Chapter 71: Military and Politics (2)
Editor: Geoffrey_
The 1st United Fleet’s light cruisers and the fighter aircraft assembled group had finally smashed apart the enemy’s battleships after losing 40% of their total military strength. This was a cruel battle where both sides had used their utmost efforts to attack the enemy’s formation. At last, one of the motherships of the Gyaca Woods Imperial fleet was destroyed under the attack. The explosion of the mothership emitted a gorgeous firework that caused the confidence of the Imperial fleets to completely crumble because amongst those affected by the aftereffects of the explosion of the mothership, there was still an ordinary-looking flagship hidden within the formation!
Without the command of a single commander, several battleships took the opportunity before the command signal was transferred to the second-in-command ship and began their retreat. These battleships were already riddled with damage; the Imperial officers and the men on the battleships were entirely awed by the assault undertaken by the Federation fighter aircraft and light cruisers, who seemingly did not fear of death! These soldiers from the lower class race occupied about 60% of the total crew members on the battleships, and the current morale was dropping rapidly. After seeing an issue happening with their flagship, a battleship had not even waited for the fleet commander to give new orders, and its captain utilized this opportunity to dodge the incoming cannon fire as they turned around and retreated with no intention of coming back.
At the same time, the Federation 1st, 2nd, and 8th fleets that formed the 2nd United Fleet stationed at the area near the warp point had finally clashed with their enemy, a mixed assembly formed from six Empire fleets. The appearance of the six motherships had made all the officers and men heave a cold breath. The enemy had appeared two hours ago at a location that was about three million kilometers away from this current united fleet; they were currently travelling at upwards of 1,000 kilometers per hour as they approached them. Just two hours later, the advance party of the enemy had their first contact with the 2nd United Fleet.
The commanding officer of the fleet, Vice General Chen, had already received the news regarding the Federation’s 1st United Fleet. After knowing that the 1st United Fleet had been tangled up with another fleet of the Empire, Chen knew that he could only rely on himself this time. The Federation’s 3rd United Fleet was still assembling over at the Central Starfield, and without the period of a week, it would be absolutely impossible for them to rush over via the warp points into the Newton Galaxy.
It seemed that the Gyaca Woods Empire wanted to achieve something huge in this single battle; for them to amass such a huge group, the Imperial Army must have wanted to utilize this opportunity when the 3rd and 9th Space Fleets were still returning to the Leray Central Starfield via the public starfield and thus dispatched more than half of their outer space fleets stationed in the Galileo Galaxy over to the Newton Galaxy. Without the impedance from those two Federation fleets, they became dauntless, and at this moment, the 3rd and 9th Outer Space Fleets of the Federation must be on their way back to the capital via the public starfields.
There were only three paths placed in front of Vice General Chen. One of them would be to fight until they die! Another path would be to retreat when the Imperial fleets were still at a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers away. As for the third path, it would be to retreat back to the Federation Central Starfield.
The most reliable one would certainly be to retreat back to the Central Starfield, but this decision would, at the same time, be the most shameful one! All their hard work would be wasted, and regardless of whether it was the 1st United Fleet staying in the Newton Galaxy or the ground resistance group on Miracolo Planet, they would no longer be able to obtain any more supplies or reinforcements. For them to want to reopen this space warp channel the next time, the price they would have to pay would be ten times more than the sacrifices they had paid in the past.
As for the first path? Even though the Federation fleets had certainly improved their combat capabilities after the many battles, the disparity between the power of the two fleets was too huge—there was a total of six Empire fleets forming a single mixed assembly coming at them! Even if they wrestled in the battle of life and death, the best outcome they could get was for the enemy to suffer 40% combat loss at the cost of the total annihilation of their fleets.
Thus, from all the different options, it seemed that only the second path remained. But Chen understood that this was precisely the path which he could not choose, as their fleet had appeared within the enemy’s radar, and thus, the time constraints would prevent them from disappearing on their radar. Furthermore, with the environment of the Newton Galaxy, there were not many places for them to hide. Losing the supply channel would just cause the fleet to become a sheep wandering in the desolate land, and the enemy would slowly chase after them before eating the fleet bite by bite!
Also, if the 2nd United Fleet did not delay the enemy, this Imperial fleet would immediately split apart, and at the same time, not only would the space warp point be lost to the enemy, but even the 1st United Fleet, which had just obtained an advantage, would be unable to escape from the enemy surrounding them!
Battle? Or to escape?
Nobody truly knew what Vice General Chen was thinking in his heart at this moment, and neither were there people who knew what the aftereffects would be after sending the orders to retreat back to the Leray Central Starfield. The 2nd United Fleet only knew that after the commanding officer’s orders to assemble into a defensive formation, they had also similarly been ordered to prepare the space warp assistance energy reserve storage.
Every single minute felt like torture! The Gyaca Woods Empire’s fleet was not more than 20,000 kilometers away. The officers and the men on the flagship had merely looked at this frowning, contemplating, and silent commanding officer of theirs who was currently in a conundrum.
At this moment, a major in the flagship commanding room that was responsible for observing the radar had actually involuntarily shouted out. Apparently, on the radar, the enemy fleet had started slowing down, and to their side, another fleet had appeared.
This fleet was currently aiding the commanding officer of the 2nd United Fleet to make a practical decision—they had slowed the high-speed progression of the enemy, and just like a moth flying into the flame, they charged at the enemy courageously.
They were not foolish—at a distance outside the enemy’s firing range, this fleet had seemingly teased the enemy by moving in a beautiful arc and turning before moving to the rear of the enemy fleet!
The communication signal illustrated that this fleet was not a group of heavenly soldiers and divine generals; instead, they were the Newton Regional Fleet who had previously put in a huge sacrifice as they charged towards the warp point.
A second-rate Federation established fleet!
What they had done caused all the officers and men in the 2nd United Fleet to rage.
This fleet that was fundamentally ruined in the battle for the space warp point only had 30% of their initial strength; the remaining ships were damaged as well. Because of the need for a plan to be considered holistically, they were not provided with much supplies and reinforcements. Only after the other main fleets were resupplied and provided reinforcements would the Federation reorganize and form a new Newton Regional Fleet by transferring over several fleets from the other starfields.
Currently, this fleet was giving a lesson to the 2nd United Fleet; the main topic was formed using their hot-bloodedness and life, with the title of—sacrifice!
What the Newton Regional Fleet sacrificed was their lives! And what they exchanged them for was time!
The 1st United Fleet was currently at the advantage, and what they needed most was time. The Gyaca Woods Imperial Army had already left their base. In this galaxy, it was impossible for them to have any other military existences, so what the 1st United Fleet needed most was time.
The Newton Regional Fleet was currently trying to gain time not only for the 2nd United Fleet but also for the 1st United Fleet, so that they would have enough time to rush over after their battle. But how long would they be able to fight for? Nobody truly knew the answer. The 1st United Fleet might just very well be defeated under the enemy’s superior military power, and defeat meant that the Newton Regional Fleet’s sacrifice would be worthless. The 2nd United Fleet was absolutely not a match against this enormous Imperial fleet in front of their eyes.
But what if they did not make this sacrifice? Then the answer was naturally impossible. Even if the final outcome was defeat, the Federation soldiers wanted to continue fighting on in hopes that there might even be a one in ten thousand chance of succeeding.
Chapter 72: Military and Politics (3)
Editor: Geoffrey_
The 2nd United Fleet turned off their space warp assistance energy reserve storage. Actually, when the commanding officer was still giving his order, the majority of the battleships had already started doing it. None of them were willing to watch the Newton Regional Fleet battle all by themselves and neither were they willing to abandon this Newton Regional Fleet, who battled with their blood as they sacrificed their lives in exchange for the ownership of the warp point. To them, since the regional fleet had passed on the responsibility of this location to them, unless they died, they would never shamelessly betray their trust.
The mixed Newton Regional Fleet split themselves into two arrow formations. They did not have any motherships and only merely had a few battleships. The majority of the fleet consisted of light cruisers, a portion of which were the obsolete destroyers.
Gyaca Woods Empire’s light cruisers had also formed into a small section and were ready to obstruct the harassment from this Federation fleet, expelling them away while keeping the main formation in place as they charged towards the Federation 2nd United Fleet that was currently guarding the warp point.
The training which the Newton Regional Fleet had persisted through and never stopped since the start of the war clearly showed its effectiveness now. Under the sound of a single command, their fleet was akin to bees exploding out from their nest in all directions. The battleships of the Gyaca Woods Empire that were responsible for pursuing this group had lost their coordinates within moments, and when they had finally decided on their targets, the situation was unlike that of the beginning. These cunning Federation battleships were joining the formation at times and separating apart at others as they used a dazzling interweaving technique to attract the firepower of the Empire’s battleships. The main power was located at the forefront, which locked onto the enemy while interweaving, turning the Empire fleet into disorder.
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The outer space fleet’s combat report had been transmitted to the forward command immediately. At this point, the surface battle had unfolded entirely. After being surrounded by the defense troops from several cities as they counterattacked and successively broke out of the blockade, the war situation had a huge change. With the Lower Ridge Highland treated as the center point by both nations, both sides were mutually thrusting deep into each other’s territories as every single inch of area had a battle going on. As the defensive troops located over by the 3rd public road and defense lines of Miari Valley started taking the initiative to attack, the offense of the Imperial Army over at the Garo Mountain region had visibly started slowing down. Right now, regardless of what the Imperial Army did over at the Lower Ridge Forest, it would be impossible for them to turn the whole battle around, as they were surrounded by enemies in all directions.
After General Bernadotte saw the combat report, he announced, “Currently, we could be considered as prematurely celebrating our victory. The enemy’s surface troops have been completely surrounded by our army and are being exterminated at this very moment. The enemy’s outer space fleet battle has also entered our control; the 1st United Fleet currently wields an absolute advantage, and the 2nd United Fleet has finished their preparations for delivering a frontal assault against the incoming enemy. Right now, all the Newton Regional Fleet has to do is to delay the enemy’s frontal progress until the 1st United Fleet finishes with their battle and until the 3rd and 9th Fleet, who had long returned to the Leray Central Starfield, suddenly appears at the space warp point before proceeding with their destruction of the Gyaca Woods Empire’s fleet! Everyone, you better prepare yourselves. The various research units must ensure the combat plans are even more detailed. We must ensure that no issues are cropped out in the last minute! Dismissed!”
The combat meeting had ended. Bernadotte and several other generals had annoyingly pulled away An Lei. Thinking back to that clear and gentle look of hers when An Lei looked back as she was leaving, Fatty stood at his current spot for half a day before finally deciding that he would not give up this chance. Since his dream lover appeared, even if he had to harass her, he must grasp hold of this opportunity. Who knows what would happen the next minute, especially in times of war?
The confidential secretary, You Na, stopped Tian Xing Jian outside the office. She told Fatty expressionlessly that several generals were handling some extremely important matters and did not have enough time to see a first lieutenant.
Damn woman! Fatty, who had ironed his heart in wanting to enter the meeting room, ran back to his dormitory at a fast speed before taking out that Purple Insignia Medal of Freedom and returning to meet with Bernadotte over at his office. Coincidentally, at the same time, he had seen An Lei coming out from another meeting room with a document in her hands. The two of them looked at each other. Tian Xing Jian laughed awkwardly as he did not know what to say. An Lei, though, was natural as she said, “Right now, I have a matter to attend to. I’ll talk to you later, alright?”
Tian Xing Jian was pleased beyond expectation as he nodded a few times. “Right, right. I’ll wait for you outside!” An Lei indifferently smiled before turning and entering Bernadotte’s office.
Fatty was joyous and anxious at the same time as he paced back and forth outside the office. Time crawled slowly when one is expecting something. As he kept turning, You Na felt a headache from watching him and could not help but shouted out, “First Lieutenant Tian, this isn’t a place for you to chase after a woman! I’ve long heard that you are shameless, but never would I have thought that you are shameless to such an extent! Don’t obstruct me from working, get out!”
Tian Xing Jian was stunned. “How am I shameless?”
You Na was a woman of over 30 years of age. She was quite beautiful, though her expression was always cold; it was as if someone owed her a huge sum of money—this was the reason she had become the chief confidential secretary of Bernadotte. Most likely, she had heard of the bad things regarding a certain first lieutenant staff officer from the combat planning department during her ordinary working days. Furthermore, at this point in time, the war situation was truly nerve wracking. Regardless of whether it were the several generals or herself and even the other staff officers in the combat planning department underneath them, all of them were frantically working, and yet, this fatty had actually walked back and forth, flirting in front of a military major ranked secretary. That was something which she could not bear any longer, and thus she shouted at him.
Right now, after hearing Fatty ask back a simple question, she was startled. Previously in the meeting room, even though she did not know what was being said, she had seen this fatty inside as well. How many confidential secretaries had poor eyesight? Furthermore, she had merely heard of how this fatty was despicable and shameless. In other words, everything negative was placed on this figure. During her ordinary days, whenever she saw this fatty, she would think the definition of shameless fit him quite well. As the saying goes, without wind, there will not be waves [1]. Thus, she despised this fellow inwardly as well. But now that she was being asked to name what this person did that warranted her ire and what he did that was considered shameless, she could not speak of a single matter.
Seeing You Na at a loss for words, Tian Xing Jian did not care anymore. At this point, leaving was impossible. It would be better to just bring out the medal from his chest. Right as You Na was still staring at him speechlessly with an inconceivable look, he went ahead and knocked on Bernadotte’s door.
“Come in!” A voice came out from within the office. Tian Xing Jian entered the meeting room, had a look, and wondered what the generals and An Lei were discussing over at the office table. Seeing Tian Xing Jian entering, An Lei did not know whether to laugh or cry. This person did not care about what the occasion was and was still just like before. As long as he wanted to do something, he would be thick-skinned and shameless in doing it.
Right when An Lei was urgently and angrily giving Fatty a meaningful look, she discovered that including Bernadotte and the other generals, all of them stood up and gave Tian Xing Jian a salute when they saw him.
An Lei almost fainted from this. She conscientiously gave a look at this chap who still had an expression of unreliability, only to realize that there was an additional Purple Insignia Medal of Freedom on his chest!
“Oh my god!” An Lei covered her mouth in astonishment. How did this medal end up on the body of this fool?
General Bernadotte laughed as he waved his hand: “First Lieutenant Tian, you came at the right time. There’s a matter which we are currently thinking of finding you for.”
Fatty had a look of devotion to righteousness as he replied, “Yes, General.” At the same time, he inched stealthily over to the side of An Lei.
[1] Cause and effect.
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