Chapter 502: Persuasion I

Lu Cheng came today at Liang Lihua's request, ate their meal, and will later bring their Mao Tai.

So this matter must be accomplished no matter what.

Lu Cheng quickly thought in his mind how he could persuade the stubborn Senior Brother Wu.

Suppose he said, "Senior Brother Wu, you only have this one son, staying in such a dangerous place; if one day he's gone, you'll have nowhere to go to cry."

That way of speaking definitely won't work.

Not only does it fail, it backfires, making the stubborn Senior Brother Wu even more resolute.

So what to say? Lu Cheng stood up and, while the drinks were being poured around, thought seriously.

"Senior Brother Wu, may I ask you a question about the army?"

Lu Cheng is a junior brother; having this question, Wu Jingxuan is happy to answer.

"Of course. Just before you arrived, I was discussing with these senior brothers. You're well suited for enlistment. Whichever senior brother you wish to follow, just say a word, and Ke Feixue will say, 'Your ambition lies elsewhere…'"

Lu Cheng nodded: "Thank you, Senior Brother Wu, for thinking of me, but the question I want to ask isn't about me; it concerns Wu Zhekun's future."

Hearing that it's about his son's future, Wu Jingxuan said in a deep voice, "Alright, then speak; we're all compatriots, not afraid of misspeaking."

Lu Cheng smiled, "Well, I'd like to ask: roughly how many personnel does our nation's army have now?"

The question prompted everyone to glance at each other, especially Liang Lihua, whose face was puzzled at the sudden shift of topic.

They wondered what Lu Cheng intended to ask, how the troop count related to recalling Wu Zhekun.

However, Liang Lihua said nothing; she had already heard Su Feixue talk about Lu Cheng, noting that despite his youth, he is capable and competent.

She believes Lu Cheng's question must have its reasoning.

Wu Jingxuan regarded Lu Cheng's curiosity as casual, since it was a family dinner, everyone could just chat.

"If we include the Railway Troops, the Jianshe Gongcheng Bing, and the recent wartime expansion of several hundred thousand, all branches together amount to roughly over six million troops."

Speaking of such massive numbers, Wu Jingxuan, as a soldier, wore obvious pride on his face.

Because worldwide, the Russians have over four million troops, the Americans about two million, while Huaxia Nation's troop count ranks first globally.

So they're not afraid of war at all.

Wu Jingxuan felt proud, but Lu Cheng untimely sighed.

"Too many…"

"Too many?" Commander Gao, puzzled, took over: "I'm saying, junior brother, you who haven't served don't understand; war is fought with people, and I even think it's still too few."

Colonel Fan also said forcefully, "Indeed, if we could make every citizen a soldier, or expand by another few million, then who would dare to bully us? Even their spit could drown them."

Hearing everyone, Lu Cheng didn't rush to deny, but went along with the discussion.

"Indeed, our Huaxia Nation once had poor equipment; to defend the country we often employed wheel battles, paying huge sacrifices for that."

Colonel Fan laughed, "Then you just said there were too many; if the troop count were insufficient, we wouldn't have today's happy life."

Lu Cheng nodded, "When I said too many, it was based on future scenario analysis; previously, with poor equipment, we could only rely on sheer numbers.

…but now peace has come, and the nation clearly leans toward economic development; on that basis, the army appears somewhat bloated…"

Before Lu Cheng could finish, Colonel Fan waved his hand to interrupt: "No, no, Lu Cheng, you've never served, it's understandable you don't get it. It's true that we are at peace now, but many neighboring countries eye us hungrily, so war will inevitably break out."

Lu Cheng is, of course, more aware than they are whether a large‑scale war will erupt in the future.

But he can't claim to be reincarnated, so he can only chat based on the current situation.

"Senior Brother Fan, even so, will we still have to rely on numbers in the future? I don't deny that this can win, but each of our soldiers is a living being, with parents and children…"

Colonel Fan was silent for a moment, "I understand what you say, but you must also understand that a nation provides a home; war brings sacrifice, and for defending home and country, such sacrifice is our soldiers' honor."

Lu Cheng felt powerless; nowadays people's thinking emphasizes collective honor, glorifying sacrifice.

And Lu Cheng cannot deny this mindset, otherwise he'd be labeled a backward element everyone calls to be beaten.

"Yes, Senior Brother Fan is right; the Revolutionary Spirit must be kept in mind at all times… but what I want to say is, if we could reduce such sacrifices while still winning wars, wouldn't that be better?"

This time Colonel Fan did not refute Lu Cheng's words.

"That would certainly be a good thing; we're all born of parents, and if we can reduce sacrifices, no one wants their child to die."

Lu Cheng inexplicably let out a sigh of relief; by now he finally stood on the same page as everyone.

"So, Senior Brother Fan, the army's bloat is a fact, and I believe that as the nation's economic construction improves, the problem of excessive troop numbers will eventually be solved."

Hearing this, Colonel Fan and everyone else couldn't help but frown.

They all thought Lu Cheng's words were simply too presumptuous.

Regardless of the era, having more troops always gives an advantage; this principle has never changed from ancient to modern times.

As for cases of few defeating many, they exist, but from the overall view, total troop strength still matters.

Whoever has the greatest total force has the chance to win.

Yet Lu Cheng knows that future wars will no longer be fought with numbers, but with technology, automation, and unmanned systems…

In a few years, the nation will address the army's bloat with a massive demobilization of a million troops.

But now no one shares that awareness; Lu Cheng's remark seems somewhat overreaching.

If it weren't the junior brother, someone else would have already been scolded.

Seeing that several senior brothers were displeased, after all Lu Cheng is just a Junior Police Officer, with no right to discuss army reform with high‑ranking generals.

Su Feixue deliberately eased the atmosphere: "Whether troop numbers are excessive, or how to solve it, those are issues for the future to consider.

Lu Cheng, I think you also have some ideas; earlier Senior Brother Wu said we're all compatriots, saying the wrong thing is fine, so what concrete ideas do you have? Please share."

Originally Lu Cheng wasn't sure whether to continue the topic, as several senior brothers' expressions were indeed off, but Su Feixue reiterated the earlier words of the senior brother.

The people present could only let Lu Cheng continue speaking.