Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1149 - 1142: Defense Issues

Chapter 1149: Chapter 1142: Defense Issues

The meeting had reached this point when, as if by some unspoken agreement, everyone fell into a temporary silence, each taking a break in their own way; it was like a halftime rest.

Luo’er picked up the touchscreen and swiped clumsily several times before he finally saw the time. At this moment, it had been almost more than two hours since he had entered the meeting room.

That is to say, the meeting had been going on for almost two hours non-stop, and although Luo’er had said only a few words, he inexplicably felt exhausted, as if he had just finished a long run, feeling utterly weary both physically and mentally.

"Not used to this kind of meeting?" Lin Wei asked with concern.

"It’s my first time participating, so I’m still not accustomed to it," Luo’er replied truthfully.

"Heh, there’s nothing to it; you’ll get used to it after attending a few more," Lin Wei said with a reassuring smile, "In the future, meetings like this will basically be the norm, and you may even need to organize and conduct them yourself."

"I understand..." Luo’er nodded, knowing that Lin Wei intended to nurture him. But still, he felt an inexplicable discomfort, always feeling a stronger yearning for the freedom of the outside world.

After resting for more than ten minutes, the meeting resumed. The moderator picked up the touchscreen, swiped a few times, then spoke up in a clear voice, "Now, we will proceed to the last item on the agenda, which concerns the management issues of Lipei, including public safety, military deployment, and other problems..."

"In the previous topic, we mentioned that we plan to confiscate the landlords’ produce from the local areas and redistribute it. Such measures will inevitably encounter resistance, even violent opposition; therefore, we need a strong military force to suppress such rebellions. To deal with such emergencies, according to the document, we have a few options..."

"Firstly, deploy a Rapid Reaction Force composed of Earthlings at Shenghua Academy, ready to respond at any moment; secondly, establish a Mobile Troop within Lipei City comprised of Sub-species soldiers, for Mobility suppression; thirdly, enlist local residents to form a City Defense Army entirely composed of Otherworld inhabitants; fourthly, rely on the existing mercenary forces and expand recruitment to maintain urban order in Lipei and quell potential rebellions. Leaders, what are your views?"

The moderator spoke very cautiously, as if afraid of being berated by the officers again. However, his concerns were evidently misplaced because the topic was very much to the taste of the military men, who showed no interest in engaging with the moderator and instead started discussing heatedly.

"I think the first option is reliable, deploying a Rapid Reaction Force at Shenghua Academy to address any issues that may arise at any time!" an officer said approvingly.

"After all, it is a Rapid Reaction Force established by Earthlings; it cannot form a long-term deterrent in Lipei City. Big problems are one thing, but you can’t send in the Rapid Reaction Force every time there’s a minor skirmish; that would be completely irresponsible towards the lives of the Rapid Reaction Force soldiers," someone objected.

"Then how about letting the Sub-species build a Mobile Troop for long-term stationing in Lipei?" someone suggested.

"You must be joking," a senior officer from headquarters slammed his hand on the table, "We’ve worked hard to send the Sub-species to college, not to make them enlist and sacrifice their lives. They have their own tasks and will play a role in many areas in the future, not just the military. With the few Sub-species we have now, even if we select the appropriate aged Sub-species for the military, we’d only have a few thousand in scale; how could that manage the governance of Lipei’s area of over 200 square kilometers?"

"Then why not simply recruit local civilians to form a City Defense Army? After all, if they settle in Lipei, then they are citizens of Lipei and have the duty to enlist and defend Lipei," another officer suggested.

"That’s not appropriate; the situation is still chaotic. We can’t just wantonly recruit Otherworld inhabitants into our military system; who knows if there would be spies among them or if they would be absorbed by other powers as insiders," came an immediate objection.

"In the end, you still don’t trust Otherworld inhabitants!" someone said discontentedly.

"That’s normal; if we trusted the Otherworld inhabitants, why wouldn’t we just use them to form the Advance Team instead of selecting Sub-species from the Academy?" the officer shrugged.

"Then mercenaries..."

"Mercenaries are out of the question," someone immediately argued. "These people are in it for the money, they go with whoever pays more. Talking to them about trust is a bit too self-righteous."

"So, what should we do?"

The meeting had reached a stalemate, with nobody able to convince the others; it seemed like everyone had a point, yet no one really did.

Lin Wei turned to Luo’er, who was slightly frowning at the moment, seemingly contemplating the issue. Thus, Lin Wei couldn’t help but ask softly, "Luo’er, do you have any ideas?"

"I have a rough idea," Luo’er responded truthfully.

"Good," Lin Wei nodded in satisfaction, then addressed the others, "Gentlemen, Luo’er has some opinions of his own. Let’s listen to what he has to say. Having traveled across the Otherworld for several years, he understands it better than most of us here and surely has unique insights."

"You flatter me..." Standing up uneasily, Luo’er gave Lin Wei a bow.

At that moment, he felt helpless as Lin Wei had effectively put him on the spot, and staying silent was practically impossible.

"Uh, since you all hold me in such high regard, I will be bold enough to blabber a bit," Luo’er said, stuttering a little under everyone’s gaze, hoping to spark a discussion.

"No problem, just speak your mind. You’re the junior here; just say whatever you have to say, no one will make it difficult for you," a Major General spoke up to reassure him.

"All right, I’ll just say it," Luo’er took a deep breath, his speech much more fluent, "I personally think that all four proposals are viable, but with necessary trade-offs, rather than using just one and abandoning the other three."

"It’s not that we don’t want to adopt them all; the main issue is that our finances simply can’t handle adopting all four strategies at once. The state has already invested a lot into headquarters. If we increase the investment, I reckon our brothers in the navy and air force will come looking for trouble, driving their ships on dry land," an officer said humorously, spreading his hands.

"That’s why I especially emphasize the need to make trade-offs," Luo’er explained.

"Hmm, let’s hear your thoughts," General Zhang nodded in approval.

"My personal view is that these four options should be divided into different time periods, not implemented simultaneously. In the first phase, when we don’t have sufficient security forces to protect Lipei, we should adopt the first and fourth proposals, relying on the Rapid Reaction Force deployed at Shenghua Academy and the mercenaries stationed in Lipei to ensure its safety," Luo’er stated.

"On this basis, we start to establish Lipei’s local forces, adopting the second and third proposals, but even then, we need to make choices. As everyone has mentioned, sub-human troops ensure loyalty but not quantity, as there are only so many sub-humans. And while Lipei’s native forces ensure quantity, the loyalty and quality of the military forces cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, in this situation, I believe combining the two is undoubtedly the best choice," Luo’er continued.

As he spoke, Luo’er looked at everyone. Uncharacteristically, no one was arguing; instead, they listened patiently to his proposal, with some nodding in agreement.

"Yes, yes, yes, continue!" General Zhang gave a thumbs up, enthusiastically urging Luo’er on.

"My suggestion is to have the sub-human troops serve as the backbone, with people from the Otherworld as the main force. The specific plan is to let the sub-humans act as officers leading the Otherworlder army, with each village and town forming militia organizations. Each militia would send a few sub-humans or a team to be responsible for training and commanding, quickly turning these militias into a regular military force ready for combat," Luo’er elaborated.

"In doing so, firstly, we develop the sub-humans’ military capabilities. Secondly, we don’t need to train a large military force but distribute it across villages and towns, meeting the security needs of the Lipei region. Through leading the sub-humans, we indirectly lead the military forces made up of Otherworlders," Luo’er explained.

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