'Leader'
The Galactic Empire's fleet immediately subjected Neimoidia to a brutal Orbital Bombardment. Even though most of the planet's population had already been evacuated, with most of those remaining sheltering in underground bunkers, the bombardment still caused the deaths of hundreds of millions!
Moreover, the Imperial fleet's continued blockade would condemn the remaining hundreds of millions to a miserable death without relief.
Immediately afterward, Darth Vader personally led Death Squadron and a massive Empire main fleet to encircle Balmorra, beginning their bombardment of the Planetary Shield.
However, while bombarding the Planetary Shield, Darth Vader discovered flashes of fire erupting across the planet from time to time. Scans revealed that the Neimoidians were systematically sabotaging Balmorra's industrial factories!
This greatly enraged Darth Vader. He ordered every warship, regardless of size, to bombard the Planetary Shield with full force!
Two days later, the Planetary Shield was breached. The Imperial fleet descended directly and carried out concentrated Orbital Bombardment on Balmorra's agricultural regions!
At the same time, large numbers of Galactic Empire Army troops set out aboard landing ships, airborne-dropping simultaneously into several major cities and industrial zones on Balmorra to launch a full-scale assault on the planet!
On Balmorra, countless battle droids had already been activated. Across formations stretching beyond sight, innumerable red indicator lights lit up at once.
Balmorra would resist to the end!
Tang Xiao naturally understood that his casual statement, "Resist for two months," and Nute Gunray's equally casual "All right," would result in the deaths of hundreds of millions, perhaps even more than a billion people. But at this moment, both he and Nute Gunray were merely weighing those billion-plus lives on a scale.
Nute Gunray did it for the survival of his species, the Trade Federation's continued existence, and his own future place in the Duchy