Brother, just how powerful is our family?

"If the fleet heads straight for the home planet, what if... what if the entire fleet is wiped out? Then the deaths of these millions of soldiers will have been in vain."

"How will their families accept this?"

"How can the entire civilization accept this?"

Qin Yang's voice was somewhat low:

"I know that sacrifices are inevitable in war. But sacrifices must be worthwhile. They must know that their loved ones did not die in vain, and their blood was not shed in vain."

"If it's just a gamble, to end the war faster, to risk the entire fleet, I don't think it's worth it."

Qin Wenfa, Qin Wenhan, Qin Wenhai, Qin Wentao, Qin Wenyang... everyone gave their opinions.

The opinions are very consistent:

Heading straight for the home planet is too risky and not advisable.

The right way is to proceed steadily and defeat them one by one.

After listening to everyone's opinions, Qin Feng nodded:

"Then it's settled."

He stood up, walked to the holographic star map, and pointed to the red dot marked with the Zenu Galaxy:

"The first stop of the expeditionary fleet is Zenu."

"But this battle is not as simple as just taking it."

His gaze swept over the crowd:

"We'll use Zenu as a training ground."

"Training troops?" Qin Weidong raised an eyebrow.

"That's right." Qin Feng nodded. "Our fleet has trained for five years and conducted countless exercises, but it has never actually fought a war."

"The Zenu system is a peripheral system of the Serantia civilization, with limited defenses and no support from behind. It is the best training ground."

"We want the expeditionary fleet to complete the transition from training to actual combat in the Zenu system."

His fingers slowly traced across the star chart:

"From the strikes and evasion of orbital cannons on the outer perimeter, to the struggle and control within the galaxy, to the orbital airdrops to habitable planets, to the tactical coordination of ground operations, every aspect must be practiced."

"Practice in real combat."

"Refine with the blood of the enemy."

Qin Wanjuan seemed to be deep in thought:

"As a result, the battle in the Zenu system may drag on for a long time."

"I'm not afraid of the long wait." Qin Feng shook his head. "What I'm afraid of is the rush. We have plenty of time. What we need is for our fleet to truly become an iron army that can fight, dares to fight, and knows how to fight after we defeat Zenu."

Qin Wenyuan suddenly asked:

"What about the follow-up fleet? Should we send one?"

Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then nodded:

"group."

"How many?"

"Seventy-two Conqueror-class destroyers."

Everyone in the conference room was stunned for a moment.

Seventy-two ships?

Adding to the original twenty-four ships of the expeditionary fleet, that makes ninety-six ships.

And there might be more to come...

"Isn't that too much?" Qin Wenhan couldn't help but ask.

Qin Feng shook his head:

"not much."

He pulled up a star map and pointed to the territory of the Serantia civilization:

"This civilization has dozens of colony star systems and a population of over 30 billion. Although their technology is backward, their numbers are undeniable. We only have 3.5 million expeditionary troops, which is far from enough to fight in so many star systems."

"Moreover, their 'turtle shell' tactics will turn every star system into a tough nut to crack. We need more ships, more firepower, and more troops to take them down one by one."

"Seventy-two Conqueror-class ships are just the first batch of follow-up fleets. If that's not enough, there will be a second and a third batch."

Qin Weidong frowned:

"What about the defense of the solar system? We currently have eighty-four Conqueror-class destroyers. If we move seventy-two of them away, we'll only have twelve left."

Qin Feng smiled:

"The solar system doesn't need that many for now."

"The Celantia civilization's fleet won't arrive for at least another hundred years. By then, our expeditionary fleet will have long since returned, or a replacement fleet will have already been built."

"As for those projectiles flying in—"

His gaze sharpened:

"We'll talk about what happens a hundred years from now. A hundred years is plenty of time for us to figure out a way to intercept them all."

"Right now, the most important thing is to win the war at hand."

Qin Weidong was silent for a moment, then nodded:

"Understood. When will the formation of the follow-up fleet begin?"

"Now," Qin Feng said, "the Kuiper-led shipyard is operating at full capacity. Seventy-two Conqueror-class ships have set sail, and the remaining warships will be completed within two years. Auxiliary ships are under construction simultaneously."

"The second expeditionary fleet has set sail. It's sixty light-years away, and it will take six years to reach its destination. By then, the first expeditionary fleet should have already captured Zenu and is advancing towards the next stop."

Qin Wenyuan suddenly asked:

"What about command of the expeditionary fleet? Won't it be too much pressure for Qin Zhanjun to command ninety-six Conqueror-class ships alone?"

Qin Feng thought for a moment:

"The commander's ability to lead the army is not a problem. But to be on the safe side, we will send another deputy commander when the subsequent fleet sets sail. The two working together will be more reliable."

"Where should we choose?"

Qin Feng's gaze fell on Qin Weidong:

"Wei Dong, you go."

Qin Weidong was stunned for a moment:

"I?"

"Yes." Qin Feng nodded. "You are the Grand Secretary, your qualifications and abilities are beyond question. Zhan Jun can rest assured that you are going, and so can I."

Qin Weidong was silent for a moment, then stood up and nodded solemnly:

"clear."

The meeting lasted a full day.

By evening, all decisions had been made and all orders had been issued.

Qin Feng stood by the window, looking at the sky outside that was dyed red by the setting sun.

Behind them, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Only Qin Yang remained standing there.

"Brother," Qin Yang asked softly, "how long do you think this battle will last?"

Qin Feng remained silent for a moment:

"have no idea."

"A few years? A few decades? A few centuries?"

"Maybe longer."

Qin Yang was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Is it... worth it?"

Qin Feng turned around and looked at his younger brother.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his face, making his young face appear exceptionally profound.

"Yangyang," he said, "do you know why we're fighting this war?"

Qin Yang thought for a moment:

"Because they threaten our security?"

Qin Feng shook his head:

"Those are all excuses."

"The real reason is—"

His gaze fell upon the boundless sky outside the window:

"Because the universe is only so big."

"Because there are only two relationships between civilizations: conquest and being conquered."

"Because if we don't fight back, one day they will fight back."

"One hundred years later, two hundred years later, five hundred years later—one day, their fleet will appear at the edge of the solar system, and their projectiles will crash onto the Yanhuang Continent."

"At that time, our children, our grandchildren, our descendants will have to bear the cost of the war for us."

Qin Feng's voice was very soft:

"Therefore, we must fight."

"We must take advantage of their weakness, subdue them, frighten them, and make them never dare to raise their heads again."

"In this way, our descendants can live in peace forever."