CHAPTER 516: CHAPTER 368 THE USE OF THE AIR FORCE_1

Yan Xing had limited time to decide.

After careful consideration, Yan Xing could only abandon the plan to attack Highland City. Highland City boasted an elite force of 150,000 from the Cloud Coalition, a complete defense system, and two experienced war commanders, Anderson and Old Moam, overseeing it. With the Eternal Domain’s military strength, facing such a formidable defensive formation, it would be difficult to replicate the swift annihilation achieved in the battle for Outpost Fort. Meanwhile, the main force of the Elven border army, embroiled in a bitter struggle, was on the brink of collapse.

The most pragmatic approach was to sacrifice a pawn to save the king. Only by ensuring Snowland remained secure could they guarantee that this resource area, developed by the Eternal Domain, would continue to supply raw materials for large-scale production.

Once he had made his decision, Yan Xing immediately ordered the troops from Storm City and Frostleaf City to launch an offensive press from both the south and north against Highland City, preventing this enemy force from joining the siege against the main Elven border forces.

He ordered Eddie to lead the two airborne divisions, which had been on standby, to conduct airborne operations toward the Elven Royal Court, aiding the Elven armies loyal to Erelado in quelling the Elven royal family’s rebellion.

He ordered Li Zhua and Steel Fang to lead their respective Werewolf field armies northward over land. They were to travel through Frostleaf City to Snowland and the Savage Border, block the mountain pass to cover the retreat of the defeated Elven forces, and halt the Orcs’ northern advance.

He ordered the mercenary armies, hired by Eternal Domain merchants in Snowland, to consolidate their defenses and protect the Eternal Domain’s industries in Snowland from sabotage by Underground City bandits.

He ordered the newly formed Elven mountain division to head to Snowland to suppress the Underground City bandits.

He dispatched an envoy to the Underground City, urging all its factions and races not to get involved in the turmoil. Thunderous Swamp would absolutely not allow the internal strife in Snowland to continue, nor would it permit the Orcs to enter Snowland. The Underground City needed to understand its place and assist the Thunder Coalition in exterminating the Underground City bandits causing trouble on the surface. The diplomatic language was somewhat harsh. However, the necessary benefits were also offered, and Yan Xing had the envoy bring a list of gifts. With this carrot-and-stick approach, he hoped the underground races would exercise restraint.

As orders spread from the Lord’s Mansion of the Eternal Domain, its military forces immediately sprang into action.

The airborne divisions, already on standby, boarded their planes in an orderly fashion, abandoning most of their heavy equipment to transport as many troops as possible to the Elven Royal Court. A large number of Beak Eagle Transport Planes took off from the Eternal Domain military airfields, flying toward the northern Snowland; among them were numerous civilian airliners. To deploy the maximum number of troops to the Royal Court in the shortest possible time, Yan Xing had also mobilized the full capacity of Eternal Civil Aviation.

On the ground, a long convoy of trucks loaded with fully armed soldiers headed towards Frostleaf City along the Thunderous Main Road. The Eternal Domain’s continuous investment in road construction, truck manufacturing, and aircraft production from the very beginning was finally paying off at this critical juncture. The Eternal Domain was deploying its military forces to key strategic locations with a scale of mobility previously unimaginable in this world.

After completing the military deployments to control the situation in Snowland, Yan Xing refocused his attention on the main Elven border forces trapped in the Savage Land.

He simply could not stand by and watch them perish.

Scout planes dispatched to the Savage battlefield brought back intelligence on the situation. On the vast Savage plains, the scattered Elven armies were divided and encircled. Lacking fuel, their combat vehicles and military trucks could only be used as fixed gun emplacements and barricades.

To Yan Xing’s relief, the Orc main force was moving slowly due to the weather. Furthermore, their lack of transport vehicles meant the Orcs had missed the optimal opportunity to annihilate the Elves while encircling them. The dispersed Elves used their vehicles to establish defensive positions on the spot, leveraging their superior weaponry to resist the Orc onslaught.

Meanwhile, the Elven aerial forces resolutely engaged the Orcs’ Floating Warships and airships, providing air support to the encircled Elves without regard for their own losses.

The battles in the air and on the ground raged fiercely. One Elven resistance point after another was overrun by concentrated Orc forces, yet the Elves continued to fight.

Discovering that the Elves were still holding on, Yan Xing immediately ordered the Eternal Domain Air Force to support the besieged Elven troops. Fighter jets and Armored Gryphons carrying Beehive air-to-air missiles, along with fully loaded combat fortresses, launched to assist the Elven air force in contesting air superiority against the Orcs. Dive Bombers, carrying medium aerial bombs and extra cannon ammunition, helped small groups of Elves break out and move towards more defensible positions with larger troop concentrations. Bombers conducted raids on Orc formations. Transport planes air-dropped war materials to the Elves on the battlefield. They provided saturating aerial support to the still-resisting Elves, irrespective of the cost.

For a time, aircraft nearly obscured the skies above Eternal City as combat planes of all types and sizes streamed towards the western horizon.

Yan Xing himself was aboard one of these transport planes. He intended to personally command and participate in the "Rescue Erelado" operation.

Inside the exclusive Beak Eagle Transport Plane of the Super Tactical Squad, Yan Xing, clad in his magic-guided armor, surveyed the members of the sortie. The original six-member squad had expanded to nine. Besides Chui Chui, the Nine-Headed Dragon Illusion Realm had trained two more qualified heroes:

Harrington, the Mage who provided magical support.

Naisike, the thief adept at stealth and reconnaissance.

Yan Xing stood in the middle of the cabin and addressed the team members gathered around him, "Due to the urgency of the situation, we will hold our battle briefing on the plane. Chui Chui, display the map captured by the scout plane."

"Yes, Master."