The three sub-fleets each consisted of two hundred warships, with their core comprising five Battleships and fifteen Heavy Cruisers. Forty Light Cruisers provided auxiliary firepower, while fifty Destroyers and ninety Corvettes served as mobile screens.
Truth be told, the three commanders who graduated alongside Li Yali hadn't demonstrated any outstanding leadership abilities over the past decade—they merely met the minimum qualifications for their positions.
Unfortunately, although Liu Hai now had the capability to cultivate Clone Soldier commanders, he couldn't openly deploy them, forcing him to make do with these subpar options.
Bai Wenting, Wu Shanzheng, and Wang Haiyang—these were their names. True to their names, Bai Wenting excelled in interpersonal relations and stood out in administrative management.
Wu Shanzheng was physically imposing and taciturn, but his tactical thinking shone in commanding small fleet engagements, often employing unorthodox yet effective strategies.
Wang Haiyang was the most interesting of the trio—a jack-of-all-trades. His logistical prowess rivaled even Igor's, though his command skills were merely average by military academy standards, better suited for defense than offense.
In this glittering era of interstellar warfare, most commanders were aggressive by nature—what some might call hawks.
The minority who lacked offensive aptitude typically specialized in logistics or defense, usually ending up as garrison commanders stationed at fixed locations.
Yet Wang Haiyang defied convention—he loathed staying put to await enemies, preferring instead to roam the stars adventurously. Few could match such a contradiction between capability and preference.
Now Liu Hai pondered how to deploy them. The fleet had expanded to one hundred Battleships, three hundred Heavy Cruisers, four hundred Light Cruisers, five hundred Destroyers, and seven hundred Corvettes.
The three sub-fleets would take six hundred warships, mostly Corvettes and Destroyers with few capital ships. Li Yali couldn't effectively command too many Corvettes either, so she claimed most of the capital ships.
The Broli Star System would naturally be the focal point of defense, but surrounding star systems within their sphere of influence couldn't be neglected—they required regular patrols and reconnaissance by sub-fleets.
After consultations between Liu Hai and the four commanders, Wang Haiyang's Third Sub-Fleet would patrol neighboring star systems and deploy surveillance networks.
Bai Wenting's Second Sub-Fleet would secure safe transit routes through relevant Star Regions while installing defensive installations.
Wu Shanzheng would primarily operate alongside Li Yali, focusing on exploration missions.
Liu Hai personally oversaw construction of the Broli Star System's Stellar System Defense System. With intelligent AIs derived from the Intelligent Nexus, this posed little difficulty—just a matter of sustained infrastructure development.
With fleet matters settled, the administrative framework of Starsea Territory took shape. A mere five hundred administrators coordinated affairs across dozens of light-years—a workload only manageable with AI assistance and enhanced cognitive processing.
As personnel from various departments arrived, the Broli Star System buzzed with activity. Though the hastily constructed space station could accommodate tens of thousands, workspace allocations became severely constrained.
Therefore, Liu Hai built another city on a cleared planet, with the vast majority of the area allocated to research departments. Other departments only needed recreational and accommodation facilities connected to the Star Sea Group network, without requiring specially designated office spaces.
The new city was constructed rapidly, as resources were abundant and factories were scattered across the planet. Although relevant materials and components had to be newly manufactured, the Federation had ready-made Pioneer Base templates available for purchase, which included all related material processing techniques, basic equipment manufacturing methods, and modular design blueprints.
Liu Hai mobilized tens of thousands of Engineering Robots and completed the research center in just half a month. Another month was spent installing the scientific equipment and interior furnishings shipped from the Gemini Star Region.
Tens of thousands of employees happily moved in. Upon arrival, most researchers didn't immediately familiarize themselves with the equipment but instead began studying theoretical knowledge below fifth-tier civilization standards before gradually transitioning into research while continuing their education.
For at least the next decade, Liu Hai had no expectations of groundbreaking discoveries from this research base. The existing theoretical framework simply didn't support in-depth research, so the current phase was primarily about learning, verifying knowledge, and conducting incidental studies.
While Liu Hai was busy establishing the framework of his domain, the Katon Civilization suddenly became active after nearly six years of preparation.
In the central region of the Hera Star System, tens of thousands of Katon Exploration Fleets appeared across various star regions. However, they did not directly engage in major conflicts with the Federation, instead behaving more like pre-war reconnaissance operations.
The Pioneers, anticipating this, were undeterred—ready to fight whenever provoked. Many set traps based on the Katon Fleet's movement patterns, and a few even succeeded in capturing these elusive scouts.
After repeated fierce battles, most Pioneers earned substantial merit points, sparking envy among others.
Unfortunately, once these incidents occurred, the Katon Fleet grew more cautious, and reports of them falling into traps became rare, much to the disappointment of eager Pioneers.
October 12, 5030, Federation Pioneer Era.
Unbeknownst to him, Liu Hai realized he had already spent ten years in this interstellar age—and now faced the looming threat of a civilization-scale war.
Today, the Katon Civilization's Exploration Fleet launched a full-scale assault on the outer star territory bases established by the Pioneers, deploying a total force of 112 legions.
For reasons unknown—perhaps due to prior provocations—the Stardust Star Region became a primary target, with four legions focusing their attack. The Katon Fleet, relying on the Energy Cannons of over a dozen Fortresses, obliterated the outer defenses with overwhelming force.
Though Xue Jia and the Pioneers' fleets had long anticipated this scenario, witnessing it firsthand still left them deeply unsettled.
The communication channels were as noisy as a marketplace, with Pioneers reporting their discoveries one after another and calling for reinforcements. Their fleets, primarily composed of Battleships, were no match for the fortress cannons—like adults beating children, each shot took out a ship. Within three light-minutes, there was no chance to escape.
The somewhat good news was that in preparation for the arrival of the Katon Fleet, Xue Jia and the Pioneers had invested heavily in the Stardust Star Region, including numerous defensive weapons provided by various families. For now, they weren't at risk of being overrun.
However, as the intensity of the war escalated, both fleets grew increasingly furious. The Pioneers, in particular, lacked sufficient Armament, leading to a flurry of purchase requests sent to the military.