Chapter 654, Signs of Collapse

Did Le Rouva really not know that danger was coming?
not necessarily.

At the beginning, he really didn't take Gu Hang's warning seriously, for the same reason as he had criticized Gu Hang in the meeting before. He didn't think that Gu Hang was doing this for the good of the war on the northern front. Instead, he believed that Gu Hang was making up and exaggerating the statement in order to stop the northern front's advance and win the highest honor in this war.

But later, when one irrefutable evidence after another was placed in front of him, he was not really stupid, so naturally he changed some of his ideas.

Even through those "sincere" warnings again and again, his mentality had changed.

On the one hand, he had some respect for Gu Hang.

Not everyone can put aside past grudges and give careful reminders for the ultimate cause when the real big things happen.

On the other hand, he became more and more determined to defeat Readuches as soon as possible and gain the final victory.

It’s not because he doesn’t believe the information given by Gu Hang. On the contrary, he has taken the information seriously, so he has to do this.

What was said in the past could not be taken back. Even if he had changed his mind, he could not change his words in public, as that would only destroy his prestige.

He is the commander and the leader of the alliance, but he is not the founder or leader of this army.

The best he could do was to stop talking about these things and let them go.

Although it is inevitable that people will grumble, as long as things do not escalate into open opposition, it proves that everything is still within the controllable range.

At the same time, after careful consideration, Leroy decided that there was no turning back.

It was impossible for the Alliance to deal with the problems behind them step by step like they did. The situation in the two star regions of Lefo and Jianmen was already very bad because of the Zerg invasion. Due to the previous rapid advance, they had not even completely wiped out the Zerg fleet, leaving some behind, not to mention the Zerg forces and infected people on various planets.

Before, they thought that all this was easy to deal with. The enemy had been dispersed, and the remaining threats were limited to the star field level, or even multiple star districts, which could be considered "local threats". As long as they entered the Princess Star Field and captured Readuches, they would be considered to have won the battle. As for the remaining clean-up issues, the noble Space Marines did not need to do it, and let the local government and the empire figure it out.

But now, it was proved that the trouble behind them was probably too big, and they had already penetrated into such a deep situation, even Rheaduces was right in front of them. It was impossible to turn back now.

Even if Le Rouva issued such an order, the coalition forces under his command supported his decision and went back with him to clean up the mess. However, according to the intelligence provided by Gu Hang, those bugs are likely to directly drive all the infected people in the two star fields to undergo a comprehensive transformation, just like Gu Hang's side.

Moreover, since they had only dispersed the Zerg fleet before, not destroyed it, the two star regions of Lefo and Jianmen would probably become a huge quagmire of war. By then, Leluwa and his army might have a problem escaping, not to mention winning the war!

From this perspective, even if we don't talk about victory, the only way to preserve one's own army is to move forward bravely and conquer Rheaduces!

He even stopped thinking about what to do if the war was not over after the conquest and the expected victory was still far away.

He had no choice.

An internal military meeting was held again, in which Le Roy once again gave an outstanding and eloquent speech.

He didn't mention Gu Hang at all, but just emphasized that the current situation was critical, but everything was not at the end of the road. Everyone should be brave and fight to the death, so that they could fight their way out in this critical moment.

However, this time his speech trying to boost morale was not as effective as before.

Everyone can see that it is dangerous now. The key is that this danger is caused by Leroy's radical strategy.

There is not enough room to display eloquence.

Leroy said nothing more.

Just speak with facts.

On the way to Readuches, Leroy personally commanded, especially the most reliable troops in his hands, that is, the two fleets of the Black Crusaders, and fought several very beautiful annihilation battles. Two local troops in the Princess Star Region responsible for reconnaissance and delay were destroyed, and a planet with good infrastructure was conquered and used as a reserve for the entire army. At the same time, the entire army rushed forward, and Readuches was already within the distance that could be reached in two star shuttles.

The persuasiveness of victory is still stronger than words.

The army, having regained its spirits, finally arrived at Rheaduches a week later.

Here, they won a brilliant victory.

The reason why it is described as glorious is certainly not because they captured the target without bloodshed.

On the contrary, the Ironclad Legion still has a strong defense arrangement in their home base. Starports, star fortresses, planetary void shields, dense orbital gun fortresses... all the necessary defense facilities are there. There is even a strong mobile fleet deployed here. At the same time, the cumulative number of Ironclad Space Marines discovered in the battle has exceeded one thousand, not to mention that the Royal Princess Legion, as an extraordinary auxiliary army, has also demonstrated strength comparable to that of the well-known Star Army.

But under Le Roy's offensive, they defeated the enemy within a month.

The planet has not been completely occupied yet, but the important strategic points mentioned above are already under their control.

Then, Le Roux couldn't wait to spread the news of victory to all parties.

Western Front, Southern Front, Holy Terra...

In addition to the good news, he also said very pragmatically that next, they will stay in Rheaduches for a period of time to clear out the resistance forces on the ground and consolidate the planet's defense system. For example, repairing the planetary void shield is the top priority.

They will be here, waiting for the victorious meeting with Commander-in-Chief Gu and Captain Salilius.

This message was also the last battle report received by the Empire from the Northern Front Legion.

On the third day after they conquered Rheaduches, the shadow of the subspace that covered the sky and the sun completely blocked the Princess Star Region, and no news could be transmitted.

At the same time, Lefo, Jianmen, Anguang, Baimu, Tangu... these five star fields in the Spider Web Universe under the nominal control of the North and West Lines began to see large-scale digestion of infected people and the rise of biological ships.

Even in the Magre universe, this situation occurs.

At the same time, the main force of the Iron Armor Legion, which Salilius claimed to have been defeated by them in his report, suddenly appeared from the west, from the direction of the Magre universe, and surrounded Salilius' main force from west to east.

From the Princess Star Region, a large Zerg Hive Fleet surrounded Salilius from east to west.

At this time, the main force of Salilus was still at the junction of the White Curtain Star Field and the Princess Star Field, engaged in the clearing of local infected people and digestive pools.

(End of this chapter)