Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

"Gentlemen, our battle against the Qian Kingdom's army has now officially begun!"

"We were defeated by the Qian Kingdom army in the preliminary battle of Luyang. This defeat caused our Qian Kingdom dispatched army to lose face and also affected our morale to some extent."

"But from another perspective, our failures on the Luyang No. 103 kilometer, the Lujia Railway and the Qingjiang Bridge are not necessarily a bad thing."

"This defeat has actually shown us another side of the Qian Kingdom's army."

Yamanaka looked around at everyone present and said in a deep voice, "At the very least—this defeat has made us completely abandon any sense of complacency."

"It made us realize the strength of our opponent!"

"Now I'm actually very grateful; it's terrifying to think about it now!"

With lingering fear, Yamanaka said, "It's hard to imagine—if it weren't for this defeat."

"When we encountered the main force of the Qian Kingdom's army, we still underestimated them and held onto our mistaken perceptions. We had no idea how heavy the price we would pay!"

"The consequences that will result are truly terrifying to contemplate."

Yamanaka also had some self-comforting elements, trying to highlight the "benefits" of the incident as much as possible: "Just consider it a lesson learned at a cost!"

"Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war; the imperial army will only become stronger with each setback!"

"Therefore, I hope everyone can get out of the shadow of previous setbacks as soon as possible—adjust their state and meet new challenges with the best mental outlook."

"We must let the people of Qian know—the imperial army will surely conquer the entire Qian Kingdom!"

"Our headquarters is waiting for news of our triumphant return. We will definitely regain the face we lost on the battlefield of Luyang!"

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After the on-site pep talk at the mountain well, the oppressive atmosphere was finally somewhat relieved.

It's clear that the repeated defeats at the hands of the Qian Kingdom's forces—on Highway 103 in Luyang, the Lujia Railway, and the Qingjiang Bridge—at the hands of the people they had always looked down upon, had dealt a significant psychological blow to the generals of the Qian Kingdom's dispatched army...

"The headquarters instructed our Qian Kingdom dispatched army to formulate the best combat plan based on the actual situation on the Luyang battlefield."

Yamanaka said in a deep voice, "This also fully demonstrates that the General Headquarters still has confidence in our Qian Kingdom Expeditionary Force."

"Gentlemen, the opportunity to avenge our previous defeat is right before us."

"We will repay headquarters for their trust in us with a great victory!"

“Yesterday, Staff Officer Maruta and I studied it all night long.”

Sanzhongjing then got up and walked to the battle map hanging on the wall, picked up the baton and pointed to the location on the map.

“We can build a defense line along Xiucheng, Shaozishan, Juanhe, Kexian, Jiazigou, and Xucheng.”

"Use the advantageous terrain to build an impregnable defensive line, and let the Qian Kingdom army crash into our defenses and suffer heavy losses!"

"Our strategic intention is to defend and counterattack."

"Initially, we should focus on defense and make the Qian Kingdom's army run into obstacles on our carefully constructed defensive line."

"The morale of the Qian Kingdom's army will inevitably decline if they fail to capture the city after a prolonged siege, and they will be more prone to making mistakes."

"At that time, we can wait for the right opportunity and launch a full-scale attack on the Qian Kingdom's army to avenge our previous defeat!"

As the saying goes, "A defeated army collapses like a mountain."

"As long as we can crush the main force of the Qian Kingdom, whose morale has been damaged, we can quickly expand our gains on the Luyang battlefield!"

"Commander, if we execute your plan..."

Commander of the 2nd Division of the Inui Expeditionary Army, Honbo Kyohei, looked at the location that Yamanakai had pointed out on the battle map with surprise: "Aren't we going to have to give up a lot of places?"

"Is this tantamount to a complete retreat? Handing over the territory we've occupied to the Qian Kingdom's army?"

"If we give up so much territory that we've already gained without even fighting, others will think we're afraid of the Qian people!"

"Commander!" Satoru Ueguchi, commander of the 5th Division of the Qianguo Expeditionary Army, volunteered for the mission, saying, "I believe that it is precisely at times like these that we must not show weakness."

"Offense is the best defense!"

"I believe the best solution is to concentrate our forces and launch a full-scale attack on the Qian army that has entered Luyang, driving them out of Luyang in one fell swoop."

"If we switch from offense to defense now, wouldn't we become a laughing stock?" The commander of the 6th Division, Ishii Daisaku, added, "We came here to expand the Empire's territory. It would be inappropriate to retreat before we've even fought."

"Yes! We can't let them say we're scared of the Qian Kingdom, can we? Giving up so much territory in our first large-scale confrontation..."

Those who know us will think we're retreating, while those who don't will think we're fleeing in disarray.

"That's right! This will be a double blow to the morale of the Imperial army."

The division commanders attending the meeting offered their opinions one after another on the operational plan that Yamanaka had just proposed.

Moreover, most division commanders made their intentions very clear—they were not particularly fond of the conservative approach of voluntarily retreating and giving up so much territory.

These division commanders, eager to regain face on the battlefield, were extremely keen to engage the Qian Kingdom's army in battle again.

Moreover, according to their thinking, this kind of battle should refer to a battle in which the barbarian army is the attacking side!

Therefore, after heated discussions, most division commanders believed that the Qian State Expeditionary Army should formulate a comprehensive offensive plan, rather than a so-called defensive counter-offensive plan....................

In short—they can't afford to lose face like this!

The behavior of these division commanders is enough to demonstrate the general state of the foreign army today—fanaticism and extreme belligerence!

Snapped! ! !

Yamanaka slammed his fist on the table in annoyance: "Have you said enough?"

"What do you mean? Are you questioning the operational plan formulated by the Qian Kingdom Expeditionary Army Command?"

"His words were practically a direct insult, calling me a coward!"

Faced with the doubts of most of the generals, Yamanakai was furious: "Foolish!"

"Do you think I, the commander, wouldn't have thought of these superficial things you're talking about?"

"As the supreme commander of the Qian Kingdom Expeditionary Force, every decision I make must take into account the overall situation of the entire Qian Kingdom Expeditionary Force."

"Fighting a war is not something that can be done well or won simply by having a lot of enthusiasm and a fearless spirit!"

"It's easy to act rashly out of brute force, but it's difficult to win with wisdom!"

"The operational plan formulated by the Qianguo Expeditionary Army Command is beyond doubt. The strategy of counter-offensive is the most advantageous tactic for the entire Qianguo Expeditionary Army."

"We must not only focus on the present, but also consider the overall picture and the long-term perspective!"

Yamanaka said angrily, "I've brought you here today to inform you how to carry out the strategic deployment made by the Qian Kingdom Expeditionary Army Command."

"This isn't a place for you to offer opinions! If you have any opinions or things you don't understand, keep them to yourself."

"All divisions shall execute the plan I just described."

As he spoke, Yamanaka looked around at the division commanders present and added, "Remember, this is definitely not a retreat."

"The Qian Kingdom Expeditionary Force is only carrying out a strategic retreat now!"