Chapter 482: Chapter 446: Masters Spar!

A series of changes in the Imperial Army’s formation baffled many, but Wilton understood it perfectly.

Clearly, the Imperial Army’s Commander had not only seen through Wilton’s intentions but was also planning to turn the tables with a counter-encirclement.

Right after Wilton’s commands were issued, the Alliance Army’s second formation, composed of High-Speed Patrol Space Ships, quickly approached the Imperial Army from the flank at high speed, thereby forming a pincer movement with the battleship fleet led by Wilton.

In response to this encirclement, the Imperial Army did two things: the first was to dispatch a formation that was behind the Armored Ship Troops to move aside, immediately turning the ships around and flying in the opposite direction, as if to hastily disengage from the battlefield to avoid losses.

The second action was to send the last formation into battle.

It’s no wonder many couldn’t understand what the Imperial Army was doing, as these two moves didn’t seem to have any connection to breaking the encirclement or to the battlefield situation.

However, anyone who thought that would be greatly mistaken because the brilliance of the Imperial Army Commander lay precisely here: both of his two consecutive troop movements appeared unrelated to the encirclement by the Alliance Army, but in fact, they both contained hidden threats!

The first formation that was sent away was certainly not fleeing the battlefield; if one closely observed the direction they were heading, they would notice that the fleet was moving towards the flank of the battleship fleet commanded by Wilton. What did this imply?

It meant that once the Alliance completed its encirclement and Wilton’s battleship fleet engaged the Armored Ship Troops head-on, this “fleeing” formation could perform a turnaround and appear directly behind the flank of the battleship fleet. In doing so, this unit, along with the Armored Ship Troops, would end up trapping Wilton instead.

Similarly, the fourth unit dispatched by the Imperial Army consisted entirely of destroyers. Thus, with its swift speed, it immediately started closing in on the battlefield, with a clear target: the Alliance Army’s High-Speed Patrol Space Ship fleet.

This action might seem like attacking a stone with an egg, as destroyers are no match for patrol cruisers in terms of either offensive or defensive abilities. But do not forget, the battlefield wasn’t limited to just two units, and given the speed of the High-Speed Patrol Space Ships, if this fleet wanted to complete Wilton’s tactical intention and encircle the Imperial Army, it would inevitably engage with the Imperial fleet on the flank before the destroyers. Consequently, when the Destroyer Fleet joins the fight, it would form a front and rear encirclement with the flanking units, trapping the High-Speed Patrol Space Ship fleet in the middle.

With this explanation, everyone must have understood the intention of the Imperial Army’s Commander by now. Not only had he discerned Wilton’s thoughts, but he had also managed to quickly change formations in response, thereby creating a counter-encirclement!

If this counter-encirclement succeeds, the situation on the battlefield will change dramatically. Then, the Imperial Army’s two formations led by the Armored Ship Troops would be encircled by Wilton’s battleship fleet and cruiser fleet, enveloped in one fell swoop; however, at the same moment, the Imperial Army would also form a complete encirclement both from within and without, trapping the two fleets of the Alliance Army!

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It must be said, the two Commanders of this great war had taught everyone a lesson, engaging in both an open contest and a secret struggle from the very beginning. First, there was the assault by the Armored Ship Troops, followed by the interception by the Void Magic Corps, but in reality, both of these moves were feints; the true contest lay in the ensuing encirclement and counter-encirclement, with both Commanders deploying and altering their tactics in this matchup, which was truly astonishing.

But now was not the time for performances; there was a war going on, and this battle could be described as the most important in the history of the Tulip Battle Zone since its formation. Neither Commander had the luxury to appreciate this spectacle.

Fortunately, Wilton reacted immediately after the Imperial Army made their formation change and quickly issued orders.

Following his orders, the last formation of the Alliance Army also moved out!

To break Wilton’s encirclement, the Imperial Army had committed all the strength of their four formations to the battlefield; similarly, to break their counter-encirclement, Wilton couldn’t afford to hold anything back and deployed the Alliance Army’s final unit as well!

The Alliance Army’s last formation had the most troops, with over twelve hundred warships, but the quality of this fleet was not comparable to the first two units. The first to enter the battle, Wilton’s own battleship fleet, consisted of seven hundred battleships and three hundred destroyers – the strongest force in the entire Alliance Army and indeed on the battlefield.

The Alliance Army’s second fleet wasn’t inferior either, with eight hundred High-Speed Patrol Space Ships that were also formidable. But this last deployed fleet, although numbering twelve hundred, was mainly composed of Escort Ships, equipped only with a small contingent of destroyers.

It’s important to note that while Escort Ships are considered large warships, they are the lowest tier among them and fall significantly short compared to other categories, both in firepower and defensive power. The only advantage they might have is in numbers.

That’s why Wilton was reluctant to deploy this unit lightly; a fleet composed of Escort Ships lacked the capacity to perform tasks independently on the battlefield and could only be used for support, like now.

Therefore, under his command, the Escort Ship fleet quickly flew towards the location of the High-Speed Patrol Space Ships.

Wilton’s intention was also clear; he planned to use this last unit in his hand to support the High-Speed Patrol Space Ship fleet.

As the battle progressed to this point, both sides had made their moves, essentially exhausting all available tactics; therefore, it was impossible to retract their previous moves. Even if Wilton was aware that the enemy aimed to counter-encircle him, he couldn’t possibly call back the deployed units urgently, as that would surely lead to a defeat in the fight.

All he could do was to have the Alliance Army’s last unit join the fray, and once the Escort Ship fleet combined with the High-Speed Patrol Space Ship fleet, their forces would number two thousand ships. With the dual advantages in number and quality, the Alliance Army would be able to prevail, despite the Imperial Army completing its encirclement.

However, such a move would also mean abandoning himself!

Once the Escort Ships and Patrol Cruisers merged, Wilton’s own battleship fleet would not receive any reinforcements and would face absolute disadvantage in the face of the Imperial Army’s encirclement!

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