Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 458 Report: Fortress - A Head-to-Head Counter
Chen Yuanfeng had his own ulterior motives.

There's a big difference between apologizing to the deputy commander-in-chief and apologizing to the commander-in-chief.

Deputy Commander Liu Shuang appears to be a family member who got her position at the command post through nepotism, but the young officers at the command post highly respect her because no one can beat her.

In the starry world, being unable to win is simply a hard truth.

However, Liu Shuang's temperament was completely opposite to her battlefield style. She was quite gentle, and even if she encountered some setbacks on the battlefield, she would not take any severe action unless the generals made serious mistakes.

In this situation, apologizing to the deputy commander-in-chief first is actually a rather clever way to handle things in advance.

As a traditional Starry Sky professional swordsman, and a relatively pure swordsman at that, she couldn't immediately understand what was going on with this series of mixed battles involving multiple types of troops on the battlefield. So, this so-called apology session was actually mostly spent reporting and explaining the battlefield situation.

Battle footage from the front lines began playing at double speed. The night was torn to shreds by the flames of explosions, and the earth trembled slightly amidst the roar of heavy artillery. On the screen, a pale sea of ​​skeletons—the vanguard of the [Nine Springs] forces—surged like a tide towards the enemy positions in the darkness, only to fall in droves amidst bursts of holy light.

Liu Shuang asked, seemingly understanding but not quite, "So, we failed in this attack, right? What exactly happened?"

"Reporting to the deputy commander-in-chief, judging from the battlefield exchange ratio, it cannot yet be called a failure."

Chen Yuanfeng paused the video feed and began a comprehensive review of the battlefield.

"Our artillery bombarded the enemy's central and rear lines on a large scale. Although the results could not be fully assessed at night, enemy casualties were inevitable. It was as if the enemy and we had exchanged forces. The enemy lost rear troops, while we lost front-line troops."

"Our losses mainly came from the [Nine Springs] undead troops responsible for the frontline advance. Considering that these troops were prepared to clear minefields with casualties, the losses are still within an acceptable range."

After cautiously patching up his own position, Chen Yuanfeng began to criticize himself, and of course, he also criticized the other officers in the command.

"However, in terms of our tactical objectives this time, it has definitely been a failure!"

He manipulated the map again, revealing three lines of varying depths on the battlefield.

"Our plan is divided into three phases. The first phase is to use the limited losses of the Jiuquan troops to replace the enemy's minefield, while covering the attacking engineering battalion to complete the filling of the trenches and the construction of bridges, so as to open up the passage for the follow-up troops."

"The second phase is to deal with the underground pits that the enemy has laid between the trenches and barricades, eliminate the enemy's manpower in this area, and remove security risks."

"When conditions permit, complete the dismantling and destruction of the barricades."

"The third stage is to completely break down the enemy's fortress—the trench defense system—and complete the breakthrough of the Dongguanling Pass Valley defense line."

Chen Yuanfeng paused briefly, then said with a hint of shame, "We made ample artillery preparations for this attack. The original plan was to complete the first and second phases of tactical objectives before sunrise, but now we haven't even been able to complete the first phase!"

"On behalf of the forward command, I earnestly request the criticism and punishment from the commander-in-chief and deputy commander-in-chief!"

Liu Shuang raised her long eyelashes: "Why did this happen? Wasn't that area scouted?"

Chen Yuanfeng was slightly embarrassed: "Yes, it was our carelessness!"

The Hanhai Field Army has always had a good habit of strictly adhering to tactical manuals, but strictness, to some extent, also means rigidity, which means that the enemy has room to exploit.

This time, it was clear that the opponent had made very targeted arrangements.

There are many types of Holy Light magic that specialize in attacking the undead. High-level spells include [Dawnbreaker Blade] and [Final Judgment], which can be used to fight bone dragons. Mid-level spells include [Holy Shackles] and [Purifying Spear], which even black knights would have to flee in terror. However, these spells all have the same problem: they require a high-ranking priest or a high-level scroll.

The cost is too high.

If the opponent were to use these spells to exchange for the skeletons of the [Nine Springs] army, the Vast Ocean side could exchange them for the bankruptcy of the Mist Moon Divine Court and the Divine Court Emperor's hematuria.

After all, even the most powerful priest is unlikely to withstand the heavy artillery of the Vast Ocean and face off against the undead.

However, this time, the opponent used the beginner-level scroll of [Star of Judgment].

This spell is designed for area-of-effect damage, but its actual lethality is relatively limited. It can only kill low-level skeletons. More importantly, it must be triggered from the center, meaning that to kill the skeletons, you have to stand in the middle of the skeletons yourself.

If Han Hai had used any different tactics, he wouldn't have achieved such a good clearing effect. In other words, from the very beginning, this arrangement was doomed. The only thing Han Hai could send out to clear the minefield was undead, and low-level undead at that.

Green Pine accurately predicted Han Hai's next move and made targeted cover-ups, which led to Han Hai's misjudgment.

While waiting for the heavy artillery units, the field army had already conducted preliminary reconnaissance of the area, and with multiple probing attacks, they never expected that there would also be combat units that could trigger holy spell scrolls buried in the area, even though they already knew that there were homemade mines buried there.

By the time he finished explaining, Chen Yuanfeng's head was practically drooping to his chest.

"The Nine Springs Force dispatched Black Knights, who charged to the front lines under the [Judgment Star], to investigate the source of the Holy Light magic, and discovered... discovered it was the enemy's undead force!"

Okay, this is yet another classic case of "blind spotting the obvious".

Undead creatures, especially skeletons, are perfect for lurking once buried underground, as they can go for long periods without eating, drinking, or moving.

In the past, Han Hai had used the undead army to outmaneuver others more than once, especially when Marquis Monroe's army marched eastward, where they suffered greatly from the elusive skeletons that appeared and disappeared in the desert.

This incident also led the Divine Court to proactively seek a trade with the Vast Ocean for undead detection spells.

However, having the Undead Detection spell does not mean that this kind of damage can be completely eliminated, because Undead Detection is similar to a landmine detector, and it is a spell that works at close range.

Once the undead creatures have paused their soulfire fluctuations and entered a near-dormant state, you simply cannot determine whether the one buried underground is an enemy summoned by the necromancer or your ancestor who died hundreds of years ago, since they are all the same skeleton, unless you get close enough.

Of course, it's also possible that they are both ancestors and enemies...

Returning to the scene of this battle, the problem for the field army was that, due to the influence of the minefield, it was not feasible to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance of the site; they could only select some points for detection.

The Green Pine faction had an even more insidious plan: the location of these lurking undead almost overlapped with the location of the landmines they had laid.

Landmines were laid on top, and undead were buried below. Ultimately, this led to the undead detection in the Vast Ocean Territory being fruitless and ending in a hasty retreat.

There's another reason that everyone knows about Chen Yuanfeng.

Subconsciously, the vast ocean, currently the host of the largest undead force in the Starry World, is led by a group of young officers who are relatively young and have limited battlefield experience. They lack sufficient vigilance against the enemy's tactic of using undead to their advantage.

It has a bit of a "My undead army is so strong, do you still dare to use undead to fight me?" vibe.

"The lack of strict discipline in battlefield tactics is a major dereliction of duty on my part! In addition, the field army commanders who participated in this battle are also to blame!"

Chen Yuanfeng paused slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing. He took off his military cap, revealing a head of hair that was somewhat disheveled, and solemnly confessed, "I earnestly request the Deputy Commander-in-Chief's criticism and punishment!"

Liu Shuang ignored his question and continued to press, "Have you thought of a countermeasure? How should we continue the attack?"

"We had a brief discussion!"

Chen Yuanfeng took out a laser pointer, but immediately sensed something was wrong, so he put it back, replaced it with a pointer, and walked to the battlefield sand table.

Senior officers in the Han Hai region all know that for certain groups of officers, represented by Deputy Commander Liu Shuang, using a laser pointer would cause them significant attention deficit.

The pointer drew several dotted lines on the sand table.

"The minefields at the front have been mostly cleared. It is still unclear how many undead troops are buried underground. We plan to detect a few safe passages tomorrow, and then gradually complete the comprehensive detection of the entire area."

"At the same time, considering that the enemy has an unknown number and size of undead troops, we plan to adjust the attack time from night to daytime, and take advantage of our reconnaissance and vision advantages to increase the intensity of firepower and smash these damned guys as soon as possible!"

Liu Shuang gazed at the various fortresses and winding trenches on the sand table, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I have a feeling this battle won't be as easy as I imagined..."

Unfortunately, Liu Shuang's intuition is always inexplicably unreasonable.

The next day, the Hanhai Field Army, eager to vent its frustration, mobilized all its heavy weapons and launched an unprecedented bombardment starting at dawn. Shells rained down on the enemy positions at Dongguanling Pass, the explosions creating a continuous burst of light and smoke obscuring half the sky.

However, the bombing results greatly disappointed the frontline commanders.

What can be blown up is not important; what is important cannot be blown up.

Chen Yuanfeng personally went to the front-line observation post and spent two whole hours looking through a high-powered telescope. He eventually returned from the front line looking disheveled and handed over another front-line report to Liu Shuang.

"Can't be broken!"

"The core of the enemy's position is these seventeen stone-built fortresses."

The footage from a high-altitude reconnaissance drone captured a scene of utter devastation. The land, repeatedly bombed, had become a chaotic inferno. Countless craters, like scars on the earth, varied in depth and size, some still wisps of smoke rising from them.

Vast swaths of soil were turned over as if by a giant plow, layer upon layer rolled up, revealing deeper, darker layers of earth beneath. These fresh, earthy tones were coated with a thick layer of charred black from the explosion, creating a momentary, almost vibrant, color.

The wooden watchtowers that originally surrounded the fortress were among the main targets of the attack. Almost every watchtower was hit head-on by multiple shells, torn apart and broken, with only a few thick main pillars stubbornly sticking out of the ground.

Twisted and deformed metal components, charred wooden stakes, broken ropes, and burnt flag fragments were scattered haphazardly on the ground, which had been blasted into loose soil, like the residue spit out by some giant beast after it had been chewed up.

The crisscrossing network of trenches was in no better shape. In some areas, the collapsed soil filled in, forming man-made embankments; while in other areas, the trenches were blown wider, and some of the supplies piled up inside were ignited, sending thick smoke billowing into the sky.

Of course, there were also corpses. Enemy corpses, scattered here and there, appearing as blurry dark spots in the frame. Only when the camera zoomed in could one see that they were the remains of enemy soldiers, scattered here and there in the artillery fire.

However, what remains utterly jarring is the row of fortified positions on the battlefield.

The stones on Liuli Mountain are considered sturdy, but theoretically, even the sturdiest stones cannot withstand repeated bombardment by heavy artillery. However, none of these seventeen fortresses collapsed; they all remained intact.

Whenever the shells roared and crashed into these fortifications, and the intense flames and thick smoke suddenly expanded, one could vaguely see a translucent, water-like, pale golden film rippling across the surface of the fortress.

These large soap bubbles would vibrate violently as the shells approached, yet they did not break, stubbornly filtering out the shockwave and shrapnel. The shell fragments passing through this membrane of light, like fish caught in layers of fishing nets, visibly slowed down, ultimately leaving only white streaks on the broad rocks.

In other directions where there was no protective light film, the soil was eroded away layer by layer by the shock wave, making the fortress stand out even more conspicuously and abruptly in the center of the explosion crater, like a reef in the middle of the water.

Because of the existence of these fortresses, the enemy's main force was well protected, and the limited casualties in the trenches were not enough to shake the enemy's defenses.

"The enemy has used extremely powerful magic to protect these fortresses. It is not yet possible to determine whether it is a magic circle or a magician. According to the analysis of the accompanying magic advisory group, the entire protection process is stable and uniform, making it more likely to be a magic circle."

After finishing the supplement, Chen Yuanfeng showed another video.

"After finding the attack ineffective, we used multi-stage armor-piercing rounds, but that also failed to achieve the desired results."

Under the close-up telephoto lens, the pale golden light film can be seen to be sunken inward. However, as the light inside the fortress flickers, the light film does not break in the end, but maintains a shocking arc, deflecting and dispersing most of the impact of the shells until the smoke dissipates and it slowly rebounds.

Armor-piercing shells left some charred marks and loose stones on the outer stone wall of the fortress, but the main structure remained completely intact.

"These fortresses have a multi-layered defense system. According to the advisory group's guess, there are three layers in total."

"The outermost layer should be a deflection field, mainly targeting high-speed physical impacts and explosive shocks, playing a clear buffering role; the middle layer has enhanced elemental resistance, especially resistance to elements related to fire and strong winds, specifically designed to suppress combustion and impact effects; as for the inner layer, the advisory team saw a very inconspicuous layer of psionic arc light, but its effect cannot be determined yet and may require more time to analyze."

Liu Shuang crossed her arms and stared at the fortress standing firm under the gunfire in the picture. Her slightly pursed lips showed that she was not very happy.

"Our cannons can't break through?"

Chen Yuanfeng nodded: "The current weapon system is not powerful enough. I arranged for the troops to test-fire rockets, but it also failed to achieve results."

"The General Staff gave three suggestions: First, continue to increase the intensity of the attack and see if a saturation attack can overload or even cause the magic circle running on the fortress to collapse!"

"We tried this this afternoon, concentrating two-thirds of our heavy artillery to launch a ten-minute sustained pinpoint bombardment of the fortress we marked as number three, but we failed to achieve the desired results."

"If we're going to take this route, we might need to bring in more heavy artillery from the rear!"

"Secondly, we need to improve the quality of our attacks by using larger-scale weapons, such as missiles or heavy-duty aerial bombs!"

Increasing the quantity or improving the equivalent are both approaches that rely on sheer force; the only one with any technical sophistication is the third option.

"The advisory group has another idea: to cover the mages as they approach and use [Spirit Source Stripping] to dismantle these magic arrays."

At this point, Chen Yuanfeng's voice involuntarily shrank, even he himself felt it was not very feasible.

The final plan is the main method for dismantling the magical defenses on the Starry Continent, but it is clear that sending mages to the front lines without taking down the fortress is undoubtedly a gamble.

The enemy's long-range attack range is certainly much shorter than that of the artillery of the Hanhai Field Army, but it is by no means that they are completely unable to fight back.

Who knows if those firing ports on the fortresses will spew out a few finely crafted long arrows or a few bursts of magical flame?
The atmosphere at the front command post was momentarily tense, but just then, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and the artillery commander, Ma Houpao, rushed in, saluting as he entered.

"The enemy is trying to pinpoint my artillery position!"

"They used a spell similar to [Eye of Reconnaissance], pushing forward along the trajectory of our ballistic missiles, but with less noise and greater concealment."

"Probably because they didn't have a concept of our artillery's attack range at the beginning, the enemy was checking from near to far in sequence, so the check was very slow. After the enemy detected the psionic fluctuations at the front line, I arranged for the artillery units to maneuver and change positions multiple times during the intervals between firing."

"But the trajectory couldn't be concealed. As they searched further and further back, those bastards finally caught them!"

"Just recently, the detected magical fluctuations swept to the edge of my artillery position. Since I didn't know if the enemy had any attack methods other than reconnaissance, I ordered the artillery units to temporarily retreat to their bunkers!"

After finishing his long speech in one breath, Ma Houpao plunged into the large basin of water on the table, gulping down half of it before lifting his head and wiping the water droplets from his face.

"Huff... Commander Liushuang, what's our next step?"

A small cluster of mountains appeared between Liushuang's brows, and her two big eyes blinked, moving from the sand table to the map, and then from the map to the drone's reconnaissance images, going back and forth repeatedly.

After racking his brains for a while, the deputy commander-in-chief finally spoke.

"I...I'll go call Chen Mo...call the commander-in-chief and ask him what to do?"

　The car giant recently won a great victory, and someone asked me for my opinion.

Isn't this history? What's there to not understand?

The culprits who started the first Blue Star War will surely launch a second Blue Star War if they are not held accountable.

Continue appeasement; history is repeating itself.

However, who will the resurrected foe target with its first strike? It might not be the toughest one right away!

Let's wait and see.

　
(End of this chapter)