Richest Man: Divine-Grade Reconstruct System Chapter 994 - 954: Execution

This meant that even while shirking their duties, they needed to maintain the Emperor's perception of them being diligent thinkers.

This was the only way to navigate the current situation and to fool the Emperor into believing they weren't entirely incompetent.

Consequently, everyone quickly adopted such expressions and demeanors, striking poses of profound contemplation.

Lin Yi observed all of this with perfect clarity, fully understanding the thoughts occupying these individuals' minds.

However, he chose not to expose them, as doing so would be pointless and would only lead to their psychological discomfort.

If this group of elders became displeased with him, his current fragile standing would prevent him from achieving any meaningful progress.

Only by first winning their loyalty could he gradually bring about their replacement.

With this in mind, Lin Yi did not complicate matters for them and instead turned his attention to Leng Yu, hoping for an answer from her.

Yet, on this occasion, Leng Yu was also unable to provide a definitive response and remained lost in deep thought.

The crucial difference was that while the ministers were merely feigning contemplation, Leng Yu was genuinely and earnestly engaged in strategic thinking.

Numerous plans and stratagems formed within Leng Yu's mind and were subsequently evaluated, but ultimately, all proved inadequate.

She genuinely struggled to conceive a method for discreetly moving hundreds of thousands of troops past enemy surveillance without detection.

"Perhaps we could first disperse our forces and have them secretly advance to the Border Army Camp at Shanhai Pass. Once assembled there, we can then reform them into an army of several hundred thousand and march south.

This approach would serve to mislead the enemy while simultaneously allowing us to secretly dispatch troops to the Border Army Camp at Shanhai Pass undetected.

It is only then that we can deliver a decisive blow, catch them entirely by surprise, and swiftly conquer the Zhao Country."

However, the moment Lin Yi voiced this suggestion, everyone, including Leng Yu, appeared perplexed. Leng Yu couldn't help but question:

"But Your Majesty, if we split the army and send them to the Border Army Camp first, how will we consolidate a force of several hundred thousand later?

If our troop numbers fall short, perhaps less than two hundred thousand, it would become incredibly easy to reveal our plan.

While the enemy's spies may not ascertain our exact troop strength, they can still estimate if the numbers are below two hundred thousand."

As Leng Yu correctly pointed out, despite the absence of advanced technology like satellites or sophisticated surveying equipment in this era,

the keen eyes and accumulated experience of scouts could still provide a reasonably accurate estimate of an army's size, with a margin of error likely not exceeding ten thousand.

Following her statement, the other ministers echoed her sentiments, largely agreeing with Leng Yu's logical concerns.

While it was indeed feasible to send personnel to the Border Army Camp at Shanhai Pass beforehand, and if executed with sufficient discretion through multiple phased movements, evading scout detection would be relatively straightforward.

After all, their daily training regimens provided a plausible cover for troop movements, making them less likely to raise suspicion.

Furthermore, even if any minor anomalies were noticed, no one would suspect a major troop transfer in that direction.

The core challenge remained: how to effectively assemble the remaining force exceeding two hundred thousand troops.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing these objections, Lin Yi's lips curved into a subtle smile, and he responded calmly:

"Do not forget, the population of our Dayou Country numbers not just a few hundred thousand, but several million.

Is it truly that difficult to muster an army of three hundred thousand?

Let our common citizens participate, and then have our soldiers surround them, creating the appearance of an army numbering several hundred thousand. I hardly believe that presents an insurmountable challenge, does it?"

Lin Yi candidly revealed his strategy without pretense.

At this revelation, everyone's eyes brightened.

Although the execution would present certain difficulties, it was by no means an impossible feat.

If the commoners were to don military attire and be integrated into the ranks, with twenty to thirty thousand genuine soldiers providing an encompassing perimeter, it would be exceedingly difficult for the enemy to discern the truth.

After all, regardless of how astute the scouts might be, they would hesitate to approach the main army directly.

From a distance, as long as the numbers appeared sufficient and the movements sufficiently substantial, no one would likely harbor suspicions.

Thus, following a period of deliberation, this strategy was adopted as the definitive plan.

Subsequently, Leng Yu took direct command of the vanguard, dispersing them towards their objective at the Border Army Camp at Shanhai Pass, initiating preparations to receive the main contingent.

Though Shanhai Pass might be considered a city, accommodating hundreds of thousands of troops at once was undeniably a significant challenge.

Even operating at maximum capacity, it could likely only house around fifty to sixty thousand soldiers.

And if all these hundreds of thousands of soldiers were to enter, ensuring their survival would become a pressing issue.

Naturally, it wasn't imperative for them all to reside within the city walls; after all, countless primeval forests lay beyond Shanhai Pass, and establishing camps in those wooded areas presented no particular difficulty.

Especially considering the abundance of game animals within those mountains and woods.

By then, allowing these hundreds of thousands of troops to hunt would be a straightforward matter.

However, to prevent causing too large a disturbance, they would be restricted from acting wantonly; a small area, sufficient to house them, would be designated and cleared.

As for military provisions, there was no cause for concern.

The troops designated to serve as the decoy would be placed under the comprehensive command of Minister Wu.

He would swiftly assemble a force of several hundred thousand.

Of course, these three hundred thousand soldiers would require uniforms, and procuring such a large quantity of uniforms was no trivial undertaking.

Yet, this too was not an insurmountable obstacle.

While current military benefits were not particularly generous, and uniforms were not issued on a regular basis, each soldier possessed two sets of uniforms, necessary for daily changes and washing.

When the time came, one set could simply be taken out and distributed to these individuals; that would suffice.

Regarding weaponry, they would not be issued an excessive amount.

They would merely be equipped with some rudimentary gear; as long as it could deceive the enemy, it would serve the purpose.

Once deliberations on this side concluded, everyone promptly dispersed to carry out their assigned duties.

As for Leng Yu,

[To be continued...]

PS: Recommending a new book: [Fake Eunuch: I Accidentally Discovered the Emperor Is a Woman at the Start] by Zimu Zhao.

Already signed; you can safely dive in.