Author's Notes: I apologize that this hasn't come out sooner. I've been busy with work recently, both at my job and at home. With most of it coming together and drawing near, I should have more time. Maybe...
Since some people are asking what works will be in Duel, I'll give a list in the credited works, but only those that'll be explicitly revealed in Part 1 of the Imperial Story. After that will be the next battle over the small gas planet of Legnica.
Credited Works:
Super Robot Wars- Banpresto
Legend of Galactic Heroes- Tanaka Yoshiki
Vandread- Gonzo
Cross Ange: Rondo of Angels and Dragons- Sunrise
Turn A Gundam- Sunrise
Valvrave the Liberator- Sunrise
Knights of Sidonia- Tsutomu Nihei
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans- Sunrise
Planet Legnica, Imperial Battleship Brunhild
The weather of Legnica was exactly what was reported. Gusts and clouds of yellow gas swirled around the upper atmosphere, blocking any vision in the naked eye. Although there were no storms, the gases released enough heat and high-frequency waves that covered any artificial signatures.
Siegrun jerked the gauntlet and stick, barely maintaining control over her machine. The high winds blew around her Geirskogul and the abnormal thruster input resulted in squiggly trails of green energy. The gravity of the planet didn't help either, despite being much lighter than standard inhabited planets. It was her first battle operating in a planetary atmosphere, so she expected it to be rough. She still found the job harder than she thought, or rather she wished to believe was trying too hard and was too tense to relax. The tension clouded her thinking and she nearly thought about boosting herself with the cannon if she ever stopped hovering- during the four months after her transfer, she got ideas to control her main gun- but barely she reminded herself to not fire until given the order. The screens displayed reminded her that the gun was loaded with the special warhead.
Behind her were the Brunhild and an escort fleet of 1,000 ships, which Siegrun was leading after her launch. This was a fraction of the 20,000 ships under his command, but Reinhard insisted taking only a small force to deal with the rebels hiding. The personnel assumed different reasons: in case Reinhard ended up dying, the rebels retained the element of surprise and struck first, or the Geirskogul suddenly went out of control. But they all agreed that the idea was to save most of the fleet when it wasn't necessary.
"Short range scans initiated," Steinmetz reported. "No signatures have been detected."
"Continue tracking the Geirskogul and follow its movements carefully," Reinhard told his crew in navigation. The fleet was a blind bear that was guided by a bird brain that was their only source of eyesight.
When Reinhard gave the order, Siegrun turned her tension into frustration as she pulled back to remain control. At first, she thought of repeating the same mistakes that caused her to fly out of control. On the contrary, it made her Geirskogul stop in position. The woman's mind was in a jumble as if she lost all sense in how to pilot it. After relieving herself for the moment, she hesitantly gripped more on the controls, slowly ascending upward. It took a few moments for her to adjust her grip, but she eventually got to an altitude that matched with the Brunhild's.
Now that's been dealt with, Siegrun revolved her hard around the monitors. Time to find where the Alliance is hiding.
The answer came soon when contacts picked up on a circular sensor on the bottom left. Reinhard's Fleet was detailed as blue dots, some of the important ships like the Brunhild having the symbol of the Galactic Empire. On the top, opposite of the trailing friendly fleet, were red unknown dots. Starting at a handful, the unknown dots increased exponentially, a number on the side showing the number of unknown signatures reaching the thousands. The enemy was heading towards the center, which meant they were coming straight on.
"C-Call Reinhard," she told the Gierskogul's computer.
"Contact name unknown. Please specify."
"Contact the Brunhild!" she cursed at the machine. Her shouting worked as the screen appeared to the flagship's bridge. "Reinhard! I-I mean, Admiral! My sensors are picking up signatures! The enemy is in front of us!"
"It could be just a large helium cloud closing in," Reinhard objected. "Do not rely on your sensors and proceed."
"B-But Admiral, it says that the signatures really are enemies! It's counting them by the thousands!"
"Helium clouds easily interfere with sensors. That's why they're useless. Do not continue until through the naked eye, you've seen the enemy-"
But Reinhard cut off by Steinmetz.
"New contacts, Admiral! Enemy ship readings are in front of us! Again, the enemy is right in front of us!"
Images projected onto the main screen as it zoomed in. Passing through the clouds and the Geirskogul, it revealed about two thousand incoming ships coming straight for Reinhard's fleet.
"So the woman was speaking the truth," Reinhard sat back on his throne of the captain's chair. To his puzzlement, as advanced his warship was, there was a significant technological disparity with Siegrun's. He heard from Kircheis and Mecklinger how Siegrun talked about her sensors working perfectly fine despite atmosphere conditions technically interfering with them. Reinhard ignored it due to Siegrun's inexperience with such machines and the alien nature of the vehicle. Although there would've been some benefit, there was also a risk of them going the wrong direction and so he discarded the possibility. He'll have to personally analyze the machine more when he has the chance, but that can wait for another time. As of now, he can use the situation to his reinforce his plan.
Facing them was a fraction of the Alliance's 2nd Fleet, lead by the Ajax-class battleship Patroklos. On the top of three platforms was the commanding officer leading the operation, a chubby 30-year old man named Vice Admiral Paeta. His crew detected the Imperial Fleet a few minutes after the Geirskogul, but he took no time to get his nonuniform fleet in formation.
"The enemy is directly ahead of us," Paeta chanted to his officers. "All force move forward and attack! Crash into them if you have to!"
The commanding officer on the Brunhild had a different plan. Reinhard stood from his seat to address the fleet.
"All forces prepare for combat. Use all means to avoid colliding with the enemy," He to Siegrun on the monitors. "Siegrun, I want to you to intercept any ships that come into close range. Use any weapons besides the main cannon and missiles."
"I...I understand," Siegrun nodded as the screen closed.
"Steinmetz," Reinhard called to the captain of the Brunhild. "Advance with our squadron and provide support for the Geirskogul. Maintain a safe distance, but do not let the enemy destroy her machine."
Steinmetz saluted to him as the Brunhild and a few escorting ships moved forward.
Siegrun was making twitches to her feet and shoulders as she waited in position for the enemy. She wanted to be ready for combat under atmospheric conditions, but couldn't find a comfortable enough position. Her Geirskogul didn't lose control, but she kept strafing and yawing around a focal point.
During this distraction, some of the Alliance forces closed in on the Geirskogul. The Patroklos detected the scouting mecha in front of the Imperial Fleet. Paeta eyed on the black mecha and the white vessel he assumed was the command ship supporting it.
"What kind of lame weapons are they spearhead their force with?" Paeta baffled over the alien weapons sent against them while separating themselves from their main fleet. "Deploy Spartanian ships! Eliminate that nuisance of a vehicle!"
By order, Spartanian attack craft launched from their motherships. All of them had the same difficulty as the Geirskogul when it came to the wind. However, they all appeared to cope with the heavy wind, be their training or the very design of their ships. The worst that happened was some grazing with the larger ships.
Once Siegrun regained control after some disturbance, she found her sensors detecting 30 small units in close range, supported by about five cruisers. Although the clouds blocked most of her vision, she could see that they composed of just Spartanians and enemy cruisers. Advancing behind her were a few friendly signatures in a chevron formation, the center unit marked as the Brunhild.
So the Admiral is going to back me, isn't he? She assumed. Although she is relieved to have some support, Siegrun sensed some overbearing from him, as if he was getting too careful. She even found it very dangerous considering the weapon she was carrying and restrictive of her abilities at the same time.
Her thoughts distracted her from the fight as the Spartanians got within firing range and attacked the Geirskogul. The very speed of the weapons woke her up, reminding her that she was no longer in space. On a planet where distances are short, she needed quicker reaction time if she wasn't to be toast.
Siegrun strafed to the left and right to avoid targeting from the enemy's laser weapons. It didn't matter whether she was pulling way too hard and lost control; she needed to prevent the enemy from surrounding her with so much weapon fire. She needed to somehow move freely through the volatile atmosphere before firing her own weapon in retaliation.
She got her chance after the enemy stopped firing and the Geirskogul got back into a fixed position. Reminding herself not to fire the cannon, she switched to her missiles as the targeting system searched for targets. Despite seeing it coming, it surprised even Siegrun how it found enemies through the helium clouds. Imagine the surprise waiting for them…
Launch a volley of missiles at separate targets, Siegrun could see the increased difficulty for their guidance systems. Unlike her weapons and the Spartanians, they didn't have someone to guide them and most of them spiraled out of control Siegrun swore a couple exploded in front of her after losing their targets. Only managed to get through the clouds without any obstacles, whether it hit the target or not she had to wait a few seconds.
Ignoring the first volley, she aggravatedly fired a larger volley of missiles at another set of targets. These had more success for only one lost control to the win and the Spartanians were more visible. One Spartanian shot down one missile, but three reticules disappeared after the missiles went through the clouds. Another tried to evade but lost control to the win along with the missile and the two volatile objects collided with each other.
About five down, twenty-five more to go, excluding the nearby cruisers that erupted from the clouds. Fortunately, by then, the Brunhild and six accompanying cruisers approached the Geirskogul and provided fire support. Turning away from the Spartanians, Siegrun could witness the Alliance and Imperial warships exchanging fire even from the distance.
But something was very puzzling at the moment. Despite all of the laser fire, no ships on either side seem to explode. Even when they were firing on the starboard or port, whether it was their deflector shields or bad aiming, no damage was present. On the other hand, the engagement was very far from her position, so it could be just a bad viewpoint.
The distracted Siegrun failed to notice the Spartanians approaching her. Several lasers passed by the mecha to snap her attention back to the fight. Some shots that hit the Geirskogul on the side forced her body to make a move. She spun her machine in a circle to meet with the incoming Alliance craft, all firing lasers and guns at their target. The kinetic projectiles were fast, but she could see the wind causing some deflection. The pellets were still unable to damage the craft and the Geirskogul withstood the laser fire it took.
In retaliation, Siegrun activated the missiles once again. She fired a larger number of missiles that locked onto the Spartanians. Some successfully evade the missiles or used their laser turrets to shoot them down. At least three weren't so lucky, whether they collided head or graze the missiles by the side. With less success than she hoped, she continued firing missiles at her targets. Some Spartanians had as much as four missiles locking onto them and they were struggling between breaking missile lock, remaining laminar with the wind, and avoiding collisions with other allied craft. Eight more Spartanians were destroyed by failure to do at least one of the three, just when the Geirskogul ran out of missiles.
After repeatedly pressing the buttons, Siegrun got the message warning her missile ammo was depleted. Aggravated by the lack of progress, Siegrun was forced to use different methods of combat. Her other options were very limited and she knew it. The main cannon was still restricted and she was still inefficient with the Tau Gun. So she switched to her last weapon, taking out the spear from her back.
Her first prey was another Spartanian, bursting out of a helium cloud to make another charge with its anti-ship beam cannons. Not wanting to see the pilot, Siegrun closed her eyes as she gunned the thrusters. The Spartanian pilot was caught completely by surprise from her sudden movement and was met with extreme turbulence. The Geirskogul charged at the rolling craft with its spear wide out onto the side, making a clean slice through the ship. Siegrun didn't have to see the small craft burning in flames to make sure she hit.
Another set of Spartanians came from her top left, firing gatling guns and laser turrets at her machine. Siegrun reacted appropriately by strafing around the enemy fire and waving her spear out in front. As she cruised through the atmosphere, she noticed how she had more control than she did not so long ago. It was as if the wind decided to calm down some and give her the leeway she desired. Her thoughts almost made her not notice how her wavy movements resulted in her impaling a Spartanian by the cockpit seat. When the other Spartanian tried to get away, Siegrun swung the spear, luckily hitting the engine and spinning it into a ball of fire.
Losing track of her kills, Siegrun assumed there were about five Spartanians left. That's when she eyed on the cruisers dueling with Reinhard's squadron. Using her new freedom in the winds, Siegrun took action to accompany her commanding officer, charging straight towards the larger ships.
Her attempt to impress her superior wasn't as she hoped. She caught the Alliance squadron by surprise as they were late to fire from the sides. But when she tried impaling the ships, she was met with their deflector shields, which melted the tip into a smooth dull end. Her melee weapon was rendered useless and Siegrun cursed the weapon for melting so quickly.
The cruisers continued to fire back, forcing the Geirskogul to fly away. While putting away the ruined spear back its holster, she found the Brunhild providing support. Using its huge railguns and arsenal of lasers, it vaporized one of the cruisers and drained the shields of another. She sighed in relief over how despite her recklessness, the Admiral was still kind enough to cover her back, but it would be her last if she didn't do something.
Not noticing the less air resistance, she halted her flight into the clouds while receiving more Spartanian fire, the survivors supported by a reinforcement squadron. Siegrun now had to use the only left at her disposal. Picking up her Tau Gun, she fired random shots against the Spartanians, forcing them to flee.
Despite her ship not being an aircraft, she pursued the Spartanians like it was a dogfight. Swerving around to avoid enemy fire, Siegrun made some interesting turns to combat the Alliance forces. With only her Tau Gun at hand, she continued to return fire whenever they fired energy and projectile weapons back at her. She had no successes so far, but neither did the enemy.
After making a corkscrew, she started to graze a few Spartanians. As frustrating as failing to hit a target at close range was, she found herself getting a little better. She made a mental note to get more training in firearms before participating in the next battle; who knows if it'll become important?
After finishing her multiple corkscrew maneuver, an incoming Alliance cruiser came right in front of her. She didn't have the element of surprise this time as the ship immediately open fired upon approach. Having no time to reverse her movement, Siegrun pulled her sticks down as tightly as she could to avoid hitting the cruiser. Although she seemed to graze the deflector shield, all of her systems remained green. After passing by the ship, without thinking, Siegrun paused her machine for a deep breath.
She nearly lost it when the Brunhild passed by with its squadron. On the side, she could see the other three cruisers destroyed along with several Spartanians that pursued her. The ship didn't bother to stop as it blasted away at the other cruiser, which could not even scratch the white ship's shield.
With the explosion of the last large Alliance ship in the vicinity, Siegrun nonchalantly brought her Tau Gun and fired into the middle of the wreckage. When it seemed to go through the smoke, another explosion within the destroyed warship. It was too early to tell whether it hit someone or not, but it looks like the Brunhild was started to handle her problems; an agitating moment for her and what she assumed to be more for Reinhard.
While taking a break from the combat, Siegrun took the time to notice the scenery. There was very little in the way of the naked eye; only the fleets from the Empire and Alliance were visible. In fact, the winds seemed to completely stop; she could stop right there and now, in midair, to see everything around her.
The only thing interesting to see was the fleets that continued to engage. However, she found a great oddity in the battle. The groups have been going at it for a long time and the fleets remained their very sizes. There were absolutely no explosions, no casualties on either side and due to inflicting casualties alongside Reinhard, that puzzled her.
What's going on here? Why is neither of the two sides killing each other? She could that the two sides weren't even trying to attack one another. Although she was about not attacking the rebel fleets, she felt some relief over there being no casualties on her side. Or based on Reinhard's orders, the Imperial fleets doing their best to save their men as much as possible.
Could this be like what Kircheis once said?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she received another transmission. The Brunhild finished fighting off the remaining Alliance ships when it contacted the Geirskogul again. Siegrun first shook over the reaction, judging by how she needed help from her superior, but the face that appeared didn't show any concern about that.
"Siegrun, it's time," Reinhard ordered. "Cease engaging the enemy and ascend off the planet's atmosphere."
"But-"
"Reinhard has a plan," Kircheis said by his side. "Do as he says."
"Y-Yes, sir," Siegrun wished be out there a little longer, but she then looked down to the dark pit on the bottom screens. She returned looking up to Imperial fleet, which was now ascending to meet with the other forces. A moment of silence came and she found another screen pop up; her main cannon has been unlocked. The fusion warhead was ready to fire. With a deep sigh, Siegrun engaged the thrusters upwards, accelerating to meet the speed of her allies.
Planet Legnica, Alliance Battleship Patroklos
Upon the top bridge of the Patroklos, the officers onboard were monitoring the battlefield conditions. They've been noticing the disappearance of clouds for some time in addition to the absence of wind.
"The winds have stopped, sir," one officer called to Paeta. "Possibly because of the heat released from the battle."
"Good, it'll be better to fight them in the open. We have the numerical advantage, so…"
But one officer, Paeta's adviser, noticed something was wrong. Dressed in the same Alliance uniform, he was picked out by his Asian characteristics, short blue hair, and laid back nature.
"The wind has stopped?" Yang Wenli said to himself. While he was no expert in the weather, having violent winds stop so suddenly could not be good. Metaphorically, it was a calm before the storm. He assumed that if the Imperial commander was competent, he could guess what was about to happen.
"The enemy force is ascending!" another officer called out, showing the white Imperial ship escape the atmosphere with its small fleet."
"Ascending?" The stubborn Vice Admiral exclaimed. "They're running away after all of this?"
Just as Yang Wenli predicted, then came some rumbling. The entire bridge was shaking and everyone struggled to regain footing. Within moments, the whole ship was pushed by even worse turbulence in the atmosphere. Before they knew it, the majority of the Alliance 2nd Fleet was being slowly elevated and pushed around in random directions. Hundred of ships were losing control and a significant number of them even grazed or crashed into one another.
"What now!?" Paeta remained steadfast onto the control panel just when the ship adapted to the sudden violent change in the weather. His officers were giving various reports about the situation.
"A strong wind, sir! It's an updraft!"
"Winds have accelerated to 6000 kilometers an hour! Cold gases are being pulled into the heated air mass!"
"Get out of the vortex, now!" he ordered. "We'll regroup after we escape!"
Noticing the enemy's plan, Yang knew that was a terrible idea. If he predicted the enemy's next move, as long as they remained on the planet, they were a sitting duck.
"No, sir, we should ascend!" he advised. "We should follow the updraft and leave this planet immediately!"
"If we ascend, the Imperial Fleet will destroy us!" Paeta objected. "Can't you see that, you inexperienced fool!?"
"Yes, we'll likely get shot but it's better than…" But Yang stopped in the middle of his sentence. With his rank and lack of arguing that'll merely get him into more trouble, he withdrew. "No, you're a commander here."
"You're just a pest! Dismissed!"
Yang Wenli sighed in frustration just as he turned away from the abrasive superior. Placing his hands in his pockets, he walked by another man on his side. He had a more Western facial appearance and gray hair matching Yang's hairstyle. He was a lower rank but came to Yang in an informal manner.
"Angrily stubborn as he is, isn't he?" Dusty Attenborough said to his friend, making sure he didn't speak in front of the Vice Admiral.
"It's the best I can do under my authority."
"If I may ask, why ascend?"
"If I were in the enemy commander's shoes, I could wipe this fleet out in one shot," Yang placed his hand by Dusty as if he were a teacher demanding an answer to his student. "Tell me, Attenborough. What exactly is this planet's atmosphere made out of?"
"Helium and hydrogen gas, with an additional mixture of-" he paused shortly after naming major components. He didn't have to say more after going through the first two elements. His eyes widened as Yang nodded.
"That's right," Yang backed away after pointing a finger for the right answer. "With all of the heat and pressure, an updraft of hydrogen gas is being concentrated into this section of the planet. Now it only takes a single match and…." Yang let his hand out to signify an explosion.
The two officers walked side by side together as the rest of the crew remained oblivious to the doom that was ahead of them. But a simple image turned their attention away, showing the humanoid robot that participated in the battle. Its main barrel glowed as if it was getting ready to fire.
"Energy spike detected," a female officer reported to Paeta. "It's coming from the unknown craft!"
"What is it aiming at?"
"No friendlies are in the way, they're possibly aiming for the planet itself."
"Damn Imperials, what are you up to!?"
Knowing there was little time, Yang and Dusty nodded to one another. While Yang acted naturally to avoid suspicion, Dusty parted in the opposite direction. The grey-haired officer covered his hand into acting sick in front of the crew.
"I feel a little dizzy…" Attenborough pretended to trip as he descended down the stairs. Stumbling to the right, he collided with an Alliance officer who noticed him after pushing a lever.
"What are you doing!?" the controls officer exclaimed. "Those are the ascent controls!"
Before he could act, the whole crew felt a strong force underneath them. The flagship engaged its thrusters underneath as it ascended off the planet's surface. After a few seconds, some of the other ships started to notice, but only those were lucky enough to follow the message.
The Geirskogul stood right near the border where the planet's atmospheric pull was significant. The main cannon's power output steadily climbed up to full power, the estimated velocity nearing ten thousand kilometers an hour.
It was charging up slower than normal thanks to Siegrun. She couldn't help the tense moment that was before her. Her nervousness caused her to squeeze the trigger in random positions, charging up the main cannon at different rates and nearly releasing it a few times. Before the mission, she practiced with the main cannon properly by holding the cannon in place with her left arm. She no longer had to worry about spinning out of control or crashing into a ship a light-second away.
Her real concern was the order given. Right now, she was going to blow up an entire planet and it could explode right in her face. The only thing keeping her from firing was Kircheis' words.
Looking around, the Imperial fleet was in orbit behind her. The Alliance forces remained on the surface, still struggling with the updraft, which she also used to get into position. Aiming for the epicenter of the updraft, and with it the entire Alliance Fleet, she found this almost unfair. Even she thought it would be smart enough for them to try getting off the planet before she fired.
She then noticed a few signatures increasing and elevating. The first one that caused others to follow was definitely a battleship. Since there were many others like it within the fleet, she wasn't sure whether it be a flagship or another important ship below the totem with someone realizing what was going on. Seeing then sudden intelligence within the planet gave her some sudden relaxation.
But that also caused her to release the trigger. The cannon immediately fired its special warhead and the Geirskogul recoiled in the opposite direction. Fortunately, this was more controlled thanks to the remaining atmospheric pull and Siegrun directing the thrusters in the exact opposite direction. While she shut her eyes as she rocketed out of the atmosphere, she could tell how smooth it was compared to before.
Opening her eyes, she found the devastation that she caused. With the thermonuclear warhead impacting the planet's surface, a glowing yellow-white dot erupted from the surface. The whole atmosphere of the planet turned red before going perfectly dark. The updraft itself ignited into a massive pillar of fire, engulfing a fourth of the enemy fleet. Adding more to the casualties, many Alliance ships were scorched by the atmosphere or crashed into one another thanks to the succeeding firestorm.
More pillars of flame burst around the Patroklos. Before his very eyes, the 2nd Fleet was being disintegrated by the planet, now rendered a bottomless hell of fire. The Vice Admiral slowly walked back in horror of the inferno concocted by the Imperials.
"Thermonuclear explosion has reacted with the atmosphere!" An officer reported. "We have sustained heavy losses! About half the fleet has been destroyed!"
"I-Impossible," Peata stuttered. "There's no way it can..."
"Sir, all remaining units are awaiting orders."
"Retreat," the Alliance commanding officer muttered before panicking. "All ships retreat!"
"Yes, sir. All units retreat."
Yang and Dusty nodded at the Vice Admiral as if he made the right decision. Dusty gave a chuckle over the ineptness, but Yang only sighed in disappointment.
Siegrun also witnessed the Alliance fleet leaving the planet to going on the run. It helped that she regained control of the Geirskogul just to see it, no longer being affected by the planet's gravity. For a moment, she thought this was the only good move for the Alliance fleet. It was the best they had and best that they could do at this stage of the battle.
Reinhard also observed the remaining Alliance vessels warping out of the system and back into their home space.
"The enemy fleet is now retreating," Kircheis reported beside his friend and Mecklinger. Truth be told, he had his doubts about Reinhard putting Siegrun as an important player. She already needed when being surrounded by a squadron of cruisers and a dangerous number of Spartanians. Even with the special system, which Siegrun referred to it as the DONAR, it wasn't like they relied on it. What matter was that she got the job done and was competent enough to play a role when given it.
"Operation complete," Reinhard called to his crew. "Contact the Geirskogul."
Steinmetz obeyed the order and instructed the communications officers nearby. A startled Siegrun showed on the screen. Judging by the direction of the Geirskogul, she was too focused on the Alliance vessel falling back.
"Officer Siegrun," Reinhard snapped her attention. Siegrun shook as if she did something wrong. She could stand professional, military voices and her need to be assisted risked the chance of being scolded. "You have done well," the young Admiral praised the woman, contrary to what she expected. He knew he'd intimidate her, but it was needed to call for the noblewoman's full attention.
"I...appreciate it, Admiral," Siegrun commented before Reinhard gave his new orders.
"Land back into the shuttle bay of the Brunhild. We shall return to Iserlohn Fortress."
"Yes, sir," Siegrun complied. Turning to her white mothership, she engaged the thrusters. With the battle over, she now grew eager to rejoin the Admiral and his compatriots.
Author's Notes:
So there, you have it and you're acquainted with Yang Wenli, who becomes Reinhard's rival later in the story. A necessary drawback for this fanfic is how, unlike Legend of Galactic Heroes, we'll be forced to see two separate stories from the Alliance and Empire. Even so, I'd like to do my best to incorporate as much of Yang Wenli as I can so more perspectives would be present despite focusing so much on the Empire.
I should now have more time to get the aftermath of the battle done.
Stay tuned.