"Who allowed you to speak out of turn!"
Reinhardt's face darkened abruptly as he glared fiercely at Raphael.
His tone was filled with authority and disdain.
"A man who isn't even from a Count family dares to speak recklessly before the Marshals?"
However, faced with Reinhardt's stern rebuke, the Marshals present seemed accustomed to it.
No one spoke up to intervene, nor did anyone show surprise.
In their eyes, Raphael was ultimately just a pawn pushed forward by Alvarez.
An officer not of Count family blood simply had no right to speak freely on such an occasion.
Even Alvarez, who had recommended Raphael, merely leaned back in his chair, watching coldly from the sidelines.
He showed no intention of defending Raphael, as if the one who had just spoken wasn't his own recommendation.
Yet, in the face of Reinhardt's reprimand, Raphael remained unperturbed.
He stood straight and composed, speaking calmly.
"Since I am here, I have the confidence to defeat Qin Bei Wang, recapture the four star systems including Tyrol, and even counterattack the Ten Stone Starfield!"
Upon hearing this, the Marshals present couldn't help but chuckle softly.
No one expected this young man, who wasn't even from a Count family, to remain so composed after being scolded by a top Marshal.
And even to make such bold claims.
Beside him, Alvarez watched Raphael's fearless demeanor.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
This was precisely the courage he wanted.
If he showed fear now, he would never be able to command the elite fleets dispatched by the various Count families in the future.
Ignoring the laughter around him, Raphael continued in a steady voice.
"I believe the core reason for the failure of the Stargate Project lies with Qin Bei Wang himself.
If he hadn't infiltrated the Bushman Star System and destroyed the Stargate,
our Stargate Project might not have failed!
As long as we can defeat him, the Federation Fleet will be nothing to fear."
"Oh?"
Reinhardt chuckled lightly, his tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"Then I wonder, what method do you have to defeat that Pluto Fleet, which loves to use meteorites as cannonballs, can create black holes, and moves like a ghost?"
As his words fell, the laughter in the conference room instantly ceased.
All eyes converged on Raphael.
Everyone wanted to hear how this tactical simulation genius, who had set a five-hundred-year record,
intended to deal with the now-famous Federation hero, Qin Bei Wang.
Raphael spoke slowly.
"Whether in the Battle of the Bushman System or the Savannah Star System campaign, Qin Bei Wang has mastered infiltration to perfection.
The border patrols and detection stations were like mere decorations before the Pluto Fleet, serving no purpose at all."
He then continued.
"Therefore, I plan to deploy a large number of military fortresses along the borders of the star systems, turning the frontier into an impenetrable steel wall.
The military fortresses will serve as watchtowers, while patrol teams operating at random intervals between them will act as the living walls connecting these watchtowers.
Any Federation Fleet attempting to breach that steel wall will be detected immediately."
The mobile fleet stationed at the military fortress would swiftly mobilize to eliminate any invading enemies.
And with such a Great Wall, we could easily set up two or three layers, forming a multi-layered defense in depth, completely cutting off any possibility of Federation Fleet infiltration."
The conference room fell silent as the Marshals pondered Raphael's defensive line concept.
Some nodded slightly, while others furrowed their brows.
The plan seemed sound, but it would consume enormous resources and hinge on whether the random scheduling of patrol teams could perfectly evade any vulnerabilities.
Yet at that moment, a mocking laugh suddenly erupted in the conference room.
Reinhardt leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with scorn.
"Do you know how vast the boundaries of a star system are?
And you want to deploy a large number of military fortresses along the borders? Do you have any idea how many resources that would consume?
It seems to me that your reputation as a tactical simulation genius is overrated. All talk, with no understanding of practical implementation!"
His words struck a chord, and the Marshals present grew visibly more concerned, nodding in agreement.
Everyone knew that even the edge of an elliptical star system spanned thousands of light-years in diameter.
Attempting to completely blockade such a vast distance with fortresses was clearly a fantasy.
The number of fortresses required would be in the trillions.
Whether in terms of resource consumption or construction timelines, it would be an unbearable burden for the Empire.
Faced with Reinhardt's mockery and the doubts of the others, Raphael remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.
He then slowly began to explain.
"The edges of a star system may seem boundless, but the number of navigation routes capable of supporting starship travel is actually limited.
We don't need to blockade the entire boundary—only the navigable routes. In that case, the number of fortresses required becomes entirely feasible."
Raphael walked slowly to the table and pressed a few keys.
The central screen lit up again, displaying a holographic star chart.
Raising his hand, Raphael pointed to the star system's navigation route map on the screen, his fingertip resting on the location of the Bushman Star System.
He continued.
"Take the Bushman Star System, for example. To fully control all navigable routes along its boundary, only three thousand fortresses would be sufficient.
Moreover, these fortresses wouldn't need extensive functions—just enough to allow a mother-class fleet to dock and resupply.
Equipped with a single, powerful fortress cannon, they could accomplish the blockade mission."
"Three thousand? And a mother-class fleet?"
As soon as Raphael finished speaking, exclamations erupted in the conference room, faces filled with disbelief.
This number far exceeded their expectations. Even for a single star system, it was enough to deter many families.
Before the others could recover from their shock, Reinhardt spoke again.
The mockery in his tone grew even sharper.
"Did your math teacher also coach sports?
Currently, we share borders with the Federation across five star systems.
Three thousand fortresses per system means fifteen thousand across five.
And if each fortress accommodates a mother-class fleet, that's fifteen thousand mother-class fleets."
He paused, deliberately slowing his pace to deliver an even more staggering figure.
"A single Sequence Fleet only has 336 mother-class fleets. Based on your requirements, we'd need at least 44 Sequence Fleets to meet the demand!"
"44 Sequence Fleets?"
These words struck like thunder. The attendees gasped, their shock instantly turning to grave concern.
The conference room immediately buzzed with hushed discussions, each person harboring their own thoughts.
"Forty-four Sequence Fleets, just to defend a single Opal Star Sector? The cost is far too great!"
A Marshal frowned and spoke in a low voice, his tone filled with hesitation.
Another person sighed in admiration.
"As expected of a tactical simulation genius—such a grand move right from the start.
If we could truly mobilize forty-four Sequence Fleets, not only would defending the Opal Star Sector be assured, but even pushing straight through the Federation's Ten Stone Starfield would be more than enough!"
However, more people wore troubled expressions, and one Marshal from the Leon Family spoke up directly.
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