Counterfeit Hero

Stephen looked at the map of Lucerne Planet and smiled at Liebgoet, "Teacher, Russell can’t avoid being conventional either. He still uses scattered fighter attacks to conceal their actual landing location."

Liebgoet lightly shook his head and said, "War tactics can’t be categorized as sophisticated or crude; often, the simpler they are, the more effective. Take flanking maneuvers and ambushes for example—these two tactics appear hundreds to thousands of times in wars, big or small, and are used by armies of all sizes. If you call them crude, they’ve been so for thousands of years. Yet, how many famous generals and genius military strategists have conquered the world relying on these techniques?"

Stephen smiled faintly and said, "You make a good point, teacher. So..." He then changed the topic, "Where do you think they’ll choose to land?"

Liebgoet stood up and waved his hand, saying, "I don’t know Russell well. His commanding style often leans towards the unconventional yet meticulous. Such an opponent is unpredictable, and if you follow his thought process, you’ll easily fall into his rhythm." He walked to the map and said, "Lucerne has only thirty-three cities, mostly distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere. If they take root in the East, they’ll have a stable foothold. However... strategically, the Western Hemisphere offers more space and maneuverability."

Stephen asked, "So if it were you, where would you choose?"

Liebgoet smiled and said, "If it’s my deployment, I’d obviously choose a landing in the Western Hemisphere, then use overwhelming force to break the overall defense of the Eastern Hemisphere. Though quickly capturing the East would yield results sooner, it would be too costly. Moreover, given our deployment, no matter which effective landing point they choose, they will be pressured by our forces."

Stephen clapped his hands and laughed, "They would never have expected us to centralize most of our forces from Galileo here. Once pressured, they’d have to rely on the Space Fleet to constantly transport more troops here, like adding oil to a fire. I really wish I could see how much Russell is aware of our deployment!"

Liebgoet said solemnly, "Never underestimate your opponent. He might not only know your deployment but be thinking even further ahead. The landing is merely our first encounter. If Russell can’t even pass this stage, there’d be no need for me to be here."

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