1963, Preliminary Negotiations
Seeing Admiral Ziyala's reaction, Lieutenant General Brent smiled faintly, and the weight in his heart finally lifted.
In fact, many people in the Duchy of Dawn military were somewhat afraid of Sefrans-Tann. She was simply too powerful. The fleets under her command had never suffered defeat; no matter how desperate the situation, she could seize an opportunity and turn the tables in one stroke. She was practically synonymous with invincibility!
In some simulated war-game exercises, the only person in the Duchy of Dawn who could contend with Sefrans-Tann was General Ling, Ling Liang. Her record against Tann was roughly three to seven, but that was already the best result among all their commanders. Ling Liang excelled more at strategy and still lagged far behind Tann in tactics.
Of course, because General Ling had learned Zero-Modal Probability Theory from The Givin and used it for command, she always conceded very readily in her simulated battles against Sefrans-Tann. Often, when observers thought the two sides were evenly matched, she would simply push the board away and admit defeat. In reality, she had calculated the future course of the battle and realized that she could not defeat Tann, so she conceded without hesitation.
As a result, many in the Duchy of Dawn military had come to associate Sefrans-Tann's strength with the Chiss. Thus, now that he was facing a Chiss general who, while not as young and beautiful as Sefrans-Tann, possessed the same extraordinary bearing, Lieutenant General Brent had been feeling uneasy all along.
In his view, someone of Admiral Ziyala's stature had to possess formidable control over her emotions. For her expression to change so drastically, it meant he had asked the right question.
The Chiss really did know about Mongal-Mongal!
"You... have encountered Mongal-Mongal?" Admiral Ziyala's expression turned