Chapter 8, a tranquil beginning
New Belfast has a population of 15 million, distributed across thirty cities along the equator of the planet. To control the local residents, General McAdam has established two marine military outposts near each city to monitor the local situation. Currently, more than half of these sixty military bases have either rebelled or fallen into the hands of guerrillas. To avoid bombardment from the military fleet's ground attack aircraft, most of them are holed up in outposts with complete air defense facilities, with only a small number venturing out to attack bases still under military control or inciting residents in the cities to join the rebellion. Our mission is to parachute in and completely suppress all fallen outposts and large groups of guerrillas. The chief of staff pointed to the dense red dots on the map. Our mission is to parachute in and completely suppress all fallen outposts and large groups of guerrillas. The chief of staff pointed to the dense red dots on the map.
"It doesn't matter, as long as we can keep it under wraps for two days, I just want them to know that we are putting on a show of strength." Zhang Songlan casually waved his hand, appearing confident and composed.
The specific distribution remains unclear, and each military base is equipped with standard jammers to prevent further orbital reconnaissance. No one knows the location of the enemy's general headquarters. The chief of staff shook his head regretfully, stating, "According to local military intelligence, the enemy forces number approximately 30,000, of which around 9,000 are defected regular troops, while the remainder consists of local guerrilla fighters. The rebel forces have about 30 high-proportion mech squadrons, and the armament of the guerrilla fighters is uncertain. It is speculated that they may be composed of single-person power armor, armed vehicles, and some industrial mechs that have been modified into armed mechs. It cannot be ruled out that some regular mechs from the black market have also fallen into their hands."
Finally, it is time to get serious. It is no wonder that some people want to smash the bar on the ship due to the boredom... Zhang Songlan quickly put on his coat and walked out of the room. Prolonged interstellar travel can make one feel extremely oppressive and dull. Even when stepping onto a battlefield, people still hope to have their feet firmly planted on the expansive and solid surface of a planet.
There lies the Ninth City, deeply immersed in revolutionary fervor and anarchy
Now, tasks will be assigned, with all Marine Corps units attacking the designated ten strongholds in clusters of three battalions. The first and fourth main mech units will air-drop at location L3, while the first support mech unit will be responsible for providing cover. The second and third main mech units will air-drop at location L14... Seeing that there are no further questions, the Chief of Staff began to assign tasks to each Marine Corps unit.
By the time Zhang Songlan entered the tactical conference room, most people had already gathered, indicating that everyone seemed to share similar thoughts
"Indeed, the enemy is a guerrilla force..." Zhang Songlan rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the gourd for a long time without any movement.
No, we will go this way. Zhang Songlan completely disregarded the two reasonable routes suggested by Terenxier, pointing directly to the center of the gourd.
What is the distribution of the guerrilla forces? Are there specific data available?" a captain inquired
Since you already have a plan, I will not say anything further. So, what is our direction of travel? Is it south or north? Teren Hill overlaid the topographic maps and satellite images provided by the local military and outlined two routes that he deemed relatively reasonable for our journey
What is the rush? Our meeting point is relatively close, so it doesn't matter if we set off a bit later. Zhang Songlan replied without even moving his eyes.
"Have we finally arrived?" Zhang Songlan, weary of the endless interrogations and tedious journey, let out a long sigh. He pressed the gravity control button on his desk and immediately felt a weight descend upon him, as if the gravity in the entire room had suddenly intensified several times, pressing down on him. Although it was not very comfortable, it allowed him to maintain stability amidst the violent shaking of the objects in the room.
New Belva www.hetushu.com.com Sterring Surface · Near the Ninth City Area
"It is still most comfortable to be on the ground." Zhang Songlan jumped down the personnel ladder and excitedly bounced on the ground, feeling stifled by the boredom of life in a small room.
"Yes, I understand," Zhang Songlan nodded in agreement and walked directly towards the command vehicle in the center of the formation
Well... someone finally spoke up, and the captain, who had many opinions, finally gave up the argument
The chief of staff nodded, drawing out a pointer to indicate the holographic image on the table
But do not forget that we are the armored unit; our operational speed is slower than that of the mecha team, " Terunxier argued firmly.
The vice captain, Trenshil, rushed over to report. Having arrived first, he almost took on the entire command of the squadron's landing operation: monitoring the landing zone, conducting reconnaissance of the surroundings, confirming logistical supplies, and so on. It can be said that even without our Captain Zhang, the First Mecha Hunter Squadron would still have operated smoothly. Fortunately, the landing craft and space fighters were on alert in the sky, preventing the insurgents from making any rash moves; otherwise, Zhang Songlan's initial command operation could have turned into a brutal forced landing battle.
A silence.
Captain, the squad has completed its deployment. Please provide further instructions
Attention all personnel on board, a shock alert is now being issued. The ship is about to pass through the Strait of Saint George, during which there may be vibrations. All crew members are requested to proceed to their designated seats and prepare for shock. I will repeat... Zhang Songlan was nestled in his small room making final adjustments to the squadron data when the captain's announcement suddenly came over the ship's intercom.
In stark contrast to his usual laid-back demeanor, Zhang Songlan immediately immersed himself in the satellite images provided by the fleet upon taking his position. The map displayed a striking gourd-shaped black void, the result of the overlapping interference zones of two bases, indicating the circular area of the First Mecha Hunter Kill Team at the narrow protrusion of the gourd's waist. The landing craft descended close to the air defense zones of the two bases, and for them, who were at risk of ambush by small enemy units at any moment, the air combat team saved them a considerable amount of unnecessary detours.
The turbulence lasted for about one minute. By the time gravity stabilized again, the fleet had already reached their next battlefield—Five Star Pass. Ironically, most of humanity's time spent in space travel has been wasted on sub-light speed journeys within galaxies, while true long-distance intergalactic travel can be completed in just a few minutes
If it is only a temporary situation, everyone can manage..." Terunxier showed a look of difficulty, "After all, this is the enemy's territory. No matter how grand we make our presence, the number of troops cannot change.
"Well, at least let the enemy misunderstand that we have three battalions of military strength, is that feasible?" Zhang Songlan, who was still uncertain about the capabilities of his subordinates, turned to ask Terenxier for advice
The mission of the First Mecha Hunter Team is to assist the Ninth Main Mecha Team and the Third Support Mecha Team in attacking the fallen base in the northern part of the Ninth City. It is uncertain whether the old commander intends to test him or if it is merely his turn to undertake this task. Among the ten squadrons responsible for diversionary support, his squadron bears the heaviest responsibility—the southern base of the Ninth City is also in the hands of the rebels. The two bases are so close that their air defense zones are completely interconnected, meaning that the troops at these two bases can support each other without risking an attack from the Red Spider Air Combat Team. The Legion Command has not assigned any other forces to the south of the Ninth City; the task of restraining the enemy at the southern base has entirely fallen on the First Mecha Hunter Team, and they are likely facing an enemy force that is four times their number, with comparable weaponry.
It took a full fifteen days for the Red Spider Fleet to travel from the Eland Fortress in the Hegemony Galaxy to the St. George Gate. In addition to the necessary travel expenses for interstellar navigation, there were also the incessant inspections by the military of the Visak Kingdom. Although the Red Spider possesses transit rights in almost all countries, the destination is ultimately the highly sensitive Five-Star Pass, making it only natural for the ruling faction within the kingdom to closely monitor them.
In other words, we have to face a regular army of a similar scale to ours, along with guerrilla forces that outnumber us by more than twice? That is almost a complete mechanized ground force! The disparity in numbers left the newly appointed captain feeling uneasy.
"Alright." Zhang Songlan reluctantly shifted his gaze to Trenhill, "Let the four slingshots cover the mine-clearing vehicle as the vanguard, with the supply team, command center, and long-range missile units positioned centrally, while the remaining troops advance slowly in a wide battle line. Inform all vehicle commanders to create as much noise as possible and raise as much dust as they can; if necessary, fire a couple of shots into the sky. In short, we need to create an imposing presence of a large army. But be cautious of landmines and improvised explosive devices; I believe you are more familiar with the power of those things than I am."
The alert has been lifted. Our ship is scheduled to arrive over New Belfast planet in five hours. Marines scheduled to land are requested to gather in the armory to organize their equipment. Additionally, all squad leaders report to the tactical conference room. The lights in the room have returned to normal
"Well, does anyone else have any questions?" The chief of staff surveyed the entire conference room
On May 27, 2024, at 10:00 AM New Belfast time, as the first landing craft carrying the Red Spider Legion's marines touched down on the planet's surface, the New Belfast suppression campaign commenced, and the figure of Zhang Songlan officially ascended the stage of history
In terms of numbers, this is the case, but what we are facing is not a large army combined into one, but rather dispersed troops located at dozens of strongholds and routes. They are currently holed up in their strongholds, afraid to venture outside the range of their air defense, so we can use our superior forces to defeat them one by one without worrying about reinforcements from the other strongholds. If they dare to take the risk and come out, the fleet's air combat team will help you resolve the issue. The chief of staff was quite dismissive of the captain's concerns. They are currently holed up in their strongholds, afraid to venture outside the range of their air defense, so we can use our superior forces to defeat them one by one without worrying about reinforcements from the other strongholds. If they dare to take the risk and come out, the fleet's air combat team will help you resolve the issue. The chief of staff was quite dismissive of the captain's concerns.
Rest assured, the foremost concern of the rebel forces is self-preservation; they will not take risks by wagering their own resources on uncertain matters. The one responding on behalf of the chief of staff is a former guerrilla leader, who, having defected from a certain country's army to join the guerrillas, understands the sentiments of the rebels best.
Regardless, the fleet finally arrived at the St. George Gate before any friction could arise between the hot-tempered mercenaries and the arrogant kingdom patrols, with the destination of this mission being the Five-Star Pass on the other side of the gate
This is the real-time battlefield report sent to us by the local military. Chief of Staff, please explain it to everyone. The old commander retrieved the intelligence from the desktop computer
Please make a decision quickly; the other two squads have already set out. Terunxier saw that the two friendly units at the head of the gourd had begun to advance into the interference zone, and hurriedly urged the indecisive Zhang Songlan.
Given the scale of our air combat team, we cannot possibly prevent them from emerging in full force, can we? When it comes to life and death, that cautious captain still feels uneasy
All weapons offline, energy control on board has commenced, traversing in three, two, one... Jump engine activated! As the captain's voice echoed, the lights in the room went out and the backup red lights illuminated. A force caused the interior of the stable warship to tremble, a result of the unstable energy flow within the wormhole washing against the hull.
Is it just a bluff? Terunxier's brow finally relaxed a bit. For them, who are burdened with the task of deterrence, exaggerating their military strength is not without its merits.