Is the Blue Star Commonwealth strong? At least most of its citizens think so.

It is a nation with humanity as its main ethnic group; it is a front-row member of the Galactic Civilization Council; it has several times defeated the Empire (Lords and vassal states) in direct combat with fewer forces; it is the first political entity in the history of Milky Way Civilization to gain independence from the Empire's domination; and for a time, it even held the title of 'Milky Way's Third Military Power.'

Is the Blue Star Commonwealth really strong? At least most civilized political entities in the Milky Way also think so.

It truly has the air of a 'Third Military Power.' Its total naval warship tonnage ranks third in the Milky Way, its capital ships are third, and its Dreadnoughts and spiritual energy users in active service are fifth. Its active army (including stormtroopers, Marine Corps, and planetary defense forces) is the second largest in the Milky Way, and if the Empire's forces don't include those from the Lords and vassal states, it would even be the largest.

Of course, Titan ships are also ranked third in the Milky Way, but this ranking is meaningless. Apart from the two powerhouses, the Empire and the Alliance, no other nation possesses these ultimate weapons of space, and such ships cannot be produced by merely using shipyards.

At any rate, with all of the above, it certainly projects the image of a strong nation, even if that image is merely a facade.

However, later history proved that the Blue Star Commonwealth was actually riddled with holes and utterly dilapidated, its hard steel shell long corroded to a thin layer, ready to crumble at a touch, releasing a gush of decay.

The Tulon Incident was the first 'poke.' In the original history, without Elinore's firm response, the Kitties' destroyers finally descended upon Tulon. Once they arrived, they were difficult to dislodge. Later, after long negotiations, the Kaitai Kingdom actually carved out an autonomous region in Tulon, gaining independent judicial power and even stationing troops.

Is the so-called 'Milky Way's Third Military Power' so easily defeated? The nations hadn't even reacted, but the Kitties, having tasted blood, were completely consumed by greed, wanting to bite off another large chunk of flesh, and simply set their sights on the Star Gate.

However, according to 'later' historical memory, this should have happened in February of next year, common era 831. Yu Lian was a bit confused.

...No, I can't completely trust later history. That's also a mechanical view of history, which Teacher Li would criticize. Since I've been reborn, everything has already changed. The Kaitai Kitties didn't succeed in Tulon and instead were disgraced, so their subsequent actions will also change.

First, Teacher Li taught us that specific problems require specific analysis, and one must accurately grasp the main contradiction. Once these are determined, the enemy's behavior patterns can actually be analyzed.

Yu Lian began to ponder, and Colonel Yang Xiyi, seeing this, smiled, 'It seems you've thought of something, haven't you?'

'Teacher Yang, I think the Kaitai people might be planning something big, wanting to completely expose the Commonwealth's bluff.'

'Such as?'

'A surprise attack on the Outer Rim Fleet, the Commonwealth's strongest main fleet, to give them a good beating. Then, they'll feign a ceasefire and find a third party, like their Imperial father, to mediate.'

'That sounds particularly absurd... What's the reason?'

'This first needs to start with the Kaitai Kingdom's situation in recent years, they...' Yu Lian organized his words, preparing for a lengthy explanation, but Yang Xiyi showed a troubled expression and interrupted, 'Ugh, wait a moment. You were always like this, preparing a long, drawn-out speech before every baseless claim. But you're not trying to convince me, but General Paris.'

'This, I...'

Yang Xiyi, who resembled a second-rate scholar, a third-rate literati, a small company office worker, but certainly not a soldier, helplessly scratched his hair, picked up his military cap, and put it on his head, complaining, 'I've had a lot of trouble lately, and as soon as I took office, everything was dumped on me. The Kaitai people opposite, the Kaitai people's buddies, the Buckwheat Birdmen, the Luminar separatists... all intelligence on these forces is under my purview, do you understand, Yu Lian?'

Yu Lian nodded sympathetically. For someone with strong career ambitions, this would certainly be seen as the organization's Pay attention to and they would be eager to put in their utmost diligence. But the problem was that Yang Xiyi, to put it plainly, was a slacker who just wanted to coast by, truly not wanting to be too busy.

'And then, the forty thousand tons of high-explosive dust ordered by the Ministry of Defense from New Yumen will be passing through the Star Gate in the next few days. Oh, ten thousand tons of that is even to be sold to the Empire. Their receiving dignitary will be arriving at this Starport in the next two days for inspection, which is why I have to personally come to this Starport to oversee things and ensure everything is foolproof! Now, you're telling me we're about to face a war? Good heavens, I'm just an employee, it just so happens my employer is the military, why are they pushing me so hard?'

'That's just how it is. Otherwise, why would the Outer Rim Fleet be gathered here?' Yu Lian spread his hands, asking back with righteous indignation.

'Because the Kaitai people on the other side gather a fleet every year, and occasionally they even conduct joint exercises with their Birdmen friends. So, the Outer Rim Fleet naturally has to make the same move. Isn't that the reason for an army's existence?'

'This time they even dispatched their Imperial Guard Fleet! And Charlen Lionmane himself is leading it!'

'Yes, a Guard Fleet composed of a dozen royal 'yachts'! Prince Charlen Lionmane is naturally a show-off, and it's perfectly reasonable for him to come and boost morale. Even to ensure the future Grand Protector enjoys himself, the Kaitai fleet on the other side must display twelve parts of their might! Isn't that also the reason for their army's existence?'

From the perspective of an absolute libertarian with a cynical worldview, the above statements were quite reasonable. Yu Lian was momentarily speechless.

Just as he was thinking of how to refute, he saw the Colonel had already opened his office's info-terminal, connecting to the Fleet Command HQ on the Hyperion.

'Is the Commander available?' the Colonel asked.

'He just finished a meeting and is about to go to dinner, Colonel, is there something you need? Should I transfer you?' The answer came from a female officer with the rank of Lieutenant, likely a member of General Paris's adjutant staff.

'I only need a few minutes of his time. Didn't he say that the student who performed well in Tulon was a talent and needed some encouragement? He just arrived at the Starport today. By the way, Liddy, are you wearing Sharuvay No. 7 lip gloss today? It really suits you.'

It must be said that while Yang Xiyi's looks were only just above the 'handsome' threshold, his excellent temperament and demeanor, combined with his promising future as an 'elite bureaucrat,' made him quite charming when he was being playful. The young adjutant on the other end immediately giggled, 'Hehe, next time I'll try a different shade, oh, and perfume, you can guess which one it is.'

'Alright, we'll guess slowly in private.'

The young adjutant was delighted and connected the call to the Commander.

Yu Lian stared intently at Yang Xiyi, wishing his eyes could turn into blades and slice him into a thousand pieces.

'...Don't look at me like that! This is all for survival in this workplace.' Yang Xiyi didn't turn around, but his entire being was filled with the vicissitudes and sorrow of realism.

'I'll tell Jessica.'

'Even if you tell her, it's already a fact! Her professional field is even more brutal than mine, she'll understand.'

'I'll also tell Xiao Xuan, Xiao Yong, and Xiao Mi that their dad has completely degenerated into a greasy, incompetent old man!'

'You brat, what grudge do I have with you?! Workplace survival, can that be called greasy and incompetent? This has nothing to do with children!' Yang Xiyi exploded in anger, jumping up to argue, but then the light screen on the communicator flashed, revealing an old man in a neat military uniform, stern and unsmiling, with a face and physique as hard as granite, and four gleaming general stars shining on his collar tabs.

He was none other than Admiral Norm Paris, Commander of the Commonwealth's Outer Rim Fleet and Commander-in-Chief of the Outer Rim Military District.

Yang Xiyi quickly snapped to attention and saluted, instantly switching to a solemn and resolute expression, and said earnestly, 'Commander, Chief of Intelligence Staff Colonel Yang Xiyi, reporting to you. Oh, and this is Warrant Officer Yu Lian, quite a talented young man, isn't he?'

The Colonel's salute was so swift that even Yu Lian, a spiritual energy user, couldn't react in time, falling a half-beat behind; at that moment, the Old General's lightning-fast gaze swept over, and seeing Yu Lian hadn't even managed to properly put on his military cap, a clear expression of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

'Warrant Officer Yu Lian, is it?'

'Central Defense University Class 830 cadet, Yu Lian, reporting to you.'

'Don't report to me. Whether you can stay in the military after you graduate is still up for debate,' the General said coldly. 'I heard you performed well in Tulon?'

'Uh, it's all attributed to Elinore Bonaparte's decisive command and the brave fighting of all the security forces. This subordinate merely had a stroke of luck.'

'Hmph, overly humble platitudes sound very hypocritical, and coupled with your weak face, it's no wonder you have such a reputation.'

'This, Your Excellency, you've heard about this subordinate...'

'Your Chancellor, Minister of Defense Maxell, and I are old friends. However, you definitely wouldn't want to know his opinion of you,' the Admiral sneered. 'Regardless, it's true that you achieved merit in Tulon, but a good start doesn't mean everything will go smoothly in the future. I hope you can properly digest the lessons from this internship, continue to work hard, and take care of yourself.'

Yu Lian suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, forcing a smile as he pondered whether to roll this guy into a meatball and feed him to the space amoebas. But this guy was so old; even an amoeba wouldn't be able to eat such an old meatball, right?

'Colonel Yang.' The General then addressed Yang Xiyi.

'Subordinate Present!'

'Take this young man to try our Outer Rim Military District's special 'Athlete's Pot.' Let him stay at the fleet's guesthouse and book him a passenger ticket for the next few days. Even if you 'elite bureaucrats,' especially you Moon People, are useless, you still have some influence with the higher-ups and the media. I don't want him going back and saying that our Outer Rim Fleet doesn't know proper etiquette! Now, dismissed.'

Before Yang Xiyi could salute, General Paris had already cut the communication.

The Colonel sighed and patted Yu Lian's shoulder reassuringly, 'Don't mind him. He doesn't dislike you; he dislikes all Moon People and elite bureaucrats. At least you can look forward to our special 'Athlete's Pot'; it truly tastes great. So, today wasn't all bad.'

Ahaha, today is another happy update beast.