Yes, the Fallen Apostles had all gone mad. Although their mental state was not normal in the past, at least there was some logic to it. Even if they were destroying the world, burning, killing, and looting, we could still see a battle plan. They were originally a group of madmen with a plan, organization, and probability. When they killed and burned, they were the type that went against the military code. However, this time, the actions of the Fallen Apostles were completely unreasonable. We had just figured out why they would invade the distant borders of the Empire. Then, Emperor Halland personally led the troops to attack the Empire. What was he trying to do?
Did the Fallen Apostles suddenly decide to stake everything on one throw and fight a decisive battle against the Empire before the Protoss expedition reached its peak?
This was too stupid. They should have at least some patience because there was still some time before the peak of the expedition. Although there was not enough manpower on the Star Court side, they still had enough reserve soldiers. If the Fallen Apostles really planned to fight a decisive battle against the Empire, they would first break the balance and suffer a fierce counterattack. The Protoss army could take the opportunity to attack the Abyss Empire. The new Empire was not a pushover either. With sufficient Protoss reinforcements, it was completely possible for us to repel the Fallen Apostles' offensive. It was not a wise move for the enemy to break the stalemate now.
The Sixth Fleet had already entered the void and was now rushing back to the mainland at an unprecedented speed. However, the distant borders were too far away from the Empire. Even with Schilling technology, we might need a day to reach the battlefield. At this moment, it was said that the battle at the border of the Empire had already reached its climax. One day, just one day, and we might be delayed.
I maintained contact with Sandora the entire time to understand first-hand information about the border war zone. Right now, we still did not know how many troops the Fallen Apostles had sent. According to Sandora, the enemies charging over from the void were like an endless tide. Almost every moment, there would be a new fleet coming from the direction of the Abyss Empire and heading straight for the border of the Empire. Right now, our only advantage was our defensive advantage. The enemy had traveled a long distance and could not bring along any strategic weapons, so their combat ability was not at its peak. On the other hand, the Imperial Army's garrison was ferocious and had the support of a strategic weapon like the Garden of the Departed. Thus, in terms of combat ability, the Imperial Army had the advantage for the time being. However, this kind of advantage might not be maintained for too long. If the follow-up troops of the Fallen Apostle continued to pour in like this, it would be impossible for Sandora's side to continue to hold the defensive line so easily.
This was the command hall of the Admiral of the Empire. The commanders had just finished a long-range troop deployment here.
Currently, the Sixth Fleet was unable to enter the battlefield, and we had also taken away many outstanding officers from the capital world — especially strategic commanders like Syves. This was a terrible situation for the frontlines that Sandora was currently facing, but fortunately, the Shiring Apostles had the most excellent command network and telepathic communication abilities in the Void, and the commanders of the Sixth Fleet could still use this network to provide some assistance to the frontlines. Now, Syves and her team of officers were mobilizing active troops that could be mobilized from various military zones within the Empire's borders, at the same time gathering a large number of servant troops. Countless fleets of various sizes were gathering from the vast borders of the Empire, like fireflies that were startled in a wheat field on a summer night, advancing towards the border world that was under attack by the Fallen Apostles. These scattered but massive troops continued to converge on the way forward, from little sparks gradually converging into streams, and then slowly turning into surging waves, rushing towards the borders of the Empire in waves to meet the Fallen Apostle army that was similarly surging like a tidal wave.
On the projection of the entire Empire on the officer's platform, I could clearly see this scene. Almost every world that had a military base had a star that represented a fleet. These light spots were the supporting fleets of varying sizes, and they followed the jump channels between worlds, moving step by step towards the frontlines. The entire map of the Empire's territory was now filled with such moving light spots, and the border worlds that were under attack were completely burning. The blue and white light spots that represented the Imperial Army and the servant army, as well as the red spots that represented the Fallen Apostles' fleet, clashed violently at the narrow borders, and every flash of light perhaps represented fleet-level casualties.
And outside this territory map, in the dark background that represented the Void, there were still dark red enemy signals constantly converging.
The Sixth Fleet's signal was the brightest of all the fleet signals, and we were currently the largest force apart from the various armies at the frontlines. The local garrisons of any world could not compare to the size of the Empire's main force, the Sixth Fleet, but we were also the slowest of all the supporting fleets. The Sixth Fleet had just completed an invasion defense battle in the furthest territory of the Empire, and this battlefield was almost located at the furthest point from the Empire's homeland.
"Could it be that we have been lured away from the mountains?" I could not help but wonder. The Sixth Fleet had left the Empire's homeland to meet the invasion forces at the distant borders, and then Emperor Halland personally led the army to attack the nearby borders. This seemed to connect so naturally that it was easy to think that it was a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountains, but this speculation did not stand up to scrutiny.
Vincent? Carlo led the army to attack the distant borders of the Empire because of the misunderstanding caused by the Fairy people. At least, as the supreme commander of the fleet, Vincent himself did not know more about the invasion. This invasion was completely unpremeditated, and it could even be said to be a hasty battle. Halland should not have had any follow-up plans before this, let alone taking this opportunity to lure the tiger away from the mountains.
Taking a step back, let's assume that after Halland learned that the Empire had sent a legion to fight against Vincent, he suddenly decided to take the opportunity to attack the Empire's homeland, because he felt that the Empire was now defenseless, and it was a good opportunity to take advantage of him. That was not quite right either, because the Empire's regular army had a total of six legions, and there was also a Royal Fleet, which was the size of a regular legion, as well as an incalculable number of servants and reserve echelons. Vincent's invasion force could at most divert half of our Royal Fleet and the Sixth Fleet. This kind of luring …
Was it really valuable?
I would rather believe that Halland had eaten something wrong.
"The fleet is already moving forward at maximum speed. If the void jump module is overloaded, it will be scrapped," my sister's voice sounded next to me. My sister's voice rang out beside me. Her voice was still as calm as ever, and it carried a kind of power that made people involuntarily calm down. I took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's advance at full speed like this. The reinforcements that have been mobilized from all over the world will arrive at the battlefield before us …"
Xiaoxue closed her eyes and supported her head with her hand as if she was taking a nap. However, she was still listening to the movements around her. Hearing what I said, she shook her head gently. "The Sixth Fleet's spaceships are the most advanced. Their warp speed and unit information deviation are both very large. We are faster than the reinforcements from other worlds, and will probably arrive at the middle of all the reinforcements. The situation is not too bad. "
Alright, they could arrive at the battlefield relatively quickly. This could only be described as not too bad.
"About one-third of the damaged spaceships that were sent to the rear for repair three hours ago can still be used in battle. Now, they are requesting to return to battle." Xiaoxue suddenly opened her eyes and pointed at a certain area on the holographic projection. It was a few military heavy industry universes near the borders of the Empire. A few hours ago, after the Sixth Fleet had ended its battle with Vincent's fleet, we had sent our damaged spaceships back to the mainland ahead of schedule. I had never thought that they would request to return to battle under such circumstances. It was very touching, but —
"Rejected," I said decisively. "Nonsense. With their remaining combat power, they are too weak to even go to the frontline to block a bullet. Tell those commanders that the borders of the Empire are not so easily conquered. Their only mission now is to obediently wait for the repair and orders to be given. "
The battle at the frontline was intense and the situation was indeed critical. However, this would not cause those present to lose their composure. After several years of experience, be it myself or my sister, we were no longer ordinary people who had not experienced any hardships. I could clearly see that this was an unexpected blow to the Empire, but it was definitely not a calamity. As long as we dealt with it calmly, it would not be a big deal. This was not the first time that the Fallen Apostle had given us a 'big surprise'. To be honest, back then, when we were short of soldiers and didn't even have a few spaceships, hadn't we experienced even greater challenges than the one before us? Now was not the time for him to panic.
Moreover, I believed in Sandora. With the name of Princess Zhange, she would be able to stop them.
"Sandora, how's the situation on your side?"
I rubbed my forehead as I opened a mental link. Sandora was personally commanding the battle at the frontline. I really wanted to know the situation on her side. How should I put it … Trust is trust, but that is my wife. How could I not be worried?!
Sandora's voice was delayed for two seconds before it arrived. What was relieving was that her tone sounded rather calm, as though there was not much pressure on her. "The enemy's offensive is still ongoing. They may have mobilized more than seven armies, and they are still increasing their troops. The first four worlds to be attacked were four worlds, but the offensive of three of them has been stopped. Now, 80% of the war is focused on a springboard universe. This universe leads to the world where the Eternal Motherport Group is located, so we must defend it … I am now personally stationed here. Shallow Shallow used the time delay effect to disrupt the enemy's offensive deployment. We just had a little time to catch our breath. "
After a pause, Sandora continued, "Don't worry, I found that the enemy's battle condition seems to be … a little unexpectedly bad. Their offensive strength is not as strong as their formation. The only thing I have a headache about now is the number … The enemy had two more armies than us at the start of the battle, and they are still increasing their troops. The speed at which they are increasing their troops is almost as fast as the speed at which the reinforcements from all over the Empire arrive at the battlefield. I really don't know how many batches of backup troops they have arranged. I even suspect that Halland has already pulled out all of his assets. "
"You have fought with that Halland?" My voice was a little nervous. Halland was undoubtedly a powerful emperor. Putting aside his personal strength (in fact, I was not too sure what Halland's specific strength was), just the army under his command was definitely the most powerful of all the fallen emperors we had ever encountered. Not to mention, he had a cunning general: Zadom. Even Sandora had been 'killed' by Zadom's ambush once due to her carelessness. Even though that ambush was eventually broken by Sandora's special power, it still left a deep impression on me. Halland, this fellow … was not easy to deal with. He and everything under his command were not easy to deal with.
Although Halland had never been able to gain much advantage over the Imperial Army in our previous battles, looking at it from another point of view, ever since the establishment of the New Empire, nearly 60% of the spaceships we had lost in major battles were lost to Halland. The historical victories of the Imperial Army could not explain how weak Halland was.
"That's right. His Royal Fleet has already appeared on the battlefield. I used the First Army to test the waters once, but there were no results at all." Sandora's voice sounded a little unresigned. "He is a fellow who is like a turtle shell, very good at magnifying his own advantages. Right now, he and his Royal Fleet have temporarily withdrawn from the frontlines of battle. The Departed Garden has scanned that he is staying at the edge of the universe, just like me, quietly observing the battle situation. "
"We will arrive in a day's time. You must be careful. To be honest, I keep feeling that … the Fallen Apostle's current actions are too strange. There must be some internal problems."
"I noticed that too." There seemed to be a hint of a smile in Sandora's voice. She was able to smile in a relaxed and cheerful manner even though she was facing a dangerous battlefield. "Halland doesn't seem to have planned this invasion normally. The number of troops he brought over isn't small, but their battle condition is really terrible. Alright, you don't have to worry about the matters here. I have fought in wars for billions of years, so I know what to do. "
Sandora was right. She had fought in wars for billions of years and was a professional who was known as Princess Zhan Ge. Whatever I could think of here, she had probably thought of it countless times already …
"Let me tell you first. I can go to the Star Domain to call for reinforcements at any time."
After I hung up the communication with Sandora, Icetis turned around unsteadily. The female hoodlum still had that mischievous look on her face, but her expression was very serious.
This was a guy who usually looked unreliable, but deep down, he was very loyal to his friends.
"No, there's no need."
The one who replied was Pandora, who had been silent all this while. She jumped down from the high commander's seat and looked at Icetis with her gray eyes. Her face was expressionless. I reckoned that she was trying to express her confidence, but her face didn't look like it could make any expression …
"This isn't the time to show off." Icetis shrugged and reached out to touch Pandora's head. The latter jumped back half a step with abnormal agility and leaned against my leg. "I am a general of the Empire. I won't show off."
"Brother, Sister Lin Xue should have seen it. She didn't give any warning." Visca jumped down from the high commander's seat and stood next to Pandora. Her ability to express herself was obviously much better than Pandora's. "This idiot sister doesn't even know how to speak. Since Sister Lin Xue didn't give any warning, it means that there won't be any more variables in this war."
I suddenly came to a realization.
Lin Xue's prophecy ability was stronger than Xiaoxue's. If even Xiaoxue could see when Vincent's two armies would invade the borders, then how could Lin Xue's eyes not see Halland's large-scale invasion?
I didn't know the reason why Lin Xue didn't give any warning about the invasion, but she must have seen something deeper, something deeper than Halland's invasion on the surface. Maybe she was afraid of the stability of the events and couldn't give any warning about the invasion, or maybe the outcome of the invasion couldn't be changed through prophecy. Or maybe, Halland's invasion was the "branch" that could bring the most benefits to the New Empire?
The last possibility seemed a bit far-fetched, but I heard Lin Xue talk to me about prophecy and events. Those complicated cause-and-effect relationships were dazzling. Oftentimes, a fact needed to be triggered by a completely opposite historical event. Thus, Halland's invasion might not be a crisis for the New Empire. At the very least, we would be able to get through it safely. In any case, I believed in my young miss. She had never disappointed anyone before.
Err … Alright, she had never disappointed anyone during the war.
However, even with this conjecture, I couldn't completely relax. According to the practice of prophecy, before the events stabilized, Lin Xue definitely wouldn't say everything. I couldn't be sure if Visca's thoughts were correct. Moreover, even if Lin Xue saw a brighter future, this future would inevitably need us to fight for it ourselves. Right now, I still needed to find a way to beat the Fallen Apostle back. This reasoning was very simple. If a half immortal were to read a person's fortune and say that the person would live for a hundred years and would be the wealthiest person in the world for the rest of his life, that person would immediately scatter all of his family's wealth after hearing this. Then, he would eat arsenic for three meals a day and still wouldn't be able to live past the next day …
Time slowly passed in anxiety and nervousness. The frontline battle reports were sent to the Admiral of the Empire almost non-stop. The scale of the Fallen Apostle's attack this time was larger than any of the previous ones. Regardless of what happened to Halland's army that led to their low efficiency, the number of enemies this time was enough to make one's heart tremble. Right now, Sandora was already doing her best to limit the scope of the battle to a single springboard universe. Moreover, she was doing her best to push the battlefront away from that world to protect the vital military mother ports within the Empire's borders. However, the enemy didn't retreat because of this. Not only did they continue to fiercely attack the place that Sandora was personally stationed at, they also tried several times in the past few hours to recapture the other three universes that they had successfully invaded.
Because of this, Sandora had no choice but to withdraw the First and Second Fleets, which had already suffered great losses, from the main battlefield. They were all sent to strengthen the defensive line of those three worlds.
Right now, on the main battlefield where Sandora was located, only half of the Royal Fleet, as well as the Third to Fifth Fleets acted as the main force. In addition, there were also the garrisons and servants of the Empire that came from all over the Empire. Meanwhile, what they had to face was the enemy's seven armies. At least six of these armies still had nearly full combat strength.
The flames of war were burning the borders of the Empire.
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