Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 292

292. Chapter 291, Western Desert Campaign Settlement

Kexi certainly had reason to be angry.

Although the Beast Slaughter Brigade had added a lot of soldiers later, nearly half of the personnel were still the Beast Slaughter Regiment he led in the past.

They had fought greenskins in the ruins, fought greenskins in space, fought deformed monsters and cultists in the south, and suppressed rebels when pacifying the eastern provinces…

Every soldier of the Beast Slaughter Brigade was a good guy.

But many of them died here.

The specific and accurate casualties of this battle have not yet been released, but according to the current estimates, the total loss of the Alliance Army is probably more than 3,000 people – most of them came from the Beast Slaughter Brigade, a small part came from the Wind Extinguishing Brigade, and the 47th Brigade had only a few casualties.

And among these losses, nearly one-third were suffered by being ambushed while marching on the Western Desert Avenue due to insufficient preparation.

In the battle, they lost another two-thirds under the full resistance of the enemy.

Among these losses, the 2nd Regiment of the Beast Slaughter Brigade suffered the most.

The entire regiment was almost crippled.

The 2nd Regiment only has 9 combat companies in total. If you count some other support forces such as artillery, logistics, and engineers in the regiment headquarters, the total number of people is about less than 1,600.

Now, they have almost no combat effectiveness. Although there are only two examples of the annihilation of the 3rd and 9th companies, other companies have also suffered huge casualties in the battle to block the enemy’s retreat to the south.

According to the current situation, the entire regiment needs to go back to rest and replenish troops and equipment before it can restore its combat effectiveness.

That is no different from rebuilding a regiment.

Li Kexi really loves his soldiers like his own sons, and he can’t bear to see his soldiers suffer too many casualties. But he is a soldier and a qualified commander. If a victory must be achieved at the expense of soldiers, he will pay these without hesitation.

He understands the truth that kindness does not lead to the management of troops.

However, is this battle that has just been won really necessary?

They did win a key victory and cleared the last wave of obstacles for the “Flash Tail Operation”.

But… in essence, it was still to make up for the mistakes made by the 47th Brigade in the south.

If they hadn’t made a mistake, there would be no need to fight this battle.

The 15,000 mechanical units were firmly locked in the south. The 47th

Brigade kept a close eye on them, and the Alliance troops advancing along the West Desert Avenue could reach the ‘Scorpion Oasis’ faster and achieve their strategic goals. Even if the mechanical army tried its best to stop them, whether it was attacking the 47th Brigade head-on or detouring to the west to block the Wind Extinguishing Brigade and the Beast Slaughtering Brigade, it was still a frontal battle.

First, they would not be caught off guard by bombs during the march, and second, the soldiers of the Beast Slaughtering Brigade would not have to fight to the death with a mixed force of infantry, armor, and drones that far outnumbered them without artillery and had to temporarily dig fortifications in order to block the enemy’s evacuation.

“It’s true that this was a crucial victory, but it was a war that had to be fought to make up for the big mistake you made!”

“The sacrifice of the soldiers is glorious, and the victory won by the soldiers is also glorious, but that can’t wash away the shame on you!”

Li Kexi was still blasting the lieutenant colonel commander of the 47th Brigade.

The lieutenant colonel, who was almost drowned in spit, lowered his head and dared not say a word.

If his troops were in a bloody battle and were unable to withstand the enemy’s breakthrough, there would still be room for argument. But the fact is that the enemy bypassed his defense line without encountering a battle at all, and he was not able to discover it in advance. It was the air force brothers who saw the situation during routine patrols and issued a warning to the command.

First of all, he couldn’t let the enemy come; secondly, he couldn’t be ignorant of everything.

And he made both mistakes.

There is no excuse.

In the end, Li Kexi was tired of blasting.

He said coldly: “I have reported the relevant situation to the headquarters. You can wait for the military court!”

…

Li Kexi, with the rank of colonel, temporarily took on the responsibilities of the front-line commander and commanded four brigades, but it did not mean that he had the authority to dismiss a lieutenant colonel brigade commander.

But when he said “going to the military court”, he was really not just talking.

He did not have the power to dismiss the lieutenant colonel, but Yan Fangxu did.

Soon, the transfer order from the headquarters arrived.

The lieutenant colonel brigade commander of the 47th Brigade and a major chief of staff were directly dismissed on the spot. The deputy brigade commander and the deputy chief of staff took over. Because their qualifications and ranks were not enough, the brigade political commissar of the 47th Brigade temporarily took over the command.

The two who were dismissed got in the car and went east in disgrace under the leadership of a team of military police.

They would first report to the headquarters where General Yan was and report the situation, which would also be a chance to explain the situation reported by Colonel Li Kexi.

But… there was not much room for explanation, and it would inevitably be scolded again.

Just scolding is easy. After that, they have to go to Renaissance City to be tried by the Alliance Military Court.

The Alliance Military Court is a court independent of the Alliance’s normal legal system, specializing in the trial of active military personnel. It is headed by Major General Taddius, the General Political Commissar, and assisted by Lambert, the Alliance Chief Justice.

The man who was dismissed from his post had studied the relevant military regulations and laws, and was roughly clear about what his fate would be.

Life… not yet. He did not commit the most serious crimes, such as treason, desertion, and disobeying orders from superiors.

Neglect of duty and malfeasance are the most serious.

In fact, what happened later was similar to his own judgment.

He was dismissed from his military post, his rank was reduced to captain, and he was thrown into the civilian department. In the next six months, he was transferred to a new unit, serving as a battalion commander in a garrison division in the Qinggu area, dealing with the deformed monsters that still remained in the southern Qinggu in the jungle every day.

He must still have some ability, otherwise he would not be promoted; after making a big mistake and suffering a big blow, there will always be growth. Moreover, he was only a battalion commander in the garrison division, so he must be qualified.

It is impossible that those deformed monsters could grow brains and conduct a roundabout, detection, and deception operation to bypass his defense line?

…

Half a month later.

Gu Hang, who was in Fuxing City, received a complete report on the “Flash Tail Operation” from Yan Fangxu.

The entire operation was over.

Before this battle report arrived, he had already seen the settlement interface from the system panel.

[Western Desert Battle Settlement:]

[Epic victory, 12,284 points of grace]

[17,325 lost, 246,645 eliminated]

This data is still very good.

In fact, before the Flash Tail Operation, the Alliance had already lost more than 13,000 troops in the full-scale battles and the fierce battles of infiltration and counter-infiltration.

This is a huge loss, especially considering that the battle lasted less than a month.

Although the Alliance also eliminated more than 50,000 mechanical units of various types in this process, this kind of bloodletting war situation is definitely not what the Alliance wants.

Taking human lives in exchange for the wreckage of mechanical units is definitely a losing business in Gu Hang’s opinion.

After Yan Fangxu prepared the plan report for the Flash Tail Operation, Gu Hang agreed. He also looked forward to a beautiful victory.

And Yan Fangxu and a series of soldiers fighting on the front line did not disappoint his expectations.

Although there were some unexpected situations in the middle process, the overall strategy was still smooth.

After destroying the enemy’s last mobile force, they destroyed the logistics distribution center at the ‘Scorpion Oasis’.

After that, the development of things was just as expected. After losing important energy sources such as batteries and fuel, all the enemy’s front-line troops began to collapse. The troops with less reserves may only have two or three days of combat capability, and those with more reserves will be finished in eight or nine days at most.

They realized that there was no chance of victory and began to retreat. In fact, when the last mobile force was destroyed, the controllers behind these mechanical monsters had already realized this and made the worst plan.

However, retreat is still not just talk.

Just retreating from the desert to a place where they have logistical supply resources to support it requires a very long journey. Just like the human troops went deep into the desert, these mechanical legions are also the same, with thousands of kilometers to travel.

What’s more, how can the human troops watch them retreat?

In the entire western theater, the alliance’s army began to attack across the board.

They did not regard destroying the enemy as their first priority, but rather delaying, harassing, and encircling…

The four brigades that had created a huge salient, under the command of Colonel Li Kexi, also began to outflank the enemy’s rear on both sides.

On the entire map, it can be clearly seen that after these four brigades created a large salient on the front line, they began to move in a blooming manner on both sides, with the goal of cutting off the enemy’s rear.

Of course, this cannot be done perfectly. If you encounter a mechanical corps that retreats far behind, you will really fight desperately. Their number is still not enough. If you encounter such a thing, just let them pass.

But if you encounter insufficient energy reserves or insufficient number of troops, then decisively intercept them.

This form of battle lasted for more than ten days.

In the central part of the Western Desert, the enemy, with 400,000 mechanical units, confronted the Alliance Army in full, and this thousands of kilometers wide front collapsed directly.

On their way to the west, a small part of them was destroyed, another part escaped, and the remaining half of the mechanical units, in the process of escaping or fighting, exhausted their energy and turned into scrap metal all over the ground, which was collected effortlessly by the alliance. Except for the samples, the rest were all destroyed.

Even now, this destruction work is still ongoing.

The power of Blackbird Heavy Industry was even driven out of the Western Desert area.

However, Yan Fangxu still has a clear understanding of this.

He gathered all the troops and strictly ordered not to chase out of the Western Desert area. Even from today, the entire Western Theater is shrinking back, intending to shrink to the original front line.

Gu Hang still regrets this, but he knows that Yan Fangxu’s choice is correct.

If possible, he certainly wants to make a concerted effort, hundreds of thousands of troops will march west in one fell swoop, and flatten the Blackbird.

But it doesn’t work.

Thadius gave a warning: Our own logistics have also reached the limit.

The logistics of the alliance are actually not very solid, and they all rely on the lifeline of the Western Desert Avenue. The previous offensive also consumed a lot of ammunition, food, and medical reserves. At the same time, there are a large number of wounded soldiers who need to be transported.

The enemy still has more than 100,000 troops, who fled back to the west of the continent before the power ran out and were replenished.

Even in various places in the west of the continent, there are probably still many mechanical units.

Blackbird Heavy Industry did not collapse.

If we continue to chase, it is normal for them to push back.

Under this risk, it is more reasonable to be more cautious and not make mistakes.

Gu Hang can fully understand this.

But it would be a pity to let the enemy go this time.

Gu Hang has always felt that people should face the most pessimistic plans with the most optimistic attitude.

He estimated that with the degree of rebellion of the iron man of Blackbird Heavy Industry, they will recover very quickly.

Their various production lines are probably already running at full capacity. A large number of mechanical units will run down the assembly line, without the need for ten months of pregnancy, without military training, and will be quickly replenished to various fronts.

In this process, the fastest production speed is probably to use humans as raw materials to make robots.

This means a large number of population losses.

Gu Hang was very distressed about this.

But what can the alliance do?

He has ordered Yan Fangxu to establish a “rescue lifeline” along the West Desert Avenue, all the way west, and ordered the intelligence front that Lambert was in charge of to make the two or three hundred intelligence personnel buried in the west active.

They will publicize the victory of the alliance, the atrocities of Blackbird Heavy Industry using human materials to make robots, and the existence of a lifeline. Those who are willing can go all the way east, and the alliance army will pick them up and escape from the control of Blackbird Heavy Industry.

But… this strategy may be able to save some people, but for the entire western part of the continent, with a population of more than 15 million, it is impossible to play the role of a savior.

First, the actions of intelligence personnel are also very limited, and they cannot organize a large-scale escape operation; second, the probability of refugees fleeing eastward on their own is very low, and those mechanical units will continue to patrol; third, the lifeline established by the alliance is also very fragile, and it can only be established during the window period when Blackbird is severely damaged. By the time Blackbird recovers and the mechanical army takes over again, this “lifeline” will probably be broken.

(End of this chapter)