On the same day that the Aleman Empire attacked the Faklu Republic, the Panhua Empire, ranked second in the Galactic Mutual Assistance Alliance, declared war on all the nations of the Galactic Coalition of Intelligent Life.

The Panhua Empire sent 2 million warships to attack the nearby Samma Family Alliance. This alliance was made up of three powerful families. The country had a mix of semi-slavery and feudalism and controlled two star systems. The attack went well at first until the Fusan Empire sent 800,000 warships to secretly attack the Panhua Empire’s “Blackwater Corridor” and help the Samma Family Alliance.

The "Blackwater Corridor" was a narrow passage in space. It connected the Panhua Empire and the Samma Family Alliance. It had two openings, each 1 light-year wide. The corridor itself was only 0.2 light-years wide at its narrowest. This was because the Black Ming Star System, where the corridor was located, was a binary-core galaxy.

Most galaxies have only one core. Black Ming was different. It had two supermassive black holes. These black holes devoured stars and emitted powerful gamma-ray bursts. The gamma-ray bursts could kill all life within 300,000 light-years. No life existed in Black Ming. No nation could station troops there. The gamma-ray bursts could easily destroy shields on warships weaker than X-class battleships.

The Black Ming system was the only connection between the Panhua Empire and the Samma Family Alliance. Normally, both empires stationed troops at the openings of the Blackwater Corridor to prevent an invasion. The Samma Family Alliance used this strategy to resist the Panhua Empire.

The Panhua Empire lost 1.2 million warships trying to break through the corridor.

The remaining 800,000 warships were not enough to fight the 800,000 warships of the Fusan Empire and 650,000 warships of the Samma Family Alliance. The Panhua fleet was forced to retreat. By the time they returned to the Blackwater Corridor, only 400,000 warships remained.

The first attack failed. It caused heavy losses.

The people in the Panhua Empire were angry. They demanded a counterattack against the Fusan Empire for its surprise attack.

The Fusan Empire had once been a vassal of the Panhua Empire. When the Saxon Kingdom and the Faklu Republic formed the Galactic Coalition of Intelligent Life, the Fusan Empire secretly aligned with them. By the time the Fusan Empire joined the Coalition, the Panhua Empire could not stop them. The Panhua Empire was too weak to challenge the Coalition.

After joining the Coalition, the Fusan Empire received strong support. Its economy grew rapidly. By the time the first Galactic War began, the Fusan Empire was ranked sixth in the universe, behind only the Saxon Kingdom and the Faklu Republic.

The Galactic Coalition supported the Fusan Empire to weaken the Panhua Empire. The Fusan Empire was much closer to the Panhua Empire than the Saxon Kingdom or the Faklu Republic.

Even though the Fusan Empire’s strength had grown, it still showed respect for the Panhua Empire, its former suzerain. The two nations were on opposite sides, but their diplomatic relations were peaceful. There was no direct conflict between them.

The surprise attack on the Samma Family Alliance put the Panhua leadership in a difficult position. The people wanted to attack the Fusan Empire, but the leadership did not want to do that.

The Panhua Empire had a large population and many resources. However, it lacked three important strategic resources: “Xi,” “Fluorite,” and “Padra Crystals.” These resources were essential for military power. “Xi” provided energy for weapons. “Fluorite” generated anti-gravity fields, which were necessary for spaceships and buildings. “Padra Crystals” were the fuel for faster-than-light engines. Without them, civilizations could not travel faster than light.

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When intelligent beings first discovered the nuclear equation E=MC², they mistakenly thought that any mass could be turned into energy. Later, they learned that only certain reactions could release energy.

Nuclear energy can be released in two ways: fission and fusion. Fission happens when heavy atoms like uranium split into lighter ones, releasing energy. Fusion occurs when lighter atoms, like deuterium, combine into heavier ones, like helium, also releasing energy. Whether energy is released depends on whether the total mass of the products increases or decreases. If the mass increases, energy is absorbed. Not all materials can be used for energy production. Only a few materials, like uranium-235, plutonium-239, deuterium, and tritium, are useful for energy.

The Panhua Empire faced a serious problem. It controlled a vast amount of space but lacked the three key resources. The Panhua Empire joined the Galactic Mutual Assistance Alliance to gain access to resource-rich star systems. The empire did not need new markets because its population and industry could handle its needs.

The Fusan Empire also lacked these resources but had a strong military. The Panhua Empire did not want to waste its forces fighting the Fusan Empire. It decided to conquer other star systems that had the resources it needed.

The Panhua Empire sent 1 million warships to reinforce the Blackwater Corridor and 1.5 million warships to make it look like it was preparing to attack the Fusan Empire. But unexpectedly, the Panhua Empire sent a 5-million-ship fleet to attack the Yarama Federation, the only vassal of the Beiyute United States. In just two weeks, the Panhua Empire captured 17 star systems from the Yarama Federation.

The emperor of Aleman was unhappy when he learned of this. As the leader of the Galactic Mutual Assistance Alliance, Aleman had to declare war on the Beiyute United States and asked the Panhua Empire to help attack the Ross Empire.

The Panhua Empire had no choice. It needed resources and had to take them. The Yarama Federation was an easy target for three reasons: it was weak and could not build faster-than-light engines, it had rich deposits of “Xi” and “Padra Crystals,” and it was far from the Beiyute United States, making it difficult for them to provide assistance.

Although attacking the Yarama Federation would anger the Beiyute United States, the Panhua Empire’s economy was strong. With the resources it gained, the Panhua Empire was not afraid of the Beiyute United States.

The Beiyute United States was unique. It prioritized commercial interests above all. Its economy was powerful, but it only had 1 million warships. No one dared to attack it because of its economic strength and its close relationships with the Saxon Kingdom and the Faklu Republic.

The Panhua Empire believed that after conquering the Yarama Federation, it could use the resources to challenge the Beiyute United States. The 5-million-ship fleet was meant to prepare for a possible counterattack. The Panhua Empire calculated that the Beiyute United States would need three years to gather enough ships for a full-scale fight. During this time, the Panhua Empire could rebuild its fleet of 20 million warships.

The universe watched as the Panhua Empire easily conquered a resource-rich weak nation. This sparked the ambitions of other nations. Both the Galactic Coalition and the Galactic Mutual Assistance Alliance saw internal conflicts. Smaller, resource-rich nations were taken over by stronger powers. The Samma Family Alliance was destroyed by the Fusan Empire.

The leading nations of both alliances were too busy to intervene in these smaller matters. As long as nations did not betray their alliances, they turned a blind eye. In the galaxy, the strongest powers had the right to do as they pleased.

After capturing 17 star systems from the Yarama Federation, the Panhua Empire sent 3 million warships to the Ross Empire as part of its agreement with Aleman. After fierce fighting, the Panhua Empire lost 1 million warships, and the Ross Empire lost 1.1 million warships. The Ross Empire had to reduce its defenses. The Panhua Empire captured 11 star systems from the Ross Empire. These systems were barren, with few life-bearing planets, but they contained valuable Fluorite mines.

The Fusan Empire was the only other powerful nation near the Panhua Empire. Other nations were too weak to provide the resources the Panhua Empire needed, so it did not send forces to conquer them.

After the initial chaos, the war settled into a stalemate.

The Ross Empire rebuilt a fleet of 21 million warships. Twelve million were sent to fight Aleman, and 7 million were used to defend against the Panhua Empire. Despite the large size of the fleet, the Ross Empire’s elite forces had suffered heavy losses in the first wave of attacks, so the new fleet focused on defense.

Aleman also mobilized 25 million warships. Eight million were stationed at the Ross Empire, and 11 million were sent to fight in the Vanerthom Star System of the Faklu Republic. Neither side was able to destroy the other.

The Panhua Empire built a fleet of 27 million warships. Five million were sent to attack the Ross Empire, 4 million were used to defend against the Fusan Empire, and 15 million were dispatched to confront the Beiyute United States.