V13 Chapter 74 – What Would You Do?

Sen expected the general to disagree, but the man surprised him.

“You saw that very swiftly,” observed the general.

“It’s pretty obvious if you’re looking for it,” said Sen.

He gestured at the intact city and all of the signs of life in it. Sen’s enhanced eyes could even pick out some human beings up on the walls. He didn’t know if they were cultivators. Extending his spiritual sense that far might alert something or someone that hadn’t noticed them yet. However, he suspected at least some of the figures on the wall were cultivators. They almost had to be.

“It’s a good trap,” said the general.

“The best kind for an enemy,” agreed Sen. “The kind where it doesn’t matter if you know it’s a trap, because the bait is simply too compelling. Even if I were willing to bypass this city, the army would never stand for it, would they?”

“No,” said General Hu. “Not after seeing all of those empty towns and villages. There are living, breathing human beings right there. If we abandon them—”

“The army’s morale dissolves overnight,” finished Sen. “Even if there isn’t an immediate mutiny, the soldiers would never trust me again.”

The general looked very uncomfortable, but he didn’t deny it. He couldn’t deny it in good faith. Sen wanted to curse whichever spirit beast came up with this strategy because it was so damned smart. They had come up with a plan that used the humans’ empathy against them. The soldiers might be hardened to violence, but just leaving an entire city to die down to the last man, woman, and child? It was asking too much of them. Especially after the haunting sight of all those abandoned settlements. More importantly, it was clear that this entire strategy was meant to work against Sen specifically.

This approach would have failed against Master Feng. As soon as he recognized the trap, the elder cultivator would dismiss the lives of everyone in that city. If there was dissent, he would crush it with overwhelming power and naked fear. Sen couldn’t quite bring himself to do that. In that sense, he supposed that this was meant to use his own empathy against him. He’d honestly thought that something like this was beyond the spirit beasts. It almost felt too insightful. PerhapsI’ve been underestimating them, thought Sen. It was possible his continued victories had led him into lazy thinking. Then again, this was the first time he’d seen them do anything like this. Up until now, the spirit beasts had relied on numbers and savagery to achieve their victories.

He shook off those thoughts. They might be important, but those would need to be explored later. They didn’t change anything about the problem in front of him. He wouldn’t ignore the people in that city for more reasons than just empathy. Every soldier and cultivator in that city was a critical resource on the battlefield. Every farmer was crucial to making sure what remained of humanity didn’t starve to death over the next few years. Plus, there was that pesky need for there to actually be people to have the babies that would ensure the future. It was equally obvious that taking his army to that city was stupid. Sen didn’t know exactly where the spirit beasts were gathered. It would be close enough that fleeing wouldn’t be an option once his army ventured down to that city. Either choice held the near-certainty of some kind of disaster.

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“Damn it,” muttered Sen.

General Hu nodded in understanding but didn’t comment. He would wait to see what orders were given. The question was whether the man would help or become part of the dissent after hearing those orders. Sen eyed the man.

“What would you do, general?”

The general’s lips compressed into a hard line as he considered the question.

“Honest answer?” asked the man.

“Yes.”

“Withdraw to the nearest inhabited city. Spend a year turning it into a stronghold. Consolidate your hold over the territory you already hold. Then, launch this campaign again with rested cultivators, better-trained troops, and an impregnable fortress to withdraw to if necessary.”

“And the cost?” asked Sen.

General Hu winced, but then he met Sen’s eyes steadily.

“Lord Lu, we can’t save everyone. Truthfully, it’s nothing short of miraculous that you’ve managed to preserve as many lives as you have. But, if we take this army into a battle we can’t win, we don’t just lose this territory. We lose everything.”

“And do you think there will be an army in a year for that campaign if we simply march back right now? Assuming the spirit beasts will even let us, which I doubt.”

“I think that time has a way of showing people that they were about to make terrible choices.”

“You’re more optimistic than I am, general,” said Sen with a small smile.

The advice the man offered wasn’t new, but that didn’t make it a bad thing to hear once in a while. It was a measured approach. The exact kind of approach that a wise leader would take in normal circumstances. Unfortunately, Sen didn’t find himself living in normal circumstances. Something the general was well-aware of. That meant that the flaw was probably in the question.

“In that case,” continued Sen, “what would you do if you were me?”

The general thought about that question for most of a minute before he answered.

“I don’t know the full extent of your power, Lord Lu. A situation I suspect is entirely by design on your part. After all, you are a man with many enemies. But what I have seen and heard about, as well as what I’ve seen from your teacher, is truly terrifying. A feeling that the spirit beasts likely share, or they wouldn’t have gone to this much trouble. That fear is a tool you can use against them. It will make them wary, even overly cautious, especially if you have some tricks left to show them. That wariness will give you brief opportunities to inflict terrible losses on them, if you can summon the strength for it. Those losses will compound their fear, which will make them even more cautious. You can turn that into a cycle of escalating destruction for them if you strike in the right ways at the right moments.”

“There are many ifs in that statement.”

“War is never certain. Every battle is a series of events driven largely by uncertainty. It’s why we make plans that hinge on ideas like, if this happens, we will do that. If that happens, we will do this. For the leader, it becomes a question of if they think they can predict well enough, respond well enough, to ensure that the other side suffers sufficient losses to either withdraw or be annihilated. I don’t know if you’re that certain. If you are, and I were you, I would lead the army to the city.”

“And if I’m wrong?” asked Sen.

“Then, you are wrong. Although, I suspect you wouldn’t feel that sure unless you have terrible things in store for the spirit beasts.”

Sen didn’t let the smile show on his face. There wasn’t a need to reveal everything just yet.

“I appreciate your counsel, general. It was enlightening.”

“I am glad to be of service, Lord Lu.”

The strange thing was, Sen thought the man might actually mean it. He had no idea why the general might feel that way, but Sen’s list of allies was short enough that he was willing to take it at face value. At least, he was willing for the duration of the battle in front of them.

“General, take the army to the city. Let’s see what kind of welcome we receive.”