Chapter 1374: The Northern and Southern War (VI)
Chapter 1374: The Northern and Southern War (VI)
At Tawantin’s war council, Great Sage Gong Fu said, “This is clearly a risky move. But it is also a good move.”Pointing at the map, he continued, “They say we should defend beyond our borders. We cannot always fight on our own land. We can fight on theirs as well. The Holy Court’s mechanized forces are undeniably powerful. Without cities to anchor us, we cannot resist them. But they have a major weakness. They rely heavily on logistics. San Antonio is their largest supply hub, with materials from St. York and San Francisco concentrated there. If San Antonio falls, their main force becomes mere scrap metal. This council is to affirm our determination to take Laredo and seize San Antonio.”
Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji were also present at the meeting.
Great Sage Gong continued, “Of course, many are concerned about the enemies at Monclova and Del Rio. That concern is valid. But we will ignore them, focus on Laredo, and then seize the lightly defended San Antonio. Once San Antonio falls, we hold the advantage.”
No one expected the usually cautious Gong Fu to become so aggressive.
Instead, the usually aggressive Huangfu Ji raised a concern. “If this turns into a prolonged siege and we fail to take San Antonio quickly, with supply difficulties and enemy reinforcements arriving from two directions, we’ll be caught between fronts. The consequences would be disastrous.”
This was not surprising. It reflected their respective positions.
After the Daoist Order made its stance clear, Great Sage Gong, who was in charge, faced immense pressure, somewhat like Milton. But unlike Milton, he remained composed. He was simply weighing whether the risk was worth taking.
Now, he needed to prove one thing to the Daoist Order—the Western Daoist Order was respecting its stance and choosing not to escalate, not because they were incapable. Therefore, he could not merely defend and had to counterattack.
After all, the Western Daoist Order did not want to be looked down upon. If they kept being suppressed and only waited passively until the Holy Court withdrew due to financial strain, what would the Daoist Order think of them?
The Daoist Order would inevitably reassess their standing and might even refuse future funding because their value would have been lost.
Thus, this battle must be fought brilliantly to generate greater value.