"Before they have a chance to respond, that is our opportunity for a great victory."
"Though they are strong, against us, we can strike at the peak of their strength!"
"With the General’s elite forces, according to Yuan Zhi’s viewpoint, we only have one chance to win!"
The young strategist uttered two words, saying, "Mobile warfare!"
He stood up, the young Confucian genius stretched out his hand, pointing at the ground, tracing back and forth solemnly:
"March out from East Crossing City, first with elite warriors, capture Chen Country’s ferry, use the Navy to transport troops and horses, shift the battle to Jiangnan, seize control of the waterways in the shortest time, then gather military strength, first take Qu Shui, then occupy Chunyang, sweep through Chen Country’s cities, and proceed to drive out Ying Country heading north with the momentum."
"Then, firmly block all ferry crossings."
"Though Chen Country and Ying Country are large, they are unable, due to the situation, to commit too many troops to this area."
"Controlling the waterways, even with only one-tenth of the forces, can throttle the enemy’s throat."
"Thus, we have the scenario of [sitting across the grand river, a tiger perching in Jiangdong], at that time, the General will have not just the whole Jiangnan Eighteen States, but a key position of the world, historically prosperous, with the remaining Seventeen States being smaller, depending on this one to thrive."
"The General can move out slowly, controlling the river basin and trade routes, as if lifting the whole thing by the main thread."
"Thus, he can remotely control the other state cities, nominally occupying one state, but in reality, the entirety of Jiangnan."
"This is absolutely different from obtaining only the narrow Jiangnan Eighteen States where the Murong Family resides, the land and terrain you occupy are extremely important and should all be under your control."
"In the archives dating back three hundred years to the period of prosperity, this vast land had a population of eight hundred thousand households, accounting for more than four million people. To support merely thirty thousand elite Warrior soldiers is not difficult, General, this is a strategy for dominating the world."
"You are not in danger here, but facing that one-in-a-million, fleeting battle opportunity!"
"Like a duel with swords, we have come to a moment of life-and-death crisis."
"To not advance is to perish."
Breaking Army, do you young strategists all start with the ambition of ruling or dominating the world?
He began to be suspicious.
Could it be that strategists of such caliber are everywhere in the world?
Do they randomly respawn at corners?
Yuan Zhi, munching on tea leaves, the young Ranger rubbed his belly filled with tea. Coming from the same lower strata, he understood clearly what the young General’s focus was. He grinned and said:
"It can ensure that your men are well fed and clothed warmly."
"In its prime, it could support eight hundred thousand households on this vast land."
"Not to mention thirty thousand Warriors, even if it were a hundred thousand, by gritting our teeth, it could be sustained for a while."
The young man stared intently at the map on the table, unaware that the Generals of Chen Country and Ying Country had yet to realize that his reason for attempting something big was purely because the logistics could no longer keep up. Without finding a place soon, he would starve to death.
Li Guanyi only wanted to find a strategist skilled in battlefield tactics.
But what he fished out was a genius with direct strategic capability.
Yuan Zhi looked at the young General before him. Since leaving the Academy, he had wandered to the Jiangnan Eighteen States, ascertained the land’s suitability, and immediately chose East Crossing City. He knew it would definitely be attacked and was sure Li Guanyi would likely appear here.
He just didn’t expect the young General to be so valorous.
Not inferior to his father...
The main reason he came here was precisely that Li Guanyi was not from an aristocratic army, nor from the Imperial Army, not so strict with the background of recruits. Yuan Zhi lowered his gaze, watching the General in deep thought, suddenly recalling his younger days.
At the age of just over ten, younger than the young man.
He held a sword, killing a tyrant on a rainy night.
But it was the tyrant who first killed his friend, seizing the land and property. Back then, he tried his best to gather evidence, sending the tyrant to jail, thinking it would comfort his friend’s soul above. Yet the tyrant was released without charge.
So the young man was silent for a long time.
He fashioned a piece of iron into a blade, fixed it between two wooden planks—it was a sword—and with such a blunt instrument slaughtered the tyrant, dealing thirty-two cuts, blood flowing like a fountain. When he told his mother, her eyes red with tears, he realized the impulsiveness that burdened her.
Yet she still crammed all their silver coins to him, and when the government officer arrived, she barred the door with her back, telling him to run fast. How could such a frail woman have the strength to hold back a door?
Yuan Zhi fell silent for a long time, head bowed.
His mother had an uncle, so she was somewhat safe, but his own record now marked him as a killer. Armies across the land wouldn’t want a strategist like that. But over the years, he could never forget his mother’s tear-stained eyes; perhaps only in such an army would he find his place.
He wasn’t some murderous brute.
The iron piece at his waist was a sword, a gentleman’s blade of integrity.
He would become a strategist, hold a modest position, and then return home in glory.
To tell his mother, he was her son, not some criminal flouting the law!
The Qilin Army’s individual soldier quality was second-tier, but with a stronger will to fight than their combat training, and under the command of a distinguished leader, they could unleash tremendous power.
At this moment, the young strategist took a breath, his smile warm and free, and said:
"General, the day has grown late."
"Let us continue this tomorrow."