The Federation had fully considered the possibility of Insect Race retaliation and naturally reinforced the relevant defenses, especially in the direction of the Millstone Galaxy.
Unfortunately, the Insect Race's desire for revenge was simply too strong. The high-intensity war lasted nearly two years. Fortunately, the target was the Millstone Galaxy, which had sufficient psychological preparation, personnel reserves, and material stockpiles.
If the attacks of those two years had fallen on any other galaxy, the Insect Race would have won a crushing victory long ago.
But a year earlier, centered on the Millstone Galaxy, the Insect Race launched a comprehensive large-scale offensive across a long border spanning more than ten galaxies. For a time, the Federation was forced back step by step and lost several galaxies in succession.
The Millstone Galaxy had originally been a salient of the Human Federation. Now, it had practically become an isolated enclave behind enemy lines. This was absolutely intolerable to the Federation; it had to reopen contact with the Millstone Galaxy.
The Federation made up its mind to break through the blockade at any cost. But since the Insect Race had launched a full-scale offensive, it naturally had corresponding war plans—namely, to do everything possible to prevent the Federation's rescue efforts.
Because the Federation was so eager to provide relief, weak points emerged in its troop deployments, allowing the Insect Race to launch surprise attacks and seize several fortresses in a row.
The Federation had no choice but to draw reservists from nearby galaxies to fill the gaps. After several bloody battles, it ultimately recaptured some territory, but its strength was badly depleted. It could only halt its counterattack to reorganize its forces and, in the short term, lost the ability to launch a full offensive.
However, after this defeat, the Federation also learned from