Formation
Internal conflicts exist within most intelligent races. However, when faced with external pressure, most races will set aside their differences and unite as one.
Within the Coalition Army, the Telo Race displayed remarkable unity. Even Wheeler, who had conflicts with the Coalition Army commander and was being targeted, did not publicly humiliate him.
Therefore, the seemingly monolithic Telo army provided strong support to the Coalition Army Commander. Other races, regardless of their reasons, did not show any obvious disobedience.
Of course, there are exceptions, such as certain people who have given up and choose to avoid conflict.
But now, the supporters of the Coalition Army Commander have been decimated. This won't necessarily incite other members to seize power, since the Telo Civilization still exists.
But on this battlefield today, if he doesn't do something, the credibility of the Coalition Army Commander will definitely plummet. They may not openly oppose him, but they will certainly have their own thoughts of opposition.
After all, the commander of the Coalition Army was so "ruthless" that he could even command his own loyal troops in such a sorry state. How could anyone else dare to entrust their lives entirely to him?
The Coalition Army Commander-in-Chief himself understood this, so he was somewhat exasperated and had to save face.
"Damn it, what are the flanking units doing?! Push forward! And what are the units on both flanks doing?! The Zerg have stopped firing their Electromagnetic Cannon, and you're still slowly advancing with your Repulsion Field?"
The Coalition Army commander was furious, unleashing a torrent of abuse over the communications channel in an attempt to gain some leverage through sheer force.
--
"Your Majesty, the Coalition Army's flanks have accelerated."
"Let our flanks press forward and stop them! Let their central force in!"
"Yes, sir!"
Under pressure from the Coalition Army Commander, before the fifth round of fire exchange, the flank units of the Sharp Blade Division had already moved up and drawn some of the fire.
The multinational forces on both flanks of the Coalition Army also closed their Repulsion Field, redirecting energy back to the engines, resulting in a significant increase in fleet speed. Furthermore, the warships' weapon systems began charging.
On their opposite side, the Swarm took the initiative to block their path. Both sides quickly entered their respective firing ranges, and needless to say, countless energy beams flew towards each other.
With the entire front stretching over tens of millions of kilometers engaged in combat, the pressure on the Coalition Army's central command, especially the Sharp Blade Division, has been greatly reduced. However, their current situation remains extremely critical.
The intense battle lines temporarily fixed the formations of both sides, with the Coalition Army forming a convex shape and the Swarm a concave shape. The original plan was for the central army to break through the concave shape, allowing them to withdraw from the battlefield to regroup, while the rear army would take their place and infiltrate to coordinate with the flanks to encircle and annihilate the Zerg army.
The current situation is that, as soon as the battle began, the tip of the central army's sword was damaged and dulled, making it impossible to quickly complete the mission of penetration.
The Coalition Army commanders, including those from various ethnic groups, had never experienced a battle of this scale before. They wanted to make some changes, but they didn't know where to begin.
Without receiving new orders, the Coalition Army could only continue to execute the established plan. The follow-up troops of the central army moved forward to replace the Sharp Blade Division, and the damaged warships were either towed or moved to the middle of the fleet for emergency repairs.
The elite of the Central Army lived up to its reputation. Their ships, which were much larger than those of other mutual aid teams, had more systematic and superior energy systems, and their larger caliber and greater number of guns made their firepower even more powerful.
Under the barrage of artillery fire, the Zerg forces, with little room to maneuver, were momentarily demoralized. After several more rounds of exchange of fire, the area in front of the central army was cleared, and the surrounding Zerg forces hesitated to advance, unwilling to fill the gaps.
The commander of the vanguard was overjoyed at the sight of this situation; their mission was to break through the Zerg's lines.
"It seems the Zerg only used their initial three moves, taking advantage of their terrain to catch us off guard. And now, not long after, they're already exhausted."
"The sir is right!"
"Pass down the order: launch a full-scale assault according to the established plan!"
The forward commander, being on the battlefield, could not have a comprehensive view of the entire situation. In his area, he believed the Coalition Army had gained the upper hand. And since no new orders had been received, he naturally proceeded according to the original plan.
The ion beams emitted by the warship's engines became stronger, and the increased energy supply boosted the warship's speed. The vanguard accelerated to occupy the vacuum zone ahead, while continuing to suppress the surrounding Zerg forces with firepower.
However, the commander of the vanguard made some misjudgments about the situation, because not all areas along the entire battlefront, which spanned millions of kilometers, had warships as advanced as the vanguard's.
The Coalition Army's best warships were mostly concentrated in the vanguard and rearguard. The vanguard was responsible for breaking through defenses, while the rearguard was responsible for covering positions. To break through and maintain the U-shaped formation, they needed to face pressure from both sides simultaneously, so their equipment naturally had to be more powerful.
The Coalition Army forces on the flanks were an even more complex motley crew, composed of fleets from more than a dozen civilizations with varying levels of technology, army sizes, and command structures, making coordination extremely difficult.
If it's a winning game, there shouldn't be much of a problem, but once it gets into a stalemate, many weaknesses will be exposed.
Although the Meto Civilization is similar to the Duoqi Civilization and has been a member of the Star Sea Alliance for less than ten thousand years, it is considered one of the weakest forces not only within the Star Sea Alliance but also within the Locke Mutual Aid Society.
However, because their territory bordered the Swarm, and due to the technical support from other members during the preparation phase, their warships comprised about half of the diverse fleet on the left flank, numbering nearly ten million.
Because of their large number of troops and their high proportion of troops, they were able to obtain the command positions on the flanks.
"Push forward!" Commander Meto roared. Compared to the central route, the warships on both sides were at a disadvantage in terms of both numbers and firepower.
In contrast to their mixed forces, the Zerg were a perfectly standardized unit. Against opponents of similar skill levels, their superior discipline and coordination caused the Coalition Army on both flanks to suffer repeated defeats. This infuriated the officer in charge, Meto frequently shouted curses.
"Sir, our clan's warships have suffered too many losses. If this continues, even if we win this battle, we'll be crippled," his Adjutant whispered.
"Damn it! These bastards! Tell them to guard their own territory!" Commander Meto was also somewhat helpless; their race was considered the weakest in the Mutual Aid Association.
In the army on this side, any random ally would be of higher rank than them. The Telo Civilization commander in the middle can achieve absolute obedience through racial advantages.
However, his orders only carried weight within his own race's forces; his other allies were somewhat disobedient. Therefore, in order not to miss opportunities, many dangerous areas had to be handled by their own troops.