I summoned the Fourth Scourge in Warhammer

Chapter 158 The first battle is the decisive battle, and the outcome will be decided in one battle!

The dying followed in the footsteps of the Titan Legion, advancing across the ground, which had been trampled by the divine machines like a plowed field.

The leading Titan, a warrior-class being, resembled a walking Gothic cathedral, each step causing the earth to groan in agony. Every time its volcanic cannon fired, it was like a small-scale solar prominence eruption, the scorching energy beams sweeping across, easily erasing swathes of fire warrior positions, along with their bunkers and the soldiers themselves, from the face of the earth.

The momentum is unstoppable.

A player following behind Leman Rustank, looking at the devastating scene in the distance, couldn't help but take off his helmet and exclaim sincerely, "This is fucking awesome, fucking amazing!"

Another player on the turret next to him said with pride, "Of course, this is a Titan, a machine of the gods! What means would the Tau people have to stop a war machine of this level?"

The player rubbed his hands excitedly as he put his helmet back on: "We need to seize the opportunity and rush in to wipe out the remnants of the Tau Empire, otherwise we won't get any merit points..."

Before he could finish speaking, a thin but deadly pulse of laser light shot from the distant hillside, striking his head with pinpoint accuracy. In the intense heat, his head, along with his helmet, melted into a mass of molten metal and charcoal.

"Oh my god, bro, how did you die?" The player next to him was startled by the sudden scene and instinctively shrank back behind the tank hatch.

"Enemy attack! On the hillside at three o'clock!"

"Everyone, take cover!"

The other experienced players immediately halted their march. Using the wreckage of the tanks and the terrain, they provided fire suppression on the hillside from which the attack had been launched. Under the command of their company commander, they began to approach the hillside in shifts, with each combat team providing cover.

After suffering over a dozen casualties, the company finally reached the hillside, only to find it deserted, with only a few empty ammunition magazines and faint footprints remaining. The Tau people were nowhere to be found.

"Damn," the company commander exclaimed, immediately realizing what the fire warriors were up to, "Guerrilla warfare?"

"Company commander," a player from North America said, pointing to the tracks on the ground, "these Tau people weren't careful enough; they left traces. Shall we follow them and avenge our brothers!"

He didn't expect that as soon as he said this, all the Chinese players present, including the company commander, shouted in unison, "Absolutely do not chase!"

"Uh," the American player was clearly bewildered by so many people refuting him at the same time, "Why?"

The others chimed in with their own explanations:

"The Tau people's stealth capabilities are far superior to the Empire's; these traces were definitely left intentionally!" "Yes, following them will only lead us into their ambush. The Tau Empire isn't without heavy firepower; we'll just be waiting to be riddled with bullets!"

"Even if they don't lure us into an ambush, in this unfamiliar place, just the way they circle around will make us dizzy and disoriented!"

"Really?" The American player was skeptical, but his adventurous spirit still made him feel somewhat unwilling to give up. "I still think I have to give it a try..."

The company commander didn't offer any further explanation. He looked at the American player and uttered a single, concise word: "Vietnam!"

"Oh~" The American player's confusion vanished instantly, replaced by a look of sudden understanding. He immediately changed his attitude and said decisively, "Then we really can't chase after them!"

After such a democratic discussion, the decision not to pursue the enemy became an unshakeable consensus within the company.

However, no one could offer any truly reliable advice on how to deal with the fire warriors' hit-and-run guerrilla tactics. Players from other countries looked to the Chinese players, who retorted that textbooks and movies only taught how to wage guerrilla warfare, not how to deal with it.

In the end, it was the company commander who made the final decision: "Report this matter. Guerrilla warfare is definitely not something that our company alone can handle. Let the higher-ups worry about it."

This matter was quickly placed on the desk of the Death Legion's command. Ghost Face, holding a data panel, said, "As of now, eight companies have been ambushed by the Tau Empire during their advance. One company pursued them but was ambushed and wiped out by the Tau, who were well-prepared. They have now all been resurrected next to their battalion commander... What do you all think? How should we deal with the Tau's guerrilla warfare?"

Inside the command tent, several players serving as staff officers and division commanders fell into deep thought.

A player who appeared to be a well-trained military officer pondered for a moment before speaking: "In fact, guerrilla warfare is not an insurmountable tactic. We only need to conduct precision strikes on the important industrial facilities on Dalis to significantly weaken their war potential, while simultaneously employing a policy of appeasement towards non-combatants to calm their emotions. Then, we can gradually establish forward outposts, building a network from the ground up, and advance steadily. As long as we are patient, we can almost completely resolve the problem after a year or two of counterinsurgency warfare."

His plan was sound, rational, and arguably the most correct approach, but it was also... impractical.

“We’re here to commit genocide,” Ghostface said in a roundabout way. “And I think our superiors are already furious. I estimate they’ll only accept a two-week solution at most.”

"Then we have no choice but to speed things up." Another officer player slammed his fist on the table, proposing a completely opposite plan. "The Tau people are waging guerrilla warfare, and their ultimate goal is to slow down our march, trading space for time. The War Council's goal, to put it bluntly, is to wreak havoc in their main city, Gelbrin, like a spoiled brat, and then run away. Since their objective is so clear, let's just do as they please!"

He surveyed the crowd: "Ignore these sporadic harassments and march the entire army at full speed straight towards Gelbrin! No matter how much the Tau Empire plays guerrilla warfare, they can't possibly abandon their main city; it's unacceptable from both a political and military standpoint. We'll force them to abandon guerrilla tactics and engage us in a decisive battle at the gates of Gelbrin!"

"Alright, let's do it this way!" Ghost Face immediately made the decision. "Pass on my order: the entire army must accelerate! The first battle will be the decisive one, and the outcome will be decided in one battle!"

(End of this chapter)