On the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's side, a third wave of reinforcements went to the battlefields in the Devourer Civilization's universe.
This time it went straight to three star systems, six legion fleets each, nearly nine hundred thousand interstellar warships.
And these three star-system battlefields were
Battlefield Thirteen, Battlefield Twenty-Three, and Battlefield Thirty.
If these three star-system battlefields had anything in common, it was that their star-system star gates had all been destroyed by the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets before.
That made it far harder for the Devourer Civilization's interstellar legion fleets holding these star-system battlefields to get logistics, resupply and military support.
It made the fighting on these three star-system battlefields fiercer at once.
On Star-System Battlefield Thirteen there were now eleven Owl Dragon legion fleets, over five hundred thousand Owl Dragon interstellar warships, while the defenders here had only two million interstellar warships; take away those destroyed in the fighting before, and fewer than a million and a half were left.
Star-System Battlefield Twenty-Three was much like Battlefield Thirteen: ten Owl Dragon legion fleets, nearly five hundred thousand Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships; the enemy had only a little over a million and a half interstellar warships left.
By comparison, things on Battlefield Thirty were worse still.
Twelve Owl Dragon legions in all, nearly six hundred thousand interstellar warships, had been committed to this battlefield, while their opponents had fewer than a million and a half Devourer Civilization interstellar warships.
It had been said before that the loss ratio between Owl Dragon-line and Devourer-line interstellar warships was about ten to one.
Only at that ratio could the Devourer Civilization fight a war of attrition against the Owl Dragon legion fleets and win by it.
And when the ratio fell below five to one, the Devourer Civilization's interstellar legion fleets would be under great pressure.
But now, in these three star-system battlefields, the ratio of the two sides' interstellar warships had come to an astonishing two to one!
How things stood in these three star-system battlefields now can be imagined.
And the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets in these three star-system battlefields were all attacking with everything they had, far more fiercely than before.
Interstellar heavy-artillery ships and interstellar missile ships by the tens of thousands were pouring out their fire,
battering these three star systems into ruin.
It was already affecting these three star systems' important bases directly.
If the fighting went on like this and the three Sovereigns' side made no response,
these three star systems might well be destroyed by the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire in a very short time.
【The Three Sovereigns' Conference】
"We can't wait any longer! We must support these three star-system battlefields. These three star-system battlefields bear on one of our starship factories, a resource site, and an important economic and trade star system! Our idea before was to use these star systems as bait to draw the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire into committing more forces. But we can't let these three star systems be sacrificed for nothing either. The Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire has now committed over five hundred thousand interstellar warships to each of these three star systems, a million and a half interstellar warships in all. That's a full 25% of the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's total forces at present! The sack is big enough. So long as we swallow these million and a half Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire interstellar warships, even if we can't deal the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire a heavy blow, we can cut off one of its arms. And at the same time we keep three important strategic star systems from loss. Isn't that good!" The Drought-Fiend Sovereign went on and on.
He seemed very anxious.
That was because two of these three star systems lay within his territory.
A stick that does not land on you does not hurt.
"I'd say there's no need to rush; let's wait a while longer. You can't catch the wolf without risking the child. Perhaps the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's move here is a feint too, and they have a real operational target of their own. We can perfectly well wait and see a while longer," the Troll Monarch said with a light laugh, plainly the kind who talks easily when it is not his back that aches.
For none of these three star systems had anything to do with him.
The Black-God Sovereign sat with his eyes closed, thinking.
He naturally did not care about the loss of a star system; what he was thinking about more was where the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's real target of attack truly lay.
By rights, it ought to be those ten most important star systems.
But now those ten star systems of highest value were, on the contrary, neither hot nor cold, quite like children scuffling at play.
It might be the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire making a noise in the east to strike in the west, and it might still attack one of those ten star systems in future.
But it might also be that the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had worked it out long ago, knowing clearly that the three Sovereigns could never let go of those ten star systems, and that taking them would surely cost a great price.
And the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire might simply be unwilling to bear that cost, and so had settled for second best and chosen to attack other star-system targets.
So… just what was the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's side thinking?
The Black-God Sovereign turned it over in his heart, looking very torn!
"Black-God! We have no time to think. We've lost the star gates in all three of these star systems; if we want to send reinforcements to support them, we must decide right now. Otherwise the enemy will crush our interstellar legion fleets and destroy our strategic points in a very short time. And then, facing star systems that are heaps of ruins, even if our reinforcements arrive, they'll be of no use!" the Drought-Fiend Sovereign could not help shouting.
The Black-God Sovereign slowly opened his eyes and said in a low voice, "We can't give up these three star systems lightly. We'll use spatial delivery technology directly too, and support each of these three star systems with… two million interstellar warships."
With these words, he had settled where six million interstellar warships would go!
That way, in each of these three star systems the Devourer Civilization would have at least three and a half million interstellar warships.
Even if it did not reach the standard of ten to one, the defense was at least more than enough; in the short term the Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets opposite could not possibly take these three star systems.
But this move also meant the interstellar warships the Devourer Civilization had in hand to move and turn about fell sharply by six million.
Reckoning by the limit of sixty million, the three Sovereigns now had only nine million interstellar warships left to move!
"Let me see what other tricks the Owl Dragon commander over there is holding back!" the Black-God Sovereign said darkly.
……
"Report: the latest intelligence we've gathered. The three Sovereigns are preparing to move two million interstellar warships each to support Battlefields Thirteen, Twenty-Three and Thirty. And they're using spatial delivery technology, which will let them reach the three star systems in a short time and keep the three star systems' defenses under their control!" Zhong Xiaoxia reported the latest urgent news to Zhao Chen and Charlotte in time.
Because of the Phantom Scout ace legion fleet group, every move of the three Sovereigns of the Devourer Civilization across the whole Devourer Civilization universe battlefield was now very nearly under the noses of Zhao Chen and Charlotte.
There were no secrets at all.
"So they couldn't hold out after all." Charlotte looked at the whole interstellar map, and the corners of her mouth began to turn up slightly as she said, "Next, it's a matter of whether the three Sovereigns walk into our trap. Pass on my order: twenty-four hours from now, send six legion fleets each to Battlefields Five, Seven and Eight!"
Zhao Chen had been listening all along to Charlotte's strategic deployments; he did not interfere, but he kept close watch.
With this move, Charlotte committed nine hundred thousand interstellar warships at one stroke.
That raised the total forces the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire had committed to the Devourer Civilization's universe battlefields to five million three hundred thousand interstellar warships,
fewer than seven hundred thousand short of six million![1]
To outsiders, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's real strategic aim had now shown itself:
the earlier three star systems were a feint, and the real target was in fact these three star systems of higher value.
And once these three star systems were wrecked by the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire, the Devourer Civilization was bound to suffer heavy losses.
For these three star systems likewise bore on the Devourer Civilization's interstellar warships, its resource output and the like.
Very soon, twenty-four hours later,
the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's all-out, killing momentum showed itself.
In these three star systems, calm until then, fierce fighting broke out all at once.
The newly added Owl Dragon interstellar legion fleets came on menacingly, their attacks far fiercer than on any star-system battlefield before!
……
The Holy Elf Empire
The Holy Elf Empire was not taking part in this campaign directly, but its attention to this campaign in the Devourer Civilization's home universe was no less than any other power's.
They used every means, not even sparing some of the black-technology devices they had placed in the Devourer Civilization's home universe, to send the battlefield intelligence back to the Holy Elf Empire in time!
"Here's the latest battle report!" A High Elf staff officer came in quickly and, under the eyes of every staff officer present,
gestured over the huge interstellar war holo-table before them, and at last brought every kind of battlefield information up to date.
At once there was an uproar all round!
"So the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's real target of attack is in these three star systems!"
"I said so: those three star systems before, with one reinforcement after another, were really a feint. The real target was surely not so simple."
"Because of the earlier troop movements, the three Sovereigns of the Devourer Civilization can in theory move no more than eight million interstellar warships now. If those eight million interstellar warships were sent to these three star systems, they could still stop the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's legion fleets' attack!"[2]
"Hmph, you're underestimating that Owl Dragon Emperor far too much. Haven't you noticed? In all the battlefield intelligence so far, everything sent out has been the Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's regular legion fleets. Where have the Owl Dragon Empire's ace fleet groups gone? They can't be on holiday! Those are the Owl Dragon Emperor's trump card! Just you wait and see."