A Core Ship From The Start Chapter 616

Chapter 616: Chapter 456: Active and Passive_1 Chapter 616: Chapter 456: Active and Passive_1 On the surface, everything seemed normal. The Fourth Legion located at Stori-13 was still on guard, and the Bonn Fortress ahead appeared motionless. Kriolleiv was still moving troops around, trying to prepare for the impending war as best as he could… However, this calmness didn't even last a day.

“What did you say? The Tribunal is in action?!”

The next day, at noon, even before lunchtime, Kriolleiv received this surprising news from his deputy, Carl.

“Yes, sir, according to a report from the scouts, the Tribunal's “Steel Giant” along with five “Steel War Cars” and 5,000 soldiers of the Fourth Legion left Stori-13 this morning. They're heading towards the Bonn Fortress!”

“How long will it take them to reach Bonn Fortress?”

“At the very least, five days!”

“Very well.”

Kriolleiv calculated and nodded his head. Five days was enough for the reinforcements from the Second Legion to join them. Now that the Steel Giant was moving, they could take advantage of it not having reached Bonn Fortress yet, and break through it with the incoming reinforcements. They could then spread out in all directions! As long as they could separate the Steel Giant from the Fourth Legion, their subsequent actions would be much more convenient!

However, just because Kriolleiv thought so, didn't mean others did.

“Incoming report!!”

Just as Kriolleiv finished his lunch, a Messenger Soldier burst into his room.

“A command from the Congress's Commander-in-Chief Keqiak requires the First Legion to protect the Bonn Fortress at any cost. No fails are allowed!”

Upon hearing the message, Kriolleiv suddenly found his food lacking taste.

“Ah…..”

Looking at the order handed over by the Messenger Soldier, Kriolleiv sighed helplessly and looked at his deputy, Carl next to him. The latter also shook his head.

This was not their original plan, but that was of no use because it was a command from the Commander-in-Chief of the military. They had no choice but to listen.

“What do we do now?”

“We have no choice but to head for Bonn Fortress and hold it.”

Kriolleiv sighed silently. The command from the Congress was crystal clear, urging the First Legion to immediately set off for Bonn Fortress and defend it. Reinforcements from the Second Legion would arrive shortly, and the First Legion was required to hold the Bonn Fortress at any cost. Clearly, the Congress had also learned the news of the Tribunal's movement, and their first idea was to protect themselves…

At this thought, Kriolleiv lost his appetite.

“Notify the entire army, prepare to leave, send someone to inform Bonn Fortress that we are now responsible for it!”

While the First Legion was in action, their movements were naturally reported by Ling'Nu and Kaname who were in charge of surveillance.

“Totally unexpected……Kriolleiv is actually making a move……”

Hearing the intelligence brought back by the two, Kierdi and Wu Luze were both flabbergasted, completely unable to believe it. Especially Wu Luze. As Seth's advisor, she excelled in strategy. Prior to the operation, Wu Luze had analyzed Kriolleiv, reckoning that this veteran general was aggressive and cautious, he ought to take the initiative rather than handing it over to others.

Being led around by the nose like this was not characteristic of Kriolleiv.

“It's straightforward.”

Compared to Kierdi and Wu Luze's astonishment, Duanmu Huai seemed calm.

“Because in the end, it's a political issue, not a military one.”

“A political issue?”

“Right.”

Duanmu Huai nodded.

“You all consider Kriolleiv as our opponent, but in reality, Kriolleiv is merely a general, the commander of the First Legion. No matter how high his reputation might be in the army, he isn't the Emperor, nor is he the Commander-in-Chief. Our opponent isn't Kriolleiv, it's the Congress…”

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai picked up a chess piece and placed it on the sand table.

“From the perspective of the Congress, when they learn about the advance of our large army, what do you think will be in their minds? They will definitely worry about the Tribunal bringing troops to their city and blasting them all to the skies. So, they will definitely demand the First Legion to stop our army at all costs. In such a situation, no matter how capable Kriolleiv is, it's meaningless.”

“…It can really be like this…”

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai's explanation, everyone present was left dumbfounded. All this while, they have instinctively separated military matters from politics. But it's clear that Duanmu Huai has a different view.

Regarding the admiring and astonished gazes cast upon him by the others, Duanmu Huai seemed quite calm. Military affairs are merely an extension of politics, and within human society, they're fundamentally a political maneuver.

In history, there are countless examples of military strategy being influenced by politics, like the Battle of Changping during the Warring States period. The Zhao State used the experienced general Lian Po to resist the Qin State for several months. Cleverly, Qin State spread a rumor that their army feared Zhao Kuo rather than Lian Po and that if Zhao Kuo were made the commander, their army would retreat within three hours.

In the face of this, the Zhao State was thrown into chaos, and army was replaced with the inexperienced Zhao Kuo. Unexpectedly, the Qin army, discarding the code of ethics, swapped their commander Wang Hao with Bai Qi and defeated Zhao Kuo, known for being a strategian, in just one battle. The resultant massacre led to the death of 200,000 prisoners of war from Zhao State, leaving Zhao State in a dilapidated condition.

Upon reading this tale in later historical texts, everyone felt that Zhao Xiaocheng, the King of Zhao State was foolish. But in truth, at the time, the nation was stuck in a large-scale war, and they were running out of rations. Faced with this circumstance, as an emperor, Zhao Xiaocheng was obligated to make a decision. Otherwise, win or lose, they would all die of hunger.

As a general, Lian Po must only concern himself with the war, but Zhao Xiaocheng as an emperor had to consider the entire state. If the Zhao army won but a large number of Zhao citizens died from starvation, would it have any meaning? Besides, nobody was certain whether they would win or not if the situation continued thus.

So, he decided to take a gamble. Since Lian Po wouldn't obey him anyway, he replaced him with the obedient Zhao Kuo.

However, they lost the bet.

Similarly, Yue Fei was initially heavily relied upon by Emperor Song Gaozong. But later, when Song Gaozong recalled him with twelve golden tokens, Yue Fei was naturally saddened. But to say that Song Gaozong was completely influenced by Qin Hui would be inaccurate. In fact, in other dynasties, this might not have happened to Yue Fei. Even Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu of Han's motto was “Once the cunning rabbit is dead, cook the faithful hound”. With the resistance against the Golden Men not over yet, why was Song Gaozong eager to cut down Yue Fei?

The reason is simple, the Song dynasty learned from past experience!

Yue Fei, as a hero resisting the Golden Men, had a high reputation in the Southern Song dynasty. Emperor Song Gaozong was fearful that Yue Fei would defeat the Golden Men and then one night, he himself would be pulled out of his bed by his subordinates and given a dragon robe… How his ancestor became the emperor, didn't he know?

Why did the emperors of the Song dynasty emphasize literature and suppress military affairs? Was it not because they were afraid of the second Chenqiao incident? Given Yue Fei's prestige and status in the Song Dynasty, coupled with the Southern Song Dynasty's similar situation to that of the Hou Zhou Dynasty, with the people's hearts in unrest. If Yue Fei were to seize the throne, wouldn't the Song Dynasty end up just like the Hou Zhou Dynasty?

So, Song Gaozong was always concerned about this. Add to this the sowing of discord by the evil minister Qin Hui, and that led to a series of absurd orders that eventually led to his own demise.

In fact, more often than not, one would find that many questionable operations in history had their objective conditions, coupled with indecision, and intrigue or conspiracy of any kind acted like a catalyst, pushing them to make seemingly foolish decisions.

If there were no objective conditions, then no amount of sensationalism would work.

As the saying goes, an incompetent general can cause an entire army to perish.

But no matter how excellent a general is, they can't defy direct orders from the emperor.

In the end, every military problem is a political problem.

The same holds true for generals like Wu Qi, Han Xin, Yue Fei, and others. They were top-notch when it came to leading an army into battle. Wu Qi was even a talented individual who excelled in both military and political fields. The Chu State became powerful and dominant in the Warring States because of his reform.

But what good did it do?

Wu Qi, due to his reform, offended the nobles of Chu State and was killed by random arrows.

Han Xin, who defeated Xiang Yu, was conspired against by Lu Hou and Xiao He, lured into the palace and assassinated.

Everyone knows about Yue Fei's fate.

So, in the end, no matter how valiant a general is, they only have one path to tread when faced with political struggles – death.

Therefore, in Duanmu Huai's view, it doesn't matter how capable Kriolleiv is. If he were the reincarnation of Sun Wu, or a rebirth of Han Xin, as long as he grasps the Congress, Kriolleiv has only one way to go, and that's death!

It's okay if Kriolleiv isn't fooled, as long as the Congress is!

Just like in the past, during Qin's strategy, it didn't matter if Lian Po wasn't fooled, or if civil and military officials weren't fooled, as long as Zhao Xiaocheng, that fool, believed it! Could Lian Po really defy him?

The situation Kriolleiv is currently facing is no different. The Congress, cautious of the First Legion's betrayal following the precedent of the Fourth Legion's revolt, will either ask Kriolleiv to obey their orders without question, or Kriolleiv could directly rebel against them. If it came to that, wouldn't it be even better? They could both join the revolution!

From a political standpoint, Kriolleiv is effectively a dead man walking.

“Order everyone to get ready.”

Duanmu Huai laughed coldly and stood up.

“Since the First Legion is coming, let's give them a warm and grand welcome!”

Chapter end

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