Chapter 866: Chapter 866

The people on the command ship listened to him, their faces darkened, so you are not foolish after all.

He had just ordered those low-level battleships to attack, which was clearly suicidal, akin to smashing eggs against a rock. The attack range and power of the energy cannons on advanced battleships were far beyond the capabilities of low-level battleships.

Although the interstellar joint fleet had a large number of low-level battleships, everyone knew too well that these low-level battleships would likely be destroyed before they even had a chance to fire.

After all, the energy cannons on advanced battleships had extremely long attack ranges, high power, and fast firing rates, thoroughly outclassing low-level battleships.

By the time Qin Hao and his men emerged from the endless asteroid belt, those low-level battleships had already charged forward.

The Galaxy Fleet’s energy cannons fired directly, blasting at the low-level battleships and air combat devices in the sky.

In an instant, the sky was covered with the light of energy cannons.

An energy cannon struck a battleship, and the resulting energy shockwave destroyed dozens of surrounding low-level battleships. The air combat devices were even more fragile, completely unable to withstand the attack.

In just a few seconds, nearly a hundred low-level battleships were destroyed, unable to even get within firing range before being obliterated.

The battle did not last long, less than three minutes, before the interstellar joint fleet began to collapse. Countless interstellar fleets, witnessing the power of the Galaxy Fleet, were filled with terror and began to flee.

However, their speed was nothing compared to the advanced battleships, and fleeing only led to inevitable death.

In the end, only the flagship of the interstellar joint fleet managed to escape, as Ma Shikai had ordered the ship to move away from the battlefield right at the start. As soon as they saw the unfavorable situation, they fled immediately.

Qin Hao did not order anyone to pursue them, as it was pointless. In roughly half an hour, thousands of low-level battleships had been destroyed, and the remaining ones all raised the flag of surrender.

Once the starry sky had calmed, the cleanup machines were deployed to collect the battlefield debris, mainly the metal fragments, which could be melted down and used to forge new battleships.

At this time, Wei Yingrui of the Lei Meng Duchy arrived alone. Upon boarding the D-grade interstellar aircraft carrier, he was deeply shocked that Qin Hao was capable of producing such high-tech military products, which was simply unbelievable.

Entering the battleship, he saw many advanced combat robots along the way. When he finally met Qin Hao, he respectfully addressed him as “Master” without hesitation.

Qin Hao looked at him and said, “Prepare to announce this to the nation.”

Wei Yingrui nodded, “Yes, Master. I have already prepared the script. From now on, the entire Lei Meng Duchy will be incorporated into the Galaxy Federation, and its citizens will become citizens of the Galaxy Federation.”

Qin Hao nodded, “Very well. Everything should be managed as before, but I will install video surveillance satellites over each planet.”

Wei Yingrui did not dare to say anything else; he could only nod and agree with everything Qin Hao said.

A few minutes later, Wei Yingrui left the interstellar aircraft carrier and piloted his spacecraft back to the Lei Meng Duchy to handle the matter. If he couldn’t take care of this matter properly, Qin Hao certainly wouldn’t place any trust in him.

After the battlefield cleaning was complete, Qin Hao continued to advance his army, targeting the Silver Star Free Federation first.

…

“The Galaxy Fleet emerged victorious from the endless asteroid belt; the interstellar joint fleet was utterly defeated and annihilated.”

“The interstellar joint fleet suffered a crushing defeat, with the mighty Galaxy Fleet deploying nearly 500 advanced interstellar battleships, showcasing their formidable military strength.”

“The rise of another empire, with the Galaxy Federation demonstrating immense military power, comparable to the Eight Great Empires.”

This news quickly spread across the galaxy, causing a massive stir.

The military strength of the Galaxy Federation Republic was so powerful? Comparable to the Eight Great Empires?

Could the interstellar landscape be on the verge of change? Might this even become the ninth empire in the galaxy?

The Eight Great Empires, upon receiving the news from the front lines, also showed serious expressions and the Interstellar Federation Government urgently convened an all-national leaders meeting to respond to the Galaxy Federation and Qin Hao.

The Interstellar Federation Government and the smaller countries unanimously hoped that the Eight Great Empires would take action.

But the Eight Great Empires remained silent. They needed to carefully calculate and observe the Galaxy Federation’s goals.

If they were to send troops, how should they go about it? How many should each nation contribute?

Given the current strength displayed by the Galaxy Federation, it would take at least a thousand advanced battleships to have a chance against Qin Hao.

These advanced battleships were extremely costly, and losing even one would mean a loss of billions in star currency. If any state suffered too great a loss, it would significantly impact their military strength, allowing other empires to take advantage.

Each empire had its own considerations and calculations.

During their meeting, the leaders of the Silver Star Free Federation, the Flame Dragon Duchy, and the Nanyan Duchy sent out distress signals, as the Galaxy Fleet was currently advancing on three fronts, attacking the border nations of these federations.

Each time they arrived at a planet, it was either submission or death. Anyone who dared resist was brutally suppressed, with Qin Hao showing no mercy. Only by displaying powerful strength and ruthless tactics would certain people understand their might.

Within a day, the Lei Meng Duchy, Silver Star Free Federation, Flame Dragon Duchy, and Nanyan Duchy were all occupied by the Galaxy Federation Republic.

The Lei Meng Duchy surrendered directly. Although there were some voices of opposition within the duchy, Wei Yingrui silenced them with strong measures. Citizens of each federation were anxious, uncertain of the fate that awaited them.

After occupying these four duchies, Qin Hao implemented the laws and regulations that Chang Jing and others had long prepared. The legal system was unified under the Galaxy Interstellar Federation’s laws, while other aspects, including the currency system, remained unchanged for now.

These four duchies controlled around a hundred planets in total, with a population of approximately 50 billion. While this was not substantial in the galaxy, it was still significant to Qin Hao.

After occupying the four duchies, Qin Hao ceased his advance, as further action might provoke an alliance of the Eight Great Empires.

This was not the situation he desired. Even with his current strength, he could not withstand the combined force of the Eight Great Empires.

He could either secretly ally with several empires to divide them or wait until the B-grade battleships were developed, at which point he could thoroughly crush them without worry.

But since the B-grade battleships were not yet ready, he had to pause and solidify his rear lines for now.

As per Qin Hao’s orders, a new military production base was being constructed on a planet near the endless asteroid belt, to support Qin Hao’s interstellar fleet.

Simultaneously, Qin Hao was also managing the population, planning to relocate some people to the galaxy.