The Empire begins with the Fourth Scourge.

Chapter 2770 The Hammer That Shatters the Balance

2769. The Hammer That Shatters the Balance
Over the past month, the Kingdom of Dawn has remained relatively calm on multiple fronts, with no major actions taken. The only area of ​​military activity is on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Chiss, where the fleet led by Severance Tann is still engaged in fierce combat with the Kilik swarm.

However, the Galactic Empire was unaware of what was happening in the unknown star field, so in their view, the Dawn Kingdom seemed to have given up.

Even in the ground battles on the planet Dantuin, after the Dawn Kingdom swiftly broke through and occupied the Black Mountain base, it did not press its advantage.

Lieutenant General Zell Johnson, the current highest-ranking combat commander in the Dantuin theater, also mentioned in the report that, based on the total amount of supplies recently delivered by the Kingdom of Dawn, their ground forces are indeed limited by the shortage of supplies and are unable to launch another large-scale offensive like before.

That's correct.

After all, the Dawn Kingdom's time to reinforce the planet Dantuin was still too short, and on this planet with its remote shipping routes, resources were accumulated slowly. Once resources were accumulated, they would launch an attack, deplete the resources, stop defending, and then the enemy would accumulate more resources and launch a counterattack, and so on.

This time, however, things were different. The Dawn Kingdom had four terrifying golden beetles, which, carried by sleek golden transport planes, appeared and disappeared unpredictably, harassing the Galactic Empire's positions everywhere. At the same time, the Kali forces were also watching closely. Instead of launching large-scale raids, they dispersed into smaller units and waged guerrilla warfare over a fairly wide area.

This forced the Galactic Empire's military to remain confined to its various bases and cities, relying entirely on spaceports for supplies and transportation.

Lieutenant General Zell Johnson naturally knew that things couldn't continue like this, otherwise he would be dealt another heavy blow when the Kingdom of Dawn had its next abundant supplies. But he simply couldn't launch a counterattack. The omnipresent harassment from the Kali, the powerful firepower of the Golden Beetle, the artillery fire of the Thor and Siege Tanks, and the indestructible Grizzly Tanks were all foreseeable threats that could inflict heavy casualties on him.

The only solution he could think of was to keep requesting reinforcements. He hoped to acquire more and more advanced fighter jets to gain air superiority over the planet's atmosphere. With air superiority, sending the air force to eliminate the golden beetles would be the safest approach.

Zell Johnson has stated more than once that he needs TIE Interceptors and TIE Avengers to ensure his air superiority.

It must be said that Zell Johnson's idea was correct, and both the Zerg and the Terrans gave it a thumbs up.

However, in response to his request, more fighter jets were indeed sent from the rear, but they were all TIE-Advanced X1, TIE-Advanced X1, TIE-Advanced X1, TIE-Advanced X1, TIE/LN... Wait a minute, even the most rudimentary and outdated TIE/LN has arrived?!

There's nothing we can do; it's all Marshal Dmitriz Zarin's fault.

The fighter jet problem has had a ripple effect. Now, the fighter pilots on Dantuin are unwilling to go into battle against the Dawn Kingdom's Sabre fighters, let alone fly the obviously outdated TIE-Advanced X1 fighters.

After all, these fighter pilots were trained step by step at flight academies. They were all selected from among the best in their hometowns. After going through various levels of selection and two years of training, they were finally sent to the battlefield, only to be shot down in droves by Sabre fighter jets.

Such a sense of disparity is unacceptable.

Moreover, with the large number of fighter pilots killed in action, those being sent to the front lines are now mostly raw recruits with severely inadequate training, a problem that is gradually becoming apparent throughout the Galactic Empire's military.

Fighter jets can be produced in larger quantities, but pilots cannot; they can only be trained in batches, one after another. Moreover, even if more advanced fighter jets are provided, pilots will still need to undergo more rigorous training, creating a vicious cycle.

These constraints rendered Lieutenant General Zell Johnson's plans to contest air superiority a pipe dream.

As a result, during that month, Zell Johnson was determined to launch a counterattack, but the harsh reality told him that it was completely impossible.

Therefore, although the Kingdom of Dawn did not take any action, the Galactic Empire was also unable to seize the opportunity.

The worst thing happened on October 18th.

On this day, everything on the planet Dantuin was as usual. On the Galactic Empire's side, numerous transport ships were congested around the space station and spaceport, waiting to deliver large quantities of supplies and troops to the ground. They dared not fly recklessly, because once they broke free of the space station's anti-aircraft fire cover, the Dawn Kingdom's air force, which had been lurking nearby, would swarm in like vultures.

Outside the space station, fighter jets from both sides were constantly probing each other. Pilots from the Kingdom of Dawn were trying to lure out the Imperial fighters, while Imperial pilots held their ground, refusing to leave the space station's cover.

Meanwhile, in the northernmost part of the planet, the Dawn Kingdom's numerous transport ships were continuously sending supplies to the ground to meet the needs of the next wave of attacks.

The Dawn Kingdom is also under considerable pressure on the ground. The Galactic Empire currently has over 200 million troops stationed on the planet Dantuin. If these troops were to complete their organization and resupply, and then launch a multi-pronged attack, the Dawn Kingdom's current force of 60 might find it difficult to contain them.

After all, both the Golden Beetle and the Grizzly Tank are very limited in number. Moreover, the number of command center buildings equipped with shield modules, which are crucial for building positions, is severely insufficient, resulting in a limited number of positions that the Dawn Kingdom can establish on the front lines. If it is on the defensive, it cannot effectively cope with the full-scale attack of the Galactic Empire.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this will be another busy but peaceful day – both sides are continuously reinforcing their troops, and it looks like this will continue until the balance of power is broken.

However, no one expected that the hammer that broke the balance would come so quickly!

At approximately 1:00 AM on October 18th, Galactic Standard Time, the main control radar of the Galactic Empire's Dantuin orbital space station suddenly detected an abnormal signal, followed by a piercing alarm that resounded throughout the entire space station.

As the alarm sounded, the radar operator's pupils constricted sharply—two enormous signal sources were hurtling towards the space station at high speed! Radar feedback indicated that they were two warships!
"Report! Report! It's a capital ship...it's a capital ship!!!" the radar operator shouted hoarsely.

That's right, according to the sensor scan, the approaching warship is 1083 meters long... This is clearly a capital ship!
The space station commander shouted angrily, "Stop talking nonsense! How could a capital ship possibly be here?!"

The hyperspace routes on Dantuin are too chaotic and complex, making it extremely difficult to even supply the massive army on the ground. If transport stops, the troops on the planet will immediately be cut off from supplies.

With daily transport volumes almost at full capacity, how could any capital ships possibly pass through? It's not just a matter of capital ships being unable to navigate; it's also because the hyperspace passage here is constantly operating at full capacity, with hyperspace fluctuations fluctuating around the most dangerous threshold. For these fluctuations to stabilize, it would take at least several days of no navigation to allow the hyperspace to return to stability before large warships could pass.

Such a time gap would be absolutely fatal to the tense situation on the planet Dantuin.

But now, two capital ships have appeared here! How did they get here?
"Sir...it's definitely a capital ship!" the radar operator shouted.

The commander then realized something was wrong. He rushed to the radar screen and looked at the two bright signal sources on the screen and the scanning parameters displayed next to them. He felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.

Really are……

Two capital ships!
"Quickly! All fighters, get to combat readiness immediately! Take off all fighters now! Blow that warship up!!" the commander roared. "Hurry!!"

The alarms blared throughout the space station, turning the already crowded passageways into chaos. Army soldiers who had just disembarked from the transport ship wanted to get out, while pilots who had run out of their barracks wanted to get back in. The wailing alarms only fueled everyone's growing anxiety.

One after another, TIE fighter jets took off from the hangar and began flying toward the incoming warships.

"Deploy the escort fleet! Request reinforcements from the rear! Tell them to stop sending transport ships! I need warships! Warships!!" the commander roared. "And! Evacuate all transport ships now! Let them escape! Now! Immediately!"

The large number of transport ships gathered near the space station quickly began to detach from their docking bays and scatter in all directions. The news of the attack on the separatist capital ships was like a death knell, driving the captains of every transport ship mad.

One of the transport ships forcibly started the ship before the docking module had been retracted, causing the docking module to be torn apart. A large number of Imperial soldiers and surrounding workers were thrown out and died instantly in the vacuum of space.

The scene suddenly became chaotic.

The Galactic Empire's escort fleet, consisting of three light cruisers and 50 frigates, quickly deployed in defensive formation in front of the space station, all their cannons aimed at the incoming attack.

However, every sailor was filled with apprehension; they were facing a capital ship! The energy levels alone were on a completely different level! The firepower of a light cruiser might not even be able to penetrate its defenses!

At this moment, the two capital ships were getting closer and closer. Optical sensors also revealed their shape—a catamaran structure with a very thick front and a rear-mounted bridge, looking like a super-enlarged pistol.

This type of warship has appeared before.

"Sir! It's confirmed to be the Separatist's new model warship—the Throne-class battlecruiser!" the radar operator shouted.

"Prepare to engage the enemy immediately!" The commander's voice trembled as he spoke.

All that could be seen were the two Throne-class battlecruisers, their engines at full power, hurtling forward at a speed far exceeding the sub-light speed of ordinary warships.

The Arquitenth-class light cruisers in the Galactic Empire's escort fleet immediately opened fire with their main guns, and the medium-sized turbo-laser cannons continuously rained down on the two Throne-class ships, exploding into bursts of fire.

Those two warships don't appear to have deflector shields!
Even so, such attacks remained completely ineffective. The armor of these two warships was incredibly thick, and even though large craters were blasted into it, it was to no avail.

The orbital defense artillery on the space station and spaceport opened fire, raining down on the hull of the Throne-class battlecruiser, but with little effect.

The two Throne-class destroyers showed no intention of firing, but instead continued to accelerate and approach. Soon, the massive figures, over a thousand meters long, had reached the front of the Imperial fleet's formation.

Immediately afterwards, the two warships suddenly increased their speed dramatically and charged forward, actually breaking into the encirclement of the Imperial warships.

Then they opened fire!

The eight large neutron rapid-fire cannons on both sides of the warship instantly spewed out terrifying flames at an extremely high rate of fire. Subatomic particles, constrained by the magnetic field, were ejected at near the speed of light, instantly tearing through the shields and armor of the Arquitenths-class light cruiser!
At the same time, the Dawn Kingdom's fighter squadron, which had been lurking on the periphery, roared out and pounced on the Galactic Empire's escort fleet like a pack of wolves. The fighters nimbly weaved between the warships, using shock missiles and proton torpedoes to relentlessly bombard the Galactic Empire's vulnerable points.

Imperial warships also deployed their anti-aircraft barrages, but the star field was too chaotic, and many of the anti-aircraft barrages hit the transport ships.

If it were a warship, the anti-aircraft barrage would be like a tickle, but for transport ships, it was a death sentence! The thin shields and armor of many transport ships were torn apart by the anti-aircraft barrage, and the personnel and cargo inside were sucked out of the vacuum of space.

The two Throne-class battlecruisers seemed to have no regard for their lives, rampaging through the area recklessly, completely ignoring the countless cannon fire, lasers, and missiles raining down on them. Their hulls were riddled with cracks, their main armor belts pockmarked like the surface of a meteorite, yet they continued firing.

Soon, the Dawn Kingdom's escort fleet arrived, and more than 20 Incasas-class frigates quickly joined the battle, bombarding the Galactic Empire's ships with their firepower.

But these are just icing on the cake.

The appearance of those two Throne-class battlecruisers here was truly a case of being outmatched.

In this star sector where even light cruisers can serve as core mainstays, the most powerful firepower is limited to medium-sized turbo-laser cannons. But what are the neutron rapid-fire cannons mounted on the Throne-class destroyers? They are terrifying beings capable of tearing through even the shields and armor of Imperial-class Star Destroyers!
These two warships simply cannot have any natural enemies here!
It wasn't that no Galactic Empire bombers wanted to attack with proton torpedoes, but the Dawn Kingdom's 10 Sabre fighters were all deployed, giving them absolutely no chance!