While Mr. Gu was on Korolya III, coordinating with a joint investigation team formed by personnel from various forces to investigate the disappearance case of the War Apostles, inside the human command center on the Western Front at Rage Owl Star, the atmosphere was incredibly tense.
Yan Fangxu tightly gripped the combat plan he and his comrades at the staff office had labored over for several days and nights, his face a picture of displeasure as he looked at the person sitting at the top.
This person looked quite majestic and robust, a big, beard-dense bald man.
His name was Cai Minjin, a Major General of the Imperial Star Realm Army, commander of the Dragonhawk 3rd Legion 4th Corps, and the overall commander of the troops from the Fatches Star System, totaling one million soldiers, who came to Rage Owl Star to reinforce the battle.
The initial three hundred thousand and the subsequent seven hundred thousand troops on their way all belonged to this fourth corps; they were all his direct subordinates.
A total of 25 large brigades had been dispatched. He had arrived at Rage Owl Star with the vanguard of three hundred thousand soldiers.
His decisiveness was undeniable. After the landing of seven large brigades, amounting to three hundred thousand troops, he led his men to the Western Front and met with Yan Fangxu right away.
He knew that Yan Fangxu was the highest commander of the so-called ‘Rage Bear Legion’ in this area and also the commander of the planet’s Planetary Defense Force.
Therefore, to quickly push forward the battle and resolve the problems on this planet, it was obvious that he had to approach this man.
To put it bluntly, Cai Minjin didn’t at all feel that this battle was worth wasting his time on.
He was originally reluctant to come.
The Iron Man rebellion sounded terrifying, but he heard that after the local Planetary Defense Force on Rage Owl Star fought a battle with the so-called Iron Man rebel army, they achieved a significant victory with minimal casualties.
Therefore, Cai Minjin believed that the enemy they were about to face was probably just so-so.
Since the higher-ups arranged for him to come and fight, then he would fight.
However, he didn’t plan on wasting too much time here.
As such, the moment General Cai Minjin arrived at the frontline and summoned Yan Fangxu, he set aside the so-called ‘campaign plan’ without a glance and immediately proposed his own idea:
“I want to achieve significant results within three weeks. We have three weeks’ time, during which our corps’ remaining forces should also be in place. Then, after gathering them, I expect to completely eliminate the rebels on your planet within six weeks. I want my soldiers to be able to return to Fatches II to celebrate the New Year.”
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Of course, Yan Fangxu would not mind the Star Realm Army wanting to end the battle quickly. Although he found General Cai to be somewhat arrogant, if it was just a matter of attitude, he could bear it.
They came with a million-strong army to help fight the war; no matter how arrogant their demeanor, it was acceptable!
However, what Cai Minjin proposed next was something Yan Fangxu could not accept.
It was bad enough that Cai Minjin completely disregarded Yan Fangxu’s battle plan, but the new plan he put forward was utterly objectionable.
He acted as if he were the supreme commander of the allied forces.
The Central Group Army of the alliance, combined with half of the Rage Bear Legion, totaling 270,000 troops, had mostly recovered their positions from before the ‘Flash Tail Operation.’
Meanwhile, Cai Minjin’s Star Realm Army was essentially massed on the Central Boulevard.
According to Cai Minjin’s new operational concept, the alliance’s forces would launch a full-scale offensive in a few days; his fourth corps would advance along the mainland, moving behind the Central Collection 1 Brigade. They would support the battlefields everywhere, ensuring that within two weeks, they would crush the enemies in front, break through the Western Desert, and penetrate westward into the mainland.
In Yan Fangxu’s view, this was too reckless, too hasty. Do you know how many forces Blackbird Heavy Industries has regrouped in the month after the Flash Tail Operation, and what is the distribution of these forces?
Launching an all-out fierce attack without knowing anything?
But that perspective was secondary. If Cai Minjin let his forces carry out such high-risk actions, Yan Fangxu would at most earnestly persuade him to reconsider.
However, Cai Minjin clearly had a different intention.
His seven large brigades were not planning to engage on the front lines initially but to gather behind and provide support whenever needed.
Wasn’t this tantamount to sending the alliance’s troops into the largest, deepest traps?
If they can get through, then they get through; if they can’t, I will decide if I want to send reinforcement based on the situation.
Using the forces of Rage Owl Star as cannon fodder?
Where is the sense in that?
But… in most cases, that’s exactly how it is.
To many, the Star Realm Army is considered ‘cannon fodder,’ which is a comparison to the Starfighter Battle Group, the Sisterhood, some elite forces, and the precious Imperial Navy Fleet. But in reality, the so-called ‘Hammer of the Empire,’ the Star Realm Army, is the Empire’s primary ground force.
They are numerous, ferocious in firepower, fearless in sacrifice, and rely mainly on artillery and armor as their strength, crushing the enemies of the Empire like a steadfast warhammer.
Indeed, they don’t possess the glamour and flamboyance of some elite units, and in many cases, they serve as a background for the elites, becoming expendable material that can be consumed to create opportunities. But this does not negate their own achievements and value.
Yet compared to others, the Star Realm Army is still not at the very bottom of the Empire’s military system; the Planetary Defense Force is.