Chapter 38

### Operation for Certain Victory

After finishing their late lunch, the commanders of the thousand-man battalions and above gathered to start the strategy meeting. In the first major battle, most of the Mongol forces under Tielin Tian were auxiliary troops from other tribes, so they lacked the excellent mobility that allowed the Black Wind Corps to easily secure victory. However, when they actually confronted Tielin Tian's main forces, the contemptuous thoughts about the barbaric Mongols completely disappeared. General Yokyungjin praised General Magilsu, who had saved the entire army from destruction, and then spoke in a solemn tone.

"The enemy's strength is greater than we thought. What are your opinions, commanders?"

General Magilsu spoke first in response to General Yokyungjin.

"Tielin Tian is not a man who has read many military books. His tactical sense comes from numerous real combat experiences. He has almost a beast-like sharp sense. Therefore, we need to prepare a very meticulous trap rather than an obvious one. We need to make it so that even though he has this sense, he cannot use it, and he will fall into it even if he knows it's there."

Intrigued by General Magilsu's words, General Yokyungjin asked,

"What strategy would be best?"

General Magilsu deliberately slowed his speech to build the atmosphere and then explained slowly.

"First, let's call off the battle with General Meng and declare it a draw. We can end the operation for today and send one thousand-man battalion to conduct a night raid. Although the victory won't be significant, it will boost the morale of our Mongol allies."

"Hmm, that makes sense."

"Meanwhile, we will pretend to drag this battle into a prolonged war."

General Yokyungjin looked slightly puzzled and asked,

"Pretend?"

"Yes. We will select two thousand-man battalions from the Black Wind Corps to completely devastate the nearby Mongol villages. Tielin Tian will think that we are preparing for a prolonged war and are trying to weaken his forces by keeping his main troops here and attacking the weak tribes, especially those with most of their men already gone. His subordinates will also lose morale when their families are destroyed. Then, there will be only one option... He will have to send some of his troops to counter our raiding forces, thus dispersing his forces..."

"Aha! Then we can completely crush the enemy. That's a pretty good idea."

General Gwanji continued,

"General, in my opinion, it would be more effective not to attack the villages of Tielin Tian's allied tribes."

"Why?"

"If we don't attack the bases of the allied tribes, they won't return to their villages, and as a result, the proportion of well-trained soldiers under Tielin Tian will decrease. This will prevent them from responding quickly as they did this time."

General Yokyungjin, impressed by his suggestion, slapped his knee.

"That's a clever strategy."

To this, General Janggak replied,

"But, General, isn't this too cowardly a tactic? Do we really need to use such a despicable strategy against the barbaric Mongol soldiers?"

General Janggak, a warrior from a traditional military family, valued righteousness above all. He believed that no matter how evil the enemy was, he should always use orthodox methods to defeat them, and that only then would the enemy bow to his righteousness. General Noyoung countered this argument.

"Hehe, I don't think it matters. We don't necessarily have to use orthodox methods to defeat the Mongol barbarians."

"Let's leave that aside for now. Have you investigated the nearby villages of Tielin Tian?"

General Magilsu answered,

"Yes, I sent ten ten-man squads to investigate the area as soon as we arrived. We captured and tortured a few Mongol tribesmen... After synthesizing all the information, we found that there are four villages in the vicinity."

"Good. Then let's send five hundred-man battalions to each village. After they destroy the villages, they should not return but instead investigate and eliminate any other nearby Mongol villages."

"Who will you send?"

"Gwanji! Noyoung!"

"Yes!"

"You two, set out now with your subordinates! General Magilsu will give you the detailed locations."

"Yes."

As the 7th and 10th thousand-man battalion commanders left the tent, Deputy Commander Magilsu asked,

"Will we carry out the night raid tonight?"

"Yes! We must definitely conduct the night raid tonight. Gwanji!"

"Yes."

"You will detach from the main force and wait for the opportunity to launch a surprise attack at night."

"Yes."

"Since we need to move about 80 li (approximately 32 kilometers) to a place with water, if we light campfires in various places and conduct the night raid simultaneously, the enemy won't even know we have left in the chaos."

"That's a good plan."

"Also, inform the Mongol chieftains that we will retreat a certain distance this evening and re-establish our camp."

"Yes."