Chapter 423: The Brilliant Commander, All Nations Are Calculated to the Extreme!
Under the leadership of Lin Beifan, the meeting proceeded smoothly, and everyone reached a unanimous consensus. Due to the tyranny of Great Xia, all nations united to concentrate their forces and launch an offensive against Great Xia.
Lin Beifan was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces, commanding the entire army and overseeing the operations. Each country appointed a general to represent them, commanding their own forces while following the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. The more effort each country contributed, the more sacrifices they made, and consequently, the greater their share of the benefits.
In the end, territories would be allocated based on the size of each country’s contributions.
Lastly, with a face full of red light, Lin Beifan raised his cup high, saying, “Everyone, I believe that with our combined strength, we will be unstoppable! Let us raise our glasses and toast to a great victory in this battle!”
“Commander, please, and everyone else too!” With their faces also glowing, they all raised their cups and drank heartily, as if they had already won the war.
After finishing this cup of wine, everyone hurried off to prepare. Zhao Kuo followed behind Lin Beifan, looking somewhat hesitant, as if he had something to say but was holding back. Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Zhao Kuo, you’ve been with me for so long. If you have anything to say, don’t keep it to yourself!”
“Yes, Supreme Commander,” Zhao Kuo said with a bow. “I believe that this distribution plan is highly unfair to our Great Wu!”
Lin Beifan smiled and asked, “What do you find unfair?”
“Prime Minister, according to this distribution plan, it’s clear that those who contribute more will receive more benefits. I have no doubts about that. However, those who make greater sacrifices will also receive more benefits… I find this aspect highly unfair!” Zhao Kuo said seriously.
“We in Great Wu not only have a strong and well-equipped army but also each of our soldiers can often match three soldiers from smaller countries. Therefore, when it comes to casualties, we will certainly have fewer than these smaller nations. But fewer sacrifices also mean fewer benefits, which is highly unfair to us.”
“What I fear the most is that some smaller countries might try to be sly, sending in some subpar troops who have no real impact on the war and end up with even more land after the sacrifices. I urge you to reconsider, Prime Minister!”
Lin Beifan shook his head and smiled, “Zhao Kuo, you’ve made a valid point, but sometimes you need to look at things from a long-term perspective. According to this plan, we do indeed appear to be at a disadvantage, but the accounts aren’t that simple.”
“I don’t quite understand, Prime Minister. Please enlighten me, and I’ll listen attentively,” Zhao Kuo said humbly.
“Our goal is to defeat Great Xia, that much is clear. However, how to unite everyone, motivate them, and get them to contribute their best efforts is the biggest challenge we face now. These people are all opportunists; if we don’t offer them some benefits, why would they be willing to unite, put forth their troops, and exert their full strength? That’s one aspect.”
Zhao Kuo nodded in agreement, “Prime Minister, what you’re saying makes sense.”
“Secondly, with us leading the charge, our Great Wu will suffer fewer casualties,” Lin Beifan smiled and said, “In my opinion, our own soldiers are the most valuable. I’d rather give up some land to reduce our sacrifices. Although we’ll get fewer benefits when dividing the land in the end, it’s still worth it.”
Zhao Kuo nodded again, “Prime Minister, you’re absolutely right. A true leader should love their soldiers like their own children.”
“There’s one more point to consider. Do you really think Great Xia is so easy to defeat?” Lin Beifan asked with a smile, “Although Great Xia has faced various disasters and suffered heavy losses in the past year, the foundation of an empire still exists. We’re taking a piece of meat from them while they are in chaos, but once they recover, they will seek revenge and reclaim their lost territories.”
“We can defend our own land, but can the smaller countries do the same? Conquering a kingdom is difficult, but defending it is even harder. If they can’t defend it, their nations will fall, and what good will more land do for them? It would be a wasted effort.”
“I see, Prime Minister, you are truly wise. I understand now,” Zhao Kuo said, enlightened.
Lin Beifan shook his head, “No, you haven’t fully understood yet.”
“Huh?” Zhao Kuo was puzzled.
“When Great Xia recovers, and they go after these smaller countries to reclaim their lost lands, that will be my opportunity!” Lin Beifan exclaimed with excitement. “At that time, these smaller countries will have been weakened by Great Xia, their strength diminished, and their resources depleted. Meanwhile, we will have already expanded our territories in the Far East. With a strong army and abundant resources, we can continue to conquer and take advantage of the situation. Isn’t that beautiful?”
Zhao Kuo looked at Lin Beifan with deep admiration in his eyes. What a genius! He had thought about how to maximize their gains from this war and how to eventually absorb all the other nations in a few years.
Step by step, layer by layer, he had calculated every nation to the bone. Truly, he was formidable!
“And there’s a fourth point!” Lin Beifan said with a triumphant smile. “Now, I am the Commander of the alliance. All the forces will obey my orders, and the entire army is under my control. With this, won’t Great Wu be able to gain even more benefits?”
“Prime Minister, you are brilliant. I am in awe,” Zhao Kuo said with admiration.
Following this discussion, news of the seven nations forming a military alliance to jointly attack Great Xia spread rapidly throughout the world.
The people of the world were in awe.
“These seven nations forming a coalition to attack Great Xia, Great Xia is in big trouble!”
“Indeed! The combined military strength of the seven nations is at least a terrifying million soldiers! But right now, Great Xia is in chaos and unable to organize a strong resistance, they are doomed!”
“Especially this time, the Commander of the coalition is Lin Beifan! This guy is a master of warfare, always winning with less, defeating the strong with the weak, and he never loses a battle. He’s considered a modern military god! With him leading a million-strong army, no country can withstand it, and neither can Great Xia!”
“Great Xia is really in for it!”
The disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, it was like heaven and earth, and everyone had little hope for Great Xia.
Not only did everyone lose hope, even the people of Great Xia themselves didn’t have much hope. So, they started fleeing, either to other countries or deep into the mountains and forests to escape the war. The Great Xian military also didn’t have much confidence; many of their soldiers deserted. As a result, Great Xia became even more chaotic.
Meanwhile, Lin Beifan paid no attention to external opinions and was busy mobilizing his troops. He attached great importance to this upcoming war and planned to mobilize 500,000 soldiers to attack Great Xia. This was the maximum number of troops he could mobilize without compromising Great Wu’s defenses.
Lin Beifan originally thought that he had called up a sufficient number of soldiers, but when the troops from other nations gathered, he realized that there were even more forces than he had anticipated. For example, the neighboring country, the Great Mo, with a population of less than 10 million, usually had a standing army of around 500,000, but they had sent 600,000 troops.
“General Liu, the Great Mo has sent so many troops; you’ve sent 100,000 more than us!” Lin Beifan looked at the massive army from the Great Mo and said in amazement.
General Liu, the commander sent by the Great Mo, led their forces. He quickly reported to Lin Beifan, “Reporting to the Commander, this war against Great Xia is a just war, so our Great Mo has mobilized all its strength to participate. That’s why we have more soldiers.”
“I see, I understand now,” Lin Beifan said with a wry smile. He pointed to a group of veterans who seemed to be in their fifties or sixties and had gray hair. “General Liu, are these also soldiers from the Great Mo? They look quite old, and some of them can barely walk. Can they still fight?”
General Liu replied solemnly, “Commander, please don’t underestimate them. As the saying goes, ‘An old horse in the stable still yearns to gallop, and a hero remains vigorous even in old age.’ These are seasoned veterans of the Great Mo, skilled in battle. They can take on ten opponents each. I heard that when they heard about this campaign against Great Xia, they enthusiastically volunteered. I didn’t want to disappoint their spirit, so I recruited them all.”
Just as they were talking, one of the elderly veterans stepped into a pit, fell down, and with a loud crack, broke a bone. His screams echoed through the entire army.
“Oh, my bones are broken! Is there anyone to help me?”
Lin Beifan: “…”
General Liu: “…”
General Liu was sweating profusely and tried to explain, “Commander, please listen to me, this is just an accident!”
Lin Beifan nodded, “Indeed, it’s quite unexpected. Just one pit, and it managed to break his bone! Fortunately, it’s only a broken bone, or else we’d have a casualty before we even set out on the campaign!”
General Liu was drenched in sweat, his face flushed red. “So, what about these people?” Lin Beifan pointed to a few others who looked a bit too dolled up. “You recruited the old man, which is one thing, but these individuals, they seem to be women. Can they really fight?”
General Liu tried to defend them again, “Commander, don’t underestimate them! You should know that women can hold up half the sky!”
Just then, a heavily pregnant woman suddenly clutched her belly and sat down, crying out in pain, “Oh, the little one inside my belly is being disobedient! I’m about to give birth! Someone help!”
Lin Beifan: “…”
General Liu: “…”
Lin Beifan chuckled coldly, “Indeed, they can hold up half the sky! If there were no accidents, she might have given birth to a son who could also join the army! General Liu, don’t you think so?”
General Liu was drenched in sweat, feeling embarrassed, and just wanted to find a place to bury his head…
