After the formation of battleships disappeared into the sky, cargo ships and troop carriers one after another slowly lifted into the sky, slowly forming formations in the air, and flying one after another into the distance.
There are nearly a hundred airships for cargo and troop transport, and they form a team of ten ships, flying meanderingly towards the predetermined assembly point.
This fleet is quite long, the first batch took off at noon, and until midnight, the last batch of airships were still parked at the takeoff and landing field. Compared with the unexpected battleship group of Dark Fire, the transport boats for logistical supply are much worse in comparison. They are basically civilian boats, and their climbing speed and flight status are not bad.
But this is also normal. If the neutral land can pull out a void team that even has elite military ships for logistics, it is not just the Heavenly King's Mansion who cannot sit still.
No matter how well organized and dispatched such a fleet is, it cannot make up for the shortcomings of a single boat. In a neutral place where pirates are prevalent, it is undoubtedly the biggest fat sheep. At the moment, I don't know how many people are ready to move, sending the news to all directions, and spreading it to every dark corner of the neutral land.
Most of the pirates judged the situation and did not dare to act rashly. But the wealth piled in front of him is huge to a certain extent, and there are also a few ferocious desperadoes ready to make a move, planning to make a fortune.
However, they set off under the eyes of everyone, and disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.
Qianye and Song Zining had already been placed far behind the transport fleet. This cover was originally prepared for the Heavenly King's Mansion and other forces in the neutral land, but only a few pirates got in.
Not without any loss along the way, three cargo ships were directly destroyed by pirates, and a troop carrier near the battle circle malfunctioned and crashed. For a huge fleet, such a loss can be described as very slight. Meanwhile, none of the incoming pirates made it out alive. No matter how good their ship handling skills are, they can't escape the pursuit of the empire's cutting-edge battle patrols.
Some pirates resisted to the end, and many pirates surrendered in desperation. After going back and forth, there were more than a dozen pirate ships and thousands of prisoners in Dark Fire's already huge fleet. According to the rules of the neutral land, these pirates will be used as cannon fodder, and the first batch will be sent to the battlefield. Only those who can survive are truly pardoned.
In the command room, Song Zining and Qianye called together a group of senior officers from Dark Fire and announced the battle plan.
According to the overall plan of the empire, the fleet will first arrive at the scheduled assembly point in outer space, where it will first establish contact with the imperial fleet, and then choose an appropriate time to go to the predetermined battlefield to have a decisive battle with the eternal night outer space fleet.
In this battle, the Dark Fire Fleet played the role of a surprise attack from the rear. The dark fire will only appear after the main force of the frontal Imperial Fleet firmly bites the Eternal Night Fleet. Attack from the weak link, or directly attack the rear of the Eternal Night Fleet, or defeat the reinforcements and other high-value troops that Eternal Night may deploy in the rear. Target.
Such a mission doesn't sound particularly dangerous, and it fits the characteristics of the Dark Fire's high-speed fleet. There is no reason to refuse it, and there is no need to refuse it.
After the tasks were assigned, the complexions of all the Darkfire executives looked a lot better. When Yongye and Liming fought faction battles, it often affected the neutral faction forces around the big battlefield, and it was normal for them to voluntarily or be coerced into joining one side to participate in the war. Most of the top executives of Darkfire are senior mercenaries, and they have encountered this situation more than once.
In this kind of battle, what they are most afraid of is being sold out by the imperial military, and unknowingly becoming cannon fodder for death. Now the task assignment is based on strength, which seems reasonable, and they are in a position where they can advance, attack, retreat, and defend, so they have nothing to complain about.
Seeing that no one raised any objections, Song Zining asked everyone to return to the battleship.
After a while, six imperial frigates, as well as several old and new battleships that could barely keep up with the fleet's speed, headed by the battle cruiser, flew towards the scheduled assembly point.
On the bridge, Qianye and Song Zining stood together, looking at the endless void. He suddenly said: "Is this okay? Do you want to use that?"
"Let's have a look first."
Qianye frowned, and said silently for a moment: "At least judging from the overall campaign plan, there is no conspiracy at all. At least not at this stage."
Song Zining sighed softly and said, "There is no conspiracy right now, that's what I'm most worried about."
"Let's go forward step by step. It's useless to dream so much. Just solve the problems when you encounter them." Qianye's voice was calm.
"Too."
In the depths of the vast void, an extremely large fleet is slowly sailing towards the floating land. The two battle cruisers protruding forward on the two wings are particularly eye-catching. In the center of the fleet, as many as six battleships and a war mother ship gathered together, like a city floating in the void, giving people an indescribable sense of oppression.
On the battleship in the center, stood a man with a clear face. He seemed to be quiet, but he had a kind of majestic pressure. This is the Right Prime Minister who holds power in the empire. It's just that he is calm and introverted on weekdays, and his temperament is soft to the point of weakness. Even when he is furious, he never speaks loudly. Until today, the moment he stood on the battleship, people could faintly feel his unknown side.
The right-hand minister's confidantes were all on the bridge, and all of them held their breaths and kept silent, feeling the great pressure.
In the end it was the Right Prime Minister who broke the silence. He sighed softly and said to himself: "So this is the taste of killing with swords and soldiers, hey! No wonder those generals in the army don't pay attention to the people in the court."
People around looked at each other in blank dismay, not understanding what Prime Minister Right was referring to. As far as they know, the right minister never speaks lightly, and every word he says must have a deep meaning. At that moment, everyone chewed this sentence repeatedly in their hearts, trying to taste and figure out the true meaning.
An old official relied on himself to have followed the Youxiang family for two generations, and boldly said: "My lord, according to the current formation, this battleship will take the lead in a fight. You are a body of gold, how can you take such a risk?" What kind of danger? If there is any injury, wouldn’t it be a big loss for the empire? The veteran thinks it’s time to change the formation.”
Another reprimanded: "My lord is loyal to the country, is he a person who fears life and death? What you said is inappropriate. However, the current formation is indeed not conducive to meeting the enemy. At this moment, the Eternal Night Fleet will appear at any time. It is better to change it." .”
This is much more artful to say, and the former veteran didn't feel annoyed, and just waited for the right minister to show him.
These two flatterers have their own emphasis on flattery, one is moderate, the other is foolish and loyal, their realms are actually on the same level.
Prime Minister Right finally turned around with a smile on his face. He raised his right hand, but did not speak. Everyone knew he was going to make a decision, a very important one. Before every important decision, he has to think over and over again until he confirms that there is nothing wrong with what he thinks before speaking.
The longer the silence, the more important the decision.
But this time, the right minister was silent for an exceptionally long time, so long that the smile on his face became distorted. The necks of the people around were a little sore from waiting, and the right minister did not speak.
Finally, the right minister turned his eyes over everyone's face, and said slowly: "The empire has mixed the second and third guard fleets, so although this fleet is called the forward, its actual combat power has surpassed that of the latter. The central army, the First Fleet of the Imperial Guard. Since the empire has entrusted me with the command of the vanguard, then I must judge the situation and make sure that it is safe. The current formation needs to be changed."
Many of the attendants were happy, and they didn't know whether their joy was for the safety of the right minister, or just for their own life.
The Prime Minister on the right paused, and said in a deep voice: "Command! The formation of the fleet has changed to an assault formation, and this ship will move forward to the forefront of the entire fleet!"
The old minister was shocked and shouted: "My lord, you must not put yourself in danger!"
Prime Minister on the right raised his hand, stopped everyone from persuading, and said calmly: "As the commander, if I want to serve the whole army, I must be at the forefront. This is the true meaning of the word "forward."
As the order was passed down, the formation of the huge fleet slowly changed, and the Eternal Night Fleet appeared one after another at the other end of the void.
Standing in front of the window on the right, the battleships on the two wings kept receding in sight, and then there was only endless void and the approaching Eternal Night Fleet.
The size of the Eternal Night Fleet is slightly smaller, but there are still a large number of them, especially the two parallel giant ships, which are even bigger and more ferocious than the imperial battleships. They are obviously two Grand Duke class ships.
Although the Empire's vanguard fleet is dominant, it is also limited. It is conceivable that it will be a battle. However, Prime Minister Right's face was as calm as an ancient well, and he just looked ahead quietly. Until the fleets of the two sides gradually approached, the right side issued a second order: "Let the ship lead, all assault!"
Everyone turned pale with shock. Even if they won with this style of play, the flagship as the vanguard of the entire fleet was in danger. You must know that at this moment, there are no top powerhouses on this ship, and the fight depends entirely on the fixed firepower of the battleship.
You Xiangxiang knew what everyone was thinking at the moment, suddenly turned around and said: "Although I am the best at planning in my life, but at this moment, I have not set up any schemes!"
There is no conspiracy, is it really necessary to lead the way? The advisers in the bridge really panicked. They are all good at attacking political opponents and framing others. But no one would do such a thing as taking the lead, and would not do it.
It was too late to object at this moment, the fleets of both sides sprinted at full speed, and they were within range in a blink of an eye. Looking out from the porthole, I saw that the Eternal Night Fleet on the opposite side was like fireworks blooming, and sparks lit up in an instant.
Although Xinghuo is beautiful, in the eyes of all the counselors, it is tantamount to a death knell. That is the sign of the Eternal Night battleship firing, and every spark is a main gun firing.
On the side of the empire, there were also thousands of flames flying over the right minister's flagship and flying towards the opposite side. Those are ballistas with different functions, responsible for spreading destruction and death in the Eternal Night Fleet.
Unsurprisingly, the flagship that rushed to the front attracted the most firepower because of its huge hull. Countless ballistas drew fire rain in the void, landed on the flagship, and exploded balls of dazzling fireballs. In a blink of an eye, the flagship was bathed in the rain of fire, and even the hull of the ship was invisible.
In an instant, the captains of all the warships in the empire held their breath and stared at the sea of flames ahead.
The next moment, the flagship jumped out of the flames like a phoenix on fire!
Like an enraged phoenix, it jumped into the formation of the Eternal Night Fleet, spraying out dozens of streams of fire from both sides of the ship, smashing several Eternal Night battleships into fireballs in a blink of an eye.
After the silence, cheers erupted from the bridge of each battleship in the Imperial Fleet, and then a captain roared out the order to charge at the top of his lungs in a roaring posture. The Imperial Fleet is like a herd of enraged bison, slamming into the Eternal Night Fleet with an indomitable attitude!
After the initial chaos, the Eternal Night Fleet reacted quickly. They concentrated their firepower and desperately attacked the flagship where Prime Minister Right was.
The flagship is like the leader of a buffalo surrounded by lions, rushing left and right, with scars on his body. On the periphery, a large group of bison is desperately attacking the lions, trying to rescue the first bull.
The battle situation was stalemate in chaos for a while.