Chapter 47.1
After the New Year, there was a frenzy of excitement leading up to the Alliance’s foundation day celebrations.
All other news took a backseat as the Leto Daily featured a segment of Alliance history on its front page every day, while the Starnet’s homepage streamed various documentaries about the Alliance.
Bombarded by sales promotions, Lu Fenghan couldn’t resist buying several discounted Set A meal to take home.
Vincent made a visit and shared some of the fruits and snacks from his Intelligence Bureau with Lu Fenghan—he couldn’t finish them all by himself, so he decided to share some with his immediate superior.
Before leaving, Lu Fenghan confirmed once again, “No problems on the front lines?”
“No problem. The rebels are all stationed in place, and the space pirates have been sporadically active in the Kepler Region, seizing a couple of transport ships. Meanwhile, the Central Army troops dispersed across the Central Region have been called back to Leto, with 70% of them now in garrison.
“But this morning, there was news that General Nie Huaiting wants to upgrade the equipment of the garrison troops and requested a sign-up list, but it was rejected by Klimo, saying the finances have already been burdened by the Expeditionary Force, so they can’t afford to upgrade the equipment.
“But if you ask me, the weapons of the garrison troops do need an upgrade. They’re still using guns from several years ago.”
Lu Fenghan sensed something was wrong.
“Since when did General Nie need to be so roundabout in finding out the actual number of garrison troops?”
Vincent took a moment to respond, “Commander, you mean?”
Lu Fenghan’s expression soured. “If even trivial matters like this can be blocked by Klimo, it seems the pro-peace faction truly holds sway.”
Vincent’s heart skipped a beat at Lu Fenghan’s remark. “Surely not. If they claimed to be deploying one hundred thousand, at least eighty thousand should be on site, right?”
But as the words left his lips, even he couldn’t be certain.
If General Nie Huaiting were still the Alliance Supreme Commander, then a declaration of one hundred thousand troops meant exactly that. However, with the tables turned, and internal factions within the military vying for power, General Nie’s words no longer carried the weight they once did. Middle-ranking and lower-ranking officers in the neutral faction might hesitate to act decisively, resulting in only ninety thousand troops being deployed, at best. As for the pro-peace faction, it was doubtful if they would even send sixty thousand troops.
Klimo’s staunch opposition further convinced Vincent that there was something fishy going on.
His throat felt dry as he said, “But General Nie Huaiting persisted, and after some compromise, Klimo agreed to upgrade the weaponry for the Leto garrison troops.”
Lu Fenghan nodded. “Upgrading some is better than none at all.”
Vincent couldn’t explain it, but even though he had been so confident before that the rebels wouldn’t act recklessly and that Leto wouldn’t encounter any issues, now he was starting to feel uneasy.
“Currently, Leto’s defensive forces consist of two contingents: the local garrison and the reinforcements summoned from other areas within the administrative region. Both… are ill-prepared for combat.”
He was already being quite polite with his words.
Apart from the rebels, the Alliance had seen no major conflicts for years. The role of the garrison troops was primarily to combat space pirates and conduct routine patrols.
Twenty years ago, Lu Jun and his men completely defeated the space pirates, leaving the garrison troops with little more than patrolling duties.
Not just in the Central Region, but the Messier and Kepler Regions were in a similar situation.
Only the Southern Cross Region, being close to the front lines, enjoyed a slightly better situation.
With the conflict kept at bay by the Expeditionary Force, internal discipline naturally became lax.
Fontaine-1 was a prime example.
Having grown accustomed to comfort and tranquility, they had become complacent, with even their resolve growing weak.
Seeing Vincent’s ever-changing expression, Lu Fenghan didn’t press further. He merely nodded towards him. “You’ve already delivered the supplies, now make yourself scarce.”
Vincent forced a smile. “Isn’t it here where I find peace of mind? Once I step out that door, I fear sleep will elude me tonight.”
“What you and I can conceive, General Nie can naturally envision as well,” Lu Fenghan added. Left unsaid was the rest of his thought: if General Nie Huaiting couldn’t handle it, even with their combined efforts, they would be mere ants trying to shake a tree.
Against the torrent, no single individual could stand alone.
Vincent let out a sigh of relief, as if he had immediately found his psychological anchor and backbone. “Right, General Nie is still around. I’ll be off then. Contact me if anything comes up.”
“Hmm,” Lu Fenghan reminded, “keep your communication lines open.”
Vincent’s eyes hardened, a hint of determination added to his expression. “Yes!”
On the foundation day, Turan Academy made an exception by declaring a school-wide holiday, allowing students to watch the celebratory parade on the streets. At the school gates, people even distributed small square flags.
Qi Yan had originally planned to return home with Lu Fenghan. The data core mining process for Pojun was nearing completion. He wanted to be there to keep watch.
As for the celebration ceremony, one could watch it virtually at the Diamond Sky Plaza through the holographic system.
Ye Pei, Mondrian, and Xia Zhiyang were eager to try it out, so they all joined the queue heading to the Diamond Sky Plaza.
Lu Fenghan walked beside Qi Yan, shielding him from the people jostling past. However, the crowd was too dense, and Qi Yan was bumped into several times, causing him to grimace in pain. Lu Fenghan immediately wrapped an arm around Qi Yan, pulling him close.
Standing so close, Qi Yan could see Lu Fenghan’s Adam’s apple. He didn’t struggle, but instead, let Lu Fenghan’s arm hold him firmly.
The subtle sound of their clothes rubbing against each other was amplified, drowning out the surrounding crowd’s noise. This feeling suddenly reminded Qi Yan of the New Year’s Eve.
Now, he felt a bit hesitant to meet Lu Fenghan’s gaze again.
Qi Yan didn’t quite understand his own feelings. It was like deciphering a complex formula, where a brief glimpse revealed its dazzling intricacies.
He cautiously took a step forward, yet the unfamiliarity of this emotion prompted him to hesitantly retract a half-step.
Countless people had already gathered in the Diamond Sky Plaza. Security robots maintained order, while a giant holographic screen hovered above, broadcasting live footage of the ceremony taking place on the rostrum.
Xia Zhiyang exclaimed loudly, “What should I do? When I left the school gate, I was so calm, but now I’m burning with excitement! Just think, over two hundred years ago, humanity departed Earth and arrived in Leto! This is the starting point of humanity, destined to forge ahead! To yearn for the distant stars!”
Mondrian, usually reserved and restrained, was also swept up in the atmosphere. “Those who have contributed to the Alliance have their sculptures standing silently on one side of the square, celebrating with us!”
Xia Zhiyang grew even more excited. “Yes, yes, yes! I’ll study hard! I’ll aim for a B in my exams! I’ll innovate like God Y! I’ll strive for the Alliance!”
Ye Pei listened to their conversation. “Have you both gone mad?” But then, with closed eyes, she declared loudly, “I’m nineteen this year. In fifty years, I’ll become the Alliance’s finest researcher!”
Her eyes sparkled, and her smile tinged her cheeks with a faint blush.
Mondrian declared, “Me too!”
Xia Zhiyang laughed heartily. “Then I’ll become the wealthiest businessman and provide research funding for you both! As much as you need!”
He also made plans for Chen Mingxuan, who was at home playing games. “Chen Mingxuan will be the CEO of the most formidable gaming company in the entire Alliance! All the games developed will be free for us to play!”
Ye Pei also laughed. “Free? That sounds great!”
Nearby, Lu Fenghan was on a call with Vincent.
“Commander, everything’s normal, but I’m really unlucky, incredibly unlucky. I was on duty last foundation day, and this year I got picked again in the lottery! I also want to be there in person!” Vincent lamented. “Why does the world have to have this wicked thing called duty!”
Lu Fenghan: “Luckily, you’re on duty.”
Vincent’s lamentations halted. “Well, yeah, that’s true. I’ll be keeping an eye on things all day. Commander, you can rest assured!”
After ending the call, Lu Fenghan noticed Qi Yan tinkering with his personal terminal. “What are you doing?”
“Remote controlling the optical computer at home. The data core mining for Pojun is almost complete,” Qi Yan answered, looking up after a minute. “When does the celebration ceremony start?”
His voice was soft, but Lu Fenghan was attentive. He immediately replied, “At ten o’clock. It’s almost time, it’s five minutes to ten.”
On January 7th, year 217 in the Star calendar, at ten o’clock in the morning, the Alliance’s foundation day celebration ceremony officially began.
The Alliance Secretary-General took the stage first. Due to the temporary vacancy of the Alliance Supreme Commander position, the three four-star generals of the military attended the ceremony, standing side by side with the Secretary-General, staggered half a step apart.
The Commander of the Joint Operations Command, Woodrow Klimo, stood at the forefront, followed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Space Force and the Central Army, Nie Huaiting, and lastly, the head of the Alliance Security Committee, Hodgkin.
The statutory members of the Alliance Security Committee included the Secretary-General of the Alliance, Nie Huaiting, and Klimo. This also meant that Hodgkin, despite being the head of the Committee, had always lacked presence. He was known in military circles as neutral, rarely involving himself in the overt and covert struggles between the hawks and the doves.
Nie Huaiting once privately remarked to Lu Fenghan that Hodgkin was like a stubborn walnut. Even if insulted to his face, he would continue drinking his tea with a smile, the criticism rolling off him like water off a duck’s back. He was incredibly unflappable.
It was as if he was saying, “You guys fight your battles, leave me out of it. I’m content to quietly do my job until retirement.”
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