Volume 2 chapter 85
After ending the communication, Clyris pondered for a long time.
How exactly... could this war end?
The Alliance's goal was clear: The utter extermination of the Demon Race. Their resolve was unshakable.
Of course, not every soldier was resolute, but the eight Saints who ruled over them were. In a typical noble war, casualties of one-tenth would lead to a truce. At one-fifth, even the most paranoid ruler would stop to reconsider the cost.
But the Alliance's casualties were already approaching one-third. Yet, the nations preferred to continue conscription rather than stop! This was because the Will of the Saints was War, and no one dared to defy the unanimous decision of eight living gods.
Thus, the great nobles, even facing the extinction of their bloodlines, dared not disobey and continued to support the offensive.
So, how to end this war? It sounded difficult, but in theory, it was simple—Change the Will of the Saints! Or even just a part of it, creating discord among them.
But the problem lay in the how. How could she change the will of a Saint?
Even if the demons fought brilliantly on the ground, they were helpless against the Saints strategically. She couldn't threaten a single one of the eight. For a Saint, the deaths of mortals below were irrelevant. This meant the demons had no leverage.
It was like a dump truck rolling toward you. No matter how eloquent or cunning you were, it wouldn't change your fate. The truck wouldn't stop because you asked, nor because you threatened it. It would just roll over you, turning you into a speed bump.
So, what should the demons do? Even if they held the Dark City, it would only result in another stalemate—one where they had lost vast territories and suffered grievous losses.
The demons would grow weaker, while the Alliance, having suffered no decisive blow to their core, could replenish their numbers endlessly.
Was there a way to strike at the Alliance's ability to replenish?
To this question, Charlo offered only one solution—Strategic Bombing. Use massive bomber formations to strike deep into the heartlands of the Thebes and Maurice Empires, destroying their vitality with devastating raids.
From the Demon heartland to the Notos Great Plains (center of Maurice) was about 3,500 kilometers. To the Karn Great Plains (center of Thebes) was about 4,000 kilometers.
Although the range of the Type-2 Bomber had decreased due to added armor and weapons, it still exceeded 9,000 kilometers. They could absolutely hit these targets!
They couldn't bomb the Imperial Capitals (too heavily defended), but they could bomb satellite cities, noble castles, and workshops. They could destroy the Alliance's material production capacity! Destroy their logistics from the root!
Clyris hesitated for a moment, thinking of the Alliance's indiscriminate slaughter of her people. Finally, she dialed the Air Force General Command in the Dark City.
"Get me the Bomber Command—Eisen!"
"Your Majesty! How may I serve you?" A young voice came through the communicator after a moment.
"Eisen, I have a grave mission for you!" Clyris said bluntly.
"Please command! Your subordinate will do his utmost to complete it!"
"Mobilize all Air Force units in the Dark City! I want you to divide them into two strike groups! One goes East to strike the Alliance Supply Hubs and Noble Castles on the Notos Great Plains of Maurice! The other goes South to strike the Karn Great Plains of Thebes, same targets!"
"This... It can be done! But I need some time for reconnaissance to confirm the targets, Your Majesty!" Eisen hesitated slightly.
"No problem!" Clyris understood this wasn't something that could be rushed. "I give you time for reconnaissance. Once you confirm the targets, report to me directly, and I will issue the order! Also, no need to rush. This is a long-term mission. You have enough time to verify carefully! But I require that within one month, you must identify at least one target for each group!"
"Yes! Guaranteed to complete the mission!" Eisen replied firmly.
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Next was stopping the Alliance offensive.
Lilith and Cocytus, recovered from their injuries in the Dark City, were sent East. Additionally, she ordered Hans to fully cooperate with fortress defense, blocking the Alliance offensive while dispatching bombers to hit their rear supply lines and coordinate with the Eastern Air Force to strike the Southern Alliance cluster from the southwest.
She also ordered Seraphina, currently stationed at Talisk Fortress, to send troops to raid the flank and rear of the Western Alliance Army, and ordered Lorraine to launch full-scale attacks on their rear.
By nightfall, the troops led by Luna, Finn, and Byron arrived at Goron City.
With them came 100,000 soldiers and hundreds of heavy mortars and wall guns. Fortress Cannons were out of the question; they couldn't be transported quickly, nor was there time to build turrets.
Late at night, Clyris opened a secure channel for an online conference with Seraphina and Victor (Commander of Abbys Fortress).
"The situation is critical, everyone!" Clyris cut to the chase. "I plan to evacuate both fortresses and retreat to defend the Dark City!"
"What?" Seraphina voiced her shock immediately. "Your Majesty! Why? Talisk can still hold!"
Victor, however, seemed to understand. He asked, "How much time do we have?"
"One month!" Clyris replied.
"Wait! Your Majesty!" Seraphina shouted. "I can still defend! With me here, the Alliance can't break in!"
"Seraphina!" Clyris said coldly. "You can hold the fortress, but you cannot hold the supplies!"
"The Alliance is pincering from East and West to cut off the connection between your fortresses and our rear. They want to encircle you! Can you still defend then?"
"Uh..." Seraphina was speechless. She wanted to argue, but she knew that once encircled and cut off from supplies, the fortress would fall quickly!
The fortress fired tens or hundreds of tons of shells daily. Without a constant stream from the rear, they would burn through their stockpile in a month!
Worse, they couldn't reduce the rate of fire. If the fire density dropped, the Alliance would charge for real! And the fortress would truly fall!
"Then, how do we retreat?"
Victor asked, "The Alliance is constantly probing. Once we leave, they will notice immediately! It could turn into a rout, and we would be slaughtered!"
"So..." Clyris paused. "We must leave a portion behind to block the Alliance..."
"Meaning... abandon a portion?" Victor sighed. "Your Majesty, can we really not stop the encirclement? If we abandon the fortresses, we truly have no way back!"
"I'm sorry..." Clyris sighed. "We can't stop them! Relying on these small cities, unfortified and meant for trade... a single Alliance charge could break in! I don't even know if I can hold for a month... I fear by then, we will have to abandon one-third, maybe more, of our people!"
"Understood..." Victor fell silent.
"Tell the soldiers the truth!" Clyris said painfully. "Tell them it is my incompetence. I cannot stop the encirclement, so we must abandon the fortresses, and even abandon some of them!"
"Then, prioritize evacuating those with the will to fight back to the Dark City. For those with strong fighting spirit who volunteer to stay, let them lead the troops with low morale to retreat last. If time runs out... let them defend the city!"
"No!" Seraphina cried out. "Your Majesty, it's enough that we know this! You can't tell everyone! It will damage your prestige!"
"I have no prestige left! Seraphina..." Clyris shook her head and sighed. "Failure after failure, retreat after retreat... I lost my prestige long ago! The warriors are still fighting only for survival. If the Alliance took prisoners, I believe many would have surrendered long ago..."
"..." Seraphina fell silent.
"Let it be so!" Clyris forced the corners of her mouth up into a pained smile.
"Tell those who stay behind that I will not abandon them. After holding for half a month, I permit them to break out. I will designate locations where planes will land to pick them up... if they can... reach those locations..."
"Is that the truth... or a lie? Your Majesty..." Victor asked.
"It is my promise! There is no falsehood..." Clyris said weakly.
"But after half a month... almost no one will be alive to reach them..." Victor sighed.
"There must be some hope, Victor..."
"Is that so... I understand..."
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