Chapter 351: The Triumvirate’s Assessment

“The insectoids?” Xia Fei asked. “I don’t really know much about them. There’s a big gap in the intelligence between members of this race. They’re not like humans; though there are geniuses and idiots within the human race, a vast majority will have an intelligence quotient score of about 120, while more than ninety percent of the insectoid race is stuck at the most primitive and low level biological stage.

“This also causes them to have absolute loyalty toward their leaders. Their warriors will sacrifice everything and attack wherever they are directed. This is in contrast with the Pan-human Alliance, where everything needs to go through complex deliberations between the Upper and Lower Chambers, and where law and ethics must comply with the rules before anything can be implemented.

“Meanwhile, due to the biological differences between the two races, a lone human will hardly be able to match against a lone insectoid. Compared to them, the only advantage we possess is our average intelligence. Every single human being is independent and holds their own worldview and values. In terms of a prosperous economy, the insectoids are no match to us humans. After all, most insectoids will only know how to eat or kill, but if we are to consider the aspect of warmongering only, we’re definitely the one at a disadvantage.”

Xia Fei gave a very simple overview of his thoughts. He was still puzzled on why Williams would suddenly ask him about insectoids.

“Then, what are the chances of the Alliance coming out victorious with our current strength if we go to war with the insectoids?” Williams asked jokingly.

Xia Fei was slightly taken aback. He sensed that there was something peculiar with how this question was posed.

“Is the Pan-human Alliance looking to have another war with the insectoid Tribal Coalition?” Xia Fei carefully probed.

Tai shook his head as he explained lightly, “We, as soldiers, must be prepared to engage in war at all times, so this question is a common daily topic for us. There’s no particular meaning behind it. Tell me your opinion; we’re very interested in learning what the public opinion on this subject is like.”

Xia Fei mulled over the question before replying, “If it’s possible, we ought to avoid warring with the insectoids as best as we can. Trade between the two races has been closed for a long time, and it’s really hard to determine just how much progress they’ve made, development-wise. The greatest taboo for the military is ‘not understanding the enemy’. Besides, insectoids are natural soldiers without needing training, while humans need to undergo extensive training before they can be combat-effective.

“Perhaps we may hold the upper hand in the initial stage of the war thanks to the Alliance’s consistent policy of grooming elite soldiers, but as time drags on, we will slowly find ourselves sinking into quicksand, unable to get ourselves out. The common human has the tendency to hold an anti-war sentiment, so the longer the war goes, the greater their aversion to it will be. In contrast, the warriors of the insectoid race are akin to machines—emotionless and bloodthirsty machines. Unless a problem arises in their internal hierarchy, the insectoids are more than capable of fighting a protracted war forever.

“Going by my line of thinking, if a war which can’t be avoided does break out, we must do our utmost to avoid engaging with the enemies fully but, instead, send an elite squad deep behind enemy lines and into their territory, directly taking out their elite leadership regardless of losses. As long as we can take out the most intelligent insectoid in one move, we’ll most definitely be victorious.”

Tai’s eyes suddenly shone. “To risk it all and directly strike the backline—that’s a very interesting line of thought. Tell me your reason for it.”

Williams and Layton, who were next to them, listened with great interest.

Xia Fei smiled. “I’m no soldier, so I don’t really know much about warfare, but I do know of a very simple logic; on my home planet, there’s this saying: ‘Soldiers fight fiercely because the leadership’s bunkered up fiercely’. Though it sounds quite crude, the logic is sound.

“The Pan-human Alliance has plenty of professionals that received high-level training and education, so if for example, the Alliance headquarters, the cabinet, and the politicians from both the Upper and Lower Chambers were to disappear overnight, how long do you reckon the Alliance would take to make up for this loss?”

Williams did a rough calculation. “If something as unfortunate as that happens, then we will have to transfer officials from the various departments to fill the vacancies. I do believe that it’d take about two days for those people to take over the reins and a week for everything to return to normal.”

“Now, what if the same were to happen to the insectoids?”

“The insectoids? If their elder council and their warchief were to all be eliminated, it would take at least three months for things to get back to normal; after all, they don’t have a complete leadership system in place and are fully dependent on personal strength and ability to assert authority.”

Xia Fei chuckled. “That’s exactly what I mean; if the Pan-human Alliance loses its President, we can just change to another, but if the Warchief of the insectoids disappears, the various tribes will be caught in a long dispute over succession.

“Humans aren’t as good at warmongering as the insectoids, but we have a very comprehensive hierarchical system. Even if the Alliance elites are wiped out a thousand times, there will still be people who can take over and lead it forward.

“The same can’t be said for the insectoids. They carry out the orders from their elite leaders in command. There are only so many insectoids with high intelligence, and once they are decimated, the common soldiers that remain will hardly remain to be a threat.”

Tai nodded slightly, seemingly liking Xia Fei’s opinion. Even the ever honest and frank Admiral Layton exclaimed, “Xia Fei, you should’ve joined military school, not the Adjudicator Union!”

Xia Fei laughed. “There’s value in having elite warrior organizations. Like the plan that I’ve just come up with: if you truly wish to put together the most suitable candidates to enact the plan, you’ll need a large force of elite warriors to ensure its success, for the common soldiers will definitely be incapable of accomplishing such a tall task.”

Williams took a sip of his tea and then laughed. “Xia Fei, while this plan of yours is insane, it will hit the insectoids hard if it does succeed, but it isn’t easy to take out their entire high IQ echelon. We may have to pay a heavy price by making such a move.

Xia Fei said, “Everything has its price. If we only rely on the soldiers to confront the insectoids head on, there will be even more deaths, and we may not even end up victorious after a thousand year of war.”

Tai lightly drummed his fingers on the chair, wondering aloud, “Get behind enemy lines and strike right at their heart in one go… This isn’t easily accomplished… We’ll first have to do plenty of preparatory work and develop our own informational network. Since humans and insectoids don’t have the same origin, it may be quite difficult to infiltrate their territory.”

Xia Fei replied, “There’s definitely some trouble there, but from what I understand of insectoids, they’re hardly all the same, either. I once visited the Wild Star Region where humans and insectoids coexist in relative peace. Plenty of the insectoids there are willing to work for humans in exchange for their individual benefits.

“It’s from this that I discovered the truth: The dumber an Insectoid is, the more foolish they will be. It’ll be extremely hard to sway them, but the moment an insectoid develops greater intelligence, they’ll also be influenced by avarice, enslaving the lesser species, having greater interest in wealth and beauty, and implementing a strict hierarchy.

“If the Alliance really does wish to infiltrate the insectoids’ midst, it’ll be a good choice to target the down-and-out nobles who have failed to climb up the ranks due to intrigue or struggle.”

The triumvirate nodded. Williams took this opportunity to lead the topic into the warship production of the Alliance, and Xia Fei’s intuition told him that these three were probing him, though he had no idea just what exactly was the triumvirate’s reason for doing so.

Xia Fei was well-versed when it came to warships. After all, he had spent years personally learning from the machine god Porter’s words and deeds, as well as accumulated plenty of battle experiences. He had a fairly unique view on the matter, believing strongly in extreme elitism, where warships should strive greatly to be all-rounders yet should still develop their unique characteristic.

Having a fleet that had plenty of different ways to engage in combat, just like those dedicated to drawing away fire or specializing in electronic interference and warfare as well as rapid response forces, which would target enemy reinforcements.

Without realizing it, their discussion went on for several hours, covering from warships and strategy to tactics, from martial arts technique to special abilities, from economy to human behavior. They covered plenty of topics, and the triumvirate got to understand Xia Fei deeper as a person.

…

After having lunch together, Xia Fei excused himself, stating that he was off to participate in the auction.

After he left, Layton said with a furrowed brow, “Xia Fei’s really too much. Just as we were talking about laser weapons versus cold weapons, getting an addict like me hooked on the topic, he decided to leave.”

Williams laughed. “Xia Fei’s a smart man. The reason he spent such a long time chatting with us is no doubt his status as the military’s A-list supplier. At the end of the day, he is a new inclusion among the companies that the military collaborates with, so he’ll work to demonstrate that he is qualified to be counted among this clique whenever he has the chance to, just so he can win our trust.”

“Now that he has achieved his goal after a long discussion, what remains is to hold a measure of mysteriousness about himself. He’s the kind of person who enjoys keeping things to himself, so I dare to say that he’d have definitely acted dumb or not spoken at length about such things if we were anyone else.”

Layton seemed to understand what Williams meant. “So young, yet he’s already acting like those sly old foxes, keeping everything to himself. Wonder who he learned this from.”

“I would also do the same in his shoes. You have to think; he’s but some small character from Earth, only managing to leap into the highest circle in the Alliance all thanks to luck and coincidence. Everyone around him are strangers, and it is unknown whether they are friends or foes. All it takes is a moment’s slip up and people will seize upon the opportunity and eat him up whole.”

Tai concurred. “I agree with Williams. Xia Fei has a different upbringing compared to us. If he chooses not to keep certain things to himself, it’ll be difficult for him to eat in this dog-eat-dog universe.”

Williams pulled out a silver case of maple candy from his pocket and tossed two into his mouth.

“So what are your thoughts, Tai?”

Tai rubbed his temples. “Xia Fei isn’t bad. I can’t deny that he is both insightful and possesses a decent cultivation.”

Williams continued speaking. “Plus, he is not the kind of person who is all talk; he’s able to back his words with reasonable logic whenever he speaks up, and his ability to get things done when actions need to be taken isn’t far off from his eloquence. Also, his identity is very suitable for the role.”

Tai then said, “That’s true. His position as the military’s new A-list supplier makes him too suitable.”

“Then, what are you hesitating for?” Layton asked.

Tai very calmly looked at Layton and Williams. “Experience, qualifications, and trust.”

Williams shrugged helplessly. “There’s no perfect candidate that can fulfil all your criteria perfectly, so sometimes we just have to take a gamble.”

“Seems like you two are in agreement with Xia Fei as the choice?” Tai asked.

“I agree.”

“I agree as well.”

Tai nodded. “Alright, then. Xia Fei shall be the second candidate in the list. As for the person in charge, who is the next person we have to consider?”

Williams smiled. “Nicole Sawyer, the current chairwoman of Gaia Industries.”