But Robb didn't play it any further, and instead said, "I can't take care of politics so much for the time being." What I am worried about now is that Jiang Ziyue has already grasped the military and political power of the new Roman Empire, and can fully control the power of the imperial army in accordance with his vision and will to carry out the war with us, and deal a heavy blow to us. ”

"Sir, I understand that you have little confidence in this battle, but I also think that you think too highly of Jiang Ziyue." Scati calmly responded to Robb.

"Oh, if you're that dictator Jiang Ziyue, how are you going to deal with our attack this time?" Robb asked deliberately.

"Sir, if you say that you are Jiang Ziyue, how should you deal with it." Instead Skati asked rhetorically.

Without thinking about it, Robb replied: "Abandon the defense of the planet 'New Byzantium', organize the civilian forces to retreat the people with all their might, and at the same time send all the fleet forces to the territory of our Federation, especially in the direction of the planet 'Andromda', the capital, to launch a fierce attack." ”

"It's a typical one-of-one-way street."

"Yes, he hits him, I hit mine. Without absolute certainty of winning a decisive victory, we can only return to the right path of war and take advantage of the empty opportunities in our rear to carry out reciprocal attacks. After all, our rear cannot withstand the attack of the Imperial Army. ”

"I basically agree with you. But the President and the Ministers, as well as the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believed that the enemy would concentrate all his efforts on a decisive battle with us near the planet 'Neo-Byzantium'. Skati stressed to Robb the judgment of the Wehrmacht's top brass, "Their reasoning was that if the people of the 'neo-Byzantine' planet were not defended, the Senate would be completely unpopular, and the empire would likely fall apart as a result." ”

"But Jiang Ziyue doesn't have the burden of the Senate." Robb said confidently, "The shackles of politics are relatively weak for the dictator, so I firmly believe that his previous declaration of march on the planet 'Igellan' is credible, and he will definitely lead the army to break through to our federal capital planet." ”

"However, sir, even if the facts are as we judged, Jiang Ziyue led the remaining fleet forces of the empire to break through to our rear, even then with the current strategic comparison between the enemy and us, we still have the upper hand. In my judgment, the enemy will only end up with a fish at most, and we will be the least optimistic and a crushing victory. ”

"But once the planet 'Andromoda' is devastated, it cannot be described as a disastrous victory." Robb was still worried.

"I don't understand, sir, if the intelligence report says that the enemy's 'Charlemagne' and 'Caesar' detachments are still holding their ground, our whereabouts have really not been revealed, or that they are really preparing to attack our rear regardless of the crisis in the country."

"That's where the worry goes. I am sure that the enemy will know the ...... of our actions."

At this moment, the communications officer reported to the Minister of Defence, Manuel Berascos, that the flagships had assembled for an extraordinary meeting. As a result, "Yulapa-2" was ordered to rush to the designated airspace to assemble.

Soon, the six flagships of the Immortal Bundesmail Expeditionary Fleet - Zeus 3 of Defense Minister Manuel Velascos, Saul 7 of Admiral Zhang Bingye, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Admiral Henry Highfield, Commander of the Sixth Fleet, Vaima 4, Vice Admiral Zhou Jiande of the Eighth Fleet Kuafu 3, Vice Admiral René Maudan of the Ninth Fleet Maui 2, and Claus Liszt Task Force Robb of the Jupara 2, Surrounded by the super-large integrated supply ship "Pacific" 21.

Each super battleship maintains a distance of nearly 150,000 kilometers from the olive-shaped "Pacific" 21, which is more than 50 kilometers long, and uses its relay for laser communication. In the past, the fleet commanders did not hold communication meetings in accordance with this situation.

The reason for this was that deep behind enemy lines, the generals of the Federation were worried that they might be attacked by Jiang Ziyue's fleet when they suddenly launched a "space storm" attack during the party. Such a large ship-to-ship distance was enough to prevent the six flagships from being blown away in a not very large-scale space storm raid.

The disadvantage of this option is that there is a delay of about a second in the communication between the ships, but the commanders can still have a lively discussion about their upcoming operations.

"Gentlemen, the Bulletin Ship reported that 72 hours ago, the remnants of the 'Charlemagne' and 'Caesar' detachments of the Imperial Central Fleet were still standing near 'Afrika' and 'Mount Meru.'" General Zhang Bingye, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed everyone on the recent enemy situation.

In front of each commander, there was a stereoscopic image, showing the Immortal Spiral Star Map above the Silver Dao Subordinate Mark. After the 135th parallel, that is, near the midpoint of the side near the galactic core, there is a magnified yellow planet "Africa", and on the other side, about 1,000 light-years away from the inner spiral arm, there is also a magnified green planet "Mount Meru". The space near the two planets also shows models of the two fleets.

The Minister of Defence, now retired Defence Force General Manuel Berascos, then said:

"Both planets are within two thousand light-years of the 'New Byzantine' planet, and if our forward 'Klaus Liszt' fleet attacks on time as planned, it is impossible for these two enemy fleets to arrive in time for reinforcements."

"But sir." Robb still preemptively raised his own question, "This is information from three days ago, if the enemy moves towards 'New Byzantium' after our reconnaissance ship has left, it is likely that my fleet will also arrive at 'New Byzantium'." ”

Manuel Velaskos's face immediately showed dissatisfaction, but he still said calmly: "After discussing with General Zhang Bingye, I decided to temporarily change the plan and change the original attack in echelons to the concentration of all fleets to attack 'New Byzantium'. ”

"So, Robb, you can rest assured that you won't let your thin task force face the two big tigers of the Central Fleet." Zhang Bingye said with a smile that he was full of confidence. He then explained to the crowd, "Although we have taken a new course, away from the main body of the Perseus Spiral Arm, we are already very close to the hinterland of the enemy country, so it is not realistic to maintain the usual concealment. That's why the original battle plan was changed. ”

"This change will allow us to concentrate our forces, both to prevent them from being broken by the enemy individually, and to maximize our superiority in forces." Manuel Velaskos explained to his men, "Whether or not the two remaining fleets of the enemy will return to 'Neo-Byzantium,' we will have an overwhelming advantage over them in a decisive battle." If they come to a decisive battle, we will fight a war of annihilation and crush the last resistance of the new Roman Empire; If they dare not come, we will sweep the enemy forces of 'New Byzantium' and then break them down individually. ”

"Sir, are we still going to launch an attack on the civilian ships evacuating the planet 'New Byzantium' according to the plan of 'Genghis Khan'?" Robb asked. Originally, this task was undertaken by him, the vanguard officer, alone, but now that the four fleets are preparing to concentrate on advancing, it is natural to clarify their responsibilities.

Manuel Velaskos didn't answer right away.

"Personally, I am very disgusted with this kind of warfare that attacks civilian targets to achieve military objectives." Vice Admiral Zhou Jiande, commander of the Eighth Fleet, preemptively said, "However, if I have to carry out this kind of order, I will resolutely carry it out." ”

"I don't think we need to use that means to get there." Vice Admiral Henry Highfield, commander of the Sixth Fleet, followed suit, "I believe that once we reach 'New Byzantium,' the enemy's fleet will either flee or die." In either case, we don't need to strike at civilian ships. ”

Of the four fleet commanders, only Vice Admiral René Martin of the Ninth Fleet remained silent.

The words of the subordinates have clearly indicated the attitude of these professional soldiers. Zhang Bingye immediately said: "The original plan was to use the attack on civilian ships to force the main force of the enemy army to come to the decisive battle. The president and the planners also hoped that this action would undermine the morale of the people of the new Roman Empire and break their will to resist. ”

"But......" Manuel Velaskos continued to say to his colleagues, "before I set out, I have obtained the consent of President Dinh Rong of Song, and whether or not to attack the enemy's civilian ships will be decided by me at the front in light of the actual situation." ”

Hearing what the minister said, a smile immediately bloomed on Robb's face, and he said with relief: "In this way, my fleet can completely get rid of the ideological burden of attacking civilian ships." ”

"We can all attack the enemy with dignity." Henry Highfield also said happily, with a hint of gearing up.

"Gentlemen." Lieutenant General René Matan, who had not spoken, suddenly said, "Let me remind you that we are at war on the enemy's borders. It is entirely possible that the enemy will unleash all forces to besiege us, including direct armed strikes against us by civilian ships and civilians. ”

"I'm not worried about that." Robb said, "Since firing at us is an act of war, it is militants, and of course we can fight with all our strength until we eliminate them." ”

"That's right." General Zhou Jiande also agreed, "Whether it is a warship or a civilian ship, an attack is a declaration of war, and we naturally do not need to be bound by morality and law." ”

"What if they use civilian ships as cover?" René Madan remained calm, "There was no direct attack, no obvious intent to attack, but military force was covered. In other words, pretend to surrender, pretend to be harmless, and then take advantage of our unpreparedness, launch a surprise attack. ”

"General Madan!" Defense Minister Manuel Velaskos exclaimed, a little impatient, "Don't be so if-and-say." ”

With a haughty and grim expression, René Martin glanced at his boss and colleagues in stereoscopic imagery, and said: "Since the intelligence shows that the enemy's two main fleets are unlikely to return in time to defend their capital, they will inevitably throw a large number of civilian ships into battle due to their lack of troops. And in this way, they can take advantage of our contempt and scruples for civilian ships to achieve a plot of surprise attack on us. ”

"Then in what way do you think their civilian ships will carry out a surprise attack on us?" General Henry Highfield asked, looking interested, when in fact his tone was distinctly mocking.

Of the commanders of this round of attacks, he had the least confrontation with the New Roman Imperial Army, and to be exact, he had never faced the Imperial Army head-on.

Robb doesn't need to say it. And General Manuel Velascos and Admiral Zhang Bingye are both veterans of the Great War of 2890; After Vice Admiral Zhou Jiande assumed the post of commander of the Eighth Fleet, he almost became a "firefighter" in the war against the empire in the past two years. Although Vice Admiral René Martin is the new commander of the fleet, he has served as an operational staff officer for a long time under the former Minister of Defense, five-star Admiral Eric von Bloomberg, and has played a very important role in many battles, which is quite appreciated by Bloomberg, Repnin and Du Qifeng, and he was also the commander of the detachment in the "Qin Shi Huang" operation, and has seen the tenacity of the Imperial Central Fleet and Jiang Ziyue's terrible war creativity.

Therefore, René Martin did not heed Henri Highfield's questioning, and went on to say as he wished: "Since the enemy is now seriously under-armed to defend 'New Byzantium,' we have every reason to suspect that they will arm civilian ships against us. I think they will definitely use the tricks of civilian ships to pretend to surrender to hit us. Therefore, I suggest that once we get close to the 'Himalaya' star and the 'Neo-Byzantine' planet, we cannot accept the surrender of any civilian ship, nor can we rescue them, nor even let them come close. ”

"We are the free and democratic army that has come to liberate them!" Robb said, "To the people of the New Roman Empire, our image was that of a righteous king. And at the time of the destruction of the planet 'Neo-Byzantium', it is morally untenable not to accept their abandonment of darkness and to the light and not to rescue them. ”

"Morality does not lead to victory." René Madan said coldly, but then added, "At least not tactically." ”

"Then we can't die without help." Lieutenant General Henry Highfield said.

Seeing that his subordinates were about to argue, Manuel Velaskos hurriedly said: "Of course, we cannot die without asking for it, but we cannot waste our righteousness and morality needlessly. ”

He looked around at the stereoscopic images of his men, and then said: "I command you that the civilian ships and masses of the new Roman Empire can be rescued only after the enemy's fleet and the associated resistance have been destroyed. As long as the enemy is not annihilated or surrendered, then let our compassion not overflow. Finally, he emphatically said, "This is my order to you, Manuel Velascos, the Minister of Defense of the Perseus Interstellar Federation. ”

"Yes, sir." The fleet commanders had no choice but to accept it in unison.

"Gentlemen." Manuel Velaskos raised his voice, "At the end of the meeting, our fleet will immediately set sail and advance to the planet 'New Byzantium'. Mr. Ting Rong, President of the Federation, the monarchs of the Congress, and the nearly 10 billion fathers and elders of the Federation have handed over all our existing main fleet to us and plunged into this unprecedented battle, which is the greatest trust in us. Remember our oath and forge ahead! ”

In the high-pitched voice of the Minister of Defense, the Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth Fleets and the "Klaus Liszt" task force, which make up the Immortal Bundeswehr Expeditionary Fleet, quickly restarted and entered the faster-than-light "Akubery" voyage to the new Roman Empire's capital planet "New Byzantium".

The information on the oppression of the Great Army was also placed in front of the Imperial Dictator and his military and political assistants.

Jiang Ziyue, the fourth and youngest dictator of the Senate and the Roman people, listened intently to the report of the military assistant, Lieutenant General Fernández de Zubarán, on the enemy situation.

"The enemy this time had almost five thousand battleships and four thousand cruisers. However, in terms of the number of ships, we still have a slight advantage. Admiral Blackett Karios said with a pretended lightheartedness, and in stereoscopic imagery, he made no secret of the bitter smile on his face.

"If they concentrate their forces, a salvo of fire will be enough to immortalize us." Zubaran also said, looking rather helpless.

Instead, two political assistants, Diego Gatto and Otto Bateman, appeared calm.

Jiang Ziyue had already planned to deal with it, and a series of tactics to deceive the enemy and confuse the enemy had been formulated, just waiting for his orders.

"Your Excellency, you have already transferred the Imperial City Management from the retreat operation, do you already have any plans to deal with it?" Gatto asked.

"Yes." Jiang Ziyue said, "However, my plan is more risky. First of all, I need the whole perimeter of 'Neo-Byzantium' to become more chaotic and force the enemy to dare not approach it. So, Gato, please let the news of the enemy's approach come out and spread the rumor that I, the dictator, have led the fleet to escape to the planet Iserlon. ”

Hearing this, the four assistant dictators were immediately speechless.

"Don't worry. This is only done to distract the enemy. Jiang Ziyue comforted, "Only by luring the enemy away from the 'Himalaya' star can we ensure the safety of national evacuation and rescue." ”

"However, in this way, it will inevitably cause uneasiness and confusion among the people, and I am afraid that it will not be conducive to the retreat." Otto Bateman raised his concerns.

"The necessary price is inevitable." Jiang Ziyue looked helpless, but his tone was still full of confidence, "Of course, a certain degree of uneasiness and confusion is conducive to confirming the rumors that I led the fleet to flee for my life." ”

In fact, under the current situation, Jiang Ziyue no longer has a perfect strategy, so he can only make a last stand.

Based on the current comparison of the strength of the two sides, the Imperial Frontier Fleet assembled around the planet "New Byzantium" has only seventy percent of the original ships, plus the warships and armed merchant ships of other armed forces such as the Senate Guard, the state-owned enterprise militia, etc., totaling less than 10,000, and all of them are cruisers, destroyers, and armed merchant ships with weak firepower, and they are not at all opponents of the Federation Expeditionary Force, which is dominated by battleships.

It can be said that before the two detachments of the Central Fleet, "Caesar" and "Charlemagne", arrived, Jiang Ziyue did not even have the qualifications to "make a desperate bet".

With the evacuation and retreat of more than 3 billion people on the one hand, and the enemy's army pressing on the other, this ancient wizard can only use tricks to delay the enemy.

"Everyone, please carry out the order!" Jiang Ziyue finally said categorically to the assistants.