Chapter 611: Chapter 353, It’s Not Time Yet_2
The difference in personnel was significant; only about forty percent of the Dragonhawk Legion soldiers met the Star Realm Army standard. And in terms of equipment, the gap was even more pronounced. The infantry divisions might be roughly equal, but the disparity among the armored divisions was huge. An armored division with a large organization, numbering over thirty thousand people, might have only two-thirds the heavy equipment of a single Rage Bear Legion’s combined brigade.
Yet, there were as many as forty such large armored divisions in the Dragonhawk Legion.
Moreover, within their ranks were a few Lion King Tanks. By name, these seemed like upgraded versions of the Lion Tanks, but in reality, they were completely different. In the Star Realm Army classification, Lion Tanks were only considered as standard tanks, while Lion King Tanks were bona fide heavy tanks. Their size was three times larger than that of the Lion Tanks. They possessed extremely thick armor and even had a small, movable Shield Generator that could protect one side. Its main gun was a super-heavy artillery piece, supplemented by two secondary guns equivalent to the Lion Tanks, as well as two heavy explosive machine guns. Nearly twenty crew members were needed inside to operate this tank effectively.
The difference was that one Lion King could destroy dozens of Lions—the main reason being that its internal gunners and multiple auxiliary targeting servoskulls could operate with very high accuracy. Its main gun, no matter where it hit a Lion Tank, could inflict devastating damage—the secondary guns could too, they just needed to be more precise.
Conversely, Lion Tanks could hardly inflict effective damage on the Lion King. Even if they managed to bypass the energy shield and surround the Lion King, the weakest parts of its armor – the rearmost or the side track guards – still offered protection far exceeding the frontal armor of an ordinary Lion Tank.
Such heavy monsters could even destroy Knight Titans in a head-on conflict!
…
However, these behemoths were few in number within the entire Dragonhawk Legion, averaging less than one per armored division. But when General Hans decided to commit, he did so decisively, no longer holding back. Eighteen of his Lion King heavy tanks, his final ace in the hole, were brought out, half of them dispatched to the most perilous battlefield.
At the same time, the armored divisions of the Dragonhawk Legion also began to mobilize.
Tactically, they followed the example of the Rage Bear Legion’s Armored Composite Brigade.
The combat effectiveness of these Dragonhawk armored divisions was far from that of the Rage Bear Legion, but with their number and the support of heavy tanks, they managed to breach the enemy’s lines and stabilize the overall defense.
The originally teetering second defense line thus became stable.
Even the meat grinder situation slowed down considerably afterward.
At first, the human side was surprised, but soon, the human military staffers, regaining their wits, figured out the reason:
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The enemy’s losses were also significant. Those Plague creatures could also be rendered ineffective.
Though the lowest level of Plague creatures, such as the Plague Giant Flies or Plague Zombies, were brainless and possessed no concept of morale, fighting with reckless abandon, it was clear that their commanders, the leaders of the enemy, were not so mindless and would not waste their troops meaninglessly.
If they could maintain a destructive assault on the human forces, break through human battle zones directly, then the sacrifice would certainly be worthwhile.
However, once the human defensive line stabilized, there was no need for such losses.
The most crucial factor was that, during the previous offensive phase, the losses of these Plague creatures were actually far greater than those of the human side.
Previously, as the human military was in constant retreat, it was difficult to count the enemy’s losses. But once the second defense line stabilized and the situation became a stalemate, some estimates could be made.
Even though they weren’t accurate, they served as a reference.
The human casualty exchange ratio with those Plague creatures was roughly 1 to 8.
This was a high rate, the cost of the enemy’s relentless attacks along every sector of the hundreds of kilometers long front line.
Humans were initially stunned by the assault, but now they had recovered.
Up until now, the battle had been raging for a whole day, and even without counting the Plague Fly Swarms, just the ground forces had nearly a million human casualties, while the enemy’s losses were estimated to be over eight million.
The Demons could no longer sustain the assault.
Additionally, there was another objective factor: when the frontline reached the human’s second defensive line, it was already more than eighty kilometers from Fino City.
At this distance, Fino City could not offer much support.
Within Fino City, the most powerful Sinister Energy Cannon dared not target the ground combat, instead aiming at the sky. The Human Fleet also flickered in and out of orbit, occasionally unleashing a barrage of fire onto Fino City, delivering a strike from orbit, declaring their presence in this manner.
Although it was difficult to rely solely on a not-so-powerful Fleet firepower to destroy Fino City’s Void Shield, the presence of the Fleet still brought significant meaning to the battle.
If it weren’t for the Fleet’s diversion, those Orbital Cannons on Fino City would level their barrels against the human army’s positions, with each shot piercing through effortlessly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Moreover, the Fleet’s orbital strikes could also support the direction of the Plague Demon Army’s offensive.
It’s just that the level of support was not sufficient.
When faced with threats from Fino City’s Anti-Orbit Cannons, the Fleet could not act too recklessly; losing a single ship would be unbearably painful.
Under such mutual constraints, as the battlefield moved away from Fino City, the number of conventional Sinister Energy Cannons capable of reaching as far as eighty kilometers away significantly reduced. And those Plague Demon Armies, lacking the heavy firepower support from the rear, could not press forward anymore.
To continue fighting, on the human’s stabilized frontlines, under the heavy artillery fire from behind, their losses might not just be as low as eight to one, it could probably double up, if not more.
Even the Plague Demon Army could not withstand such losses.
Fino City originally had a population of one billion, and before the city was completely overrun, six hundred million managed to evacuate; most of the population of Nest Capital, which Fino City devoured, also fled before being consumed, with just over a hundred million swallowed.
The Plague Demon Army could not possibly transform all these seven hundred million people into military forces—at least half would be lost in the transformation process.
Considering the combined losses and the lack of fire support, the Plague Demon Army slowed down their offensive.
As a result, the human army could catch their breath.
The nearly twenty Army Groups originally in the first and second defense lines all retreated to the rear, resting under the walls of Mingyan City; fifteen Army Groups originally in the rear were now on the front, with dozens more Army Groups waiting as reserves behind them.
Except for the Rage Bear Legion. General Hans did not wish to use such a combat-capable force as a conventional line filler and kept them ready to be redeployed at any moment.
With such arrangements, the defense lines were finally completely solidified.
However, General Hans still felt unease in his heart.
He initiated communication with Gu Hang.
“Mr. Gu, although you haven’t told me, I know you’re preparing something very special,” General Hans spoke gravely, a guess he had formed from observing Gu Hang’s various actions, “Now, the balanced situation at the frontline can’t be maintained forever. In fact, by tomorrow, once Fino City advances thirty kilometers forward, bringing our frontline back within their firing range, our pressure will become immense, and we may have to retreat from the second defense line.”
“Whatever plans you have, you need to act quickly!”
However, in response to General Hans’ words, Gu Hang only replied, “Now is not the time.”
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4k
Taking advantage of the weekend, I’ll try to write another chapter, but it’s likely to be very late. Everyone can read it when they wake up in the morning!