Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 99: Battle of Loum (Part )

"Our army's mobile suits are still too few in number!"

Looking at the fleet that was struggling on all fronts, Rebil could only sigh.

In the tiny environment, the Federation Army's military advantage was gone, and the anti-aircraft firepower was somewhat powerless against small targets like the Zaku due to interference.

"If only the war could have been delayed a year!"

The fleet chief of staff, who was on the same battleship with Rebil, said this.

"There are no ifs. If our army can't overwhelm the Zeon fleet in time, then we will be the ones to retreat!"

Rebil glanced at the fleeting silhouette of the aircraft outside the window, and the flames that followed, then shifted his attention to the tactical map at his feet. At this moment, the distance between the Federation fleet and the Zeon fleet was getting closer and closer, and the hit rate of the artillery bombardment finally recovered.

Then, nearly three hours after the battle began, the particle beam of the Federation fleet successfully hit the port side of Kycilia's own ship, the Gwakin, tearing a gap nearly thirty meters long and four meters wide in the armor.

"Gillian, Dozle..."

It was impossible for Kycilia, who was sitting in the command seat, to say that she was not panicking, but in front of so many subordinates, she still disguised herself very well. Even when her bladder tightened, she just changed the direction of her legs and then asked the artillery to fight back in an extremely calm tone.

But in her heart, she had already cursed Dozle and Gihren's ancestors for eight generations. She even suddenly understood why Gwakin had four ships, but Dozle still had to fight on his Musai-class command ship.

In some ways, Dozle was the only one who was more of a pragmatist, and Gwakin was too conspicuous for him.

"What is the Seventh Division doing? Why hasn't it torn the Federation Fleet in its path?"

Five minutes later, the Gwakin was hit by a stray bullet again. This bullet did not cause much damage to the Gwakin, but it made Kycilia really anxious.

"Turn this ship around and clear the position!"

"Kycilia, you bastard!"

Dozle watched helplessly as the Gwakin turned right, exposing Dekin's ship, the Dekin the Great, in the rear. Although Dekin himself was not on this ship, but was with Solomon and Kilian, Dozle really did not dare to let the ship be damaged.

He could only let the Gwakin formation turn around and re-form in a group, but turning around in front of the enemy's main force was equivalent to exposing their butt to the enemy.

The federal army seized the opportunity again and fired more than a dozen rounds of salvos, then hit the battleship in the third position and knocked out an auxiliary engine. The battleship was instantly filled with thick smoke.

The chaos in the Gwakin formation also caused chaos in the battle line formation further behind, and the Zeon army's artillery preparation was interrupted.

"A bastard who is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything!"

Dozle could only order a quick reorganization, and in order to adjust the formation, he also issued a strong attack order to the assault group, requiring each division to launch an unwavering attack on the federal army regardless of casualties and risks.

"In human history, there has never been a decisive space battle, let alone a fleet battle. Soldiers, make history!"

Dozle's encouragement gave the Zeon pilots great courage. They had always regarded this war as the last battle towards independence. At this moment, after receiving affirmation, the Zeon pilots belonging to the Marine Corps took the lead in launching a desperate charge.

Most of these pilots come from poor areas, especially slums like Mahal. They often receive the least rations, so for many people, joining the army is the only way to have enough food to eat.

At this moment, these people who have nothing are the first to take action. They firmly believe that their sacrifice can bring a bright future to their hometown.

A Zaku 2 roared and rushed into the dizzying barrage of bullets in front of it. Although its body was hit by a missile and blown to pieces the next second, more people followed suit and continued to advance in the rain of bullets. People kept being hit, and new mobile suits kept moving forward.

When the first Salamis, which was firing in overload mode, had to slow down its firing frequency due to overheating of its main gun, the Zeon Marines, which had suffered more than half of its damage, finally approached the battleship. Then, dozens of nuclear warheads with white smoke hit the cruiser from all directions.

After destroying this battleship, the remaining Zaku began to deal with Federation warships in other locations, while another Salamis that came to fill the position was targeted by Char. He skillfully dodged the former's barrage of bullets, rushed to the back of the battleship in one breath, and blew up the Salamis's thrusters with a nuclear warhead.

Afterwards, he did not forget to fire another shot at the exposed energy pipeline, blowing the battleship into pieces.

After losing nearly a hundred Zakus, the anti-aircraft firepower network that the Third Squadron had barely managed to hold up was completely torn apart. The smaller Lepanto-class frigates had very low protection levels, and one nuclear warhead could paralyze the entire warship. In addition, their number was limited, and they were soon submerged in darkness by hundreds of Zakus.

"Macarius, take your men and support the third detachment!"

Looking at the warships disappearing like snowflakes on the tactical map, Rebil couldn't help but clench his fists, and then continued to give orders.

"Order the Fourth Fleet to advance and replace the Fifth Fleet. The Fifth Fleet will turn to the top of the fleet and refill the defenses!"

"But the Fourth Fleet..."

Before the Fleet Chief of Staff finished speaking, Tianm's voice rang out.

"As you command, Commander, the Fourth Fleet is advancing!"

"Sir, the Fourth Fleet has already suffered heavy losses and can't stop the right wing!"

"I see!"

Macharius could guess that the situation of the fleet was not good just by looking at the flashing lights of nuclear bombs above. Although he wanted to stay here to protect the Anankai, he finally pushed the throttle to the top and rushed upwards.

"Federation Mobile Suit!"

The advancing Federation forces soon appeared on the radar of the assault group, which made the Black Tri-Stars, who were beating up the Federation warships, very excited. Although their main task was to destroy the Federation flagship, it did not say that they could not fight back when the Federation mobile suits came over.

Gaia, the team leader, immediately jumped away from the half-dead Salamis and rushed forward with his team.

There was no need to look for it deliberately. The assault group with Macharius as the spearhead directly penetrated into the belly of the Zeon army. No Zaku could last two rounds in his hands. After only assaulting for more than ten kilometers, he captured seven more Zakus.

Just as he pulled out the beam saber from the side of the last Zaku, suddenly, lightning flashed through his mind again. The huge sense of crisis made him immediately choose to maneuver and evade.

Then, more than ten rockets flashed from the darkness and exploded where he had just been.

"trump card!"

This multi-angle attack, which was enough to block the movement of ordinary pilots, announced the extraordinary nature of the newcomer. Then, Macharius saw three black and purple Zakus flash out of the darkness.

"Black Tri-Stars?"

After recognizing the other party's identity at a glance, Macharius immediately drew out the second beam rifle on his back. He had been reluctant to use this gun. On the way here, he had been using the YF100 and beam saber to fight the enemy.

But now, facing this enemy known for its mobility, it’s time to change our weapons!
"That's the red dragon!"

"Isn't it said that his body is also black?"

"He, get out of the way!"

Just as Gaia was about to communicate with his brothers, he saw a purple beam of light coming towards him.

"what!"

"Matthew was killed!"

"Ordiga, let's spread out. The enemy's beam rifles are too powerful!"

Gaia just glanced at the image of the Zaku with the cockpit pierced through on the screen, and a cold sweat broke out on his face. Just now at that distance, the opponent even relied on prediction to kill the last Matthew machine with one shot. This was not something they could deal with at all!

"understand!"

The two Zaku 2s then began to turn left and right, preparing to let the friendly forces go up and consume the enemy's ammunition first, and then they would pick up the leftovers.

But Macharius had already pulled out his gun, how could he let the other party leave as he wished!

He didn't know which of the two machines was the captain, so he could only rely on his feeling and pulled the trigger at the machine on the left.

"Ordiga, get out of the way!"

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Ordiga subconsciously turned to the right, and ended up hitting Macharius's gun accurately.

"I knew you were going to go right!"

Then, Macharius immediately turned to the right, but found that the machine on the right had disappeared!
"Tsk, did you learn that from Char?"

Macharius clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He didn't know where Char was, but he had a feeling that the guy was hiding in some corner!
Although the Federation's mobile suits returned to support quickly, the destruction of the Third Squadron was still only a matter of time. The sky above the fleet was wide open, causing the Fifth Fleet that came to reinforce to be entangled with the Zaku cluster again.

After part of the troops tied down the Fifth Fleet, the remaining Zakus rushed forward and rushed towards the bombardment team.

"Damn bugs!" A Magellan-class ship at the edge was quickly surrounded by the Zaku. Although the nuclear warhead attack caused limited damage to the battleship, the Zeon fleet was also staring at it.

After completing the fleet reorganization, the Zeon army resumed the battle line attack. When the Magellan's engine was damaged by repeated nuclear bomb attacks and it could only slow down and leave the line, the Zeon army's firepower attack was turned to it.

After being hit by twelve beams and seven missiles, the Magellan turned into cosmic dust and disappeared from the fleet signal.

Afterwards, more Magellan-class ships were damaged in the battle, and even Rebil's flagship was attacked.

"Well, this is it?"

Hiding from Macharius, Char soon noticed the distinctive red mark on the Anankai, the emblem of the Federation flagship.

"Attention all teams, the Federation flagship has been spotted!"

Then, this message was immediately passed down through layers of relays until it reached Dozle's hands.

"Hit fire, attack the Anankai!"

This piece of information was so exciting that Dozle felt like he had found a treasure. He was so excited that he punched the electronic map in front of him again, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

Afterwards, many Zakus gave up their immediate targets and rushed towards the Anankai despite the federal army's artillery fire.

"Commander, please move to the Eagle. It's no longer safe here!"

After the Anankai was hit by two warheads and the hull began to tremble, the Chief of Staff immediately prepared to transfer Rebil to the battleship next door.

"No, that's good. It just attracts the enemy's attention!"

Leibil glanced at the map and continued as if he had made up his mind.

"So far, our army has done enough!"

"Sir?"

"Order the rest of the fleet to halt and prepare to retreat!"

After the destruction of the Third Squadron, the losses suffered by the Federal Army increased sharply. Nearly 60% of the warships had lost contact. If the fighting continued, the fleet would be completely wiped out.

"The First Fleet will stay behind to provide cover, Cunningham. The rest of the fleet is in your hands!"

"Sir, let me cover the rear. The Anankai will retreat with the rest of the fleet!"

Rebill's deputy, Rear Admiral Rodney Cunningham, who was commanding the battle on another Magellan-class battleship, the Nereides, replied.

"No, their target is me. If I stay here, I can better attract firepower and provide cover for the retreat of other fleets. Don't forget, there are also Earth and Luna II, which need your protection!"

"understand!"

Major General Cunningham could only grit his teeth and accept the other party's order.

Afterwards, the federal fleet received the order and began to maneuver.

"Retreat order?"

Macharius, who was coordinating with the Fifth Fleet, also received this order. He could only sigh helplessly. He knew that there was still too little he could do before the One Year War. He was a weak figure and his words carried no weight, so this was all he could do.

After looking at the half remaining propellant, Macharius immediately handed over the command to Jung.

"I'll go help the flagship, you guys cover the evacuation of the Fifth Fleet!"

"I understand. Be careful then!"

Several Jims immediately threw their extra 100mm machine gun ammunition over. In fact, it was just a few magazines. Everyone had been fighting for so long that the ammunition had been almost used up!

Afterwards, Macharius left the Fifth Fleet. Without needing to protect his own personnel, he was like a meteor, breaking through the interception at an incredible speed, and then rushed towards the First Fleet below.

At this moment, the First Fleet remaining on the battlefield and those Federation warships that were unable to evacuate due to heavy damage were all gathering towards the flagship.

"The federal army has begun to retreat, hahahaha!"

Dozle, who had noticed the movement of the Federation Army, was very excited, but before his smile could last long, a phone call came through to his flagship across who knows how many kilometers.

"Dozle, confirm that the Federation Army has begun retreating!"

"Yes, but Rebil's First Fleet is still there. I'm going to concentrate my forces..."

"Then why are you still standing there?"

Killian slammed his fist on the table on the other end of the line.

"Pursue them and expand our victory. We can't let the Federation fleet retreat!"

"But I think we should eat it first..."

"Rebil's fleet is only a small part. Even if we destroy them, the Federation Army will still have enough strength to protect Luna II. Do you want to give them a chance to breathe?"

Gihren's micromanipulation made Dozle's forehead veins bulge. He was the fleet commander, not Gihren, but he had to obey his orders...

What's more, just as Kilian finished speaking, a big, pointed, greasy head appeared on the screen again.

"Dozle, if you capture Rebil, don't harm his life. Treat him with respect!"

Prince Dejin also issued his orders.

To make matters worse, seeing that the situation was very favorable, the Grenada fleet did not wait for Dozle's order and began to pursue the remaining enemies on its own!

"I understand!"

Dozle felt extremely aggrieved. The situation wasn't even clear yet, but his brothers and sisters were already getting restless.

"Let them go, concentrate our forces and attack the First Fleet!"

The division of the Zeon army also left the Federation army confused. After all, in terms of running speed alone, mobile suits could not compare with battleships. But now, most of the Zeon army's battleships were not moving, only the mobile suits were flying in the sky. Are they afraid that the Federation army will not be able to escape?

The pressure on the First Fleet was also greatly reduced. On the one hand, it was because most of the Zaku turned to pursue the remaining enemies, and on the other hand, Macharius came to kill them.

The mobile suits under Dozle's command had already formed a very deep impression of Macharius's Gundam. When the latter entered the battlefield with a beam rifle, the morale of the Zeon army showed a visibly decline. Even most of the pilots who had already encountered the Red Dragon chose to avoid its actions.

"Why is this guy here too?"

Char, who thought he could easily take down the Anankai, immediately hid behind the wreckage when he saw the Gundam appear, especially when the other party was holding a beam rifle. He really didn't dare to bet whether the other party had bullets in the gun.

"Is it this guy again?"

Somehow, Dozle, who should have been very angry after hearing the news, wanted to laugh at this moment, especially when he saw that the opponent's machine made his own people hesitate to move forward.

"Fleet forward, coordinate with our mobile suits. The Red Dragon has no anti-ship equipment, so it poses little threat to us!"

The approaching Dozle flagship gave the Zeon pilots the courage to continue fighting, but only a small number of elites dared to approach. Char was among them, but with a bazooka in hand, he was still thinking about the Anankai.

Soon, he found an opportunity. When Macharius was entangled by the Zeon pilots from the front, Char seized the opportunity and approached the Anankai from the rear. He dodged the escort fleet's artillery fire and launched a nuclear bomb at the Anankai's engine.

"The main engine is destroyed, and the thrust loss is 80%!"

"Sir, please leave the ship immediately!"

"Our fleet hasn't completely withdrawn yet!"

Rebil again refused the request, and then the second nuclear bomb was fired from the rear, destroying the upper turret at the rear of the Magellan team. The explosion caused the battleship's hull to shake violently again.

"There's no time left, guards! Send Mr. Rebir to the escape ship!"

The Chief of Staff of the First Fleet immediately gave a loud order.

"For the future of the Federation, nothing can happen to you. Please forgive me!"

(End of this chapter)