Starsea Fleet: Age of the Lord

"Lord," Feng Xian reminded, "these individuals once held significant positions in the Snow Eagle Empire."

Feng Mo understood; these people had once stood against him. However, they were not part of the top tier, as those influential figures had fled long ago when the conflict began.

Feng Mo simply saw them as people serving their own causes. But since they had made their choices, they would need to face the consequences. He was not one to show mercy.

"Deal with them," he ordered flatly, "and let their families join them as well."

With that indifferent statement, Feng Mo decided their fate. This was the power of authority. Such ruthlessness was terrifying, but it held an irresistible allure for the ambitious.

"Yes, Lord." Feng Xian nodded and left. He had been at Feng Mo's side for quite some time, watching his cousin transform into a commanding figure whose presence grew heavier with each passing day, enough to make anyone feel intimidated.

Ignoring the lives he had just condemned, Feng Mo returned to the Storm God to discuss how best to handle the Snow Eagle Empire with Ai Er and Kailan. The Speaker of Snow Eagle's parliament and all its representatives had fled, leaving behind a potential threat. Thus, he would need to station considerable forces in the conquered territories.

The three reviewed the recommendations from the advisory council, discussing throughout the day. After running feasibility analyses, they reached decisions ready for policy implementation.

This meticulousness was characteristic of Feng Mo. Since establishing the Storm Kingdom as an empire, he had set up an advisory council called the Imperial Secretariat, distinct from the Starship Design Bureau. While the Bureau focused on design, the Secretariat comprised specialists in civil governance, law, and economics. Any policy Feng Mo wanted to enact would first pass through the Secretariat to filter out impractical elements, producing a viable plan.

Once a proposal was finalized, Feng Mo would use AI analysis to ensure its practicality before enacting it. The impact of each policy would be monitored over the next decade to gauge public reaction.

The Secretariat's approach for the Snow Eagle Empire leaned toward appeasement, promoting equality with citizens of the Storm Empire while the military and intelligence divisions removed destabilizing elements.

Initially, there would likely be unrest, but over time, this gradual approach would help shift the mindset of Snow Eagle's people. After all, these citizens had been under Snow Eagle's rule for millennia. Conquering their territory did not mean their loyalty would change overnight; it was a process.

With the transformation plan in place, Feng Mo left the task to the Secretariat and other departments. The Storm Fleet would remain stationed in the Snow Eagle System, with Kailan leading the Storm God Fleet to safeguard the Windmill and Auckland Systems. Meanwhile, Feng Xian would deploy troops across key resource planets, replacing previous overseers with loyal personnel trained specifically for such duties.

These new overseers were adept in communication, tasked with reconditioning the resource planet workers to become citizens while reassigning dissenting citizens to labor roles in a controlled cycle.

Federation Calendar 7499, August 13.

Feng Mo logged into StarNet once more, this time to register the three new star systems annexed by the Storm Empire and to issue a public declaration of the Snow Eagle Empire's fall. This announcement would further demoralize anyone still loyal to Snow Eagle, helping speed the ideological shift of former Snow Eagle citizens.

The registration process was straightforward, but crafting the announcement required caution. It couldn't be overly provocative, or it might trigger endless assassination attempts—not that they could harm him, but they would be tiresome.

After some thought, Feng Mo finally posted a succinct announcement:

[The Three Western Empires attempted to secede from the Federation, committing acts of betrayal against humanity, a punishable offense. In alignment with the Federation's will, the Storm Empire has occupied the Snow Eagle Empire, successfully seizing its capital. According to Federation law, the Snow Eagle Empire is hereby declared dissolved. Signed: Feng Mo, Storm Empire]

This single statement caused an uproar throughout the Federation. It was the first time in the Federation's 7,000-year history that a nation had been dissolved. Feng Mo's actions were indeed unprecedented.

Some praised him, saying it was the right decision; any state choosing rebellion deserved extinction. Others accused him of ambition, claiming the Storm Empire's rapid growth would eventually lead to the Federation's downfall.

Opinions varied widely, and despite Feng Mo's efforts to build a positive image, there would always be those who resented him—be it for his military prowess, design genius, or noble status.

Federation Calendar 7499, August 15.

Feng Mo convened a new council session to discuss integrating the three Snow Eagle star systems into a single star region. Any future conquests in nearby territories would be incorporated into this new region.

The council proposed numerous names, but none satisfied Feng Mo. Finally, inspired by the Frostmark Alliance, he suggested, "Let's name it the Frost Snow Region."

Many in the room didn't immediately understand the name's significance, but Ai Er and Kailan, who were closest to Feng Mo and knew his ambitions well, quickly grasped its implication.

"Frost Snow Region—an excellent name," Ai Er said, "and in the future, we can absorb the entire Cloud Dream and Frostmark Empires into it."

Upon hearing this, the others finally understood. Of course, these officials were seasoned strategists; whether their realization was genuine or feigned, they had to show approval for their leader's choice.

After finalizing the region's name, Ai Er provided an analysis of the Federation's situation. At this point, the Federation was essentially fractured, with each major region ignoring central authority, waiting for the outcome of the Federation's confrontation with the Frostmark Human Alliance.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Territory had allied with the Interstellar Beastfolk to form the Pan-Human Alliance. The Federation had yet to respond, likely because they lacked the capacity to address it.

The Federation was too weakened by internal strife to withstand additional divisions. Feng Mo, who maintained contact with Chu Yunjian and Gu Jun, knew that the Radiant Empire had no intention of intervening, nor did the Yunshan Empire.

In the Southern Territory, all three southern empires had committed their T5 fleets, supported by three fleets from the Northern Territory and four from the Central Territory. Under these conditions, neither the Central nor Northern Territories could risk declaring independence.

Alone in his newly established office on Snow Eagle's capital planet, Feng Mo pondered the immense responsibilities and challenges he faced as ruler.

A note from the author: Apologies for only three chapters today. Our leadership is conducting inspections at the company, and I have to work late tonight. Expect the usual five chapters tomorrow, barring any unexpected issues.

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