Chapter 295: Using a Planetary System as a Reward_1

"Black Square" took twelve days to reach an altitude of one hundred kilometers.

At that location, large spacecraft had already been on standby. Once "Black Square" reached the planned altitude, the spacecraft immediately bundled it up and towed it toward the Moon's orbit.

An engineering team had been waiting at the Lunar Space Port. After they adjusted "Black Square's" position, they would install propellers at the front and the back of "Black Square," as well as the control room for the propellers.

It was only after this installation project was completed that "Black Square's" journey to Jupiter officially began.

It was estimated that "Black Square" would reach Jupiter three years later.

Jiang Shiliu felt no need to continue to monitor the situation. Introduced by Jiang Yu, he had made contact with the PDC and formally took on the task of creating a mechanical body for Sophon.

However, he had one condition; the production site had to be at Desert North Farm.

PDC almost immediately agreed to such a simple condition.

Jiang Yu also planned to visit Desert North Farm, so the two of them took a car together and rushed to Desert North Farm.

On the way, Ai Qi reported new developments of the Starship Fleet: "Only Fleet Five, Nine, Eleven, Twelve, Seventeen, and Eighteen are willing to continue following your commands.

"The other eleven fleets demand to return immediately; otherwise, they will break away from the command sequence of the Solar System Military!"

Jiang Yu frowned, "Isn't this a mutiny? What about their military discipline?

Ai Qi sighed, "They all believe that there is no longer any meaning to fleeing. You persist stubbornly, sending them into deep space, which is depriving them of their human rights."

Jiang Yu pinched his forehead, "Forget it, if they want to come back, let them come back. Given their lack of ambition, I don't expect the new worlds they explore to amount to much.

"However, once they return, immediately dismiss all of them from the military and send them to the Kuiper Belt to mine for thirty years!

"This will be their punishment for not following orders and for threatening the Governing Council with mutiny!"

Ai Qi hesitated, "Those eleven fleets dare to confront us because they know they are the only large warship force in the Solar System right now.

"I'm afraid that when they return to Jupiter, they will threaten the Governing Council with military force!"

By then, talking about punishing them would be out of the question; we might have to treat them like ancestors.

After deliberating for a while, Jiang Yu finally said, "How many large planet-class ships do we have?"

"Twenty-one!"

Jiang Yu immediately ordered, "Keep all information about the Solar System State from the Starship Fleet!

"Ramp up the production of large planet-class ships. Before the fleet returns to port, arm them all and camouflage them to make these planet-class warships look like interstellar warships!

"Issue return orders to the eleven fleets one after another to control their return timing sequentially, not allowing them to return as a group.

"Meanwhile, keep praising them continuously, saying they are heroes of the Solar System, that the people have been longing for their return, and so on.

"When the Starship Fleet enters Jupiter's gravitational field, dispatch all large spacecraft for escort!

"With a mix of bluffing and showcasing strength, we should be able to intimidate them. Once our people have complete control over their warships, we'll arrest them."

Jiang Yu paused and then added, "Also, block the news of the fleet's retreat."

Ai Qi took notes on a portable computer, "I'll immediately form a special team to handle this matter!"

Then Jiang Yu nodded and continued, "At the same time, commend the six fleets willing to continue executing the commands, and tell them: Once you reach the new planetary system, that system will belong to you!"

Ai Qi and Jiang Shiliu both paused for a moment, as the reward of an entire planetary system would excite anyone at heart.

After Ai Qi went to convey the orders, Jiang Shiliu and Jiang Yu continued on the subject, discussing the issue of interstellar immigration.

Jiang Shiliu said, "I think mainstream human society probably won't support your interstellar immigration plan. In the past, it was because of indecision, and now it's the fear of encountering other civilizations.

"One Trisolaran World has already caused enough headaches. If we encounter other civilizations, Earth could likely suffer a 'Dark Forest' strike or risk being exposed by cosmic broadcasting."

Jiang Yu lamented, "That is precisely why I established the Solar System State. The collective consciousness of humanity is unreliable most of the time.

"Can we avoid the 'Dark Forest' strike by just staying in the Solar System? No, when a strike is due, it will come regardless.

"Rather than wait passively or place all our hope in the almost non-existent mercy of the enemy, we should respond proactively!"

Jiang Shiliu laughed, "That's your job!"

He paused and then added, "I met an old professor at the Desert North Farm, who is forward-thinking like you in many ways. I reckon you would be very willing to talk to him."

It wasn't until Jiang Yu arrived at the Desert North Farm that he understood the double meaning in Jiang Shiliu's statement.

It turned out that the old professor Jiang Shiliu mentioned was Gu Liang!

He was very old now, with snow-white and thinning hair, his face covered with age spots.

However, he was still able to walk on his own and was in quite good spirits.

Through a few exchanges, Jiang Yu learned that after serving as the head of the Strategic Department for over twenty years, Gu Liang had contracted a rare brain disease.

With the technology of the time being limited, he chose to hibernate.

After spending more than forty years in hibernation and witnessing the great advances in medical technology, Gu Liang was awakened and successfully cured of his disease.

Upon waking, Gu Liang found that the political landscape of the Solar System had undergone massive changes, and it was impossible for someone of his "wall-facing faction" to return to work at the Strategic Department.

Therefore, Gu Liang came to Earth and began some academic research. In recent years, his greatest achievement was identifying the reasons for the complete decline of Eastern civilization on Earth.

Jiang Yu took a sip of tea brought by a robot, "To tell you the truth, I'm also curious. Why couldn't this land preserve the essence of Eastern culture?

"Today's people on this land are like the Egyptians, their own native culture has long declined, yet they are unaware.

"Logically, every major cultural shift has its internal reasons, but I've deduced it several times and still don't understand why such a stable Eastern culture would disappear from this land?"

Gu Liang sighed, "Because it no longer had fertile ground for survival, as well as the impact of external forces."

He explained, "On the eve of the Crisis Era, we were just about to restore national self-confidence, but then an interstellar war between civilizations broke out, and national revival had to make way for the war against the Trisolarans.

"The subsequent Great Rift Valley made people loathe centralization once again. The previous national revival was not yet complete, and then we fell into self-criticism.

"The 'Deculturation' at the beginning of the twentieth century was an unavoidable action—it was necessary to clear away the old to establish the new!

"But after the Great Rift Valley, the self-reflection went too far. Our nation has flaws, but which nation doesn't have flaws? At that time, it was somewhat excessive to describe our nation and culture in terms of inherent inferiority.

"Of course, the most crucial thing is that at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was no concept of ideological warfare. However, this concept emerged in the twenty-first century.

"After the Great Rift Valley, while we were busy self-criticizing, others had already begun to input their ulterior-valued ideologies into this land.

"You and I, as people of the Common Era, are very familiar with this set of values—it's the business-plundering ideology that's packaged as freedom and democracy.

"After experiencing the Great Rift Valley, freedom and democracy were things that everyone aspired to.