novelaction Chapter 1378 In vain
Chapter 1378 In vain
"Your Highness...this humble general...this humble general was careless and almost made a grave mistake!"
Han Da felt a cold sweat break out on his back, filled with lingering fear, and bowed deeply to Xiao Ce…
If we let him do that, the final result will definitely be as Xiao Ce said…
If that were to happen, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Wei Wuji also gasped and bowed, saying, "So that's how it is! Shahar's madness was actually bait! His master wants to use us and Shahar as meat on a chopping board!"
Wei Wuji considered himself a chosen one of heaven, but only when he was with Xiao Ce did he realize how insignificant he truly was…
Axe Ox also fell silent, scratching his head and muttering, "Damn it, those bastards are really cunning! So... Your Highness, what do we do now? We can't just sit here and wait for their reinforcements to arrive, can we?"
"Of course we won't just wait around."
Xiao Ce smiled at everyone's expressions and returned to the sand table.
He made a relaxed expression, his intention being to ease their tension.
He wasn't actually a prophet.
If it weren't for his spiritual essence and the celestial network mechanism...
He might not even be a better commander than them!
This time, Xiao Ce's finger no longer pointed at the fortress, but instead landed heavily on the several essential routes leading from the fortress to the icy sea on the north shore, and... the vast area of Slavic adventures!
"Are they trying to wear us down? To trade space for time? To lay a trap on our path to the city?"
Xiao Ce's lips curled into a cold smile!
When they saw Xiao Ce's smile, they knew that someone else was about to be in trouble!
"The Tsar's ruins are over there, the Hidden Dragon Armory is over there, they can't escape! I'm confident they can't open it."
"So even after they log in and are unable to access the Hidden Dragon Armory, they will still attack us."
"Then we'll give them a taste of their own medicine!"
"They want to wear us down, so we'll wear them down in return! They want to stall for time, so we'll make sure they can't move an inch!"
A sly glint in his voice as he addressed them, “Handa!”
"The general is here!"
"Didn't you previously seize mountains of old gunpowder, landmines, and grenades from the Slavic capital's armory?"
“The Federation might not want those things, but for us right now, they’re an excellent gift! Since we confiscated them from them, we should give them back to them intact…”
"What does Your Highness mean...?"
A glint flashed in Han Da's eyes; he seemed to understand what Xiao Ce wanted to do.
A hint of anticipation flashed across his face…
"Use it! Use it all!"
Xiao Ce drew several sharp lines on the sand table with his hand, then pointed to a few places and said to them:
"First, treat them as they treat you!"
"We can send people along every possible route from Everwinter Fortress to the icy sea on the north shore!"
"Especially those seemingly safe, flat ice fields and valley passes that allow large armies to pass quickly!"
"Bury them! Bury ten times, a hundred times more landmines than Shahar has laid!"
"Use the captured mines, and also the ones our engineers make on the spot! We need not only real mines, but also a large number of fake mines, to create a mix of real and fake, so that their reinforcements will be on tenterhooks every step they take, and their hearts will pound with fear at every explosion!"
"Didn't they set up a minefield for us to step on? I'm not going to... I'm going to see who can outlast whom!"
"Second, expand the battlefield!"
"Shahar thinks his trap is only outside the fortress? We're going to jump right out of that circle!"
Xiao Ce suddenly pointed his finger south, towards strategic locations such as "Don River Fortress" and "Ustj Fortress" that were already under the control of the Federation!
"In these areas we control, all the roads, bridges, and passes leading to Everwinter Fortress and the north have been heavily fortified! Landmines! Ambushes! Road sabotage!"
"The objective is not to kill as many enemy soldiers as possible, but to delay, disrupt, and harass them!"
He looked at Wei Wuji and Axe Niu and said, "Wei Wuji, your air force and Axe Niu's reconnaissance mechs must keep a close watch on that extraterrestrial army that is crossing the sea, like ghosts."
"Once we determine their landing point and the main force's direction of advance, our traps must precisely cover them! At the same time, continuously monitor the movements of Yongdong Fortress. If any small groups of troops try to come out to provide support or conduct reconnaissance, eliminate them decisively!"
Wei Wuji and Fu Niu nodded.
Xiao Ce paused for a moment, then continued, "Finally, our new army and mecha legion are the last iron fist; we can't waste them on filling traps!"
"The entire army should retreat and construct strong defensive positions in locations far from fortified and trapped areas, close to our rear supply lines, and in advantageous terrain."
"Let's wait and see, conserve our strength! Let Shahar be paranoid in his fortress, and let his reinforcements walk on eggshells across the icy plains! I don't want to use this trump card yet!"
He surveyed his generals, his voice strong and resonant.
"Shahar wants time to wait for reinforcements to turn the tide? I'll give him that time. How many days does he want? I'll give him that many days!"
"We'll use the time he needs! We'll pave a thorny path to hell for him!"
"I'll get them together, I'm not in a hurry! I'll send them to the Hidden Dragon Armory..."
Xiao Ce paused again, then continued, "By the way, before they get there, take the engineers in the steamboat and plant plenty of bombs and mines there!"
"If they dare to go over there, we'll kill those bastards! We'll make them go through all that trouble to get over there, and they still won't be able to open it and hand it over to the Hidden Dragon Armory! We'll force them to attack us and walk into the minefield we've carefully laid for them!"
After hearing this, Han Da and the others felt a sense of relief and a surge of fighting spirit replaced their previous anxiety and fear.
Your Highness is using a clever plan to turn the tables and become the host!
Instead of focusing on the gains or losses of a single city or town, we should take a holistic view of the entire strategic chessboard and firmly grasp the initiative in the war of attrition!
"Brilliant! Your Highness's plan is beyond the comprehension of even the gods and demons!"
Han Da excitedly clasped his hands and said, "Your subordinate understands! I'll get on it right away! Mobilize all the captured gunpowder, landmines, and explosives, along with the entire engineering battalion!"
"The gifts sent by Shahar, I, Handa, will repay a hundredfold! I will make sure that the foreign reinforcements lose thirty percent of their morale before they even reach the city walls!"
Wei Wuji's eyes gleamed with excitement: "Leave aerial reconnaissance and long-range monitoring to me! I'll make sure their reinforcements have nowhere to hide and that our traps are perfectly positioned! And that Hidden Dragon Armory, the surrounding area—I'll turn it into a minefield..."
Axe-Bull grinned widely and thumped his chest: "Your Highness, what am I to do then?"
Xiao Ce looked at Axe Bull and said with a smile, "Go and train your mech squad properly. You need to maximize their teamwork and bring out the advantages of the mech swarm!"
After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Axe Ox was still somewhat confused.
Xiao Ce then realized that these were some collaborative plans that Ling Xu had just compiled.
"You're here early. You don't know any of those things. Follow me later... I'll explain it to you!"
Axe-Bull nodded vigorously in agreement!
Xiao Ce nodded slightly, his gaze once again falling on the northern icy sea on the sand table, a symbol of the unknown and storms, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
"Take action."
“Shahar thought his madness would bring him a chance to survive, but little did he know that he was digging an even deeper grave for himself and his master. We just need to wait for our prey to fall into our trap!”
"Then... a fatal blow!"
With a command from Xiao Ce!
The massive war machine of the Federal Army instantly changed direction.
No longer a spearhead aimed at Everwinter Fortress, it has transformed into an invisible yet deadly giant net, quietly spreading out towards the vast ice plains and coastline.
Countless engineers and logistics troops were urgently mobilized, and truckloads of gunpowder barrels, landmines, and grenades, captured from the Slavic capital and bearing the old markings of the Tianji Academy, were transported to the front lines.
Under the operation of experienced engineers and some mechs with engineering capabilities, these outdated weapons were given a new mission, like deadly seeds, densely sown beneath the permafrost leading to the icy sea on the north shore, in the passes, and in the seemingly flat ice fields and snow layers.
A web of death lightning, blurring the lines between truth and falsehood, rapidly took shape under the cover of howling wind and snow, covering an area spanning hundreds of miles.
Meanwhile, in the areas they had already controlled, such as the Don River Fortress and the Ust-Isti Fortress, the roads leading north were also blocked, and many bombs were placed at the bridges, waiting to be detonated and destroyed after the enemy left to retreat, thus delaying their time.
Booby traps and ambush points were set up at key intersections.
Wei Wuji's aerial reconnaissance aircraft and the reconnaissance mechs dispatched by Axe Bull, supported by steamships, circled like keen eagles in the frigid high sky!
They closely monitored any movements in the direction of the Ice Sea, as well as any unusual troop movements within the Everwinter Fortress.
Meanwhile, the 10,000-strong new-style energy infantry legion and thousands of mass-produced gray-painted mechs that Xiao Ce brought retreated in an orderly manner for dozens of miles under Han Da's command.
They chose a location with low hills behind them, relatively open terrain in front, and far from known minefields, and began to build sturdy defensive fortifications.
They dug deep anti-mech trenches, set up crossfire points, and established energy barrier generator base stations. Meanwhile, the mech troops dispersed and concealed themselves, with their engines entering low-power standby mode. Like steel behemoths lurking in the snowfield, they awaited their prey to step into the trap before unleashing a deafening roar.
At this very moment, on the walls of Yongdong Fortress, Shahar was wrapped in a thick cloak!
Looking at the unusual calm in the direction of the Southern Federation army, the unease in his heart grew stronger.
The several teams he sent out disguised as refugees disappeared without a trace, and the suicide squads did not send back the news of the fierce fighting he had expected.
The enemy army did not crash into his death trap as expected. Instead, it retreated like the tide and disappeared into the vast snowstorm, leaving behind only a suffocating silence.
"Captain Night Owl, why aren't they attacking? What are they waiting for? Or are they terrified because they know you've arrived?"
Upon hearing Shahar's words, Kornev burst into laughter: "Your Majesty, I think that's definitely the case... I think they wouldn't dare..."
"I heard before that their scouts came to scout, but now they don't have any scouts coming! They seem to be terrified of us!"
Shahar's face lit up with excitement: "Possibly...it could be good news..."
He knew that although they had set up numerous ambushes, if they really attacked recklessly...
They've really had it tough; even if they manage to hold on, they'll be severely weakened...
This is the situation he wants to see now…
Good news?
The owl's voice remained calm: "Your Majesty Shahar, this is actually... not good news. In fact, it might be a bad thing..."
"what?"
The excitement on Shahar's face froze instantly, and he looked at Night Owl with a puzzled expression: "My Lord, why...why do you say that?"
He couldn't understand why the enemy not deliberately walking into the trap to their deaths was not good news, but rather a bad thing.
Night Owl's gaze returned to the chilling silence of the south, data silently streaming through the depths of his eyes: "My tactical model is based on the premise that the enemy is launching a strong attack on the fortress."
"All the harassment, minefields, and sabotage on the periphery are to maximize their attrition along the offensive route, weaken their morale and fighting spirit, pin them firmly under the fortress, and create the perfect battlefield for my master's army to arrive and annihilate them."
He paused slightly, his icy gaze seemingly able to pierce through the wind and snow, revealing the fortified positions the Federation army had built in the rear.
"Now, instead of attacking, the enemy is retreating and exhibiting unusually high reconnaissance activity. This means they have figured out our intentions, or... at least they have sensed the enormous risks. They have chosen to avoid our pre-arranged battlefield."
Shahar's heart sank. The Night Owl's analysis was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the small flame that had just ignited in his heart.
He hurriedly argued, "But...but even if they see through us, what's wrong with not attacking for now? Divine Envoy, judging by the time, your master's reinforcements will be arriving soon!"
"At most three or four more days! And our inescapable net is still in place. As long as they dare to move, we can definitely delay their advance! When your master's army arrives at the city gates, we can join forces from within and without to wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"Their avoidance of war is nothing more than a precarious survival!"
The owl's head turned towards Shahar at a precise angle, its deep eyes locking onto him: "Your Majesty Shahar, your optimism is based on the assumption that the enemy is stationary."
But war is dynamic.
Their retreat was to build a new defensive line.
Their unusual reconnaissance suggests they are searching for new targets or weaknesses. Time is now of paramount importance for both of us.
They avoided our predetermined points of attrition, meaning we cannot effectively weaken their forces before their main force reaches the fortress. Without achieving this, everything is in vain…