253: Chapter 253 Sand Table Bloodbath! Veteran Generals Gamble with Their Lives, Sacrificing Pawns for the First Strike!

The holographic star map dimmed.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan stood before the operating console, his hands pressed against the edge of the panel, not moving.

Beside him, Zhang Zhiyue took off his helmet; his hair was soaked through.

"Insufficient intelligence. We don't know the jump coordinates of the Red Force's capital ships."

"It's my fault." Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan straightened up. "The electronic warfare module wasn't deployed in time, giving the enemy a chance to launch a sneak attack."

"Again," Su Che said from outside the light curtain.

[Second simulation begins.]

This time, Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan adjusted the deployment.

The electronic warfare module was deployed in advance, with Xiao Jingrong assigned to take charge of it.

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan changed the fleet formation to a diamond shape, with the transport ships in the innermost layer, wrapped in three layers of escort rings.

Li Chengwen kept his eyes on the logistics supply lines, ensuring the distribution of ammunition and energy.

The Blue Force fleet set off again.

The scouting frigates in the vanguard discovered the Red Force's unmanned attack boat swarm at the second interception point.

Xiao Jingrong immediately activated electronic warfare, initiating full-spectrum electromagnetic suppression.

Under the interference, the Red Force's unmanned attack boat swarm lost formation coordination and scattered into disarray.

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan seized the opportunity, pushing the destroyer swarm forward and eliminating them one by one with close-in defense fire.

The first wave of interception was held.

But Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's heart did not settle.

The Red Force's three capital ships still hadn't appeared.

"Where are they?" Zhang Zhiyue stared at all the navigation routes and gravity wells on the star map, checking them one by one.

"They might be waiting for our ammunition to run out," Xiao Jingrong said, tracing a circle on the star map with his finger. "Or they might be waiting for us to show a weakness."

The Blue Force fleet continued to advance, with one-third of the journey to the target star sector remaining.

Just then, an anomaly appeared on the star map.

Three gravity wells fluctuated simultaneously.

"Report, jump signals appearing from three gravity wells simultaneously!" Captain Li Jun's voice came from the back row.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's expression changed.

Three capital ships, jumping simultaneously from three directions.

This wasn't an ambush; this was an encirclement.

"All fleet units, turn! Break out toward the nearest gravity well!"

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan's fingers flew across the panel, and the Blue Force fleet began to change course.

But the transport ships were too slow.

During the turn, a gap appeared in the escort ring.

One of the Red Force's capital ships precisely seized this gap and cut in from the flank.

This time, it didn't target the transport ships.

It aimed directly at the Blue Force's command ship.

"Flagship, take evasive action!"

It was too late.

The range of the capital ship's main cannon far exceeded that of any of the Blue Force's warships; a beam of energy crossed the entire battlefield and struck the flagship's shield.

The shield was pierced within 0.3 seconds.

[Blue Force flagship destroyed; command chain interrupted.]

[Simulation failed.]

The holographic star map dimmed once more.

On the operating platform, not one of the six people made a sound.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's hand was still pressed on the panel, his knuckles tight.

Twice now.

Zhang Zhiyue pulled up the data playback on the holographic display and watched it three times.

"The Red Force capital ships' jump coordinates are different every time; we can't predict them at all."

Xiao Jingrong licked his dry lips, his gaze sweeping through the data stream.

"Because our detection range isn't sufficient. We still haven't fully grasped the radar system on the sand table."

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan walked up from the back row.

"The fleet's response speed for changing course can't keep up either. The control logic for Level 3 Civilization warships is too different from Earth's."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan turned around and looked at Su Che outside the light curtain.

"We have one last chance."

Su Che didn't say anything.

Kaila stood beside him, her blue eyes reflecting the dimmed holographic star map.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan walked back to the main command position and placed both hands on the operating panel.

"Zhang Zhiyue, pull up all the data from the previous two attempts and find the patterns."

"Xiao Jingrong, break down the Red Force's tactical logic for me."

"Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan, find a way to shorten the fleet's control response time."

"Li Chengwen, redo the logistics distribution plan."

"Captain Li Jun, go through every functional module of the radar system; don't miss a single one."

The five of them returned to their respective stations.

The holographic star map lit up for the third time.

The Blue Force fleet appeared at the starting point once more.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's gaze swept across the entire battlefield, engraving every light point and every route into his mind.

This time, he changed his strategy.

"All fleet units, defend in place."

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan's hand stopped.

"We're not moving?"

"We're not moving."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan traced a circle on the star map, contracting the Blue Force fleet's defensive formation into a dense spherical shape.

"Transport ships in the core, wrapped by frigates, then destroyers outside that, with cruisers on the outermost layer."

"We won't move; we'll wait for them to come to us."

Xiao Jingrong understood immediately.

"Waiting for the enemy at our leisure, letting the Red Force take the initiative to attack, and using the firepower density of our defensive formation to wear them down."

"Correct," Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan nodded. "We lost the first two times because of the weaknesses exposed when we took the initiative. This time, we won't go out; we'll let them try to chew through us."

The Blue Force fleet deployed in a defensive formation at the center of the star map.

Time passed second by second.

The Red Force's unmanned attack boat swarm appeared first, rushing in from three directions simultaneously.

Xiao Jingrong's electronic warfare module was activated full-time, with full-spectrum suppression.

The unmanned attack boat swarm's formation was broken up again.

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan directed the destroyer swarm to eliminate them one by one with close-in defense fire; the efficiency was much higher than the previous two times.

"Captain Li Jun, are there any jump signals from capital ships on the radar?"

"None; all three gravity wells are calm."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's brow did not relax.

It was impossible for the Red Force to use only unmanned attack boats.

The first wave was cleared, and the second wave arrived.

This time, it was the Red Force's cruiser swarm.

Eighteen cruisers, divided into three groups, pressed in from three directions simultaneously.

"Firepower distribution!" Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's voice dropped. "Cruisers against cruisers, destroyers fill the gaps, frigates stay put and hold the transport ships at all costs."

The Blue Force's outer-layer cruisers began to return fire.

On the 3D star map, blue and red energy beams intertwined, as dense as a spider web.

The Blue Force's defensive formation worked, concentrating firepower to destroy the Red Force cruisers one by one.

But the Red Force's numerical advantage was too great.

The shields of three Blue Force outer-layer cruisers were pierced one after another, and the hulls were destroyed.

"The outer gap is widening!" Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan's voice grew tense.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan gritted his teeth.

"Destroyers, push forward and fill the gap."

The destroyer swarm pushed forward, plugging the gap.

But the defensive formation had become thinner.

Just then, Captain Li Jun's voice exploded.

"Three gravity wells fluctuating simultaneously! Capital ship jump signals!"

Another three-pronged encirclement.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's hand clenched into a fist on the panel.

"Exactly the same as last time..."

Zhang Zhiyue analyzed rapidly from the side.

"Three-way jump, less than ten seconds apart. We don't have time to adjust our formation to respond."

Xiao Jingrong's fingers were operating the electronic warfare panel frantically.

"I'll try to interfere with their jump signals."

"Will it work?"

"I don't know, but I'll try."

Xiao Jingrong pushed the electronic warfare module's power to the maximum, initiating full-spectrum suppression against the jump signals of the three gravity wells.

On the star map, the jump trajectory of one red light point shifted.

The jump coordinates of one Red Force capital ship deviated by two light-seconds.

But the other two appeared right on time.

Two energy beams shot from two directions simultaneously toward the core of the Blue Force's defensive formation.

One struck the shield of a cruiser; the shield shattered, and the cruiser was pierced.

The other headed straight for the transport ship swarm.

"Intercept!" Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan roared.

Two frigates blocked the front of the transport ships, taking the energy beam head-on with their hulls.

Both frigates were destroyed simultaneously.

But the transport ships were saved.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's eyes were red.

"How much combat power is left?"

"Four cruisers left, eleven destroyers left, nineteen frigates left, and the transport ships are all intact," Li Chengwen reported the data.

The Red Force still had two capital ships and twelve cruisers.

The disparity in forces was even greater now.

The Blue Force fleet's ammunition and energy had already been more than half consumed.

Zhang Zhiyue pulled up the playback data, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen.

"After every jump, the Red Force capital ships have an energy recharge interval of about fifteen seconds. During these fifteen seconds, their shields are down."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan turned around.

"Fifteen seconds?"

"Fifteen seconds," Zhang Zhiyue magnified the data. "Three jumps, and it's like this every time. This is their fatal flaw."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's brain was constantly racing.

A fifteen-second shield vulnerability window.

If they could concentrate all firepower on one capital ship during those fifteen seconds...

"Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan, concentrate all firepower from all cruisers and destroyers. When the capital ship jumps out, during that fifteen-second window, unleash everything."

"Understood."

The remaining Blue Force fleet readjusted their formation, with all cannons aimed at the direction where the Red Force capital ships might appear.

On the star map, the two Red Force capital ships began to move.

They were circling, looking for weak points in the Blue Force's defensive formation.

Then, they jumped simultaneously.

Two red light points disappeared from the star map.

"Jump signals!" Captain Li Jun stared at the radar. "Two signal sources, bearing..."

His throat got stuck.

On the radar, three jump signals appeared.

Not two, but three.

The third capital ship, the one whose jump coordinates had been shifted by Xiao Jingrong's interference, had also returned.

Three-pronged encirclement, for the third time.

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's hand pressed on the panel, motionless.

The fifteen-second window could only take out one ship.

The other two would fire at the same time.

With the Blue Force's current remaining strength, they couldn't withstand a simultaneous volley from two capital ships.

On the holographic star map, three red light points lit up simultaneously.

Three energy beams shot from three directions toward the core of the Blue Force's defensive formation.

Su Che stood outside the light curtain, his fists clenched white.

Kaila said softly from the side.

"If they can't withstand this round, it will be the third failure."

On the operating platform, Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan continued to issue orders.

"All fleet units, abandon defensive formation."

Senior Colonel He Zhiyuan's hand stopped.

"Abandon defense? Then the transport ships..."

"Forget the transport ships."

Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan leaned back against the chair.

"All warships, charge at full speed toward the nearest capital ship. Fifteen-second window, unleash all firepower."

"Use the transport ships as bait to attract the fire of the other two capital ships."

Zhang Zhiyue looked up from the side.

"There are two thousand crew members in the transport ships..."

"This is a sand table," Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan interrupted him. "The two thousand people on the sand table are not real people."

"But what if this were a real battlefield?"

Zhang Zhiyue's fingers dug a shallow mark into the console, his gaze fixed like a nail on Commander-in-Chief Wang Xueshan's back.

On the operating platform, not one of the six people moved.

On the holographic star map, the three energy beams were getting closer and closer.

Time flowed second by second.

Su Che watched this scene.

His lips moved twice, but in the end, he silently pressed them together.

This is a sand table.

But every decision on the sand table could be reenacted on a future real battlefield.

The three energy beams had five seconds until impact.

Four seconds.

Three seconds.