The Unavoidable Net of Encirclement

The current battlefield is incredibly strange.

Logically, dealing with Lin Fan's move wouldn't be difficult; there were several options available.

For example, they could reinforce the thickness of the central formation, concentrating the fleet's capital ships in the middle.

But the problem was, the entire Oakes rebel fleet only controlled two capital ships. The vast majority of their cruisers, destroyers, and frigates couldn't withstand the firepower of even a single capital ship, let alone fight back.

Another method was, if the central formation clearly couldn't withstand the enemy's assault, the fleet could proactively split to the left and right, then turn inwards towards each other. As the enemy fleet broke through the center, the flanking fleets would continuously adjust their bows, eventually biting into the rear of the attacking fleet.

There was a problem here too: the hastily assembled rebel fleet lacked efficient fleet coordination and any brilliant commanders.

So, if they were breached, would it be an irreversible situation?

Actually, no. There were still multiple ways to solve it.

A common method was for the fleet to accelerate forward. After breaking through one's formation, the enemy would need some time to turn and deploy in the rear.

However, if you made your entire fleet advance at full speed just as the enemy broke through, by the time they finished turning, you would already be out of their firing range.

But the rebels missed even this last opportunity because their commander was dead, along with those two battlecruisers.

However, Lin Fan stated that even if the commander hadn't died, it wouldn't have mattered. Lin Fan had left behind a significant number of space mines while simultaneously pushing forward.

So, the rebels currently faced a vast minefield ahead; those who tried to force their way through would lose at least half their warships.

The panicked and helpless rebels gave Lin Fan the time to execute a pincer movement, forming a small, semi-encirclement.

Although it was a semi-encirclement, the minefield in front prevented the rebel fleet from advancing, effectively turning the semi-encirclement into a full one.

The rebels were left with only two choices:

Surrender, or perform a slow,原地 turn to face the enemy.

But would these Oakes rebel fleets surrender? The commanders on board were all staunch loyalists of the First Prince, so surrender was clearly impossible.

That left only one option: to turn in place and face the enemy, at the cost of heavy casualties!

Upon seeing the rebels' choice, Lin Fan was amused.

For Lin Fan, he didn't want these rebels to surrender at all. Otherwise, how would he complete his mission? Wait a few years for a rematch? Or sneak out during a ceasefire to violate the agreement and fight a few battles?

Neither was feasible. Therefore, this rebel fleet was Lin Fan's last chance to complete his mission.

"Are the aircraft carriers in position?"

"15 seconds."

"Once in position, deploy all combat drones from both flanks, followed by all mechs!"

"Aircraft carriers in position, commencing drone deployment."

"Drone deployment complete, mech units commencing sortie!"

While warships were the natural predators of mechs and drones at a distance, this was only true if they were facing them. Otherwise, you could only wait to be engaged at close range before using your point-defense weapons.

And now, the Oakes rebel fleet faced a choice.

The fleet was nearly finished turning, and the 101st Task Force Fleet's aircraft carriers had deployed on the flanks of the encirclement, releasing all their drones and mechs.

Should they choose to turn again to attack the drones and mechs, or ignore them and continue their turn, attacking the warships in the rear?

The best approach would have been to deploy their own fighters to intercept the mechs and drones on the flanks.

But here was the problem: the rebels only had ten aircraft carriers to begin with. During the 101st Task Force Fleet's central breakthrough, two had been destroyed. Within minutes of turning, another five were lost, leaving only three.

Of course, no matter which choice the rebel fleet made, Lin Fan had a countermeasure.

However, the choice the rebels made the next moment could only be described by Lin Fan with two words.

Stupid.

Why stupid? Because the rebels released 30,000 fighters from their three aircraft carriers, splitting them into two waves to intercept the flanks.

The rebel fleet, having completed its turn, then formed an assault formation and charged towards the 101st Task Force Fleet's battlecruiser group.

It was clear how desperately they wanted to take down Lin Fan's flagship, even at the cost of their entire fleet.

"Heh, Commander Adams, it seems they're willing to be annihilated just to come after you. They're quite persistent!"

Lin Fan looked at the tactical display and muttered to himself with a smile.

"Clear the path in the middle for them, then have the flanking fleets converge in the center! Change our encirclement from a frontal semi-circle to a rear encirclement."

"Understood!"

Soon, a strange sight unfolded. In coordination with the rebel fleet's charge, the center of the 101st Task Force Fleet's encirclement suddenly retreated to the sides, while the fleets that were originally on the flanks moved towards the center and connected.

Thus, what was initially a frontal semi-circular encirclement transformed into a U-shaped pursuit circle from the rear.

Even the rebels were somewhat bewildered. They had just made a charge and even torn through a part of the encirclement.

How, without them even realizing it, had a U-shaped encirclement suddenly formed on their flanks and rear?

This made no sense.

With only a few dozen ships remaining, most of them damaged, and now being semi-encircled again, they had no chance left.

Whether they wanted to escape or make another attempt to hunt down Lin Fan's flagship, the opportunity was gone.

Ten minutes later, with the last rebel frigate blown to pieces, the battle officially concluded!

"Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Destroying 500 Oakes civilization warships, reward obtained: Energy Shield Technology."

Phew, I finally finished.

With this technology, I'll have a much better chance of counterattacking in a few years.

"Adjutant, order the fleet to clear the battlefield and search for our personnel's remains! As for the battle damage data, report it to me after you've compiled it!"

"Understood!"

While the battlefield was being cleared, Lin Fan opened the communication channel in the lounge.

"Commander Adams, we're done here. Do you need us to escort you back, or will your people arrange a ship to pick you up?"

"No need for the trouble, the ship coming for me has already departed."

"Alright, then suit yourself. I'll have the fleet clear the way!"

"Thank you very much!"

There wasn't much more to say between them, as both understood that once the Ninth Prince was returned in a few years, the conflict wouldn't end without completely eliminating the other side.

"Commander, the preliminary battle damage report is out!"

"Read it!"

"In this battle, we annihilated a total of 348 enemy warships. Our fleet losses include 2 cruisers, 5 destroyers, and 11 frigates! Mech losses are 2,184 units! Initial personnel casualties are estimated at around 5,000, with the exact figures depending on how many can be recovered by the mechs."

Eighteen warships, 5,000 casualties! I still have a long way to go.

In the spacious bridge, Lin Fan's sigh echoed!