[My mighty QQ Empire group has 932 battleships, 147 cruisers, and 870 corvettes. Welcome aboard my Horizon Needle! A dedicated Stellaris discussion group, now upgraded to hold a thousand members. Feel free to lurk.]
Xi Yan had been holding back all along.
When the Great Khan declared war on the entire Sea of Stars, except the Lost Empires, he held back.
When the United Nations of Earth lived up to expectations and promptly groveled in surrender, he held back.
After the Human Federation and United Nations of Earth navies drove the Great Khan back, he still held back.
So how long would he keep holding back?
Until he no longer felt like it.
Whenever Xi Yan felt exceptionally furious, he would take a look at the size of his fleet and the Great Khan's, then quickly calm down.
Still not enough. Still not enough!
The Great Khan had already spent two years fighting from the Eastern Galaxy to the United Nations of Earth's border. Now that it faced their desperate resistance, it could be stalled for several more years.
It would take roughly five years of pumping out ships for his fleet numbers to barely reach Xi Yan's minimum standard.
Every star system in the Empire had now upgraded to a starhold or star fortress, and the shipyards operated at full capacity, churning out fleets without a moment's pause.
The Heavenly People Holy Guardian Empire was looking for ways to help him. This ancient empire had gathered its strongest and most devout Psionics Users and begun interfering with the Shroud's blessings.
This work was dangerous. Although these powerful Psionic Adepts could briefly sever the flow of energy between the Shroud and reality, they were also vulnerable to corruption by the Shroud's whispers. They therefore proceeded very cautiously, never daring to