Chapter 512
Chapter 512 The Earth-Shattering Suggestion
General Lin had been absent from the military council for several days. Xu Zhiqing's explanation was ostensibly for everyone, but secretly it was tailored to him, to enlighten him on the current situation. She didn't want him, the carefree general, to be clueless and bewildered. The state of affairs at hand was so troubling that it furrowed the brows of those listening, including Gao Qiu who was not well-versed in military matters. He too sensed that things were gravely amiss.
Lin Wanrong glanced again at the map Xu Zhiqing had sketched. Starting from Wuyuan in the east to Yiwu in the west, and northwards beyond Kunlun Mountain, all the vast and boundless lands were under the control of the Turks. Although Great Hua boasted of being a celestial empire with abundant resources, when compared with the Turks solely on geographic size, it had no advantage. The only difference was that while the Turks mostly had grasslands and deserts, Great Hua was a land of fish and rice—two places as different as heaven and earth.
"Miss Xu, there's something I've never understood," Lin Wanrong pondered, then asked earnestly, "The Turks have such a vast land, almost equal to our Great Hua. How many citizens do they actually have?"
Xu Zhiqing sighed softly, waving four delicate, jade-like fingers in front of him. Lin Wanrong stared in amazement. "Four hundred thousand citizens? That many? This war could last for years then!"
Xu Zhiqing was both annoyed and amused. "Do you even think? If the Turks only had four hundred thousand citizens, would they dare to invade the heartland of Great Hua?"
Lin Wanrong chuckled awkwardly, realizing her point. Before they could argue further, Hu Bugui quickly interjected, "What Miss Xu means is, the Turks have around four hundred thousand able-bodied men. The general population could easily be several millions. And these numbers are from a few years ago. They have recently defeated the Tiele and Qiuci tribes, dominated the grasslands and deserts, and rapidly expanded their population."
"Four hundred thousand able-bodied men?" Lin Wanrong stuck out his tongue. This was drastically different from the Turks he knew in his previous life. It was clear they were a formidable nation that could go toe-to-toe with Great Hua.
"Brother Gao," he lowered his voice cautiously, "Considering the Turks have so many people, how many troops do we have stationed at the border? I presume it must be at least six or seven hundred thousand?"