Empire Conquest-Chapter 890 - 115: Commander’s Talent

After dinner, Lin Shiping didn’t rush to leave.

Zhou Yongtao invited him to dinner, obviously not just for a meal, but to discuss some matters with Lin Shiping.

In fact, it was about what Lin Shiping mentioned earlier, giving more opportunities to young people.

Although the war had just erupted and the battle in Boss Bay wasn’t over yet, up to now, the talents of young officers like Ding Zhennan had already been proven.

Here, whether to focus on cultivating young officers also involves a crucial issue.

Does the Empire have hope for a grand victory in the Third Global War?

Of course, that’s a difficult question to answer.

Before the end of the Boi War, there was only one goal throughout the Empire: win the next global war after the 20-year "truce period" ended.

At the time, almost everyone thought the Third Global War would erupt soon.

Some even felt there wouldn’t be a 20-year truce, and the Third Global War would break out in 10 years, at most 15.

The reason being: the Newland Republic didn’t suffer a devastating blow.

As long as the Newland Republic focused all its efforts on military construction and colluded with the Tiaoman Empire, they could surely challenge the global hegemony of the Liangxia Empire in 10 years.

However, everyone believed the Empire could undoubtedly win the Third Global War.

Actually, this is quite understandable.

Before the Boi War, the Liangxia Empire was unmatched globally in every aspect, not only surpassing all competitors but also having a crushing advantage.

In fact, the Tiaoman Empire and Newland Republic combined couldn’t compare to the Liangxia Empire.

The Boi War knocked the Liangxia Empire off its pedestal.

Of course, in hindsight, it was clear that the Liangxia Empire’s post-war strength indeed had many deficiencies due to its status as the victorious nation.

Like an inflated balloon.

After the Boi War, the Liangxia Empire began introspection.

The most discussed topic remained the Third Global War, with debate focusing on whether it was possible to achieve a comprehensive victory, but now more rationally.

To put it more directly, after the Boi War, the entire Empire began reflecting on the idea of waging a global war.

Before this, everyone believed that with the Empire’s formidable strength, and with full preparation, it could achieve total victory over all enemies through a massive global war. The previous two failures were attributed to insufficient preparation.

As a result, the entire Empire was actively preparing for the great war.

After reflection, starting from the Imperial High Command, it was gradually recognized that defeating all opponents through a global war was utterly impossible.

After Zhou Yongtao moved into the Prime Minister Mansion, this realization gained more acknowledgment.

The key is: a global war is essentially a battle of attrition, and no participating country can gain benefits from it; in the end, all will be losers.

Even the victorious country would, due to the heavy losses, become a loser of the war.

This issue became very evident after the end of the Second Global War.

Although the Liangxia Empire was the victor and its glorious victory was undeniable, after the war, the Liangxia Empire parted ways with the Tiaoman Empire, falling directly into a direct confrontation, and did not gain a more favorable international environment by winning the war.

After the war, the Liangxia Empire also had to help many countries with post-war reconstruction.

Even considering the long-term benefits, especially by controlling Boss Bay, tying the Gold Yuan to oil, and expanding globally, which all brought tangible benefits to the Empire; as long as the Third Global War was unavoidable, these so-called benefits were all illusory.

It is evident that the benefits obtained by the Empire from the Second Global War were all uncertain.

Therefore, in recent years, the Imperial High Command has been discussing whether it is necessary to wage a global war.

To be honest, regarding the issue of whether substantive gains can be achieved from a global war, the Imperial High Command has basically reached a consensus.

The unresolved issue now is whether there are alternatives to a global war. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Of course, this strategic-level issue is limited to the high command.

It was at this time that Ding Zhennan proposed his famous military theory, which received significant attention from leaders like Zhou Yongtao.

The key point is that Ding Zhennan’s military theory addressed a critical issue.

Instead of fighting a global war with a quick-decision approach, this military theory negated the value of a global war on a tactical level.

Or it proved a critical issue.

No matter how hard the Empire tries, it cannot win a global war!

Strictly speaking, the Liangxia Empire did not achieve absolute victory in the Second Global War, because at the end of the war, the Newland Republic did not admit defeat and surrender.

If a global war cannot be won, why fight a global war?

Unfortunately, Ding Zhennan’s "debut" came too late.

If it could have emerged a few years earlier, even in New Calendar 144, if someone had proposed this military theory, perhaps the current situation would not have arisen.

With 3 more years, the Empire could have done many things.

To put it bluntly, if a global war hadn’t erupted, then after winning the Boss Bay War, the Empire could have used 3 years to fight a larger and more shocking war, having confidence through this war to make the Tiaoman Empire and Newland Republic retreat.