knife

Chapter 738 Xiao Changche's Conjecture
They could have walked through the snow without leaving a trace, untouched by the wind and snow, but the two of them deliberately trudged through the snow, one foot deep and one foot shallow. Li Dachui didn't care that countless curious eyes were watching them from the city wall, and boldly reached out and grasped Xiao Changche's slender hand.

The palms were not smooth; the calluses from the long spear even made them a little rough.

Xiao Changche glanced back at the city wall, where rows upon rows of people suddenly appeared much shorter, all hiding behind the battlements.

These soldiers feared Xiao Changche far more than Li Dachui.

"You really didn't give Old Man Mao any face today. Look, the old man was so angry that his eyes rolled back!" Li Dachui laughed.

"That old man's fallen into his old habits again, always concerned with his own little corner of the world, obsessed with being a capable minister who can govern the country well, wanting the people to live in peace and prosperity, wanting to become a universally praised foreign minister. But he doesn't even consider what all of this is built upon!" Xiao Changche continued, "And he's giving me that nonsense about military spending not exceeding fiscal revenue. Isn't that absurd? The Beiting Protectorate is a military institution; everything it does is based on serving the army. This old man is treating the Beiting Protectorate as if it were a country!"

“The current Beiting Protectorate is much larger than most countries, both in terms of territory and population!” Li Dachui laughed. “So, to be fair, he’s not wrong!”

“But we are still in the midst of war, Li Dachui. Don’t be fooled by your current apparent advantage. If you lose just one crucial battle, you’ll be brought back to reality!” Xiao Changdao said.

"Do you still believe that Linghu Ye will be able to amass more troops for a decisive battle with us in a very short time?" Li Dachui asked. "At today's meeting, everyone generally agreed that the offensive and defensive situation has reversed, and we are now on the offensive while Linghu Ye is on the defensive. His most likely scenario is that he is seeking an opportunity to counterattack while holding his ground. I'm not underestimating Linghu Ye, but he has already fallen into a situation of fighting on two or even three fronts!"

“I have been fighting under this man for nearly ten years!” Xiao Changche shook his head and said, “I have been his direct subordinate for almost five years, and I know him much better than you do. He seems very rational, very strategic, and very shrewd. He plans before he acts and is the kind of person who would rather retreat three feet than advance an inch without being sure of success.”

"Isn't he?" Li Dachui laughed. "I think he is. Back when he fell for my trick and went through the pass, I was actually quite uneasy. At that time, I kept thinking, what should I do if he turns back?"

"He's gone back, what are you going to do?"

“What can he do? Run back and become a bandit. If he really goes back, Chang Jian and Chen Liang will definitely follow him again. At most, I can just take him back!” Li Dachui said. “But he doesn’t dare. He’s not sure if Chen Liang and Chang Jian will follow him again. That night at Volcano Fortress, he must have thought a lot about it, but in the end, he didn’t have absolute certainty, so he ultimately chose to give up!”

“Even I can’t be sure!” Xiao Changche said. “Because in his view, Chen Liang and Chang Jian did indeed betray him! But that’s not all of Linghu Ye’s character. Deep down, he possesses a madness that’s willing to gamble everything, to put everything on the table and bet it all. He rarely shows it, but I know that’s who he is. Because after I was promoted to General of the Cavalry, in several battles where we fought alongside him against the Northern Yuan, he did just that. And in those battles, we won by sheer luck, but it was precisely because of those battles that the Northern Yuan became thoroughly wary of him!”

"So you think Linghu Ye will go mad again this time?" "Very likely!" Xiao Changdao said, "Because you now have the upper hand, and if the way Beiting is dealing with the Cui and Lu families is accepted by the powerful families in the Central Plains, and they feel that this approach is acceptable to avoid a situation where everything is destroyed and nothing is left, it will further encourage Linghu Ye to make this decision. As time goes by, he will become weaker and weaker, and the support he receives will become less and less. So we must take advantage of the fact that he can still gather strong forces now to settle the score with us!"

"Why not in Nanyang or Xiangyang? Jiang Qian's side is much weaker than ours, so we should have a better chance of winning there, right?" Li Dachui pondered, unable to decide.

"What? Worried about your little lover?" Xiao Changche's phoenix eyes narrowed again, a cold glint flashing in them.

Li Dachui chuckled but didn't reply. At this point, anything he said would be wrong. Staying silent would make it less likely for the other party to find fault with him. Besides, Xiao Changche wasn't the type to hold grudges. She was quite magnanimous.

Sure enough, after glaring at Li Dachui for a while, Xiao Changdao said, "What good would it do to win against Jiang Qian? Jiang Qian is incredibly cunning. If Linghu Ye were to truly engage her in a decisive battle in Nanyang, she would immediately retreat to Xiangyang, using the fortified city and navy to stall him. Even if Linghu Ye gained the upper hand, he would inevitably be dragged into a protracted and arduous struggle. A local victory is easy, but a complete suppression of Jiang Qian is highly unlikely! So, why not just fight us to the death? Winner takes all—that's what Linghu Ye wants! If we really lose, will you still be able to protect your little lover?"

"That's actually quite possible!" Li Dachui stopped and frowned. "Where do you think the battlefield will be?"

"Shanggu and Yuyang regions!" Xiao Changche said, "I don't know when or in what form the war will unfold, but it will definitely happen. Therefore, we must expand our standing army, because once this war begins, it will be lightning-fast, happening in a very short time, and then it will end!"

"It's not easy for Linghuye to mobilize an army of this size!"

"I suspect he'll initially adopt the posture of attacking your mistress, with all mobilization, gathering, and conscription aimed at that goal, using this to strategically deceive us. Over the past few years, Linghu Ye must have figured out the time it takes for us to assemble our troops. It takes at least a month for a 50,000-strong garrison to complete the assembly, reorganization, and logistical arrangements for war preparations. If the size reaches 100,000, the assembly alone will take more than three months. Therefore, this war planned by Linghu Ye will inevitably end within one to two months. If we don't have enough standing troops, we'll suffer a great loss!"

“You’re right!” Li Dachui nodded and said, “It’s better to be well prepared beforehand than to be caught off guard at the last minute. I’ll talk to Old Man Mao again about expanding the army. If he doesn’t agree or cooperate, many things will be difficult to do!”

"Hmph, if he's not willing, then we'll find someone else!" Xiao Changche said coldly.

(End of this chapter)