“`
“”You’ve got to be kidding, the 37th and 38th Armored Divisions are both mobilized, leaving only the 34th Division at the main position. Who do you think is the main force now? As the commander, I have to be where the main force is!”
He paused before continuing, “Moreover, the mission to rescue the Governor’s mother carries greater weight. With me present, decisions can be made on the spot without the need to relay messages back and forth; my presence also serves to boost the morale of the whole army, letting them know that an Alliance general is never short on courage and is ready to fight alongside frontline officers!”
Leroy furrowed his brows tightly.
He couldn’t help but think… what Perbov said seemed… quite reasonable?
He hesitated before saying, “Then if we head to oversee the strike team, what about the main position here? The 34th Division will be facing the enemy’s main assault alone, which will be a lot of pressure.”
“That’s why,” Perbov stared at his old partner, “you need to stay behind.”
“What?”
“Only if you stay here to hold the main position can I strike out with peace of mind!”
“You make an awfully good point!”
…
And so it was settled, Perbov acted with resolute and swift determination.
The troops that needed to be mobilized were quickly assembled.
It was no easy feat.
At the moment, this so-called main position was just a small town.
A few days earlier, when they had just disembarked from the starship, they were hiding inside a bunch of cargo containers, having arrived on site as ‘goods’.
And when the ‘time’ was ripe, they burst forth from their containers and headed to a residential area that the Gu Family’s local forces had long-prepared.
The area was cleared of its inhabitants, and the thirty thousand men took it as their dwelling place.
At that time, they could only carry some light weapons with them. The heavy firepower—be it artillery, armored vehicles, or tanks—was still packed as ‘cargo’ in containers.
The depot for their weapons and equipment was not too far from their ‘barracks’.
In such circumstances, Perbov and Leroy never took this operation as a mere trip. The guards at the container depot and the warehouse managers were all replaced by their own men.
Moreover, they didn’t just stay put in the residential area. They dispatched all the reconnaissance squads and platoons.
Whether blending in with the townspeople or even roaming outside the town, it was crucial to control a large area.
After all, they had clear communication with the Gu Family regarding this operation: were they afraid of being exposed?
The Family explicitly stated they were not afraid—after all, hiding thirty thousand men armed with heavy weaponry was impossible. The only reason for concealment was so everyone could save face.
So, safety was paramount, even if it was conspicuous.
Perbov and Leroy’s caution as military commanders paid off in the events that followed.
As soon as they detected a strange military force approaching—even before it showed any hostility—they went straight to full military mobilization. The alert warriors promptly took their battle stations.
The forward sentries intercepted the unknown military force ten kilometers away from the town. No matter the reason or argument the other side presented, they stood firm, refusing to let anyone through.
As suspected, the intentions of this unfamiliar military force were not good. When they failed to negotiate their way into the town, they were the first to open fire.
The Expeditionary Force from Rage Owl Star would not be trifled with.
The reconnaissance squads and platoons engaged the enemy first. Even though they were initially armed only with light weapons while the enemy had several Mecha sentries—agile and powerful armored units—they faced them without fear. Enjoy more content from empire
Under their layered resistance, the Luman Kingdom’s military advancement was slow.
“`
For the people of the Luman Kingdom, what was even more terrifying was that even though they were the ones initiating the attack, it was the artillery of the Alliance Expeditionary Force that fired first.
The power of the 155mm howitzer was so great that a single shot could destroy a Sentinel Mecha. With three divisions, the Alliance brought nearly three hundred and fifty heavy guns. Three rounds of rapid fire battered the advancing royal army, which had no defensive fortifications to speak of, inflicting heavy casualties.
The first wave of the failed assault caused the Luman Kingdom’s army to abandon their armor and retreat in disorder.
After that, the thirty thousand troops of the Expeditionary Force quickly occupied the entire town and began establishing their battle lines at every entrance and all positions around the town.
By the time the Luman Kingdom’s army reorganized for a second assault, approaching cautiously, their target did not at all resemble a visiting force!
— Where the hell does a guest army, in half a day’s time, turn an ordinary suburban town into a military fortress?
Street barricades, the high points of occupied houses, windows… these things all became advantageous terrain for the defenders. Moreover, within the town, the Alliance’s artillery spread out their positions, yet ensured the concentration of firepower to any exterior point.
And to add to the embarrassment, the kingdom’s cannons… weren’t as fierce as the Alliance’s.
It’s bad enough that their power was less, but their range was even shorter. When they drove oxen and horses forward, pulling the cannons into position and just firing two rounds, the Alliance Expeditionary Force’s artillery quickly calculated their position and launched a counter-battery fire that nearly wiped out their gunners.
And the royal army’s gunners… their skills fell far short. The second wave took a long time to calculate the positions of the Alliance’s guns and then discovered they were out of range, so they had to quietly push their artillery positions forward, only to be inexplicably spotted en route and under another round of artillery fire, they were obliterated before firing a single shot…
Lacking heavy artillery support, even with Sentinel Mechas leading the way, the Luman Kingdom’s army couldn’t breach the hedgehog-like town.
Not to mention the threat posed by the Alliance’s mortars, individual rocket launchers, and other anti-mecha weapons once they advanced.
They failed in the second assault, and the third assault as well.
Not until the Luman Kingdom brought out their ultimate weapon—the Knight Titans—did the tide of battle change.
Those things were indeed fierce.
The two Knight Titans, with their long range, fired dozens of rockets into the town from tens of kilometers away, beyond the reach of the artillery.
The effect was impressive.
After firing three volleys and reloading, they began their advance on foot.
Sentinel Mechas closely followed at their sides, with infantry fodder a bit further in front. The two Knight Titans, while firing suppressive rockets into the town, began to demonstrate the power of their rapid-fire cannons and laser cannons when they got within about fifteen kilometers.
One by one, houses were blown away and demolished; the Alliance Expeditionary Force indeed suffered significant casualties.
Costing seven hundred thousand Tax Currency each, the Knight Titans, which equalled the cost of two combined Knight units, certainly lived up to their reputation.
But the Luman Kingdom’s attack was still repelled.
At a distance of fifteen kilometers, the previously somewhat silent Alliance artillery once again showed their might.
This greatly surprised the Luman Kingdom’s nobility controlling the two Knight Titans: the volley of long-range rockets they had fired earlier was aimed at the calculated positions of the Expeditionary Force’s artillery.
They had advanced the previous five kilometers uneventfully, without encountering any counter-fire from the Alliance, leading them to believe that the Alliance’s artillery had been decimated.
But at this moment, the Expeditionary Force clearly informed them: not only was the artillery unit not destroyed, but it also maintained strong combat capabilities!
In half a minute, the three hundred Alliance guns extravagantly fired four volleys in rapid succession, unleashing over a thousand 155mm howitzer rounds.
The Luman Kingdom’s army was repelled once more.
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Fixed the computer…
It’s past noon and time to release this.