Chapter 1010: R-1 submission
"...The planet R-1 has been fully subdued."
"Excuse me?!" Caesar stopped reading the scroll and turned toward Theo, bewildered and unable to believe what he was hearing. "What do you mean it's been fully subdued?"
The situation on planet R-1 was undoubtedly dire. The Serpent Empire had two thorns in its side: the first was Planet Gudah, also known as R-4, which was challenging due to the planet's unique conditions and the presence of a arrogant Beast like Devos The Transcendent, making any movement there extremely difficult.
The second, R-1, was even worse due to its strong popular resistance. The locals were deeply attached to several strict laws, reproduced rapidly, and were notoriously difficult to contain. According to intelligence, Theo had gathered from prisoners, if not for the planet's production of a rare ore, the Empire would have abandoned it long ago!
Alexander's poor position there was expected. That he was even holding his ground and defending was an achievement in itself. Caesar had been keeping up with his news, having heard about the arrival of Aru and nine priests as reinforcements but dismissing it with skepticism. Up until this moment, Caesar had been waiting for the soldiers to rest briefly before dispatching reinforcements. He had planned to send Greenland's entire army and half the warlords to support Alexander.
The other generals also paused what they were doing, staring at Theo in surprise. Robin, however, did not share their astonishment. Instead, a wide, excited smile spread across his face.
Theo glanced around. "That's what happened. After Aru and the nine priests arrived on R-1, they rejected Alexander's measures and advanced directly toward the enemies. They then reappeared not much longer- this time with the leader of the local resistance by their side. They surrendered willingly with a smile on their face!"
"...Huh?!" Caesar's astonishment grew severalfold.
"Hahaha!" Robin began clapping enthusiastically. "That's Aru for you! He never ceases to amaze me!"
"...Father, do you know something about what's going on?" Caesar turned to Robin with a serious expression. From his perspective, there was no option on R-1 other than a purely military solution. The idea of the locals surrendering while still at full strength had never crossed his mind.
"Haha... heh~" Robin stopped laughing heartily and wiped a tear from his eye. "No, no, I don't know what happened. I wasn't even the one who sent Aru there. But a feat like this? Only he could pull it off."
"What kind of feat, Your Excellency? Does he have some kind of magic? But why didn't Supreme General Sakaar mention anything like this during his war against him?" General Victoria voiced the question that everyone was pondering.
"Oh, he was doing his own piece when fighting against Sakaar alright, just somewhere else~ Some people fight their battles here first." Robin tapped his head a few times. "Not everything has to be solved with brute force. Why resort to all-out war against a group of locals if you can find something to entice them into accepting your presence?"
"I'm sure General Alexander must have tried that approach. Any of us would have." General Martin still didn't seem convinced either.
Robin shook his head, "Think about it. Aru managed to convince dozens of races to make him their leader, even though they were all stuck at level 40 and could have banded together to kill him. He persuaded tribal chiefs to launch the five waves of soldiers against Sakkar that wiped out half their army, then convinced them to support him in the internal sacrificial wars that eliminated the rest. Some of them even willingly sacrificed their entire race after his persuasion. He also managed to convince a large number of his world's locals to stay in their cities and act as bait for warships so he could smuggle out his tribe."
"Are you trying to portray him as the number one negotiator under the heavens, Father? You've subdued many through negotiation before, but you always established a position of military dominance first. Aru, on the other hand, went to them when we were at a disadvantage, or at best, an equal footing. How did he do it?" Caesar laughed sarcastically. "That bullhead definitely didn't use sweet talk alone. Who knows what he did behind closed doors with the leader of the locals?"
"Who cares what he did? Isn't the result what matters? Whatever he did, as long as it worked, I support it." Robin waved dismissively. "Finding the right approach to the person in front of you is the art of negotiation itself."
Robin then raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the ceiling. "Come to think of it, if Aru hadn't surrendered on that mountain peak and completely submitted his fate to me, he wouldn't have attained his current ending. He said he wanted to die, but he ended up securing a promise to become a governor. If he truly wanted to die, wouldn't he have tried to escape or attack me? If he had, I would have killed him no matter what... huh~ I guess I was one of his victims in a way."
Generals Kassia and Victoria exchanged glances and chuckled lightly. His Excellency spoke of being deceived, but he was undoubtedly pleased. This was reassuring- it showed that he genuinely enjoyed seeing his followers grow stronger.
"..." Caesar, however, didn't seem impressed. Instead, his gaze toward Aru became more cautious. Whatever Aru had done there, it was definitely not something Caesar would approve
of.
"In any case, what's the current situation on R-1?" Robin waved and asked Theo with a smile. One of his major concerns had resolved itself, so why not celebrate?
Theo responded promptly, "Aru left the planet after the announcement, along with the nine priests. Governor Alexander is now negotiating with the local leader over the details of coexistence. The negotiations have been bumpy from the start, but they're ongoing. The governor hasn't ordered the army to withdraw or the formations to be dismantled; everything is still in place. The atmosphere is somewhat tense, but all fighting has completely stopped."
Caesar nodded in approval. That was exactly what he expected from the first general in his army, he had to stay alert.
"Oh? A retreat that quick and smooth? That Aru is truly no simple man." Robin tapped his chin a few times. That horned young man must have been laughing in secret as he left, thinking: I've handed you the thread. Let's see if you can pull it.
"...Send Old Gu to take over the negotiations from Alexander. That old man also has his ways. And also..." Robin patted his chin a few more times. "How are our dealings with Planet
Gudah?"
The sudden shift surprised Theo, but he answered nonetheless. "They're going fairly well. They're buying large quantities of food from us in exchange for elemental gems of ice and fire types. They're also purchasing body heat regulation bracelets. However, the design of formations for them is currently on hold due to ongoing wars, and they understand this."
"A good relationship then. Excellent." Robin nodded a few times and snapped his fingers. "I want you to invite King Volp and King Shamshon and send them along with old man Gu."