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

The initial shock and despair were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, but Jenkins' rise to the position of fleet commander was not solely due to his bravery.

The extreme crisis was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the panic and burning pain in his heart.

All that remains is the almost cold-blooded clarity forged by veterans of the battlefield.

He stared intently at the airspace ahead, which had just swallowed the vanguard reconnaissance ship and now appeared calm but was actually teeming with deadly danger.

He glanced again at the screen behind him, where the Pluto main fleet was being steadily devoured by the "Swift" fighter group and was readjusting its formation to prepare to press forward.

time.

What they lack most is time.

Use the main gun to bombard the minefield?

It's too inefficient, a waste of time, and consumes precious energy.

Use close-in weaponry to clear obstacles with burst fire?

This is a drop in the ocean; facing such a dense network of intelligent minefields, it's nothing short of wishful thinking.

A cruel but only viable solution quickly took shape in his mind, cold and clear.

"Order!"

Jenkins' voice regained its usual roughness and decisiveness, even colder than usual.

His voice cut off the screams and chaos that had erupted on the communication channel due to the landmine.

"All reconnaissance ships and light destroyers, move forward immediately!"

At standard cruising speed, along the existing course, deploy in a covering fan shape!

Your mission is to locate and clear minefield passages!

The command was clearly conveyed. After a brief silence, a suppressed, trembling confirmation reply followed.

"Repeat!"

Jenkins added, his gaze sweeping over the ship markings that were about to be brought to the forefront, his voice unwavering.

"For the main force of the fleet, for the honor of the empire."

Subsequent heavy vessels will follow the trajectory of the preceding vessel, maintaining a safe distance.

All firepower should be prioritized to intercept enemy aircraft and potential incoming artillery fire from the rear, buying time for the forward ships!

This is about using the hull of a light warship to carve out a bloody path!

The few remaining reconnaissance ships and two relatively intact destroyers of the "Black Shark" fleet were the first to carry out the order.

Their engines shone so dimly, like moths drawn to a flame, they changed course, accelerated again, and plunged headlong into the airspace where the deadly flames had just erupted.

The first reconnaissance ship moved forward for less than twenty seconds.

boom!

A burst of fire erupted beneath the ship's hull as the smart trip mine sensed the approaching metal mass and detonated instantly.

The reconnaissance ship's vulnerable flank was torn open and broken in two.

Almost simultaneously, another destroyer on the flank also triggered a mine on its bow, and the explosion directly ripped off its forward turret and part of its armor, causing the ship to spin out of control.

But through their sacrifice, they marked two boundaries of death for their comrades behind them.

"Second team, keep up!"

Fill the gaps and widen the passage!

Jenkins' voice was like the friction of steel.

More light vessels silently stepped forward, continuing to explore, trigger mines, and explode along the narrow and twisted edge of "safety" that their comrades had paid with their lives.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Each explosion meant the destruction of an Imperial starship and the instantaneous annihilation of dozens or even hundreds of Imperial soldiers.

Those brilliant or dull flames bloomed one after another in the dark starry sky, cruelly outlining an escape route paved with steel and flesh.

Jenkins clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palms, and his knuckles turned white.

He forced himself not to look at the moment when the ship markings faded, and not to imagine the fear and confusion his subordinates felt before their deaths.

His face was expressionless, except for his taut jawline and the unfathomable coldness in his eyes.

"To dedicate oneself to the empire is the highest honor for a soldier."

He spoke into the internal communications channel, his voice hoarse as he repeated the motto that circulated within the Imperial Army.

It was both a consolation to those who went to their deaths and a forceful suppression of the last vestige of wavering in his own heart.

The main fleet—battleships, cruisers, and heavy destroyers still capable of fighting—silently and cautiously followed behind the winding paths blazed out by these "pathfinders" with their lives, pushing their speed to the limit of safety.

Watching the light vessels turn into fireballs in the minefield, the winding path carved out with lives became clearer and clearer.

As expected, the main force of the Pluto fleet pursuing them slowed down due to the minefield, and could only rely on the Swift fighters to harass them.

Jenkins' heart, cold and gloomy from the heavy losses, was stirred with a sense of relief at surviving the disaster, and an almost instinctive mockery of the enemy commander's tactical lapses.

"ha!"

He stared at the "path to survival" paved with death on the tactical screen, then glanced at the blue cursor behind him, slowed by the minefield, and a grotesque smile, a mixture of pain and mockery, appeared on his lips.

"This minefield trapped us, but it also became our talisman!"

That kid surnamed Qin is still too green!

He only thought of using minefields to hinder our advance, but he didn't realize that this would also impede his own army's pursuit!

An even more sinister thought emerged.

Since a minefield can deter pursuers, why not make it even more thorough?

"Order all cruisers and destroyers in the rear guard to immediately release their mobile tripwires!"

Jenkins' voice carried a ruthless, defiant tone.

"Deploy densely along both sides of the passage we just traversed, especially at the rear entrance!"

Block this "road" completely!

I'll make those annoying 'Swifts' and their capital ships sigh in despair at my thunder!

The remaining Imperial cruisers and some destroyers turned their sterns around, opened their dedicated mine-laying vents, and launched disc-shaped smart mobile trip mines.

These small mines, with their weak propulsion capabilities, quickly disperse and silently float to the edges and rear of the passage, blending into the previously laid minefields, or even becoming denser.

As he watched the minefield map show how the "safe passage" that his side had just passed through was quickly covered and thickened by newly added red danger markers, the sting in Jenkins' heart caused by the sacrifice of his men seemed to be replaced by a distorted sense of satisfaction at "getting back."

He even muttered to himself in the bridge, as if lecturing the unseen adversary.

"A 22-year-old graduate..."

Theoretical strategies may be impressive, but on the real battlefield, trickery and luck alone are not enough.

If the opponent were a veteran, they would definitely be waiting for me at the minefield exit, attacking from both sides, which would be the decisive move.

It's a pity, young man, you're still a bit inexperienced. You were so focused on blocking them that you forgot to block the door.

He could almost see the Pluto fleet being blocked by the reinforced minefield, forced to watch helplessly as they fled towards Neva.

Once he reaches the planetary defense perimeter, relying on orbital artillery and ground firepower, he can regroup...

However, this blood-stained sense of relief and superiority did not last long.