"According to reliable intelligence, the Fifth Army of the Iridescent Light Empire, known as the ' Iron Army,' is planning a large-scale counter-offensive. I have already mobilized troops to set up defenses. Thousand Leaves Planet is an important strategic support point in the rear and cannot be lost. You need to defend this place well, understand?"
As Sergei's words were spoken, the faces of the high-ranking Lion Fleet all lit up with joy.
What a fancy name for a vital strategic support point in the rear! It's just a base in charge of logistics, isn't it?
Managing logistics is great! Our Lion Fleet loves managing logistics!
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief! Rest assured, the Lion Fleet will complete the mission to the death!" Sorens ' voice had never sounded so powerful and resolute. His imposing aura was so overwhelming that anyone who didn't know him would really think he was a fierce and ruthless general.
"Alright, I'll keep an eye on you!" Sergei patted Sorens on the shoulder with satisfaction, left these words with a meaningful tone, and then the projection turned into a beam of blue light and disappeared.
After the commander-in-chief left, the conference room erupted in excitement.
"Haha, this is fantastic! The Commander-in-Chief has actually put our Lion Fleet in charge of logistics. This is a golden opportunity to reap the benefits!"
"Isn't that right? I'll contact my old partners right now; military supplies are hot commodities on the black market..."
The fleet's high command was beaming with joy and buzzing with discussion, while Sorens frowned.
"Cough cough~!!"
The scene fell silent for a moment.
When they saw Sorens glance at Gustavo beside him, the shrewd high-ranking officers of the fleet immediately began to shower Gustavo with praise.
Clearly, they attributed the credit for Gustavo's success in securing the logistics position, and were even more curious about his identity.
This must be a very high position for General Sergei, the Commander-in-Chief of the Second Army Group, to specifically assign such a lucrative post to the Lion Fleet...
In any case, the Lion Fleet is determined to cling to this powerful backer!
Sorens and the others were unaware that the powerful figure they were praising was actually thorny!
Iridescent Light Empire, Fifth Army.
Commander Mingke du Sylvie is holding a war council meeting with a serious expression on his face.
This renowned general of the Iridescent Light Empire, a rare example of an incorruptible general, slowly placed his finger on a certain spot on the star map.
Thousand Leaves Planet!
"Gentlemen, Sergei, that old fellow, is best at frontal defensive battles. We can't fight him head-on; we must use a surprise attack."
"Our Fifth Army is known as the Iron Army. Its greatest advantage lies in being equipped with the Empire's most advanced ' Wolf King Assault Ship,' which boast top-notch speed and firepower, and far surpass the Saila People's ' Iron Wall Battleship ' in maneuverability."
"The essence of war lies in avoiding the enemy's strengths and attacking their weaknesses, using one's own strengths to confront the enemy's weaknesses."
"Therefore, after discussions with the General Staff, I ordered..."
"The 11th, 13th, and 15th Fleets are responsible for the frontal attack. They will use the illusion devices recently developed by the Academy of Sciences to create a maze to deceive the Saila People, making them believe that the majority of our main force is deployed on the frontal battlefield."
"Fleets 9, 10, 12, and 14 are responsible for attacking the right flank. Remember, don't launch an overly aggressive attack at the beginning. Wait for my order before going all out!"
"The 17th and 18th Fleets are responsible for the left flank. Utilize your defensive strengths and just make sure the lines aren't breached!"
"Squadrons 7, 8, and 16, I am entrusting you with all of our most heavily armed Wolf King Assault Ship. Your mission is to conduct a deep flanking maneuver, launching a fierce attack on the enemy's weak rear while their main force is pressing forward, thus creating a pincer attack with the main force!"
"All combat missions have been issued, is that clear?!" General Mingke's piercing gaze swept across the ranks, and all the officers stood at attention, forming a neat line. "We swear to defend our motherland to the death!"
The war broke out in the early morning of the third day after the Lion Fleet arrived at Thousand Leaves Planet.
The Fifth Army of the Iridescent Light Empire, under the command of General Mingke, advanced in three columns with unstoppable momentum.
The central armies of both sides clashed first.
After a brief period of charging, both sides launched the first round of beyond-visual-range attacks. Energy beams rained down like stars in the dark space, illuminating large areas with a magnificent brightness, as if day had arrived.
With no one able to see anyone else, the distant beam of light, like a belated messenger of death, brought a radiance symbolizing Destruction.
The shield generator operated at full power, producing plasma shields that glowed with blue or green light. From a distance, they looked like luminous spheres. Energy beams from afar struck the shields, splashing up streams of particles, creating a spectacular sight like solar prominences ejected from a star.
After about half a day of fighting, both sides suffered losses, and the battlefield situation reached a stalemate for a time.
Sergei, who was standing with his hands behind his back observing the complex situation on the battlefield, frowned slightly and turned around. The excited leader of the intelligence department, nicknamed Flying Fox, Kuluoduo, walked over quickly.
"What kind of behavior is this, all this panic?" General Sergei reprimanded.
Kuluoduo, completely ignoring his superior's tone, excitedly reported, "Commander-in-Chief, great news! Our intelligence department has just detected the location of the enemy general Mingke's flagship!"
In the vast cosmic battlefield, the form of warfare has, to some extent, reverted to an ancient version, with Mist shrouding both sides and greatly reducing the transparency of the battlefield.
To ascertain the true situation, it is necessary to conduct repeated probing attacks. Based on the intensity of the war in each region, the enemy's defense situation, and various intelligence, including that of prisoners, the location of the enemy's command post must be calculated.
Although the detector has a very large coverage area, normally all fleets would install counter-detection devices.
Similar to the stealth fighter coatings used in the early days of technological civilization, which absorb radar waves, detection devices are often ineffective.
In such a situation, discovering the enemy's flagship location would be a very favorable development for the war effort.
If a surprise swarm attack is launched, and the enemy's flagship is destroyed in one fell swoop with a beyond-visual-range strike, the enemy may be left leaderless.
Therefore, flagships are generally well hidden, doing everything they can to prevent the enemy from discovering their location.
Sergei certainly knew General Mingke of the Iridescent Light Empire; he was a shrewd and formidable opponent. Would he make such a basic mistake—revealing the flagship's location?
The suspicious Sergei's first thought was disbelief, but after Kuluoduo explained it to him with certainty and confirmed that the information was more than 90% accurate, Sergei's belief wavered!
The enemy has revealed a weakness; this is an excellent opportunity to attack!
You absolutely cannot miss this opportunity, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life.
If they can win a battle and annihilate or cripple the Iridescent Light Empire's Iron Army Fifth Army, not only will their own rank likely rise again, but the Empire's conquest plan against the Vist People will also take a giant leap forward.
With this thought in mind, General Sergei no longer hesitated and gave the order for the central army to move forward.
Energy cannons have a long range because of the low resistance in the vacuum of space, but this does not mean that there is no energy decay.
The greater the distance, the weaker the impact of the energy cannon.
Closing the distance is to increase power.
Of course, correspondingly, if the other person hits you, it will also hurt more.
Clearly, General Sergei was prepared to take the risk of a fatal blow and eliminate General Mingke.
On the battlefield, when decisiveness is required, there should be no hesitation.
Go-all is an art, especially in war. The battlefield situation is ever-changing, and trying to do everything at once may result in failing at everything!
But Sergei was, after all, a Unrivaled general with unparalleled experience. He ordered the central army to fully activate detection and jamming instruments during the advance, sparing no resources, to buy time for the entire army to advance and close the distance as much as possible before the enemy discovered them.
At the same time, he ordered that the intensity of the artillery fire be kept at a constant level to confuse the enemy, making them think that they were always firing energy beams within a fixed range, thus lowering their guard and making them unaware that Saila's fleet was advancing.
General Sergei issued the order for these shrewd arrangements almost without hesitation, demonstrating his superb tactical skills to the fullest.
Then, General Sergei focused his attention and carefully observed the movements of the Fifth Army of Iridescent Light. Like a tiger hiding in the grass, he stared intently at the deer in the forest with his fierce brown eyes, ready to pounce and bite the deer's throat at any moment!