Operation Plan

Molten Heart continued speaking:

"The population of the orcs on Water Chestnut Island is indeed only thirty million."

"But the orc army is very large, with a regular army of over a million, and they can mobilize twice that number of reserves."

"The Plundering Clock also used ' Ash Combustion Agent,' increasing its combat power by sacrificing the lifespan of living beings."

"In addition to these, there are brainwashing doctrines and psychedelic drugs."

The dwarf marshal slammed his large hand on the conference table.

"In other words, we are about to face a massive, disciplined, and hardened force that has been preparing for nearly four months, its fighting spirit forcibly strengthened by drugs and cult doctrines!"

****

The attendees' expressions finally changed.

This is no small problem. Long supply lines are essential for long-range operations, and the biggest fear is getting bogged down in this kind of high-intensity attrition.

One's own persistent weaknesses will be quickly exposed during a stalemate.

Moreover, this campaign was of enormous scale. Even if the entire strength of Taya were mobilized for a transoceanic expedition, it would take at least six months to organize a second one.

If we fail to succeed on the first try, we will lose not only ships and troops, but also morale and resources, and even the window of opportunity to fight against the invasion of the evil god.

Su Ming's suggestion to Molten Heart was to prevent these people from being overly optimistic and complacent during preparations.

But he doesn't intend to crush everyone's strategic confidence.

So, Su Ming spoke:

"To ensure the success of the entire campaign, we will deploy a new warship— the Calamity Suppression."

This giant ship is currently under construction at Sapphire Port, and the process is using a lot of resources, so the news cannot be kept secret.

However, the outside world does not know its specifics.

Su Ming released some data:

"The Calamity Suppression is a heavy artillery support ship with a displacement of 50,000 tons."

"Equipped with four triple-mounted 305mm main guns and eight 155mm rapid-fire secondary guns."

The former was used to deal with the heavy coastal defenses of Water Chestnut Island. The latter was used to suppress beachhead positions, clear out assembled troops, and interrupt enemy counter-offensives.

As soon as he finished speaking, gasps of astonishment filled the conference hall.

It has twelve 305mm main guns and eight 155mm rapid-fire secondary guns.

This caliber and number exceeded the Taya officers' understanding of "warships".

Judging from the weapon performance that the Final Bone Mad Machines has always demonstrated, the firepower density of the Calamity Suppression alone exceeds the total of all friendly fleets present.

"[Where did you get so many bones?]" Xialike asked via telepathy.

He knew about the Calamity Suppression, but he hadn't realized the ship was this large.

"[I borrowed those dragon bones from the Land of Ancestral Spirits.]" Su Ming replied.

This kind of thing, once it happens, will happen again, especially since this time we're facing an enemy from another dimension.

Out of consideration for human feelings, the Dragon Race agreed to lend these remains.

[If there's still not enough, retrieve more from the seabed.]

The reason for using skeletons in structural components is that skeletons are deformable and much lighter than metal, which can significantly improve performance, applicability, and compatibility with magical defense arrays. Xialike immediately understood. [Whale Tomb?]

[right.]

Xialike smiled.

I'm looking forward to seeing the reaction of the Water Chestnut Island coastal defense fortifications.

****

There are many trivial matters.

From personnel to ships, from ports to the supply shipments assigned to each country, the meeting proceeded item by item, and the discussions lasted from morning until afternoon.

The overall tone has been steadily maintained.

Although the countries expressed different attitudes, they all successively pledged to make up for the shortfall in investment and provided timelines for implementation and mobilization.

There was no need for Su Ming and Xialike Like to personally get involved in arguing about such specific matters. The two sat in the main seats, listening in while discussing military details via telegram.

The meeting adjourned, Molten Heart, the representative of the Dwarf Kingdom, approached.

"Your Majesty Xialike, according to the plan, will you and I command the main battlefield?" Xialike nodded.

"You and I will serve as commanders-in-chief."

"The other countries' military chiefs will serve as deputy commanders."

This operation required the coordination of troops from three continents and more than twenty countries, making the composition of the command headquarters inherently complex.

Molten Heart's prestige can suppress the nations of the Eastern Continent, while Xialike's is enough to suppress the Western Continent and Northern Continent.

On the surface, this seems to be the safest arrangement.

But Molten Heart looked puzzled, "Then what about President Su and Katharine?"

Su Ming began to make excuses.

"The operational details of First Sunrise's troops are very complex."

"Therefore, Katharine and I will each serve as legion commanders, responsible for combat operations within the First Sunrise system."

Molten Heart glanced at him, and judging from his expression, he didn't believe a single word.

She raised her hand, signaling the other dwarf officers to leave first, until only Su Ming, Xialike, and Molten Heart remained nearby.

One of Xialike Like's personal civil servants immediately activated a soundproofing array.

"So, President Su and Lady Katharine, you're on a different battlefield, aren't you?"

Molten Heart said earnestly.

Xialike shrugged.

I told you I couldn't hide it from her.

Su Ming smiled slightly and didn't beat around the bush anymore.

"Yes, a task force will launch an attack from another location."

"Marshal Molten Heart, you should understand why this is."

Molten Heart answered quickly:

A direct beach landing will inevitably meet the fiercest resistance.

"On the other hand, the Plundering Clock cannot allow the Allied forces to establish a stable beachhead." "Therefore, two battlefields of different natures will be launched simultaneously, mutually reinforcing and complementing each other."

"You're right," Xialike said.

Molten Heart closed his eyes and mentally dissected the entire battle plan.

A few breaths later, she opened her eyes and pointed to the central area of the map of Water Chestnut Island.

"Are you planning to attack from the air, striking the center to create a flower?"

Su Ming's eyebrows twitched slightly; what he had planned was indeed an airdrop operation.

"How did you guess?" he asked.

"Goblins have a highly developed manufacturing industry, yet they are completely absent from this supply rollout."

"This means that the entire productivity of Gray Ridge has been diverted."

Molten Heart recounted her reasoning process.

"Since they're not part of the main system, they can only be providing support on another battlefield."

"Adding to the Final Bone Mad Machines's own heavy industry indicates that this operation is extremely large in scale." "And your alchemical behemoth Kunpeng, has battlefield deployment capabilities."

"Furthermore, neither of the two major air force races appeared in the order of battle."

"Then we can be certain that you're going to attack from the air on your side."

Su Ming nodded. This Marshal Molten Heart certainly didn't get to his position solely based on seniority.

"You guessed right," Xialike said.

His tone then became serious.

"Molten Heart, we're old acquaintances too."

Only you should know about this.

Molten Heart's brow furrowed. "You're doubting us dwarves?"

Xialike calmly replied, "I simply believe it's necessary to strictly maintain military secrecy."

Their eyes met.

The conference hall had just been filled with people, and the footsteps and whispers of departing delegates could still be heard in the distance. This area was eerily quiet, as if it had been carved out of the room.

In the end, it was Molten Heart who relented first.

"Okay," she said softly.

"It's true that the fewer people who know about this, the better."

I'll play dumb.

After she finished speaking, she stretched out her huge palm.

Looking forward to working with you.

"Same."

Xialike raised his hand and gave her a high five.

*****

Molten Heart didn't linger and left quickly.

"Don't worry," Xialike said to Su Ming, "Molten Heart is shrewd and knows what's important. She won't tell anyone."

Su Ming, however, still frowned.

"But isn't there a problem on the dwarves' side now?"

"The problem is probably not serious," Xialike said.

"My investigation team has basically confirmed that the incident where the merchant ship was 'rented' with fake license plates, almost allowing the Plundering Clock's ship to escape the search, was indeed done by the Black Iron Port Chamber of Commerce for money."

Su Ming looked at him, "How much?"

One hundred gold coins for a ship.

Su Ming was taken aback. "Would you do something like this for a hundred gold coins?"

Xialike shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm just stating the findings of my investigation."

Su Ming originally wanted to argue a bit more.

But then he thought of his hometown, where there really were people smuggling controlled goods out of the country at rock-bottom prices. Outrageous as it may be, that's just how harsh reality is.

So he didn't want to say anything more. However, this incident did serve as a reminder to Su Ming:

"Although we have issued a trade ban, is it possible that some chambers of commerce would still dare to secretly smuggle alchemical items to Water Chestnut Island?"

The relaxed expression on Xialike's face immediately vanished.

"We really need to be careful."

"This deserves a thorough investigation!"

Such matters should naturally be handled by the relevant departments.

If someone is found to dare to do this, we'll see if they're tough enough.

****

The topic quickly returned to what it was just now.

"The fact that Molten Heart didn't take it seriously just now means that she herself doesn't trust those bastards."

Xialike Road.

"But she can't say these things openly." "So that high-five just now was actually a vow she made to keep quiet."

Su Ming then understood.

The Dwarf Kingdom has only recently changed its king, and the entanglements of interests among the internal merchant guilds, the military, and local powers have not yet been fully resolved.

Molten Heart cannot admit to outsiders that there are hidden dangers within the dwarves' ranks.

She knew all too well that this war allowed no room for complacency.

"It's good if they have real skills."

Su Ming a slight sigh of relief.

He glanced at the map of Water Chestnut Island that had not yet been removed from the table.

"Landing to distract the enemy, airdropping to create chaos."

"The two battlefields were subsequently connected, tearing apart Water Chestnut Island's defense system."

"Only by winning this battle can we have a chance of success."

Xialike asked a question, "Will the enemy guess that we're airdropping?" Su Ming didn't deny it.

"This Plundering Clock organization doesn't seem stupid."

"Most likely, that's what I want."

He then changed his tone.

"However, I did not place my hopes on the enemy's complacency."

Su Ming's eyes gradually turned cold.

Just because the enemy can think of it doesn't mean we can stop them!

The Y-20 has a battlefield delivery capability of approximately sixty tons, which is quite considerable for a localized surprise attack.

But on a battlefield with millions of participants, it's far from enough.

Therefore, Su Ming's plan was not to drop off a group of elite troops in a few transport planes and launch a decapitation strike.

We're going to launch a --

Su Ming raised his hand and pointed heavily at the center of Water Chestnut Island. "Even if the enemy could guess, they would never imagine the actual scale of this massive airborne operation!"