Chapter 743
Chapter 743 - 729: Inviting You into the Urn
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"... I am the temporary commander, Lu Ping’an, our warriors have just achieved a significant victory..."
".....147 Sky Knights have been shot down, the Aus people should have lost most of their scout Sky Knights, all free warriors, your safety will greatly increase..."
"....We have successfully destroyed many of their vehicles, especially their most threatening armed vehicles, with over sixty confirmed destructed. They should’ve nearly depleted their outer bases, no need to worry about them using heavy firepower to pursue you..."
"...I don’t expect you to provide support, but don’t you have grievances? Don’t you want revenge? The outer bases of the Aus people should all be lacking security now..."
"...Of course, it’s for us, sabotaging their logistics and reinforcements can effectively assist our frontline, but it’s also for you, everyone knows that once we’re done for, you’ll be next in line to be hunted..."
".....Help yourselves..."
Lu Ping’an put down the microphone and had a sip of water.
He still just sat here quietly, but at this point, no one can ignore him anymore.
He did whatever he wanted in the battle so far, completely without consulting others.... he had the radio network in his hands, there was no need to consult.
Yet every single move he made, seemed to be anticipated and calculated, impacting the actual battle situation.
"...Report, we’ve received a callback, someone claims they will attack the Aus people’s camps, but they will need us to provide the coordinates and intelligence..."
"Respond to them, directly over public frequency, list all Aus people’s bases that we know of, let the Aus people be alert...."
Lu Ping’an never considered the safety of the radio network, he didn’t have high expectations for the security of private or encrypted channels.
In fact, in some sense, this message was intended for the Aus people to hear – if they are willing to shift frontline troops to guard their base, the pressure on his side will be lessened.
If they don’t move? That’s fine as well, but then what would the logistics personnel in their rear bases think? Considering the reality that their supply route may be ambushed, will their enthusiasm to support and send logistics be affected?
This is a blatant scheme, and something that Lu Ping’an had calculated from the beginning.
He knows that there are citizens of the Eastern Country who fear and dread war....they couldn’t possibly come here, many of them would actively avoid any battles.
But now, their existence alone is enough to divert the attention and forces of the Aus people, which is sufficient.
"...Lu Ping’an, will many people actually attack the Aus people’s bases?"
Wang Xier was somewhat hesitant, she didn’t think highly of those "war-fearing" cowards.
In their cultural system, those who don’t even strive for their own survival don’t need to exist.
"They will, I believe in their desire to live... No one is a fool, if we lose, there will be nothing left. As long as the danger is not too great, they will do something."
Those who have left/refused to come, should have dispersed into small forces in order to avoid attracting attention from the Aus people..... however this makes it even more difficult for the Aus people to guard against.
When the roles of the prey and the hunter are reversed... no, simply the discovery of the possibility of this "role swap", the hunter would easily become suspicious and caught in a predicament.
No matter if they actively search for people from the Eastern Country around their bases, or reduce the power to support here, the people from the Eastern Country on the main battlefield have gained.
"...Use the encrypted channel to contact those with significant power, persuade them to help attack Aus’ supply convoys, then give them the locations of a few key bases..."
With bets on both sides, neither will make a loss. Lu Ping’an, with just a few sentences, has put the Aus people under enormous pressure.
The command room was orderly, and without realizing it, a group of "big shots" had been drawn to the vicinity where Lu Ping’an was sitting.
Backed by multiple successful "arbitrations", Lu Ping’an has seized command with his actions.
Victory is always the most effective way to establish authority.
Lu Ping’an was considering, drinking tea and reading a book as if there was no rush at all.
Actually, he had done everything that he could do.
"..... Shouldn’t we do something now?"
"The more we do, the more mistakes we make. Let the bullets fly for a while."
Lu Ping’an took a broad view. In fact, he didn’t issue any strong orders all the way.
However, Major Qian Guozhong, who had just returned, seemed rather restless. He felt that such an important combat time should not be wasted; he always felt that something should be done.
As he spoke, he tried to stand up, at least to let his men form a supervisory team to conduct inspections.
But at this moment, he was stopped by Lu Ping’an.
"....We aren’t an army, we’re just a group of scattered teams and individuals. Orders and commands would only provoke disgruntlement, and the supervisory team would incite more hostility and vigilance..."
Lu Ping’an saw it clearly, from the very beginning, he didn’t "guide" this war via the command of an army.
Yes, it’s guiding, not commanding. Perhaps the Aus people have someone who can coordinate all the troops, but there’s definitely no one on his side that can do this.
At this moment, Lu Ping’an thought of the Battle of Stone Dragon. That pitiful battlefield commander, who had no choice but to rush forward, shouting, "It’s okay, I can handle it."
Perhaps at that moment, all he could do was pray. Pray that his bravery would make the people behind him willing to follow.
".....Everyone is here to survive, they evaluate their safety with every move they make. To get them to do their best, you must create an environment that adapts to their needs. You want them to leave the safe zone and actively attack Aus people? It might be feasible, but be prepared for the possibility of a rout. Once that happens, it’s absolutely unacceptable, it equates to announcing our complete defeat...."
From the start, Lu Ping’an’s position was clear.
Directly command and dispatch a full-scale war? He neither has the authority, the ability, or the environment for it.
He can only guide the situation, strive for an environment that best suits his side and let everyone spontaneously fight for their own survival.
".....There’s no rush, you see, they’re all in this camp now and they can’t escape. As long as the Aus people dare to come up, both sides will inevitably continue to bleed... Cough, our people will show the bravery and prowess that Eastern Country people should have."
The battlefield has evolved into this state precisely per Lu Ping’an’s plan.
This is clearly an ambush. On their side, they even have an extra "breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats" scenario.... When neither side can accept prisoners at this point, cutting off everyone’s retreat ensures they’ll fight to the last moment.
He can’t command everyone, but he can make everyone fight under the conditions he expects, just to survive.
"... Street warfare?"
"Well, you could also say, trench warfare."
"No wonder you said from the start, at any cost, we must get rid of those artillery and air force." Major Qian suddenly understood.
He knew there was a follow-up plan -- if the Aus people reacted quickly, Lu Ping’an’s elites would launch a costly assault on the artillery positions, and Lu Ping’an himself was prepared to join the fray.
"If they’re there, trench warfare would be a joke..." Lu Ping’an smiled. World War II also saw the decline of trenches and barbed wire tactics due to the advancement of bombing and artillery.
At this time, Lu Ping’an was not only speaking to Major Qian but also to others in the command center.
He needed to unify some thoughts... solo strategists often only exist in legendary tales. The command center’s strategy requires more understanding, supporters, and executors for accurate execution.
"... From the start, you had no hope for open field warfare?"
"Nonsense, if we were winning in open field combat, we wouldn’t be cornered."
"Our people are stronger, in terms of individual strength...."
"Compared to the Aus mercenaries, our organization is even worse. If compared with those professional warriors of the security departments, we’re just a bunch of unruly soldiers, the kind that scatters at a touch."
Placing everyone in this "last stand" is also equivalent to directly giving up the initiative in the war.
Major Qian pondered for a while and understood.
It’s not that he didn’t understand, rather, he’d been in the military for so long, accustomed to obeying orders and not fearing sacrifice, he really hadn’t thought of how low the bottom line could go for these unruly soldiers.
If they really leave the shelters for a head-on confrontation, their side would likely immediately encounter a large number of deserters.
Morale boosted for the sake of survival would dissipate even faster when lives are threatened.... Even though they know that escape means a slow death, once the first deserter appears, those who think "why can’t I escape" would quickly result in a massive rout.
This is not because Eastern Country’s explorers aren’t strong or brave enough, but because they’re originally civilians who came here to make money and find work. Forcing them to participate in the war is already asking too much.
So, to make them exert their combat power as much as possible, they must be placed in an environment where they have no way out and can only fight hard to survive.
Major Qian glanced at the sand table. The winding uphill road had been built into a reality of trench mazes, dotted with one Divine Bones Shelter after another.
After knocking out the distant firepower and air force, to capture the fortress you have to break through these mazes straight on.
And under each shelter are crammed professionals.
"... Many people will die."
"Heh, as if using other methods wouldn’t lead to more deaths? If the line collapses, everyone is done for."
Lu Ping’an smiled, looking around.
"Now, we have neither retreat nor other options ...we win, everyone lives, we lose, everyone dies."
At this moment, the way everyone looked at Lu Ping’an was not only with more respect but also with hidden fear.
He’s been waiting for the most brutal war of attrition and grinder of flesh and blood from the start.
He’s waiting for those Aus people to reluctantly charge up the hillside, and then engage in bloody combats every inch, every step of the way.
He’s waiting for death and wailing, waiting for the trenches amongst the mountains to be filled with corpses....
Among all the options, Lu Ping’an chose the most passive "doing nothing" and "waiting for Aus people to attack", yet it’s the most cruel yet effective choice.
"You guys only noticed now? Ha, from the moment we didn’t choose a face-to-face open field battle, it was inevitable. Or did you guys hope those guys would leave their trenches of their own accord?" Someone seemed to have seen through everything but decided not to say a word.
"He truly is the Black Knight, ruthless...." Someone muttered and then started organizing intelligence.
"... But this has the highest survival rate and the most survivors among all tactics." Someone could only sigh and went to dispatch logistics.
"Isn’t this great? Let’s see which side is more ruthless! In a narrow path, the brave are victorious!" Someone couldn’t help but laugh out loud and then walked away.
— End of Chapter 743 —