Section II Evaluation

"Thomas is just jealous of you. Rook interjected.

"He's jealous of me?"

"Yes, half jealousy, half fear. I think it's because he intuitively senses your talent and talent, so he does his best to keep you from having a chance to get ahead. That's why you will become a foreign secretary in the first place. As a foreign secretary, it is your duty to go to other countries, so you are bound to be out of the country a lot, and as a result, you don't have the opportunity to get involved in the military and the regime. Otherwise, even if you join the army as an ordinary general, you will be a great threat to Thomas. Rook smiled, looking at Landwin with a mixture of sycophancy and praise.

A complicated expression appeared on Randwin's face.

"You see, although Knight Lane and I are both subordinates of Thomas, we have to express our regret to you from a fair standpoint. Luke said in a very sincere tone.

"Damn! why should I be treated like this!" Landwin recovered a little, but was still angry.

"Ahh Rest assured, many people expect a lot from you, just like us. So don't give up on yourself. If you give up on yourself, this will serve the purpose of your competitors. ”

Ryan looked at his uncle with an incredulous gaze. Such a blatant lie came out of Luke's mouth, but it seemed so sincere and earnest, not at all hypocritical. What was Randwin? How could he compare to Thomas? He was nothing but the Pegasus taming technique that their family had passed down for generations.

"You're right. If I give up on myself like this, I will get Thomas's wish. Randwin finally calmed down. "No, I can't go on like this. I must first fulfill my duty, and I must send diplomatic envoys to the countries and do everything possible to cut off foreign aid from the Paro people. This is the most important job as a foreign secretary at present, and it must not be disappointed. ”

He hurried out of the room, and now only Ryan and Rook were left in the room.

"Uncle......" Ryan stared at the smile on the corner of Luke's mouth, and suddenly felt a pang of unease.

"Ryan, do you know the truth? In fact, our Duke Landwyn is far from being as stupid as expected. In a sense, he actually knew that I was lying to him. ”

"What!"

"Don't worry. Duke Landwin's grandfather was tried by the Court of Honor, stripped of his dukedom and turned into a small baron. This is the eternal pain of our Lord Landwin. Therefore, he was very, very eager to make up for the dishonorable deeds of his ancestors with an indelible military exploit, and to prove his noble blood and courage. That's why he's so attached to the position of general—of course, in my opinion, if Landwin really becomes a general, he'll bury himself with his own army—and this deep desire makes him unable to accept the fact that he's a military fool. So, for him, lies are far more beautiful than true. So he'd rather accept my lies than touch the truth. ”

"So, my dear nephew, when you and I use the status of Thomas's subordinate to encourage him, he will accept it, even though he knows that we may not be sincere. Because he needs these lies. Don't you think it's inconceivable that such a man becomes a duke?"

"That's because ......" Ryan tried to speak, but was interrupted by Rook.

"That's because only his family knows how to domesticate pegasus. As long as the knights of St. Jean still need Pegasus, and as long as the knights of Pegasus are needed in St. Jean's army, then Landwyn will always be indispensable. It doesn't matter how stupid he is. That's why he can reinstate the title of duke, and he can become foreign secretary, even if it's 'temporary'. That's political reality, you get the idea, my dear nephew. If one day you become indispensable and very important, then our little queen will have to marry you. It has nothing to do with your appearance, your talent, whether you like the princess or not, etc. ”

"But uncle, why do we have to come here to cheer up Landwin?

"Of course it makes sense. Because no one is perfect, and neither is Thomas...... He has a big weakness, and that is his impatience with fools. Especially fools who take a hostile posture towards him. ”

"So, he selectively ignores that although Landwin is an idiot, he is a very influential idiot. He can use his influence to put pressure on Thomas. Rook went on to explain.

"But Master Thomas is not the kind of person who will give in to pressure. ”

"Hahaha...... Dear nephew, people will always give in to pressure, the difference is only in the size of the concession. ”

......

By the time Thomas returned to his tent, it was nearly dusk. Although it is a barracks with thousands of soldiers, as soon as dusk begins, it seems silent and quiet.

The fool also knows that the next war is about to begin. The situation ahead has long been circulated in the army, and it is obvious what Thomas is going to do. Before the first winter snow arrives, he must find a way to capture several border military castles in preparation for further attacks the following spring.

Three armies were already engaged in this encirclement battle at the front, and they were about to set out soon.

"Leo, how's it going?" Thomas walked into the tent, where one of his lieutenants was waiting for him.

"Nothing is a problem. Everything went according to the original plan, and it was pulled out three days later. Are we going to join forces with the front-line armies or do we go the other route?"

"This way. Thomas pointed to the map spread out on the table. It was an isolated castle. "What a castle this is. We're trying to get it. ”

"This castle ...... Alone. Are you going to hit it? or let someone else go. ”

"I desperately need a win right now. And before winter, this is the only castle I can be sure to capture. Thomas replied with a wry smile. "Because it's in the protrusion, it's considered to be the kind of castle that is bound to fall, and it's purely expendable. So there were few defenders and at the same time poor equipment. The soldiers were demoralized because they could not get reinforcements. ”

"Lord Thomas, is it really so difficult to attack the castle?" With this voice, Ashrufat walked into the big tent.

"Yes, it's that hard. Thomas replied.

"I remember when you got down to Saidin......"

"Things are a little different, Ashrufat. At the time of Settin, the greyhound was in solitude, so all of our strength could be put into attack. But we are now facing a whole castle defense. In order to attack a castle, it is necessary to allocate enough strength to defend the perimeter and prevent reinforcements and sneak attacks from other castle defenders. At the same time, it is necessary to allocate sufficient forces to protect our logistics line and prevent the enemy from harassing us. On the surface, we are actively attacking, but in fact, when we actually fight, we are on the defensive side. In each position, it was necessary to deploy sufficient forces to prevent a little breakthrough by the enemy. Therefore, attacking a lonely city, with three times the number of troops, you can basically be sure of victory - the main thing is a matter of time and the size of the casualties. And for this kind of castle defense line, even more than five times the number of troops is very insufficient. ”

"But we can have twice as many troops under each city to trap the defenders of that castle. Wouldn't that be the solution? Then gather the rest of your forces and attack a castle. Ashrufat asked rhetorically.

"Ashrufat, if you and I were to fight each other, and if you used this method, I would only need a small mobile force to defeat your troops trapped in the castle one by one. For I have gathered my troops, and you have scattered your forces across the entire front. I remember telling you. Don't put your hope in the enemy...... What are you carrying?"

"Mr. Rook, the Registrar, has asked me to transmit to you a combat report. Ashrufat replied. "What the hell is that guy talking about, you must be interested in this plan. ”

He placed things on Thomas's desk.

"It's funny, a registrar's strategic ......," Thomas muttered to himself, picking up the plan. Well, it's very detailed, with maps and explanations of all the details.

His frown slowly loosened, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face, then became more and more obvious.

"Ashrufat, bring me the clerk Mr. Rook at once. I'm going to see him right away!"

A few minutes later, the middle-aged man, with a slight cripple on his foot, appeared in Thomas's tent. He was pale, thin, even a little barren, with a pair of glasses on his face.

"General Thomas, may I ask what is here?" said Rooke, with a look of genuine fear on his face. This disguise of his can only be seen through by the magic of mind reading, and mortal eyes are powerless to penetrate.

"Mr. Rook, did you write this combat report?"

"It's exactly what I'm doing. Although he is only a mere trainee knight, he also likes to read some military strategies since he was a child. I once read the ...... by Master Thomas"

"Mr. Rook, I would like to ask, what is your opinion on the current state of the war?" Thomas interrupted Rooke.

"The Paro people have used the castles along the border to form a defensive line, hoarding large quantities of supplies and troops, apparently relying on the defensive line to defend them. If we were to engage in a siege war with the Paros and conquer these castles one by one, not to mention that we were short of troops, even if we had sufficient troops, it would take a long time, and if we did everything we could to achieve a quick victory, we would surely suffer heavy losses and be unable to further expand the results. Therefore, if you attack head-on, you will fall into the plan of the Paro people, which is extremely unwise. Therefore, it is necessary to come up with another strategy to defeat the enemy. Therefore, in Xia Doudou, I thought of such a combat strategy for General Thomas's reference. A smile flashed in Luke's eyes that no one noticed. But even if Thomas saw the sparkle in his eyes, he wouldn't care too much.

"It's a very rare idea, and you're really talented at coming up with such a strategy outside of the box. ”

"No, no, no, it's just, it's just something I came up with in a moment. In front of an experienced and battle-hardened general like Lord Thomas, it's just a ...... worth mentioning."

"Tomorrow I will take this plan to meet Her Royal Highness Princess Irina. Thomas said suddenly. "If you can, please come with me Mr. Rook ......"

Before he could finish speaking, Rook quickly waved his hand in refusal.

"No, no, no, how can a man of such a humble position as me go to meet Princess Irina......? Anyway, Lord Thomas, please take this as my whim. As a subordinate, it is a matter of course to provide useful ideas for the general, and it is not a ...... at all."

Thomas was stunned for a moment. Because it can be seen that this clerk named Rook is polite on the surface, but in fact his attitude is as solid as a piece of iron. It looks like he really doesn't want to go. He was willing to give up such a good opportunity!