Attack

"It's too late to leave now. That opening is too small. The Zerg can close it at any time. If they leave one half behind and then chase after the other half, we'll be completely finished."

The frontline commander said the pot was too heavy and difficult for one person to carry, so he summoned some key generals to discuss countermeasures and, incidentally, divide the pot among themselves.

"That's right, we can't retreat. And we shouldn't retreat any further now. We need to conserve our energy and prepare for the big battle."

"Our advantage now is that our formation is intact; we must not cripple ourselves."

"But headquarters said the Zerg reinforcements haven't stopped. If this drags on, it's just a slow death."

"Yes, at this rate, we might not be able to last eight months."

"No!" A strategist suddenly shook his head and said, "Time isn't calculated like that! The Zerg don't have that much time to besiege us. They have to retreat before our reinforcements arrive. Unless they are confident that they can completely annihilate us before then, they need to allow time to withdraw from the battlefield. But with our strength, the Zerg have no chance of annihilating us within eight months."

"That makes sense. To break free from the entangled battle and allow time for retreat into warp space, it would take at least three months. In other words, we only need to hold them off for five months, and they will retreat on their own?"

"Not necessarily. All your calculations are based on the assumption that the Zerg will retreat. What if the Zerg intend to wipe us out along with their reinforcements?"

"You mean, this is a trap? There are more Zerg troops hidden around, and they want to lure reinforcements here, then ambush them?"

The Yuntu Clan strategist who had spoken earlier shook his head and said, "Although the Zerg cleared out the surveillance equipment in this area before, the Coalition Army have recently replenished their forces. Under these circumstances, even if the Zerg have hidden troops, they won't have many."

"That makes sense. Given the current numbers of our forces, it's unlikely we can hide a single, decisive force. The Zerg's available forces are indeed limited to what they're currently using. But even with their current strength, it's difficult for them to defeat us, let alone with reinforcements."

"That's right, the Zerg currently only have this many troops, insufficient to complete the plan of besieging the stronghold and intercepting reinforcements. But don't forget, the Zerg's reinforcements are endless!" the staff officer said with a grave expression.

"Their current troop strength is insufficient, but that doesn't mean it won't be sufficient eight months from now. Take our side as an example. Four months ago, the Zerg had around 100 million troops here. Now, according to the latest intelligence, their numbers are at least 200 million. They've added 100 million troops in four months. At this rate, they'll need another 200 million in eight months. That's a total of 400 million troops gathered here. How many reinforcements do we have?"

The strategist paused for a moment before continuing, "I did some research beforehand. There are a total of seven support forces: three on our side and four on the Sangqie Clan's side. How many troops do our three forces have? Only a little over 100 million in total. And that's just the total number; they didn't arrive together, but rather in three separate groups, arriving gradually over a period of more than a year. So, do you all think that a Zerg of 400 million can devour us first, and then devour these reinforcements?"

The numerous commanders and staff officers quickly processed these data in their minds and swiftly reached a consensus. The staff officer who spoke earlier was right; if they were in the Zerg, they would likely choose the same option.

"So what do we do now? Retreating is not an option, and defending is not an option either?"

"It's simple. Since neither of the two options works, we have no choice but to attack!" The fleet commander, who had been idling since the opening remarks, suddenly interjected. He had already anticipated what the staff officer had said, and he had already made up his mind when the pot arrived.

Before this, if he had suggested launching a preemptive attack on the Zerg, he would have faced fierce opposition. Although he was the fleet commander, he could not ignore the opinions of the crowd. However, now that everyone had discussed the matter and rejected the other two options, it was the perfect time for him to make his decision.

"This is not right..." Several Yuntu Clan were about to speak up to dissuade them, but they found no reason to do so. Now, retreating or defending was a dead end, while the seemingly strategic attack contained a glimmer of hope.

The Zerg currently have only 200 million troops, while the Yuntu Clan have more than 50 million warships, a force ratio of about 1 to 4. Although the difference is quite large, considering the size of individual ships, the number of main and secondary guns, and technological advantages, this ratio is not impossible to win.

While this is roughly equivalent to waiting eight months, 50 million Yuntu Warship, and 50 million Tier 1 technology reinforcements to fight against 400 million Zerg troops, considering the constraints of command and coordination between different races, as well as other factors such as whether non-fellow races can give their all, the odds of winning now are much higher than before.

After a moment's thought, everyone realized that this was indeed the best option available at the moment.

"Then, let's vote." Seeing everyone's expressions, the fleet commander-in-chief said in a deep voice.

The Swarm didn't have many Intellect within the Yuntu Clan fleet, and unfortunately, none of them were able to attend this high-level meeting. Therefore, the Swarm didn't receive the news that the Yuntu Clan were planning to launch a preemptive attack until the order was relayed to the next level of command.

"Your Majesty, it seems the Yuntu Clan has found the key to breaking the deadlock."

"It's alright, this was expected. It's just that they dragged it out until now before deciding to go all in. They deserve a bad review for that."

"Your Majesty, how should we respond?"

"Since they want to fight, we will naturally comply. However, although the Yuntu Clan is somewhat indecisive in its decision-making, we must still respect their strength. Order all the Blade and Knight, and also deploy all the Queen Bees within our authority, to participate in this war. We must focus on the details, eliminating the enemy while minimizing our own losses."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As the Blade receded, Sarah squinted at the void. The Overlord had relinquished control of this war, and she was determined not to disappoint him.

Fortunately, everything is proceeding according to the Swarm's script, and even more smoothly than expected. The Coalition Army's strongest forces are surrounded, while the other forces are either turning back or advancing at a snail's pace using Sub-light Engine.

The tactical objective of delaying the enemy has been largely achieved. Now, the task is to find a way to weaken the Zerg forces as much as possible before Coalition Army reach the Swarm territory.

This war with the Yuntu Clan presents a good opportunity.