Chapter 45

Listen! A stratagem of counterespionage!? Although he wasn't quite clear on what the three characters of "counterespionage" represented, it sounded very sophisticated, especially to He Chuan. Just hearing these three words gave him a slight understanding, but it was always hazy, as if there was a layer of gossamer between him and the truth. This made the nearly forty-year-old military strategist even more eager, and he hurriedly urged his young clansman to explain quickly.

This was a significant discovery for He Ping. In the world of soldiers, the term "soldier" referred to weapons, and the people here seemed to have excellent weapon skills, even the ordinary soldiers. When they charged into battle, it wasn't just a matter of relying on numbers and charging forward with weapons; each had their own techniques. Some were responsible for defense, some for attack, some for leading the charge, and some for protecting the flanks. This made the soldiers here not only individually formidable but also highly coordinated in their teamwork.

However, while their weapon skills were excellent, their military strategy was far from advanced. According to He Ping's understanding, not only were there no ancient masterpieces like "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, "Six Secret Teachings," or "Three Strategies," but even general military strategy books were scarce and rudimentary. The so-called military strategists here, like He Chuan, generally only learned from these basic strategies and then relied on their own abilities to explore further, without the guidance of a master or textbooks for study.

He Chuan was already one of the top military strategists in Qingyang Territory, but his strategic capabilities were still quite limited. In many tactical and strategic aspects, he was still far behind. Most of the time, he just assisted Zhao Zheng and the generals in analyzing the strategic direction and whether there would be any unexpected events during the march, or helped Zhao Zheng with emergency handling when things went wrong. Even these tasks were self-taught.

Qingyang Territory was one of the most developed territories in the entire Tianhua Empire, and the Zhao family was considered a top-tier clan. Additionally, being on the border, it was directly affected by war, which had honed the skills of the generals, strategists, and soldiers here to a higher level than in other regions. Therefore, He Chuan's level was already considered top-tier in the entire Tianhua Empire. However, even so, He Ping still saw many areas for improvement.

He Ping himself was certainly not a master of tactics and strategy. He had no expertise in this area. He Ping was self-aware; although he had read a few military strategy books and some classical novels like "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties," if he were asked to formulate tactics for an army, he would be at a loss. At most, he could serve as an advisor, talking the talk, but when it came to real combat, he was helpless.

Just like now, he could only show off his knowledge of the "Thirty-Six Stratagems" and propose this concept to He Chuan and Zhao Zheng. As for the specifics of how to implement it, that was beyond his capabilities. Hearing He Chuan's eagerness to understand what the stratagem of counterespionage entailed, He Ping no longer held back and explained, "The stratagem of counterespionage, the 'espionage' here refers to spies. The key to this strategy lies in the word 'counter.' Simply put, it means using the enemy's spies within our ranks to help us."

"How can the enemy's spies help us?" Zhao Zheng was a bit confused and asked, "Moreover, although we have identified one Zhao Bing, there are certainly other spies among the lower-ranking soldiers. We don't even know who these spies are, so how can we make them help us?"

Zhao Zheng was puzzled, but He Chuan was deep in thought. After a moment, he said, "This strategy, does it mean that since the enemy's spies will inevitably send information, it's impractical to catch each one of them, as we can't possibly catch them all. So, we might as well send the information we want the enemy to know through the spies' mouths. When the enemy acts on the information from the spies, and we already know in advance, we can make the necessary preparations?"

"Mr. He, you have a keen insight!" He Ping praised. "Exactly as Mr. He Chuan said. For example, if we want to attack the north, we can find a way to have the spies convey to the enemy that we plan to attack the south. When the enemy focuses their defense on the south, we can take advantage of the weakened north and easily achieve victory."

He Chuan's insight was indeed good. With just a little guidance from He Ping, he understood the essence of the strategy. This was also the result of his accumulated knowledge. Although the world of soldiers had few military strategies passed down, the people were not foolish; they just had a different direction in their civilization's development. He Chuan had studied those few rudimentary military books for a long time, and with his intelligence and years of practical experience, his foundation was already very solid. He just needed a spark of inspiration.

Reflecting on He Ping's words, Zhao Zheng, He Chuan, and Wen Fang all pondered. In the past, their methods for dealing with spies were limited to investigation and capture. But the captured spies were usually ordinary soldiers, and for every one caught, another would appear. This cycle was endless. Now, although He Ping had only proposed the stratagem of counterespionage, it opened a new door for them. This method of using the enemy's spies was very ingenious and even led them to other insights.

Seeing that the three had understood, He Ping said, "I'm just talking theory. It sounds impressive, but I won't be involved in the specifics. You three are experts in this field, so I won't interfere. Next, let's discuss the use of Zhao Bing and our business together."

When He Ping said this, Zhao Zheng and the others focused their attention, adopting a receptive attitude. It was no wonder; since He Ping's appearance, his repeated performances had continually raised their estimation of him. Initially, they thought he was just a powerful warrior, but capturing Wolfgang and Brian instilled a sense of awe in them. Now, a casual strategy from He Ping had given He Chuan a breakthrough, and they had already placed themselves in a position of seeking guidance.

Facing the three, He Ping spoke confidently, sharing a plan he had been considering for a long time: "Although the Lance family is in a precarious position, they can't be eliminated in a single decisive blow. Even if we could, the losses would be too great. But the Lance family is already like a frightened bird. Any slight move on our part will elicit a reaction. So, let's have Zhao Bing convey to the Lance family that we plan to march directly into Lance Province from here..."

[PS: Third update of the day! See you all tomorrow!]

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