Counterfeit Hero

Stephen listened quietly, a cold sweat appearing on his forehead. His perspective was too narrow; he only focused on one place. Although he had considered these factors, he never saw through them as thoroughly as Liebgoet!

Liebgoet turned and pointed to a point on the interstellar map and said, "For such an advantageous opponent, time is abundant for them. Have you ever considered why they want to attack?"

Stephen replied, "Isn’t it the domestic demand to reclaim national territory?"

Liebgoet responded, "In the eyes of politicians, there are only interests. In the eyes of military strategists, there are only interests as well! They stockpile troops at the space jump point because they can afford to wait! They have a gateway that can enter the Galileo Star System at any time! They stand outside and constantly threaten Gazalin, keeping this nation in a perpetual state of war readiness, endlessly magnifying its economic and political issues! They will never give Gazalin a chance to breathe. They can rotate fleets through secret jump points, tying up Gazalin’s forces here, depleting them, and simultaneously achieving the goal of training their troops! The lack of combat experience is the only disadvantage they have compared to Gazalin!"

Seeing Stephen’s somewhat bewildered face, Liebgoet smiled and said, "Otherwise, why don’t they send more fleets over? Why don’t they send the experienced First and Second Mixed Fleets? Why send the Fourth Mixed Fleet? Haven’t you thought about these questions?"

Stephen suddenly realized, "So, you simply let them in to fight the decisive battle in Galileo! But why not retreat all the fleets and leave such a flaw?"

Liebgoet sighed. This disciple had extremely high talent, but there was a fatal flaw. Hopefully, this battle could help him mend it. He earnestly said, "In military command, one must act with justification. Sometimes you need to be frugal, other times you need to be generous. In the balance between gain and loss, if you don’t recognize the opportunity, you will make mistakes! You must understand, flaws or traps can be utilized by both sides. Our flaw can turn into a trap, and the enemy can turn a trap into a snare against us. Military struggles do not revolve around one time and place. You just mentioned that the space jump point is a favorable position. We need to attract the Federation in while not missing the opportunity to strike the enemy. Sacrificing this part of the fleet to achieve a two-to-one battle result is worthwhile for the subsequent situation in this star system of Gazalin."

"Moreover..." Liebgoet said deeply, "I really look forward to facing Russell in battle. The issues involved in the Galileo Star System are far too complex; it’s no longer just a matter between you and the Leray Federation."