The Tyrant’s Cannon Fodder Male Empress Chapter 90

Chapter 90

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In the pursuit of vanquishing the Khitans this time, preparations were meticulous and thorough.

Xue Yao, having listened to the Crown Prince’s analysis, understood that the Great Qi not only held superiority in terms of troops and resources, but also from the perspective of the five elements and seven strategies, similar to what military strategists would describe as “the way, heaven, earth, commander, and discipline.”

“Way” meant ensuring the people and the ruler have aligned opinions, and the soldiers and commanders share the same views. This aligned with the military strategy of Sun Tzu, which stated, “If the higher and lower are of one mind, they will be victorious.”

The northwestern border had suffered incessant raids from the Khitan tribe. Upon hearing any movement from the court regarding a campaign, the local residents spontaneously contribute leather and wrought iron to welcome the royal army.

In the past year, the number of young men voluntarily joining the army had tripled compared to before.

The soldiers of the three border defense armies were holding back a surge of anger, transforming it into a desire for battle. This could be considered the most advantageous state for warfare.

Secondly, regarding the weather, this battle avoided the harsh winter. As the large army set out, the weather would become more favorable. The Directorate of Astronomy had also provided affirmative astrological predictions.

As for the terrain, the details could only be known when engaged in battle. Roughly analyzed, several years ago, Great Qi secretly formed alliances with three major external tribes, securing advantageous positions. They were now just waiting to besiege and annihilate the Khitan enemy forces.

“Commander” referred to the military leaders leading the army.

“Discipline” involved considering the technical aspects of the commanders. It could be seen as the comprehensive strength of the military’s organizational structure, information flow, and command structure.

The commander guiding the troops this time was the Emperor himself. With such a prestigious position, he naturally had top-notch generals assisting him. Hence, everyone defaulted to giving him a full score for the last two strength assessments.

By this calculation, the odds of winning this battle were a staggering two hundred percent.

Consequently, the Emperor believed leading the children into a nearly risk-free battle was a rare opportunity, aiding in awakening the “warrior spirit” passed down by his ancestors of the Lu family.

Therefore, even if Xue Yao were to employ every persuasive trick in the book, it would be impossible to dissuade the Emperor from taking the three young cubs into battle.

The only conceivable breakthrough was the blessing practitioner.

Initially acting on Xue Yao’s instructions, the blessing practitioner foretold the Road to Shu calamity in precise detail to the Emperor, earning his trust. Subsequently, she was reassigned away from Consort Xi’s side, becoming the royal oracle.

Over the years, she followed Xue Yao’s guidance, consistently evading the Emperor’s divination requests with excuses like “heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.” After enduring a decade of this, Xue Yao now assigned her a new task.

Xue Yao instructed her to advise the Emperor, “It’s best not to lead the front lines during the battle, better to command from the rear, and preferably, avoid having the Crown Prince and the youngest son accompany the expedition.”

Without frightening the Emperor with statements like “certain death in the front lines,” which could be seen as undermining morale and lead to severe consequences, the blessing practitioner must gently suggest to the Emperor what would be “preferable.”

The blessing practitioner, unwaveringly loyal to Consort Xi, readily agreed to collaborate with deceiving the Emperor upon hearing from Xue Yao that the expedition might endanger Consort Xi’s son.

However, a few days before leaving the capital, Xue Yao anxiously waited but couldn’t persuade the Emperor to change his mind.

Upon inquiring again with the blessing practitioner, Xue Yao discovered that the Emperor completely disregarded her advice and instructed her not to meddle in military affairs.

This Emperor truly remained steadfast, showing no sign of wavering even after a decade. He wouldn’t budge until he saw the coffin.

Failing in the final attempt to sway the Emperor, Xue Yao reluctantly packed up and set out on the road with the chubby cub.

Marching differed significantly from ordinary travel. The pace of infantry was exceedingly slow, accommodating the natural speed of cavalry. Hence, excluding the vanguard, everyone else moved at a leisurely pace.

The princes remained seated on horseback throughout the journey, with the chubby cub so jostled by the horse that he lost his appetite and refused to drink milk.

Riding alongside the princes, even Xue Yao, on horseback, never dreamt that marching could be so arduous.

In previous journeys out of the capital, whether by carriage or ship, Xue Yao didn’t find ancient transportation inconvenient. This time, after just a day of marching, the relentless bouncing left Xue Yao feeling seasick. He contemplated abandoning his own cub and returning to the capital for recuperation.

Setting up camp for the night, the Fifth Prince excitedly studied maps inside the tent, pulling the Seventh Prince to analyze the terrain and simulate various scenarios for battle.

Xue Yao couldn’t comprehend entirely, but he displayed an excited yet somewhat nervous attitude towards the Fifth Prince.

Unable to picture the Fifth Prince on the battlefield, he feared his three cubs might become arrogant and overconfident. So, he kept reminding the Fifth Prince not to underestimate the enemy, not to be careless, and not to pursue a defeated foe too zealously.

The Fifth Prince, however, confidently explained the various scenarios of pursuing a defeated enemy, suggesting that in certain situations, one should relentlessly pursue and crush them without mercy.

Xue Yao’s once proud eloquence proved entirely useless at this moment.

Because he had not studied military strategy.

The skill of leading troops in battle, apart from innate talent, demanded practical experience far more than theoretical knowledge. Relying solely on books was almost useless. Believing he would never lead troops into battle in his lifetime, he had not delved into military theory.

The current state of the Fifth Prince exhibited a somewhat arrogant complacency born from theoretical knowledge. Xue Yao felt the need to temper his enthusiasm to prevent him from following the Emperor to his demise.

“Your Highness, though our forces outnumber the enemy’s two-fold, history has always shown that arrogant armies are destined to fail,” Xue Yao reasoned. “We once memorized Han Xin’s victory over the Zhao army. With only ten thousand troops, he defeated the Zhao army, which was claimed to be two hundred thousand strong.

“Before the battle, the Lord of Guangwu offered advice to the Commander of Zhao army, but he, overconfident in his vast forces, refused to heed the counsel and fell to Han Xin’s surprise troops {qibing}. Such a failure was the result of the commander’s arrogance and underestimation of the enemy!”

Hearing this, the Fifth Prince pondered for a moment and asked Xue Yao, “Were Han Xin’s cavalry {qibing} really that formidable?”

The Seventh Prince, standing nearby, stepped forward, and expressionlessly translated for his illiterate little reader-in-waiting to his fifth brother, “He means ‘surplus troops’ {jibing}.”

“Oh…” The Fifth Prince realized Xue Yao mispronounced the word. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Xue Yao, the old father, had never been subjected to mockery from his children in academic matters until now.

Upon hearing this, he immediately countered the chubby cub, “The Art of War states: ‘When efficiently applied, surprise {qi} tactics are inexhausible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams.’ It’s talking about ‘surprise troops’ {qibing}.”

The Fifth Prince laughed heartily and argued, “That’s ‘When efficiently applied, indirect {ji} tactics.”

“How is that possible?” Xue Yao protested. He could remember the story of Han Xin’s surprise victory in this desperate situation. How could ‘surprise’ be pronounced as ‘surplus’?

The character ‘qi’ was pronounced only as ‘ji’ when referring to odd or even numbers.

“Surprise troops meant troops that employ surprise tactics to secure victory!” Xue Yao solemnly educated his two rebellious cubs.

The Fifth Prince, upon hearing the term ‘surprise tactics to secure victory’, became somewhat uncertain.

The Seventh Prince smirked, squinting at the naive reader-in-waiting. “Yaoyao.”

The old father responded with authority and gravity, “What’s the matter?”

“What’s the preceding phrase of ‘When efficiently applied’?” the Seventh Prince raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

Xue Yao, not expecting the tape recorder cub to have a forgetful day, proudly answered, “In every battle, use the conventional method {以正} to engage and the unconventional method {以奇} to secure victory.”

“What does ‘正’ mean when it is opposite to ‘奇’?” The Seventh Prince patiently continued to guide his clueless little reader-in-waiting.

This question stumped Xue Yao.

How could ‘正’ and ‘奇’ be opposite?

“It should mean ‘normal’ and ‘strange,’ right?” Xue Yao asked uncertainly.

The Seventh Prince looked mischievous when he squinted, emanating a naturally dark aura. “Nope.”

Xue Yao’s face showed astonishment. “Then what does it mean?”

The Seventh Prince leaned back on his chair, adopting a particularly lordly demeanor, and began bargaining, “Yaoyao, gently soothe your grandpa to sleep and you’ll know.”

No soothing, no revelation for Silly Yaoyao.

Xue Yao wore a disdainful expression. “We’re at war, Your Highness, and you want someone to lull you to sleep? The Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince sleep on their own.”

The Seventh Prince crossed his legs, playfully teasing his little reader-in-waiting, “Does Yaoyao think Your Highness looks like a normal soldier or a strange one?”

Xue Yao: “……”

With this twist, the explanation really didn’t seem to make much sense!

The Seventh Prince propped his elbow on the armrest, resting his cheek in his hand, waiting for the little reader-in-waiting to surrender with a white flag.

Upholding the dignity of an old father, Xue Yao asserted stubbornly, “I’ll consult a master when I return to the capital!”

The Seventh Prince, with ill intentions, reminded, “In five months?”

“……” Under the curiosity-induced pressure, the resolute Xue Yao yielded to the scheming cub. “Just tonight, I’ll humor you once!”

The scheming cub flashed a triumphant smile.

In the end, under the Seventh Prince’s tutelage, Xue Yao learned that “正奇/zheng qi” was actually a concept in military tactics.

“正/zheng” troops referred to the main force engaged in frontal combat.

The “奇/qi”  in “奇兵/qibing” referred to the “奇/ji” in “余奇” , meaning the surplus or extra elements. In military strategy, it related to mobile forces, with irregular troops mainly responsible for identifying weaknesses, flanking, and launching surprise attacks during offensive operations.

Tears welled up in Xue Yao’s eyes upon realizing he misunderstood such a fundamental concept in Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War.”

It felt like the dignity of the old father was being ruthlessly rubbed into the ground by the chubby cub.

An utter disgrace!

Eager to escape this awkward evening, Xue Yao casually patted the chubby cub’s back, finished telling the tale of “Jingwei Filling the Sea,” and immediately propped himself up, ready to make a quick exit!

His wrist, however, was seized by a pair of paws.

Lowering his head, Xue Yao glanced down to see the Seventh Prince, eyes closed, issuing a serene command, “Lie down.”

“I’ve already humored Your Highness tonight!” Confronted with the rebellious brat, Xue Yao decided to play stubborn, curled up his legs, preparing to catch him off guard and escape.

However, he underestimated the strength in the Seventh Prince’s grip.

In the moment of sitting up, the grasped wrist suddenly sank downward, and Xue Yao was instantly pulled back down by the Seventh Prince…

Xue Yao turned his head with a pitiful look, glaring at the rebellious brat!

The Seventh Prince’s eyes opened, indifferent as he stared at the little reader-in-waiting attempting to be defiant.

Under the rebellious brat’s threatening gaze of “dare to move, and your grandpa will toss you into the sea,” Xue Yao reluctantly gave in.

The older this cub grew, the more unruly he became!

Caught red-handed as a military strategy illiterate, the old father failed in his escape attempt, tearfully lulling the rebellious brat to sleep.

Xue Yao sang a highly fitting lullaby for the cub, “Cold winds gracefully touch my face, my child’s rebellion wounds my heart…”

The Seventh Prince, with long lashes framing his innocent sleeping face, calmly ordered, “Change the song.”

“……” Xue Yao clenched his fist and pursed his lips.

Is this old father a jukebox or something!

So, unfair!

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