The empress looked dazzlingly radiant, but when she frowned, she exuded a commanding presence. Slamming the table coldly, she sternly stopped several foolish men who were actually asking Yang Hao for samples of aphrodisiacs: “Enough! How much longer are we going to keep pretending? If you have something to say, just say it already!”
This sharp reprimand left all the men in the room feeling awkward. They exchanged furtive glances, clearly hiding something.
Even Yang Hao, despite his usual cluelessness, could tell that these nobles gathered here were definitely keeping some secret concerning him. He decided to take the initiative and bluntly declared, “Whether you want to buy aphrodisiacs from me or invite me on vacation, that’s no big deal. Just don’t ask me to join the Anti-Empire Alliance. I may not like the Empire either, but I’m not stupid enough to go to war with them.”
Yang Hao had made himself perfectly clear. Steve could no longer contain himself and stood up, pacing back and forth.
“Then speak up already! Or are you going to hold it in forever?” Yang Hao refrained from swearing only out of respect for the empress.
Steve stopped pacing and waved his hand forcefully, as if making a monumental decision: “We don’t want you to join the Alliance.”
“Great!” Yang Hao beamed, having already decided that as long as they didn’t ask him to join the Alliance, he’d agree to anything. These people might seem passionate, but when it came to actual fighting, they’d probably all hide behind others, possibly even sending underlings like Yang Hao to the front lines as cannon fodder.
“Actually… we can’t quite say it…”
“Actually what? You’re driving me crazy!” Yang Hao was nearly exasperated, silently cursing the old man for talking too much. Yet he had no idea that what Steve was about to say would be earth-shattering—not only changing Yang Hao’s fate, but also altering the entire course of the rebellion against the Empire. If the Galactic Empire had once been arrogant and invincible, then from the moment Steve spoke, the world would change completely. A new force and new powers would rise swiftly, splitting the universe in a short time.
“Actually…” Steve hesitated again.
“Come on, spit it out!” Yang Hao was getting impatient.
“Actually,” Steve finally said, “we want you to be the leader of the Alliance.”
“What?” Yang Hao nearly fell off his chair.
The empress, Ming, took over at this critical moment, her voice calm and firm: “Yang Hao, we want you to become the commander-in-chief of the entire Anti-Empire Alliance. We want you to govern hundreds of star systems and command the tens of thousands of warships beyond the Sanjinghai Star System.”
“What?” Yang Hao dropped to the floor with a thud.
This was, by far, the most shocking thing Yang Hao had ever heard. He sat there for a long time, pale and breathless. Yet no one in the room moved to help him up. They all seemed to be waiting for him to digest the enormity of what had just been said.
But how could Yang Hao possibly process this so easily? He pressed his hands against the cold glass floor, feeling like he was back in that diamond house on the planet Leimeng, running a nearly bankrupt aphrodisiac shop. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that time would fly so quickly, bringing him to this moment where hundreds of star systems were asking him to be their leader.
The Supreme Commander of the Anti-Empire Alliance.
“Govern hundreds of star systems? Command tens of thousands of warships? Hundreds of billions of people?” Hunyuanzi was also stunned, muttering to himself, “Have these people gone mad? Why would they offer you such a position?”
“Good thing?” Yang Hao gave a bitter smile. “I feel like I’ve been haunted by a vengeful ghost.”
“Show the same courage you have when chasing women. What are you afraid of?” Hunyuanzi spoke lightly, but his own heart was pounding. After all, this was no joking matter.
Although the Galactic Empire claimed to rule the entire universe, the cosmos was vast beyond measure. Even at its peak, the Empire had only managed to conquer as far as the Leimeng Star System. Beyond that lay the Outer Universe, where intelligent life was rarely encountered.
In reality, even within the Empire’s borders, there was a clear distinction between core and frontier regions. The number of planets under imperial rule was already countless, populated by countless intelligent species. Despite the Empire’s massive population, it was impossible to colonize every planet, and Earth-originating humans had only reached as far as the Sanjinghai Star System. This inner region was considered the Empire’s heartland, heavily fortified with military forces, where open rebellion was virtually nonexistent. Any conflicts that did arise were merely minor squabbles among nobles.
Beyond the Sanjinghai Star System, however, the situation was completely different. That vast expanse of space contained more than five times as many star systems, and the population was far more diverse. The Empire controlled these outer planets mainly by installing loyal royal families or governors, with military garrisons stationed only once every few dozen systems.
It was precisely in these regions that resistance movements thrived. Ever since the Empire’s rise, rebellious forces had existed, but they were constantly crushed under the Emperor’s brutal suppression. These early rebels consisted of deposed rulers and oppressed species, surviving only by wandering the galaxy in outdated ships, always on the brink of annihilation in the endless void.
This passive state continued until recent decades. When the Empire’s expansion halted at the Outer Mongol Star System, the Emperor suddenly realized that the Empire had grown into an uncontrollable behemoth. The once-formidable imperial armies, now spread thin across countless star systems, had become weak and ineffective.
In other words, the Empire no longer had the capacity to control such a vast universe. Yet by now, the Emperor could not reverse course. He could only station his strongest forces in the core systems, leaving the outer regions largely unguarded.
It was in this window of opportunity that the resistance found its chance to grow. They not only established bases in the farthest reaches but also organized large-scale battalions under the banner of the legendary Left Spiral Arm Battle of the Outer Mongol Star System. Today, commanders like Lei wielded power rivaling that of entire star system governors.
Meanwhile, native resistance movements within the Empire-controlled planets were also rising. After centuries of imperial exploitation and oppression, the ruling classes across various star systems had grown increasingly discontented, gradually forming a united force.
What stood before Yang Hao now was precisely such a force—long hidden in the shadows, but now bursting forth with explosive energy. After years of growth, the Resistance Alliance had become the second greatest power in the universe, commanding over a hundred star systems, hundreds of billions of people, and tens of thousands of warships. Although still outmatched by the Galactic Empire, it was no longer the scattered, easily crushed rebellion of the past.
In short, the Resistance Alliance was now capable of challenging the Empire.
Seeing Yang Hao still dazed and instinctively popping aphrodisiacs, Steve decided to ease his doubts.
“The Galactic Empire is indeed powerful, with resources and forces a hundred times greater than ours,” Steve explained, counting off points on his fingers. “But the Empire is not invincible. That’s precisely why we’re forming this alliance now. First, although the Empire controls the richest and most prosperous planets, most of them are already drifting away from loyalty. Decades of brutal rule have left the planetary rulers deeply resentful of the Empire. If war breaks out, these planets won’t stand firmly by the Empire’s side—they might even side with us.”
Steve’s words were clearly something the group had discussed before, and everyone nodded in agreement. Yang Hao glanced around the round table and found the people there quite interesting. For instance, Herd, who had introduced himself earlier, was the most composed—he had even started snoring with his eyes closed, as if nothing concerned him. Commander Lei, on the other hand, was the most passionate, clenching his fists every time Steve mentioned the Empire. Tingti from the Jifeng Star System was a beauty too, but her expression was skeptical, as if ready to flee with her own star system at the first sign of trouble.
“Secondly,” Steve continued, “the Empire’s military is indeed vast—hundreds of thousands of warships, billions of troops, backed by the Privy Council and the Senate, with powerful families like the Ten Sword Stream forming the backbone. But don’t forget—the Empire’s territory is too vast, so its forces are scattered across the galaxy. In reality, in any localized conflict, the Empire doesn’t hold a significant military advantage. Our elite forces can now stand up to theirs.”
“That’s true…” Yang Hao, who had studied military tactics, understood the importance of concentrating superior forces.
“But more importantly,” Steve’s eyes gleamed mysteriously as he lowered his voice, “we have an ace up our sleeve. The Resistance Alliance has the support of the divine race. It was the divine race who foretold that a young man would rise to destroy the Empire.”
“The divine race?” Yang Hao gave a skeptical look, thinking of the fake “divine race” he had encountered before.
“The real divine race,” Steve emphasized. “The Resistance Alliance has survived and grown because of their support. Even the victory in the Left Spiral Arm Battle of the Outer Mongol Star System was made possible by the divine race’s intervention.”
Steve’s words sent a jolt through Yang Hao’s heart. He clearly remembered the conversation between Elder Herd and Situ Hai. Those two had once destroyed the Empire’s supposedly invincible fleet with just a sword and an axe in the Left Spiral Arm of the Outer Mongol Star System, delivering an unprecedented defeat to the Galactic Empire and halting its expansion forever.
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