World’s End: My Keyword is One More Than Others

Linyang City.

Luo Shuang sat at the head of the table.

Everyone gathered around.

Cao Lin looked down at the map, pointing with his stick to a location on the map: "Princess, Imperial Teacher, Lin Qing's 300,000-strong army is resting at Luan Ridge. They are expected to reach Linyang City in five days. I believe Lin Qing will split his forces into three groups: two to attack Linjiang and Jiangbei, while the main force assaults Linyang. If we divide our troops, we won't be able to support each other.

Even if we combine our forces, we don't have enough strength to resist Lin Qing's 300,000 troops. After all, we need to allocate at least 50,000 soldiers to defend Dongling Pass, to prevent the Qingwu Kingdom from taking advantage and attacking, forming a pincer movement with Lin Qing..."

"General Cao, you are familiar with the Chongming Kingdom. Do you know how many grandmasters are in Lin Qing's army?" Luo Shuang asked.

Under Du Ge's strict guidance, she had shed her youthful naivety and started to exhibit a queenly demeanor, at least in front of others.

When alone with Du Ge, she would intentionally make small mistakes to give him opportunities to train his attributes.

Ever since Huangfu Yue returned from Linjiang and told her that Du Ge had not awakened any skills, she had been very attentive to this matter, deliberately making mistakes to get Du Ge to use the King-Beating Whip on her as much as possible.

She even hinted several times that the Imperial Teacher could use water punishment on her, just like he did with Huangfu Yue.

But Du Ge, loyal to his duties, remained unmoved. Using the King-Beating Whip on the princess was a training tool; using the seven-orifice touch on her would be outright insubordination, and his loyalty attribute would eventually diminish. So, when faced with the princess's advances, he could only say, "Princess, please respect yourself."

However.

Recently.

When Du Ge used the King-Beating Whip on the princess, she would make some strange noises, making him suspect that she might have awakened some special preferences under his influence.

If this trend continued.

Du Ge seriously suspected that one day, the King-Beating Whip might evolve into something with strange effects!

"Three to four," Cao Lin pondered for a moment before replying, "Grandmasters have the power to take on ten thousand enemies. So, knowing that the opponent's army has grandmasters, the court would always summon grandmasters to accompany the army to counter them. As long as we can hold off their grandmasters, the rest is just soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals. On our side, we have me, the Imperial Teacher, and the National Teacher, three grandmasters. So, Lin Qing's army will have at least three to four grandmasters."

"Three hundred thousand against eighty thousand, and they have grandmasters too..." Luo Shuang frowned slightly and looked at Du Ge, "Master, do you have any good strategies to counter the enemy?"

"If we can't win head-on, then let's play guerrilla warfare!" Du Ge's finger traced the major rivers crossing the Chongming Kingdom. "Three hundred thousand troops are not as mobile as thirty thousand! General Cao managed to rush here with thirty thousand troops; we can replicate his tactics, using the waterways to strike all the key towns in Chongming Kingdom.

Wear Lin Qing out, force him to split his forces for defense or chase us around. He might end up exhausting his own army. Besides, hasn't the Kingdom of Chu already sent troops? Even if Chu is targeting us, the Emperor of Chongming wouldn't be comfortable with thirty thousand Chu troops roaming in his kingdom!"

Since becoming a grandmaster, Du Ge's restless heart couldn't settle down. Why should he wait passively for others to attack? He had always been the one to strike first.

"The Imperial Teacher's strategy is indeed good," Cao Lin glanced at Du Ge, "but if we adopt elite guerrilla tactics, Lin Qing only needs to retake Linyang City and the three passes, and we will truly become bandits, eventually being picked off bit by bit. After all, we have thirteen thousand troops, and only thirty thousand can conduct long-distance raids. The remaining hundred thousand, without grandmaster support, can't hold the three passes and Linyang City."

Du Ge looked at Wei Tingjiang.

Wei Tingjiang shook his head, "Without grandmaster support, I can't hold it. Moreover, the Fourth Princess's intention is to conquer the world. Fighting and losing territory won't allow us to establish a stable base."

"So, according to you, we can only defend stubbornly and face certain defeat?" Du Ge sneered.

Everyone remained silent.

"You've forgotten one principle: from beginning to end, it's not us who fear losses, but the Emperor of Chongming." Du Ge pointed to the capital on the map, "As long as we attack where the enemy must defend, Lin Qing will never have time to attack Linyang City. He won't dare let us raid the capital..."

"Imperial Teacher, are we going to attack the capital?" Huangfu Xing frowned.

"Not necessarily attack, but not necessarily not attack," Du Ge smiled. "We'll see the opportunity. It's better than sitting in Linyang City waiting to die."

"The capital has a permanent guard of two hundred thousand. Thirty thousand can't take it," the National Teacher said.

Du Ge's finger traced over several key towns on the map, "As long as we capture these cities, the Emperor of Chongming won't sit still. To encircle us, they must deploy more troops. If we circle around enough, the capital might be left undefended."

"Imperial Teacher, if we do this, the Chongming Kingdom will be plunged into chaos," Huangfu Xing frowned even more, summoning his courage, "You promised me that after thwarting the Fourth Prince's plot, we would turn our forces against Qingwu Kingdom. I believe the best strategy now is to abandon Linyang City and the three passes and launch a counterattack on Qingwu Kingdom. No matter how powerful Lin Qing's 300,000 troops are, they can't chase us into Qingwu Kingdom, and Qingwu Kingdom wouldn't expect us to suddenly change the battlefield..."

Luo Shuang's eyes lit up, "Master, I think General Huangfu is right. Instead of entangling with Lin Qing here, we should really strike back at Qingwu Kingdom..."

Du Ge glanced at her, "Firstly, we lack provisions; secondly, the distance is too far. By the time we reach Longqing Pass, Duke Dingguo would have gathered hundreds of thousands of troops. Then, we would lose even Linyang City."

Luo Shuang reflexively wanted to reach out her hand, but she pulled it back instinctively. In front of the civil and military officials, if her master whipped her and she made strange noises, she would lose her authority as a queen.

"You are all generals; you should understand that there is never a perfect strategy on the battlefield. If there's a thirty percent chance of victory, it's enough. When I set this plan, the thirty percent chance has evolved into a hundred percent, so we will definitely win." Du Ge looked around and smiled.

"Imperial Teacher, you just said there's no perfect strategy on the battlefield," Huangfu Xing couldn't understand where Du Ge's confidence came from and instinctively retorted.

"General Huangfu, you must trust the National Teacher's judgment," Du Ge smiled, "General, as long as there are Heavenly Demons in this world, chaos will never cease. Only when we, or the Emperor of Chongming, or the Kingdom of Chu, or Beihai, have a Heavenly Demon with absolute power sweeping the world, can people truly find peace. The Fourth Princess becoming the final victor is the best choice for the people."

"Why?" Huangfu Xing asked.

"Destiny," Du Ge glanced at the National Teacher behind him, "because I won't die. As long as I don't die, chaos will never end..."

So you're the source of the chaos!

Huangfu Xing and the others looked at Du Ge and fell into silence.

"Don't look at me like that," Du Ge smiled, "I'm just making a point. Even if I die, other Heavenly Demons will continue to fight until only one remains. So, everyone, you better hope I win because I am the best for the public. Most importantly, once your names as Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends spread, you are bound to me..."

Everyone looked at each other in silence.

"General Wei, General Huangfu, General Gao, General Gou. You four will stay with nine thousand troops to guard Linyang City and the three passes. During this time, my Linyang Daily will not cease publication. You don't need to worry about what's published, just promote the zodiac culture throughout the year and force everyone to cultivate. This will raise the army's combat effectiveness in a few days."

Du Ge's eyes swept over the people in the hall, giving them a mandatory order to promote the zodiac.

With the examples of Huangfu Yue and Luo Shuang, Huangfu Xing and the others had to believe in the zodiac's mystical power. On the battlefield, they couldn't make decisions, so they had to follow orders.

After all, a soldier's duty is to obey.

Du Ge looked past them to the National Teacher, Cao Lin, Huangfu Yue, Zhang Yizhi, Wu Chang, and others, pointing to a major city closest to Jiangbei: "The rest of you, prepare the troops. Tomorrow morning, we will unite with the Earthly Mischief Army and Earthly Alien Army from Linjiang and Jiangbei and march on Guicheng."