Counterfeit Hero

Chapter 124: Volume 3, Chapter 32: The Next Mission, Behind Enemy Lines!

Stephen looked at the map of Lucerne Planet and smiled at Liebgoet, ”Teacher, Russell can’t avoid being conventional either. He still uses scattered fighter attacks to conceal their actual landing location.”

Liebgoet lightly shook his head and said, ”War tactics can’t be categorized as sophisticated or crude; often, the simpler they are, the more effective. Take flanking maneuvers and ambushes for example—these two tactics appear hundreds to thousands of times in wars, big or small, and are used by armies of all sizes. If you call them crude, they’ve been so for thousands of years. Yet, how many famous generals and genius military strategists have conquered the world relying on these techniques?”

Stephen smiled faintly and said, ”You make a good point, teacher. So...” He then changed the topic, ”Where do you think they’ll choose to land?”

Liebgoet stood up and waved his hand, saying, ”I don’t know Russell well. His commanding style often leans towards the unconventional yet meticulous. Such an opponent is unpredictable, and if you follow his thought process, you’ll easily fall into his rhythm.” He walked to the map and said, ”Lucerne has only thirty-three cities, mostly distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere. If they take root in the East, they’ll have a stable foothold. However... strategically, the Western Hemisphere offers more space and maneuverability.”

Stephen asked, ”So if it were you, where would you choose?”

Liebgoet smiled and said, ”If it’s my deployment, I’d obviously choose a landing in the Western Hemisphere, then use overwhelming force to break the overall defense of the Eastern Hemisphere. Though quickly capturing the East would yield results sooner, it would be too costly. Moreover, given our deployment, no matter which effective landing point they choose, they will be pressured by our forces.”

Stephen clapped his hands and laughed, ”They would never have expected us to centralize most of our forces from Galileo here. Once pressured, they’d have to rely on the Space Fleet to constantly transport more troops here, like adding oil to a fire. I really wish I could see how much Russell is aware of our deployment!”

Liebgoet said solemnly, ”Never underestimate your opponent. He might not only know your deployment but be thinking even further ahead. The landing is merely our first encounter. If Russell can’t even pass this stage, there’d be no need for me to be here.”

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Fatty stared at the interstellar map in utter despair, sweating profusely. Earlier, when the micro-earpiece in his ear activated and established a connection with the eavesdropping transmitter, the entire command room erupted with piercing alarm sounds. Fully armed guards stormed in and searched the entire command room. Luckily, he reacted quickly, crushing the micro-earpiece to dust with his hand, or else he would’ve been exposed.

Milan said this eavesdropper was newly developed, yet how come Boswell’s new detection device targeting this type was installed here! Unfortunate doesn’t even begin to describe it. This feels like a dead end, slicing through his heart with every breath, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

Eventually, Russell discovered the eavesdropper in his pocket, glanced oddly at Fatty next to him, and waved for the guards to leave. He walked up to Fatty and smiled, ”Have you figured it out?” Fatty shook his head, ”With only this bit of information, the troops haven’t even deployed. How could I possibly figure it out? Are you sure you’re not just playing with me?”

Russell chuckled, ”Do you think I’m playing with you? In this academy, how many sitting in this position are being played?” Fatty shook his head, ”Those guys are all idiots.” After a pause, he sighed, ”I’m an idiot too.”

Russell looked at him oddly and said, ”Being able to discern strategic deployment from subtle clues is the best way to ensure one’s survival in war. You can make decisions and avoid danger before it strikes. You should cherish this learning opportunity.”

Fatty said with a frown, ”I do cherish it, but wouldn’t avoiding danger altogether be the safest approach?” He turned his head to look at Russell, ”Why is there no supporting force for the troops in the first phase of landing? How can we firmly establish a foothold without expanding from a point to an area?” Russell laughed, ”If I told you, why would you need to deduce anything? You’ve grasped numerous case studies and theoretical foundations; you should learn to apply them and view the overall situation comprehensively.”

Russell turned and prepared to leave when he suddenly heard Fatty say behind him, ”How much time do I have left?” Russell shook his head, ”Don’t try to fish out any information from me!” Fatty despaired; Russell had refined his skills to the point of being completely unyielding.

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Under the cover of air support from the ground-based fighter jets, the first batch of landing troops quickly achieved full landing. The first to encounter the enemy were the Fourth Group of the 16th Armored Division of the Aviation Marine Corps.

They were ordered to be air-dropped into an enemy medium-sized logistics base. After nearly six hours of intense firefight, this logistics base was largely destroyed by the Fourth Group. Before the Imperial Army support arrived, the Fourth Group began an orderly retreat.

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Liebgoet looked solemnly at the battle map; beside him, Stephen couldn’t help but say, ”Teacher, what exactly is Russell trying to do? The airstrike is aimless and dispersed, and the landing is also like this. Where is their troop expansion going to happen?”