Chapter 253: Victory or Defeat
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Gu Shenwei talked with Fang Wenshi all night long. The little girl, Tie Linglong, was so sleepy that she fell asleep on the low couch while Chu Nanping vigilantly kept his guard. He could not understand what the Dragon King and his counselor were saying, so his ears were used to listen to the sound outside the tent.
There was a natural reason for the tension within Chu Nanping, the Dragon King suffered an assassination once or twice. Thus, he swore that he would never let this fellow practitioner die in the hands of others.
In the afternoon of the next day, Gu Shenwei called together the five chiefs to discuss important matters. Fang Wenshi, for the first time in his life, spoke as a military counselor. His excitement kept his eyes open and his mind was full of ideas, without feeling sleepy at all. When he analyzed the situation to the several somber Great Snowmountain chiefs, it seemed that the world was in his hands.
"The Great Snowmountain is in danger. If you don't make preparations early, you will be defeated within this year." Fang Wenshi took the advice from the Dragon King, and when he opened his mouth, the first thing he said was a shocking statement to attract their attention.
The five chiefs laughed in disdain at these words. The one-eyed chief, Long Xiaoshi of the Danduo Peak was first to make a rebuttal. One of his eyes was pecked out by the Legendary Giant Bird and caused his position to advance, thus giving him the right to speak in front of the Dragon King. "Destruction of the whole army? As you can see, in the past two months, Great Snowmountain defeated the army of Shu-lik three times and killed numerous enemies; there were very few losses in our army. Golden Roc killers had dozens of plots, all came with none able to leave. A string of heads are still hanging at the gates of this camp."
Fang Wenshi listened to his voice and showed respect for the chief of Danduo Peak, and then asked, "In that case, why does Great Snowmountain not march to Shu-lik? Instead, are staying at the mountain pass and waiting for the offensive?"
"Only waiting for the Dragon King to give an order." Long Xiaoshi hit his fist on the low table in front of him.
"Because we don't plan on leaving Great Snowmountain," The oldest among them, the Luoshen tribe's chief, Long Qinying, argued. The remaining three chiefs had their inclinations, thus did not speak and only nodded.
Only Fang Wenshi shook his head again and again. "Oh, you think that Great Snowmountain is victorious, but I believe that Great Snowmountain had actually been defeated. What is victory and what is defeat? This cannot be determined by a single instance..."
The military counselor's words were a bit puzzling and angered the five chiefs. Long Xiaoshi raised his heavy sword and shouted, "Victory is victory, defeat is defeat, and it is clear that there is a time and a place. How is it possible that Great Snowmountain killed countless enemies on the battlefield, but are still the defeated?"
Great Snowmountain swordsmen does not necessarily want to kill people. Many times it was just a way of expressing their emotions. Fang Wenshi was aware of this and his heart was still a bit uneasy, pretending to bow his head and carrying his hands, taking a few steps away from the Long Xiaoshi and said:"Let me make an analogy. In the past few years, the five peaks of Great Snowmountain has struggled endlessly with each other, winning and losing. Compared this with the enemy, the Golden Roc Fort, is it not a crushing defeat? Even the so-called winner..."
Fang Wenshi had not finished his words, the five chiefs flashed their heavy swords together and shouted in unison. Fang Wenshi knew that he had made a mistake and rushed to the side of the Dragon King, and could only swallow down the remaining half of his words.
Gu Shenwei raised his hand to stop the angered chiefs. "Ignorance can be forgiven." Then he turned to the frightened military counselor. "Fang Wenshi, the Great Snowmountain has five peaks. The past cannot be mentioned again. I forgive you for your ignorance this time. However, commit this offense again, you will be condemned to death."
Fang Wenshi submissively apologized, but he suddenly came to an awkward realization that he had to deal with this group of barbarous mountain people. He must be careful to not die due for such a ridiculous reason before the hegemony had even started. "Let me give another example: A and B, two countries. A, who has one hundred thousand elite soldiers, sends 10,000, and B with 20,000 elite soldiers, also sends 10,000. After the war, the whole country of A undergoes complete destruction, and B loses 5,000. Who wins?"
This sounds more like an arithmetic problem. The chiefs scoffed at it, and Long Xiaoshi replied, "Of course country B wins, even if there is only one person remaining. The entire country of the enemy had faced complete destruction, so naturally, country B wins."
"But only 10% of the elite soldiers in country A were lost, while the 20,000 troops in country B lost one-fourth. Although this battle is successful, what will happen during the second battle, the third battle, and the fourth battle?"
The chiefs felt that the counselor's words were somewhat reasonable, but also seemed sophisticated. They all bowed their heads and wondered how to refute them.
Fang Wenshi took advantage of his victory and continued to speak. "For example, a country charges straight into the enemy country, burning and looting. The earn a lot of loot, but at the loss of half the troops, resulting in the loss of strength to send more troops in the next year. Is this victory or defeat? Another example is that if a country has elite soldiers, it will win every battle. Although the strength of the enemy's troops is weak, there are countless amounts of money. After each defeat, a new army is formed immediately. In the long run, who wins and who loses?"
The chiefs were gradually beginning to understand the meaning of the military counselor's anecdotes. The Luoshen tribe's chief, Long Qinying opened his mouth much more politely and said, "Mr. Fang no longer needs to give any more 'examples', let us talk about Great Snowmountain and Golden Roc Fort and the Shu-lik country."
Fang Wenshi's victory in the early stages of the war led to a sharp increase in confidence. He glanced at the calm and collected Dragon King and continued, "Great Snowmountain has won three consecutive battles, but has gained nothing. Shu-lik is a big country in the Western Regions. The loss of thousands of soldiers is not a big deal for them. They can still recruit more for the next ten battles and even one hundred battles. What about Great Snowmountain? Dozens of people have died in each battle, and we will continue to fight. How many will remain in the end? Forgive me if I am being too blunt, but the so-called five-thousand people, is this an 'accurate' number?"
The Great Snowmountain swordsmen are not used to lying. They were asked just one question by Fang Wenshi and were embarrassed. Long Xiaoshi coughed twice and said, "Not five thousand, probably more like three thousand."
"Three thousand? Is this an estimate or is it an accurate count?"
Long Xiaoshi could not say a word and lowered his head. Gu Shenwei spoke the following words: "There are actually 1,200 people, 1,500 horses, sometimes more and sometimes less."
Fang Wenshi was talking with the Dragon King last night about most of the Western Region and the overall situation, but did not understand the details clearly. Hearing such a small number caused his heart to beat like a drum, and then he thought, 'I have not been so appreciated for many years, although I am unable to show my potential to the fullest, it is still possible to wet my feet.' He shook his head and said, "With more than a thousand troops against the Shu-lik country, I am afraid that you will never have the opportunity to even cross paths with the Golden Roc Fort. It's better to just disband here. There are thousands of miles within the Great Snowmountain. Everyone has been the same as always, hiding and waiting for old age, isn't this better?"
The chiefs seldom argued with the counselor, but at this slight provocation, they all brandished their heavy swords again and fulminated. The chief of the Greatsword Peak was a strong and prosperous man, and his temper was fierce. He had been holding it in for the respect of the Dragon King and the chief of Luoshen Peak, Long Qinying. At this moment, he could resist no longer. With one big slap to the table, he stood straight up with frowning brows and angry eyes, and said, "Kid, are you looking down on our Great Snowmountain? Let's make a bet. If I fail to mount Golden Roc Fort within three years time, I will give you my head; if I succeed, then you give me your head!"
Fang Wenshi moved closer to the Dragon King again, thinking that he should set some rules for these swordsmen. Otherwise, he would be a scholar who has not even the ability to tie-up a chicken with his hands. Mingling with this bunch was rather dangerous, so he made sure to show no fear. Thus, he raised his head and laughed, "This gamble is too easy. As long as you become a captive, you'll naturally have the opportunity to board Golden Roc Fort."
The chief of Greatsword Peak angrily stood up with one hand holding his heavy sword and howled. He wanted to chop up the military counselor who had just taken office less than a day ago. Fang Wenshi had indeed overly taunted and even frightened himself. He then jumped one step closer to the Dragon King. The beautiful teen, Chu Nanping, brandished his long sword and stood beside the military counselor.
The Dragon King did not speak, and the chief of Luoshen Peak hurried to get up and blocked the furious chief of Greatsword Peak. "Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten the oath we've all taken?"
The chief of Greatsword Peak's heart suddenly jolted. They once swore to the gods, pledging their loyalty to the Dragon King. One of the pledges was to never kill anyone inside the Dragon King's tent. Thus, he dropped his heavy sword down, and mumbled to himself. The Great Snowmountain swordsmen did not know how to properly apologize, they just spoke so low that no one else could hear them.
The Dragon King still did not speak, and the small storm easily passed. Fang Wenshi's heart was slightly at ease. As he turned his head and saw Chu Nanping standing still and holding his sword, he imagined he was looking at himself.
Chu Nanping said coldly, "Only five steps allowed from the Dragon King."
Fang Wenshi originally thought that there were no rules in Great Snowmountain. At this time, he discovered that he was actually not familiar with the rules here. When he remembered talking all of last night, the Dragon King kept a distance with himself, so he awkwardly retreated a few steps back and coughed in embarrassment trying to gather his interrupted thoughts.
The one-eyed chief of the Danduo Peak, Long Xiaoshi, spoke out to smooth things over. "Let's listen to the military counselor's meaning, he must have some good ideas to penetrate Golden Roc Fort."
"There is no good idea." Fang Wenshi was never able to cure the faults in his choices of words and has always regretted every word he has ever spoken. He then busily added, "But there probably are some. May I ask, between Shu-lik and Golden Roc Fort, who does Great Snowmountain hold the deeper hatred for?"
Although Fang Wenshi claimed that he did not participate in acts of revenge, he also knew how to deal with revenge, and it was useless to say "hegemony" to the Great Snowmountain swordsmen; he must say "revenge".
"Of course it is Golden Roc Fort. Every family in Great Snowmountain had their relatives killed by the Golden Roc killers, or their children were taken away." The response of Long Xiaoshi was endorsed by several other chiefs and nodded as they revealed expressions of sadness and hatred.
Although the Shu-lik sent troops to block the most important mountain pass of Great Snowmountain, their purpose was simple. It was only to prevent mountain people from invading the border. Unlike Golden Roc Fort, it sent a large number of spies and killers to the mountains to interfere in the battles of the tribes.
"In this case, the confrontation between Great Snowmountain and Shu-lik country is a big mistake. It is a waste of strength, but it does not harm Golden Roc Fort at all."
"What can we do then? Great Snowmountain and Golden Roc Fort are separated across the entire Shu-lik country. If we want to attack Golden Roc Fort, we must first defeat the Shu-lik," Long Xiaoshi assessed, gesturing with both hands and thinking this was simply the truth.
"Not so true, not so true." Fang Wenshi shook his head again and again. "Shu-lik is a big country. How easy is it to defeat it? What I want to say is that, instead of holding onto impractical ideas, it is better to take a step back and have peace-talks with the Shu-lik, then, encroach towards Golden Roc Fort."
"You mean to surrender to the Shu-lik?"The chief of the Greatsword Peak again wanted to take the spotlight and arose. He found that the table in front of him had become pieces of debris, and simply gestured pressing the attack with his palm.
"Of course not, for example, if you are practicing swordsmanship, don't you practice with the lightest sword first, then gradually work up to the heavier swords, and finally to the most heavy sword? The Shu-lik are like the overweight sword. Great Snowmountain wants to swing it. The first thing to do is to take this ordinarily heavy sword known as Golden Roc Fort."
Fang Wenshi's "for example" had once again been effective, and the chief of the Greatsword Peak did utter a word. The chief of Luoshen Peak, Long Qinying, opened his mouth and said, "What Mr. Fang said makes sense, but the Shu-lik is currently at war with Great Snowmountain, and Golden Roc Fort are just around the corner. How could they possibly give in to our demands?"
Fang Wenshi stood straight with his head high and chest out. If this little problem cannot be solved, then how can he be called a persuader and counselor? "This lowly Fang has no talents, but is willing to enter the Shu-lik country alone and persuade their King to halt their troops and end the war, and even allow us to peacefully pass through."
The five chiefs looked at each other in disbelief, and they did not believe in the overzealous words from the poor scholar. Long Xiaoshi frowned and said, "With that mouth of yours?"
"Of course, but I also have a few small demands."
"Please say." The five chiefs spoke at the same time.
"A carriage, ten guards, and ten thousand gold taels."