The Fierce Dragon civilization now was like a blade hanging over the heads of their two interstellar civilizations.
"Your Majesty. Should we wait a while longer? Our fleets have just pulled back from the battlefield and haven't finished resting and resupplying; their fighting strength hasn't fully recovered. If they're sent onto the battlefield now, we may pay a very heavy price in casualties!" a rather conservative minister stepped forward at this point to counsel him.
He went on to set out his plan: "Since the Fierce Dragon civilization's target now is the Lanners civilization, we could very well sit on the wall and watch first, and let our fleets recover to their best fighting condition as far as possible in the meantime. That way…"
"Stupid!" The Dax King did not even want to hear any more.
Those last words of the Lanners leader were without doubt a jab at just this sort of idea.
"Let me ask you. How long can the Lanners civilization's fleets hold out? Once the Lanners civilization has been wiped out, when the Fierce Dragon civilization's fleets, with five T4 interstellar warships, launch their attack on us, do you think our military strength as it is now can hold them off? At a critical juncture like this, still thinking of taking advantage, still thinking of sitting on the wall and watching: that isn't called clever. That's called digging your own grave!"
——————
The Lanners Civilization's First Naval Port
This had become the most deadlocked battlefield in the Lanners civilization's system.
The Lanners civilization was sending interstellar warships here wave after wave.
In just half a day, the interstellar warships sent over plus those garrisoned here already totaled over eight thousand.
And that place which had been the Lanners civilization's First Naval Port
was at this moment a scene of devastation wherever one looked.
Under the attack of the T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser,
every channel and berth of this naval port had been wrecked.
At least over a thousand interstellar warships had not managed to withdraw in time and were bottled up inside the naval port.
And the combat modules on the naval port had all been cleared away as well.
It could be said that this Lanners civilization First Naval Port had now become a living graveyard,
for burying the Lanners civilization's ships.
And that T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser, fighting all the way up to now, still stood very firm.
Its star shield was even still up; the attacks of the Lanners civilization fleets around it had not yet even broken its star shield.
It was easy to imagine what a transcendent presence a T4-grade interstellar warship was on this battlefield.
Bridge of the T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser
Marshal Chu Xuan was in fact here.
Of course, no one knew of it.
If Zhao Chen knew, she would probably get a good scolding when she got back:
why did she have to be in such a dangerous place?
She could perfectly well have made some other starship her flagship.
But that was Chu Xuan's character: whenever she went into battle, she had to be at the very front.
Only at the very front could she analyze the situation on the battlefield clearly in the shortest time.
So most of the time Marshal Chu Xuan acted first and reported afterward.
And though this starship was her flagship,
its real captain was someone else.
Marshal Chu Xuan looked at the figure standing on the command platform, commanding this interstellar warship with practiced skill.
She was not of the Fierce Dragon civilization.
She was a native of Dragon Star,
and was also of the Feng clan, the first to join the Fierce Dragon civilization's system: Feng Ling.
After Feng Ling joined the Fierce Dragon Kingdom, the path she followed was the army.
From a soldier at the start to a staff officer,
she had followed the Fierce Dragon fleets through a dozen-odd campaigns,
from campaigns on the ground on Dragon Star to campaigns in space.
Among the natives of Dragon Star, she could be said to be a veteran of quite rich combat experience.
And her talent was not bad either.
She was someone Marshal Chu Xuan had made a point of grooming.
For Marshal Chu Xuan knew very well that in this Trial of the Gods, the ten thousand people their Fierce Dragon civilization had brought could never run the whole Fierce Dragon system on their own.
In the future, as the combat fleets grew, some locals were bound to be needed in important positions.
So all along, Marshal Chu Xuan, Secretary Officer Barbara and the others had kept an eye on grooming these natives of Dragon Star.
Now, not only on Dragon Star but even on the former Frey planets, wherever there were people of talent, the Fierce Dragon civilization would recruit them without regard to rank!
Feng Ling stood on the command platform, calm and composed,
not the least bit timid or nervous for having Marshal Chu Xuan right behind her.
"Report, Captain. Our remaining stock of mid-short-range Tyrant-type interstellar missiles is down to just two thousand," her adjutant beside her reminded her.
Feng Ling said, "In the fighting from here on, no interstellar missiles are to be used without orders for now. These are to be kept to entertain some honored guests."
"Yes!"
"Report. At nine o'clock on the flank: a small force of Lanners civilization reinforcements has appeared. In this reinforcement fleet, three T3-grade interstellar warships have been spotted!" an officer shouted.
"Turn the guns. Bow cannon and main guns, lock onto these T3-grade interstellar warships!" Captain Feng Ling ordered at once.
The main combat task of her T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser was to clear away high-value combat targets.
The Lanners civilization's First Naval Port was one.
The rest were naturally those T3-grade interstellar warships.
"Report. The three enemy T3 interstellar warships have entered our fire range. Fire-control radar has locked on. Bow cannon and main guns have finished charging and are ready!" the head of the weapons department said.
"Ready, fire at will. Make sure these three T3 interstellar warships are destroyed in the shortest possible time!" Captain Feng Ling said.
"Yes!"
The weapons this T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser carried were quite comprehensive.
At the bow was a single super-giant Tyrant heavy bow cannon.
This bow cannon had now finished charging, and with a tremendous boom,
a beam shot straight out, as if slicing through this stretch of the universe.
The target it had locked onto was the highest-grade of those three T3 interstellar warships:
a T3 interstellar battleship.
This T3 interstellar battleship was also fitted with a single-face star-shield for defense.
This star shield opened at the front,
trying to intercept this shot from the Tyrant heavy bow cannon.
But in just the second they collided,
the star shield, and this Lanners civilization T3 interstellar battleship with it, were pierced straight through and destroyed,
becoming a dazzling firework of explosion in the universe.
At the same time,
around the hull of the T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser, the six 10,000 mm–caliber heavy railguns had also finished loading.
Three apiece, they had each locked onto a T3 interstellar warship.
This main gun could carry different shells according to combat needs.
And for dealing with a single starship, naturally it used the shells with the greatest single-target damage.
The six guns fired almost at once.
Dazzling fire blossomed on the hulls of those two T3 interstellar warships; then the hulls broke apart, and they were declared offline outright.
This was the dominance of a T4-grade interstellar warship on a battlefield like this.
Feng Ling said coldly, "Keep a close watch on these Lanners civilization fleets. Whenever a T3-grade interstellar warship is spotted, destroy it first!"
"Understood!"
The Lanners civilization's fleets naturally hated this T4-grade giant-gunned giant ship to the bone, and tried every means to destroy it.
Since they could not match its quality, they matched it with numbers,
sending great numbers of T1- and T2-grade interstellar warships at this T4 interstellar warship like a swarm of bees in suicide attacks.
But this way of attacking, against this T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser, could be said to have very little effect.
For besides these main battle weapons,
this T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser was also fitted with 166 quad-mount heavy particle-energy rapid-fire cannons and 488 fully automatic high-density six-mount energy close-in guns.
With these two kinds of guns,
this T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser could be said to be able to attack at range and defend up close.
Even surrounded by several hundred enemy starships,
they could hardly break through this net of fire,
let alone with the star shield protecting it too.
In just such a situation,
this T4 Tyrant-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Battlecruiser was all but invincible.
To suppress and destroy this T4 interstellar warship would take at least a hundred-plus T3-grade interstellar warships,
or else a T4 interstellar warship of the same grade.
Unfortunately, the Lanners civilization could manage neither.
That being so, the outcome of this battle could basically be settled.
"The only variable right now ought to be the Dax Empire's side. I hope that King doesn't disappoint me." Marshal Chu Xuan turned over in her mind the battle plan she had long since prepared.
At this very moment in the Fierce Dragon civilization's system,
the Dax Empire had planted some spies here too.
When it got definite word that most of the Fierce Dragon civilization's fleets had vanished, and must have been sent to the Lanners civilization battlefield,
the Dax Empire's King gave the order
to attack the Fierce Dragon civilization's home system at once.
In the first wave of the attack,
the Dax Empire's King sent outright five thousand fully prepared interstellar warships.
These five thousand interstellar warships went straight into warp travel, their target the Fierce Dragon System.
Little did they know
that Marshal Chu Xuan had long since made ready for them.
When these five thousand ships of the Dax Empire fleet appeared in all their might at the border of the Fierce Dragon System, before they had even dropped out of warp,
they were intercepted.
"What's going on?" This Dax Empire fleet's commander was startled by the sudden turn of events.
"Marshal, we must have been warp-intercepted!" a subordinate realized at once.
"Warp-intercepted? Oh, well. The main force of the Fierce Dragon fleets is at the Lanners civilization front-line battlefield right now anyway. So what if they've warp-intercepted us?" This Dax Empire marshal had not yet realized how serious the situation was.
Not until he saw great numbers of glowing starship engines appear around the spot where his fleet had been intercepted,
and the long-prepared interstellar missile ships putting on a fireworks show for them.
Hundreds of interstellar missile ships fired off interstellar missile after interstellar missile,
which fell like a meteor shower among the Dax Empire fleet groups that had been warp-intercepted.
Boom, boom, boom!
Blast after blast of fire appeared.
Dax Empire interstellar warship after interstellar warship was set ablaze.
Only at this moment did this Dax Empire marshal realize something was wrong.
The Fierce Dragon fleet intercepting and ambushing them did not number dozens or hundreds of ships,
but over a thousand!
"This isn't right! Didn't the intelligence say the bulk of the Fierce Dragon fleets had turned up at the Lanners civilization? Why are there still some here!" the Dax Empire marshal said in astonishment.
Their intelligence network had verified it twice over.
The adjutant beside him swallowed and said carefully, "Is it possible… that they… rushed back!"
Rushed back?
"From the word we've received, we only know how hard the Fierce Dragon fleets are fighting over on the Lanners civilization's side, but we haven't had any definite word on their actual numbers. And think back to when the Fierce Dragon civilization blitzed our Dax Empire's three systems before: the one-way star-gate technology they used shows they've already mastered this technology, and have a great deal of equipment for it in production. That being so, the Fierce Dragon civilization actually guessed long ago that we would attack the Fierce Dragon civilization's system at the critical juncture when the Lanners civilization came under attack. So all this was carefully prepared by them!"
Hearing this,
the Dax Empire marshal was silent for a moment.
But he still said, his eyes red, "Whatever happens, we have no way back now. Pass on my order. All interstellar warships, go all out, fight your way out for me! I don't believe the Fierce Dragon fleets can really fight on two fronts! These interstellar warships they've pulled back are certainly not in their full fighting condition. We still have a chance!"
At this moment, the commander of the Fierce Dragon fleet opposite,
Marshal Medusa, noticed the Dax Empire fleet opposite attempting to strike back.
"Quite cool-headed, thinking of striking back at a time like this. They probably think these interstellar warships of ours are in poor fighting condition. True, these interstellar warships of ours aren't in their best fighting condition. But who says these are the only interstellar warships we have?" Marshal Medusa gave a slight smile, then said, "Pass on my order. Our mecha forces can take the stage!"
"Yes!"
In the Fierce Dragon fleet,
interstellar transport after interstellar transport appeared in everyone's sight.
And on the hulls of these interstellar transports, a hundred-plus T3 Templar-class Medium Interstellar Combat Mechas could be seen.
These interstellar transports had been temporarily refitted into combat platforms for these interstellar combat mechas.
With these interstellar transports, these combat mechas could attack to their hearts' content too!
"Wait a little longer. Our main course hasn't arrived yet. Send word to Chu Xuan's side: tell her the prey has taken the bait. She can get ready on her side," Marshal Medusa said with a faint smile.
"Yes!"
This message soon reached the Lanners civilization front-line battlefield.
On receiving the message Marshal Medusa had sent back,
Marshal Chu Xuan at once made new arrangements too.
Apart from leaving two T4 Paladin-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Escorts in place to keep fighting,
the other three T4 interstellar warships all went to support the battlefield in the Fierce Dragon System at home.
By means of one-way star-gate technology,
these three T4 interstellar warships very soon reached this battlefield.
"How is it?" Marshal Chu Xuan looked over toward Marshal Medusa.
"The situation is still under control. With the firepower the mechas we arranged in advance have added, we can still hold off the attack of the five thousand–odd interstellar warships opposite for a short while," Marshal Medusa said.
"Mm, then leave the rest to us." Marshal Chu Xuan looked at the battlefield before her. "T4 Gorgon-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship No. 1, ready your fire. First launch a saturation fire strike on the enemy fleet groups' position!"
Bridge of the T4 Gorgon-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship
The corners of Fire Lydia's mouth curved up slightly: "No. 1 understands. Ready five rounds of saturation fire strikes!"
Every heavy gun of this T4 Gorgon-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship locked onto those Dax Empire interstellar warships.
Five heavy-gun salvos: the show was no less than the interstellar missile ships' salvo before,
and in power even somewhat fiercer!