Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

“Impossible for such a thing to happen!” Li Yuanzhao said with certainty, “The more cautious he is, the less likely he is to divide his forces.”

“Our army has been winning battles continuously, and we also have firearms to support us. His small-scale harassment will definitely yield little, and may even fail to hinder our army's march. He would never do such a stupid thing.”

“Lao Fang, sometimes I really think you are overly cautious.”

“Oh? Isn't being cautious a good thing?” Fang Zheng asked in return.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be cautious, but he had seen too many classic cases of the weak defeating the strong with ingenious strategies in later generations.

If they couldn't achieve complete victory in one battle, then the enemy would rapidly improve on the battlefield.

Evolving countless tactics to bypass firearms and defeat the strong with the weak. Coupled with the enemy's large numbers, they could very likely be drawn into a quagmire.

Li Yuanzhao shook his head: “There's nothing wrong with being cautious, but it seems you're thinking too much. Do you know what a million soldiers means?”

“I understand the number.”

Li Yuanzhao smiled, leaned back in his seat, and recalled: “When I was young, I often pestered my father to listen to him talk about the battles between Jing and Qian. At that time, the war was deadlocked, and at its most intense, Great Jing had no more than a hundred thousand troops available. Whenever my father spoke of this, he would say that if he had five hundred thousand soldiers, he wouldn't have to rack his brains day and night to discuss detailed tactics with his generals.”

“If it were a million soldiers, what would that mean? As long as the general leading the troops wasn't an idiot, they could divide the forces into dozens of routes and quickly conquer a country.”

“If those rebels really had a million soldiers, in my opinion, they should have taken the initiative to attack the Holy City before we arrived, recovered the lost territory of the Church, and seized our ports in Fika. But they didn't do that. Why?”

“Why?” Fang Zheng asked.

“Either they don't have generals who can command troops, or they're out of money.” Li Yuanzhao analyzed in detail, “Good generals are hard to find, there's nothing to say about that. Prolonged conscription and strict control over various regions mean that the common people can no longer be squeezed for resources. The military expenditure of a million soldiers is something they can't sustain for long, and the cost of marching is even more terrifying.”

“They are afraid of the power of firearms and dare not actively attack the Holy City. Once they fail to capture it after a long siege, the entire army will collapse or even mutiny. So they must be waiting, waiting until the limit when they have no choice but to fight, break the cauldrons and sink the boats, and conquer territory. I think they are very close to that point, it's just that we arrived a little earlier.”

“The Red Peak Basin is the best opportunity. They are familiar with the terrain and have a geographical advantage to make arrangements in advance. Since our army advanced here, they have sent no less than a dozen waves of scouts, right?”

“Thirteen waves,” Fang Zheng added.

“That's right, after scouting for so long, even if they are cautious, they should take action. If they keep losing, even if they have a plan, the morale of the generals will be affected. So, according to my observation, they have reached their limit. The Red Peak Basin is the best opportunity. They have a geographical advantage and have collected enough intelligence. They don't need complex command ability, just wipe us out in one fell swoop! So, we will most likely fight them there!”

Fang Zheng touched his chin and questioned: “Is that really the case?”

“Heh!” Li Yuanzhao said proudly, “Lao Fang, I'm not as good as you at making money, but you're not as good as me at grasping the war situation!”

“Don't even mention a small rebel! Even if my father were commanding the troops on the opposite side, I would still teach him a lesson with a submachine gun and make sure he never returns!”

“Your Majesty, be careful what you say...”

......

The Holy City was as peaceful as ever.

Lai Gou'er, who was originally supposed to be stationed in the Holy City, had already moved to the port.

The Holy City was now under the temporary management of Master Wu.

At this moment, five giant ironclad ships were docked at the port.

More than sixty warships were floating on the sea.

The weather was calm and windless, and a group of sailors were practicing with weapons on the port.

Lai Gou'er sat upright in a temporary public room, holding a book in his hand, with a huge coastal map behind him.

Before long, there was a knock on the door.

The deputy then entered, carrying food in his hand.

He placed it in front of Lai Gou'er's table and said, "Sir, it's time to eat."

“Okay, let the brothers outside rest for a while and eat,” Lai Gou'er said, putting down his book.

The adjutant hesitated and said: "Sir, actually, this subordinate has some words that I don't know whether I should say or not."

“Hmm?” Lai Gou'er looked at him and said, “Speak your mind.”

“Many of our brothers drifted over from Great Jing and then trained here. They have a lot of energy with nowhere to vent... How long will we stay at this port before we can return to the Holy City?”

Lai Gou'er said indifferently: “I know, but even if there's nowhere to vent your energy, you have to endure it! Save your energy!”

“Before His Majesty and the Marquis set out on the expedition, they specially ordered me to block the enemy at the port and strictly guard against the Church's forces attacking the Holy City by sea. We can't withdraw until His Majesty returns, and we have to keep training! If you really can't stand it... catch some fish.”

“Ah... still need fish...”

“Hmm?”

“No, this subordinate wants to say that our warships are so powerful, there's no need for all of them to stay here waiting for the enemy. We can rotate the soldiers back to the Holy City to recuperate. I think many people's spirits are really...”

Bang!

Lai Gou'er slammed the table and looked at him coldly: “Military orders are like mountains, especially since His Majesty and the Marquis repeatedly instructed us. If you say such things again, be careful I dismiss you!”

“If anyone feels lonely, send a few more reconnaissance ships to the bay to scout!”

“Yes!”

The adjutant's heart tightened, and he saluted and exited the public room.

After finishing his meal, Lai Gou'er pushed the plate to the corner of the table, waiting for someone to collect it.

He continued to pick up the book and read.

The book he was reading was a naval warfare theory written by a foreigner.

Although the foreigners' warships were no longer comparable to those of Great Jing, they still had more experience in naval warfare.

After all, the frequency of naval battles was much higher than that of Great Jing.

Although the content of the book was somewhat outdated when applied to the current configuration of Great Jing's ships, there were still quite a few valuable points.

While he was engrossed in reading, the door was suddenly pushed open.

The adjutant actually returned, panicking: “Sir! Our reconnaissance ship is back! Enemy ships are coming from the sea!”

Lai Gou'er's spirits lifted: “How many ships?”

“One... one hundred and fifty ships! The ship types are no less than ours, and many of the ships are also equipped with cannons. The exact number is unclear. Our reconnaissance ship was too far away and dared not approach for fear of being caught up.” The adjutant was sweating profusely.

Here? They're finally here!

But the other side actually has one hundred and fifty ships!?

The scale is almost twice theirs, and they are also equipped with cannons.

The ship types and sizes are comparable to theirs... The gap is a bit large.

Is the Church's fleet really that strong!?

After a moment of thought, Lai Gou'er slammed the table and stood up, shouting: “Immediately pass down the order! All troops board the ships and prepare to meet the enemy!”

......

(The updates for the past few days have been a bit late. It's not that the board is deliberately delaying the update, sometimes it's also stuck. It's almost the end, and I'm very nervous and my mind is messed up. I want to write it in more detail. I feel very uncomfortable working on it until the second half of the night every day. I hope there will be a perfect ending. Everyone go to bed early, it will definitely be updated when you wake up in the morning.)