Chapter 1358: Chapter 513: The Historical Legacy of the Shattered Star Ring (Part 3)
Zheng Tian lightly coughed, "Ren Zhong doesn’t like people adding various prefixes when addressing him, just call him Earl or Earl Red Blade, or you can call him Ren Zhong like we do."
Wu Moyou smiled awkwardly, "Okay, understood. Next, I want to talk about those ancient forces. According to rough statistics, there are dozens of ancient forces, but five of them have the longest lineage and were the strongest before retreating and hiding. After discovering the essence of Nanxiang Marquis back then, these five were the first to hide away, preserving their power most completely. They are popularly called the Five Elder Clan. Yes, they have indeed become a complete space race. There has never been an official count of the population within the Five Elder Clan, and no one knows the depth of their technological reserves. It is rumored that the Five Elder Clan even once overshadowed Nanxiang Marquis thousands of years ago, showing their formidable strength."
Everyone else in the operation command room reacted with shock.
Undeniably, due to the previous smooth progress in the battles against Storm and Fangs, the mentality of underestimating the enemy is quietly rising within the Expeditionary Fleet, especially among the new generation of mid-level commanders who have not experienced long expeditions.
Many have only read history but have not personally experienced those hardships and dangers, always believing that under the leadership of Earl Red Blade, they can easily win regardless of the battle. Small space pirates seem manageable and easily dealt with with a snap of the fingers.
This mindset is contrary to Ren Zhong’s core principle of "strategic disdain but tactical emphasis," yet reasoning is always easy to speak and hard to practice. The younger generation hasn’t faced true hardships, making them prone to the illusion that their predecessors’ accomplishments came easily. After all, in the history books, no matter how difficult the situation, the Red Blade Clan could always unite against the enemy, turn adversity into fortune, and emerge victorious in battle.
The main issue at present is the supply difficulties for the Expeditionary Fleet and limited military forces. Zheng Tian cannot waste valuable resources on letting the young generation suffer hardships; everyone must get into gear from the start.
Zheng Tian had Wu Moyou say these things at the live-streamed pre-war meeting with the whole fleet to suppress the mentality of underestimating the enemy.
Vincent Fanhuoyi, the deputy commander who already knew the inside story, played a good role as the supporting listener and questioned, "This sounds too absurd, how could mere pirate forces possibly compare to the Earl’s regular army?"
Wu Moyou shook his head, "At that time, Nanxiang Marquis was not the Steering Man of the Nanxiang Military and Political Center, but as an old Earl, the fleet he commanded was not to be underestimated. Liu An’s current power, being one of the Empire’s top Earls closest to the position of Marquis, is due to generations of Liu Family Earls who have made extensive military preparations and are skilled in warfare. However, the Five Elder Clan have millions of years of accumulation, their population numbers in the trillions, and they are rich in talent and strong in military might. Moreover, it’s rumored that they have acquired top Earl-level technology through the black market. They are definitely not comparable to newly emerging forces like Storm and Fangs."
Vincent Fanhuoyi frowned and nodded, "I see. Then we definitely need to be careful."
Seeing the moment was right, Zheng Tian took back the speaking authority and concluded, "In short, our Expeditionary Fleet has a daunting mission and cannot afford to be careless and underestimate the enemy. But at the same time, we must understand that Red Blade Star is waiting for us to break new ground. The success or failure of the Expeditionary Fleet will determine whether Red Blade Star can thrive, whether Earl Red Blade can compete with Nanxiang Marquis, and whether our fellow kin on Red Blade Star, enduring oppression from Nanxiang Marquis and Viscount Nan Jiu, can hold their heads high. So every step the Expeditionary Fleet takes next must be more solid, allowing only success and not failure. Despite having Viscount Lookout’s help, the challenges in supplies remain a reality. We must conserve every bullet and every battery, and each battle ahead must be a complete victory. Despite the huge challenges, hope for the Expeditionary Fleet to complete its mission still exists. Before setting out, Earl Red Blade once told me some words."
