In the days that followed, Yu Lian and his troops really did take some time to rest on the planet.
The soldiers continued exploring the vast, spiderweb-like underground cave system, guided by experienced miners. They carefully mapped their way forward and found even more mineral deposits.
Yu Lian increasingly felt that this place was like an underground dwarven city. It was impossible that all of the more than three hundred thousand enslaved workers in the city were members of underground races, but the living space in the tunnels was still quite extensive, and it offered shelter from the elements. On top of that, the Commonwealth troops had taken away all the raider guards and foremen, so these poor people had at least gained a degree of freedom. Overall, their spirits seemed fairly steady.
So, after General Lomba talked them into it, they really did start working according to the original plan.
To be honest, when the future was uncertain, having work, a reliable food supply, and a relatively safe environment went a long way toward calming people down.
Beyond that, there wasn't much else for everyone to do, so they simply went into rest-and-recovery mode. Yu Lian's side had already received reports from Brunhild and his senior about the front lines: their fleets had rendezvoused with the vanguard of the main force, and both armies had achieved spectacular victories.
But after breaking through the barriers of Devil's Throat and the DL36 star system, they discovered that the dense clusters of stable, middle-aged stars within were like a vast, flat, fertile plain. The terrain seemed to offer an unobstructed view, but completely encircling the enemy forces there would still take some careful planning.
Still, both King Sorein, the Empire's commander, and Admiral Connaris, the Commonwealth's, agreed that the Great Khan who