily injured. Now, the capital world and the Empire's military stations in several military universes were all overcrowded, and the Shiring Apostles who needed to return to the factory for major repairs were almost filling up the garage. It was then that I suddenly realized that the Scorpion Maiden I met not long ago, who was calculating before her death whether it was more worthwhile to return to the factory for major repairs or to die and return to the city, was actually not at all strange.
When Shadora and I returned to the capital world, we visited an imperial military station. Almost every injured imperial soldier there was calculating. The only difference was that only the scorpion soldier was using the MDT, while the others were calculating in their heads.
It was really a sad story, but this time, even the Ravens were too lazy to complain about their foes who were not smart enough. And no matter what, these soldiers who stayed in the military station waiting for repairs or resurrection were at least much luckier than their comrades who had died in battle.
Although I felt a little physically and mentally exhausted, when I returned to the City of Shadows, I was still dragged by Sandora to the headquarters. Her Majesty the Queen's meaning was clear. Leaders were born not to rest. Now that the soldiers' work was over, the leader's task had just begun: She needed to quickly calculate the losses of the war, re-evaluate the threat of the Fallen Apostles, analyze the battle reports, and so on. Anyway, these were all things that she would drag me to listen to regardless of whether I understood them or not.
In the main meeting room of the headquarters, Sandora looked energetic, not at all exhausted after a fierce battle. She listened to the reports from the various department heads, weighing the damage done to the new Empire in this battle and thinking about our next development plan. The one in charge of the report was Sives, who had also participated in the entire battle and was still holding his post. This dutiful adjutant who never knew exhaustion transferred a bunch of tables and images to the holographic projection in the meeting room. With a clear and serious voice, he said, "Currently, the First, Second, and Sixth Army have lost more than half of their combat power. Among them, the Second Army was massacred in the early stages of the battle and only has basic personnel left. It is estimated that they will need at least six months to repair or rebuild their warships. The resurrected soldiers will also need the same amount of time to undergo rehabilitation training in the reserve echelon. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth Army's losses are more optimistic, but they will still need about a month to recuperate. Also, the Third Army's flagship was destroyed by an enemy suicide attack at the end of the battle. The highest commander and deputy commander are both dead. Currently, the two commanders are waiting to be resurrected, but it would be difficult for them to return to their posts in a short period of time. Especially the highest commander: his soul is severely damaged, and he will need decades to reconstruct his core personality. Many of the other high-ranking officers of the Third Army have also died, and a third of them will not be able to be resurrected. "
"… The highest commander …" I couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. This was the highest-ranking officer of the Empire that I could remember to have died in battle. If a fleet's commander and deputy commander were to die at the same time, even if the fleet was complete, it would basically be relegated to the second line. Right now, the only fortunate thing was that the commander and vice commander were both powerful high level apostles, their souls powerful, to the extent where they still had a chance of revival even if the flagship was destroyed. Otherwise, the death of a commander was the same as losing half a fleet!
Based on what Sives said, I judged that the deputy commander of the Third Army should be able to return to her post rather quickly after being resurrected, but the highest commander probably wouldn't be able to continue as an officer for decades. As a military leader, there were many times when commanding ability was more important than personal combat power. Just look at how Sives couldn't even defeat a scorpion soldier, and yet she was still an officer second only to the Supreme General. And now, after the deputy commander of the Third Army was resurrected, although his personal strength wouldn't be restored in a short period of time, there was still no problem with his soul. However, the commander's personality wasn't even complete.
"For the time being, let the deputy commander of the Third Army take over the position of the highest commander. The surviving officers under him will be promoted one rank according to their original positions, and those who aren't qualified will be filled from the reserve echelon. The original commander of the Third Army will report to the reserve echelon. In the future, when the Empire forms a new army, these veteran officers will be needed, "Sandora replied quickly, as though these decisions didn't require much consideration. She had come all the way from the old Empire. Perhaps she had experienced many of the tragic battles we encountered this time, so she was already familiar with such methods.
"Other than that, as the main battlefield, world DN-175, was completely destroyed. That world was originally one of the most important military strongholds of the Empire and one of the most important border springboards. The other three invaded worlds were similarly damaged to varying degrees. More than ninety percent of the military facilities have to be rebuilt. "Sives' tone was heavy." We lost a star system that was used to produce planetary battleships. At the same time, three void research centers were completely destroyed by the Fallen Apostles, and less than thirty percent of the research data was transferred. "
I thought for a moment, then turned to look at Tawil who was sitting beside me. "About that, you …"
Tawil didn't wait for me to finish before he spoke, his expression as stiff as cement. "Your Majesty, I will take care of it."
"… Oh, I mean, stop squeezing the thing in your hand. The cup is about to undergo a nuclear reaction …"
"That's all for the war losses. Sives, you said you have something else to report?"
Sandora exhaled softly, clearly not in a good mood. She put the battle damage report aside and looked up at Sives. The latter nodded. "Yes, this is the communication of the Fallen Apostles that our intelligence interception center intercepted at the frontlines. We haven't been able to decipher it yet, but there are some things that we should pay attention to …"
As he spoke, he connected his MDT to the equipment in the conference room. Soon, the holographic projection in the center of the conference room displayed a messy image that resembled a television with poor signal. A squeaking noise filled the room.
"What is this?" Sandora furrowed her eyebrows.
"Clutter, interference, and a small amount of orderly information mixed with a large amount of meaningless signals. These things are being repeated in the communication channels of the Fallen Apostles." Sives paused for a moment. "It's as though they can't even hear these things clearly."
Sandora furrowed her eyebrows. "We have intercepted the communication of the Fallen Apostles before …"
"Yes, the thing we intercepted this time is clearly completely different from the ones we intercepted before. Although the Fallen Apostle's communication before had many strange mutated codes, it was still a regular signal. But this time, it seems to be drowned out by all kinds of random interference, as if the enemy's communication network or mental link has some kind of malfunction."
Hearing Sives' analysis, I suddenly thought of someone. I looked up at the corner of the room. Vincent Carlo was sitting there. Originally, he didn't have the right to attend such a meeting because he had just surrendered and wasn't a regular officer in the Imperial Army. But because we wanted to know more about Halland as soon as possible, I made an exception for him to attend.
"Vincent, look at this signal. Do you recognize it?"
Vincent read the source code provided by Sives. After a moment, he shook his head in confusion. "No … That's not right. This isn't a standard signal. The messy code is mixed with normal communication content, but the normal content is almost drowned out. Even with the decoding key, I find it very difficult to analyze these things. They can't be used in military command, the signal stability is too poor. "
Sandora glanced at me. She seemed to have thought of something. "Maybe this is the reason why the Fallen Apostles aren't in good condition this time. Their data network malfunctioned."
"Data network malfunctioned? And at this critical juncture, they formed nine armies to fight to the death with the Empire? "I was momentarily stunned. Then, I looked at Vincent in disbelief." What's wrong with Halland's head? "
"This …" Vincent rubbed his forehead awkwardly. "I can't explain it. When I set out … to attack you, our communication network was still normal. Furthermore, Her Majesty Halland didn't have any plans to invade …"
"Wait, let me confirm. How many troops does Halland have?" Sandora suddenly asked. She was always able to notice small details that could be crucial. "Including the garrison troops and the reserve echelon."
Vincent was taken aback. "You're including these troops? There were originally thirteen armies … But they weren't full. One of the armies was newly formed. "
"Going all out." Sandora looked at me solemnly. "Halland has deployed nine armies on the main battlefield. The other three universes have also deployed three armies. In addition to Vincent's army that was defeated by you in the distant borders, it means that all of his troops in the Abyss Empire have been deployed."
I pondered for a moment and realized that I didn't understand.
"The Fallen Apostles aren't peaceful internally. If you were to bring all of your assets out, it is highly possible that you won't be able to return," Sandora said unhurriedly. "Occupying, annexing, making oneself stronger, and becoming the sole ruler has become a biological instinct within the Fallen Apostles. Currently, they are only controlled by a powerful 'Lord' and a unified goal. That is why they have become a collective. However, if Halland were to deploy all of his forces, including the garrison troops and reserve echelons, into the battle against the Empire, do you think he would be able to return?"
I instantly understood. Regardless of whether Halland's expedition would be successful or not, he had already given up his position in the Abyss Empire. That was because his army would definitely suffer heavy casualties in the battle against the Imperial Army. Regardless of victory or defeat, he would suffer a heavy blow to his personal forces. The Fallen Apostles would never allow an emperor who had lost his army to continue occupying so many territories.
With Halland's actions, he would sooner or later end up like the Fallen Emperor, Caesar, whom we had encountered in the very beginning. He would become a lone abyssal monster, forced to wander to some barren world, leading a group of abyssal beasts to struggle at death's door. This was the law of survival among the Fallen Apostles. Belavilla had explained it to us more than once.
"Are you able to track where Halland's remaining troops have escaped to?" Sandora raised her head to look in Syves' direction. The latter shook his head apologetically. "Your Majesty, the enemy has left the sensing range of the Garden of Separation. We …"
"It's fine. I guessed it. Then, Visca. Inform your Abyss Fleet to closely monitor the entire territory of the Fallen Apostles. Once Halland's remaining troops return, immediately report to me. If they don't return after seven days … report to me as well. "
There were two clumps of hair behind the edge of the table. One of them swayed slightly. This was Visca nodding. I thought for a moment and suggested, "Actually, the two of you can change to a higher chair …"
"No! We don't want a specially made chair! I can see it! " Visca's voice came from beneath the swaying clump of hair. From this angle, I couldn't see the two short men's faces at all. I could only see a bit of hair …
I silently shut my mouth. I thought to myself that it would be best if I didn't continue to provoke these two dwarves. It would be fine if they were at home, but in this kind of situation, these two sisters would definitely not agree to change to a shameful higher chair or a shell under their buttocks.
After that, the military officers began to report on the situation of their departments. There were battle reports, drafts of the army's organizational structure, as well as plans for the replenishment of the servant troops from the military headquarters. This fierce battle could be said to have dealt a heavy blow to the New Empire. We had suffered a major setback, so the things that we had to deal with now were piling up like a mountain.
While listening to the reports, I turned to look at the other side of the table. Lin Xue was sitting there. I remembered that I had questions for her.
However, when I turned my head, I was shocked. I didn't know when it started, but Missy had been staring at me. There was something in her eyes that I had never seen before. That pair of eyes that were always full of vigor and bright now carried a kind of fear as if she had just woken up from a nightmare. Our eyes met, but she didn't react at all. Even though she was looking at me, her thoughts seemed to be completely immersed in another matter.
"Lass? Lass Xue? " I couldn't help but call out to her through our mental connection. Missy finally came back to her senses. Her eyes suddenly became clear, "Ah, oh … What's the matter?"
"Nothing … Just why are you suddenly in a daze?" I asked with concern. At the same time, I wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but the fear in Lin Xue's eyes hadn't completely disappeared. Moreover, there was something else in her eyes. Anyway … Anyway, it looked like she was in a dilemma.
"I'm fine," Lin Xue shook her head and quickly adjusted her expression. Then, she smiled at me apologetically, "I'm a little tired. Moreover, I don't think I can be of much help in this kind of meeting … I'll go back and rest first."
After saying that, Missy didn't care about my and Sandora's doubtful gazes. She teleported out of the meeting room, leaving us staring at each other.
I raised my arm and nudged Xiaoxue, "Daughter, what's wrong with your mother?"
"I don't know," Xiaoxue thought for a moment, then looked at me seriously and said word by word. Then, she added, "Do you believe it?"
I was speechless.
This daughter was indeed her mother's biological daughter. Look at that mouth of hers!
Even though I felt that Lin Xue was acting strangely, I didn't think too much about it. Since I could ask her when I got home, I focused on the national affairs in front of me.
In the end, only Sandora and I persisted until the end of the meeting. My sister, Shallow Shallow, and even Xiaoxue left early. Surprisingly, their reason for leaving was the same: I wasn't cut out for internal affairs …
But I wasn't cut out for this either! Why didn't anyone ask for my opinion?
When I got home, it was already 10: 30 at night.
The living room was very quiet. At this time, the rest of the family must have gone to bed. After all, half of us had just finished a nerve-wracking battle. Almost everyone was exhausted. The remaining half were the dolls. If they didn't go to bed at 10: 30, they wouldn't even be able to resist their own biological clock. Sandora had a lot on her mind. She ran to wash up and returned to her room. I looked around the empty and quiet living room. There was still one and a half hour before Anveena came out to sweep the floor. There wasn't even a single light source in the room.
But soon, I realized that there was someone sleeping in the living room. On the sofa, a graceful figure was curled up into a ball. She was sleeping like a frozen mouse.
I moved closer to take a look. It was Lin Xue.
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