Chapter Thirty-One: The Big Shot

"First and foremost, it must be affirmed that this is a glorious victory—an epic, crushing triumph that may very well mark the beginning of a legend. In the near future, if you and your successors become the invincible iron army that traverses the galaxy, this victory will undoubtedly be regarded as the origin of all your glorious history. You, too, will surely have your names etched into the annals of time."

Yu Lian’s words left the soldiers feeling a bit bashful. They harbored no grand ambitions of immortality, but being praised in such a manner still filled them with a sense of honor.

"Of course, I do have a few immature suggestions. I hope that in future battles, you will exercise caution in choosing the timing of your charges. If you can simply shoot the enemy down, why bother charging in with axes? Oh, Baka, I’m not picking on you; I understand that’s what the infantry manual teaches. But I need everyone to understand the purpose of combat. This was a rout, not an encirclement. In fact, the enemy had hundreds of lizard-riders; attempting an encirclement would have been unrealistic. That only makes it all the more important to preserve yourselves. Anyway, the bottom line remains: we won, we saved a thousand ordinary citizens, and you have all proven yourselves worthy of your status as soldiers and the Blue Star Shield emblem on your shoulders." Yu Lian clapped his hands, stood up amidst the admiring gazes of his men, and began to assign tasks.

"Uncle Karl, Dr. Banks, take some men down the mountain to rendezvous with the civilians and lead them to the valley we found earlier. Yes, it’s spacious and well-hidden enough to keep everyone safe. Baka, maintain order among the group, but be mindful of your methods—don’t scare the children. Nurse... Miss, you go with them as well; ensure everyone is comforted."

"Youyou, Ruhl, you two head to the campsite. Yes, the one in the valley; set up perimeter sentries in advance."

"Comms officer? Are you there? Yes, you. Find a high point and continue calling Tulon using short-wave frequencies. Remember to use the encrypted military channel!"

"Ina, come with me to scout the enemy situation! Oh, and don’t forget to paint two stars on your tank."

"I have no intention of changing careers to become a tanker," the sergeant major replied.

With everything arranged, Yu Lian and Ina—the first and second commanders of the force, as well as the only two psionics—set off. Naturally, he had no idea that a certain councilman was extremely displeased because he hadn't seen the "supreme commander" immediately, though even if he had known, he likely wouldn't have cared.

The psionics in their power armor quickly crossed a mountain ridge and reached a relatively concealed vantage point. From there, they could see the city of Tulon in the distance, the massive landing pads of the central spaceport, and the city’s shield generators, which rose like skyscrapers.

However, they also saw the outskirts of the city blanketed in dense, layered camps of the Sandmen, resembling a massive termite nest.

They really did look like oversized anthills. Xinyumen was a mountainous, arid planet; surface water covered less than thirty percent of its area, and vegetation was sparse—though the groundwater was quite abundant. The Sandmen, who evolved into a civilized species in such an environment, had developed methods to quickly bind mud and sand into nests. They were indeed fond of living environments encased in earth, as it stirred memories of their biological evolution.

Ina looked out, seeing the Sandmen’s nests surrounding Tulon on three sides—the fourth being the inland sea—in an impenetrable wall. The area of their encampment was so vast that it stretched beyond her line of sight.

She could even see many Sandmen piling up high mounds of dirt in their camps, working tirelessly around them. They were cultivating a local Xinyumen crop called sand tubers, the staple of the Sandmen’s diet; the high planting mounds also hosted numerous insects and earthworms, which served as their primary source of protein.

Of course, there were also many "normal," flat fields. Most of the high-yield crops brought from other worlds had already sprouted; only genetically modified crops could grow like this. Just looking at this scene, only a fool would believe the Sandmen lacked external support.

Clearly, the Sandmen had prepared for a long siege. These massive camps weren't so much military barracks as they were a gargantuan monster formed by the convergence of thousands of Sandmen settlements. It was absurd, bizarre, and twisted—yet at this scale, it was also shocking and terrifying.

"I thought the claim of over a million was just an exaggeration..." Ina was truly stunned.

By the third day—October 18, 829—the total force besieging the city would exceed 1.8 million. In the era of cold weapons, no civilization or political entity possessed such organizational capability, but the Sandmen had achieved it. This was partly due to their backers, but they also possessed their own heroes who rose to the occasion.

Every person who fights unyieldingly for the dignity and independence of their race is a hero and deserves respect; it is only a pity that they are, ultimately, the enemies of humanity...

At this thought, Yu Lian felt a sense of melancholy and let out a silent sigh. "Whatever. Facing an enemy of this scale, we are currently helpless. Let’s see if we can establish contact with Tulon. Let’s head back first."

"A wise decision," Ina agreed. As the staff sergeant of the team, she was brave, but not reckless.

In reality, there were ways. Even if there were more than a million of them, even ten times that, it would only be a matter of minutes for orbital bombardment. But right now, there wasn't a single warship in the port of Tulon or in planetary orbit capable of such fire. This was because the Commonwealth was a signatory to the *Andromeda Galaxy Joint Development Treaty* and the *Andromeda Galaxy Military Expansion Limitation Treaty*; they possessed no strong standing fleet in this frontier-like galaxy.

In fact, the entire Commonwealth had only six destroyers and twelve assault ships in the Andromeda Galaxy, meant solely for dealing with pirates and smugglers. Furthermore, their permanent base was at Port Lüshun 14, at least seven days' travel from Tulon.

Atmospheric bombing would have been fine, but government funds weren't infinite. Who would think to equip a garrison with low-altitude combat aircraft? Didn't people realize that such aircraft, which could be replaced by orbital bombardment, were rarely produced anywhere anymore? To equip them now wouldn't cost the price of weapons, but the price of antique artifacts!

Besides, who were they supposed to be equipped to fight? Sandmen natives? Hahahahahaha!

Before the million-strong Sandmen army gathered, everyone must have laughed quite heartily at that prospect.

Civilian airships and drones could certainly execute attack missions, but the former were too clumsy and the latter too fragile. More importantly, the Sandmen now even had tanks; was it likely they would lack anti-aircraft weaponry?

"With so few of us, we are truly inconsequential to the big picture. We can only wait for an opportunity." Yu Lian calculated as he returned to their temporary camp.

This was a valley they had found in a mountain col after emerging from the ruins of the Pioneers. Outside, the wind and sand raged, but inside it was quite humid and warm, with springs and meadows. It was spacious, concealed, and easy to defend, making it a perfect place to camp and recuperate.

No sooner had he entered than he saw Dr. Banks approaching with a troubled expression.

"Commander, this... er, how is the situation with the enemy?"

"We'll have to wait for contact with headquarters. We can't exactly expect our thirty exhausted survivors to charge a million-strong enemy army, can we?"

"This, this..." The doctor's face turned pale and then flushed. After hesitating, he whispered, "There is something I must tell you, please don't be angry..."

The doctor’s words were immediately interrupted by a voice that was slightly too enthusiastic and a bit ostentatious: "You must be Lieutenant Yu Lian, right? Such a capable young man!"

Yu Lian turned to look and saw an Asian man of about forty-five or forty-six, of medium build, refined and easygoing, with a graceful demeanor. His smile, though slightly forced, could be considered amiable; overall, he was a middle-aged man who easily inspired a good impression.

Hmm, face confirmed: someone he didn't recognize. However, among the group behind him, there was someone who looked vaguely familiar. That shock of striking bronze hair was impossible to miss.

Or rather, it wasn't just familiarity, but a sense of recognition that felt almost predestined.

The guy with the bronze hair seemed to sense something, turned his head, and began to examine Yu Lian and Ina with keen interest.

Hmm, face confirmed again. Although much younger, it was indeed that guy!

While observing in secret, Yu Lian looked at the middle-aged man, who was perhaps someone of significance, and gave him a proper military salute. "Greetings, Commonwealth Lieutenant Yu Lian. May I ask who you are..."

The middle-aged man showed a flash of extreme displeasure for an instant, as if to say, "I am so famous, how could you not know me?" But he quickly regained his beaming smile, grasped Yu Lian’s hand, and shook it vigorously. "With such an outstanding officer here, we can rest easy."

"Councilman Jiang Yudong! He is very prestigious in the Colonial Council," the doctor whispered behind Yu Lian.

"Oh... a Councilman. Everyone must have been terrified, right? My apologies for being late." Yu Lian continued with the teeth-achingly polite diplomatic jargon, rolling his eyes inwardly.

Behind him, Ina was already rolling her eyes.

Then again, it was perfectly normal for a semi-military governed zone like a colony to have a council. The halo of democracy and freedom had to be more important than reality; that was, after all, the foundation of the Blue Star Commonwealth and the people of Earth!

"Not late at all, not at all. Thanks to you, we have no casualties. This is all due to the wisdom and bravery of you and your comrades!" When it came to diplomatic jargon and demeanor, the Councilman was far more proficient than Yu Lian.

"However, as you can see, there are many elderly, weak, women, and children here—all ordinary civilians who abandoned their property and homes to flee to Tulon for refuge. They are exhausted, worried, and many are sick or injured. As the Councilman representing them, I truly cannot bear to see them sleeping in the open. As a soldier, I trust you share my sentiment?"

"Er, apologies, Councilman... please, speak plainly."

"What I mean to say is, do you have any way to escort us into the city?"