Chapter 139

  "Organize the fleet into two clusters! The main force cluster of 40,000 ships will be commanded by me! Launch a frontal attack on the rebels! Gilfieth! You take 25,000 warships to make a detour and launch an attack from their rear! Victory will ultimately belong to us!" The majestic golden lion stood on the command platform of Borren Hill, proudly addressing his subordinates below.

  Below, Gilfiel, Mittermeyer, Kempf and Vittel are almost unscathed with no losses as fleet commanders, while Reuentahl and Mecklinger have some losses in their fleets but still retain considerable combat effectiveness. Ruz and Bittenfeld are unable to participate in this battle, having lost the vast majority of their subordinates; Bittenfeld is better off, with over a thousand high-speed warships and his flagship Kaiser Tiger incorporated into Reinhard's direct fleet; while Ruz has only a few hundred ships that have retreated back from the battlefield, and can be said to have completely lost combat effectiveness.

  "Field Marshal R?hmke! The rebels still have a considerable fleet, and the organization of these fleets has not been disrupted. They are still powerful fighting units, at least eighty percent of our numbers. I suggest that we should not divide our forces, and Admiral Gilfieth should not take away forty percent of the army's strength to make such a big flanking movement. It would be better to follow the main force of our army and launch an attack, striking the enemy's flank at the right time."

  The majestic lion looked at this temporary subordinate who repeatedly gave himself a hard time, and he had the heart to directly refute his advice, but after all, Reinhardt still had considerable magnanimity, and he began to think.

  "No, Lord Fawkes. We will still encircle the rebels! And although the enemy has fifty thousand men, my forty thousand ships and all of you gentlemen are enough to resist and repel them until Sir Gilfaethwy completes his flanking maneuver! Thus, your advice is rejected."

  "Alright, Marshal. As the supreme commander, are you planning to have my fleet serve as a reserve force in this battle?"

  "Yes! Your fleet has many powerful motherships, and at the decisive moment, your efforts will still be needed!"

  The Fifth, Eighth, Tenth, Twelfth and Thirteenth Fleets of the Allied Forces formed a defensive formation in the Amritsar star system with General Bick as the vanguard commander. The formation was shaped like a wedge from top to bottom, with the Eighth, Tenth and Thirteenth Fleets at the front and the Fifth and Twelfth Fleets at the back, completing the battle line near the entrance of the corridor close to Amritsar.

  The Imperial Fleet also entered the Amritsar star system with great fanfare, Reinhard commanding the fleets of R?ntgen, Mittelmeier, Kempff and Mecklinger, lining up the bows of their warships in a dense formation to advance forward. In fact, this was also a feint, as Siegfried Kircheis led a large fleet to circle around the back of the Alliance forces and launch an attack from behind. To conceal their intention of attacking from both front and rear, they had to make a fierce attack that would not allow the Alliance forces to be distracted, while the Fahrenheit fleet followed Reinhard's main force on its flank, ready to respond to Reinhard's command at any time.

  "Rudolf, what's the story with that blonde kid? Why is he so insistent on using pincer tactics? But if it succeeds, it should be able to deal a devastating blow to the Allied Forces." Two unscrupulous generals said this while munching on high-quality black ham slices and drinking wine in the command seat of the 17th Fleet's flagship, Loki.

  "If it succeeds... Gustav. To think that we're putting all our hopes on the enemy's body... If the enemy comes at us or remains still and defends, this tactic has a good chance of success. According to the simplest tactical equations, our front-line troops will suffer some losses - estimated to be equivalent to the enemy's, after all, they only have three fleets stacked up in the front line. But the entire tactic will be declared successful when Gilfieth completes his pincer movement 8 hours later. However... what if the enemy simply retreats?" Favniel said while eating and pointing.

  "Schuttk?mpfer's eyes widened in surprise as he simulated the scenario on his screen: "In that case, they might just manage to retreat successfully... No! Not only a successful retreat, but if the timing is right, they can even launch a preemptive strike against Admiral Gilfieth's flanking fleet! In that case..."

  "In that case, we'll just give away a detour fleet for nothing. The loss of the 25,000-strong fleet will be huge. Then, after they break through the Gilfeathes fleet and successfully retreat, our main force may not be able to catch up with them in time. Well, let's see if those Alliance guys are decisive or not."

  "Alright! All fleet! Launch attack at maximum battle speed! Throw fusion bombs towards the surface of the star to accelerate our advance!"

  Yang Xiaoda ordered.

  The Thirteenth Fleet takes the initiative and starts first!

  "It seems that the other party is not wise enough... ... Fafnir sighed when he saw the movement of the opposing alliance fleet, "The blonde has an opportunity."

  The two armies plunged into a fierce conflict. Countless beams and missiles crisscrossed, explosions of light tore through the darkness, and shattered hulls twisted in mid-air amidst the storm of energy. In the turbulent vortex of war, the 13th Fleet bravely charged forward like a newborn calf, confronting the enemy head-on.

  Yang's orders, whether to slow down or speed up, were all carried out under the careful calculation and command of Fleet Deputy Commander Fishe. The 13th fleet suddenly jumped out of the huge flames of Yamato Star, and due to the centrifugal force, it looked like a solar corona that had escaped from the sun.

  This unexpected rapid attack, the Imperial Navy fleet led by Midas Mayer was the first to bear the brunt. The fearless him did not deny that this rapid attack made them feel greatly surprised and caught off guard.

  The first attack of the Thirteenth Fleet was a head-on blow to the Midway fleet.

  Because the firepower was too concentrated on a warship, when more than six missiles hit a certain part of the hull at the same time, the defense system could not withstand it, causing the hull to be penetrated and an explosion occurred.

  Midway's flagship, Idaho, was surrounded by a ring of fire on all sides, with her port side also damaged.

  "Worthy of Yang Weili! Indeed, they're coming in a mighty rush!" He exclaimed. "No choice, the entire fleet will maintain order and slowly retreat while changing formation, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack when the enemy pursues!"

  An extraordinary military commander should be able to soften the formation while retreating, minimize damage and wait for an opportunity to counterattack. And Midway was undoubtedly able to do so!

  Fafnir's fleet was still lagging behind, with only two officers on the bridge exchanging a glance. Fafnir sighed and said: "Midaemia is too fond of charging forward, entering missile range in one go... Doesn't he have the patience to slowly approach using ship cannons from a distance? Can't the blonde control his subordinates' pace? We need to drag this out until Gilfrais completes the detour! Time is on our side! What a bunch of people who can only be deputy fleet commanders!"

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, Ulanov's 10th Fleet took advantage of Midamaya's retreat and launched a strong attack on his fleet, causing Midamaya's formation to become disordered. Before Rosental's fleet could launch a powerful counterattack and repel Ulanov's further attacks, Midamaya had also lost a considerable number of ships - far more than he had lost when attacking the 9th Fleet.

  "Don't chase, it's a trap."

  Yang ordered a halt to the pursuit, believing that as long as they had inflicted a certain amount of damage on the enemy, they should be satisfied and avoid going deep into enemy territory.

  The Imperial Navy, having taken a blow to the head, also coordinated its pace and began exchanging firepower with the Allied fleet - perhaps they finally remembered Gilfieth's detour.

  "Advance! Further compress the enemy's formation! Order the Vallery fleet to launch a pincer attack!" Reinhardt commanded.

  The Valerian fleet launched an attack, suddenly advancing at high speed and rushing towards the space domain between the 12th and 13th fleets - a cosmic space domain briefly named D4. He did this not to be bold or reckless, but to disrupt the formation of the Allied forces, making them vulnerable from both front and back.

  "Your Excellency, new enemies have appeared in the two o'clock direction!"

  Yang's response seemed careless. "Oh! This is no small matter!"

  "Admiral!" exclaimed Fleet Admiral Tirpitz, unable to contain himself.

  Yang snapped out of it and quickly regained his composure, swiftly issuing orders. This was a common advantage shared by Yang and Reinhardt.

  He arranged the heavily armored giant ships in a vertical line, forming a strong wall to resist the enemy's firepower. In the gaps between the ships, the more mobile and powerful gunboats and missile boats mercilessly attacked the enemy with cannon fire.

  Gaps began to appear in the Valie fleet, some ships were hit by cannon fire, but the speed did not slow down. Moreover, the counterattack was very fierce, causing a part of the defensive wall formed by the giant ships of the 13th Fleet to be damaged, and Yang's flagship also suffered severe shocks.

  Overall, the 13th Fleet suffered no major damage, but the 12th Fleet took considerable losses. It was unable to withstand Valer's speed and offensive, its lateral formations were crushed, and its physical or energy resistance grew weaker and weaker.

  The battleship Ulysses was damaged by the Imperial Army's cannons, with minor but profound damage, which was profound for the officers and men on board. The damaged wastewater treatment system using microorganisms caused the combat personnel on the ship to fight with their feet soaked in the backflowing sewage water, if they survived, this would be a laughing stock, if defeated and dead, not only tragic but also very unglorious.

  However, the attack of Vallee's fleet had its limits. The admiral of the 12th fleet, Borodin, was also a skilled warrior who slowed down the speed of Vallee's fleet by sacrificing casualties. Meanwhile, Yang's fleet made efforts to advance forward and exchanged fire with Rosenthal and Midemia fleets, which were advancing head-on, causing them to temporarily unable to move further. In this way, Vallee's fleet became a salient, but the 10th fleet of the alliance was engaged in fierce fighting with Mecklenburg's fleet on another wing and was unable to launch an action to support Borodin for the time being.

  At this time, the Bikou moved, and the Fifth Fleet came up with a tremendous momentum and speed, forming a semi-encirclement formation with the Twelfth Fleet to exchange fire with the Varyag fleet. The dense cannon fire turned one after another of the Imperial warships into cosmic dust. However, due to the struggle of the Varyag fleet, the Alliance was also unable to seal off the concave line for a while.

  "It seems we've won!"

  Reinhardt looked at Oberstein beside him, victory was within sight, and his voice also trembled slightly.

  "Damn it! The Val fleet is in big trouble! That idiot, Goldhair, was too hasty!" Favner leapt to his feet. Before him, the Eighth Fleet of the Alliance, formerly scorned by the Imperial forces as General Apricot's fleet, had suddenly abandoned its rear and joined in the attack on the Val fleet!

  Three to one! The Valerian fleet was almost instantly reduced in number!

  "The fleet begins to retreat! Maintain formation! We have mobilized all the enemy's reserve troops! Victory is within sight! Our sacrifices will not be in vain!" General Valye said calmly on the flagship "Fire Dragon".

  The Allied forces' attack was extremely fierce, and the Imperial Val fleet seemed to be dancing in a storm of energy, with warships constantly being overloaded by force fields, finally being pierced through their armor and sinking. Until - "Flagship hit!" Before anyone could react, the "Fire Dragon" turned into a huge fireball, its massive hull splitting into several pieces. The Imperial Army suffered its first high-ranking officer casualty. Admiral Val was killed in action.

  "Damn it! Blundered!" Reinhardt's handsome face twisted for a moment, and he muttered silently.

  Obestan's complexion also changed, just as he was about to request Reinhardt to issue a follow-up command.

  "The Seventeenth Fleet is advancing at high speed!" The intelligence officer's shout soothed the emotions of Reinhard and Oberstein.

  Favniel's fleet began its advance as soon as Val's fleet was caught in a semi-encirclement by the Twelfth and Fifth Fleets. Eighteen thousand warships formed into neat arrays charged towards the gap opened up in the Allied lines by Val, this time Favniel did not lay out an oblique firing formation but instead set up a spearhead formation. With four thousand warships as its narrow front it launched its attack, followed continuously by destroyers and torpedo boat motherships, and finally cruisers.

  Under the cover of the warship, Fafnir's fleet advanced at high speed, but they were still one step late and failed to save Valer's life. However, they successfully rescued the remnants of Valer's fleet. Now, Valer's fleet has only more than 5,000 warships left, losing half of its original number compared to the beginning of the war.

  Fafnir has just broken into the alliance formation, completely ignoring the damage to his own flagship. "Destroyers, scatter left and right! Launch a full-scale attack! Aircraft carrier, launch torpedo boats immediately! Cruiser squadron, also launch an attack! We are surrounded by enemies! Just fight!"

  Jung Heinrich Yang, a rear admiral and commander of the Fafnir fleet's battleship squadron, roared with a fierce grin: "Today I'll die here!! Give me full firepower!"

  Dahlgren Rear Admiral continued with a powerful raid on one side of the Confederate Eighth Fleet with the destroyer.

  Under the attack of a large number of Fauvainel fleets, the Allied fleet melted like snow in the sun, and the Fifth Fleet was repelled again. The Twelfth Fleet also had to retreat with the Fifth Fleet, while the Tenth Fleet and the Thirteenth Fleet were completely mixed together with the Imperial Twin Jewels, entangled in a chaotic battle. The form of the battle was completely messy, but it was clear that after annihilating the Imperial Valie fleet, the Allied forces had a slight numerical advantage.

  "If Gilfieth hadn't taken away 25,000 warships from the start, we could have won by now! And maybe even Vash wouldn't be dead!" Fafnir muttered to himself on the command platform. At this moment, his fleet was in a good situation, although the losses were not small - especially the vanguard fleet, but he had successfully cleared out the surrounding enemies and would soon complete the reorganization into an independent and unencumbered fleet for a decisive blow.

  The Allied forces began a gradual retreat, Fafnir's fleet was about to complete its reassembly again, but the remnants of the 5th and 8th fleets in front were still stubbornly trying to hold him back, while other fleets had already begun to withdraw. Yang Weili's 13th Fleet took advantage of Midas Mayer and Roentgen's opportunity to switch fire at close range and joined forces with the 10th Fleet to give them a ruthless blow, even the Double Gemini had to retreat to reorganize their fleet.

  Now let's see when Jill Firth will return to her position...