Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 865

Chapter 859: The Universe is Burning (VI)

The surface of Ankachi VIII has been turned into a meat grinder.

Following Gu Hang’s strategic plan, the human forces designated six drop zones, centered around the War Fortress Throne, where Bonebreaker resides.

Drop Zone One, led by the Phoenixes and the Iron-Handed Ambassadors, has largely secured its position.

Drop Zones Two through Five were also gradually established during the subsequent battles.

These landing zones followed a similar strategy to Drop Zone One, but their success was uncertain.

Drop Zone Four was the worst, with three hundred Space Marines deployed, supported by an orbital drop by the Marines, resulting in near-total annihilation. The casualties of the airborne troops who were assembled upon landing were disproportionately high. After finally gathering themselves, the Space Marine leader attacked the anti-aircraft positions near the drop zone, but due to insufficient manpower, they were unable to destroy the earth shields. They were forced to withdraw and, relying on the ruins of a nearby hive, held their ground.

Despite casualties, Command was forced to deploy another batch of airborne troops, along with two thousand Battle Sisters from the Holy Mercy Lily, in drop pods to stabilize the situation.

They held out for eight Terran days, attempting twice to attack the air defense fortress, but again failed. It wasn’t until the fifth day, with total casualties exceeding 70%, that ground forces from the neighboring Landing Sites 3 and 5 rescued them and destroyed the air defense fortress.

By this point, no matter how many human sacrifices and costs had been incurred, after less than two weeks of ground offensives, the siege of the War Fortress, where King Bonebreaker resided, had been completed.

During this time, King Bonebreaker remained motionless.

Gu Hang had a plan to deal with King Bonebreaker; if he personally attacked, all the necessary measures would be unleashed.

Unfortunately, King Bonebreaker remained motionless.

This Orc king was surprisingly composed, unlike the impulsive and irritable Greenskins we typically associate with him. He also had a deep understanding that strategic time was on his side. As long as he could hold out, victory would be his.

This was indeed the case.

Over twenty days had passed since the Battle of Ankachi began.

The Greenskin army, from across the entire sector, was pouring towards the Ankachi sector like a mighty wave.

The human forces currently fighting on Ankachi VIII, including the navy, army, and various elite units, actually only comprised a little over half. Aside from the two Glorious Queens and Gu Hang, the three most important strategic weapons, which had arrived at Ankachi VIII, the remaining forces were roughly evenly divided.

The remaining half was currently stationed outside Ankachi VIII, blocking the Greenskin army in layers.

Like a dam on the shore, they held back the surging Greenskin army.

Over these twenty days, reports had arrived from all fronts, reporting that the pressure from the Orks was growing.

For now, the dam remained as strong as a rock.

But no one knew how long the torrential downpour would last.

Baptized by more and more victories, new Orc boys are born, growing stronger under the Waagh force field. Greenskin technology becomes more powerful, and the Tech Boss’s imagination becomes even more open, devising some more Greenskin-style technologies. Perhaps simply welding a rocket engine to the tail of a battleship will make it effective; changing the pattern and color of a cannon’s muzzle will increase its power…

In just twenty days, there has been a noticeable increase in combat intensity that the human army can perceive. What if it takes longer?

At this rate of improvement, the outer defenses will reach their limit in three months. It’s inevitable that Greenskin armies will be able to penetrate the outer blockades and arrive to reinforce Ankach VIII.

Five months later, the human army’s outer defenses could collapse completely.

In fact, the Greenskin armies are already disrupting humanity’s supply lines.

This time, humanity is an expeditionary force, with billions of troops and thousands of warships. The daily energy, food, and weaponry demands are absolutely astronomical.

Even with supplies from the five surrounding star regions, it wouldn’t be enough.

Humanity is not Greenskins or Zerg. Once the latter capture a planet, digesters/incubation tanks, Greenskin biospheres, and garbage city industrial zones will rapidly emerge. Fighting and resupplying on the spot is truly a matter of fighting to support the war.

However, humanity is much slower in utilizing the resources of a planet that has just been fought, or is even currently under attack. Only after stabilization, or at least regional stabilization, and post-war reconstruction can the situation be truly brought under control.

Logistical constraints prevented many ground forces from being rushed into the Ohmgeria sector, forcing them to remain stationed in the outer regions. Billions of people being rushed in would starve humanity to death.

The overall war model on the human side required the Alliance to stockpile supplies from the Magreta region. During the nearly year-long pre-war preparations, the Western Expeditionary Force had stored vast quantities of supplies at several key hub worlds on the edge of the region. These supplies would be shipped in batches to the numerous exits from the five major regions to Ohmgeria, and then shipped back into the region for delivery to the various combat units.

Simultaneously, the various worlds within the five major regions continuously collected war resources, from food to military supplies, and shipped them to Ohmgeria.

When the frontline combat units needed reinforcements or supplies, they would receive them from the five major regions.

While thousands of warships battled on the front lines, over half a million transport ships worked around the clock throughout this entire supply chain.

But now the Greenskins have begun attempting to threaten humanity’s logistical supply chain.

The previous three- and five-month estimates were based purely on frontline combat considerations. However, if the overall strategy is taken into account, if the supply chain is severed, both the outer defenses and the offensive against Ankachi VIII will be impacted.

Even though all armies have ample reserves of combat supplies to mitigate any eventuality, if the worst-case scenario truly materializes, the three- and five-month strategic timeframes may need to be extended.

Broken Bones are waiting.

Despite the overwhelming advantage, humanity has already spent over twenty days simply to capture the outer orbits and deploy troops to the surface.

Subsequently, the area surrounding the War Fortress Throne, which he truly controls, has been managed like an ironclad siege.

Come on, let’s see how long these shrimps will last!

———

One more chapter before dawn

(end of this chapter)