Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

Chapter 540: Stalemate

In the north of the Bay, the atmosphere in the expeditionary army's headquarters was extremely solemn. Under the dim light, the generals sat around the conference table, each of them with a look of worry and determination on their faces.

Chen Tong, the battle-hardened commander, sat at the head of the table with a serious expression, his eyes flashing with a firm and calm light. He took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "Just now, we received news from Situ Nan, Zhao Wei and others. The situation is clear. If we decide to launch a siege, then the five army-level troops stationed outside the city will open fire on us under the coercion of Chang Tai in an attempt to stop our offensive."

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly became more depressing. The generals exchanged glances, and an indescribable complex emotion surged in their hearts. They knew that this meant they were about to face a more difficult and cruel battle.

At this moment, Hu Xiu stood up suddenly. He slapped the table angrily, and the sound exploded in the conference room like thunder: "Damn it! These little bastards of the Southern Government are really rebellious! Commander, in my opinion, it is better to let the air force directly blow up the entire Bay North City! With just Chang Tai, he wants to let the Southern Government survive, it's really a dream!"

Hu Xiu's words ignited the atmosphere of the entire conference room like gunpowder. The generals echoed him one after another, their eyes flashing with anger and determination. They knew that now was the time to deal a heavy blow to the Southern Government, to let them know that the determination and strength of the expeditionary army were unshakable!

Chen Tong's eyes slowly swept across the faces of everyone in the conference room. As the commander of the expeditionary force, what he had to do was to take the overall situation into consideration and make far-reaching considerations for the entire war situation.

Chen Tong spoke slowly, his voice low and powerful: "Everyone, there are more than 400,000 local people in Wanbei City. If we launch a large-scale attack and air strike, it will undoubtedly pose a huge threat to them. Now our Chinese Expeditionary Force has initially gained the trust and support of the local people of Liuwan. If we do this, it is very likely to completely subvert the image of our country in their hearts."

Hu Xiu frowned, he stood up, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice: "Commander, I understand your concerns. But this is the nature of war. As long as the war starts, there will be bloodshed and sacrifice. If we are afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, and have too many concerns, this war will take forever!"

Chen Tong shook his head slightly. He did not agree with Hu Xiu's opinion. "Hu Xiu, there is one more thing. The Southern Government troops that are blocking us have actually made the decision to defect to China and surrender to us. It is only because of Chang Tai's despicable tactics that they have to stand on the opposite side of us. If we choose to go to war directly, once the real fire breaks out, the contradiction between the two sides will be completely irreconcilable. This is also what Chang Tai wants to see."

"Commander, you are being too wishful!" A young general stood up and retorted, "Since these southern troops have chosen to be our enemy, they should bear the consequences. We cannot put ourselves in a greater predicament because of a moment of mercy."

Another general stood up and expressed his support for Chen Tong's decision.

"I agree with the commander's idea. My colleagues at the CIA have put in so much effort to finally complete the mission of subversion. If we start a war without caring about it, wouldn't it mean that all their efforts will be wasted?"

"Master Qin is right. President Su has always stressed that in the war against the Southern Government, we must adopt a conciliatory policy and use persuasion and subjugation as the main means. After all, these people are our own compatriots, and we should do our best to avoid internal friction."

"Yu Datou! You are talking bullshit! Before we set out, we made a tough statement that we must take back Liuwan and deal with the Southern Government within three months. Now the three months are almost up. If we keep delaying like this, when will we be able to end the war completely? How can we have the face to go back and meet the president? If it were me, we should just go all out and get rid of these traitors. Let Chang Tai know what it means that the Chinese army is unstoppable!"

Hu Xiu glared at Yu Hang with his beard puffed out, chattering incessantly.

Yu Hang slammed the table, unwilling to be outdone: "Hu Xiu, you are just a brainless reckless man, all you do is kill, kill, kill. You might as well stop being a commander and be a butcher instead!"

The meeting room fell into a heated discussion again. One side insisted that the southern troops standing in the way should be eliminated to demonstrate the determination and strength of the expeditionary force; while the other side believed that civil war should be avoided as much as possible to protect the lives of innocent people and give the southern troops a chance to reform.

Chen Tong drummed his fingers on the table, and his sharp eyes swept across Yu Hang and Hu Xiu's faces: "Are you done arguing? This is a meeting room, not a vegetable market! Do you want me to set up a ring for you two to fight and see blood?"

"Commander, I am just saying this casually. You know, I always abide by military discipline and will absolutely obey your orders."

Hu Xiu sat back in his chair with a wry smile. He still had great respect for Chen Tong, the commander of the expeditionary force.

Yu Hang also snorted coldly, rolled his eyes at Hu Xiu, and stopped arguing with him.

Chen Tong slowly said, "Then from now on, be quiet and listen to me."

Chen Tong paused and continued, "Before, the CIA has made great efforts and successfully persuaded Situ Hao and others to defect. This is an important achievement we have made and the basis for us to build the trust of the local people in Liuwan. If we directly attack these troops now, all our previous efforts will be in vain. This will not only make us lose the support of the local people in Liuwan, but also seriously damage our reputation."

"We, the expeditionary force, are not afraid of any enemy! But our shells and bullets should be fired at the Japanese devils and thrown into their island territory, instead of being used to harvest the lives of our own Chinese people!"

As soon as Chen Tong finished speaking, the meeting room fell into a brief silence again. The generals began to think seriously about his point of view and realized that what he said was not unreasonable.

"Put aside the offensive against Wanbei for now. Chang Tai has a plan. I don't believe that our expeditionary army can't find a way out! No matter what, we can't let Chang Tai lead us by the nose. We must find a way to break the deadlock!"

"Yes, Commander!"

A meeting came to an end, and those present put forward different opinions and solutions, but no one method could achieve the best of both worlds and allow the expeditionary force to take over the northern part of the bay and destroy the southern country while avoiding fighting with these troops. The entire expeditionary force was caught in a dilemma.

The situation began to become deadlocked, and Chen Tong, the commander-in-chief, lost his appetite and racked his brains every day to think of a solution. Within two days, more than half of his hair fell out, and he lost weight visibly.