N-M Chapter 234 Taking them down one by one
Chapter 234 Taking them down one by one
Zhou Wangyue drew a circle on the screen with his finger, encompassing the entire territory of Great Xia: "This matter is too big. The detailed battle plan has not yet been finalized, but the general direction is already there."
"There are 108 base cities across the country, and the total number of alien beast dens waiting to be cleared in the surrounding areas exceeds 20,000. The council has divided all the dens into three levels."
His finger touched a small red triangle.
"This is a level three hideout, the smallest in scale, with beasts that are at most level four."
"These dens account for more than 80% of the total number nationwide, and are spread around the outskirts of every base city, with the closest one being less than 50 kilometers away from the city wall."
"Ordinary people dare not leave the city to farm or travel on highways because they are trapped by these dens."
After saying that, he moved his finger to a medium-sized red square.
"This is a level two nest, of medium size, guarded by a fifth-tier beast king."
"Currently, 1,300 have been marked nationwide, with the majority concentrated in border areas and remote wilderness areas."
"The garrison can't take down these nests; it takes elite squads to go and take them down."
Then his finger moved to the largest diamond-shaped mark, which was dark red and pulsated slightly on the screen.
"The first-level nest is the largest in scale, and it is guarded by a sixth-tier beast king."
"Only eight have been discovered within the Great Xia territory so far, five of which are on the border and three inland."
"Each of these eight level-one lairs is a nightmare for a city."
Song Chen's gaze swept over the eight deep red rhombuses, memorizing their positions, before he asked, "How will the thirty million conscripts be distributed?"
"Recruit soldiers to raid level-three hideouts." Zhou Wangyue's finger moved quickly across the screen, circling the dense array of small triangles.
"Of the 30 million people, the majority are at the first or second tier, with those at the third tier or above accounting for less than 10%."
"But the beasts in a level three hideout are at most level four, and there aren't many of them."
"The conscripted soldiers are organized into battalion and company units, and, in coordination with the local garrison's heavy weapons and psionic artillery, they push forward one stronghold after another."
"With superior numbers and firepower, clearing out a level-three hideout is not difficult."
He paused, then moved his finger to the square markers.
"Level 2 nests require elite squads, with each squad consisting of at least one Tier 5 soldier and three to five Tier 4 soldiers, plus conscripted soldiers to provide outer perimeter blockade and fire support."
"Take them one by one, concentrate our superior forces to fight a war of annihilation. Clear out one-third of the 1,300 level-two nests within three months, and clear them all out within a year."
Zhou Wangyue turned around, looked at Song Chen, and said in a very serious tone: "The key is here."
"The council had considered eradicating them before, but every time they started an operation, the Sirius Clan would use their mental power to coordinate the beast hordes throughout the area."
"If you attack one stronghold, surrounding strongholds will come to its aid at the same time, and strange beasts from within a thousand miles will be driven over to form a beast tide."
"The clearing forces were surrounded halfway through their advance and had to retreat, which is the core reason for the failure of the clearing operations over the past fifty years."
"But things are different now. With the death of the Sirius King, the remnants of the Sirius Clan can't even fight for their own territory, let alone command the alien beasts across the country."
"Without the coordination of the Sirius Clan, these strongholds would be dead, each guarding its own territory without any subordinate relationship. If a neighboring stronghold is attacked, the adjacent strongholds wouldn't even think of providing support."
"Therefore, the core of this crackdown can be summed up in four words: defeat them one by one."
"Take it slow, be steady, and take down one nest at a time. We won't attract a whole bunch of nests like before when taking down one would attract a whole bunch."
Song Chen understood. In the past, humans did not face a disorganized herd of beasts, but a land-based empire of alien beasts with a command chain and the ability to fight in coordination.
Sirius was the brain of that empire. Now that the brain is gone, all that's left are a bunch of independent dens fighting their own battles.
This is why humans dared to counterattack after the death of the Sirius King—not because humans suddenly became stronger, but because the alien beasts suddenly dispersed.
Song Chen looked at the deep red rhombuses: "Eight level-one nests. Should the councilor handle them?"
Zhou Wangyue nodded: "That's right. There is a sixth-level beast king in the first-level nest. Sending conscripted soldiers to it would be suicide. Even a fifth-level elite squad wouldn't work. Only a sixth-level grandmaster can suppress it."
He thought for a moment, then said, "Teacher, my current strength should be enough to kill the Beast King. Tell me, where should I go?"
"No rush," Zhou Wangyue shook his head.
"A sixth-tier beast king is not a sitting duck. Intelligence, battlefield selection, retreat routes, and nuclear support plans—everything must be finalized in advance."
"Moreover, the terrain and garrison configuration inside the Level 1 lair have not yet been determined. The Parliamentary Intelligence Department has already dispatched drones to conduct a comprehensive reconnaissance, which will take some time."
Song Chen thought for a moment and then shifted his gaze to the location of Nanjiang Province and Anning City.
The two blue dots were very close together, surrounded by dozens of square markers, indicating a level two nest, guarded by a level five beast king.
There is not a single deep red rhombus; there is no first-level nest in Nanjiang.
"Since there's no rush to attack the level one hideouts, I'll take over all the level two hideouts near Nanjiang Province."
Are you alone?
Song Chen pulled the Heavenly Blade out half an inch and then put it back in: "Yes, for me alone, a fifth-tier beast king is no longer a problem."
"I'll come to Qingnanjiang, and after I'm done clearing it, I'll help you level up."
Zhou Wangyue looked at him for two seconds, then nodded.
"Alright, I'll speak to Lu Zhengbei, the garrison commander of Nanjiang Province. His local troops will cooperate with you to block the outer perimeter. You just need to go into the lair and kill; you don't need to worry about what happens outside."
"Okay, when can we set off?"
"Anytime is fine."
"Okay, I'll set off now."
Song Chen immediately turned around and left.
As I reached the door, Zhou Wangyue's voice came from behind me: "When your mother treated me to dinner last time, she said that you should come home more often when you have time."
Song Chen paused for a moment, but without turning around, he raised his hand and waved.
Han Duo was already waiting on the tarmac.
The engines of the senator's private spaceship have begun to warm up.
As Song Chen stepped onto the gangway, Han Duo saluted at the cabin door: "Councilor, the flight route has been approved. It's a direct flight to Anning City, with an estimated flight time of three hours."
"Okay." Song Chen walked into the cabin and sat down.
Outside the porthole, the lights of the capital city slowly receded into the night.
He glanced down at the fluctuating numbers on the system panel, then looked up at the night sky outside the window.
There are no city walls in the night sky.
Soon, those hideouts outside Anning City will also be without city walls.
The spacecraft flew smoothly in the night sky.
Song Chen leaned back in his seat, pondering the distribution of the level-two nests.
Then he suddenly stopped what he was doing.
The provincial center of Nam Giang province is located in Nam Giang City.
The most detailed map of the monster's hideouts, the latest reconnaissance intelligence, and the troop deployment of the local garrison are all in Nanjiang.
It's okay if the army arrives last, but he has to get the data first.
Going to clear out a level-two lair without detailed intelligence is like going into the mountains blindfolded—it's extremely inefficient.
"Han Duo".
"Here." Han Duo poked his head out from the cockpit.
"Change course, head to Nanjiang Base City first."
"Notify Lu Zhengbei, the garrison commander of Nanjiang Province, that I need to access detailed intelligence on all the level-two lairs in the province. Tell him to prepare in advance. The army need not be mobilized for now; we'll discuss it when I arrive."
"yes!"