"Damn those vile East Asians!"
Throughout history, the most combat-effective troops of any nation have always been those stationed along the border.
And when even such elite border forces tremble at the sight of approaching enemies,
It undoubtedly brings immense glory to the opposing force!
The East Asian Army had successfully achieved exactly that!
"The atmosphere is wrong, terribly wrong."
"This East Asian Army is completely abnormal! This is bad, very bad!"
Inside the ZAFT Forces' Boaz Fortress, which was modeled after the East Asian Army's L4 Nova Satellite Fortress,
The garrison commander, along with numerous staff officers and senior officers, watched the enemy East Asian attack fleet appearing on their screens.
Each one felt their hearts pounding like war drums.
The enemy's military formation was impeccably disciplined - that went without saying. Their various new-type battleships appeared tremendously powerful - that also went without saying.
But why...
Why did these cold war machines radiate such a terrifying aura?
It was like an unstoppable historical tide, ready to casually crush a small, insignificant stumbling block on the ground.
Could it be that in the enemy's eyes, the Boaz Fortress - built with enormous ZAFT resources and manpower -
Along with the carefully selected elite soldiers, were so utterly insignificant?
"Could they be planning to directly strike us with that weapon called the Goddess of Love?"
After much deliberation, an officer couldn't help but voice his concerns in a low tone.
After all, in the view of many present, the East Asian Army possessing such weapons had every reason to deploy the Goddess of Love in this battle.
Whether considering their own soldiers' casualties or quickly destroying the Boaz Fortress,
Using the Goddess of Love was an extremely cost-effective approach.
Once these words were spoken, many officers could no longer contain their anxiety.
Encountering powerful enemies on the battlefield was certainly unfortunate, but at least against even the strongest foes, they still had room to resist.
Taking down one enemy was breaking even, taking down two meant profit. But if they couldn't even touch the enemy,
And were simply wiped out in an explosion, that would undoubtedly be exceptionally despairing.
Because it would mean their sacrifices, their struggles, their perseverance
Were all just a joke - everything they did would be utterly meaningless.
Achieving nothing except making those they wanted to protect shed tears.
And what could make soldiers feel more disheartened than such an outcome?
The Boaz Fortress garrison commander listened silently to the hushed discussions among his officers behind him.
In fact, regarding what had happened previously and what was currently happening in PLANT territory,
Others might not have clear understanding, but he certainly wasn't among those unaware.
The threat of the East Asian Army's Goddess of Love, the Coordinators' panicked exodus...
Thinking of this, the garrison commander, like Patrick, felt a profound sense of powerlessness welling up inside.
But with PLANT territory right behind them, these border defenders already had no path of retreat.
So regardless of how formidable the enemy is, or whether they will deploy such weapons in this battle, the only option now is to fight.
Moreover, taking a deep breath of cold air and exhaling heavily.
In truth, there was one thing the garrison commander couldn't openly say—he was relieved that the East Asian Army controlled the Goddess of Love.
That unit, that nation.
They had once been caught in the rain and knew how it felt to be drenched.
So perhaps if PLANT were truly breached by them, it might actually be the best outcome for tens of millions of Coordinators.
Because it would be far better than the Coordinator race ultimately falling into the hands of the Atlantic Federation!
It must be said that the East Asian Army's formidable reputation allowed the garrison commander of Boaz Fortress to entertain such thoughts.
There was no more successful army in the world than this one.
"Order all fleets to advance, MS units to sortie."
"We are the undefeated Boaz garrison, the glorious warriors of the ZAFT Forces."
"For the sake of our compatriots behind us, we can only achieve victory, and only victory."
"Because if we fail, we face national annihilation and the extinction of our kind."
In just a few words, while his mind harbored one thought, his speech did not hinder him from portraying the current situation as extremely grave.
Because this was indeed the truth. The garrison commander then began mobilizing the troops.
He delegated all specific battlefield details to the unit commanders below.
In large-scale frontal combat, to be honest, no one in the current Coordinator ZAFT Forces dared to claim with confidence.
That they could match the historically seasoned East Asian Army.
When poor, employ tactical infiltration; when rich, rely on firepower saturation.
Easier said than done!
Since that was the case, it was better to simply follow the Coordinator tradition—disperse and assault freely, relying on individual initiative.
Placing hope in a sudden flash of inspiration from those below.
Perhaps a stroke of genius from that talented Coordinator could turn the entire tide of the battle!
Moreover, the garrison commander's arrangement was essentially a last resort.
If they gathered their own forces to engage the East Asian Army in a frontal confrontation.
Wouldn't the concentrated troops become an ideal target for the Goddess of Love?
If the East Asian Army launched a Goddess of Love strike then, casualties would be catastrophic.
There would be no way to evade it!
Never place hope in the enemy; always prepare for the worst.
Subsequently, with a command from the competent commander, the war machinery of the ZAFT Forces in Boaz Fortress rumbled into action.
Leveraging their advantageous position and waiting at ease, the ZAFT Forces' warships secured favorable positions before the East Asian Army could form their official battle array.
Scattered here and there, like blossoms scattered by a celestial maiden.
A considerable number of warships filled the cosmic space around Boaz Fortress.
They cleared the path directly in front of the fortress, as if inviting the enemy into a trap.
"Chief of Staff Jiang, take a look—there are indeed skilled strategists among the enemy."
Aboard the East Asian Army's flagship, General Zheng, who rightfully commanded this fleet, halted the fleet group. After observing the Coordinators' deployment, he spoke lightly to his old partner.
"Hmm."
After carefully examining the enemy's layout, Chief of Staff Jiang also acknowledged that their arrangement was quite reasonable.
We must both guard against our own use of the Goddess of Love and effectively intercept our own fleet outside the defensive line.
Gathering the fleet to engage in a head-on confrontation with our own forces is clearly an unreasonable choice.
The enemy's current deployment, while seemingly leaving the front of Boaz Fortress exposed, serves two purposes. First, they likely intend to use the fortress as a defensive stronghold to attract or tie down our main forces. This allows the scattered enemy fleets to act like wolf packs, exploiting our reluctance to leverage our firepower advantage fully. When we focus our superior firepower on the fortress, the enemy battleships will swarm in to pick off our outer vessels, peeling away our superior forces layer by layer, like an onion.
If we abandon our firepower advantage and avoid attacking the enemy fortress first, instead diverting battleships to engage in skirmishes with the enemy, it makes little difference to the Coordinators. Without utilizing our firepower superiority, the Coordinators can freely demonstrate their valor in these skirmishes. In such a scenario, even if they don't defeat us outright, they can stall our forces, buying more preparation time for their homeland.
Second, this deployment also serves as a precaution against our own use of the Goddess of Love. By clearing the frontal approach, the enemy commander is essentially gambling with his own life and that of the fortress, testing our intentions while giving the surrounding ZAFT Forces battleships a chance to survive. Using the Goddess of Love against scattered, individual battleships would be inefficient and not cost-effective. So, what could be better than directly targeting the enemy fortress with it? This approach would not waste time and would make things much easier for our soldiers.
However, the enemy battleship commanders are no fools. If the fortress is destroyed, they will surely retreat. Once it's confirmed that our East Asian Army will use the Goddess of Love on the battlefield, the next battle at the enemy's doorstep in PLANT will inevitably lead to a desperate, beast-like counterattack from the Coordinators—unless we hand the battlefield over to the Atlantic Federation Army or resort to inhumane tactics. Otherwise, the East Asian Army, already viewed as no different from Blue Cosmos among the Coordinators, will face the most dangerous and lethal kind of retaliation.
Of course, there's another possibility, one the East Asian Army absolutely does not want to see.
"Do you think it's possible that if we use the Goddess of Love here, the enemy will quickly surrender?" Chief of Staff Jiang's thoughts mirrored General Zheng's, but with one key difference: General Zheng was genuinely considering the first use of the Goddess of Love. Based on historical records, perhaps the enemy would see reason? After all, there are precedents. At this stage of the war, there's really no need for further stubborn resistance.
"This issue," Chief of Staff Jiang slowly began, after pondering it, "even if we use it, we should wait until we demonstrate our strength and destroy Boaz Fortress with an unstoppable force. Then, detonating the Goddess of Love at the enemy's doorstep would, in my opinion, have the best effect. The enemy's current leader is Patrick. If we use the Goddess of Love here, the most likely outcome is that the ZAFT Forces would disperse entirely, allowing us to land on their homeland."
"They've taken advantage of our family's code of conduct, knowing full well we would never mistreat those ordinary Coordinator civilians."
"Then after the war, let's specialize in guerrilla warfare against those ZAFT forces who turned to piracy."
"That makes sense too."
General Zheng nodded, feeling his chief of staff's words weren't without reason.
He temporarily dismissed the thought of starting with overwhelming force to show respect.
General Zheng didn't believe his forces would fall victim to the enemy's petty tricks.
His warriors were no inferior to the enemy, so their commander's courage wouldn't be inferior to that of the one inside the enemy fortress either!
With the honor of their respective forces at stake, let there be a satisfying, all-out battle!
"Relay orders: with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang-class Ying Zheng as vanguard, the central fleet will charge straight toward the enemy's Boaz Fortress."
"Left and right flank fleets, prepare for anti-battleship and anti-Mobile Suit combat."
"Since the enemy has laid out a banquet expecting two tables of guests to feast..."
"Let's see whether their dishes are tougher, or our teeth are stronger."
Surprisingly, General Zheng chose a tactical command that aligned with the enemy's expectations.
It was clearly a head-on confrontation approach.
Such a choice would test the true capabilities of both sides' warriors.
Utterly without fancy tricks.
"You're not planning to... if things become impossible..."
Knowing his old partner well, Chief of Staff Jiang thought of something alarming.
There was actually another way to break the deadlock.
It just depended on whether the commander was willing to abandon all honor, and in the worst case, face a court-martial.
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