Chapter 1244: First Volume, Chapter 1244: Decisive Battle

First Volume, Chapter 1244: Decisive Battle

"But now, both sides are utterly exhausted, and their weapons and equipment have certainly suffered heavy consumption; if this continues, the side with more men will inevitably gain the upper hand."

"In other words, even if Qin Feng launches a bold counterattack, battlefield initiative still firmly remains in Lin Zhao's hands."

Hearing this, Wang Keng, equally drained, finally lit up with sharp determination.

"So according to Madam's logic, the advantage lies with us—if we keep fighting, we're bound to win?"

Lin Wenwan waved her hand outright, rejecting the notion without hesitation.

"Battlefield conditions are unpredictable; no one can claim victory until the very last moment."

"Though currently the advantage rests with Lin Zhao, Qin Feng still has his main camp and garrison behind him—after our night of fierce fighting, the enemy still has at least ten thousand men!"

"If Qin Feng continuously draws troops from his main camp, the advantage will gradually shift from Lin Zhao to Qin Feng."

"Though the main camp will grow vulnerable once troops are withdrawn, the garrison inside the city is also spent; even sending out raiding parties now would likely result in desertion or refusal to fight."

Hearing Lin Wenwan's words, Wang Keng felt a wave of despair—after all this, they still couldn't achieve overwhelming superiority over Qin Feng.

He couldn't understand just how formidable this Qin Feng was—despite mobilizing the entire Nan Jing's strength, they still couldn't shake him…

"Then, according to Madam's judgment, what should we do next?"

Lin Wenwan had already devised a strategy; without hesitation, she replied: "We must send reinforcements to Lin Zhao."

"Lin Zhao's troops are also utterly exhausted—they need sufficient strength to relieve him."

Wang Keng frowned deeply: "The garrison inside the city is already spent; forcing them to continue fighting will surely breed resentment among the soldiers."

Lin Wenwan had already considered this; she immediately waved her hand: "Frontline combat troops can no longer sortie, but don't forget—the city still has other forces."

Hearing this, Wang Keng immediately realized Lin Wenwan intended to deploy the new recruits.

Currently, in Gusu City, more than half of the population consists of civilian laborers and new recruits, aside from the seasoned frontline troops.

Civilian laborers need no explanation—but even the ten thousand new recruits rarely engage in direct combat; they're mostly used as laborers.

After all, Gusu faces the Northern Border Troops, whose combat experience is extremely refined; sending new recruits into battle would not only result in heavy casualties but could also shatter the garrison's morale if they broke and fled.

That's precisely why Lin Wenwan had never dared to deploy new recruit units in combat.

Even last night's fierce battle was fought solely by veteran troops from within the city, while the new recruits remained strictly on defensive duty.

Wang Keng pondered, his voice uncertain: "Though these new recruits are numerous, they're not frontline combat units; if sent to the Eastern Front Battlefield, they'll likely suffer massive casualties."

"Is it worth sacrificing nearly ten thousand men as cannon fodder just to support Lin Zhao?"

Facing Wang Keng's doubt, Lin Wenwan showed no hesitation: "Of course it is!"

"General Wang, haven't you seen the situation clearly yet?"

"The Eastern Front Battlefield has become our decisive battle with Qin Feng—it's the pivotal point of the entire Southern Campaign."

"If we defeat Qin Feng, we'll completely shatter the encirclement of Gusu City, and all of Qin Feng's strategic deployments will collapse."

"If Lin Zhao is crushed and Qin Feng's Eastern Front forces reorganize and fortify their defenses, even with fewer numbers, they can still form a flanking attack with the main camp."

"All they need to do is continue besieging Gusu City and steadily reinforce the frontline."

Hearing Lin Wenwan's explanation, Wang Keng finally grasped the gravity of the situation—the issue now wasn't whether to fight, but whether they could win.

Once the encirclement is broken, Gusu City can reestablish contact with the Nan Jing—on one side, continuous support flows in; on the other, Qin Feng's forces enter a vacuum.

With this shift, the balance of power between Qin Feng and Gusu City will be utterly reversed.

Conversely, as long as the encirclement holds, Gusu City remains in utter desperation, with no replenishment of personnel or materials, while Qin Feng's strength gradually recovers.

This battle will decisively determine the entire course of the Southern Campaign.

Wang Keng no longer hesitated; he immediately went to mobilize the new recruit units as Lin Wenwan ordered.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no purely new recruit units—newly recruited soldiers are directly integrated into existing units to fight alongside veterans.

Put bluntly, they're sent to die as cannon fodder; more kindly put, they fight alongside veterans to gain combat experience through shared hardship.

But this new recruit unit was different—it had been hastily raised and assembled by powerful clans from the Nan Jing.

Over ninety percent were new recruits, and none of the city's veteran commanders wanted to take command of this unit, for in their eyes, these ten thousand men might have less combat effectiveness than three thousand veterans.

If they led this unit into defeat, their entire reputation would be ruined.

Thus, this unit, known as the Kangding Army, had lived in comfort, untouched by the fires of war.

Now, when summoned by Wang Keng, from commander down to the lowest soldier, not a single man objected—they gladly accepted the mission to reinforce the Eastern Front.

Under the command of Main General Zheng Kang, the full ten-thousand-strong Kangding Army marched out of Gusu City's gate, heading eastward.

At first, Sun Bo received the news and felt his scalp tighten with dread.

He had just assembled a thousand men to reinforce the Eastern Front when the enemy launched a major sortie—if they now attacked his camp, Sun Bo wasn't sure he could hold it.

But when he learned this force had changed direction and was heading east, Sun Bo exhaled in profound relief.

Also stationed at the camp, Liu Ming—temporarily serving as Supervisor of the Army—watched Sun Bo's relaxed expression and asked sternly: "The entire Eastern Front, including the reinforcements just sent, totals four thousand six hundred men."

"The enemy has seven thousand, and now with this additional ten thousand, they'll form a four-to-one advantage."

"Given such dire odds, why are you so calm?"

Sun Bo knew Liu Ming was Qin Feng's appointed Supervisor of the Army, overseeing the generals—he dared not be careless.

"Mr. Liu, don't worry—though this ten-thousand-man force appears imposing, the troops Gusu City can send to reinforce the Eastern Front are almost certainly new recruits."

"New recruits with no combat experience will be consumed to nothing within moments on the Eastern Front."

Liu Ming disagreed: "Even ten thousand pigs, Qin Wang would need time to slaughter."

Sun Bo laughed heartily: "Mr. Liu, you don't understand—on the battlefield, new recruits aren't even as easy to handle as pigs."