Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 1426: Chapter 116: Expedition

”Bandit army...” Chen Fengxi stood in front of the electronic sand table, paused his electronic pen, and felt a bit dazed. The distant rumbling of artillery sounded like thunder erupting from a calm plain. The lights in the underground bunker flickered amidst the violent shaking.

On the electronic sand table, the blue arrows representing the Su Jie Alliance Army were slowly moving forward, continuously supplemented by SkyNet information. Dozens of blue arrows split and advanced continuously, resembling venomous snakes in the mountainous hills, devouring towns and all strategic points along the way. The red line representing the Fei Alliance Joint Army’s defense was shrinking and retreating under the powerful attack of the blue arrows. As frontline battle reports arrived, the casualty numbers on the left side of the map were continuously rising.

What effect can five armored divisions have?!

Chen Fengxi rubbed his stiffened brows from prolonged furrowing and sighed in disappointment. Although he wanted to continue working with his electronic pen on the sand table, his mind was blank for a moment, unsure of where to start.

He dejectedly put down the pen and paced around the room.

He knew the bandit army was formidable and knew that their leader had once led nine Bandit Army Mecha Soldiers to a miraculous battle on Canglang Star.

However, that doesn’t mean that five divisions can solve the troubles on Leifeng Star!

The battle on Canglang Star and the current situation at Resk are two completely different concepts. The escape of two divisions only requires fleeing and breaking through without worrying about any place’s gains and losses. More importantly, during the final battle in the Northern Mountain Region, the Allies had the advantage in troop numbers, with Li Hongwu’s forces hovering over Canglang Star!

Leifeng Star is different.

Now, both sides are fighting in a vast area of several million square kilometers. Here are majestic mountains, hills and lakes, plains and rivers, with highways and towns scattered within!

This is a large-scale battle targeting the annihilation of the enemy’s living forces and attacking enemy troops as a strategic goal. More than a hundred divisions intertwined, one in the other. Every day, casualties are astronomical. A single movement affects the whole body; the gain or loss of every strategic point affects hundreds of kilometers around it.

What can five armored divisions do when thrown into such a battle where daily troop consumption exceeds one division?

The reserve units under his command are only left with a dozen divisions. These were transferred from other parts of Leifeng Star. If it weren’t for the Qian Bolin Fleet being able to somewhat hold Mikami Yuto in check, I fear the rear line, already weakened to a critical defense, would collapse in a Western Alliance’s casualty-indifferent air drop.

The Western Alliance’s troops are still coming continuously.

Under the command of Binart Empire’s great general Rosenberg, there are at least forty or fifty divisions. Combined with Bellif’s Northern Group Army and Antoniscu’s Southern Group Army, the entire Western Alliance’s current forces on Leifeng Star have surpassed those of the Feiyang Alliance Army. More importantly, they can concentrate on this battle, while the Fei Alliance has to guard the entire Leifeng Star!

Originally, I thought the third reinforcement would provide at least fifty, even a hundred divisions. In that case, with the current geographical advantage I hold, I could press the Western Alliance people on the west side of the defense line, preventing them from making any moves. But unexpectedly, after hoping for so long, what I got...

”Commander, Sir,” Following a voice, a brown-haired middle-aged man wearing a Feiyang Admiral uniform strode into the room: ”Have reinforcements already set out?”

Chen Fengxi looked up and saw it was Pierre Admiral of the Feiyang Dalarpeya Military District, who arrived in Resk half a year ago, the Chief of Staff of the Alliance’s Leifeng Star Battle Zone Command, Qian Bolin’s deputy. Currently, the four divisions under his Feiyang 33rd Army are desperately fighting on the Charloks Mountain Range line three hundred kilometers west of Phoenix City in the Northern Battle Zone.

The towns in Charloks Mountain Range guard two resource highways leading to Phoenix City. Once lost, the Su Jie Alliance Army can drive in long and cut the western defense of Phoenix City in half. Thus, the defense of Charloks has always been of utmost importance. Due to the fierce battles, Pierre was most concerned about the situation of reinforcements from the rear.

Looking at Chen Fengxi with a bitter smile handing over an electronic document, Pierre suddenly had an ominous premonition. He quickly opened the document and just glanced at it twice before his face drastically changed.

After a long time, Pierre put down the folder in his hand, looked weakly at Chen Fengxi, and said: ”Commander, Sir, as the Chief of Staff of the Battle Zone, I think I have the responsibility to propose that the Battle Zone Command formulate a new strategic plan... I suggest abandoning the western line of Phoenix City, using a small force to blockade, retreating to defend along the entire line, and establishing a new defensive line in the Eastern Hemisphere.”

Chen Fengxi was abruptly startled. Abandoning Phoenix City means six hundred kilometers of plains will have no dangers to hold, which also means giving up half of Leifeng Star and suffering heavy losses during the retreat!

”Are you crazy?” Chen Fengxi said in shock.

”It’s not I who am crazy,” Pierre shouted: ”It’s the Command that’s crazy. Five divisions are our entire reinforcement for the next month; do you know what this implies...”

He strode to the electronic sand table, grabbed the electronic push rod from a stunned staff officer, and drew a large arc on the sand table: ”This implies that if we don’t make plans early, we will exhaust our last bit of living force here and then collapse, letting the Western Alliance sweep across Leifeng Star within half a month!”

The room was dead silent.

Chen Fengxi and the staff’s gaze transfixed at the place pointed by Pierre’s push rod.

Blue arrows were spreading.

Firmly, fiercely.

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The heavy rain washed the entire city clean. The towering buildings of the Alliance Base glowed in the rain. Between heaven and earth was just a pale veil of rain, blown helter-skelter by the wind.

The view of distant mountains became indistinct. Standing atop the buildings, all that the officers and soldiers from various countries could see was that army in the bandit army base silently standing in the rain.

A few hours ago, they had received news that the bandit army would depart first, and at this moment, it was beyond doubt. Watching with binoculars the silent ranks inside the bandit army base, military officers from various countries felt a mix of emotions.

At this point in the war, the third reinforcement from the power of the entire Fei Alliance was indefinitely delayed by government procrastination from various countries, while the bandit army not listed in the reinforcement roster was already poised to set off.

Some rumors about the bandit army have already become self-defeating at this time. Tales of watching like a mountain and hoping the tide turns to steal credit, in retrospect now, are like slaps in the face of certain people— not only did they go, but they led the way for everyone else.

No bargaining, no fanfare, right on this rainy day, they embarked on their journey.

In this era, the soldiers within this Alliance Base are far purer than the domestic politicians light-years away.

While those people are still playing with rhetoric, calculating their own small schemes, casually placing urgent material allocation reports at the bottom of files, busy haggling over who contributes more or less, the soldiers gathered in Hanjing are fixated on throwing themselves into this war.

The mission of a soldier is to fight. Having been born in this era, life and death have long since been disregarded. At this moment, it’s nothing but a full-force attempt to win this war, to carve out a future for their country and future generations.

Going to the battlefield isn’t frightening. What’s terrifying is the torturous waiting, watching the increasingly dire battle reports from the front lines day by day.

The officers all know that if the democratic countries of the Fei Alliance keep going on like this, they’ll lose this war. However, they are powerless against the chronic diseases of this behemoth. The disappointment towards the rear-end politicians and the anxiety about the war situation make them yearn for someone to stand up and bring a glimmer of hope to this aging alliance.

Thus, they stand here now, watching this army before them.

In the heavy rain, the mechas are washed clean and sparkling. The mecha formations neatly fill the entire Bandit Army base. Silent and still, rain and silence make these cold metals exude a chilling killing aura.

On the reviewing stand beside the building on the left side of the team, the frail Hastings quietly sits in his wheelchair. Next to him, Marshal Chuckna, Li Cunxin stands upright and alert. Behind the two marshals, the high-ranking officers of the Chuckna Military Department and the generals from allied countries like Tatania align solemnly in a row.

Through the rain curtain draped in front of the transparent sunroom of the building’s reviewing stand. In the field of vision, a chubby figure stands particularly tall amid the rain swaying in the sky.

”Today, we prepare to set off. To Resk, to fight the Western Alliance bastards there!”

Fatty’s voice echoes above the rain-covered base. Rain flows down his military cap, over his cheek.

”At Leray, we fought them. At Mars, we fought them. At Saleria, we fought them, this time, we will make them cry for their fathers and mothers at Resk!”

In the heavy rain, Fatty steps forward, shouting loudly: ”For our families.”

”Families!”

”For our freedom.”

”Freedom!”

”For our glory.”

”Glory!”

Every shout from Fatty prompts a corresponding shout from tens of thousands of Bandit Army soldiers. The sound grows louder and more rapid until it becomes like a thunderclap of immense power, pressing down above the base.

”As a man’s identity...” Fatty roars with all his might, nearly hoarse.

”Fight!”

The thunder finally explodes at this moment, the base boils, and the shouts of Bandit Army soldiers echo into the sky!

”Long live Leray!”

”Long live the Bandit Army!”

Dragon’s roar and tiger’s cry, the mountains echo, the wild wind sweeps the chaotic rain strings and this violent sound wave crazily spreads around, sweeping everything, even the clouds in the sky seem like turbulent waves of the ocean, surging furiously.

All the reviewing officers and generals only feel their hairs stand on end, a surge of electricity shoots up their spines to the top of their heads, their hearts agitated and unable to calm.

Rolling steel streams begin to surge towards the airports distributed around the base.

Everyone in the Alliance Base stops their steps and work. The mechanics repairing mechas emerge, the tacticians lean over electronic sand tables straighten up, soldiers training in the rain stop and listen...

They hear the sound coming from the Bandit Army base.

Those orderly and heavy footsteps, the roar of engines, are the most moving notes of this era.

January 1, 2064. Hanjing, rain.

The Bandit Army pledges and embarks.

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Expect another Chapter tonight. Starting tomorrow, regular updates resume, with at least one Chapter per day, up to two Chapters. Accumulate credibility, strive hard for June.

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