With Xu Lanzhou's intelligence and capability, it was impossible for him to let only a little over a thousand warships from three strategic fleet groups face tens of thousands of enemy ships. When the oppressors' combined fleet had almost completed the phase jump and arrived at Resource Planet 1, Universe Army and Silver Feather Army warships, deployed from other locations in the planetary system, also approached the oppressors from different directions.
In front of Xu Lanzhou was a tactical map of the battlefield, where the densely packed enemy warships were located on the edge of the Gravity Well. Xu Lanzhou's three strategic fleet groups were positioned further out on the periphery. The enemy thrust forward two "fists" and started an attack on the three fleet groups from both flanks.
"Central fleet, reverse," Xu Lanzhou made the decision. Most warships had their primary propulsion engines at the stern, but warships were also equipped with auxiliary engines that could adjust the direction of the thrust, allowing for reversing. This propulsion was not as fast as moving forward, but it allowed the warships to be more agile during combat.
The three strategic fleet groups opened fire on the enemy and backed up simultaneously. This maneuver led the enemy, positioned on the flanks, to move forward, drawn by the Star Alliance Fleet.
The Great Emperor of Teizene sharply noticed the Star Alliance warships arriving from different areas to the flanks, and the frontal Star Alliance fleets were reversing. He scoffed and said, "Is this the commander's plan on the other side?"
Great Ci En, being clueless, asked, "What kind of riddle are you playing at?"
The Great Emperor of Teizene disdained to provide any explanation to his ally and directly ordered the oppressors' fleet to reinforce from the rear to the middle parts of the flanks.
At that moment, two Star Alliance strategic fleet groups launched a blitz from both sides on the oppressors' combined fleet, with a clear intent to pinch the protruding flanks of the oppressors' combined fleet, and in combination with the three fleets at the front, to devour the isolated segment of the oppressors' fleet.
The Star Alliance Fleet, with its formidable impact, directly attacked the midsection of the forward protruding flanks of the oppressors. Naturally, the oppressors had the numerical advantage, but their main targets were the Star Alliance fleets at the front. They could only muster secondary firepower on the flanks, while fierce Universe Army and Silver Feather Army warships kept firing at the enemy, quickly sinking some of their ships.
Captain Wang Du Du of the often ridiculed and unreliable Star Alliance Universe Warship was unleashing a barrage of firepower on the right flank. This battle was entirely different from the one he had experienced on Earth—here, not only were there more enemies, but they advanced and retreated in an organized manner, attacking in layers, making it hard for the Star Alliance to penetrate through.
"Dammit, Captain, the position of our just-sunk ship was immediately filled by another enemy ship from behind. In this way, we can't create any breach," the ship's AI Jilin yelped with wide eyes.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Wang Du Du shouted, "We are, after all, just an Escort Ship, dealing with firepower output should be left to the Main Battle Ships and Cruisers."
Jilin pouted and felt very unsatisfied, "Hey, I'm quite strong. In the last war, I sank more enemy ships than many Cruisers."
Wang Du Du murmured, "It was under my brilliant command that headhunting went smoothly."
Jilin jumped in front of Wang Du Du, "Being good at headhunting is also a skill."
While the two were arguing, an officer on the bridge couldn't bear it any longer, "Captain, Ms. Jilin, the enemy's warship on the right has turned its guns toward us."
The expressions of Wang Dudu and Jilin changed simultaneously, and Wang Dudu couldn't help but shout, "What are we waiting for, pull back, our weak little limbs won't survive a few hits!"
Jilin screamed even louder, "Move, move, do you want to kill me? If you don't, I'm taking control of the ship myself!"
The crew, at a loss for words due to the shameless Captain and ship AI, were well aware of the situation. Already 14 ships from the Star Alliance Fleet had been sunk, all of which were light warships. Escort Ships like these were the most vulnerable in such a dense star battle, having little defense of their own. If they showed up in the wrong place, a few salutes from the enemy's main battle ship could easily break their defenses and sink them.
Xu Lanzhou didn't expect light warships to continuously shield larger ships like cannon fodder, as it would be highly inefficient. The main role of light warships in such battles was to match attacks against opponents of similar size and provide covering fire for the fleet's larger ships, intercepting various kinds of incoming ammunition.
Under the crew's maneuvering (and the shouts of the Captain and the ship AI), the Jilin Escort Ship shakily moved away, a move that actually saved them. The ship had barely shifted when a heavy shell of at least 1000WM flew dangerously close, narrowly missing the bow of the Jilin.
Wiping off his cold sweat, Wang Dudu was especially anxious. He was not accustomed to this type of battle. In such large-scale battles, even a powerful main battle ship could seem almost insignificant. Both sides' commanders depended on the number of ships to build up a terrifyingly extensive range of firepower and tried to achieve the best striking effect with reasonable troop deployment.
However, this resulted in dire consequences: regardless of who ultimately won, both sides would sustain tremendous losses.
Clenching his teeth, Wang Dudu muttered, "Is this what a real star battle between great civilizations looks like?"
Jilin, pulling on Wang Dudu's sleeve, asked, "Are you planning to cheat and slack off now?"
Looking at Jilin, Wang Dudu gave a bitter smile, "Although I, Wang Dudu, am not very brave, I am still a soldier of the Universe Army. This is a matter concerning the future of billions of citizens of our civilization. Over on Earth, the Chancellor and the Commanders are leading everyone against the Controllers. How can we afford to drop the ball here?"
With tears in his eyes, and although terrified to the core, Wang Dudu defiantly said, "If we're going to die anyway, then let's drag down a few enemies with us."
"It's been an honor, staying bunked up here with over a hundred of you bastards for so long. And you, Jilin, with your incessantly malfunctioning brain always bringing up little torches, I'm glad to have worked with you."
As an AI, Jilin experienced an inexplicable surge in her emotion module at that moment. Her bionic body shed tears as she stomped her feet in frustration, "Why, when I'm clearly not a human, did they install an emotion module to make me feel so miserable? Ahhh, humans really are despicable creatures!"
She snorted, wiped her nose and tears, faced the fierce artillery fire outside the bridge, and declared, "You won't die, as Jilin I am the fiercest Escort Ship. I'll scare the enemy to wet themselves!"