Lü Yanlin did not answer directly.
He merely looked at the document and remained silent for a few seconds.
At that moment, Major General Chen Qingyu spoke up.
His voice was not loud, yet it was clear enough to be heard throughout the entire Wargaming Hall.
"Then may I ask General Ruan Xingwei!"
He paused, his gaze fixed directly on the other.
"Has Senior Colonel Qin Bei Wang of the Pluto Fleet created too few miracles?"
Ruan Xingwei frowned slightly but said nothing.
However, as soon as Chen Qingyu finished speaking, a low murmur of agreement arose in the Wargaming Hall.
It came from some of the relatively younger general officers, who held considerable goodwill toward the young Qin Bei Wang.
Not only because of his age but also because of his impeccable combat record.
"The Elvira Campaign!"
A major general spoke, his voice steady.
"Annihilated the Dragon Lizard Fleet."
He paused before continuing.
"And not just that."
"The entire Welles Fleet—it was Senior Colonel Qin Bei Wang who designed the encirclement that trapped them.
Moreover, the Pluto Fleet shouldered the main assault responsibility in the annihilation battle against the Welles Fleet!"
His tone carried a complex sense of emotion.
"Who could have imagined that before the battle?"
Immediately afterward, another young lieutenant general spoke up.
His voice was slightly louder than the previous speaker's.
"The Savannah Campaign."
"Successively crippled three Imperial Graded Fleets and annihilated one sub-fleet."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over those present.
"And that was on the Empire's turf!
Fought under circumstances of overwhelming numerical disadvantage.
The losses suffered by the Pluto Fleet were almost negligible!"
A low buzz of discussion filled the Wargaming Hall.
Chen Qingyu listened quietly without interrupting.
Only after the man finished speaking did he speak again.
"And this time?"
His gaze remained fixed on Ruan Xingwei's face.
"Deep behind enemy lines, across a star system."
"Annihilated the Devil's Claw Mothership-class Fleet—over three hundred warships."
"Crippled the Abuja Stellar Ring, a military fortress equipped with the Prairie Fire Fortress Cannon, reputed to be capable of destroying a Sub-Level Fleet with a single shot."
"Destroyed that fortress cannon."
"And destroyed a large number of Imperial transport ships!"
He said all this in one breath, then took a light inhale, his tone calming.
"These successive victories..."
He paused before continuing.
"Are they still not enough to earn our trust?"
Ruan Xingwei's lips twitched slightly.
He wanted to say something.
He wanted to say it was all coincidence, that the battlefield situation changes in an instant and one cannot judge solely by results, that the disparity in strength between enemy and friendly forces was too great.
But as he opened his mouth, he found he could say nothing.
Because those results, those numbers, those undeniable facts laid out before him—
Were too brilliant.
So brilliant that any reason for caution seemed pale in comparison.
Chen Qingyu looked at him, neither urging nor mocking.
He simply watched quietly.
There was no hostility in that gaze, only a calm, factual certainty.
Then he continued:
"Even an admiral..."
He paused, his tone flat but each word crystal clear.
"Even an admiral like you, who has served in the Federal Navy for centuries and fought in thousands of campaigns."
"Could not have infiltrated the Bushman Star System through the Empire's layered defensive lines and caused such extensive damage."
His voice was soft, even.
But Ruan Xingwei's expression changed slightly.
It wasn't because of anger.
It was because he knew that what Chen Qingyu said was true.
He didn't have that capability.
He didn't have that courage.
He didn't have the audacity to lead four hundred warships into the Imperial Hinterland and stab a knife into the enemy's heart.
Chen Qingyu looked at Ruan Xingwei's slightly trembling lips, at his aggrieved, speechless face.
He didn't press further.
He simply withdrew his gaze gently, sweeping it over everyone present.
Then his voice rose slightly.
"Now, a golden opportunity lies before us."
He reached out and pointed at the massive holographic star map.
On the star map, the situation on the front line of the Ten Stone Starfield was clearly displayed.
Three Imperial Fleets—Erebus, Ares, and Pandora.
At that moment, they were relentlessly attacking the Vault Fleet in the Shang Yu Star System from three different directions.
The situation was extremely critical.
"The Empire's logistics have been severely damaged, supply lines cut off, the Abuja Ring temporarily paralyzed, and the deployment speed of reinforcements greatly delayed."
"The Pluto Fleet is behind enemy lines, advancing toward the Stargate."
"As long as the Stargate is destroyed, those three Imperial Fleets will completely lose their escape portal."
His voice grew louder and faster.
"And we..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the General Officers who exchanged uneasy glances.
"Are still here, hesitating and shrinking back?"
"What kind of conduct is this?"
The Wargaming Hall was so quiet that only the hum of the holographic star map remained.
No one spoke.
No one dared to speak.
Chen Qingyu's voice slowly fell, yet it felt like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts.
"Do we have to wait until the Empire deploys one Sequence Fleet after another through that Stargate..."
"Do we have to wait until the Vault Fleet in the Shang Yu Star System is completely annihilated..."
"Do we have to wait until Vast Mansion, Myriad Forms, Flowing Light, Blue Moon..."
He recited the names of eight star systems in one breath, each one like a stone dropped into the Wargaming Hall.
"All eight of these star systems become the Empire's territory..."
His gaze swept over everyone once more.
"Only then..."
He paused before continuing.
"Will you be satisfied?"
The Wargaming Hall was deathly silent.
The General Officers who had just been arguing that three Sequence Fleets were too many and that withdrawing forces was too risky now exchanged glances, unable to speak.
Ruan Xingwei sat there, his lips finally ceasing their trembling.
He simply stared at the star map, at the names of those eight star systems, in silence.
No one knew what he was thinking.
Just as the stalemate was about to continue, Lü Yanlin slowly stood up.
He didn't speak immediately.
He simply straightened the creases on his uniform gently, then raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
His gaze was calm, as calm as if he were attending an ordinary routine meeting.
But everyone knew that what he said next might determine the direction of this debate.
"Major General Chen's words..."
He finally spoke, his voice not loud but clear enough for the entire Wargaming Hall to hear.
"...are not entirely without reason."
He paused, his gaze falling on the massive holographic star map.
On the star map, the markers for the three Imperial Fleets—Erebus, Ares, and Pandora—lay quietly near the Shang Yu Star System.
"Erebus, Ares, Pandora..."
He enunciated each name slowly and deliberately:
"Three Imperial Sequence Fleets."
"As long as they remain undefeated, the situation in the Ten Stone Starfield will grow more perilous with each passing day."
His finger lightly traced across the star chart, encircling the three fleets together.
"Regardless of whether the Pluto Fleet succeeds in destroying the star gate..."
He raised his head and looked at everyone.
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