Atop the small hill directly facing the city square stood the Governor's Mansion of the Silver Feather Army. From the Governor's Mansion, one could see the densely packed heads on the city square, various flags and banners, and even faintly hear the bustling noise of the crowd.
At this moment, Qi Xiao had no time to think about hosting any sort of victory dinner. Instead, he had come to the Governor's Mansion to meet with Mei Suli, the representative of the Zhalan Civilization on the Holy Star. The Zhalan were not of the Primate Clan; they had bodies like camels but walked on two legs, with white hair on their heads and necks. Their eyes were similar to those of a snail, able to extend and retract into their heads, but especially large. Interestingly, the Zhalan had no hands; their hair itself possessed nerve endings and was extremely tough, allowing them to twist it into a rope and use it to manipulate objects.
Qi Xiao looked at this annoying creature with a displeased expression and said, "Ambassador Mei Suli, the internal affairs of the Holy Star are our own business, and the Zhalan Civilization has no ground to interfere."
To his surprise, Mei Suli made an unpleasant sound, trying to imitate the language of the Primate Clan, and said, "Your Excellency the Governor, I find it hard to agree with your words. The Holy Star is equally a part of the Zhalan Civilization. The Silver Feather Army is one of the feudal lords sealed by the Royal Court and should be under the control of the Royal Court."
Qi Xiao frowned and responded, "You are entitled to your opinion nominally, but in reality, the Holy Star is the territory of the Silver Feather Army. Our ancestors and we have spent generations building this planet into what it is today, and it has nothing to do with your Zhalan Civilization."
Mei Suli argued slyly, "You are mistaken. Although the Zhalan Civilization has sealed feudal lords and granted them some autonomy in their fiefs, we never intended these fiefdoms to become states within the state. The fiefs should also follow the values of our Zhalan Civilization. Clearly, the Holy Star is undergoing a drastic change. For too long, the people here have fought for their rights, attempting to become true members of the Zhalan Civilization, not a group of servants. On this point, I must express our condemnation of the Silver Feather Army. We view the exclusionary actions of the Silver Feather Army as inhumane. As part of the Zhalan Civilization's territory, the Holy Star should allow the majority of its populace to be heard, abandon elite politics, and bring a true dawn to this planet."
Qi Xiao immediately retorted sarcastically, "Since when did they become the people of your Zhalan Civilization? Their ancestors were all enemies of the Zhalan Civilization. It was us who captured them and made them dependent people, living here generation after generation. The Zhalan Civilization never cared for their basic needs nor issued them any identity documents."
Qi Xiao said bluntly, "Ambassador Mei Suli, let's not beat around the bush. I know what you are plotting. The strength of the Silver Feather Army has put you on alert, so you are supporting those dependent people, attempting a revolution to overthrow the Silver Feather Army government and turn it into a direct territory of the Zhalan Civilization. You might even seize the chance to take over the technology of the Silver Feather Army. Let me make it clear to you, don't dream about it!"
Mei Suli's large eyes stared unwaveringly at Qi Xiao and asked, "Is this the answer of the Silver Feather Army? Truly disappointing. The Zhalan Civilization cannot accept a lord who is disloyal to the main body of civilization and who oppresses the people. The Silver Feather Army's perverse actions have already provoked the anger of the Royal Court. If the Governor remains obstinate, then the Zhalan Civilization will have to take stern measures."
Qi Xiao suddenly realized and stared at the Zhalan, saying fiercely, "You ordered our fleet to confront the enemies on the border, resulting in heavy losses for us due to lack of support; this is simply a tactic you've used to weaken the Silver Feather Army. Your real purpose is to take everything from the Silver Feather Army."
Though he wasn't adept at interpreting the expressions of the Zhalan, Qi Xiao felt that Mei Suli was indeed laughing.
"Governor, opposing the Royal Court is an absolutely foolish choice. We have no intention of destroying the Silver Feather Army; after all, you are a part of the Zhalan Civilization. But now, this backward system must be terminated. Forming a new government on the Holy Star and granting rights to ninety-nine percent of the people on this planet, isn't that a good thing? The Silver Feather Army, which opposes this enlightened move, is far too reactionary. I hereby formally declare to you that the royal fleet of the Zhalan Civilization will join the warlords' fleets in subduing the unjust Silver Feather Army, and will return to the people of the Holy Star a government that is enlightened and just."
Mei Suli made one last attempt at persuasion, "Governor, surrender and accept the historical trend. Disband your Silver Feather Army and let those people reorganize the government of the Holy Star. In this way, you may be able to preserve yourselves. If you choose to confront the royal fleet of the Zhalan Civilization, then even if some of the Silver Feather Army survive, they will likely face the miserable fate of enslavement. However, you have enslaved the people of this planet for a long time, so it is normal to pay a similar price."
Qi Xiao had to muster a great deal of self-control to stop himself from directly cleaving this Zhalan in two.
When Mei Suli left, the Left Servant Shooter Zhu Xie and Right Servant Shooter Gong Yan walked in.
"The day has finally come," Gong Yan sighed softly.
Zhu Xie shook his head, "After all, as an entity that has touched the technology of a High Level Civilization, we are too tempting for the Zhalan Civilization, which is eagerly looking to enter a higher civilization. From the day they accepted us as warlords, they have been coveting our technology at every moment. It was just that at that time, they themselves were struggling to survive in the Great Star Zone of Xi Huo, and they allied with us in order to successively defeat powerful enemies and develop themselves."
Qi Xiao also knew that when the Silver Feather Army first arrived in this universe, they were extremely weak and were able to establish themselves only with the various materials and support provided by the Zhalan Civilization. At that time, the Zhalan Civilization could have destroyed the weak Silver Feather Army, but then they definitely wouldn't have acquired the technology of the Silver Feather Army. Thus, they employed this millennia-long slow-boiling frog tactic.
On one hand, they gave the Silver Feather Army a planet to recuperate and breed, drawing them into fighting on their behalf. The Silver Feather Army's victories were mostly enjoyed by the Zhalan people, while the Silver Feather Army conservatively developed on the Holy Star. On the other hand, the Zhalan Civilization limited the fleet size of the Silver Feather Army, allowing only 6 Main Battle Ships and a fleet capacity of 120 ships. If the Silver Feather Army surreptitiously built warships beyond this limit, they would be immediately struck by the Zhalan people, and the Silver Feather Army had no choice but to cut down their own warships.
And every time they went to battle, the Silver Feather Army was the warlord that suffered the most, and its losses were not small. Yet as the Zhalan Civilization defeated one enemy after another, it became the regional hegemon.
When the Zhalan Civilization deemed itself strong enough, they acted by instigating the vassal people to rebel against the Silver Feather Army and used this as a pretext to intervene.
At this point, the Silver Feather Army was left with just over eighty warships, while after gathering the warlords' fleets, the size of the punitive fleet of the Zhalan Civilization had exceeded a thousand warships.