As the referendum on Mandalore began, Count Dooku opened a communication channel with Tang Xiao.
His expression was grave on the other end. Having spent so long navigating the political arena, the shrewd and calculating Count Dooku could not possibly fail to see that this had been a trap from beginning to end.
Tang Xiao's expression was equally grim.
Even though neither Count Dooku nor Tang Xiao yet knew what was happening on Mandalore, that did not stop them from instantly realizing the vast conspiracy hidden behind this sudden upheaval on the planet.
On the surface, Mandalore's referendum was about joining the Confederacy of Independent Systems. In reality, they had not notified the Confederacy in advance at all. Moreover, Mandalore's location was far beyond the Confederacy's reach; there was no way they could send any fleet there.
Besides, even if they truly could send a fleet, could they really do so?
Given the current state of the Milky Way Galaxy, countless species and planets were watching both sides of the war. They might have joined one side for certain reasons or interests, but that did not mean they would not join the other when the conditions were right.
So, both sides actually had reputations to maintain.
To put it bluntly, they not only had to fight a war, but also constantly put on political shows while smearing the other side.
Therefore, although Mandalore's sudden referendum claimed to be about joining the Confederacy of Independent Systems, it was utterly useless to the Confederacy and brought nothing but negative consequences!
First, Mandalore was the leader of the Neutral Alliance, with more than 1,500 star systems following it in neutrality. This was an enormous force, one that even the Galactic Republic did not dare touch lightly. If they moved against those systems and