Chapter 1243: Eight Thousand vs. Forty Thousand, the Advantage Lies with Me (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Offense is the best form of defense.

With the initiative in her hands, Shen Tang could freely decide the location of the battle. Although Kangguo had started preparing for this battle two or three years in advance, fortifying the border fortresses bordering the southwest and relocating the local elderly, weak, women and children, she had done everything she could. However, if the battlefield was placed on her own territory, the losses would not be something she could control.

Knowing that the Southwest Allied Forces were employing a feint attack, Shen Tang decided to play along, deliberately letting the two weaker Allied forces pass, while targeting the remaining two. Meanwhile, her main force split into two groups. One group broke through the Allied defenses at top speed to attack member states of the Dragon Slayer Bureau, while the other group laid an ambush to intercept them.

Luan Xin had questions.

His expression was extremely subtle and troubled: "Does the Lord mean... to send 8,000 troops to intercept the enemy's 40,000 elite soldiers?"

Eight thousand versus forty thousand?

It's not that we can't fight, it's just that the chances of winning aren't high.

Moreover, his lord didn't assign him a top-tier warrior commander—Gongxi Chou, Yun Ce, Chu Jie, or even Wei Shou if necessary—but instead gave him only Qian Yong. It's not that I look down on Qian Yong's abilities, but his skills clearly can't bridge the gap of 32,000 troops. If there's even a 19th-rank Marquis along the way, Qian Yong could practically turn into a child again next year to celebrate his first birthday.

Qian Yong didn't care about saving face.

She immediately pinched her nose, crying and blowing her nose to show Shen Tang.

He'd worked hard all these years, even if he hadn't achieved anything significant; the emperor couldn't send him to his death! He knew the emperor still harbored resentment towards his former warlord identity. Then again, if the emperor could accept someone like Wu Zhaode, why would he make things difficult for him?

Shen Tang: [...Let me finish speaking first.]

Qian Yong immediately sat up straight: "Your Majesty, please give your orders."

Shen Tang coughed lightly: "Actually, Uncle He, there's no need to worry too much. This matter seems dangerous, but it's actually not safe at all… no, it's very safe. Would I betray my own people? Let's see where the Southwest Allied Army's troops are headed!"

[In warfare, speed is of the essence. They won't prolong their battle lines or go to distant places instead of nearby ones, so we can use the process of elimination first.] Kangguo has a long border with the southwestern states, but due to the terrain, there aren't many places where the southwestern allies can break through.

Excluding the two to the west, and then the one closest to the central continent, only three options remain. These three locations differ in terrain and the difficulty of attack varies. The southwest excels in naval warfare, and with such a large force, a stable water supply is essential. Shen Tang pointed out one of these locations; some already knew it, while others were still unaware. Tan Ting clearly didn't understand what was special about this place that allowed Qian Yong's 8,000 troops to easily handle 40,000.

Gu Chi: [In the third year of Yuanhuang's reign, the royal court focused on agriculture and water conservancy projects, approving four projects in one go... This is one of them. This place is far from the capital, Fengluo, and the local officials, thinking themselves superior and far removed from the emperor, engaged in layers of exploitation and embezzlement... An incognito censor from the Censorate investigated and confirmed the matter was true. The emperor had purged over a hundred people that time, and they were all dumped into the reservoir.]

Upon hearing the word "reservoir," Tan Ting looked at the river again.

His lips twitched suddenly.

This river has one name in Kang State, but a different name downstream, as Kang State built reservoirs upstream.

[Did the Southwest States not discover this?]

If the upstream authorities are unscrupulous, storing water during the dry season and releasing it during the rainy season, the countries downstream will be in trouble. This lifeline cannot be allowed to be controlled by anyone: [Of course, something was discovered; otherwise, where would so many bribed and bought off come from? Under pressure, the royal court promised to rectify the situation within a specified time, mobilized troops from all directions, and the rectification work was completed in the blink of an eye, with Qin Shaoshi helping to cover it up.]

That area is often cloudy and foggy.

There was no deliberate interception of the downstream water source.

Over the years, everything remained peaceful. Numerous rumors circulated near the reservoir about monsters that ate people, each more outrageous and terrifying than the last. Eventually, no commoner dared to approach. Furthermore, under the pretext of preparing for war, as many nearby residents as possible were relocated, making the reservoir's existence a closely guarded secret of the Kang Kingdom. Few knew its construction date, and even fewer knew it was completed.

Qian Yong quickly figured it out.

[Open the floodgates, release water to flood?]

Are all 40,000 enemies submerged in water?

Qin Li shook his head, disagreeing, saying, "Opening the sluice gates would certainly give the enemy a hard time, but has the general considered how much water would be needed to achieve this effect? ​​The disaster wouldn't just affect 40,000 enemies, but also over 200,000 people along the river."

Qian Yong, who was itching to make a move, could only look to Shen Tang.

Qin Li, being the kind of person he is, would certainly not agree to such a heinous and morally reprehensible scheme. He could easily kill 400,000, let alone 40,000, but the implications were so far-reaching that it required careful consideration. Shen Tang retorted irritably, "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have the answer on my face? Didn't Gong Su already tell you what to do?"

Qian Yong: [...]

Wait, wait, wait, when did Qin Gongsu say that?

Wasn't Qin Li's opening statement a form of opposition?

Haha, that's really not true!

Using a simple and forceful method of releasing water to achieve the desired effect would require releasing a large volume of water, inevitably impacting downstream areas. However, if other methods are used to achieve the same goal with a minimal amount of water, and a long-distance buffer is provided, could the downstream areas fully absorb the impact?

If this condition is met, why not flood the enemy?

Qian Yong: [...So the solution is?]

Shen Tang said: [Increase pressure, accelerate.]

If it weren't for the sheer absurdity, Shen Tang would have built reservoirs all upstream, damming up all the water and ignoring the plight of those downstream. If they obeyed, he'd open the floodgates to give them a breather; if they disobeyed, he'd shut them off to leave them thirsty, with no harvest. How many more years could the southwest survive?

Even Qi Shan gasped at this monstrous idea.

Fortunately, she only thought about it and didn't actually go crazy.

Qian Yong: [...]

Forgive his bluntness, but he's actually quite crazy now.

The Southwestern Allied Forces are really being played like fools.

Qian Yong praised the plan as ingenious (and flawed), but he was not being sincere. He was secretly trying to find out who had come up with the plan. Surely it wasn't the emperor? Well, it wasn't Shen Tang, but Qi Yuanliang. He was the one who first proposed the idea.

Immediately after the suggestion was made, Qi Yuanliang was beaten by Liao Jia.

It's estimated that it triggered some psychological trauma in the latter.

Qi Shan took the lead, Shen Tang brainstormed, and Chu Yao, Qin Li, and others, while saying it was against the natural order, were thinking about how to do it in a way that wouldn't harm the natural order but would benefit the people. Ning Yan reviewed the proposals, and Xun Zhen spent the entire time calculating the budget. The Ministry of Revenue really had no surplus grain.

He tightened his belt and secretly carried out this task.

When the Kang Kingdom was established, the royal court's main activities were building bridges, roads, houses, and reservoirs. Water conservancy facilities of all sizes sprang up everywhere, and this one wouldn't stand out in the middle. If it came in handy, great; if not, it simply solved the local water problem.

Qian Yong quickly realized that this was a sure thing, and he was guaranteed to make a profit.

He immediately issued a military order: no retreat until victory.

Shen Tang told him to swallow the last four words.

Don't make empty promises; it's bad luck.

One of the rules of civil and military affairs in Kangguo is that it is forbidden to set flags (i.e., make promises or goals).

[Meeting adjourned!]

The DingTalk operational meeting has ended.

(〃-ω)

Today's chapter is a bit short, so I'm taking a break.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be making up for the missed Empress's side story. I'll update this part sporadically, and it won't affect my updates. I'll put it in the book review section or the public section. I mainly want to adjust my mood because I feel like I'm having a lot of bad luck in September.

One critical hit after another during the day.

On the 30th of last month, I discovered that my activity fund was unused, so I applied for the monthly pass activity, but it was rejected. And I hadn't checked my backend messages for a long time, which resulted in my 88,000 Qidian coins activity fund being wasted! I feel so frustrated just thinking about it!

I was grazed by an electric scooter while driving...

I drove over 100 kilometers to attend two relatives' funerals for my mom...

The power-leveling service I hired sadly told me that I hadn't gotten any of the 400+ Memorable Stones...

I got home around 6 PM and the gacha game started, so I was guaranteed to get the same card six times...

I had a bit of a cold, took some medicine, and woke up at 10:30, feeling like my soul had left my body...

I really want to give this world the middle finger =“=凸