Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 671

Chapter 669: Defeat of the Northern Front

. Qin Zhiping was certain this was the greatest challenge of his career.

After joining the Anti-Xenocracy Inquisition and becoming an Inquisitor specializing in combating alien enemies, his career wasn’t entirely smooth, but it was certainly a steady rise.

He didn’t have any special background; it was pure luck—or perhaps bad luck.

Qin Zhiping constantly encountered serious alien incidents, but somehow, they were always resolved relatively smoothly.

Although he lost an eye, three fingers on his left hand, and his entire right arm, these injuries were no problem in the imperial society, given his elevated status and position. Prosthetic limbs and eyes could solve the problem, perhaps even surpassing the originals. For those with a certain aesthetic, a finely crafted bionic skin over the mechanical limbs could create a natural-looking appearance.

Of course, the average person wouldn’t be able to match such a feat. However, Qin Zhiping made significant contributions to these serious yet successfully resolved xenos incidents, and as he rose through the ranks, the problem of not being able to afford or deserve to buy was easily overcome for him as a rising star within the Inquisition.

As a key member of the Inquisition, he led a team of his longest-serving assistants, commanding an entire division of Loyalist Stormtroopers, supplemented by numerous Inquisitor assistants… This formed a formidable team, serving as one of the core forces of the Northern Front’s Legion.

This meant that Qin Zhiping was able to sit in on high-level military meetings held by Marshal Leroy, the Northern Front’s Commander-in-Chief.

As the Western Front’s Legion reorganized and decimated the Ironclad, support arrived from all sides on the Northern Front. Several Chapters sent additional Space Marine companies, the Black Crusaders dispatched a fully staffed squadron, and more members of the Argent Watch of the Inquisition arrived on the battlefield… All of this significantly increased the Northern Front’s strength.

They indeed achieved decisive victories in Lefu and Jianmen star regions with overwhelming force, annihilating the main Zerg forces that had been battling the Northern Frontier Legion for years in those two regions.

Having ensured that the only threats facing their retreat were local Zerg swarms on a few planets, and that no enemy in space could pose a significant threat to them, the Northern Frontier Legion crossed the border with great vigor and confidence, charging into the Imperial Princess Star Region.

At that moment, everyone from Marshal Leluva to Qin Zhiping and even the common soldiers believed they would achieve the greatest honor of this major rebellion in the eastern empire.

Then, the infected on the retreat were devoured and digested en masse. The Zerg, once thought to be scattered across various planets and posing no threat to the space forces, “ascended.”

The digestion of infected parts on a few worlds, forming hive ships, was a minor event; but when hundreds or even thousands of worlds were affected, even if the biomass accumulated on a single planet wasn’t significant, the combined force was formidable.

More importantly, turning back now was pointless. They couldn’t disperse the enemy before they regrouped. If another wave of enemies emerged from the Princess Star Domain, they would be caught in a pincer attack.

Qin Zhiping hadn’t imagined that the descent from heaven to hell could be so swift.

At this point, there was no choice.

They could only bite the bullet and continue their charge into the core of the Princess Star Domain, hoping to capture Readuches, win the decisive battle against the Hive Fleet, and eliminate the Queen. In that case, they would not only avert the crisis but even turn the tide. Then, the “greatest honor” would be theirs.

Clinging to this “fantasy,” the shadow of the Warp descended, and they lost contact with the outside world.

Immediately after arriving at Readuches, they launched a fierce assault on the planet.

At first, their operation went surprisingly smoothly.

They even discovered traces of the Queen!

Qin Zhiping had suggested launching the Exterminator weapons directly, even if it meant taking the troops already ashore with them.

However, Leroy refused his proposal.

He already had over 3,000 Space Marines deployed on the ground, including 1,500 Black Crusaders and even members of the Infinite and Bat Chapters, the founding Chapters. He couldn’t bear to attack his own Chapters, and he was also worried about offending the two founding Chapters.

Another significant factor was that the enemy’s anti-orbital and anti-aircraft firepower had not been destroyed. They didn’t have enough Exterminator weapons, and if they launched them blindly, the chances of being intercepted were extremely high. If they were intercepted, any further use would be rendered useless.

Leroy decided to first destroy a few orbital gun fortresses occupied by the Infested traitors, then destroy a few of the Zerg’s anti-orbital bio-cannons. He would then withdraw some of the ground forces, at least the Space Marines, before launching the Exterminator weapons for a trial run.

Until now, Qin Zhiping was furious that Le Luwa hadn’t listened to him and launched the attack.

Although the probability of the Extermination Order being intercepted was over 90%, they had fifteen in reserve. They just bombed and smashed, gambling on this probability. If they hit, the Queen would be annihilated, and the war would be over!

With the enormous payoff, it was a gamble worth taking!

However, subsequent events perfectly illustrated the ancient Terran proverb, “Opportunity lost, never to be regained.”

A powerful Hive Fleet, gathered from across the Princess Sector, had formed and arrived at Rhaeadoches.

At this stage, the Northern Frontier Legion quickly lost the battle for Rhaeadoches’ orbit. While their fleet was massive, they couldn’t withstand the planet’s orbital firepower and then be outmaneuvered by a massive Hive Fleet. A pincer attack from both sides was unsuccessful.

By relinquishing orbital control, they not only lost the opportunity to launch the Extermination Order, but also their ground forces were unable to withdraw.

The Northern Frontier Fleet also attempted to engage the Hive Fleet. Even if the ground forces could no longer easily call for orbital support, they should at least prevent the Zerg’s biological artillery from hitting their own ground forces.

However, even this soon became impossible.

They failed in the space battle.

As the space naval battle became fierce and brutal, the morale of the human fleet collapsed. The first to collapse was the joint fleet of several star domain governments sent by the Devouring Universe. Many of their ships took advantage of the war to escape from the edge.

Regardless of whether they finally escaped, it set a very bad precedent!

(End of this chapter)