World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 298 - 174: Crazy Suo Lun, first battle victorious!_2

Chapter 298: 174: Crazy Suo Lun, first battle victorious!_2

Despite dividing the forty-thousand-strong army into three parts, the main, or even the only, battlefield would be at Tianlang Pass.

This was the consensus among the five powers of Suo Hanyi, Zhi Ning, Nurdan, Gui Qinqu, and Turing Duo.

Annihilating Suo Lun’s army beneath Tianlang Pass and not letting a single soldier enter Tianshui City Territory was the keynote established from the beginning.

...

At this time, inside the castle of Tianlang Pass, the five members of the battlefield command were still in endless debate.

Annihilating Suo Lun at Tianlang Pass and not allowing a single soldier into Tianshui City Territory had already been decided as the strategy.

But what they were debating endlessly now was whether to wait at ease for Suo Lun’s army to attack Tianlang Pass or to take the initiative and attack first?

Nurdan and Gui Qinqu both insisted on engaging in battle outside the pass, seizing the opportunity to annihilate Suo Lun’s army while it was weary from traveling thousands of miles.

However, Turing Duo believed that they should wait at ease and let the formidable fortress of Tianlang Pass bleed Suo Lun’s army dry.

And Suo Hanyi even thought they should split their forces in two, sending ten thousand troops through Baiyun County to bypass the Tianshui Mountain Range, and attack Suo Lun’s army from behind in a pincer movement.

Three opinions, endlessly debated.

And the only one with the power to decide, Zhi Ning, after much thought, found all three opinions quite reasonable.

The first plan, striking while Suo Lun’s army was exhausted from traveling thousands of miles, should ensure victory, though perhaps a phyrric one.

Because Suo Lun’s army mainly consisted of mercenaries, and Yan Yan was the king of mercenaries, this force was extremely strong in field battles, but not adept at taking fortified cities—a characteristic inherent to mercenaries.

Therefore, to Zhi Ning, the first plan meant attacking the enemy’s strength with her own weakness.

As for the third plan, dispatching another ten thousand troops to attack Suo Lun’s army from behind, it was indeed a winning strategy with the least casualties.

However, Zhi Ning couldn’t spare such a force. The six thousand-strong City Defense Army under Suo Lun was a very elite force. Yet, Zhi Ning had kept them in Heavenly Water Main City because after all, they were the Suo’s troops, and Suo Lun was the true master of Tianshui City. She was worried that if they were dispatched, they might never return, lured away by Suo Lun.

She dared not underestimate Suo Lun’s ability to sway people’s hearts in the slightest.

So, the third plan was also out of the question.

The second plan, to endure by sitting tight in the fortress and waiting at ease for Suo Lun’s army to come and attack, seemed to be the most moderate and also the most secure.

Because Suo Lun’s fifteen-thousand-strong army had been on the march for over twenty days, exhausting who knew how much of their provisions, and without any replenishment, they would run out of food and forage in at most a fortnight.

Within Tianlang Pass, there was an abundance of food and forage; time was on Zhi Ning’s side, not Suo Lun’s.

Zhi Ning looked at the four people present and said, "We will adopt the second plan, wait at ease, and have the defensive works of Tianlang Pass wear down Suo Lun’s army to death."

...

Seven days earlier, in Suo Lun’s military camp, Suo Lun, Yan Yan, Yan Nai’er, and Tu An were present.

A map was laid out on the large table in the middle, the topographic map of Tianshui City.

Suo Lun pointed at Tianlang Pass on the map and said, "This is Tianlang Pass, the only narrow path entering Tianshui City Territory. It’s incredibly precipitous, easy to defend but hard to attack. Centuries ago, the Suo Family relied on Tianlang Pass and Barbaric Gorge to withstand the plundering of the Barbarian Tribes. To enter Tianshui City, Tianlang Pass must first be taken."

The three people present nodded.

"Therefore, the enemy will definitely place the battlefield at Tianlang Pass and will not allow us a single soldier to enter Tianshui City," Suo Lun said. "To maintain advantage, they will station twenty thousand troops at Tianlang Pass, and apart from the Tianshui City Guard, all the elite will be there."

Then Suo Lun asked, "My army, fifteen thousand. The enemy, twenty thousand. They are set up in Tianlang Pass, can we take it down?"

Yan Yan, Yan Nai’er, and Tu An all shook their heads.

It is common military knowledge that taking a city requires at least twice the manpower, and that fact would not change just because Yan Yan was in command.

Moreover, Suo Lun’s entire army was composed of mercenaries, possessing extremely strong field battle capabilities but lacking the experience of large-scale operations and the expertise in assaulting fortified cities.

Suo Lun continued, "The enemy has three combat plans. The first is to take the initiative and attack us after our long march. The second is to sit tight in their fortress, waiting at ease. The third is to dispatch a force to our rear and attack us from both sides."

Suo Lun said, "Zhi Ning will choose the second plan because it is the most secure with the least losses."

Yan Yan said, "Actually, all three of the enemy’s plans are correct, and any of them could win!"

"Right," Suo Lun said. "All three plans could win, but the enemy commander Zhi Ning is, after all, a woman; she has plenty of cunning but lacks boldness. If I were the enemy commander, I would definitely choose the first plan, amass the full twenty-five thoustan troops at Tianlang Pass, strike without regard for the cost, and annihilate us at the first chance. The only disadvantage for the enemy is that their advantage is too great; holding a handful of good cards, they could win by the simplest means, but they want to win with the least cost."

Yan Yan said, "That’s because you, my friend, are a madman."

"Right, a madman," Suo Lun said decisively. "In this battle, we have no advantage whatsoever; they have two to three times our strength, endless supplies, a fortified city, and the hearts of the people. The enemy’s three plans are unsolvable for us. One must be mad to see a sliver of chance, or else defeat is certain."

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