Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 786

Chapter 781: Total Annihilation

What was the tactical style of the real Huang Quan Gulls?

I don’t know.

The few fragments of records suggest some kind of spectacular three-dimensional offensive.

I don’t understand.

The current Huang Quan Gulls haven’t replicated the style of their distant predecessors.

They have their own tactics,

very similar to those of the Phoenixes.

They tack on an upright, resilient approach.

After quickly analyzing the situation, Commander Marchand made a swift tactical decision.

Of the one hundred Huang Quan Gulls, one-third would serve as the main attackers, one-third would act as flank guards, and the remaining one-third would provide fire support.

Xie Hong’s Blood Shark warriors would serve as the spearhead. They would be extremely useful to Marchand.

After discussion, Xie Hong agreed with Marchand’s tactical plan.

This was not only due to their close relationship, but more importantly, because Xie Hong had witnessed Marchand’s outstanding tactical skills in the past and trusted him.

Marchand did not disappoint.

Under his command, the troops advanced steadily.

The main attacking team advanced first, fully equipped with a wide range of firepower, maneuverable and efficient.

Shields led the charge, steadily advancing against the incoming fire. Heavy gunners fiercely suppressed the enemy with heavy bolters and multi-barreled melta-throwers. They used cover where available, and relied on their shields to push forward where they couldn’t. Their steady approach created a strong sense of oppression for the defenders.

The fire support team, equipped with several sniper bolters and semi-stationary heavy bolter machine guns, made it difficult for the defenders to even break through. Furthermore, they also possessed several shoulder-fired missile pods operated by Terminators.

The final third, the supporting attacking team, had a more evenly balanced firepower and armor. They wouldn’t advance as resolutely as the main attacking team, but if the enemy was suppressed or distracted by the main attacking team, they would quickly advance a distance. The threat they posed increased as the engagement distance shortened.

All of the Yellow Springs Owls participating in the battle were veterans or above. This alone was rare, not to mention that some even surpassed them, reaching the level of a Master Chief in an average Chapter. At this level, they could even join the Honor Guard of a regular Chapter, often the Chapter’s most elite force, accompanying the Chapter Master in charge.

Furthermore, with ten Company Champions, they were even more formidable.

In fact, the Blood Sharks had a similar composition and ratio.

If their individual soldiers weren’t significantly superior to the opposing Chapter, how could they have achieved the nearly 1:6 casualty ratio they had previously achieved?

They were all Space Marines!

While the Yellow Springs Owls weren’t as aggressive as the Blood Sharks, or as adept at assaults and close-quarters kills, their own offensive tactics, combined with their far superior warriors, allowed them to gain a clear advantage in long-range combat.

Their bullets were more accurate, and conversely, they could even dodge them.

This isn’t to say that Space Marines are so powerful they can outrun bullets, but more skilled Transcendents can always sense them, or use their experience to predict where the bullets will strike, allowing them to dodge in advance, or use weapons, shields, or even the thickest armor of their power armor to block them.

In fact, the opposing Space Marines can do the same—if their opponents are ordinary mortal soldiers.

But facing the generally superior Yellow Springs Gulls, they can’t. The Yellow Springs Gulls’ firepower can be deceptive, or coordinated firepower can leave them with no escape, or the firepower of a single individual can gradually force them to a point where they can’t dodge…

In short, it’s all about pressure.

Under low pressure, many technical moves can be executed with remarkable ease, appearing miraculous. Under high pressure, even the most skilled can appear like clowns to others.

Right now, the hundred or so Space Marines on the opposing side were a bit like these clowns.

Amidst the exchange of fire, they were shocked to discover their casualties were far greater than they had anticipated.

They had originally intended to employ a flexible defense, avoiding difficult-to-escape close combat, avoiding decisive battles, and stalling for as long as possible. However, during the exchange of fire, before the Yellow Spring Owls’ warriors even reached them, they had suffered over thirty casualties.

Compared to these casualties, their gains were only nine Yellow Spring Owls destroyed.

If this continued, they would be completely annihilated by the long-range fire alone.

They were forced to abandon their current position and retreat, attempting to regroup at the next defensive node.

However, at this moment, the Blood Shark warriors, led by Xie Hong, struck.

During the Yellow Springs’ advance, they had already begun their movement, lurking in the shadows of the battlefield, remaining silent and unfired as they approached the battlefield stealthily. As the enemy began to retreat, they launched their swift attack, their jetpacks fully charged, yet they didn’t lift off the ground. Instead, their legs, combined with their momentum, acted as a boost, instantly increasing their speed to an incredible degree.

They quickly overtook the Yellow Springs’ main attacking force, leaving the shield guards and their accompanying assaulters unable to keep up.

The remaining forces were overwhelmed by the Blood Sharks’ charge, and they quickly overtook the retreating mixed-combination Space Marine battalions.

Thus began the slaughter!

Despite outnumbering them twice, these mixed-combination Space Marines were still utterly defeated and utterly disoriented.

They couldn’t even leave behind those who had lost a limb, and the rest of them retreated. Organized groups attempting to retreat were often targeted and intercepted by a few Blood Sharks.

Then, their commander made the most helpless, worst-case scenario, but also the one with the best chance of preserving some survival: disperse and flee.

But this decision was a little too late.

Huang Quanou’s warriors had also caught up.

They didn’t rush into close combat. The support team sealed off the perimeter, eliminating any enemies attempting to escape.

The fire team, once in close range, could deliver precise, point-blank kills, even collaborating with the Blood Sharks, which proved invaluable.

The Space Marines suffered even more casualties.

Then came the slowest main attack team: shield guards and assaulters, drawing power swords and long-handled halberds.

While these main attackers weren’t as ferocious as the Blood Sharks, it was simply a different style. After all, they were the company’s heavily armored warriors, specially trained for close combat. Their close combat prowess was comparable to that of the Blood Sharks.

The difference between the two was that one was a blend of a berserker and an assassin, while the other was a combination of a swordsman and a heavily armored knight.

In the end, of the remaining approximately one hundred mixed-combat Space Marines, not a single one survived.

Thus, the two hundred Space Marine guards that Yinbarshim had managed to recruit were completely wiped out.

The price they paid was a combined casualty of forty warriors, including the Blood Sharks and Yellow Spring Gulls. Among them, there were probably a dozen or so seriously injured who could be saved.

(End of this chapter)