Chapter 147: Stalled Reinforcements and Political Deadlock

“Tuoba, don’t stress. As far as I know, the warships are already on their way. The first batch should arrive in a few months.”

“Really?”

Bilodis’ words made Tuoba’s heart leap with excitement.

The Federation really does keep its promises.

With this, what was there left to worry about?

Eat when hungry, sleep when tired—just live as usual.

Back to business as usual.

But then…

Three months later, the first batch of warships finally arrived at Alpha Centauri. Tuoba’s people stationed there received them and reported back…

He was in total shock.

“Repeat that. How many ships did we get?”

“Only thirty, Admiral!”

Tuoba could barely believe his ears.

Thirty ships—what on earth could he do with that?

With no choice, Tuoba made a hurried trip to the Elven Consulate on Tianyuan IV.

He found Bilodis, who was still the Consul-General, to demand an explanation.

“Tuoba, I’ve already asked about this. According to the Federation, this is just the first batch. As soon as the ships were ready, they rushed them over. More are on the way, so try not to worry!”

After some soothing words…

Tuoba still felt that something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Still, with promises that more warships were on the way, he settled in to wait.

What he didn’t realize was that at exactly the same time…

Proxima VIII.

The outermost planet of Proxima, and the one closest to the current along the route to Alpha Centauri.

At a cruising speed of 200 kilometers per second, it would only take seventeen days to get there.

In the dark void, countless warships spread out at regular intervals, forming precise, sweeping formations.

There were over 5,000 ships in total—a truly awe-inspiring sight.

Look closely and you’d see every single one was a brand-new Seawolf-class warship.

Peer through the bridge windows and you’d notice—not a single light was on inside. Every ship was running in unmanned mode.

The Seawolf-class ships Tuoba longed for were stacked here like mothballed vessels after retirement. Every last one, sitting in limbo.

——

A year passed.

This was now Federation Year 224.

A second batch of Seawolf-class finally arrived, and things were somehow even worse than before.

Only twenty-three ships made it, and every one of them was damaged to some degree.

“Lady Bilodis, what’s going on here?”

Tuoba was on the verge of losing his mind.

The King’s Army would be fully assembled soon. In at most a year, they’d launch a coordinated assault on Tianyuan IV from four different star systems.

And the warships he’d desperately waited for—just twenty-three finally arrived?

And all of them damaged, with several so battered they barely made it.

What could he possibly do with this?

How was this even happening?

“Sigh…”

Bilodis let out a heavy sigh.

“Tuoba, I won’t hide this from you. Not long ago, I got word from the Federation. Originally, the second batch was supposed to include 2,000 warships, but halfway through, a subordinate civilization declared independence and attacked the convoy directly.”

“You know, these warships had crossed only Federation territory or lands ruled by subordinate civilizations. There were no escorts, and each ship had just a handful of crew to operate it—no way to defend themselves. So…”

“Nearly 2,000 ships were destroyed or stolen. Only a tiny handful managed to escape and make it here.”

“That’s all that’s left.”

Tuoba’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

Was this a joke?

A subordinate civilization daring to rebel against a Class Three civilization?

That was practically suicide.

Something didn’t add up. There was no way this was right.

Even if he’d been naive before, after ten years he was no fool.

Solar storms? Subordinate civilizations rebelling?

If he fell for it again this time, would there be some ‘factory fire’ excuse next year?

Tuoba couldn’t help but rant to himself.

And honestly, Bilodis really did have that as her backup plan.

Sure, the production lines were all open-air—and in space—so a fire was impossible.

But did that really matter?

Not at all!

She could use any excuse she wanted, and whether he believed it or not made no difference.

“Lady Bilodis, can you please just tell me the truth? What’s actually happening right now?”

Tuoba took a moment to calm his nerves before turning to Bilodis. He had to try.

After so many years working together, maybe she’d give him a scrap of inside information for old times’ sake.

At the very least, if he knew the real reason, he could come up with a plan.

Sigh…

Bilodis let out another sigh.

Her expression grew troubled, but after a moment it looked like she’d made up her mind.

“Alright, Tuoba. I can tell you a bit, but once we walk out that door, I won’t admit to a thing!”

“Absolutely! You have my word!” Tuoba thumped his chest in assurance.

“I told you before, the Federation government is chosen by regular elections.”

“Yeah, I remember you telling me.”

“Right, and that’s where things get complicated.”

“What do you mean?”

“The new government that’s just taken power is committed to a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other civilizations. They believe that supplying you with warships to fight the King’s Army of the Xitoris Kingdom would be outright interference.”

……

……

“So they’re deliberately cutting you off?”

Non-interference—what a load of nonsense.

Tuoba felt like his brain was melting.

“That’s right. But if you can wait a few decades for the next administration, they might change their minds. Actually, let me tell you this much—even though they technically stopped supplying you, your original orders were already dispatched. Only, before they reached Alpha Centauri, every single one was intercepted.”

“Right now, just two star systems away, less than six months’ flight from Tianyuan IV, over 6,500 Seawolf-class warships are just sitting there, doing nothing…”

Less than six months to get here.

6,500 Seawolf-class warships…

“Lady Bilodis, there must be something we can do—isn’t there any way at all?”

“Well…”

Bilodis hesitated again.

That flicker of hope lit up Tuoba’s face.

“Tuoba, you don’t really understand humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“Put simply, don’t take everything humans say at face value. All that high-minded talk is mostly for the sake of getting elected, to create a certain image. The people you need to think about aren’t those in charge, it’s the voters beneath them!”

Bilodis lowered her voice, almost whispering.

“If the new Federation government truly abandons you, leading to massive losses for the Federation, the voters will turn against them in an instant.”

“So, if you hold the voters, you hold the government. You… understand?”

Tuoba kind of got it. But kind of didn’t.

“Wait, Lady Bilodis, can you spell it out for me?”

In the end, he decided to just ask instead of pretending to understand. His family’s survival was on the line—pride meant nothing.

“How do you still not get it!”

“If you offer enough benefits—so many that the whole Federation can’t ignore you—and insist those benefits are contingent on timely shipments, then…”

“If the Federation still refuses and ends up with huge losses, the voters will ditch them and the current Federation President might even get impeached.”

“So my advice? Offer the Federation a deal: if they support you fully, once you conquer the whole kingdom, give them a slice of territory.”

“That way, even if the current government keeps pretending to be all high and mighty, they’ll have to at least seriously consider your offer.”

“Otherwise, they’ll risk exactly what I just described.”

“Remember—the Federation is certainly powerful, but its own system means we can always find ways to turn their decisions…”

“…right back on them!”