Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1248: Chapter 677: Sacrifice is the Foundation of the Empire_3

Up until now, facing the reported losses, Marshal Xi Rui no longer feels heartache—he has become numb.

The total losses over eighteen days are estimated to be over ten million. On the ground, the main force fighting is no longer the remnants of the North Line, but has been replaced by the Alliance Army.

This isn’t because Xi Rui is deliberately preserving forces, but because the remnants of the North Line have been hit even harder. On the sixth day of the ground war reaching a fever pitch, the North Line’s million ground troops had already lost over forty percent. Without the large-scale intervention of the Alliance Army, let alone maintaining the offensive, they would likely have been completely annihilated.

His closest group of three hundred Black Cross Army warriors has also been reduced to two hundred sixty, leaving only a few dozen on the ships, operating the combat ship ’Cross Black Star’ and several other strike cruisers. These ships require specialized operation by Interstellar Warriors to fully utilize their capabilities.

In other words, Xi Rui’s Black Cross Army has been completely deployed.

The Silver Watch has also been fully deployed, and Qin Zhiping himself is on the ground.

So what about the remnants of the North Line?

By now, Xi Rui no longer considers whether he can complete his task of ’attracting and restraining.’

Far beyond expectations.

Now, according to estimates, the numbers in front of the Insect Race are already more than three times of when Gu Hang himself was present.

This certainly means the task is accomplished.

Now the question has shifted to how long they can maintain pressure on the Insect Race?

Moving forward, troop losses are secondary; even equipment losses are difficult to replenish. Deploying forces to the planet’s surface is becoming increasingly difficult, so what should be done when they need to withdraw forces later?

He quickly stopped thinking about these things.

In battle, fighting day by day, it’s nothing more than gritting one’s teeth and holding out minute by minute.

On the nineteenth day, losses expanded to eleven million; on the twenty-fifth day, a major failure in ground support resulted in over two hundred thousand people dying loaded on transport ships, and due to the actual lack of support, ground combat resulted in successive major collapses, with total losses expanding to thirty-seven million by the twenty-eighth day. Only by the thirty-second day did the catastrophic losses get curbed. But the cost was the annihilation of the small Titan Legion summoned from Alamita, which managed to eliminate several key Insect Nests, providing ground support and stopping the collapse.

Although ’stopped the bleeding,’ the Titans were exhausted, so what next?

Indeed, on the thirty-ninth day, another ground support attempt failed.

With a major collapse imminent, Xi Rui was prepared to sacrifice over two hundred Interstellar Warriors to stop the bleeding. However, on the fortieth day, the Insect Swarm Fleet suddenly retreated completely.

Xi Rui’s first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief; the fleet could finally deploy support to the ground much more safely, and even provide some orbital fire support for the ground forces, alleviating much of the pressure directly.

However, why did the Insect Swarm Fleet retreat?

It certainly couldn’t be that they beat them back.

Has Mr. Gu’s side begun their engagement?

Thinking of this, Xi Rui became worried once again.

Was his task completed properly?

How is Mr. Gu’s battle situation?