Chapter 1190: First Volume, Chapter 1190: The Advantage of Engineers

First Volume, Chapter 1190: The Advantage of Engineers

How could Lin Wenwan not know the cost of slaughtering civilians?

But two harms, choose the lighter; if we allow Qin Feng to freely win the people's hearts, it is tantamount to turning Gusu City into a dead city.

At that point, every blade of grass and tree would seem an enemy—this is no joke.

As for slaughtering civilians, it is an emergency tactic; each time she acts, killing a hundred, Qin Feng must expend several times—or even dozens of times—the effort to repair his reputation.

This is betting small to win big!

As for public opinion risks, they are barely tolerable, since the garrison troops are all inside the city and cannot obtain accurate intelligence from outside.

As long as Supervisors of the Army are dispatched to strictly control internal public opinion, rumors without ironclad evidence will never gain traction.

And as for ironclad evidence, both Lin Wenwan and Qin Feng know well: such evidence simply cannot exist.

Otherwise, Qin Feng would never have staged today's farce.

Lin Wenwan understands Qin Feng too well; this man appears to have no bottom line, yet his bottom line is firmer than anyone else's—he would never dump civilian corpses into the city.

Even if he did, who could prove these civilians died by Lin Wenwan's hand?

Lin Wenwan could even turn the tables and blame Qin Feng for the civilians' deaths!

Lin Wenwan waved her hand, cutting off Wang Keng's words, her tone resolute.

"This plan is a last resort; everything I do is to hold Gusu City and protect the gateway of Nan Jing."

"A true man does not shrink from cruelty—can you not accept such a small loss for the sake of great achievement?"

"No more persuasion—you need only carry out my orders. Whatever happens in the future, I alone will bear the responsibility."

Although Wang Keng disapproved of slaughtering civilians, he could only obey.

Moreover… Lin Wenwan's capabilities have been proven; though her methods are treacherous, as she said, holding Gusu City is paramount.

Wang Keng turned and left; Lin Wenwan stood where she was, gazing at the catapults being dragged away, a dull weight rising in her heart.

Long before Qin Feng arrived in Gusu City, she had already ordered the city's craftsmen to rush-produce catapults.

She had heard of this weapon before, but rarely seen one.

Moreover, in Nan Jing, due to terrain, warfare mostly involved mountain warfare against the southern barbarians; now facing the imperial army advancing from the south, they could only shift from offense to defense.

Once forced into defense, the shortcomings immediately surfaced: insufficient preparation of city defense equipment.

As long as craftsmen understood the principle of the catapult, they could build one—but the wood required caused Lin Wenwan great headache.

This wood must withstand the weight of massive rocks and the immense tension generated when drawing the bowstring.

Catapults made from ordinary wood could only be used one or two times; more than that, the swinging arm risked snapping.

In other words, the catapults Gusu City could produce were roughly equivalent to the inferior ones made by Tianji Camp.

But the real weapons in Qin Feng's hands—whether the wood, rivets, winches, ropes, or even the special treatment of the timber—were all meticulously crafted.

Details determine victory or defeat; the craftsmen of Nan Jing, lacking experience using catapults, could not possibly close the gap in details within a short time.

Watching the three catapults gradually vanish from view, Lin Wenwan's face remained calm, but her inner pressure grew heavier.

With Qin Feng's wealth, the skilled artisans of Tianji Camp, and an endless supply of materials and supplies…

When the day of true siege finally comes, dozens of catapults will be rolled forward; once their angles and force are adjusted, they will rain down on the City Wall—this will be a tremendous test for the defenders.

"Qin Feng, Qin Feng—you are truly Old Heaven's punishment sent to torment me."

Meanwhile, Qin Feng had returned to ZhuZhen Camp.

Inside the Shuaizhang, all the generals were ecstatic.

Especially Sun Bo—he never imagined Qin Feng had manipulated the Gusu City Garrison so thoroughly, trading six inferior catapults for over one hundred of their elite Infantry.

Corpses, leaflets, excrement—all dumped into the city at once—this blow to the defenders' morale was no less severe than direct combat.

"Your Highness, you are truly brilliant."

"Did you bring these tactics back from Bei Di?"

Sensing Sun Bo's intense gaze, Qin Feng merely shrugged and said casually: "These methods have been used in Bei Di before, but they are still adapted to local conditions."

"Gusu City's fifty thousand defenders are mostly rabble; true elite troops are a tiny fraction."

"The more people there are, the more uneven their psychological resilience; a little provocation will naturally cause public opinion to ferment and spread within the city."

"The war of the mind requires only gentle stirring."

Sun Bo had long been utterly awed by Qin Feng; after half a lifetime of battlefield campaigns, compared to Qin Feng, he felt like a green new recruit.

Many tactics were either unthinkable—or if thought of, impossible to execute.

Qin Feng's "ease" on the battlefield was deeply admired by Sun Bo and every general present.

"Your Highness, if you really do this every day, the city will collapse before long."

"Hahaha, you're right—I've fought for so many years and never imagined war could be this easy."

Seeing everyone gleeful, Qin Feng lowered his hand, dousing them with cold water.

"Harassment is one thing, but you must vary your methods; repeat the same trick too often, and the defenders will grow numb."

"Moreover, every harassment must be fully prepared; if the enemy suddenly strikes you by surprise, the losses will be severe."

"Easy? Is there such a thing as easy warfare?"

"Jiaobin Bizheng—this is not the time to celebrate."

"We've barely won the support of the local people; if we squander it all at once, even the strongest explanations cannot restore their trust—it's harder than climbing to heaven."

"And if this continues, whether the people believe us or not no longer matters; to survive, they will flee this place, doing everything possible to avoid the war."

"Rather than pondering how to easily capture Gusu City…"

"We should seriously consider how to win this war while minimizing civilian losses."

The previously noisy Ying Zhang fell instantly silent.

Every general present, including Sun Bo, lowered their heads, their faces filled with shame.

At this moment, they finally understood how low their awakening was compared to Qin Feng's.

They thought only of how to win this battle, but Qin Feng always considered how to ensure the safety and livelihood of the common people…

Sun Bo turned and waved his hand at the officers, barking an order.

"What are you standing around for? Surround Gusu City completely—not a single fly can get out!"

"If taking Gusu City comes at the cost of Jiangnan's people, what meaning does it have!"