The old cyborg paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Your wisdom is unmatched, Your Excellency. Marshal Farrell's decision really was... indirectly related to us. The Imperial Inquisition planned to establish a six-member team of execution judges on Earth. They were the ones meant to serve as monitors. However, during an operation this January, they were ambushed and suffered heavy losses: three dead and three wounded. The dead included the assistant cardinal judge in charge."
Yu Lian clapped his hands and laughed. "That makes more sense. If you'd incited him to rebel, this would have been far too clumsy a job."
"Whether you're speaking of the Serpent Around the World or Marshal Farrell, 'incited' is far too flippant a word. Marshal Farrell is a resolute commander, accomplished in both civil and military affairs—very much like the Confucian generals of your culture. In fact, he's a lot like General Yang Xiyi."
Yu Lian thought about it and decided that did seem to be true, more or less.
He laughed. "Excellent. I'm fond of the cerebral and the scholarly, because they're so levelheaded. Yet when the crucial moment comes, they can show more decisiveness than all those petty warlords obsessed with violence. You may tell the marshal that I won't give up on reclaiming Earth, nor will I give up a single inch of our occupied territory. But for now, I'm a pacifist. At least, I'm no enemy of the Terra Military Government."
Mr. Trend paused, a knowing expression on his face. A calm, mechanical gleam passed through his silver-gray eyes. "There's something else you should know. During the concealment and relocation of the Original Color Interstellar... or, rather, the 'Interstellar Commune State' now being prepared for establishment, we also provided what help we could."
Yu Lian paused, then smiled.