Warhammer, I really didn't intend to form a second empire!

Zhao Zheng did not take the initiative to contact them; he did not want to have any further contact with Shadow Moon Wolf.

During this period, Kongming was busy coordinating logistics across various battlefronts to ensure that each fleet could receive sufficient supplies and ammunition replenishment on time, and he basically had no time to appear on the bridge of the Lishan.

Zhao Zheng was very satisfied with the current progress on all fronts. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Melodos Star Sector was captured. The next step was to gradually tighten the encirclement and wait for the main force of the alien fleet to appear before engaging in a decisive battle with them.

But he also knew that the aliens wouldn't just sit idly by and watch him push through; they would react sooner or later, they were just looking for a way out.

So all he has to do now is keep waiting, be patient, and wait for the aliens to jump out on their own.

At this rate, in about three months, the various battlefronts will approach the edge of the core region of the star sector, at which point the main force of the alien fleet will most likely take some unexpected actions.

Zhao Zheng drew a virtual warning line at the edge of the core area, marked the "expected enemy contact area", then closed the panel and leaned back in his chair.

Everything is going well so far, and he can relax for now and enjoy this rare moment of leisure.

……

The three months passed smoothly with continuous progress.

On the ninetieth day, Han Xin and Bai Qi's fleets arrived at the outer defense line of the core area almost simultaneously.

It was a ring-shaped array composed of a large number of defensive platforms, with the spacing between the platforms reduced by nearly half compared to the outer defense line, and the degree of overlap in the fire coverage area also greatly increased.

Sun Tzu's fleet maintained a vigilant posture on the flanks, responsible for monitoring the possible breakout routes that the alien fleet might choose.

After Zhao Zheng received confirmation signals from each fleet at the main control console, he was about to issue a new round of instructions when Kong Ming strode into the bridge, holding a communicator, his voice slightly faster than usual.

"Your Majesty, there is a large-scale energy signal fluctuation within the core area. Based on the signal characteristics, it is possible that the enemy fleet is gathering and preparing for a large-scale attack, with its direction pointing towards Marshal Han Xin's fleet."

As Kongming spoke, the star map updated with new information: a dense distribution of energy signals appeared within the core area. The signals were arranged in a clear formation and were moving as a whole toward Han Xin's fleet.

Zhao Zheng paused briefly at the edge of the signal distribution area, then ordered the entire army to prepare for an attack. He commanded Sun Wu's fleet to move from the flank towards the area of ​​dense energy signals, preparing to launch a flanking attack after the enemy fleet launched its attack.

After receiving intelligence about the unusual movements of the fleet, Han Xin calmly set up a defensive line on the tactics panel.

"The Ironborn Fleet deployed in place, forming a frontal assault formation to act as the first line of fire protection. The main force of the Great Wall-class fleet maintained a distance behind the Ironborn ships, ready to provide fire support."

"All ships' Starshattering Cannons begin charging. Do not fire immediately. Wait for the enemy fleet to enter mid-range before launching the first salvo."

Han Xin's orders were transmitted throughout the fleet via the communication system, and the Ironborn unmanned fleet began to advance, forming an arc-shaped formation of hundreds of warships in front.

The main fleet of the Great Wall-class ships maintained a stable formation spacing at the rear, and the giant star-shattering cannons on the bow began to charge step by step. The energy readings climbed at a uniform rate, showing a stable growth curve on the panel.

The alien fleet appeared within the Ironborn fleet's sensor range at the thirty-fifth minute. Their formation was more compact than the one Le Yi had encountered before, and the energy shields on their hulls were uniformly active.

They were also faster, and once they entered firing range, they quickly closed the distance to within about a thousand kilometers of the Ironborn fleet.

As the alien fleet approached the edge of the Ironborn fleet's firing range, it began to unleash its initial firepower. Energy beams and physical projectiles traced dense ballistic trajectories in the vacuum, landing in front of the Ironborn fleet's lines.

Under Han Xin's command, the Ironblood Fleet maintained its original formation and began to launch counter-fire while enduring the first round of fire.

The two fleets clashed head-on in the ensuing battle.

The Ironborn fleet maintained its formation under continuous frontal fire pressure. Although the void shields of several Ironborn ships became overloaded under continuous attacks, subsequent ships immediately filled the gaps and maintained the integrity of the line.

When the core formation of the alien fleet entered the predetermined firing range, Han Xin issued the order for the Shattering Star Cannons to fire simultaneously.

The first row of dozens of Great Wall-class capital ships opened fire almost simultaneously, their wide-area energy fields spreading forward in a fan shape, covering a large area of ​​the battlefield.

When the first beam of the Starshattering Cannon arrived, the alien ship's energy shield began to contract and deform under the continuous and intense energy impact, and its brightness decreased significantly.

But they couldn't stop the second shot; the giant cannon that could shatter planets was ultimately beyond the reach of the fleet's shields.

With just one round of bombardment from the Star-Shattering Cannon, the entire alien fleet and even the surrounding void experienced violent shockwaves.

Countless meteorite fragments crashed into Han Xin's fleet, but the ships, made of refined gold and living metal, remained as stable as Mount Tai, without even a scratch.

At this moment, Sun Tzu's fleet made a quick turn and cut in from the flank, launching the first round of conventional fire from the side and rear of another alien fleet, interrupting their ongoing turning maneuver and forcing them to change the direction of some of their ships to deal with the newly emerging threat.

The alien fleet's formation became further scattered under attack from multiple sides, with some ships attempting to accelerate forward and break through the Ironborn fleet's lines.

Another group attempted to turn their attention to engage in fierce combat with Sun Tzu's fleet, resulting in a clear divergence in their actions.

Han Xin seized this brief window of opportunity to break the alliance. He ordered the Ironblood Fleet and the Great Wall-class capital ships to advance in tandem, using sustained high-density firepower to further compress the alien follow-up fleet, which had already shown signs of splitting.

At the same time, some ships equipped with the Starshattering Cannon were moved to the flanks to unleash a second round of wide-area energy strikes at an angle towards the formation behind the alien fleet.

While launching the second round of star-shattering attacks, Sun Tzu's fleet also increased its firepower density, conducting precise interception fire from the flanks and rear towards the alien ships attempting to escape the engagement zone, thus locking them back into the battlefield.

After that, the alien fleet had lost most of its main force and began to abandon its formation advance, instead breaking out in multiple directions in a dispersed formation.

After confirming the situation, Han Xin ordered Sun Wu's fleet to pursue the scattered ships that had broken away from the core formation, the Ironborn fleet to maintain the frontal blockade formation, and the main fleet to turn towards the entrance of the core area, preparing to advance directly after the alien fleet's breakout was over.

On the bridge of the Lishan, Zhao Zheng received a confirmation signal from Han Xin, marked as "The main alien fleet has been defeated, and the front-line fleet is completing the mopping-up of the remaining forces." He then glanced at the entrance of the core area on the star map, which had turned blue.

He reached out and traced the edge of the control panel, locking the attack direction onto the current target.

"Order all fleets to converge on the core area, maintain uninterrupted communication, and prepare for a landing operation on the surface of the core area."

After the order was issued, the fleets on all fronts began to converge toward the core area in a synchronized manner, further shrinking the encirclement in preparation for the final landing and ground war.

The aliens here are indeed fierce, and they have caused considerable losses to the Emperor Dragon Legion on the ground battlefield.

Basically, it takes the loss of dozens of Golia mechs and three to five Thor mechs each time to capture the target area.

Of course, this is also why Zhao Zheng doesn't particularly care about these heavy mechs. He has always relied on the high cost-effectiveness of these mechs and has been building them continuously. When Thor and Odin charge, dozens or even hundreds of them charge together.

Sometimes, if they rush too fast, the armored units behind them can't keep up, and their massive size naturally means they'll face the fiercest artillery fire from the Romedo aliens.

Therefore, a small loss was inevitable.

Fortunately, for Zhao Zheng, this loss was nothing more than a drop in the ocean, not worth mentioning.

In about four months, they will have taken over this star sector. At that time, Great Qin will have an "enclave" in the Misty Starfield.

Who should we send to guard this place? We also need to think about how to improve this area, how many remnants of the fallen should be, and how to prevent the Imperial fleet from discovering those engineering iron descendants when they arrive here…

Zhao Zheng was already fantasizing about how to transform this star sector. Although he could only give a general idea under normal circumstances, and it was highly likely that Kong Ming and the others would reject it, this still gave Zhao Zheng a sense of participation.

But just then, Shadow Moon Wolf's untimely communication appeared on the Lishan.

Their fleet had even appeared not far from the First Expeditionary Fleet of the Great Qin Dynasty, fully prepared to set sail.

"What do you mean by this? You want me to retreat? Horus, have I made you stupid? Or have you developed dementia prematurely? Why are you spouting this nonsense?"

Zhao Zheng looked at the projection of Horus. At this moment, the First Prince had a slight smile on his face and a hint of pride in his eyes.

"This is what my father said. He said that the Imperial Dragon Legion has spent almost half a year here and still hasn't been able to take the Romedo Star Sector. Now, the battle line has been transferred back to Shadowmoon Wolf."

"Of course, Father also said that because the Imperial Dragon Legion has made great contributions to this star sector, the final construction of this star sector will still be the responsibility of the Imperial Dragon Legion. However, the final ownership will be taken over by the Ministry of State Affairs of the Empire."

“This is the Emperor’s order, personally relayed. If you don’t believe it, you can have the Star Speaker verify it with the Empire now. I’m not in a hurry.”

Horus was not actually pleased, because this behavior was no different from Zhao Zheng's humiliation of Shadowmoon Wolf in the honor duel, and was even worse.

However, Shadowmoon Wolf had the Emperor's backing, and Horus was also angered by Zhao Zheng, so in a fit of pique, he agreed to the Emperor's decision, which showed absolutely no emotional intelligence.

The Emperor didn't care about such a trivial matter, and Makado was completely unaware of it at the moment, because the Emperor was still out there! He was also on a campaign, and after listening to Horus's somewhat truncated description, he issued this military order that shocked everyone.

If Macardo knew, he would definitely take his cane and smash the Emperor's skull.

But now, the military orders are here.

Zhao Zheng looked at Horus's somewhat gloating face and suddenly sneered a few times.

"Heh~ So, the Emperor wants you to take over my war zone? A war zone that I'm about to conquer?"

"Yes, because the Imperial Dragon Legion's attack took too long..."

"Horus, let me make this clear: I don't care if this is an order from the Emperor or a military order from the Terra Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Army. Either you have the Emperor and Macado come here in person and talk to me face to face."

"Either you go straight in, or I'm telling you, there are no other fleets in my war zone. If I find any ship that doesn't have the Imperial Dragon Legion's number, even if it's just a frigate, I'll sink it."

"Try it if you don't believe me."

The Great Wall-class battleships' Starshattering Cannons instantly began charging, aiming at the Shadow Moon Wolf fleet.

"This is Father's order! Are you trying to rebel?"

This is Father's order!

“I’ve already said it, either you bring the Emperor and Macado over here to talk to me face to face, or you force your way in.”

"I'm telling you this now: if you dare to step even a millimeter into this star sector, I'll shove a Star-Shattering Cannon right into your head!"

"Come on if you're not afraid of dying!"

Chapter Sixty-Seven: If all else fails, I'll bombard Terra!

Horus's image flickered on the communication panel of the Lishan ship's bridge, his handsome face filled with astonishment and anger.

He clearly did not expect Zhao Zheng to so bluntly refuse an order conveyed by the emperor himself, not even bothering with the most basic pretense.

Are you threatening me? Or are you threatening my father?

"I'm just protesting a military order that's completely unreasonable!"

Zhao Zheng stood in front of the control panel, his eyes filled with anger. He meant what he said. If Shadow Moon Wolves dared to step into the Romedo Star Sector today, he would blast every single Shadow Moon Wolves with the Star Shattering Cannon.

"This sector was conquered by my sons. The soldiers of the Imperial Dragon Legion shed their blood here. Every channel and defensive platform advanced over the past few months was opened up by my sons with cannon fire and warships."

"You haven't even breached a single line of defense, and you're already trying to reap the rewards? I'm not sure if I'm plotting a rebellion, but your actions are even more disgusting than that!"

Horus remained silent for a moment on the other end of the communication panel. His lips moved, but he ultimately uttered no further words in an attempt to salvage the situation.

He knew that no matter what he said, Zhao Zheng would not back down.

That's normal. If Shadowmoon Wolf were in this situation, he would never compromise either.

After shutting down communications, Horus stood on the bridge of the Vengeful Spirit, his gaze fixed on the Shadowmoon Wolf fleet that was approaching the outer edge of the star sector, and remained silent for a long time.

He no longer needed to try to gain any advantage from this struggle in any way; Zhao Zheng had already blocked all avenues.

Horus now only needs to do one thing: wait for the Emperor to arrive and hand over the power to solve all problems to his father.

“Send encrypted communications to Terra, marked with the highest priority, and presented directly to the Emperor.”

"Report the current situation in the Merodo Sector, and... the Imperial Dragon Legion's refusal to carry out military orders."

After Seyanus finished sending the communication, a tense atmosphere filled the entire bridge of the Vengeance Soul.

No one took the initiative to ask about the next course of action, nor did anyone try to offer any advice to Horus.

Abaddon has long since recovered, but this time he no longer possesses his former sharpness. Instead, he sits silently beside Togaton and Asimand, his eyes devoid of that indomitable confidence and unruly arrogance.

Horus made no further attempts.

He simply stood by the porthole, looking at the gray star field in the distance surrounded by the alien defense line, and the outline of the Qin fleet that was closer than the alien defense line.

His face was expressionless, as if the humiliation he suffered a few months ago had never happened, but the slight trembling of his lips revealed his inner resentment.

Zhao Zheng also ceased all communication with Yingyue Canglang.

He simply ordered the Imperial Dragon Legion's fleets to maintain their existing formations and proceed with the final cleanup of the remaining star systems as normal, while designating the Shadow Moon Wolf fleet as a "non-contact target" and refraining from any proactive communication or contact.

The fleets of the marshals continued their planned clearing and scanning of the last few star systems over the next few weeks.

The alien resistance forces within the core area had become insignificant after losing the cover of the fleet's main force. Ground troops, under the firepower of Ironborn, mechs, and armored units, steadily advanced, eliminating the remaining alien strongholds one by one.

The last few star systems in the Merodo sector changed color over the next two weeks, with blue occupation markers covering the entire region.

The cleanup reports sent back by the reconnaissance fleet were steadily arriving at the Lishan's tactical panel, confirming that there were no organized alien resistance forces left on the surface of each star system and habitable planet, only small, scattered remnants that would take time to eliminate one by one.

After confirming the final cleaning report, Zhao Zheng updated the star map status of the Merodo Sector to "Full control achieved," and then stepped back from the control console.

He stood in front of the star chart for a while, then turned his head and asked the officer on duty.

"Is there any movement from Shadowmoon Wolf's side?"

"No, they remain at their original coordinates, keeping silent. They have not attempted to approach the sector's edge, nor have they made any proactive communications."

Zhao Zheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He knew that Shadowmoon Wolves would not set foot in this star sector on their own initiative. Whether they were waiting for the Emperor's order or for the Emperor himself to arrive, they would not attempt to cross that boundary line again.

Horus disliked Zhao Zheng, but he was not stupid.

He's already learned his lesson once; he won't fall into the same trap twice.

After confirming that the star sector was under stable control, Zhao Zheng stopped paying attention to the direction of Shadow Moon Wolf.

He had more to deal with. The newly occupied star systems needed to be systematically investigated and their resources assessed. Kongming's logistics team had already begun to arrange basic survey plans.