Chapter 1498: Kusilei

Kusilei's brow twitched; he reached out to take the Data Pad handed over by a staffer, then the corners of his mouth curled upward as he spoke.

"Xierta, a true loyalist of the Imperium. He dared to mobilize troops to attack the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance delegation right under Kesi's nose; that act alone shows more guts than most noble commanders. And the result? Kesi treated Xierta like a traitor."

The staffer said in a low voice.

"The Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance delegation seems to have set up defenses in advance on their own turf; Xierta's 1,200 men were completely wiped out."

Kusilei shook his head slightly, led his staffers out to board the airship, and the airship rose steadily into the sky.

A staffer sitting behind him to his side spoke up.

"My lord, the shipyards on Kaerniya have also started working overtime. Our supervisors sent back a report yesterday: three major shipyards have started work simultaneously, and a new Shipyard has been added to the existing ones for the mass production of small Frigates."

"We have too few ships; tell them to see if they can squeeze out another Shipyard."

"Understood, I will contact Kaerniya to coordinate."

The airship flew over the urban area, and as Kusilei looked at everything in such orderly fashion, he spoke slowly.

"Xierta's affair confirmed one thing for me: Kesi simply cannot hold the Kesi Imperium. He pins his hopes on the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance's fleet and leaves the border open to outsiders; this means he no longer has the ability to control the situation himself."

"An emperor who needs foreign troops to help suppress a rebellion—the position of such an emperor cannot possibly be secure."

A senior staffer sitting in the front row turned his head and said in a low voice.

"But the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance's fleet truly cannot be ignored. According to the news sent back, their fleet size is not small, and the combat power that Lu Zhenda's delegation displayed during Xierta's night raid also far exceeded our estimates."

"If their Capital Ship fleet arrives at the Kesi Imperium and intervenes directly in the situation in the Southern Border..."

Kusilei raised his hand, cutting him off.

"What is there to fear about the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance? They do have a powerful military, but we also have our own Super Soldiers."

"You and I both know the combat power of the Kraken warriors; they can achieve a decisive victory in a single strike on key battlefields."

"That delegation from the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance wiped out Xierta's 1,200 men this time, but that does not mean their fleet can sweep across the entire Kesi Imperium once it arrives."

"Furthermore, the most critical point is that the very act of Kesi inviting foreign troops into the country has further disintegrated his legitimacy."

"When my father questioned his ascension process, and now he brings in foreign troops to suppress domestic nobles—with these two things combined, how many people within the Kesi Imperium are still willing to recognize this emperor?"

"The lord is right."

The airship changed direction, flying along the eastern edge of the urban area, with the orbital defense weapon control center currently under construction below.

Kusilei looked at the control center under construction and said ambitiously.

"After my father's incident, I have been waiting for an opportunity. Kesi ascended the throne too quickly; the old ministers left behind by the late emperor have not been fully integrated, and the border nobles have a strong wait-and-see attitude."

"Xierta's affair this time is equivalent to exposing Kesi's trump card; he relies on the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, which shows he has no confidence in himself militarily."

He raised his voice slightly as he reached this point.

"Now, more and more nobles are standing on our side. Only six star sectors publicly supported my father back then; now, over these past few days, four more nobles have expressed their willingness to support us via encrypted communication."

"Once the troops, resources, and ships of these nobles are integrated, the scale is already larger than Kesi's Central Army. Once our preparations are complete and the fleet departs from the Southern Border to press directly on the Capital Star, what will Kesi have to block us with?"

The senior staffer asked.

"Does the lord intend to directly overthrow Kesi's imperial throne?"

Kusilei turned his head to look at him, his four eyes fixed on the other man's face.

"Kesi's throne never belonged to him in the first place. If the late emperor's final decree were true, why was it never publicly announced while the late emperor was alive?"

"My father's questioning was not without reason; Kesi's throne cannot withstand scrutiny at all. Once our army reaches the Capital Star, I will support a true heir to ascend the throne—an emperor who will not be led by the nose by the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance."

"By then, the entire Kesi Imperium will be under my command."

The airship continued to fly forward, the urban area below gradually swept backward, and the agricultural zones and energy base arrays appeared in the distance.

Kusilei turned his head and said to the Communications Officer sitting in the back.

"Connect me to the heads of the several military industrial plants on Luosa and Kaerniya."

"If any of them drag their feet, notify the finance department directly to stop paying their advance payments."

"Yes, my lord."

After Kusilei finished his inspection, the airship returned to his mansion; Kusilei stepped off the airship and returned to the mansion with his staffers.

In the main hall, several low-level clerks were busy organizing summary information sent from various places.

A Communications Officer wearing a dark blue uniform saw Kusilei walk in, stepped forward quickly, stood at attention, and saluted.

"My lord, an urgent military report from the border outpost. A fleet has been detected moving from the direction of the Capital Star toward the Southern Border. The number of ships is approximately 130 Capital Ships, and the formation is the standard Central Army combat sequence. At the expected speed, they will arrive at our border in three standard days."

Kusilei's footsteps paused; he reached out to take the report, and after reading it, he said with a smile.

"Arriving in three days; Kesi's actions are faster than I anticipated."

He walked to the long table in the center of the main hall, pressed the report onto the tabletop, and said to the senior staffer.

"Notify the other nobles; Kesi wants to make a move now. The Central Army fleet has already departed and will arrive at the Southern Border frontier in three days."

"Tell them to enter a state of combat readiness immediately and concentrate all mobilizable ships and ground troops at the key defensive positions in their respective territories."

"My lord, I will go do that right away!"

The senior staffer nodded, turned, and walked quickly toward the communications console in the corner.

Kusilei turned to another staffer responsible for logistics coordination.

"You go to the military supply warehouse now, take stock of all ammunition and spare parts in inventory, and list out a detailed figure. I need to know how long the supplies we have on hand can support sustained combat."

"Yes, my lord."

The logistics staffer stood at attention, acknowledged the order, turned, and ran quickly out of the main hall.

Kusilei turned to the third staffer and spoke.

"You are responsible for reorganizing the summary table of the other nobles' military forces, categorized by three dimensions: number of ships, ground troop establishment, and logistical reserves."

"I need to know their actual combat power, not the numbers they verbally promised in communications."

"Understood!"