There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"In terms of firepower, most of the enemy's weapons are automatic and semi-automatic guns, which have a stronger firepower output than ours. However, the combat personnel trained at the base are all long-range units, which means we can achieve an equal strike within a certain period of time."

“Based on tactical analysis, the opponent is good at harassment tactics such as deploying large numbers of troops and launching skirmish attacks. They are adept at disrupting supply lines and killing civilians, but they are not good at stronghold warfare. If we can lock the battlefield in the opponent's strongholds, we can greatly enhance our discipline advantage, compress the opponent's strategic space, and force them to fight a decisive battle.”

I hesitated for a moment, then asked the last question in a low voice.

"Thirdly, when can we fight this war?"

The bald man, who had been lost in thought for a long time, seemed to have received some divine revelation. With a foolish smile on his face, he began to nod slowly.

...If you nod again, I'll twist your head off. You could at least open your mouth and say, "Me too!"

"Currently, the territory has 37 instructors and 103 new recruits available for combat, totaling 140 personnel. These individuals possess basic military skills and are capable of tactical drills and marches. I have divided them into twelve 11-person squads, with an additional 8-person supervisory team. Their weapons and equipment mainly include..."

"Speak the key."

I interrupted his description of the troop strength and pressed him for details.

The fat man next to him still seemed hesitant to speak, but after waiting for a long time, he didn't dare to get involved in the matter. He could only bury his fat face in his hands and start pulling out strands of hair.

Eaton said loudly, "There are two best times. One is ten years from now. By then, I can make up for their lack of knowledge, use these people as the backbone in the warp and fill the weft with young people, enhance the autonomy of the grassroots, and build a mighty army of a thousand people that is both intelligent and courageous."

"Too late," I said expressionlessly.

Ten years from now, I'll probably be able to attend the graduation parties for Poppy, Lynn, and Karen's kids when I go back.

Eaton sighed softly, "The second time... is now."

I looked out the window and remained silent.

If we have ten years, we can naturally weed out the old and weak, cultivate talent, and completely separate the military settlements and garrison personnel, establishing a proper system. Just like Lao Liu's long-cherished desire to rebuild the squad, even the original town garrison forces inevitably had weak soldiers, let alone the slave soldiers who were forced into service.

The Saitama training method can make up for some of the innate differences, but the shortage of recruits is unavoidable.

Therefore, the best time to fight is now.

After a period of training, morale has stabilized at a usable level, and their physique and courage are sufficient for a major battle. If they wait any longer, their age will gradually increase, and injuries will multiply. After this three-month peak, a decline that will last for many years will begin. Experience might offer some improvement, but the aging of body and mind is an irreversible trend.

The price we pay for this battle may be the complete annihilation of these hard-won recruits on the battlefield...

But I can't delay any longer.

After the great battle with the Outer Gods in the parallel world, I had a nagging feeling that it connected the series of strange events that had occurred in the town. The tentacles of beings like the "Thousand-Faced God" might already be lurking there, and I had to go back to save the town.

I gritted my teeth fiercely, swung my right hand down like a knife, and said decisively.

"beat!"

Chapter 450 Code Name: Board Jump Operation

I sat back down, my mind made up, my eyes shining with unwavering determination. If I had a pair of non-prescription glasses to wear at that moment, I would surely have exuded the same magical aura as Commander Gendo Ikari.

"Rest for a day, then depart immediately tomorrow morning. This is not training, but actual combat, and there is no turning back!"

I glanced around the room and slowly said, "I've finished speaking. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

The fat man was now extremely uneasy, after all, he was the only one in the group who had clearly expressed his support for peace. Compared to the hawkish Eaton and the bald man who was responsible for mediating, he probably only regretted that he had spoken up too quickly, and now it was too late to regret it.

I was just waiting for this fat guy to object so I could use the Cloud-Dispelling Palm to send him flying and clear my head.

Unfortunately, the fat man didn't dare to speak until the very end.

"Since everyone agrees, I'll now outline the main tasks."

I spoke with a hint of regret, which made the fat man tremble, perhaps sensing an unknown malice.

"Baldy, tonight you're in charge of the battle mobilization, ensuring mental preparation, especially emphasizing the dire situation we're facing. I heard you're the only one who can communicate normally with those monks right now?"

I'm not too worried about physical fitness and teamwork. The traitor's training ability is already proven; even the madman leading the loader trusts him so much, so I should give him my due trust as well. It's a matter of mutual respect.

However, emotional detachment is a fatal flaw. While it may not affect training normally, and may even have a positive impact on one's mindset, it is an absolute disadvantage in combat.

The release of adrenaline can make soldiers ignore pain, react quickly, improve physical performance, and even unlock their genetic potential in life-or-death situations...

Sigh, I'm not looking forward to that.

In short, these bald soldiers with the mentality of high monks are very likely to lack motivation for anything and end up being wiped out in one fell swoop.

"Fatty, pack up all the essential supplies, mainly water and dry rations. I saw that the barley cakes you had for lunch were quite good, so have your men take more of them. Make sure the supplies are adequate. I will also send you an extra camel transport team."

An army marches on its stomach. In places where there is no way to resupply on the spot, if an army encounters a massive desert storm or gets lost on an unfamiliar route, there is a possibility of a tragedy where people can eat each other.

Even though I emphasize training these people's gathering skills, field marching skills, and wilderness survival skills, I still have to ensure that each soldier carries about three days' worth of rations.

"And finally, it's you... Eaton!"

I patted him on the shoulder, turned my gaze to the bay on the sand table, and asked, puzzled, "...When do you think the transport ship will arrive?"

Eaton, who had been solemnly preparing to accept the pledge, nearly fell under the table after hearing this. He barely managed to steady himself before angrily saying, "Lord Seven... don't joke like that! The plan has progressed this far; I thought you already knew about the enemy's spaceship's flight plan!"

I scratched my head: "Who could possibly know that? Besides, I'm not planning to go there this time. I can't possibly calculate for you exactly when a boat will appear there, down to the second."

"What! You're not going over there?!" This time, the fat man, Eaton, and the bald man shouted in unison.

I tapped the table in annoyance and asked, "Do you think such a large army can keep its march a secret from the surrounding forces? Believe me, once the army sets off, the defenses will be weakened, and the two enemies will join forces to destroy the Free Trade Zone and Silent Valley at the same time!"

I took two pebbles of almost the same size from the table and placed one in the bay: "This is your route, which will attract the attention of different forces in the region at the beginning."

Then he placed another one in the tavern, saying, "This is me, stationed here with the 460 Legion to maintain order."

I drew a line between the two, "This is the connection between us. No matter which side the other tests first, they will consider the relationship between the two, forming a new chain of suspicion..."

My move is rather risky; I'm betting that the two opposing forces will never put aside their differences and cooperate fully to eliminate my two military operations. Between these two routes, the loader's leader might even help me hold off the enemy.

By relying on a short-term chain of suspicion, I can mislead my opponents and prevent them from using a one-on-one exchange tactic to overturn my base—after all, the value of a potential and stable business market is immeasurable.

During the time it took for my tactics to be finally guessed, this unit, specifically designed for mobile warfare, should have been able to complete its strategic deployment and reach its designated position...

In front of three dumbfounded people, I suddenly picked up the stone that was placed in the free trade zone and pushed it hard to the location of Sabre Bay!

"After the first day, I will have the lion disguised as me take charge. I will then travel in disguise to Sabre Bay to coordinate with your attack, putting maximum pressure on the enemy and forcing them to unleash their true power and call for help from space..."

At this point, a strange light appeared in Eaton's eyes, and he began to mutter to himself, constantly looking at the location on the sand table, as if he were calculating the feasibility of the plan.

Those living inland might not understand, but I have experience from two lifetimes, and have been exposed to things like Age of Exploration games and Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so I am very familiar with those medieval noblewomen wearing low-cut dresses…

Pshaw, I mean I'm very knowledgeable about naval tactics popular in the 19th century. The Caribbean and Caribbean pirates are two different things, don't cause trouble!

Before the mid-19th century, naval battles were more like sieges at sea. Ships were like fortresses for both sides, and the objective of the battles was the same as that of fortress battles on land: to destroy or capture the enemy's fortresses.

One very important tactic is boarding operations, similar to scaling enemy ships in siege warfare. It involves having one's own troops board enemy ships, engage in combat, and capture the enemy vessels.

Before boarding operations begin, both sides must close the distance to each other in order to board the enemy ship. During the approach, both sides will attack each other with ranged weapons such as cannons, muskets, crossbows, bows and arrows, and javelins, trying to inflict casualties on the enemy.

Once the two sides are about 30 meters apart, the crew will use ropes and hooks to lasso the other ship and pull it towards their own. When the commander gives the order, they will use a plank about 30 centimeters wide to build a "log bridge" between the two ships, cross the log bridge to board the enemy ship, and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The difficulty of this operation lies in how to use this army, which is only equipped with rudimentary gunpowder weapons and primitive bows and arrows, to withstand the pirates' attack for a day and a night, and then coordinate with me to launch a counterattack...

"This operation is codenamed 'Boarding Operation,' and every step is a dance on the edge of a knife. We must seize every opportunity to put pressure on the enemy and force them to call for help from space... This is our only chance!"

I clenched my fist and said excitedly.

Chapter 451: Send out troops today to destroy this imperial eclipse

"Sixth Brother, have you found the four-legged chicken yet?"

After leaving the private meeting room, I left behind a group of men who were deep in thought and went to find the team that was cooking.

The sixth brother put down his rice spoon, wiped his hands on his clothes, and pulled his companion, who was eating, over from the side.

She's gotten so much darker, I almost didn't recognize her.

I glanced at the lean squad leader and stopped him from getting up in a hurry, saying, "Keep eating, I have more work to assign you later."

I saw them all holding a barley cake and eating it with the crab porridge in the pot. Due to the lack of yeast, the barley flour couldn't ferment into fluffy whole wheat bread, so the texture was rather dry. As for grilling, Fatty had also invented a cooking method: burying the kneaded dough in the ashes and slowly cooking it with the residual heat of the fire.

The aroma of fresh wheat flour made up for the lack of flavor. People ate in silence, taking a bite of the flatbread, licking the salt in their hands, and then swallowing a mouthful of barley porridge full of crab flavor. They felt satisfied from the inside out.

I glanced at the pot of porridge and felt it was still lacking something, so I took out a string of marinated and dried salmon and some cheese from who-knows-where from the warehouse, chopped them into small pieces with astonishing speed, and sprinkled them into the pot of barley porridge...

Under the heat of the flames, the large pot began to bubble and churn with thick, delicate foam. Plump barley grains rolled within, and finely chopped cheese melted into it, transforming into a beautiful, milky-white substance that covered the porridge with an enticing thin layer. The aroma of milk wafted on the breeze, instantly whetting the soldiers' appetites.

Wherever the aroma wafted, these men, whose feelings had gradually faded, would unanimously put down their wheat cakes and sniff the air to find the source of the fragrance.

I took the first spoon and scooped out a large bowlful, blew on the surface to cool it down, and then began to taste it.

The porridge is sprinkled with minced smoked salmon, which adds a playful surprise during chewing. The rich aroma of cheese is mixed with the fragrance of barley. With each bite, the savory salmon fibers add even more flavor to the slightly soft rice porridge.

I tasted it and then indicated that they could eat it.

For the next half hour, the only sound in the entire camp was the slurping of cheese and seafood porridge.

In this way, this one meal not only satisfies the nutritional needs of the hundred or so people in the camp, but also provides these poor souls with a cheap sense of satisfaction. No wonder the legend says that five barley cakes and two fish are enough to feed a large group of people…

After finishing their meal, the subordinates expressed their gratitude in simple terms:

"Our way of eating won't work!"

"This is how adults eat, fine!"

"We will always be loyal to you, sir!"

...To this, I could only look at them with a sense of relief, while secretly envying them for having grasped the secrets to wealth so early.

That night, the Four-Legged Chicken Squad abandoned their original mission of transporting steel back to the Free Trade Zone and carried out a secret operation: transporting the broken Eternal Forge from the tavern back to the base overnight.

…………

Squads of warriors in dark robes marched past me, their steps precise and swift. Judging from their varying heights but similarly lean physiques, these men were not upper-class nobles like Western European knights, but rather a group of commoners struggling to make a living.

According to Eaton's design, each eleven-man squad was equipped with three giant bows, three longbows, and two homemade firearms of varying degrees, while the remaining three men carried only short bows for combat and a large number of arrows.

He only kept an iron dagger and various short weapons for dealing with unavoidable close combat situations.

I stood at the entrance of the secret base, with my back to the shimmering pool, watching my men pass by in droves.

Basically, every time someone walks past me, I can hear the bald man reciting the profound theories he has come to understand.

"The Legion's Gospel: Man is like a tree; the more he yearns for the light, the more he needs to take root in the darkness. Prioritize material things over chasing after them; this is the effortless way to transcend oneself. Long live Lord Shaflin!"

"Long live Lord Shafulin!" the soldiers shouted.

That statement makes some sense. It encourages them to use appropriate methods when seeking their goals, so as to avoid being too hasty and going in the wrong direction.

"Legion's Gospel: On this journey, you must be as steadfast and immovable as the earth, and as deep and secret as a hidden treasure. All things are impermanent, subject to arising and ceasing. When arising and ceasing cease, Nirvana is bliss. What cannot be killed will make you stronger. Long live Lord Seven!"