Chapter 216: Mutual Calculation

Jiang Kai repeated His Majesty’s words to Sun Qinxue, and beads of cold sweat immediately formed on Sun Qinxue’s forehead. Seeing this, Jiang Kai was completely baffled. He didn’t understand why his Chief of Staff was reacting like this. He had just repeated the conversation; why was Sun Qinxue so terrified?

“Commander, we are now forced into a direct confrontation with the Grand Marshal! If we don’t oppose him, His Majesty will never spare us!” Sun Qinxue warned urgently.

“I know that! Even without His Majesty saying anything, we’re already at odds with him. We have no choice. Sigh,” Jiang Kai nodded, feeling this was simply the natural state of things. Why was Sun Qinxue so frightened by this?

“It’s not as simple as you think! His Majesty rejected their proposal to transfer your forces to the East. What will the Grand Marshal think of this?! Won’t he assume that His Majesty intends to make you the next Grand Marshal?!

“Think about it! Even the Left General participated in that proposal! In the future, where will our Combat Zone get supplies or air support?! We are fighting a war! Without support, how can we possibly hold our ground?!

“Didn’t you hear His Majesty say his Imperial Guard is already prepared? He anticipated the Grand Marshal would act this way! Furthermore, by rejecting the Grand Marshal’s proposal, His Majesty explicitly signaled to the Grand Marshal: Your time in that seat is running out!

“But who will actually become the next Grand Marshal? Can you guarantee it will be you? You’re a Viscount now, but His Majesty can bestow titles upon anyone he pleases! Right now, His Majesty has essentially painted a massive target on your back, inviting the Grand Marshal and even the Left General to attack you!

“Remember, the Left General’s granddaughter is married to the Second Prince! This means His Majesty is dissatisfied with both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince! And he deliberately leaked this information to you! Think about it: moving forward, who should we align ourselves with? The Crown Prince is definitely out. The Second Prince is out too. So who is it?!

“The Third Prince? The Fourth? Or the Fifth?! Do you have any idea?!” Sun Qinxue stared at Jiang Kai, laying out the terrifying implications.

“Hiss!” Hearing this, Jiang Kai drew a sharp breath of cold air. If His Majesty truly wanted him to distance himself from the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, and intentionally leaked this information… he didn’t even know if it was true or a test!

“Furthermore, is the information His Majesty revealed to you even true?! Would His Majesty truly confide such monumental secrets to you?! Can you guarantee this isn’t just a smokescreen?! What if His Majesty actually does favor the Crown Prince?!” Sun Qinxue pressed.

“Impossible! If he favored the Crown Prince, why would he weaken the Grand Marshal?!” Jiang Kai immediately shook his head.

“Hmph, why is it impossible? Think about the Grand Marshal’s age! He’s even younger than His Majesty, isn’t he? If the Crown Prince ascends the throne with such a powerful Grand Marshal backing him, do you think His Majesty would feel at ease?!” Sun Qinxue countered.

“That… that can’t be right, can it?” Jiang Kai rubbed his head, his certainty wavering.

“Can’t be right? The Crown Prince has held his position for years without committing any major blunders, right? Do you think His Majesty would simply depose him without cause?

“Moreover, Commander, we currently control 600,000 troops! And our Southwest Combat Zone forces actually know how to fight! If you become the Grand Marshal, do you think His Majesty would feel at ease?! Borrowing a knife to kill an enemy… borrowing a knife! His Majesty is wielding this stratagem with mastery!” Sun Qinxue sighed deeply.

“But… given the current crisis, His Majesty is still playing these games?! Isn’t he afraid…?!” Jiang Kai started, but stopped himself. He didn’t need to finish the sentence; he knew Sun Qinxue understood exactly what he meant!

“Afraid of what? Things are already chaotic enough! Even with the Allied invasion, His Majesty is still His Majesty! As long as he retains the support of the populace and the loyal generals, he can continue fighting a defensive war!

“Coupled with the fact that Dongxian and Dongjun have already dispatched reinforcements… His Majesty likely figures that if there’s going to be chaos, let it all erupt at once! That way, he can resolve everything simultaneously and save himself the trouble later!” Sun Qinxue reasoned.

“True. Resolving it all at once minimizes the long-term damage!” Jiang Kai nodded in grim agreement.

“Think about it carefully! Why would His Majesty reveal such critical information to you?! Does he truly trust you that much?! He doesn’t even trust the Grand Marshal, yet he trusts you?! Our every step from here on out is fraught with danger!

“Should we distance ourselves from all the Princes, or align with one? And if so, which one?! That’s a massive problem! Furthermore, Commander, we control 600,000 troops! Setting aside everything else, our troops are undoubtedly the most combat-capable among all the Combat Zones! Tell me, does the Grand Marshal directly control as many capable troops as you do?!” Sun Qinxue challenged Jiang Kai.

Jiang Kai slowly sat down, meticulously analyzing Sun Qinxue’s words.

“Regardless, I simply don’t believe His Majesty! If he can devise such a ruthless method to purge the powerful aristocratic military families… what about us?! We are technically an aristocratic military family too! Don’t forget that!

“If he eliminates the others, will he eliminate us as well?! True, our troops are currently fighting effectively, so His Majesty likely won’t move against us immediately. But what about the future?! Once the war stabilizes and His Majesty has other capable generals at his disposal… will he still need us?! We will become entirely dispensable!” Sun Qinxue warned, standing directly across from Jiang Kai.

“Phew… let’s set that aside for a moment. Tell me, what should we do right now?!” Jiang Kai rubbed his face vigorously and looked at Sun Qinxue.

“I don’t know! It’s completely muddled! I genuinely don’t know what we should do! His Majesty’s true intentions are impossible to fathom!” Sun Qinxue shook his head in frustration.

“Forget it! I’ll just focus on holding my defensive line! As for dealing with the Grand Marshal… if he targets me, I’ll fight back! If he leaves me alone, I’ll leave him alone! I refuse to become cannon fodder!” Jiang Kai declared decisively.

“Hmph, do you think the Grand Marshal will announce his plans before he targets you?! Take this recent proposal to transfer us to the East, for example. If His Majesty hadn’t told us, would we have ever known?! They could have finalized the whole operation, and we wouldn’t even know what hit us until it was too late!” Sun Qinxue sneered contemptuously.

“Motherfucker! Fighting a war is exhausting enough without all this!” Jiang Kai cursed.

“Sigh, it’s a mess. Commander, my advice is to train your troops as quickly as possible! We must elevate our combat effectiveness! Especially those generals! They cannot remain utterly ignorant of modern warfare! They must learn how to command troops in combat! I believe, Commander, it is time for you to make your move!” Sun Qinxue urged.

“Make my move?” Jiang Kai looked at him, confused.

“Replace every single incompetent general under your command! Promote the capable Colonels and Regimental Commanders to act as Division Commanders! Have the ousted generals serve as their Chiefs of Staff! Do this for now. Then, once the promotion channels finally open, directly recommend those capable Regimental Commanders for official promotion to Division Commander!

“Think about it: those Regimental Commanders will have been elevated by you! They will definitely not oppose you! When the time comes, if His Majesty tries to transfer you and you refuse, with the staunch support of so many Division Commanders, would His Majesty dare to force the issue?!

“Furthermore, our Regimental Commanders actually know how to fight! With them leading the divisions, do you think we won’t be able to hold the defensive line?!” Sun Qinxue laid out his bold plan.

Hearing this, Jiang Kai sat in silence, contemplating the drastic measure.

“What are you hesitating for?! Commander, if you hesitate any longer, and His Majesty actually transfers you away, the subordinate troops will be left leaderless! They’ll become scattered sand! Will they still be your reliable foundation then?! Are you honestly still counting on the current crop of generals?! The moment their families threaten them, do you think they’d dare to follow you?!” Sun Qinxue pressed, seeing Jiang Kai waver.

“Mm. I can replace the Division Commanders, but the Corps Commanders must remain. If I replace them all, they will definitely revolt! It’s not that I haven’t considered your idea, but I’m worried the Corps Commanders will refuse to execute such an order!” Jiang Kai admitted, his voice heavy with concern.

“Commander, you are vastly overestimating those Corps Commanders! Let me ask you this: how many combat-capable descendants do those families even have left?!” Sun Qinxue challenged.

“Mm?” Jiang Kai looked at Sun Qinxue suspiciously.

“They don’t want their descendants getting shot in the back either! Let me ask you: when Li Jingsong went to serve as Hu Hao’s Chief of Staff, did Li Tianyuan oppose it?! Not only did he not oppose it, he actively supported it! Why?!

“Because if Li Jingsong had remained a Division Commander, he would have been fragged by his own men long ago! Would he still be alive today?!” Sun Qinxue pointed out sharply.

“That’s true. Furthermore, by serving as Hu Hao’s Chief of Staff, Li Jingsong shares in the merit of Hu Hao’s victories! Additionally, he’s bound to learn a few things about command from Hu Hao, right?” Jiang Kai nodded, agreeing with Sun Qinxue’s assessment.

“Exactly! I say we use this current redeployment of our defensive lines as the perfect opportunity! We will command a reshuffling of the Division Commanders across all subordinate units! You can speak with the Corps Commanders first and gauge their reactions.

“Just ask them: do you want to protect your descendants or not? I guarantee you, not a single one of them will oppose it! On the contrary, they will likely support it wholeheartedly!” Sun Qinxue smiled confidently.

“Alright! I will convene a meeting with the Corps Commanders this morning! Let’s see which Division Commanders need replacing!” Jiang Kai nodded decisively.

…

Meanwhile, on Hu Hao’s end, the Limaguo 11th Corps had resumed its advance. After a brief rest and meal in the small town, they immediately began pushing toward Late City.

Furthermore, they had adopted a preliminary combat formation. Instead of marching in a single, vulnerable column along the highway, they had split into several parallel advancing columns, spreading out as they converged on Late City.

The Commander of the 11th Corps sat in his command vehicle, his brow deeply furrowed. He had a very bad feeling about this.

“Report! The reconnaissance units have deployed! Our vanguard is currently maintaining a 10-kilometer distance from the main force!” a staff officer reported to the Corps Commander.

“Mm, good!” The Corps Commander nodded in acknowledgment.

“Corps Commander, there shouldn’t be any issues, right? It’s impossible for there to be a large enemy force in Late City!” a senior staff officer remarked.

“Impossible for there to be a large force?! Then the troops we previously sent to attack Late City must have been eaten by dogs?!” the Corps Commander snapped, glaring at the staff officer in dissatisfaction.

(End of Chapter)