The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2416 Northern Strategy

2417: Northern Strategy

"Planet Palin-Minor?" Colonel Leir Benting frowned and said, "General, I don't think the Separatists have the ability to attack the planet Palin-Minor. In addition to the powerful orbital defense system and planetary shield on that planet, there is also an artificial atmosphere... Such defense alone is enough to withstand the offensive of any of their fleets."

The artificial atmosphere was built by the Galactic Republic based on the unique atmospheric composition of the planet Palin-Minor, and is part of the planetary defense system. The processed artificial atmosphere can isolate all detection methods in a defensive state, neutralize most energy weapon attacks, and even control the atmospheric composition of a local area, instantly suffocating the people in a city to death!

Palin-Minor was a fortress planet during the Galactic Republic period. Compared to the Bilbrin planet, which was used to block the passage to the unknown star field, and the Od-Mantel planet, which was used as a forward military base, Palin-Minor was directly positioned as the core fulcrum of the entire northern war zone!

Such a strategic position determines that the defense level of the planet Palin-Minor is extremely high! During the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic installed a weather controller here to generate an artificial atmosphere. When necessary, the weather controller can artificially modify the atmosphere through picometer-level mechanical particles scattered in the atmosphere.

After Dunn Wessex became the governor of the Ninth Army, as the headquarters of the King in the North, he naturally never hesitated to use the most expensive and advanced facilities to protect himself.

Countless orbital defense cannons, the most powerful planetary shields, and a fortified satellite with a diameter of 700 kilometers constitute the invincible defense system of the planet Palin-Minor.

If the invincible defense of the planet Fangduo relies on the planet's own terrifying industrial production capacity, then the planet Palin-Minor is a super fortress built by spending countless amounts of money.

It may be difficult for others to do this, but for Dunn Wessex, the King of the North, it is no problem at all.

He now controls four northern corps, with a powerful force second only to the Empire's Central Defense Fleet and Darth Vader's Death Fleet. At the same time, he also has a profound influence on the Kuat Power Dockyard, allowing the largest military-industrial complex in the galaxy to build this super fortress for him.

During the Clone Wars, the Confederacy of Independent Systems launched a surprise attack on the planet Palin-Minor before the Galactic Republic's defense system was formed, but suffered a disastrous defeat. When the Interstellar Banking Association's fleet was preparing for orbital bombardment and landing on the planet's surface, it was completely blocked from all sensor detection by the artificial atmosphere, and then countless orbital defense firepower poured out, and the Republic warships ambushed in the atmosphere also swooped down.

So in that short battle, the Galactic Republic, relying on the defense system of the planet Palin-Minor and those backward Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers, destroyed an entire powerful fleet of the Confederation of Independent Systems consisting of Bountiful-class communication frigates! It also caused the Confederation of Independent Systems' power in the north to fall into a slump.

That's why Thrawn's lieutenant, Rell Benting, believed that no matter what Severance Tann's plan was, she would not be able to capture the planet Palin Minor.

You have to know that the Kingdom of Dawn had just suffered a disastrous defeat in the North, and Tann's fleet was stretched to its limits. If they stormed this super fortress, they would probably crash into it and die.

Even during the heyday of the Northern Commercial Combined Fleet, Admiral Mal-Tuk simply chose to bypass the planet Palin-Minor and attack the outer ring star region of the North.

However, Thrawn shook his head and said, "No, we must return to defend the planet Palin-Minor. The problem we face is not whether Severance-Tan can capture this place... The problem we face is Dunn-Wessex."

"This..." Leir Benting was choked for a moment, and then he just sighed, nodded, and shook his head.

"Send the order, leave a squadron to defend the planet Bilbrin, and our main fleet will immediately attack the planet Dolin." After Thrawn finished his order, he frowned and said, "I hope Governor Dunn can understand this step."

Before the fleet set out, Thrawn specifically found his adjutant, Voss Parker, and said, "The planet of Bilbrin is handed over to you. You must eliminate the resistance on the planet as soon as possible and completely control the planet."

"Please rest assured, General!" Voss-Park saluted solemnly.

……

On March 10, 3 BBY, Thrawn led the main fleet of the Northern Frontier of the Galactic Empire to attack the planet Dorin. The Dawn Kingdom's garrison here was a participant of the previous Commercial Union Fleet. They had no intention of fighting at all. Under the command of Severance Tann, they immediately retreated to the planet Gle-Anselm.

Thrawn temporarily stationed his fleet on the planet Dorin. The planet had been bombed into ruins in the previous battle and had no other use except as a transit station. However, Thrawn felt very at ease stationed here, confronting the Severance Tann fleet stationed on the planet Od-Mantell.

He did not intend to engage in a fleet decisive battle with Tann. As always, he kept all the warships ready for hyperspace jumps. As long as Severance Tann came to attack, he would immediately retreat to the planet Bilbrin and rely on the complex hyperspace channel environment there to defend.

Thrawn was prepared to use this method to delay Severance Tann as much as possible and prevent her main fleet from attacking the planet Palin Minor. This was also Thrawn's statement to Dunn Wessex.

He planned to buy himself more time, because the warships damaged in the previous battle would take at least half a year to be fully repaired and prepared, and he also needed more time for the Kuat Power Dockyard to produce more warships for him.

However, Severance Tann's actions went far beyond this.

On March 3, a squadron of the Northern Fleet of the Kingdom of Dawn attacked the planet Agama!

Agama is an inconspicuous agricultural planet. After being attacked by the fleet, it immediately sent a distress message to the rear of the empire, and then issued a letter of surrender to the Northern Fleet ten minutes later.

Afterwards, the squadron crossed the planet Agamar and cruised in a nebula area north of the planet Palin-Minor. By the way, it also took care of a transport fleet that was still carrying out a transportation mission because it did not receive information in time.

The next day, Imperial Admiral Thrawn received an angry message from Dunn Wessex.

"Our headquarters, the planet Palin-Minor, has been attacked!" Dunn Wessex shouted at Thrawn without any hesitation, "Thank you for your selfish and arrogant so-called strategy! You have left our most powerful warships helpless in the ruins of the planet Dorin! Now Severance Tann's fleet is ready to take advantage of the situation and attack our core!!"

"Please don't panic, Your Excellency the Governor. Severance Tann does not have the ability to threaten the planet Palin Minor." Thrawn said lightly.

"Panicked? No! I'm not panicking! I'm questioning your stupid strategy!!" Dunn-Wessex was furious. He was already very reluctant and unhappy about Thrawn taking away his beloved Executor-class Star Destroyer. Now that he had seized the opportunity, he directly scolded Thrawn.

"I am now on the planet Dolin to contain Tann's fleet. With me here, Tann cannot threaten the planet Palin-Minor." Thrawn explained.

"Then let me ask you, are you closer to me, or is Severance Tann closer to me?!" Dunn Wessex pointed at Thrawn's nose and said angrily. "Physically, it is Tann's fleet that is closer to you." Thrawn replied, "But as long as Tann's fleet takes action, I can immediately attack her from both sides."

The current situation of both sides is indeed like this. Tann, who is stationed on the planet Od-Mantell, is actually between the planets Palin-Minor and Dorin where Thrawn's fleet is located. This is also the brilliance of Tann's deployment this time. It seems that she is being attacked from both sides by the Galactic Empire, but in fact, it prevents the two forces of the Empire from reinforcing each other. More importantly, it makes Dunn suspicious of Thrawn.

Dunn-Wessex was already very angry about the Imperial Emperor Palpatine's direct appointment of Thrawn as the Supreme Military Commander of the North, and he took his anger out on Thrawn, believing that Thrawn was selling out his master for glory. For such a situation, Dunn-Wessex did not hesitate to point the finger at Thrawn.

Dunn Wessex knew that Severance Tann had brought the unknown Titan this time, and he was afraid that he would be blasted into pieces by the Titan. But his most powerful ship, the Executor-class Star Destroyer Leela, was taken away by Thrawn, which made him feel insecure.

At the same time, it also strengthened his view that it was Thrawn who was setting him up.

Bang! Dunn slapped the table and said angrily, "So, you mean to use me as a human shield?!"

"I assure you that the planet of Palin-Minor is absolutely safe." Thrawn replied very seriously.

"And what you are using to guarantee is the final line of defense that I worked so hard to build! Do you know what the final line of defense means?!" Dunn yelled.

"It means exactly what it says - an impenetrable line of defense." Thrawn's tone gradually turned cold. He saluted and said, "That's the combat report for this time. Over."

After saying this, he cut off the communication without even waiting for Dunn-Wessex to speak.

……

Bang! A precious sculpture by a famous artist was smashed to pieces on the ground. In his office, facing the dark holographic projection, Dunn Wessex shouted angrily: "Thrawn! You traitor!!"

……

"I can imagine that Dunn is absolutely mad now." Arden Lin said sarcastically, standing behind Thrawn.

"That is all I can do for him," Thrawn replied. "Tan will not attack Palin-Minor. At least, she will not do so before she destroys our mobile fleet."

"So, what should we do if Tann really attacks the planet Palin-Minor?" asked Arden Lin.

"Let her fight. This way I can cut off her supply lines, observe the combat data of the Titan battleship, and then attack her from both sides." Thrawn said.

Arden Lin laughed dumbly, "It seems like you really treat this guy Dunn as a human shield?"

"This is a helpless move." Thrawn shook his head and raised two fingers. "We only know two pieces of information about that Titan battleship. First, the battleship is called the Archangel-class Titan battleship. Second, the size of the battleship is 13774 meters. Can these two pieces of information ensure that we can defeat it? Absolutely not."

"Oh~~ So, you plan to let the planet Palin-Minor demonstrate the capabilities and combat data of the Divine Envoy-class Titan battleship?" Arden Lin said.

"Our current forces in the North don't have anything that can guarantee to withstand the attack of the Archangel-class Titan battleship, not even the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer. So, there is only the super fortress - the planet Palin-Minor." Thrawn said.

"If Dunn knew your plan, he would not let you go."

"I know."

"Also, how do you plan to get Severance Tann to really rush over and attack the planet Palin Minor?"

"I'll let her do it."

"Ha... I hope you succeeded." Arden Lin waved his hand.

At this time, another communication suddenly came in. Thrawn looked at the communication frequency and turned on the communicator. A 50-year-old Imperial Navy general wearing a gray military uniform appeared in the holographic projection.

What was a little strange was that, although the badge on this man's chest showed that he was an admiral of the Imperial Navy, he was wearing the gray uniform that ordinary sailors would wear, rather than the white general uniform that an admiral should wear.

"General Demetrius Zaarin, it's a pleasure to meet you." Thrawn saluted politely.

"General Thrawn, I'm also glad to see that you're in good shape. You are our last hope in the North, hahaha." Admiral Demetrius Zaarin did not treat Thrawn, a Chiss, with cold words like other senior Imperial officers. On the contrary, he was very talkative and did not mind the racial issue at all.

"The victory in the battle of Arkania only enables us to barely compete with the Kingdom of Dawn in the North. It is too early to talk about final victory," said Thrawn.

"Haha, I know, I know." Zarin said humbly, "Some time ago, His Majesty the Emperor appointed me as the chief technical officer of the Imperial Navy. Next, I will develop the Empire's next generation of capital ships and fighter jets with the cutting-edge technology alliance formed by Orman Tag. I have thought about it for a long time, and in the entire Imperial Army, only you can provide me with the best combat data. So, I hope to get your help. Is it okay? Admiral Thrawn."