Commanders Heber and Krent were not surprised that the Empire would send surveillance troops, and remained indifferent.
Tarrokov pointed out details on the star chart, explaining the important points, and everyone listened silently.
After Tarrokov finished speaking, Commander Krent suddenly asked:
"We understand what you've said. I'd like to ask another question. Our Shattered Star Ring allies were the first to participate in the exploration, and the Empire will subsequently arrange for allies from other star systems to join. So when will the next batch of allied forces arrive for the exploration?"
The star field is too vast. Despite their seemingly large numbers of people, they are but a tiny ripple in the ocean when thrown into a single star field. It would take them an indefinite amount of time to explore the Shattered World with just their numbers. Therefore, the Empire will invest more manpower in the future for pioneering work. The Empire's allies who arrive later are both partners and new competitors.
Krent was concerned with when the next wave of competitors would arrive and how long he would maintain his lead.
Tarrokov smiled.
"That depends on the arrangements of the Empire's high command, the progress of the mobilization of allied forces, and the progress of our exploration. I haven't received a specific time yet, but I estimate that the Empire will send the next exploration team at least six months from now. Until then, the Empire will rely on you all. If the exploration progress is promising, the Empire will not be stingy with rewards."
The group nodded. If the exploration went smoothly and the results exceeded expectations, the credit would go to them. The empire would take control of the majority of the resources, so they would receive extra rewards based on the results of the land reclamation. This was the key point of competition between the two sides.
Whoever clears the land more smoothly and reaps the greatest harvest will have the greatest credit.
Tarrokov paused for a moment and asked, "Now that everyone has chosen the star clusters to explore, from which direction do you plan to enter?"
Star clusters are vast and can be divided into dozens of star systems; exploration always begins from the periphery and proceeds towards the center.
The border is extremely long, so the direction you enter is very important. If you start exploring from a barren area, you will waste a lot of time without finding many resources, which would be a huge loss.
The exploration team's only reference material was a half-finished star map from astronomical observations, which at most avoided obviously Desolate Universe Belt with sparse planetary distribution, but the resource level of each planet was unknown.
Although Tarrokov is only asking now, the group had already analyzed the situation privately and had a plan.
Heber and Krent are working together, planning to split their forces into twenty-three units, each entering a selected star system from one of the twenty-three locations. The units will be positioned relatively close to each other, arranged in a comb-like pattern, with the intention of advancing side by side, responding to each other, gradually converging at a certain point to establish a large transit point, and then continuing to disperse and explore, minimizing the overlap in the exploration areas of each unit.
Han Xiao, standing to the side, listened silently as Commander Krent explained the plan, nodding in agreement.
Heber made a good choice; the first region to be explored was the Jerrydon Star System, a rather rich system in the Renault Star Cluster in its previous life, indeed abundant in resources.
If we flatten the star map of the Shattered World and connect it with the Explored Universe, then the Dawn Star Cluster is located at the westernmost end of the Shattered World. The three adjacent star clusters from north to south are Gaolu, Renault, and the Crown Ring. Renault is sandwiched in the middle, with a superior geographical location. The Jerrydon Star System, which Heber and Krent explored in the first step, is the border system to the southwest of Renault.
Tarrokov nodded, then turned to look at Han Xiao, "And what about you?"
Han Xiao pointed his finger at the southernmost border star system of the Gaolu Star Cluster, then drew a route that traversed more than a dozen star systems, connecting the southernmost and easternmost parts of the Gaolu Star Cluster.
"What do you mean by that?" Tarrokov, surprised.
"Alright." Han Xiao smiled mysteriously and said casually, "I'll have the main force explore the southernmost border star system, while I'll send out a special task force with stargate equipment to advance along the way. They'll only set up stargates along the way and won't stop at other times. First, we'll build a stargate route to connect these dozen or so star systems."
"You want to establish long-distance transportation routes first?" Tarrokov raised an eyebrow.
"Not only that, every time the task force connects to the next star system, I constantly divide the forces and send people out to explore other star systems." Han Xiao shrugged, his expression unchanged.
Upon hearing this, Tarrokov frowned slightly, and Commander Heber and Commander Krent exchanged a glance, somewhat speechless.
In their eyes, the problem with the Black Star exploration project was too obvious: there wasn't enough manpower.
With such a small group, exploring even one star system would take a considerable amount of time. Black Star wants to explore more than a dozen star systems; will they have enough manpower? Their ambitions are far too great, exceeding their capabilities.
Building a long-distance transportation route is a good thing for the Empire, and Tarrokov has no objection to it. However, it is not in the interests of the Empire's allies, so Han Xiao's decision took him by surprise.
This isn't a land grab, where you can't be the first to connect to a dozen star systems. It's useless if you can't explore them all. Since exploration efficiency is limited, the long-distance stargates that waste manpower to build will only benefit those who come later. Because there's an empire here, it's impossible for them to monopolize the channels and not lend them to other allies. So it will make it easier for later forces to travel to other star systems and compete with them. For the pioneers, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
Krent and the War Realm preferred a steady approach, exploring one star system before moving on to the next. In contrast, they employed a range-based exploration strategy, while Han Xiao's approach was linear.
To balance the interests among allies, the Empire's plan is to proceed gradually, slowly exploring the past, without immediately laying a complete stargate transportation network in unexplored areas. This is because astronomical observations have already provided semi-finished star maps; they do not lack overall maps, but rather on-site exploration and data refinement. Therefore, the first phase of exploration only targets three areas bordering the Dawn Star Cluster, creating bridgeheads.
As the exploration progressed, the team continuously set up stargates, so long-distance stargate passages would naturally appear; there was no need to send people specifically to build them.
Therefore, the Black Star Army's move was a waste of its resources and time, achieving little with much effort, which puzzled Commanders Tarrokov, Heber, and Krent.
"Would you like to reconsider?" Tarrokov asked kindly.
Han Xiao waved his hand and chuckled.
"No need, I like to take a chance. Maybe I can discover some fertile resource planets ahead of time."
Seeing Black Star's stubbornness, Commander Krent watched coldly, inwardly scoffing.
--This kind of exploration plan, which has not been carefully considered, is bound to have a rough time. This time, they will most likely outshine the Black Star Army, shine brightly in front of the Empire, and make the Black Star pale in comparison.
"Alright," Tarrokov, and stopped trying to persuade him.
Regardless of how the allies explore, the Empire suffers no loss, since the entire star field belongs to them. The only loss is to the Black Star Army's own interests. Since Black Star doesn't care, he won't interfere either.
Han Xiao wore a smile, making it impossible for the others to discern his thoughts.
In fact, this seemingly short-sighted approach is in his best interest.
The reason why Suy previously said that the fewest forces chose to explore the Gaolu Star Cluster was precisely because the southern star systems of the Gaolu Star Cluster contained distinctly Desolate Universe Belt with limited resources. If he had followed the example of Heber and others and only explored a single border star system, the result would have been obvious: he would have gained little merit.
He adopted this exploration plan in order to be the first to develop those famous and bountiful planets in his memory.
Along this transportation route from the southern to the eastern part of the Gaolu Star Cluster, there are several star systems that were once very prosperous regions, containing many famous planets and abundant resources. Currently, only he knows about them.
By extending the exploration line, the Empire's surveillance forces are likely to become somewhat disconnected, which creates room for maneuver.
Han Xiao wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.
If the Black Star Army advances slowly, they will be picking up sesame seeds but losing watermelons, entering a treasure mountain and leaving empty-handed, seducing beauties but not taking advantage of them!
In short, it was a loss!
The second purpose was to create a smokescreen.
Han Xiao hoped to travel to the eastern part of the Gaolu Star Cluster as soon as possible without any abruptness.
Because the unclaimed Universal Treasure that Shattered World in his memory was located in another star cluster bordering the eastern part of the Gaolu Star Cluster!
Only by establishing this stargate line can I obtain the unclaimed Universal Treasure as soon as possible!
Tarrokov turned off the star map and said in a deep voice, "Then it's settled. You will stay here for two days. I will transfer troops to your team and hand over exploration equipment such as stargates and buoys. We will officially set off in two days."
"Good."
Commander Krent responded.
Han Xiao and Heber nodded without saying a word.
Everyone stood up and left the meeting room.
Stepping out the door, Han Xiao and Heber exchanged a glance, as if they had unknowingly clashed bayonets, sparks flying. Then, the two turned and led their cadres away in opposite directions.
"Tell me, what exactly is Black Star thinking?"
Heber and Krent traveled together in two groups. On the way, one of the Vanguard Officers couldn't help but ask the chief of staff Jorde, a question.
"What are you trying to say?" Jorde glanced at him.
"Don't we know Black Star's character? He's cunning, treacherous, and shrewd. He's not one to suffer losses. Knowing there's no benefit in rushing to establish a long-distance stargate, he must have other motives."
Upon hearing this, Jorde's eyes flickered. "Indeed, Black Star's decision-making is rather strange..."
"Chief of Staff, what do you think his purpose is?"
The people around them all pricked up their ears and eavesdropped.
"I'm not Black Star," Jorde said helplessly. "The only thing I can think of is that Black Star doesn't want to explore the barren border systems of the Gaolu Star Cluster, but there's no need to waste time crossing more than a dozen star systems at once. I can't think of any other reason... Maybe his appetite is too big, or maybe he really wants to try his luck?"
"Could he be trying to seize the planet that will become a vital transportation hub in the future?"
"You're overthinking it. The Empire won't allow any single power to control too many strategic locations."
Since the Shattered World is an undeveloped new star field, everyone subconsciously assumed that no one knew the specifics of the Shattered World, so basically no one could guess Han Xiao's motives.
Commander Krent's eyes flashed, and he quickly moved closer to Heber, whispering, "Your Tyrant, what do you think, should we...?"
"Just say what you have to say, don't make me guess." Heber said without looking at him.
"... Should we send someone secretly to the Gaolu Star Cluster to monitor Black Star's movements?"
"What's the point?" Heber glanced down at him, then retorted, "You dare interfere with the exploration work in front of the Empire?"
Commander Krent was taken aback, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized something was amiss.
Exploring the Shattered World is a crucial strategic objective for the Empire. Therefore, even if they know what the Black Star Army is doing, they cannot interfere. If anyone obstructs the exploration progress for personal gain, the Empire will not hesitate to make an example of them, showing other allied forces participating in the exploration what the consequences will be for daring to disrupt the Empire's strategy.
Thinking of this, Commander Krent awkwardly stepped back, no longer mentioning the matter, his eyes flickering uncertainly.
It seems that the only way to surpass the Black Star Army is to compare the results of their initial explorations and compete fairly.
Fortunately, Black Star chose the Gaolu Star Cluster and adopted a short-sighted exploration strategy, ensuring their victory in the War Realm.