Chapter 188: The Decisive Maneuver

Yes, Lin Yu was absolutely certain of it.

Right now, the entire war situation was heavily stacked against the Wasteland Alliance.

At least for the next ten years, things would stay that way.

After all, forming a joint fleet behind enemy lines and then gathering and advancing would take a huge amount of time.

Even the nearby civilizations—those closest to the front—had lost so much in their last coalition that they couldn’t possibly field new fleets anytime soon. In fact, they barely had enough warships left to defend their own worlds.

In other words, for at least the next ten years, Parlo and Tuoba would enjoy a complete advantage in military strength over the Alliance.

They could also seize huge swaths of territory long before the Alliance could send reinforcements.

If they wanted to avoid that outcome, the only option was to make an unexpected move and force Parlo and Tuoba to slow down.

Right now, the salient stuck deep between the Ziyang Empire and the Xitoris Kingdom was their one chance—the only opportunity they’d never let slip.

Because of that, Lin Yu could say with confidence they were bound to strike.

And what’s more…

If Lin Yu guessed correctly, the enemy had already started gathering their fleets.

Strangely, this was actually great news for Lin Yu.

After all, with the troops being pulled out, the salient—already stripped of most of its warships—was now empty for real.

Each star system sat there like an abandoned city just waiting for him to take over.

That would save both time and effort. A rare win.

“Ling Wei, where’s the Fifth Fleet right now?”

“On Vico. They’ll reach the interstellar current mouth in seven days, then head for Auris.”

“Forget the original route. Redirect to the Luohe sector, then move through Adra, Pasol, and Bast. In eleven months, arrive at Misils.”

Lin Yu brought up the star chart and plotted out a new course for everyone to see.

All the senior Federation commanders were present. With what they’d heard so far, it was obvious what Lin Yu planned to do.

Still…

“Commander, even if the Alliance wants to break our supply lines by slipping through, how can you be sure they’ll strike at Misils? There are three other nodes where they could cut off the Ziyang Empire’s supply lines.”

“And what if they decide to target the Xitoris Kingdom instead of the Empire?”

Ye Lingwei asked the question.

To be fair, everyone understood that breaking up Alliance supplies was strategically sound, but exactly where they’d attack—and along which route—was hard to predict.

Nobody could say for certain.

But Lin Yu’s plan was as confident as could be.

Did he somehow get inside info from the Alliance?

That shouldn’t be possible.

After all, these were different species—let alone humans, neither the Ziyang nor the Xitoris people could possibly sneak an undercover agent into the Alliance right now.

But Lin Yu’s next answer left everyone stunned.

“No, I’m not sure at all!”

“Uh… then why are you—?”

Ye Lingwei was completely dumbfounded.

“The reason for this plan really comes down to three factors!”

“First, based on my simulations, while I can’t be absolutely sure the Alliance will move on Misils, the probability is still 69.8%.”

“Second, compared to Tuoba, Parlo has more troops right now. He didn’t go through the kind of civil war Xitoris did, and his fleet of Seawolf-class ships is just as large as Tuoba’s. Besides, he also has nearly thirty thousand old Imperial warships.”

“So, compared to Tuoba, Parlo can field a stronger force and take a lot more territory in the same amount of time.”

“Since the Federation has limited ships in the salient, we can only focus on one enemy. Naturally, we’ll target the bigger threat.”

“Third, looking at where all our fleets are stationed, any of the other nodes could be reinforced within three months if something happens—except for Misils…”

“So as long as Misils stays safe, the entire battlefront will hold up just fine.”

After hearing Lin Yu’s logic, everyone turned their attention to the star chart, thinking hard.

Then a sudden realization dawned on them.

Just like Lin Yu said—if the Fifth Fleet took Misils ahead of the enemy, then no matter where the Alliance struck next, the Federation could react in time to block them.

Even in places they couldn’t defend quickly enough, at worst the lines would be cut for two or three months.

After that, the reinforcing fleets could rush in and wipe out enemy forces before any real damage was done.

“If there aren’t any concerns, we’ll go with this plan. Once we deal with the rats, the other fleets stick to the original assault plan—take back the salient and even the contact lines within a year.”

“Yes, Commander!”

——

Year 243 of the Federation calendar.

The Misils star.

Three months had passed since the Fifth Fleet arrived.

“Commander, enemy warships incoming through the interstellar current.”

“Pull up surveillance video.”

At that report, a video feed was quickly projected in the room.

It showed the interstellar current mouth in real time.

Wave after wave of enemy warships passed through the current and reached Misils.

Each ship’s crew cautiously checked the area, then, seeing no one around, began to form up on the outskirts.

And as more warships kept arriving, their formation…

grew larger and larger.

But what they didn’t know was that just on the other side of a nearby planet, thirty-six hundred Federation warships from the Fifth Fleet lay hidden, using the planet as cover.

If the enemy tried to reach the current heading to the Empire’s territory, they would have to pass right by that planet…

It was by far the fastest and shortest route.

Why not just smash them at the current’s mouth, taking advantage of the perfect position and overwhelming numbers?

Because if they did that…

They couldn’t take any prisoners.

Parlo and Tuoba had both told Lin Yu: according to their intel, among the first 50,000-strong joint Alliance fleet, there was a big fish hiding.

It wasn’t the commanders Lin Yu had already eliminated in the last two battles.

It was someone with command over the entire 50,000-strong force.

That information had come from the Alliance soldiers captured in those battles—gleaned from questioning by Parlo and Tuoba’s people.

First, Parlo confirmed this leader existed and that he was serving in the force opposite Tuoba.

Then, after Lin Yu helped Tuoba defeat his side’s Alliance fleet, they learned from prisoners that this big fish had barely escaped a quantum bomb strike—literally getting away in the nick of time.

Most likely, he’d made it into the interstellar current.

If that info was true, and the man was still alive, then right now, the best place to look would be…

Right here in this fleet.

After all, this was the last Alliance fleet along the entire front line.

And most importantly, the remnants of both Alliance fleets…

had gathered here.