HLnovel Chapter 127 This is just a minor victory
Chapter 127 This is just a minor victory
Lin Zixuan listened attentively, and as she described, his eyes gradually brightened.
Finally, he nodded slightly, a hint of approval on his lips: "Indeed, this is a strategy that combines offense and defense. The key to defensive warfare is to take advantage of the enemy's momentum, not to attack blindly, but to achieve a surprise victory in the enemy's weak points."
"Miss Jinyan's plan is indeed well-thought-out and a good one."
Gu Jinyan was secretly thrilled. Her tactical analysis had been recognized by Lin Zixuan, which was a great affirmation for her.
She was fascinated by military strategy and tactics, but as a woman, she had few opportunities to apply them in practice on the battlefield.
Since joining the defense of Hersha City, she has been working diligently, hoping to have the opportunity to put her skills to use in the war.
As the two walked side by side, Gu Jinyan gradually felt a growing sense of curiosity.
Lin Zixuan was neither arrogant like other generals, nor cowardly and conservative like General Zhang. On the contrary, he often demonstrated a deep understanding of war and calm judgment.
She keenly realized that Lin Zixuan seemed to possess a special quality that made him stand out in the military.
In the silence, she couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Deputy General Lin, you're not an ordinary general in the army, are you? I always felt that your understanding of these defensive strategies was deeper than that of the average person."
After hearing this, Lin Zixuan smiled slightly and said calmly, "In war, everyone has their own responsibilities. Perhaps I have some experience in strategy."
But the battle for Hersha City is not a matter for one person alone; the efforts of each and every one of us are key to defending the city. His reply, though mild, deliberately obscured his identity, making it impossible to guess his true intentions.
Gu Jinyan didn't press the matter further, but he had a vague feeling that Lin Zixuan was no ordinary person.
He might be a special envoy sent by his superiors to monitor the situation in the army, or he might be a young general secretly cultivated by the commander-in-chief, who may assume greater responsibilities in the future.
Regardless of his true identity, Gu Jinyan understood that Lin Zixuan's appearance was a rare opportunity for her.
After that night patrol and exchange, Gu Jinyan and Lin Zixuan gradually grew closer.
Lin Zixuan often took the initiative to discuss tactics with her and share his insights on defensive formations. The two communicated more and more and gradually developed a tacit understanding.
Lin Zixuan discovered that Gu Jinyan had a sharp and meticulous mind and was good at extracting practical strategies from military tactics.
Gu Jinyan discovered that Lin Zixuan had exceptional judgment and execution skills, and was able to translate tactics into action.
After a small-scale battle, Lin Zixuan led his troops to successfully repel the enemy's probing attack.
That night, the two sat around the campfire reviewing the battle. Lin Zixuan said to Gu Jinyan, "This victory was thanks to your suggestion to use the terrain advantage to deploy archers, which greatly weakened the enemy's offensive power."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinyan smiled slightly, a hint of confidence flashing across his face: "This is only a small victory. If the enemy launches a full-scale attack, the pressure on defense will increase several times over."
To hold Hesha City, relying solely on its geographical advantage is insufficient; we also need more coordination and support.
Lin Zixuan nodded in agreement and said in a deep voice, "What Miss Jinyan said is absolutely right. If we want to hold Hesha City, our defense needs to be more flexible, we need to be more adaptable in our tactics, and we must be absolutely sure of our supplies such as food and fodder."
After their conversation during the night patrol, Lin Zixuan and Gu Jinyan's discussion gradually delved into how to construct an overall strategic framework.
Gu Jinyan first raised a question: If the enemy launches a full-scale attack, can Hesha City withstand multiple rounds of attacks?
She believes that the existing city defense measures alone will be insufficient to cope with a prolonged siege.
She proposed a concept of "layered defense"—establishing multiple lines of defense inside and outside the city to ensure that even if the outermost line of defense is breached, the inner layers can continue to resist.
Lin Zixuan agreed with this idea and added, "We can take advantage of the terrain of Hesha City and use the natural barriers as a basis to set up some small-scale bunkers and camouflage positions outside."
In this way, even if the enemy breaks through the initial defensive line, they will encounter obstacles during their advance, delaying their offensive pace.
The two gradually formed a clear overall framework: city defense is not just the city wall itself, but a defensive strategy of "weakening layer by layer and delaying step by step".
Gu Jinyan suggested that archers could be positioned on high ground in key terrain to provide sustained fire support, while infantry could be deployed on the low ground on the periphery to reduce the frontal impact of enemy attacks.
Lin Zixuan further proposed a mobile deployment strategy for infantry to ensure that each defensive line can support each other and prevent the isolation of defensive lines.
When discussing logistics, Gu Jinyan felt that the existing supply system was too centralized, and that supplies would be at great risk in the event of a surprise attack by the enemy.
She proposed a decentralized storage plan: to disperse the city's food and weapon reserves to several safe locations to prevent the destruction of one location from jeopardizing the entire city.
Lin Zixuan expressed his strong agreement with this and further proposed the idea of a supply network: "We can divide these scattered supply points by region to ensure that troops in different locations can receive supplies at any time."
He emphasized that interconnected transportation routes should be established between supply points to facilitate the rapid deployment of supplies.
Based on this, Gu Jinyan also put forward some detailed suggestions, such as arranging for soldiers to take turns escorting supplies to ensure safe transportation.
She pointed out: "The security of supplies is directly related to the morale of soldiers. If they know that resources are always sufficient, they will naturally have more confidence in fighting."
During their discussion, Lin Zixuan pointed out that in addition to physical defense, psychological defense is also a crucial element.
Enemy forces often use intimidation, provocation, and small-scale raids to demoralize the defending troops.
If Hersha City can take the initiative to launch attacks and counterattack the enemy from time to time, it may effectively shake the enemy's determination to attack.
Gu Jinyan strongly agreed with this, believing that small units could be dispatched to harass the enemy camp at night and disrupt the enemy's morale: "Our troops can repeatedly attack around the enemy camp, preventing them from getting proper rest, and gradually causing them to become fatigued and fearful."
By the time the enemy actually attacked, the soldiers' morale had been largely eroded.
Lin Zixuan further elaborated on the deeper implications of psychological tactics: "Not only that, we can also spread false intelligence to create suspicion between the enemy and their commander."
If they no longer trust each other's judgment, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. He pointed out that psychological warfare can not only protect the morale of one's own soldiers, but also effectively weaken the morale of the enemy.
While discussing defense, Lin Zixuan and Gu Jinyan agreed that intelligence was crucial in warfare.
They envisioned establishing a comprehensive intelligence network, with specialized teams responsible for enemy reconnaissance and information transmitted through close communication mechanisms.
Gu Jinyan proposed the basic framework of the intelligence system: "We can select some soldiers who are agile and quick to react."
Special reconnaissance teams were formed and regularly dispatched to the vicinity of enemy camps to observe enemy movements and transmit intelligence back into the city.
Lin Zixuan added: "Besides the reconnaissance team, we can also obtain enemy intelligence through the local people."
Some civilians were able to disguise themselves as civilians and gather valuable information about the enemy's movements.
In this way, we can keep abreast of the enemy's latest movements and respond more quickly.
Under this intelligence network concept, the two decided to establish multiple contact points to enable reconnaissance team members to quickly transmit intelligence.
This flexible intelligence system not only monitors enemy movements but also makes the defense of Hersha City more predictable, allowing for rapid adjustments to defensive strategies.
As the discussion deepened, Gu Jinyan realized that if the enemy continued their siege, Hesha City would have a hard time holding out on its own.
She proposed the idea of trying to establish alliances with neighboring friendly forces in order to obtain support in times of crisis.
Lin Zixuan proposed a further solution: "If we can join forces with our allies in the surrounding areas, we can not only share resources but also exchange goods and services, thus diverting the enemy's attention when they are surrounded."
Gu Jinyan proposed a more practical step: "If we can send envoys to secretly contact our allies and negotiate to launch an attack from the outside once Hesha City is besieged, the enemy will have to disperse their forces, thereby relieving the pressure on Hesha City."
After discussions, the two sides gradually developed a joint support plan and further envisioned establishing a close communication mechanism.
This enables both sides to launch aid operations rapidly in emergency situations.
Although this strategy was only a concept, it undoubtedly provided a new guarantee for the long-term defense of Hersha City.
Gu Jinyan believes that war brings not only pre-war pressure, but also an important aspect of maintaining order after the war.
She suggested that if resources could be allocated reasonably during the war to ensure the basic living needs of the people in the city, it would help maintain order and stability within the city.
If disorder breaks out within the city, morale will inevitably waver, and the defensive strength will be weakened as a result.
Lin Zixuan strongly agreed with her idea and further suggested: "If soldiers and civilians could be resettled in separate areas according to their families..."
This facilitates logistical management, reduces movement, and avoids congestion and resource waste.
Gu Jinyan added: "An emergency resource reserve can also be established, specifically for post-war relief and epidemic prevention, to prevent famine and disease during wartime."
She believes that only with a complete post-war contingency plan can Hersha City recover its strength and maintain its fighting capacity after the war.
As dusk fell, dust billowed at the warehouse entrance as soldiers busily unloaded bags of rations from the trucks.
Gu Jinyan wore a simple battle robe with a wide blue belt around his waist, making him look neat and capable.
She stood intently at the warehouse entrance, her sharp gaze sweeping over each of the soldiers carrying supplies.
Her presence made the surrounding soldiers more nervous, and they unconsciously quickened their unloading movements.
At this moment, a soldier carrying a bulging grain sack walked past Gu Jinyan, bending over.
She glanced at it out of the corner of her eye and immediately noticed the abnormality of the grain bag: the bag was unnaturally bulging and much heavier than a normal grain bag.
The soldier's steps were slightly hurried, as if he was deliberately avoiding eye contact with Gu Jinyan.
Gu Jinyan frowned slightly, stepped forward, and stopped him.