Finest Servant

Chapter 512 The Earth-Shattering Suggestion

General Lin had been absent from the military council for several days. Xu Zhiqing's explanation was ostensibly for everyone, but secretly it was tailored to him, to enlighten him on the current situation. She didn't want him, the carefree general, to be clueless and bewildered. The state of affairs at hand was so troubling that it furrowed the brows of those listening, including Gao Qiu who was not well-versed in military matters. He too sensed that things were gravely amiss.

Lin Wanrong glanced again at the map Xu Zhiqing had sketched. Starting from Wuyuan in the east to Yiwu in the west, and northwards beyond Kunlun Mountain, all the vast and boundless lands were under the control of the Turks. Although Great Hua boasted of being a celestial empire with abundant resources, when compared with the Turks solely on geographic size, it had no advantage. The only difference was that while the Turks mostly had grasslands and deserts, Great Hua was a land of fish and rice—two places as different as heaven and earth.

"Miss Xu, there's something I've never understood," Lin Wanrong pondered, then asked earnestly, "The Turks have such a vast land, almost equal to our Great Hua. How many citizens do they actually have?"

Xu Zhiqing sighed softly, waving four delicate, jade-like fingers in front of him. Lin Wanrong stared in amazement. "Four hundred thousand citizens? That many? This war could last for years then!"

Xu Zhiqing was both annoyed and amused. "Do you even think? If the Turks only had four hundred thousand citizens, would they dare to invade the heartland of Great Hua?"

Lin Wanrong chuckled awkwardly, realizing her point. Before they could argue further, Hu Bugui quickly interjected, "What Miss Xu means is, the Turks have around four hundred thousand able-bodied men. The general population could easily be several millions. And these numbers are from a few years ago. They have recently defeated the Tiele and Qiuci tribes, dominated the grasslands and deserts, and rapidly expanded their population."

"Four hundred thousand able-bodied men?" Lin Wanrong stuck out his tongue. This was drastically different from the Turks he knew in his previous life. It was clear they were a formidable nation that could go toe-to-toe with Great Hua.

"Brother Gao," he lowered his voice cautiously, "Considering the Turks have so many people, how many troops do we have stationed at the border? I presume it must be at least six or seven hundred thousand?"

Gao Qiu shook his head with a look of embarrassment, while Xu Zhiqing snorted. "Do you think these are clay figures that you can just shape as you wish? Great Hua has to contend with Dongyin harassment in the south, requiring at least a hundred thousand stationed troops. North of the Great Wall, we have three camps totaling over three hundred thousand soldiers. Add another three hundred thousand elite troops led by the Marshal to the north, and you get six hundred thousand. Great Hua has already committed all its resources and manpower, and is prepared for a decisive battle with the Turks."

Compared to four hundred thousand Turkic cavalry, Great Hua's six hundred thousand elite troops hardly had an advantage. Lin Wanrong shook his head and chuckled bitterly.

Noticing his resigned expression, Xu Zhiqing spoke softly, "If we only consider numbers, Great Hua does have the upper hand, especially since we're on the defensive. It's not easy for the Turks to engage us in battle. However, the disadvantage lies in our overly extended battle lines. The Turks' cavalry is agile and unconstrained by rear concerns. If they break through at any point, our entire defense would collapse. That is what I worry about the most."

She let out a soft sigh, her radiant cheeks shimmering in the fading twilight, a subtle look of concern in her eyes that deeply affected everyone around her. The immense responsibility weighed heavily on her, a delicate woman, and it was clearly taxing for her.

"Agile and flexible?" Miss Xu's words seemed to strike a chord in Lin Wanrong. His gaze fell upon Xu Zhiqing's charming cheeks, and for a moment, he was spellbound.

"Brother, what's wrong? Ah, you're drooling—" Seeing General Lin's eyes widen and his mouth agape, as if he resembled an underdeveloped chimpanzee, Gao Qiu quickly tugged at his sleeve, whispering a reminder.

"Oh, is that so," Lin Wanrong came to his senses, hastily wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and laughing. "Brother Gao, you love to jest. These are merely dewdrops that fell during the night, what does it have to do with drooling? Normally, I only drool when I see a beautiful woman. Don't get it wrong."

Gao Qiu and the others burst into laughter. Xu Zhiqing slightly lowered her head but did not forget to glare at him. A faint blush arose on her delicate neck, accentuating her radiant and charming cheeks.

When the laughter had subsided, Lin Wanrong regained his composure. "Advisor Xu, there's something I don't understand. You mentioned that the Turkic cavalry are agile and flexible, which is fine, but why did you say they have nothing to worry about in their rear?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Xu Zhiqing glanced at him, speaking softly. "Our Great Hua soldiers are holding strong in the cities, hesitating to move an inch in order to protect our land. Meanwhile, the Turkic people roam deep into the desert and grasslands, without any concern for borders or defending territory. With hundreds of thousands of cavalry, they need not defend their homeland. They can attack and retreat freely, keeping the initiative firmly in their hands. What do they have to worry about?"

The Turks were a nomadic people; Miss Xu's comments about their freedom were reasonable. Lin Wanrong nodded, speaking calmly, "Advisor Xu speaks wisely. The nomadic tribes have shifting borders and indeed have no need to defend territory. However, to say they have absolutely nothing to worry about, I don't quite agree."

Seeing the glint in his eyes, Xu Zhiqing knew Lin San must have some scheme in mind. A flicker of hope arose in her heart, yet her expression remained as serene as still water. She nodded slightly, "I would like to hear more."

Lin Wanrong sighed, "Miss Xu mentioned earlier that these nomadic tribes come and go as they please, treating our Great Hua territory as if it were no man's land. But why is that so?"

"It's probably because they are formidable," Gao Qiu muttered.

Lin Wanrong shook his head, "No matter how formidable, they wouldn't treat Great Hua like low-hanging fruit. In my view, the reason they can come and go as they please is because of our own conservative decisions. We persistently take a defensive stance—so who else would they take advantage of? To put it bluntly, this is the result of our own indulgence; we have brought it upon ourselves."

The words were indeed harsh. Du Xiuyuan nervously glanced between General Lin and Xu Zhiqing, his mind in turmoil, fearing the two might start arguing again.

Gao Qiu looked puzzled, "Brother Lin, I don't understand what you're saying. When the Turks invade our border, shouldn't we defend our cities? They have great power; avoiding their cutting edge and sturdily defending our cities should be a good strategy, shouldn't it?"

The eyes of Hu Bugui and the others were all focused on Lin Wanrong, their thoughts likely mirroring Gao Qiu's.

Lin Wanrong nodded, "Brother Gao is correct. Defending our cities against the Turks is not wrong. But the mistake lies in only focusing on defense, without considering offense. They are strong, we are weak, so we shouldn't attack? What kind of logic is that? Why can the Turks freely invade our territory, do as they please, come and go as they wish? To put it bluntly, we're just too conservative, giving up on the offense entirely. We haven't put enough pressure on them, so naturally, they're having a great time."

Lin Wanrong's words theoretically made sense. Du Xiuyuan pondered for a moment, then seriously said, "The Turks have no defined borders. Even if we wanted to attack, we wouldn't know where to find them. Besides, giving up our strength in defending cities to fight fiercely with the Turks in the desert—saying something disheartening—would be exactly what they'd hope for."

"True, the Turks have no borders to defend. Roaming the world on horseback may look impressive," Lin Wanrong said with a slight smile. "But don't they have something they need to defend? Identify their weak spots and hit them fatally; let's see how their hundreds of thousands of cavalry manage to come and go as they please!"

"Something the Turks need to defend?" Gao Qiu murmured, his face suddenly lighting up, "Right! We could burn their grain and abduct their women. They'd have to defend that, right? Damn it—"

Lin Wanrong blinked a couple of times, but Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan had already burst into laughter. Xu Zhiqing's face flushed as she glared at Lin Wanrong.

"Miss Xu, this has nothing to do with me; I didn't teach him that," Lin Wanrong chuckled. "Though Brother Gao's words are crude, they do indeed display a kind of heroic audacity. I admire that."

After everyone had a good laugh, Xu Zhiqing shook her head, "Unlike us, the Turks bring their horses and grain along with their armies. Stealing grain wouldn't work and could land us in a wolf's den. As for abducting women—Turkish women have high-bridged noses and blue eyes, and are hardly more attractive than demons. More importantly, they've grown up on horseback. Their archery skills are far better than those of the average men in our nation. Anyone aiming for them may find it's not so easy to succeed."

Miss Xu's expression was mild, and her casual glance at Lin Wanrong seemed specifically directed at him.

Lin Wanrong touched his cheek, irritated. ‘Do I look like a lecher? Why is everyone staring at me? I'm famously a man who can't be lewd toward beautiful women!’

"Alternatively, we could launch surprise attacks on small Turkic cavalry units or tribes," Du Xiuyuan cautiously suggested. "If we could strike just one of them and the news got out, the Turks would have something to worry about, and they wouldn't dare trample over our borders so recklessly."

The suggestion was mature and had operational potential. The problem was that Turkic tribes were all armed communities. Unless a significantly larger force surrounded them, it wasn't clear who would end up ambushing whom once the fighting started.

Hu Bugui immediately recognized the problem at hand and shook his head, saying, "A single nomadic tribe consists of at least two to three thousand people. We would need a minimum of five thousand elite cavalry for a surprise attack to stand a chance of victory. Moreover, there's a high likelihood of getting stuck in a drawn-out battle. Poor management could put our army in a passive position; the risk is too great."

Both suggestions had been rejected. Lin Wanrong, the instigator of the discussion, had yet to speak. Observing his smile, it was clear he had already calculated something in his mind. Xu Zhiqing fixed her eyes on him, visibly irritated. "General Lin, stop speaking in riddles. If you have a suggestion, let's hear it."

Lin Wanrong spread his hands and laughed, "I really don't have any good suggestions. Miss Xu, you overestimate me."

Seeing his self-assured demeanor, Xu Zhiqing felt a surge of annoyance. She hated people who raised others' expectations only to act coy about revealing their thoughts. She hummed softly and glared at him, saying, "General Lin, you're being too modest. Your virtues and wisdom are well-known far and wide; I believe you must have some excellent suggestions."

"Miss Xu, you flatter me," Lin Wanrong sighed deeply. "All these 'faults' you mention, including my good looks, are things I've been striving to correct. It seems I've completely failed."

Gao Qiu laughed heartily, patting Lin Wanrong on the shoulder. "Ah, I didn't realize that your faults are the same as my virtues. Apart from these, I don't have much else!"

Lin Wanrong roared with laughter, his chest filled with mixed feelings. This shameless display by Gao Qiu was reminiscent of his own past. ‘If anyone ever accuses me of being thick-skinned again, I'll take issue with them. How can I compare to this guy?’

"Are you going to speak or not?" Seeing Lin Wanrong exchange glances and smiles with Gao Qiu, as if he were a petty thief, Xu Zhiqing's face flushed with irritation. She felt like delivering a swift kick to his backside.

Lin Wanrong sighed resignedly, "Since Miss Xu insists, I have no choice but to speak. The nomadic people are like us; they have things they must protect. Attacking their tribes, as suggested earlier, is a decent idea but carries too much risk for too little reward. Even if we succeed, the impact will be minimal."

He paused, and his voice turned serious, "If we want significant gains, we must take significant risks—that's an unalterable truth. To make a real impact, we need to strike them where it hurts the most. Think, where is their Achilles' heel, where can we deliver a fatal blow?"

Annoyed at his penchant for suspense, Xu Zhiqing jabbed her pencil hard against his armor, "Enough! Just say it!"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, took the pencil from her hand, and began sketching on the map. His drawing guided everyone's gaze. "Look at the map—follow me and look north, further, even further, to a place where the nomads are not vigilant—yes, right here!!"

With a heavy sigh, he circled a spot on the map forcefully, then added a vehement cross inside the circle, his pen practically piercing through the paper.

Everyone looked at the marked spot, their breaths catching in their throats. Their eyes widened, faces flushed and paled alternately, and beads of sweat began to roll down.

"What powerful circling and crossing!" Gao Qiu exclaimed. "Brother Lin, where is this?!"

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