As soon as the stargate was discovered, the Galactic Empire would immediately choose war. This was something everyone in the Duchy of Dawn was certain of.
The reasons had been discussed many times. In short, the Galactic Empire was certain it could defeat the Duchy of Dawn in war because it believed the Duchy's overall strength was far inferior to its own. But once the Duchy of Dawn possessed a stargate, its overall strength would immediately leap to the same level as the Galactic Empire.
Or rather, even if it was inferior now, with the help of the stargate, the Duchy of Dawn's development would inevitably outpace the Galactic Empire's by severalfold. Before long, the gap between them would be closed, perhaps even reversed.
Even the dullest strategist, upon looking at the fragmented, scattered territories controlled by the Duchy of Dawn on the star map and learning that the other side possessed a stargate capable of linking those places together, would make the same choice—
War!
After Qi Jian raised this possibility, everyone in the meeting hall fell silent.
After a long while, Ling Liang suddenly slammed her hand on the table and rose to her feet. "I propose that we launch Operation Zero ahead of schedule immediately! Strike first!!"
"Are you insane? If this is a Galactic Empire conspiracy, starting the war early would mean walking right into their trap!" Francis Underwood objected.
"What about the Empire's military movements?" Kars Walton, the veteran officer acting as Naval Grand Commander in Matt Hona's place, asked slowly.
Salatan Morse shook his head. "The Galactic Empire shows no signs of any additional mobilization. They have not reinforced the border, and the several fleets stationed there have not been redeployed either."
Tang Xiao asked, "How likely is it that the Galactic Empire would