"Little girl, you want to enlist in the Yanhuang Army?!"
Looking at Samantha before him, Ye Chen couldn't help showing a hint of surprise.
Originally, Ye Chen had planned to have Lin Xuan find her some work so she could earn enough to eat and stay alive. He hadn't expected the little girl to take the initiative and ask to enlist.
"Yes, my lord. Samantha knows this request is very presumptuous, but I hope you'll give me a chance."
Kneeling on the ground, Samantha looked a little timid, but still worked up the courage to speak.
She was clever. She knew that her performance had earned a little admiration from this important person, but he would probably forget about it in a blink.
So if she didn't seize this opportunity while he was still here, she would probably never get the chance to rise above her circumstances.
She understood that the Yanhuang Empire was very hostile toward outsiders like her.
Besides, although Ye Chen's arrangements meant she could do odd jobs in the city and earn enough to keep from starving, that was all it guaranteed.
She couldn't starve to death, but she didn't have the ability to look after all the elderly, weak, women, and children outside.
They were her people. Her younger brother, relatives, and friends were among them. She couldn't just watch them die.
Most importantly, she didn't want to spend her whole life muddling along like this.
So, whether for her own sake or for the sake of her family and her people, her best option was to join the Yanhuang Army and risk everything on the battlefield.
Following the normal channels, she wouldn't just be unable to enlist—she probably wouldn't even get through the army's gates. Ye Chen was now her only hope.
Looking at the girl before him, Ye Chen didn't know what she was thinking, but he was considering whether to accept her request.
After all, no outsiders had ever joined the Yanhuang Army. But then he thought that he would unify Blue Star before long. He couldn't slaughter every outsider when that happened.
Besides, the empire would inevitably venture into space in the future. Once it defeated other civilizations, the defeated civilizations would have to be integrated into the empire. With countless races and civilizations gathering in Yanhuang, members of other species joining the army would be unavoidable.
It would also give other races hope of advancement. Otherwise, the other groups they brought under their control in the future might all lose hope, become lazy, and give up. Wouldn't that be a disaster?
At that thought, Ye Chen decided that in the future he could establish a rank system for conquered outsiders, similar to the current noble titles. They could advance through military merit and contributions, and once they reached the highest rank, they could gain citizenship in the Yanhuang Empire.
That way, he could preserve the dignity of Yanhuang's citizens while giving outsiders the hope of advancement, so they wouldn't give up. He could also gain a large number of troops to use as cannon fodder, along with elite talents from among the different races.
Ye Chen couldn't help admiring his own idea. What a genius plan—a single move that accomplished several things at once.
Across from him, Samantha watched as Ye Chen thought things over, her heart in turmoil. Her palms were already slick with sweat.
At that moment, Ye Chen came back to himself. He glanced at the tense Samantha, then turned to Lin Xuan beside him and said, "Assign this girl to the Frontline Combat Reserve under your command. Give her the same benefits and base pay as an ordinary reserve soldier.
"As for whether she can survive on the battlefield and kill enemies to earn military merit, that'll depend on her own abilities."
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing this, Lin Xuan hurriedly accepted the order.
"All right. You may leave."
"Your subordinate takes his leave!"
Meanwhile.
Huaxia, Ming Dynasty, the capital.
Du Mansion.
Dukao, wearing an official Ming Dynasty uniform, strode home with his back straight.
Before he could even catch his breath, one of his subordinates hurried over and said, "General, we've received some news from Africa."
Taking the special communicator from his subordinate, Dukao immediately contacted Africa. The call was quickly answered.
"Xuan, what's happening in Africa?"
"General, a country called the Yanhuang Empire appeared in Africa a year ago. It's currently waging war across the continent, and in just one year, it's wiped out every country in South Africa.
"According to our analysis, the Yanhuang Empire's technology is far beyond this era. There may well be another alien civilization interfering behind the scenes..."
Hearing that another alien civilization had set its sights on Blue Star, Dukao's brow furrowed tightly.
They had been here so long that they had grown accustomed to life on this planet. Many of them had started families here, and they considered this planet their hope of reviving the Denuo Civilization. They absolutely wouldn't allow another civilization to meddle in its affairs.
With that in mind, Dukao said at once, "Xuan, suspend the resource-gathering operation for now. Keep monitoring the Yanhuang Empire's movements, and gather detailed information on them as soon as possible."
"Understood, General."
After ending the call, Dukao's expression darkened. Clearly, he was in a foul mood.
He had never imagined that another spacefaring civilization would set its sights on this insignificant little place, Blue Star.
"Alas, a storm is coming. The Lieyang Civilization set its sights on this place a few centuries ago, and now another civilization has done the same. Is Blue Star really so appealing?"
Dukao rubbed his brow. Ever since he had arrived here, nothing had gone smoothly.
When he first arrived, he had wanted to make a move, but before long, Angel Zhi discovered him and even came to warn him in person. He had no choice but to have his subordinates integrate into Blue Star's civilization and bide their time.
Then, just as they had finally managed to blend in, the Lieyang Civilization invaded. Fortunately, that monkey had been there at the time, and the enemy was driven off.
Now, only a few hundred years had passed since things settled down, and another suspected alien civilization had shown up. Had they somehow disturbed a nest of alien civilizations? They just kept coming, one after another.
Elsewhere.
At a resource base in the mountains of Africa, Ling Xuan sighed after ending the call. He looked at everyone working outside, then walked over.
"Tian Yu, everyone, put your work on hold for now. The general has ordered us to suspend resource extraction and focus our efforts on monitoring the Yanhuang Empire, which is making trouble out there. We also need to gather information on them."
"The Yanhuang Empire? What country is that? Is it something special?"
Some of them hadn't heard of the Yanhuang Empire, and couldn't help asking.
Ling Xuan then filled them in on what he knew.
"Is the Yanhuang Empire really that powerful? They wiped out several countries in a year and occupied all of South Africa."
"Have you been working so hard you've lost your mind? Didn't Brother Xuan say that another spacefaring civilization was backing the Yanhuang Empire? They've even developed fighter jets and artillery shells. How could those backward countries out there possibly beat them?"
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