Wasteland Commander-Chapter 433 - 124: Delaying Tactics

The air battle erupted over the No. 3 position, something Chu Yuan had not anticipated.

The second surprise for him was that more than five hundred fighter jets of the Dawn Army, upon reaching the vicinity of the Celestial River, did not attack the aircraft carrier battle group; instead, they flew back and forth between the battle group and the No. 3 position, completely cutting off the return route for those jets stationed at the No. 3 position.

It must be said, this tactic by the Dawn Army was extremely vicious.

They avoided a direct confrontation with the aircraft carrier battle group and instead trapped the air force attacking the No. 3 position.

The current situation presented Chu Yuan with an enormous dilemma.

Whether to go for rescue or not became a tough decision.

Not rescuing means nearly two hundred fighter jets would remain stranded there.

On the other hand, rescuing would undoubtedly require a massive effort, and clearly, Dawn Army’s strategy could wipe out whatever forces one commits.

In just over an hour, Chu Yuan became red-eyed, scruffy-bearded, and his hair, self-tugged, turned into a tangled mess, losing all semblance of the graceful young marshal.

"What should I do? The Dawn Army is clearly setting up a trap for me to fall into. What should I do now?"

Beside Chu Yuan, both Song Yuchang and Xu Wei dared not speak, as they too had no ideas in this situation.

The ground forces could not break the offensive, the air force faced annihilation, and the navy was stuck inside the Great River, unable to take action.

Only Liu Jingyan pondered for a moment and said to Chu Yuan, "Young marshal, I’m afraid we have no choice but to opt for rescue."

"Rescue? But this trap is so obvious, are we really going to fall for it?"

Liu Jingyan replied calmly, "Trap or not, we must engage. Sooner or later, a decisive battle with the Dawn Army is inevitable. If we choose to retreat now, we will not only lose an air force unit but suffer a significant blow to morale, which would be extremely detrimental to future operations."

Chu Yuan hesitated, "But... if we send other air force brigades for rescue, then there’ll be no fighter jets available on this side of the Celestial River. What if Dawn Army attacks now..."

Liu Jingyan snorted, "Is our aircraft carrier battle group mere wood? Our group boasts exceptional anti-air capabilities. Whether it’s Dawn Army’s missiles or jets, breaking our defenses would cost them dearly, and this battle is inevitable. Better sooner than later."

"Even taking a huge step back, even if our aircraft carrier battle group gets annihilated, Dawn Army’s air force would likely be decimated in the process. At that point, it will be the ground forces that determine the victory. Our ground forces can still capture the Dawn Army’s territories, even reclaim their peripheral provinces, forcing Ye Fan to retreat to Dawn Island. Young marshal, that outcome might not be so bad either."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan felt enlightened, as if he’d received a pinch of wisdom.

"Right, right! You’re absolutely correct. Our three aircraft carrier battle groups boast over forty warships ready for combat, almost all equipped with anti-air capabilities. How does Dawn Army plan to defeat me?

"Even if they defeat my navy, they’ll suffer greatly with their air and naval forces lost as well. We won’t fear them in ground combat."

"Rescue it is, no matter what, morale cannot be further diminished."

Chu Yuan followed Liu Jingyan’s advice and continued to dispatch troops for support.

No other units were suitable, it had to be the air force.

Jiangzhou’s total air force count was even slightly higher than that of the Dawn Army, totaling nearly eight hundred aircraft, including both air force jets and carrier-based jets.

Four hundred jets were dispatched initially, leaving another four hundred.

These four hundred were meant to serve as reserves, but at this moment, nothing else mattered, and Chu Yuan made a sweeping gesture to deploy the entire air force.

Dense formations of fighter jets had already prepared and immediately flew out from the rear air bases, joining the battle.

Upon their arrival, Dawn Army’s jets engaged, and the second round of air battle commenced.

This time, both sides effectively deployed all their resources, with Dawn Army even sending in the attack-10 fighter jets.

This time, Jiangzhou was adequately prepared, with White Eagle Country even providing them with satellite navigation and air-to-air missiles support.

A massive air battle erupted over Tianjiang Riverfront.

The entire combat process lasted for a full hour and a half.

Dawn Army fielded over five hundred fighter jets against Jiangzhou’s four hundred fighter jets.

Due to the attack-20’s engagement on the No. 3 positioning side, it didn’t make it in time for support here, so the aircraft count wasn’t drastically imbalanced.

Jiangzhou did indeed show strong resistance, especially with the satellite navigation support from White Eagle Country, their missiles started showing effectiveness.

However, in terms of individual aircraft combat strength and numbers, they were disadvantaged.

The air battle concluded with Jiangzhou’s air force unit entirely wiped out.

Dawn Army, too, didn’t escape unscathed, given that most of their planes were fourth-generation, and even third-generation jets.

Dawn Army lost over sixty aircraft, mostly the attack-10 fighter jets, along with some attack-16 and attack-15; no fifth-generation jets were lost.

All pilots parachuted safely, without casualties.

This was the greatest loss for the Dawn Army’s air force, but this is war; no one wins without losses.

Although the losses were great, the achievements were even greater.

After this air battle, Jiangzhou’s air force was completely annihilated, including the navy’s carrier-based aircraft.

After losing air superiority, Chu Yuan immediately ordered the fleet to advance.

Since there was no point in fighting on this battlefield, he decided to let the navy attack Dawn Island directly.

Although they would certainly encounter interception by the Dawn Army along the way, they had to pressure them, preventing the Dawn Army’s air and naval forces from threatening the Alliance Army’s ground forces here.

This move was indeed effective, but it also determined that this fleet would find it difficult to return.

The Dawn Army initially planned to take this opportunity to attack the enemy’s ground forces, but Jiangzhou’s actions forced them to focus on this carrier battle group.

The Dawn Army’s carrier fleet immediately intercepted, constantly using air force units for harassment.

However, the effect was minimal; the concentrated defense firepower of over forty warships was unprecedentedly terrifying, making it difficult for the Dawn Army’s fighters to approach.

The most effective method was long-range missile attacks, but Jiangzhou’s missile defense system was heavily fortified.

Unlike the carrier on Crescent Island, where two hypersonic missiles turned it into a ghost ship, the defense system here, along with ship guns, close-in weapons systems, and other defensive meshes, could even intercept hypersonic missiles.

Ye Fan’s side test-fired two and did not successfully penetrate, and simply stopped launching hypersonic missiles, continuing to use conventional means to engage.

After all, although the opponent’s defense was strong, their attack power was not as strong; the lack of carrier-based aircraft greatly reduced their attack strength.

The Dawn Army used rockets and drones to continuously harass, forcing Jiangzhou’s carrier to stop and deal with the Dawn Army’s harassment.

Thus, the two sides reached a stalemate on the river.

The stalemate on the river carried into the ground battles as well.

This was because Zheng Jinnan in the rear started interfering in the war.

......

"Young Commander, a call from the Duke."

Chu Yuan, who was commanding the battle, received a call from Zheng Jinnan.

"Father...."

"Chu Yuan, listen to me, don’t be reckless. We’ve lost our air force; we can’t afford more losses, whether it’s the navy or the army. If any side encounters problems, the battle might collapse."

"Father, what should we do now? We can no longer retreat."

"No! I don’t want you to retreat; you need to continue fighting there, just hold off the Dawn Army."

"Okay... but this is not a long-term plan."

Zheng Jinnan let out a cold laugh: "Trust me; I’ve already detained all foreign nationals in Jiangzhou, forcing their countries to send troops, jointly dealing with Ye Fan."

Chu Yuan was shocked upon hearing this: "Father, isn’t this inviting trouble? It’s easy for them to come but hard to make them leave. They might divide our territory."

Zheng Jinnan shook his head: "You’re wrong, not dividing our territory but Ye Fan’s territory. I’ve promised them that they can freely distribute all of Ye Fan’s lands."

Chu Yuan considered: "Did they all agree?"

"Some agreed, but the rest won’t make it due to distance. However, don’t worry, the Maid Country, Shanshen Country, and the Foot Basin Chicken have agreed to send troops immediately, arriving on the battlefield within three days at most."

"Rakshasa Country also agreed to send troops, but due to their distance, they are estimated to arrive in the northern border in five days to attack Dawn City, relieving pressure from us."

"What you need to do now is ensure that you hold on for three days. If you last three days, the situation will definitely reverse."

Listening to this, Chu Yuan felt reassured.

"Don’t worry, Father. While I can’t guarantee certain victory, holding for three days is absolutely within my ability. The Dawn Army won’t easily defeat me, whether on sea or land."

Zheng Jinnan was satisfied with Chu Yuan’s assurance.

"Good. As long as you hold on, we will win this battle. Once Ye Fan fails, Su Qiao won’t last long either. Then the whole Empire will be mine, and as I am getting on in years, the future of this nation will be passed to you."

Chu Yuan listened, his eyes shining, invigorated like never before.

He promised repeatedly, almost swearing an oath, with absolute confidence to prolong the battle.

In fact, Chu Yuan wasn’t exaggerating; with over forty warships defending and a ground force of seven to eight hundred thousand troops, the Dawn Army, no matter how strong, couldn’t end the battle within three days.

Unless some supernatural phenomena occur, it’s impossible.