After the Owl Dragon Empire's defensive war passed three hundred combat hours, everything seemed to hold in a very balanced state.
But the Owl Dragon Empire's armed forces were keeping a sharper watch than ever.
They dared not let their guard down in the least.
For everyone knew in their hearts that it would soon be time for the Devourer Civilization to make its move again.
Sure enough,
the Devourer Civilization soon made its move!
"Latest news! Large numbers of Devourer Civilization legion fleets have surged into Luoyang System No. 11, adding 300,000 interstellar warships an hour on average! And the intensity of the Devourer Civilization's legion fleets' attacks has greatly increased. The combat pressure in Luoyang System No. 11 keeps rising, and lines everywhere are calling for help. And if there's no means of checking it from here on, the fallen area of Luoyang System No. 11 will exceed two-thirds. Within twenty hours, the whole of Luoyang System No. 11 will fall!" Lilith reported this urgent intelligence to Zhao Chen tensely!
Zhao Chen stared hard at the interstellar holo-table before him, and pointed at Luoyang System No. 11's position. "It looks as though the Devourer Civilization means to make its cut here."
"Then what do we do now?" Lilith looked at Zhao Chen.
Whsh.
At this moment Charlotte's hologram lit up beside them as well.
"You've had the news? How do you plan to handle the situation?" Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte.
Charlotte came straight to the point. "Luoyang System No. 11 can't be given up. Our guiding aim is to control how far the battlefield spreads, and not let the enemy set a prairie fire. First, send the Owl Dragon Ninth Legion Fleet Group at once to support the Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield. The Blizzard ace fleet group to support the Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield. Allow Marshal Chitong, when necessary, to bring the T6 Gluttony Demon King flagship into the fighting. At the same time, your own ship, the T6 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship, should also be ready to go to Luoyang System No. 11 to support the battlefield. The other flagships should also be ready to support the war!"
Charlotte laid out the whole of her plan in one breath.
Zhao Chen nodded and looked at Lilith. "Do as Charlotte says."
"Yes." Lilith nodded.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte again. "And what if this is only a feint by the enemy, and the real target is another battlefield?"
Charlotte shrugged helplessly. "In our present position, even if this wave of the enemy's is only a feint, it makes no difference to the pressure on us; we have to meet it with everything. If they really have other dispositions, we can only find a way to deal with them after they've made their move."
Zhao Chen nodded.
This was the position the Owl Dragon Empire was in now.
There was no other choice.
"Still no way for the Flame Elf Queen to get the Sacred Elf Empire to send more reinforcements?" Charlotte asked.
Zhao Chen shook his head. "No. Most of the Sacred Elf Empire's top leadership is still rather conservative; until they see a clear picture of the war, they very likely won't give us any support. Luckily, the latest news is that in two more days the universe star gate linking the Sacred Elf Empire and our Owl Dragon Empire will be finished. Because of the special circumstances now, the experiments and tests for the universe star gate and so on are being cut wherever they can be. Once it's finished, it can go into operation within twenty-four hours. Then the Sacred Elf Empire's logistics and supplies can be shipped into our Owl Dragon Empire's universe. The Flame Elf Queen says she can at least guarantee that much. And we've agreed that part of the war supplies we provided to support the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups can be made up for in raw materials. That way our shortage of raw materials will be greatly eased."
Charlotte frowned slightly. "With things as they are now, the Sacred Elf Empire still won't act. They're missing one chance after another!"
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes. "Everyone looks at things from the standpoint of their own interests; there's nothing wrong with that. But if they're too shortsighted, in the end they'll only bring disaster on themselves."
He paused.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte. "How is the war-gaming going on that plan you mentioned before? If we can use it to give the Sacred Elf Empire a great gift, perhaps it will make them understand that now is the time for them to go all out against the Devourer Civilization."
"It's being war-gamed all along. The results so far put it at around forty percent. But I myself may take no small losses and casualties, and the risk is very great," Charlotte said gravely.
"We don't have many choices now. Best to be ready to use every means we have," Zhao Chen said in a deep voice.
Charlotte's hologram vanished.
After that the Flame Elf Queen called on Zhao Chen; her hologram appeared before him.
Her expression was somewhat anxious.
"I know about the situation in Luoyang System No. 11. This is likely the Devourer Civilization legion fleets' killing move; soon they'll bring out the Soul Altar. If they use a Soul Altar in Luoyang System No. 11, the situation there will grow worse and worse," the Flame Elf Queen said in a deep voice.
"I know." Zhao Chen nodded.
The Flame Elf Queen looked at Zhao Chen helplessly. "I'm sorry; I still couldn't persuade those pedantic old fools."
Zhao Chen looked at the Flame Elf Queen and smiled slightly. "I know. You've already tried very hard. The original bottom line, that daily losses mustn't exceed 50,000 ships, was in fact crossed long ago. As I understand it, your Sacred Elf legion fleet groups' highest single day's losses already reached nearly 80,000 interstellar warships. I expect you've been under no small pressure from your High Council too."
The Flame Elf Queen gave a self-mocking laugh. "True, persuading that pack of old fogies really isn't easy. Luckily we've fought well right up to now, and I used the loss ratios on the battlefield to persuade them to let us keep fighting. But the 50% loss rate still hasn't changed. I…… Zhao Chen, I know that for someone in my position, saying this may not be quite proper. But I sincerely regard you as my comrade-in-arms. When the time comes, if that really does happen, you must be ready at any moment for the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups to withdraw. And then…… then, if you need it, I can help you. The Sacred Elf Empire has taken in no few……"
Zhao Chen cut the Flame Elf Queen off; he said with a smile, "I know what you want to say. This universe may not be very large, or very beautiful, or very rich. But this is my…… home. And here too is the empire I built; they believe in me and follow me. I won't abandon my homeland."
The Flame Elf Queen sighed; her look was somewhat heavy.
It seemed she was no longer very hopeful about the present course of the war.
In her heart, her judgment of the war so far was extremely high; she herself had even gained a great deal from it.
But war was nowhere near so simple, alas.
It was not as simple as two sides' interstellar warships lined up there to fight it out.
There were too many elements that could affect a war.
At the thought of all that, the Flame Elf Queen clenched her fists.
Zhao Chen noticed the Flame Elf Queen's look, and said with a smile, "Don't carry too great a weight on your mind. Besides, we haven't lost yet, have we? Who says we're the losers in this war? Until the very last moment, don't give up on any possibility."
The Flame Elf Queen looked at Zhao Chen smiling before her, her expression complicated.
She did not know whether this man truly thought so, or whether these were only words to console himself.
The brief exchange ended.
Because the five Sacred Elf legion fleet groups the Flame Elf Queen had brought had all been sent to the battlefields, all she could do now was hurry to arrange things at the far end of the nearly finished universe star gate and get more resources and supplies ready.
Beyond that she was powerless.
——————
The Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield[1]
"The Owl Dragon Ninth Legion Fleet Group, ordered to support the Luoyang No. 11 battlefield." Midai looked at the several video windows before her.
Two of the video windows were General Qingman, commander of the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion Fleet Group, who had been fighting here from the start, and the supreme elf commander of the Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group.
On both their faces weariness could be seen.
On the Luoyang No. 11 battlefield, they had held out until now, bearing pressure far beyond that of the other battlefields.
Now the enemy was pouring in more troops besides and stepping up the intensity of its attacks, which made it all the more as though they bore a huge mountain on their shoulders.
"Wonderful; with you here to help, our pressure really will be a lot less," General Qingman said gratefully.
General Midai noticed that General Qingman's snake tail, which usually curled upward, now lay limp on the floor, and the scales on it had lost some of their color.
That was enough to show that General Qingman had truly borne enormous pressure all this while.
"It's our duty. After this, His Majesty the Emperor has also sent the Blizzard ace fleet group to support the Luoyang System No. 11 battlefield; it's passing through the star gate now, and should arrive here within half an hour and be able to join the fighting within an hour. And His Majesty the Emperor has allowed Marshal Chitong to bring the T6 Gluttony Demon King flagship into the fighting," General Midai said.
"The T6 Gluttony Demon King flagship can be used! That's wonderful!"
Hearing that the T6 Gluttony Demon King flagship could take part in the fighting, General Qingman's weary eyes brightened a great deal.
The elf commander of the Sacred Elf Thirtieth Legion Fleet Group beside them asked curiously at this point, "About this T6 Gluttony Demon King starship of yours, we have some information too. It's a very strong interstellar warship. But on an interstellar battlefield of the million-ship scale before us now, it's hard for one interstellar warship to turn the tide, surely?"
The combat data of most Owl Dragon flagships was kept very secret.
In the early days some people had recorded a little battlefield information and spread it about.
But for ones like the T6 Gluttony Demon King starship, lately brought into the Owl Dragon Empire's legion fleets, information outside was scarce indeed.
General Qingman said, with pride in her voice, "One T6 Gluttony Demon King starship may not be able to change the whole course of the battle. But its being here is like having a sea-calming pillar for us. In a while, when you see it fight with your own eyes, you'll know what a terrifying thing it is!"
The elf fleet group commander, full of curiosity, wanted to see this interstellar warship of rumor for himself.
After that the Owl Dragon Ninth Legion Fleet Group, led by General Midai, joined the battlefield.
Because the enemy's attacks had now grown more intense,
on this battlefield, Owl Dragon legion fleet groups and Sacred Elf legion fleet groups alike had all been put on the front line.
Now they had no chance at all to rotate and rest.
And at the same time it was to meet what might be still stronger enemy attacks to come.
Indeed,
their guess was not wrong.
The Devourer Civilization legion fleets' attacks grew fiercer and fiercer.
Even with the Owl Dragon Ninth Legion Fleet Group joined, the line still fell back bit by bit.
Even after Marshal Chitong led the Blizzard ace fleet group into the battlefield, it could not wholly put an end to this.
"Line No. 081 in the M711 direction: the enemy's attack is fierce, and the line may be broken!" General Qingman's voice sounded on the command channel.
The elf fleet group commander said anxiously, "Every legion fleet I can move has been sent onto the battlefield; there's no way to pull any out in a short time!"
General Midai frowned slightly and said, "My part has been committed to the fighting as well. To pull out a part of it to support that line sector would take at least fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes isn't nearly enough; by then the enemy will have broken through that line. As things are now, once the enemy breaks one gap in the line, it will set off a whole string of harmful effects!" General Qingman shook her head.
"Then let me go and support that line." Marshal Chitong, who had said nothing all along, spoke.
"Marshal Chitong, but as far as I know, most of your Blizzard ace fleet group has already been committed to the lines on every side. Pulling them back takes time too, surely?" the elf fleet group commander said, worried.
"Pulling out a large number of interstellar warships at once takes time, true. But if it's only one, then there's no need for so much time." Marshal Chitong said calmly, "First my T6 Gluttony Demon King starship goes to support that line position. At the same time, my Blizzard ace fleet group can scrape together a corps fleet of 3,000 interstellar warships within ten minutes and hurry to support it. My fleet group is made up entirely of interstellar cruisers and interstellar battlecruisers, so it moves to support quickly. Leave this to me."
Hearing Marshal Chitong's words, General Qingman and General Midai were both set at ease.
Since Marshal Chitong had said so, and the T6 Gluttony Demon King starship was stepping in, there would certainly be no problem.
The elf fleet group commander, watching the attitude of these three Owl Dragon officers, grew all the more curious.
Just how strong was this T6 Gluttony Demon King starship, that they trusted it so?
From fighting shoulder to shoulder all this while, he knew too that these Owl Dragon officers were no fools.
So he did not overrule it, but was only curious about this.