Chapter 144

  Marquis Haim with his own private army and the nobles' private army of his faction, a total of 50,000 warships, left Bald Eagle City and headed towards the navigation route of Gilfeis's fleet. It is expected to encounter Gilfeis's fleet in the Chihoyssa star system.

  After parting with Caine Hart, he continued to command the other mobile fleets that made up one-third of the entire military, and was responsible for pacifying the vast border star domains of the Silver River Empire. Ziegfried Gilfayas received another order around July.

  Siegfried Gildemeister had full authority from Reinhardt in both military operations and administrative governance of the occupied territories, earning him the nickname "King of the Border Star Domain", although no one dared to call him that to his face.

  After gaining the full trust of the Imperial Marshal, this red-haired young man did not disappoint and went on to pacify one border star system after another. In the process, he fought over sixty battles, winning every single one, although none could be called large-scale campaigns. Nevertheless, it was a remarkable feat to remain undefeated in so many engagements. On the planets he pacified, aside from handing them over to local populations for self-governance, he also worked tirelessly to maintain interplanetary law and order, strictly forbidding bullying and plundering. This effectively highlighted the differences between his army and the nobles, earning him widespread admiration and support from the people, achieving significant political gains, and gradually stabilizing the border situation, further isolating the noble coalition holed up in Eagle Castle.

  However, what was giving him a headache was that the number of enemies he had defeated were extremely few, basically just some leftover guardian fleets from noble territories. But at the same time, following closely behind him from afar was a fleet - not much smaller in number than his own, with around 40,000 warships. This was the Fafnir Fleet. They seemed to be waiting like vultures for Gilfeather to defeat the local noble armies and leave, before swooping in to plunder and pillage the star system's military factories and equipment. Gilfeather had tried multiple times to use tactics to ambush this despicable fleet, such as pretending to retreat and then suddenly turning back to launch a surprise attack - but the enemy didn't fall for it at all. They really were like vultures, patiently waiting until their prey was completely exhausted and starting to rot before launching an attack... Gilfeather didn't have much time to set up an ambush...

  The political achievements of Gilgamesh are ultimately worthless, the peace and autonomy he worked to maintain on the planet, and the love and support that came with it, all turned into nothing but a fleeting cloud in the sky after the vultures descended. The Fafnir fleet rampaged across the planets pacified by Gilgamesh, committing robbery, murder, arson, and other atrocities that disregarded military discipline, with Marshal Fafnir giving his subordinates free rein to commit war crimes. However, as long as Gilgamesh did not go to a star system, Marshal Fafnir would not go either! This was a complete rejection of Gilgamesh's army, and the people in various places voluntarily asked Gilgamesh not to come to their star system - for this, they were willing to endure the oppression of the local nobility...

  Gilleaspe felt a deep revulsion towards Fafnir's actions, and finally he prepared to turn back and engage Fafnir in a decisive battle somewhere in the galaxy, trying to put an end to this trouble. However, he lost track of Fafnir's fleet - they had vanished completely, and their whereabouts could not be found within 500 light-years.

  Gillfi'eth had to continue on with the Kamp and Ruz fleets until they received intelligence that "Marquis Litiq Hahm was en route to the Chyhoiysa star system".

  "Let the final battle take place in the Cygnus X-1 star domain, at that time I will lead about 800 warships from our department to attack the enemy." This was what Gylfieth said to the other two deputy commanders after receiving intelligence and orders.

  "Are you bringing only 800 warships?"

  Kamp and Rutz's eyes widened in surprise. Gylfieth nodded calmly.

  Although the enemy fleet had as many as 50,000 ships, they were not organized by type and performance. High-speed warships were next to gunboats, large warships were next to destroyers, and all ships were mixed together in disorder, whether in firepower or maneuverability. This situation indicates that the enemy's tactical conception and command system lack consistency.

  "In other words, it's a motley crew with nothing worthy of our fear."

  Gillies and Ayers concluded as above.

  At the time, Rutz and Walle's fleet deployed in front of the enemy, but not in a straight line. Instead, Rutz protruded from the left wing, while Walle retreated to the right wing, forming a diagonal array tactical structure. If the enemy launched an attack, Rutz's fleet would enter combat first. Gilfieth took advantage of the time difference between Walle and the enemy before contact, commanding 800 high-speed cruisers to encircle the enemy's right flank. After Walle entered combat, he launched a full-scale breakthrough into the enemy's central area, advancing directly to the enemy's left flank. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, Rutz and Walle coordinated their attacks with all their might.

  "With this, victory should be attainable. Afterwards, one must beware of pursuing a defeated enemy too far."

  The two vice-commanders saw a faint smile on the face of the red-haired young admiral. Val and Rutz tried their best to hide their inner shock, but they couldn't help it. This seemingly gentle and loyal young man, who was proposing that the commander-in-chief lead the "One-Hit Breakthrough Battle" in person, actually showed no signs of tension or fear, and instead smiled.

  At this moment, one light-year behind the Marquis, "The forward reconnaissance boat reports that the Marquis is about to engage in battle with the Redhead at our former base 'Chihoyosa Star System'. Your Excellency, shall we speed up a bit?" Chief of Staff General Shutekhauser asked Marshal Fafnir.

  "Yes, let's speed up a bit and prepare for the warp jump. The target is placed at a slightly farther distance. Once those two start fighting, we'll join in. By the way, have the fleet led by Longridestad and the Stovendan fleet leave and merge together to go around the back of the Red Hair's several star systems. One fleet should be enough to deal with Gilfieth, and if not, one fleet can still run away quickly." said the ruthless admiral.

  The Battle of Chihoyi Sa Star Domain began with the simultaneous firing of the main cannons of the Rittanheim Army. When asked by his subordinates what tactics to use in the attack, Marquis Rittanheim impatiently said: "What's there to be afraid of? We have a large army and outnumber them! A multitude of ants can kill an elephant, let everyone go all out!"

  Tens of thousands of rays of light bridged a dark void, forming a war bridge that began to erode the energy and magnetic fields surrounding the Gilfiyas fleet, producing a rainbow-colored mist from particle erosion, enveloping the Gilfiyas military's battleships.

  Lutz stood in front of the formation, gazing at the holographic screen. Seeing this, he couldn't help but let out a cold snort and say: "They're not even within effective firing range yet and they're already opening fire - they're being too hasty."

  The Gilgamesh fleet's warships proceeded in a diagonal formation with caution. Before long, the prominent Luzhin Left Wing Fleet began an accurate and intense bombardment from six million kilometers away.

  Overwhelming energy beams rained down on the fleet of ships of the Littorio Hemm army like a heavy rain. The strange appearance of the exploding vessels shone like colored diamonds in the intersecting light. Soon, the Rutz fleet came into contact with the enemy line and unfolded a close-quarters battle of the Vargr battleship.

  At this time, Kemp's fleet was still at a distance from the enemy and had not yet entered into a real artillery battle.

  Gilleleje stood on the command bridge of the flagship Bismarck, and at the right moment gave the order to attack to his fleet of 800 high-speed ships. Under the cover of Kampf's advancing fleet, taking advantage of the time difference, they burst into the flank of Littorio's army in an arc.

  The fleet of Admiral Hahm was busy fighting the enemy's main fleet in front, but unexpectedly received an attack from an unknown direction, and the whole army was in a state of panic. Orders to respond to the battle were flying everywhere, some warships tried to turn their bows towards this sudden surprise attack fleet, but at this time, the particle beam and missile attacks from the front became even more fierce, because the Val fleet had already entered the firing range and began to launch an attack.

  The army of Liddell was thrown into a state of utter confusion, not knowing which enemy to confront. Although it was only temporary chaos, for Gilfaeth it was enough.

  Bismarck's main battery fired a salvo, cutting down the leading ships of the H.M.S. Hood with sword-like beams of light. After a string of explosions disappeared, due to the speed difference between the ships, an empty space was temporarily created in the central part of the enemy fleet. Bismarck immediately took advantage of this gap and broke into the core area of the enemy, followed by 800 high-speed warships.

  The central part of the Littorio fleet was pierced by the enemy like a giant arrow, and that giant arrow was moving at an extremely high speed. The admirals of the Littorio fleet had also tried to surround the invading enemy, but unfortunately, due to the lack of speed and elasticity, they were unable to do so, resulting in only increased losses. The flagship of Gilfiyas then penetrated deep into the left flank of the enemy, and the detached battle method was completely successful. Afterwards, the entire fleet changed direction again, re-entering the interior of the enemy, and Gilfiyas' 800 high-speed warships swept through the heart of the enemy's army like a whirlwind, advancing triumphantly.

  Witnessing the enemy's frantic scene, Kampf couldn't help but exclaim: "Admiral Gilfieth really has guts, completely disrupting the enemy's formation with just 800 ships!"

  Rudolph appears to have had similar ideas.

  "He had long seen that the enemy's formation was problematic and was fundamentally unable to withstand a blow!"

  As the internal turmoil gradually expanded and spread to the outer edge of the fleet, Ruzhdie and Kamp immediately grasped the opportunity to launch a full-scale attack. The internal chaos combined with the external chaos, and the Hetman's army was immediately faced with the fate of defeat. At this time, Barbash found the enemy's flagship Ostromak at a very close distance.

  "Look, that's the flagship of Marquis Liddellheim. Take down the culprit who caused this war immediately!"

  Gillfieth uses faster-than-light communication to issue the order to capture, and the entire fleet advances at full speed towards the enemy's flagship in order to achieve a comprehensive victory.

  In the face of the overwhelming and powerful enemy, Marquis Liddell Hart was terrified and shrank back, watching through the screen as his own warships were engulfed in concentrated firepower, vaporized into clouds, and completely annihilated. When he realized that this scene was unfolding right next to the flagship, his fear turned into a heart-piercing terror, and the marquis issued orders like a mournful howl, abandoning all other ships still fighting hard, as the Ostmark flagship fled wildly towards the direction of the Garmish fortress, while the other ships lost their will to fight and scattered in disarray.

  Even now, when being caught in a pincer movement and in a state of utter confusion, the loss of Marquis Liddelheim cannot be said to be too great, but this guy's courage has already collapsed...

  "Hmm? A pretty good diagonal firing formation! It's just like I would have commanded... Redhead's abilities are better than Blondie's. What a pity! The fleet has already formed a horizontal array? Alright! All guns, fire!" Admiral Favniel exclaimed, his fleet currently forming a Y-shape with Gilfeather's fleet, with Favniel's and Lieutenant General Haim's fleets as the top two prongs and Gilfeather's fleet as the bottom point. However, Favniel's fleet was still at extreme range, but even so, Favniel ordered an all-out attack - without distinguishing between friend or foe, also bombarding Lieutenant General Haim's fleet together.

  "Enemy fleet appearing at 11 o'clock! Distance, 12 light seconds! Number... over 17,000!" This was the voice of the observation officer on the bridge of the Gilfiethes, Kamp, and Rutz fleets.

  The intense beam of light rained down on everyone, regardless of whether they were from the noble coalition or the fleet belonging to Gilfieth. The confused and disorganized fleet of Lieutenant General Haim suffered the greatest losses. They completely lost all judgment and fled recklessly, exposing their backsides to Gilfieth, Kampf, and Rutz without hesitation. Austromark was running at the front line but found his escape route blocked by his own supply ships in the rear. As he ordered his supply ships to be fired upon, he cursed the approaching Fafnir fleet: "I knew it! I knew this brutal 'dragon' would do something like this!" Before he could continue cursing, a beam of light struck his side shield ship, causing its propulsion system to malfunction and slow down. Then, dozens of beams pierced Austromark's massive body... Until later historians were unable to determine whether it was Fafnir or Gilfieth's fleet that hit Austromark, but by then it didn't matter who did it - the lieutenant general turned into a frozen fragment floating in space along with his flagship.

  The Marquis's subordinates scattered and fled, and this rout also drew the Gilfiethes fleet into it. The first to bear the brunt was the Luz fleet, which had been the first to engage with the Marquis's fleet. Luz gave orders without stopping: "Regroup, retreat in an orderly manner! Regroup!"

  But this effort was rendered futile by the confusion of the Marquis' troops and the distant cannonade. The Rutz fleet had to stop advancing, began to retreat trying to reorganize its formation, while continuously firing to destroy the scattered remnants of the Marquis' defeated army that were entering their ranks.

  "Clear the channel to Garmston fortress, cease fire in that direction. The entire fleet will reform into line of battle and launch a full-scale attack on Gilfieth's fleet. As for the Marquis of Wastes' troops, let them escape if they want to. Meanwhile, order the departing Rondstadt and Stollen to seal off the jump channels around Chihoyasu as much as possible and intercept the fleeing marquis' ships."

  Gille's own eight hundred high-speed warships suffered minor losses, but the fleets of Rutz and Kamp had to retreat for reorganization, creating a salient in Gille's fleet and his led high-speed squadron. As a result, he had to bear the full firepower of Fafnir for some time. Fortunately, Fafnir's fleet was still at a distance, with a low hit rate, so it can be said that the losses of Gille's entire fleet were not great.

  "Now is the time to fall back and reorganize, preparing for a decisive battle with the Faurnil fleet. We've finally got them! Gilfeather's bold words flowed through the communication channels, boosting the morale that had been lowered by the sudden attack. Taking advantage of the momentum, Gilfeather retreated with all his might and reorganized the fleet. The three fleets, if reorganized, should have around 24,000 ships remaining, which should be enough to crush Faurnil's 17,000-odd ships on the battlefield. Gilfeather also didn't dare to employ any more reckless tactics, after all, even with Reinhardt as the military dictator now, the entire fleet under his control was only 700,000 warships, and Gilfeather had already commanded over a third of that."

  Fafnir accelerated its advance, taking advantage of the time it took for Gilgamesh to reorganize its fleet, advancing to a distance of about two million kilometers, and also successfully preventing Gilgamesh from completing its reorganization plan due to continuous firing. At this point, it had been twelve hours since Fafnir joined the battle.

  On the other hand, a small portion of the fleeing Marquis' defeated army had escaped back to their fortress, most had jumped out of the star system, and some had surrendered to the Fafnir fleet. It was later learned through subspace communication that most of the ships that had fled the star system were captured by the Londo Bell and Stardust fleets.

  "Now, let's have a real clash with that red-haired kid!" Fafnir said, ordering the entire fleet to reorganize into a dense horizontal line formation, slowly advancing while firing at the Gilgamesh fleet.

  The distant fleet of Gilfieth finally reformed, this time with the Kamp fleet becoming the left wing due to the order of retreat, while the Gilfieth fleet remained in the center and the Rutz fleet became the right wing trailing behind. The three fleets once again formed a diagonal formation.

  "Just like me, you enjoy playing with the oblique order... I'm starting to appreciate you a bit, red-haired kid." Fafnir said, looking at the opposing Gilfeather fleet.

  "Order the fleet to form a V-formation, facing the enemy's prominent Kampfgeschwader. Wait for the flagship's command and then fire in unison! Generalmajor Dark! Your destroyer is leaving the V-formation, wait for the order to begin the assault! Torpedo boat mother ship prepare to launch!"

  The twin wings of the Fawfnir fleet did not extend in a V-shape as usual, but instead contracted, pouring all firepower onto the leading Kamp fleet.

  "Dark! Direct high-speed assault on the Gilfiethes fleet! I don't want your casualty numbers! I want you to buy me time!"

  Under orders, the torpedo boat carriers began to launch their torpedo boats under the cover of the two wing battleships, while the target of the torpedo boats was the Kampfgeschwader 1 already launching its Heinkel He 111 bombers.

  Kamp is a ace pilot by origin, with a bold and courageous personality. Under his command, the combat effectiveness of Wang Er Gulei was very strong, and the movement of the fleet was also quite daring. However, he had to withstand the firepower from both sides, while in front of him was Fafnir's flagship squadron personally commanded by Fafnir himself, firmly blocking the firepower of Kamp's fleet.

  The torpedo boats, under the cover of the mother ship and battleships, broke into the Kampfgeschwader with a destroyer squadron opening up a passage.

  The three thousand destroyers of General Dark's fleet charged recklessly at the head of Gilfeather's fleet, suffering heavy losses under Gilfeather's accurate artillery fire.

  "Charge! Charge! Anyone who lags behind will be killed by the flagship!" Dark shouted loudly, driving his subordinates to charge into the fiery net laid down by Gilfieth. After suffering heavy casualties, they finally broke through the vanguard of Gilfieth's fleet. More than 2,000 destroyers opened fire with all their might, blasting holes in Gilfieth's vanguard troops one after another.

  At the height of the Battle of Dacar, Fafnir's torpedo boats launched a surprise attack that reaped great rewards. The linear cannons on the torpedo boats that had broken into close range fired in unison again and again, turning Kamp's flagship Vorgath and its fighters into fireballs in space. Kamp's fleet finally collapsed under Fafnir's pincer movement and began to disperse. With both wings being Fafnir's warships, the defeated soldiers of Kamp's fleet had no choice but to retreat towards the rear. The fleeing soldiers scattered through Gylfieth's already chaotic vanguard, but Gylfieth promptly ordered the central fleet to fire and scatter Kamp's defeated soldiers, forcing them to disperse from both sides and leave the battlefield, thus stabilizing the formation of the central and rear fleets of Ruzh.

  "Alright, tell Dark to hurry up and retreat. We need to start withdrawing too. After all, we're not here to fight the Redheads to the death... The troops on both wings will withdraw first. Our fleet will cover the rear, and once they've withdrawn behind me, I'll set up a defensive formation to support our retreat. Alright! Let's start rolling back!" Fafnir gave a hand signal, issuing the order to fall back.

  The Gilgamesh fleet under Kamp was severely damaged, with 7,000 warships destroyed and even Kamp's flagship Yuzhim being hit. The vanguard of the Gilgamesh also suffered significant losses. However, they gave Dark a severe lesson - only 1,200 out of 3,000 destroyers escaped.

  Four hours later, the two sides disengaged. Although Gilfieth made repeated attempts to break through and hold back the Fafnir fleet, he was unable to gain anything under Fafnir's timely and accurate concentrated fire commands. In the end, the Gilfieth fleet, which had three million warships at the beginning of the battle, defeated the five-million-strong Littorio Haimo Marquis fleet after losing 1.2 million ships, "killing" the Littorio Haimo Marquis and occupying the Chihuoysa star system. However, this star system was soon abandoned - reconnaissance boats reported that a large fleet was gathering in adjacent star systems.

  "The Earl of Farnese's fleet... This vulture has devoured the defeated fleet of Marquis Liedenheimer. Although we destroyed an estimated five thousand ships in the battle, he managed to escape successfully. Now it is estimated that his fleet has more than sixty thousand ships... Our border campaign has failed, and it's time to return to Lord Rheinhardt." The young red-haired commander decided so, and both of his deputy commanders agreed with him.

  In August, the Gilfiethes fleet quickly withdrew from the Chihoyosa star system and began to retreat directly towards Odin. Halfway through, they changed direction and began to merge with Reinhardt's main fleet...