By now their side had brought nearly seven hundred thousand interstellar warships onto this battlefield.
On the far side of the Southern Heaven Gate, three hundred thousand more interstellar warships could come in support at any moment. As for why they were not brought over: it was out of regard for the state of the battle now.
Letting these interstellar warships go on resting and resupplying on the Southern Heaven Gate's far side, to get their fighting power back, was the fittest arrangement for now.
On the battlefield, simply throwing in more forces was not always the best way.
Rather, the right troops should be sent at the right time to make the right attack; only so could the best victory be won,
not by fighting rashly.
Attack rashly and blindly, and even if you won, it would be a victory bought at a terrible price.
Besides that, on the six star-system battlefields where fighting had gone on before, nearly three million Owl Dragon interstellar warships had still not been pulled out, locked in a deadlock with the enemy's Devourer Civilization interstellar fleets.
Because of the special nature of those battlefields, and the great forces both sides had massed there, they could not be pulled out at will like the other battlefields; pull one hair and the whole body moved.
And the enemy had by now brought three million interstellar warships and two Black-God legion fleets onto this star-system battlefield, one after another.
Counting the million interstellar warships about to arrive, that made four million interstellar warships.
At that scale, this battlefield was about to become the highest-level battlefield in the Devourer Civilization's universe.
And as things stood now,
the intensity of the fighting on this battlefield had already set a record for interstellar warships lost by both sides per hour.
On average, over fifty thousand interstellar warships went down on the battlefield every hour, which came to over 1.2 million interstellar warships lost in a single day.
This war's intensity had already outrun those earlier large battlefields!
"Charlotte, are you really going to do as you said before, and eat the enemy's interstellar warships on a grand scale here?" Zhao Chen asked, finding a moment to look at Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded. "That was our plan all along."
"But Black-God isn't going to let us have our way so easily. If I'm not wrong, Black-God is sure to find a way to pin us down on this battlefield, and drag us into a meat-grinder kind of fight, so that we keep raising our stake on it. And we're fighting across universes to begin with; our supply lines are long, and it's very hard going. And our Owl Dragon Interstellar Empire's own reserves for war aren't deep. Having fought this far, the logistics and transport Lilith is handling are already running short. And very soon our Owl Dragon legion fleets will start losing morale from fighting so hard for so long. Even if the starships don't need rest, the people on them do. However brave a fighter is, she isn't a machine; no one can go without rest forever," Zhao Chen said in a low voice.
The way the war was going now had already gone beyond what they had expected.
This was a swamp; if they could not get out in time, they might sink deeper and deeper, until they could not get out at all.
Charlotte said in a low voice on the other side of the video window, "I foresaw this long ago too. As the saying goes, the greater the risk, the greater the gain. This time we've worked hard to put together this cross-universe operation, all to hurt the Devourer Civilization badly. But over these days of fighting I've found that something may already have shifted inside the three Sovereigns. Black-God may mean to use our hands to get rid of the other two Sovereigns, make himself the Devourer Civilization's only Sovereign, and take the chance to bring all the Devourer Civilization's resources together. If so, then on the surface the Devourer Civilization has lost great numbers of interstellar warships. But with its industrial reserves and advanced technology, and the Devourer Civilization's resources united, the Black-God Sovereign may well bring the Devourer Civilization back in the shortest time. Then he's sure to come at our borders with a vast army. So to put that day off, we have to seize this chance not only to beat the Troll Monarch and the Drought-Fiend Sovereign, but to find some way to cut a piece of flesh off this fellow the Black-God Sovereign too."
There was a trace of madness in Charlotte's eyes.
Had any onlooker seen both the Black-God Third Commander's eyes and Charlotte's in turn,
they would have found that the two were, in a way, alike.
But Charlotte was not so mad as the Black-God Third Commander, and Charlotte had the super-flagship, the Dragon Emperor, beside her too, to keep her from going too far.
Zhao Chen nodded silently, then looked steadily at Charlotte and said, "Since you've decided, and I've already given you command of the battlefield, then do what you mean to do. Lilith and I will back you without condition."
Charlotte's gaze grew rather complicated as she looked at Zhao Chen just then; she said, "Your Majesty, I won't deny the battle plan ahead may be somewhat risky. And you're far too conspicuous a target. As the fighting grows fiercer later on, the enemy may well carry out a decapitation plan too. So, out of regard for your life, I'd like…"
Before Charlotte could say it, Zhao Chen cut her off first, laughing: "What you want to say, Lilith and the others already told me once before. I'll tell you the same thing. I've given you command of the battlefield, but where I stay is my own choice. If you don't pull out, I won't leave. And my being here is actually a kind of help to you, in a way. Once the enemy knows the Owl Dragon Emperor is here, they'll make me their aim; the more moves the enemy makes, the more openings there'll naturally be. So don't say anything about me leaving first."
Seeing Zhao Chen like this,
Charlotte looked at Lilith on the other side; Lilith shrugged helplessly.
Seeing that, Charlotte could say no more either.
So she brought up another matter: "While our battlefield here is fighting, I'm also trying at the same time to pull back the legion fleets fighting on the other six star-system battlefields. But because the fighting there is so tangled, we can't rush pulling our Owl Dragon legion fleets out of those six star-system battlefields in large numbers. That keeps us from getting more reinforcement fleets in support. But in a sense it's tying down a large share of the enemy's legion fleets too. After all, the enemy doesn't know whether we'll make a feint, drawing their fire here and then striking back over there. Those star systems are very valuable, after all; that fellow the Black-God Sovereign will never give them up lightly."
Zhao Chen nodded; he knew all this too, naturally, but with Charlotte holding the larger picture, Zhao Chen did not ask about it much.
He only had to carry out the tasks Charlotte gave him.
"The part ahead is the most important. Once we've drawn in more Devourer Civilization legion fleets and reached our aim, whether we can get away safely is what matters most," Charlotte said gravely.
Zhao Chen gave a reminder just then: "In commanding on the battlefield, you're better than me. But there's one thing I want to remind you of: we're after victory, but sometimes we mustn't stake everything we have, life and all, on one chance. After all, we're not what we were before; back then we had no shoes to lose. Now we're not only wearing shoes, we have some family fortune too; even if we don't reach our strategic aim this time, we can take the long view and come again next time."
Zhao Chen worried that Charlotte might sometimes not yet have changed her ways from the days of the Owl Dragon Fleet.
Back then, when Zhao Chen led the Owl Dragon Fleet and the rest of them, with a small house and a small business and no room to spare, every battle naturally had to be fought as if their lives depended on it.
But today was not like the old days; Zhao Chen and the Owl Dragon legion fleets were different now.
So long as the green hills remain, there'll be no lack of firewood, wasn't that so?
"Rest assured, Your Majesty; I understand all this. I'll arrange things carefully." Charlotte nodded to show she understood.
After a few simple exchanges,
the fierce fighting on the battlefield went on.
On the main battlefield, the Black-God Second Commander and the Black-God Third Commander were each leading their own Black-God legion fleet, trying to break out, tear open a gap and join up with the reinforcement fleets outside.
At the same time, those reinforcement fleets were trying to link up with the main battlefield as well, but they too were held fast by the Owl Dragon legion fleets before each of them, locked in fierce fighting on their own local battlefields.
And elsewhere, the half hour was almost up.
Marshal Medusa led her two hundred thousand-odd interstellar warships and lay across the route the million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships were about to come by,
like a chasm.
Very soon the million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships came within radar range.
A million interstellar warships against two hundred thousand: at first glance, quite a gap in strength.
But both sides in truth knew very well that in a head-on fight, the Owl Dragon Third Legion Fleet Group here, with only two hundred thousand interstellar warships, was the stronger.
If it had any weakness, it was only that these Owl Dragon legion fleets had been fighting hard all this while, and their interstellar warships were not in full fighting condition, so their fighting power naturally was not at its peak.
But the clever all knew that, truth be told, this was only something to comfort themselves with.
In advantage, beyond any doubt, the Owl Dragon legion fleets' side had the upper hand!
Knowing it was so, the commander of these million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships could still not give up the attack.
After all, the two Black-God Commanders on the main battlefield were like hungry fledgling eagles crying to be fed, needing their support.
If they dared be slack about supporting them now, nothing good would come to them when they went back.
So the commander of the million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships gave the order to charge into battle without another word.
Even facing two hundred thousand Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships opposite, they attacked with everything they had.
This newly opened local battlefield raised the whole course of the battle to another height.
But it was still far from over.
For the Phantom Scouts sent another piece of news.
"Latest news: behind these million Devourer Civilization interstellar warships, about fifteen minutes' sailing away, another legion fleet has been found! It looks like the Black-God First Commander's Black-God First Legion fleet! With another three hundred thousand Devourer Civilization interstellar warships in legion fleets as well. This legion fleet has only three hundred thousand interstellar warships, but by observation they're all interstellar warships at full strength that haven't fought yet. It must be the Black-God Sovereign beginning to put his weight in." Lilith looked gravely at Grand Marshal Charlotte before her and at Emperor Zhao Chen beside her.
"Another raise." Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes; the enemy's intent to make this a meat-grinder battlefield was very plain now.
Grand Marshal Charlotte said beside him, "This is no coincidence. Putting a million interstellar warships out in front is to make us think this wave is only the million interstellar warships, so we overlook the legion fleet led by the Black-God First Commander behind them. When we're deep in the thick of the fighting, this legion fleet comes bursting out, and is sure to catch us by surprise and cause us heavy casualties. If we hadn't laid a thorough intelligence network beforehand, we might really have come off worse."
Zhao Chen nodded in agreement.
This alone showed how important the Phantom Scout ace fleet group was: before the war began, it had already built an intelligence network in the enemy's home universe.
Without such a thorough intelligence network, letting the Owl Dragon legion fleets look down on the whole battlefield in this campaign as if with the whole map open before them,
then even with fine interstellar warships like the Owl Dragon-line ships, they could not have been sure of winning this campaign, or built up the advantage they had now.
That was why, early on, Charlotte, Zhao Chen and the others had all agreed to build an ace fleet group specially for interstellar stealth reconnaissance ships.
Every battlefield's success now had a share of theirs in it.
"Then how do we respond? Do we choose to fight, or stop here?" Lilith looked at Charlotte.
She knew that here and now, only Charlotte could decide this.
Charlotte was silent a moment, then said firmly, "We haven't reached our goal yet. And the enemy's support is only three hundred thousand interstellar warships; we can still handle it. Don't forget we still have over three hundred thousand interstellar warships on the Southern Heaven Gate's side. And as it happens, the latest news: over there, Pei Shengnan's Owl Dragon Tenth Legion Fleet Group, her flagship legion, that is, her own Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet, has finished resting and refitting. Some forty thousand-odd interstellar warships against the enemy's three hundred thousand interstellar warships shouldn't be too much of a problem. Give her some more interstellar fleets to work with, and eighty thousand interstellar warships should be able to take care of the other side."
From the way Charlotte put it, the three hundred thousand interstellar warships opposite plus a Black-God legion fleet seemed to be dealt with as easily as goods at a vegetable market.
Zhao Chen said nothing; he was naturally on Charlotte's side without condition now.
Lilith shrugged helplessly and muttered, "You two get to fight to your hearts' content at the front, and I'm left to clean up the mess behind you. Fine, go on and fight, keep fighting."
Zhao Chen and Charlotte looked at each other and both laughed.
This was the understanding between them, built up over many years.
The Owl Dragon legion fleets' temporary base, where the Southern Heaven Gate was
A good many Owl Dragon legion fleets were still resting and refitting here; most of the interstellar warships here had nearly run out of the munitions and supplies they carried because of the hard fighting before,
and had then hurried here without stopping.
To throw them into battle in that state would not be their best condition at all, and might even cost the interstellar fleets wholly needless losses.
Rather than let these interstellar warships drag their weary "bones" off and waste their worth for nothing, better to let them catch their breath here.
That was why Charlotte had set up a temporary military base here early on.
For this way these interstellar warships could rest and refit here, and still go in support to the battlefield at any moment once ordered.
It killed two birds with one stone, and looked after both ends.
And now the latest order had come here.
The Owl Dragon Tenth Legion Fleet Group · the flagship fleet's flagship bridge
Pei Shengnan looked at the latest order before her, and a grave look came over her face.
"Commander, this is an urgent order. The Grand Marshal requires us to reach our combat position within fifteen minutes, and be ready for any fighting within twenty minutes," the deputy captain said beside her.
"What fighting condition are our fleet's interstellar warships in now?" Marshal Pei Shengnan asked.
The deputy captain at once brought up an electronic file, and the hologram showed before them.
She was deputy captain here, but as deputy captain of the flagship she more often had to take on the work of looking after the legion fleet, and even this fleet group.
In this electronic file one could see clearly how every interstellar warship of their legion fleet stood now, even which munitions and supplies each interstellar warship was short of.
"At present, our Tenth Legion fleet's interstellar warships carry on average about seventy percent of their war supplies; important strategic supplies like interstellar missiles have basically been refilled to ninety percent. Because of how important those strategic supplies are, we resupplied them first. Overall we're only seventy percent done, but that's enough for us to fight a whole campaign, and the enemy is only three hundred thousand-odd interstellar warships besides. And besides our Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet, we can lead another legion fleet as well, eighty thousand interstellar warships in all. Eighty thousand interstellar warships against the enemy's three hundred thousand-odd: come to think of it, we've never fought so easy a battle," the deputy captain said with a light laugh just then.
To outsiders this might sound rather arrogant, but it was simply how things were.
In the battles before, fights of one against ten were everywhere for Owl Dragon legion fleets like theirs.
And a fight like this, with a gap of only four to one, was for them a rather easy one.
"That may be so, but we can't drop our guard either. Pass on my order at once: our Tenth Legion fleet stops all other activity at once, and all combat personnel return to their combat positions at once. Prepare to head for the battlefield. Within five minutes, all our interstellar warships must be ready to sail. Anyone who's slow about it will be dealt with under military law!" Marshal Pei Shengnan said very sternly.
"Yes," the deputy captain answered, and passed this order on at once.
At this moment the officers and soldiers on every interstellar warship of the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet, which had been resting, went into combat state at once.
At the anchorage where the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion's interstellar warships were moored, great numbers of Owl Dragon legion interstellar warships could be seen starting up their engines one after another; from afar at a glance they were like halos of light bursting into bloom, and truly beautiful.
"Third Corps Fleet, all interstellar warships ready for battle; awaiting orders!"
"Ninth Corps Fleet, all in position!"
"Report: every interstellar warship of the Sixth Corps Fleet has entered combat state; awaiting your order!"
Very soon every corps fleet under the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet was ready for battle.
Marshal Pei Shengnan saw every corps fleet below her ready for battle now, and gave her newest order at once.
"Move out! Set off!"
At this moment the whole Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet went into motion at once; its interstellar warships passed in order through the star gate the Southern Heaven Gate had opened, appearing on another battlefield far away.
And on reaching that battlefield, Marshal Pei Shengnan greeted Grand Marshal Charlotte and the Lord Owl Dragon Emperor on one hand, and on the other headed almost at once for the battlefield where she ought to be.
Thanks to the intelligence the Phantom Scouts supplied, Pei Shengnan and her people had first-hand material on this battlefield though they had never been on it before, and knew its situation and the lay of the star system very well.
That also let the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet go into combat the moment it arrived, with no need for any thought or hesitation at all.
That was one real benefit of having a strong enough intelligence network.
"Pei Shengnan, you know the details of the task already. Besides your Owl Dragon Tenth Legion fleet, we've assigned you the Owl Dragon Seventy-Eighth Legion fleet to help you. The intelligence on the Owl Dragon Seventy-Eighth Legion fleet is being sent to you now. Any other questions?" Grand Marshal Charlotte looked at Marshal Pei Shengnan opposite.
What Charlotte told her now had almost nothing to do with command on the battlefield.
This had always been Grand Marshal Charlotte's way: she would only tell you who the enemy you faced was, how many enemy ships there were, and what task you had to complete.
As for how you did it, and by what means,
Grand Marshal Charlotte never meddled or interfered.
For as she saw it, in the Owl Dragon legion fleets, if you could become a commander of the Owl Dragon legion fleets, even only a legion fleet commander,