Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1078: Chapter 587, Phoenix Defeated

Holy Terra, Imperial Palace District.

An important meeting was underway.

The thirteen High Lords had gathered to discuss the ongoing eastern war.

The news of Gu Hang’s victory on the Southern Line had already reached Holy Terra.

The high-ranking officials present experienced a significant emotional rollercoaster.

Although everyone was aware that the Alfonso Sect, situated next to the Princess Star Domain, maintained exceptionally strong ties with the Iron Armor Battle Group. During this war, the Alfonso Sect, a Mechanical Sect spanning an entire Star Domain, undoubtedly provided powerful support behind the Iron Armor Group. The Iron Armor’s ability to secure and sustain such a vast number of warships, combined with their well-equipped armies, was inseparable from the backing of the Alfonso Sect.

On the battlefield, Imperial soldiers even discovered equipment from the Alfonso Sect, hurriedly transported and unmarked, possibly due to time constraints.

This was a known adversary to everyone.

Yet, for political reasons, no one wished to force the Alfonso Sect into direct confrontation.

If they want to supply equipment, let them; the lords would rather lower their heads and play ostrich than provoke the Alfonso Sect into direct intervention.

But they intervened anyway.

When the news first reached Holy Terra, there was considerable panic.

While some remained clear-headed, there were also the less rational ones, blaming the Alliance for advancing too aggressively and inadvertently dragging the Alfonso Sect into the fray.

Interestingly, the individuals making such accusations might very well overlap significantly with those who had earlier demanded the Alliance push forward and criticized the Alliance for cowardice.

Even among those clear-headed enough to recognize that the Alfonso Sect’s involvement was inevitable—only a matter of time—and that earlier was better than later, and that it was preferable for them to head south rather than west or north, pessimism was prevalent.

They acknowledged the achievements of the Alliance. Without them, if the Alfonso Fleet had suddenly appeared on the Western Front, the front led by the Phoenix Legion under Su Lie would likely have collapsed instantly.

From this perspective, the Alliance’s rapid advance in the Proudclaw Cosmos, aggressively targeting both the Furyflame and New Torch Legions, had created a significant strategic advantage for the Imperial side.

However, acknowledging the Alliance’s contributions did not prevent anyone from doubting their prospects.

The reason? The enemies the Alliance faced were overwhelmingly powerful. According to intelligence from the front lines, the strength of the Alfonso Fleet was nothing short of terrifying.

The War Ark, Emperor-class Battleships… these were weapons of mass destruction. Even if Terran Central deployed an entire fleet at full capacity to fight in the eastern frontier, barring the need to retain adequate defensive forces for the capital, they probably still couldn’t assemble a fleet to match that power.

Mars would certainly never agree to deploy a single War Ark to the eastern warfront. And after the Solar Fleet’s recent strong support for the Southern Solaria campaign, it could not even spare a single Emperor-class Battleship or two Retribution-class ships for the battle.

How could the Alliance possibly contend with such a situation?

One of the thirteen High Lords of Terra, the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Navy, convened his Admiralty staff to assess the war situation. Their pessimistic conclusion was that the Alliance’s best option was a full strategic retreat, utilizing a layered defense, and, if necessary, abandoning the entire Proudclaw Cosmos and even the Menghe Star Domain. Trading space for time and adapting to future changes was the strategy they favored.

Perhaps, if they could hold out long enough, the Empire could muster some additional reinforcements from elsewhere to assist the southern front.

The Imperial Navy’s Grand Marshal even collaborated with the Marshal of the Star Realm Army to draft a comprehensive cross-service strategic plan for ground and naval operations alike, intended to serve as the guiding principle for the Southern War. This plan was sent to the Alliance.

Although merely a “recommendation,” such “suggestions” from Holy Terra were essentially equivalent to orders or demands. Commanders on the front lines rarely deviated from these directives.

Otherwise, disregarding the superior will of Terra meant that, in the event of defeat, the line commander would bear full responsibility. In fact, they might even be removed before the war was lost.

Of course, Gu Hang was an exception. The so-called Southern War Zone, despite receiving substantial support from the Empire, primarily in resources and funding, consisted mainly of a few million Star Realm Army troops and a few dozen small- to mid-scale warships. These ships included scarcely any of the Luna-class; most were Escort Ships, Patrol Ships, or even armed merchant vessels. While the money sent was significant, it had a limited impact in such a high-stakes theater of war.

In essence, the Southern War Zone was the Alliance fighting largely on its own.

Thus, revoking Gu Hang’s command was not feasible.

Nonetheless, they strongly urged Marshal Gu to follow their strategic guidelines for the conflict.

Victory was unlikely, but at least it might forestall defeat.

However, the Alliance paid their advice no heed.

Nor did they disclose their intentions to Holy Terra. The Bowang Sea Battle, where the Alliance ambushed the Alfonso Fleet, was planned in utmost secrecy—Gu Hang was certainly not going to share his operational plans with Terra, lest they risk a leak that might jeopardize the mission.

Still, the Alliance’s consistent lack of communication, coupled with even perfunctory responses, left the two Grand Marshals on Holy Terra greatly dissatisfied.

They grew increasingly anxious, fearing the Alliance might act recklessly, relentlessly pressing them for a clear war strategy.

The “ambassador” stationed on behalf of the Alliance in Holy Terra responded with a deferential but ultimately evasive attitude: Marshal Gu was fully prepared; Marshal Gu knew how to fight this battle; rest assured, their leaders’ concerns would be passed on in due course…

Then, the results of the Bowang Sea Battle were announced.

Their dissatisfaction vanished in an instant once the news was confirmed.

Only shock, disbelief, and sheer ecstasy remained.

The shock and disbelief came from the fact that they simply could not comprehend how the Alliance had achieved such a decisive victory. The power disparity between the two sides wasn’t a matter of “4 versus 6” or “3 versus 7″—it was an outright two-tier difference, incomparable on the same scale!

How could this result in victory?

How did they manage to win?

And this wasn’t just a minor victory or forcing the enemy to retreat—it was an indisputable, annihilating triumph!

It was outright inconceivable!

The ecstasy stemmed from the fact that, with the annihilation of the Alfonso Fleet, the situation suddenly opened wide!

At present, the focus of their discussions was on the coordinated strategy for the North, West, and South Lines. If they could establish and enhance communication and collaboration between these fronts, they could exert even greater pressure on the Iron Armor, propelling them further toward victory.

At that moment, the Supreme Council’s doorbell rang.

A guard entered to report that His Excellency Galaraldo, the Military Affairs Department Chief, requested an urgent audience.

Galaraldo was not a Grand High Lord and was thus unauthorized to participate in the Supreme Council’s highest-level meetings.

Still, given the claim of an urgent matter, after some deliberation, they allowed him to enter and report.

The grand and imposing doors of the council chamber swung open as Galaraldo strode inside, exuding an air as though he belonged there by right.

Holding aloft a parchment, he shouted:

“Urgent report from the eastern frontier’s western front! Phoenix defeated; our frontlines have collapsed!”

————

There will be another Chapter tonight, but it’s likely to be late. Check back tomorrow!

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