"Natural, the East Asian Army actually—!"
As the attacking East Asian Army's situation took a favorable turn, the ZAFT Forces' commanders on the opposing side were far less pleased.
Whether it was the originally weak left flank of the ZAFT Forces now being heavily breached by the Nova Resource Satellite defenders, or the central fleet struggling to break through the East Asian Army's blocking forces on the periphery—the commanders' moods swung wildly between hope and despair.
"Captain, it's true what they say—a centipede dies but never falls. After all, they are a seasoned elite force. We truly underestimated the East Asian Army," the adjutant said to his commander aboard the central fleet's flagship.
Ever since receiving the combat report from the left flank fleet, neither he nor the commander had been able to relax their furrowed brows.
"Indeed," the Coordinator captain nodded gloomily, his eyes fixed on the red and blue arrows marking the battlefield. "We can't afford to underestimate the East Asian Army. Who would have thought they could still produce heroes capable of turning the tide at such a critical moment?"
"Look here," the captain continued, pointing at the holographic tactical display. "Our old friend's intentions are clear. He's replacing the original defensive forces with fresh reinforcements to concentrate superior firepower and crush our left flank—intimidating us into retreating given the current situation."
"Agreed," the adjutant concurred. "This battle is a gentleman's duel. If we win, we gain control of this region. If we lose, given the East Asian Army's mobilization capabilities, Chairman Patrick might not withstand Chairman Clyne's pressure. In that case, our most likely outcome would be withdrawal."
"But this would halt our consecutive victories, dealing a significant blow to both our forces and PLANT's morale."
"That's why I kept the right flank fleet as reserves, planning to coordinate with the left flank fleet to secure victory," the captain explained, his gaze locked on the fiercely contested battlefield. He was both briefing his adjutant and organizing his own strategy.
"I thought I'd already given the East Asian Army enough respect—after all, compared to the other two allied forces, they're the most formidable opponent. But I never expected the enemy blocking us to be so tenacious, nor our left flank to endure such overwhelming pressure."
"Damn those Naturals! To think they were hiding such an ace—they've actually managed to deploy beam weapons on Moebius Zeros? Compared to that new MA of theirs, GINN has been outclassed, even rendered obsolete. If the enemy mass-produces such weapons, our advantage will become negligible."
Shaking his head helplessly, the adjutant watched his furious captain. As deputy commander of the central fleet, his mind was filled with images of the enemy's valiant performance on the battlefield.
Military historians once calculated that in ancient warfare, an army would typically collapse after suffering just 5% casualties. Modern armies fare better, but considering their combined arms nature, they usually break after sustaining about 30% losses.
According to the data ZAFT Forces had gathered from past engagements with the Allied Forces,
both the Eurasian Federation and Atlantic Federation troops would typically collapse and retreat once their casualty ratio reached just 30%.
But the enemy before them now—
This adjutant had witnessed battles where entire small fleets fought to annihilation without retreating, let alone at 50% losses!
"BOOM!" Just as the two Coordinator officers were lost in thought,
a deafening explosion blared through the battleship's bridge speakers, snapping them back to attention.
"General! The Laurasia-class battleship Olga has been sunk!"
The intelligence officer reported with tear-filled eyes, his voice trembling through the headset.
"What?"
The Captain was equally stunned. Though he'd mentally prepared for losses among the left flank fleet after Wang Hu's unexpected rise,
he never anticipated his own central command fleet would suffer the first casualty—a devastating miscalculation.
"Was that beam-equipped Moebius Zero redeployed from the left flank? Or do the Naturals have more than one such unit?"
The General's first thought was either Wang Hu's arrival or hidden Natural reinforcements.
"N-no, sir!"
The officer stammered. "The enemy ship, after being crippled, exploited our urgency to break through and rammed the overextended Olga!"
"So that's how it was..."
The Coordinator Captain looked dazed. While the East Asian Army had attempted suicidal charges in desperate situations before,
ZAFT had always maintained strict distance, relying on Mobile Suits to minimize precious battleship losses—until now.
"We grew impatient, Captain." The adjutant offered consolation.
"Trust the left flank. No single MA or MS can decide a war's outcome."
His words weren't entirely wrong—he hadn't yet witnessed the super-elites that would emerge later in the conflict.
"Heh..." The Captain gave a bitter chuckle.
"I know. I understand. But this is our first battleship lost since the war began."
Sighing heavily, he recalled five hours earlier—
The Laurasia-class ship dispatched to threaten the L4 Colony Satellite zone,
and Captain Tyler of the MS unit who'd shouldered all responsibility then. Was it now his turn?
"Deploy the right flank reserves into battle."
After careful consideration, the Coordinator Captain committed his final reserves.
"Captain?" The adjutant was startled—the situation hardly seemed dire enough.
"You wouldn't understand."
Studying his subordinate's bewildered expression, the Captain spoke with quiet resignation.
"A new wind has risen on the battlefield. If we don't contain it before it fully takes shape..."
"Then this wind will transform into a hurricane that sweeps away the Coordinators' dream of the whole world."
"Look." The Coordinator captain pointed outside the bridge. Through the window, the distant flames of war suddenly appeared right before their eyes in mere moments.
"See? The enemy's morale has peaked because of that beam-type Moebius Zero, because of that warship that actively rammed our forces."
"They've seen hope!"
"Understood." General Zheng watched the flames of war outside the window with bitterness. Wasn't such hope once by our side too?
Thus, to secure victory and quell the boiling morale of the East Asian Army...
For the first time since the war began, the Coordinator's right-wing forces, which had remained stationary, began mobilizing—clearly preparing to be deployed into battle.
"Excellent!" General Zheng in the Nova Resource Satellite exclaimed excitedly upon seeing the enemy's troop movements.
"Chief of Staff Jiang, send a message to our reinforcements in the rear."
"Tell them to be ready to advance and penetrate at any moment."
"Hahaha, plans change faster than expected—I'm going to annihilate them all!"
(End of Chapter)