Starting with God's perspective, how to lose an interstellar war?

Inside the bridge of the Iron Fist Squadron flagship, the "Indomitable".

The main tactical screen is refreshing the battlefield data of the Elvira system every ten seconds.

Yang Shao stood in front of the screen, his brows furrowed.

"Commander, a new briefing has arrived." The communications officer's voice interrupted his thoughts.

An encrypted information box pops up on the right side of the main tactical screen, and the data begins to scroll.

[Timestamp: 14:32:17]

Location: 19.34 light-minutes outside the orbit of Agbart.

The main force of the Wells Squadron, its direct fleet, and the Dragon Lizard Fleet are currently engaged in battle with our forces on the planet Agbart.

……

To delay the opponent's reinforcements.

Safe jump points within the galaxy can be used to ambush and cut off the enemy's retreat.

The air inside the bridge seemed to freeze.

The adjutant's voice was somewhat dry.

"How many?"

Yang Shao repeated the number, each syllable like a shard of ice.

"Two fleets: the direct command fleet and the Dragon Lizard Fleet!"

"Wells is trying to swallow up one of our fleets!"

He stared at the words "fight against my unit" on the screen and felt a ridiculous dizziness.

With eleven ships against twenty-four, even with a significant equipment advantage, the numerical disparity still exceeded two to one.

Moreover, Wells is a veteran, not a novice; he's unlikely to make any basic mistakes.

And Qin Beiwang... that 22-year-old young man who was at the bottom of the command department and only got his position because of his father's connections, actually wanted to "take the initiative"?

"He's gone mad."

"The adjutant murmured."

"This is practically suicide."

Yang Shao did not refute. His brain was working at lightning speed, calculating all the possibilities.

If the Pluto fleet is completely annihilated, it won't just be a matter of losing eleven starships.

Marshal Qin Qianfan's son died in battle in his defense zone, a political consequence that was enough to end his military career.

More importantly, although Qin Beiwang is a gilded young master, he is, after all, a federal soldier and a commander under his command.

Whether out of duty or morality, he could not stand by and watch the other person go to their death.

"Communications Officer!"

Yang Shao's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"Connect me to the Kunlun Mountain, highest priority!"

"Attempting to establish a quantum communication link... estimated delay... 37 minutes and 15 seconds."

37 minutes 15 seconds.

The time required for the information to reach the Kunlunshan.

In space warfare, 37 minutes and 15 seconds is enough to decide the outcome of an encounter.

"Never mind, let's fire first!"

Yang Shao strode to the communications station, stared at the holographic recording interface, and took a deep breath.

"Major Qin, this is Yang Shao."

Latest intelligence has been received.

Your forces are significantly outnumbered by the enemy. You are hereby ordered to immediately terminate the engagement plan and withdraw from the Agbart star region at full speed.

Repeat: Withdraw immediately; do not engage the enemy.

He paused, realizing his tone might have been too harsh, and added.

"This is not a questioning of your ability, but a tactical necessity."

Wells is a veteran; if he dares to concentrate his forces for an attack, he must have made preparations.

Your unit should withdraw first, and we will launch a counterattack after our main force arrives.

Recording finished, send.

Watching the information flow disappear into the void as a quantum-coded stream, Yang Shao felt no relief whatsoever.

A delay of 37 minutes and 15 seconds, plus the possible decision-making time on Qin Beiwang's side... by the time the order arrives, the battle may have already begun.

"No, we can't wait."

He turned to face the entire bridge.

"All fleets, listen up: Abandon the original reinforcement plans for Shiva and Ork. All available ships, immediately turn around and rush to Agbart at full speed!"

The command boomed like thunder.

"Commander!" the chief of staff exclaimed urgently. "The orbital shipyard on Shiva and the Helium-3 refining center on Ork are both strategic locations!"

If we abandon reinforcements, what if…

Yang Shao's voice was resolute.

"Shipyards can be rebuilt, fuel can be found again, but a fleet can be completely wiped out."

Especially fleets with equipment levels like the Pluto fleet.

The blow to morale is devastating! Not to mention…

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood.

Not to mention that Qin Beiwang is the son of Marshal Qin Qianfan.

Politics is always an integral part of war.

"But Commander."

The adjutant said cautiously.

"In his previous briefing, Major Qin mentioned that he suggested we divide our forces to intercept several safe jump points in the Elvira system to prevent the Wells fleet from escaping."

If we all go to Agbart, then the jump point will be…”

"We can't worry about that now."

Yang Shao interrupted him, his eyes tired but resolute.

"With only so many troops, it's impossible to cover everything."

The primary task now is to ensure the safety of Qin Beiwang and the Pluto fleet.

As for Wells... if he can escape, then let him escape.

It's better than losing an elite squadron.

It was a difficult choice, but Yang Shao made his decision.

Between "annihilating the enemy" and "preserving our own side," he chose the latter.

It wasn't because he was cowardly, but because he had experienced too many wars and witnessed too many disasters resulting from "doing whatever it takes to win."

One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand, but what if those bones include the marshal's son, the Federation's most elite starships, and a chain reaction that could trigger a political earthquake...?

He can't afford to lose.

"Full fleet, turning complete."

The navigator reports, "Estimated arrival time on Agbart: 1 hour and 22 minutes."

One hour and twenty-two minutes. Yang Shao stared at the dot of light representing the planet Agbart on the tactical screen, silently calculating in his mind.

At the speed of space warfare, one hour and twenty-two minutes is enough to complete ten medium-sized skirmishes.

If Qin Beiwang really goes ahead recklessly...

If Wells really did set a trap...

in case……

He dared not think any further.

"Communications officer," he said in a low voice.

"Continue to try to contact the Kunlun Mountain."

An evacuation command will be sent every thirty seconds until it is confirmed that they have received it.

"Yes, Commander."

Inside the bridge, the atmosphere was as oppressive as the deathly stillness before a storm.

The officers moved more quietly as they operated the control panel, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Yang Shao walked back to the command seat and slowly sat down.

He recalled the battle meeting that day, the scene of Qin Beiwang being late, being reprimanded by him in public, and the disdainful looks from the other commanders.

At the time, he felt that this young man was a nuisance, a burden that needed to be carefully looked after to prevent any accidents.

Now he realized that the problem wasn't Qin Beiwang's lack of ability, but rather that he was too "capable".

They dared to use eleven ships to attack twenty-four enemy ships, enough to make even a seasoned veteran feel his heart pound.

"Kid!" Yang Shao whispered to the void.

"You absolutely mustn't get into trouble. Otherwise, how am I supposed to explain it to your father..."

And just after Qin Beiwang annihilated the Dragon Lizard fleet.

The fleet finally received Commander Yang Shao's message.

Zhuang Zhixuan walked over, her expression somewhat strange.

"Captain, we received a communication from Commander Yang Shao, but it was delayed by 37 minutes and 15 seconds."

The message was an order for us to evacuate immediately and not engage the enemy.