Hearing this news, Hong Dulas, Commander-in-Chief of the Hongxian Federation Expeditionary Force, suddenly felt his vision darken, nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Commander-in-Chief..." The senior officers of the Hongxian Federation beside him were visibly shaken.

"Commander-in-Chief, are you alright?" Hong Dulas’s personal adjutant nervously supported him, helping him slowly back into his chair.

Hong Dulas waved a hand, signaling he was fine, though his face was ashen, causing deep concern.

After a long moment, he finally managed to regain his composure. While his complexion remained grim, he could speak. "How did the forces from Davo appear behind our lines?"

Those present exchanged worried glances, and one man stepped forward. "Could it have been an ambush force already hidden there?"

Hong Dulas shot him a cold look. "Then tell me, where could they possibly be hidden?"

"Perhaps," the man began, a few beads of cold sweat trickling down his brow, "perhaps they were concealed within some kind of secret base. That’s why we didn't detect them."

"To completely wipe out a supply convoy guarded by a quasi-satellite class mothership squadron means the enemy has formidable strength behind our lines," another officer, bearing the rank of full General, interjected to rescue the first speaker. "Based on my estimation, the enemy fleet must consist of at least seven to ten Wushan-class destroyers."

The General paused, then continued, "Such strength nearly triples the deployment capability of an entire Davo war sector. It is impossible for them to have been hidden in a secret base; otherwise, we would have found them."

Hong Dulas’s expression softened slightly, nodding subtly, inviting him to continue.

"Furthermore, based on intelligence we’ve gathered over the years, coupled with analysis from our think tank, all available forces that Davo could mobilize are already committed to the main battlefield. This fleet," he concluded, "must either have been transferred from another border defense sector, or it is composed of forces belonging to the Great Clans."

The General’s words struck the core of the issue, and everyone present nodded in agreement.

"Then guess how this fleet managed to get behind us?" Hong Dulas asked, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The General took a deep breath, exhaling four words: "Space Jump."

"Impossible," someone immediately countered. "All the space jump points in our rear are under our control. They couldn't have crossed over without a trace."

"Then tell me, how did that fleet appear behind us? The nearest operational space jump point for Davo is currently surrounded by our forces. The next closest is half a light-year away. Simply navigating there by conventional drive would take a year and a half at the very least!"

The dissenter was silenced.

"Commander-in-Chief, I have a bold hypothesis," the General stated, turning away from the other officer and facing Hong Dulas directly.

"Yes, speak," Hong Dulas encouraged him.

"The Davo Republic," the General declared, uttering something shocking, "might possess a space jump point unknown to us. They utilized precisely such a point to materialize silently behind our defenses."

The suggestion stunned everyone present.

Warfare in this era had long evolved into a comprehensive discipline. Being skilled only in combat was insufficient for an outstanding commander.

Warfare involved not just politics but was intrinsically linked to economics. Generals trained through proper channels were required to study both political science and economics during their time at military academies. Everyone in the room fully understood the enormous economic impact a single functional space jump point could have on a nation.

An additional space jump point meant an extra arterial route, allowing for the development of all planets along that route. While every nation possessed countless planets, their resource planets were finite. The development of these worlds was constrained by logistics—the route itself and the inherent value of the resource planet. Only worlds near established routes and jump points held exploitable value; otherwise, the exorbitant transportation costs became prohibitive.

One extra space jump could boost the annual GDP of a nation like Davo by several percentage points, bringing countless incalculable benefits. They could scarcely believe a government would conceal and leave an operational space jump point unused. This went beyond mere wastefulness; it was dereliction of duty, a government that deserved to fall.

"I am more inclined to believe that Davo discovered this space jump point recently," Hong Dulas sighed. The Hongxian Federation itself possessed two such clandestine points, both found inadvertently by explorers.

The assembled officers fell silent.

Hong Dulas rose once more, having outwardly recovered from the blow of losing the supply convoy. "Though we’ve lost our supplies, this only presents us with minor inconveniences. Even if they manage to destroy all our rear bases, as long as we annihilate the enemy's main force before us in the shortest possible time, we will still win."

The complete destruction of the enemy's supply fleet provided an unparalleled surge of morale to Zhong Yun’s "rescue team"; everyone felt the scent of victory.

"The situation remains far from optimistic."

Zhong Yun discussed the military intelligence with his companions. "According to the reports filtering back from the front lines, the enemy commands fifteen capital ships superior to the Wushan-class, seventy-five ships equivalent to the Wushan-class, thousands of various destroyers, and millions of mechs and fighters."

These figures sobered the five men. "Davo’s deployable force consists of only sixty Wushan-class destroyers and just over a thousand destroyers, relying solely on the fortress system to maintain a stalemate. However, the situation is worsening. By the time we departed, the Provisional Operations Command had already received several thousand distress calls, indicating the desperate nature of the fighting."

"So, what do we do now?" Tian Hai asked gravely.

"Even if we go to support them, we won't make much difference to the overall battle," Zhong Yun replied, his expression unreadable. "Therefore, we must find another way."

"You already have a plan, don't you?" Chen Wen looked at him intently.

"I intend to..." Zhong Yun lowered his voice.

"What..." After hearing him out, Tian Hai, Chen Wen, and Zhang Xiao’s faces contorted in shock.

"Other than this, I cannot conceive of any way to win this war," Zhong Yun shook his head. "This is a measure of last resort."

The shock on Tian Hai’s face slowly receded, replaced by a visceral excitement—an excitement that made every cell in his body tremble. If they succeeded as Zhong Yun described, he would become a national hero, just like Marshal Yang Tianlie.

Chen Wen managed a wry smile. "You planned this from the very beginning, didn't you? Do the people at the Provisional Operations Station know?"

Zhong Yun shrugged. "I doubt they would ever accept such a wild and audacious plan."

Zhang Xiao rolled her eyes at him. "You admit it’s insane?"

Zhong Yun laughed heartily, extending his hand. "Let us accomplish this crazy plan together."

Tian Hai and the other two simultaneously reached out. The four hands gripped tightly together, speaking in unison, "If you’re going mad, we’ll go mad with you."

P: Still short by a thousand characters. I'll make up the deficit tomorrow. A bit sleepy now.