Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 1221 - 662, Titan Battle

Chapter 1221: Chapter 662, Titan Battle

The ships of both sides were entangled in space, neither willing to allow the other to approach the planet’s orbit to support ground battles.

However, both sides always managed to catch such opportunities.

The other side’s ships would quickly arrive to relieve and the orbital cannons on the ground would often open fire at this moment. Soon, the starships attempting to interfere with ground battles would be driven away.

However, bringing up new resources doesn’t take long; in a short while, a few missiles, Colossal Cannon shots, and Light Spear fire can significantly alter the ground battle.

Both sides had to rely more on orbital cannon arrays to drive away enemy ships and intercept orbital bombardments.

Intercepting was necessary not only for occasional orbital strikes from starships but also for enemy land-based missiles.

In the battle unfolding on this plain, there was a seemingly long contact line reaching three hundred kilometers. But in reality, under high-casualty weapon strikes, it was actually quite short.

Some missiles of the Scorching East Wind level, transported to the ground and mounted on missile launchers, were capable of directly striking enemy positions, making it a feasible option.

A single Scorching East Wind could cover tens of kilometers—several could cover the entire enemy frontline.

In the midst of these missile strikes, all exposed personnel within a six-kilometer radius in the central area would be eliminated, regardless of how many soldiers were accumulated inside; for soldiers in trenches, the lethal radius was around three kilometers, meaning hiding in trenches didn’t help much.

Unless one was in some solid permanent fortifications or shelters, they might survive if more than a kilometer away from where the missile landed.

Utilizing such a super bomb as the core was reserved as a conventional tactical approach. After the enormous missile detonated, ground troops with chemical, biological, and nuclear protection equipment would advance forward, achieving success with half the effort.

Both sides had deployed such weapons on the ground, and larger starships also had them in space.

One detonation often resulted in tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of casualties, causing major shifts in the battle lines.

But the reason that the battle lines weren’t entirely covered by such massive bombs was all due to various kinds of anti-air firepower intercepting them.

This type of weapon was expensive, scarce, and once launched, intercepting it at ten thousand meters high would still bring explosive power, albeit limited, and depending on the interception location, it might even hit one’s own troops.

Simply put, these efficient interception methods were the key to continuing ground warfare.

But while not wanting to get bombed by the enemy, who wouldn’t want to bomb the enemy?

Salius and Matins certainly did.

Previously, they had attempted interstellar warrior infiltration operations to attack enemy defense interception firepower and orbital cannon fortresses, trying to destroy them.

But every attempt failed.

The defense against these by Ironclad was extremely meticulous.

Just like how the Empire valued the defense of its interception positions.

And this was the reason for using the treasured Titan beforehand, to create a protruding salient in the battle line.

This salient was an excellent launching base for attacks, more easily leading to the encirclement of the enemy since it itself posed a flanking threat to the enemy, at the same time being closest to the enemy’s rear strategic objectives, shortening the distance needed for advancement.

The protruding salient created by the Alliance National Knights directly pointed to a core area at the enemy’s rear.

There, it wasn’t just Ironclad’s ground logistics hub, but also the Empire’s large storage base before the Wanzhou Star campaign broke out, and at the same time, a focus area for firepower interception positions, the orbital guns.

Seizing this place wouldn’t guarantee victory in the campaign, but at least some of their enormous bombs, delivered by missiles or strategic bombers, would have better chances and be less likely to be intercepted.

But from a defensive angle, the salient position was highly disadvantageous. The length of the defense line in this protruding section was far greater than the length if the line were straightened, meaning more troop strength was needed for defense, and since the flanks were exposed, it was easy for the enemy to break in from both flanks and cause encirclement.

Precisely because of these inherent strengths and weaknesses of the salient, both sides fought fiercely around it, even turning it into a strategic showdown.

The current Empire side did not want to abandon the opportunity to attack, so they poured in large forces to hold these salients; naturally, Ironclad also recognized the Empire’s strategic objectives and was determined to eradicate this salient penetrating their defense line to eliminate the threat it posed to their rear’s crucial bases.

After an entire night of interstellar warriors battling each other, just as dawn broke, Ironclad launched a fierce attack on the salient.

In the morning, the heavy cannons covered the Empire’s positions.

It was as if every inch of land had been bombed.

The Empire’s heavy guns retaliated.

Bombing the enemy’s artillery positions was challenging as both sides had moved their artillery positions further back. But they could predict the direction the enemy would attack from, and no matter if the enemy had indeed launched an offensive, showering endless artillery shells over would undoubtedly work.

However, Ironclad’s infected army still advanced under the pressure of artillery bombardment.