Chapter 1789: Coercion or Enticement?

What's the difference between this and treason"Li Chen's question suddenly dropped the temperature in the Xizheng Hall to freezing point.Before Zhao Qinglan could retort, Li Chen said, "Since the empe...Chapter 1789 is a combination of intimidation and temptation.

"War, an instrument of national destruction."

In the distance, atop a mountain peak so far away that only faint glimpses of the clash at the gates of Suiyang County could be seen, the deafening war cries still reverberated with earsplitting intensity.

Huangji Tian gazed at the battle in Suiyang County, and said to Li Chen beside him: “These soldiers are all worthy of respect.”

“War is the duty and the meaning of existence for soldiers. Perhaps not every one of them has a heart full of loyalty and righteousness, willing to die for their country without asking for anything in return, but once they join the battlefield, everyone will be swept up in it. Killing the enemy is the only hope of survival, while cowardice will only hasten death.”

Li Chen said faintly, "It's laughable to say, hundreds of thousands fighting each other for nothing but the struggle between two monarchs."

The Emperor of the Heavenly Pole shook his head, disapprovingly stating: “It cannot be said that way. The struggle between monarchs of two countries is merely a surface phenomenon. At its core, it is a struggle between the interests of two nations. If not for their pursuit of profit and their covetousness of the vast lands and abundant resources of China, why would the Liao army repeatedly descend south to harass and attempt to annex Great Qin Without a struggle for mutual benefit, how could such a deep-seated enmity arise between the two nations”

"I just made a casual remark, and you went on and on like that. It makes you seem kind of foolish," Li Chen laughed heartily.

Huangji Tian's face darkened, and he said in a bad mood, "Whether the battle of Suiyang County was won or lost is still unknown, but you have the mood to make fun of me"

"Do you think me pacing back and forth here, constantly cursing Yelu Shenxuan's mother, helps anything on the battlefield" Li Chen retorted.

The Emperor of the Absolute Heaven said, "You're thinking too far ahead."

“Strategically despise the enemy, tactically respect the enemy. Now on the chessboard, both I and Yelü Shenxuan have already made our moves. What remains is the battle between pieces. The outcome of a battlefield is never directly decided by commanders. Even the most brilliant commander can only increase the odds of victory and decrease the odds of defeat. The true deciders are every soldier on the battlefield; they hold the ultimate power.”

Li Chen's eyes were sharp, and he spoke slowly, "Besides, this battle cannot be won."

Although Emperor Extreme Heaven inwardly agreed with Li Chen's viewpoint, he couldn't help but feel a knot of anxiety in his heart. He turned to Li Chen and said, "You know you're losing, yet you insist on keeping so many people in Suiyang County. What about them... "

Li Chen sneered: "Yelü Shenxuan knew I had set a trap on Wulong Mountain waiting for him, yet he came. This was because he had no other choice, but also because he had immense confidence. The reputation of the Liao army's invincibility for decades gave him enough courage."

“At times like this, I have to beat him down a little, make him suffer for a while. Only then will his competitive spirit be fully ignited, driving him to do everything in his power to devour me on Wulong Mountain. Only by devouring me can he have the means to survive.”

"I want him to understand clearly that in this fight, he must fight if he wants to, and he must fight if he doesn't want to!"

"He had no other way out but to eat me."

Li Chen looked at Huang Ji Tian and smiled faintly: “If it were you across from me, I would definitely withdraw all defenses from Suiyang County and try to find a way to surround you from behind, forcing you to fight, or lay down a large amount of supplies in Suiyang County, forcing you to attack. This is the normal use of both intimidation and enticement; encirclement is intimidation, and supplies are enticement.”Chapter 540: The Secret of the Pope and the Saintess