Gundam: From Piece to Player

The US military uses a stimulant called amphetamine, and even adds energy bars containing amphetamine to their rations, claiming it can effectively combat fatigue... but in reality, it leads to drug dependence.

If the battle situation is progressing smoothly, Gao Pu does not want to make arrangements.

Soldiers who overdose on drugs on the battlefield suffer from long-term aftereffects... Blood tests can easily detect these effects, but they don't stand up to scrutiny.

Politically, this could easily be used by political enemies to attack him in the future... Not to mention Rebil, it would be a stain on someone of his stature.

The fact that they're willing to go to such lengths to get rid of Karma Zabi suggests that this guy is no ordinary threat.

Gaupus could only trust that his old friend's judgment was correct.

Ultimately, he granted Reibir's request, ordering Bayer, the global pharmaceutical giant based in Germany, to urgently produce a batch of drugs for prolonged operations. This decision was primarily based on the possibility of transporting the drugs directly to the Odessa front by rail.

On November 2, after a great deal of effort, the Western, Northern and Eastern Legions of the Federation finally reached their designated attack positions outside the Odessa Fortress.

The Romanian detachment, along with several aircraft carriers and their battle groups of the Federal Navy, successfully passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and is currently crossing the Mediterranean Sea. The anticipated fierce attack by the Zeon forces did not occur during the passage through the strait.

And with the Black Sea Zeon army's lifeline being "cut off" by Rebil.

...There has been a slight reversal in public opinion.

Although they suffered many defeats in the early stages, the Earth Federation Army seems to be improving.

After all, the battle lines don't lie; Karma and his Zeon forces were indeed surrounded in the Black Sea.

Chapter 122 I Can't Give a Speech

Inside a large camouflage tent somewhere in Odessa, Karma, dressed in camouflage military uniform, faces a group of people at a simple lectern, holding the last officers' meeting before the war.

Those seated below were all officers of the rank of colonel or above, including more than 90 division commanders. In the front row sat generals such as Mark Bay, Yuri Kessane, and Song Ren.

The meeting was filmed simultaneously and broadcast live—the spirit of the operation was conveyed to the company and battalion commanders who were on the front lines at that time, and then they explained the spirit of the operation to the soldiers on the front lines.

"Gentlemen, if the Federation forces launch a full-scale attack, how long do you think we can defend with our current forces?"

Before anyone below could answer, Karma answered her own question, “I can tell you for sure that we can defend until our supplies run out, which is 3 months, while the Federation’s supplies can only last for 2 months at most.”

Based on intelligence gathered from sources including logistics vehicles, the approximate size of the Federation forces is no longer a secret.

To prevent their escape, the federal army dispatched the Rome detachment, consisting of 10 divisions, to seize the city of Iskandar.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to secure the deal smoothly.

Because Kalmar didn't send any troops to defend it, even though taking this place meant they were trapped in the Black Sea.

However, Karma still couldn't spare any troops to defend... She had previously boasted to Char about how brilliant her strategies were.

However, the actual reason was that there were not enough troops to further weaken Odessa's defensive capabilities.

The Zeon army in Odessa numbered only one million, of which 300,000 were capable of offensive operations, while the other 700,000 were only able to perform routine defense and line-keeping duties (according to Kalmar).

Although the Federal Army is weak in defense and offense, it has the advantage of numbers. Even though the Western Attack Group, Northern Attack Group, and Eastern Attack Group were defeated by Kalmar with a 5th Corps and a missile regiment, they still have nearly 500 million troops.

Although they are at a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers.

The good news is that Zeon's troops are of acceptable quality.

The Federation Army probably only has about 80 veteran troops, which is comparable to the fighting strength of the Zeon defense divisions.

The remaining 420 million are semi-professional troops—comprised of conscripts who have undergone less than six months of training.

If the fighting were to proceed as it was in the original history, Zeon's defenses might be breached in many places, allowing the Federation to use its numerical superiority to break through, infiltrate, and encircle them.

With the outer battle lines of Odessa now significantly shortened, and the Black Sea to the south, along with the first, second, and core (Odessa city) itself, forming a total of four lines of defense, the Federation has no choice but to fight them head-on.

They could try landing in Crimea by sea... that would make Kalma very happy, and allow the fish in the Black Sea to celebrate the New Year early.

"General, is the Space Force really unable to help?" Yuri raised his hand below to speak, "If we could carry out orbital bombardment..."

"The space front is in dire straits itself," Karma replied calmly.

Although Dozru had asked himself whether he should provide orbital bombing support.

Karma refused outright.

Given the divide between the Space Force and the Earth Force, Tiam wouldn't offer help unless Reibill specifically asked.

But if Dozle sends out his Space Attack Force to provide support, the situation would be completely different.

The Earth Federation Space Force will not stand idly by either—the situation will become even more complicated, and there is a certain probability that the two sides will escalate the battle and trigger a final showdown.

For Zeon, engaging in a space battle above Earth would be the worst possible option, as it would be closer to Luna 2 and have a shorter supply line, making it even worse than choosing the historical route.

"Commanders, all we can rely on now are the soldiers at our disposal. The Federation wants to force us to exchange 'health bars', and we can't fall for their tricks... We still need to find a way to keep the soldiers on the front lines alive. Our logistics and ammunition situation is much better than theirs."

Although Karma said this, her expression turned cold. "But I will hold the relevant commander accountable for any unauthorized retreat."

"We are all on the same spaceship. If there is a hole in the ship and an air leak occurs, we should rush to help our allies... instead of standing by and doing nothing."

"Although I have set up redundancy systems for unforeseen circumstances, even the strongest insurance measures have their limits."

"I have just received the news that the Federation Space Force has sealed off our space zone, and our escape route to space has also been blocked by the Federation."

Karma lied without batting an eye, putting pressure on the officers in the audience.

"It may seem like there is no way out, but in reality, we still firmly hold control of the Black Sea."

"The Federation thought they had us surrounded, but they didn't know how thin their 'dumpling skin' was."

"This place gathers 80% of the mobile suit forces of the Gravity Front and 90% of the combat power of the Zeon Navy."

“I dealt a heavy blow to the Federation’s 5th Army a few days ago. Colonel Kaiser captured the Federation’s missile force, and General Mark Bay’s air defense forces and Odessa fighter squadron also won the Odessa air battle.”

"Although the enemy's total strength is several times that of ours, their troops are all new recruits, just a bunch of guys who are only after money and fame."

"The first phase of this campaign aims to leave the Federation fortress battered and bruised, while the second phase is our counterattack. I will personally lead the attack, and I hope everyone can lend me a hand!"

After finishing his speech, Kalma stood up and raised his fist toward the camera.

“ZICK ZEON!”

This also stirred the emotions of the commanders below, who shouted, "ZICK ZEON!"

"ZICK ZEON!"

As the video played, shouts of "ZICK ZEON!" rang out from the front-line troops.

The sounds of catharsis seemed endless.

Although Karma doesn't like such slogans, a do-or-die mentality is indeed needed now.

Zeon's battle creed is essentially about maintaining composure in the face of a terrifying disparity in troop strength, because the enemy they face is always an Earth Federation force that outnumbers them many times over and seems endless.

This is true now, and it will be true in the future.

Don't ask, the answer is UC's underlying logic—the Federation may act recklessly, but it just can't die.

The cameras were turned off, and Kalma stepped out of the spotlight, slowly walking down the platform.

Compared to his anthropomorphic older brother, he is not good at stirring emotions and can only present data and conduct tactical analysis.

"General Mark Bay, my oratory skills are far inferior to those of Commander-in-Chief Killian, aren't they?"

After the meeting, Kalmar approached Mark Bay, who seemed lost in thought, wanting to hear his thoughts on his speech.

“Your Excellency is too modest. Commander-in-Chief Killian’s speech was indeed very inspiring.” Mark Bay shook his head, “but it did not help with how to achieve victory… Your Excellency’s speech was more accessible and practical.”

The following day, Reibil delivered a speech to the entire army entitled "The Black Sea - The Burial Place of Kalma Zabi".

This speech, addressed to the entire military, contained no tactical analysis; it was all about emotion.

To express his appreciation for Rebil's excellent oratory skills, Kalmar ordered the long-range missile force to fire four large rockets at the enemy's pallet-class base.

"Look! Look! Look! I told you Karma Zabi was scared! This is proof."

Four missiles were intercepted by the [Phalanx System] on the tray-shaped platform, and Santa Claus waved his hand to give the order for a general attack.

The Battle of Odessa has officially begun.

Chapter 123 Journey Through Purgatory

Zeon's outer defense line and first line of defense were built on the leased area in southern Ukraine—townships where civilians had been relocated.

To ensure they had no worries about their rear, the Federation forces needed to eliminate towns along the defensive line, using them as forward outposts.

With the missile regiments originally intended for long-range firepower being hijacked by Zeon, coupled with the previous forced march, the Federation forces are relying more on air force ground support for long-range firepower.

The European Air Force responded to the Army's expectations, launching thousands of pounds of bombs at the outer defenses of Odessa and large buildings within the concession area.

These buildings could easily serve as cover, allowing for the use of large aerial bombs to eliminate combat troops hidden within them.

While the bombing was taking place, ground forces on the eastern, northern, and southern fronts also advanced toward the outer defenses of Odessagioun.

When they reached the outskirts of these cities, the Zeon army began to fire in a defensive manner.

Shells from the second line of defense traveled dozens of kilometers to strike the front line.

The Federation forces then discovered that the Zeon artillery's accuracy was ridiculously high; some hit the center of the attacking force directly, while others struck between the first wave and armored reinforcements, causing chaos and stagnation in the attack's rhythm.

The secret lies in the "reporting" of positions by the large number of Zeon fire reconnaissance teams of three men each, who are stationed in the outer cities.

They followed a process of identifying the target, determining its coordinates, and then reporting the location using laser communication.

In modern warfare, artillery has undergone multiple rounds of evolution... and compared to old artillery, the accuracy of new artillery has increased significantly.

Even with the Minovsky particles scattered, Kalmar did not give up on accuracy... He tried many methods and found an alternative.

The survivability of the "Sky Butterfly" electronic early warning and reconnaissance aircraft, painted gray and piloted by two people, is greatly increased due to the spread of Minovsky particles, which serve as information nodes in the high sky.

As a relay base station, it transmits coordinate information to the automatic towed artillery positions set up in the "second line of defense".

[Outer Defense Line] The surrounding area had been divided into small grids and coded before the battle, and the fire reconnaissance teams had conducted numerous drills, so the shells could accurately hit the Federal armored breakthrough group's advance path.

Compared to the Federation's large aerial bombs, their single-shot power is not as great, but their support is faster and more frequent.

It's like a turn-based game.

Rebil keenly sensed the sluggishness of the armored assault force and immediately ordered the Federation European Air Force to destroy Zeon's artillery positions.

Just as the Vulture-like Flying Ray bombers arrived at the artillery position again, ready to "scoop up some fries," the anti-aircraft gun positions hidden within the artillery position were activated.

They created clusters of "black clouds" in the sky to drive away the approaching stingray bombers.