A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 1373: The Northern and Southern War (V)

Huangfu Ji’s “fishing” strategy worked, killing two birds with one stone. It hooked the big fish, Cuckoo, and helped Cuckoo gain the Evangelical Ministry’s trust.

After Cuckoo recruited Ape God, she went dormant. Much of the intelligence thereafter was provided by Ape God until he was exposed and captured, forcing the Evangelical Ministry to reactivate Cuckoo.

The Evangelical Ministry did not suspect Cuckoo of betraying Ape God because she had no motive, nor was she his handler. Ape God communicated directly with them.

What the Evangelical Ministry feared was that Ape God might have exposed Cuckoo after being captured. Though he had not, the Evangelical Ministry did not know that and was doubtful.

Thus, when reactivating Cuckoo, they remained cautious. However, her first piece of intelligence led directly to the destruction of Tawantin’s armory, proving her reliability.

Of course, that was only one reason. The real reason was that Milton had no choice but to trust her.

After Ape God’s exposure, Joseph ordered Milton to patch the leak. Then, Robert demanded that Milton quickly determine the positions and strategic intent of Tawantin’s main army.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance repeatedly warned of immense logistics strain, urging a swift end to the war, adding more pressure to Milton.

Finally, the destruction of the Evangelical Ministry headquarters placed direct, unavoidable blame on Milton, so he had to redeem himself.

Under such pressure, Milton had no time for slow verification and had to trust the already-proven Cuckoo.

To put it bluntly, this was desperation.

The Holy Court might have rules and procedures, but rules applied downward, not upward. Milton could not use them to answer Joseph and Robert.

Rules were not a shield.

Not to mention, Cuckoo also brought Milton good news that could fulfill Joseph’s demand to patch the leak, satisfy Robert’s requirement to uncover Tawantin’s true strategic intent, and even allow Milton to atone for his failures.

How could Milton not believe her?

It was akin to a man dying of thirst in the desert who suddenly found a spring. His first instinct was not to question whether the water was poisoned but to drink and quench his thirst.

Many problems could only be considered with a calm mind.

To remain composed in the face of great events was a rare quality, one most people lacked.

In contrast, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji faced no such pressure. They could afford to delay, plan patiently, and if one strategy failed, devise another.

In this sense, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji already held the upper hand.

At this moment, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji repeatedly reviewed their plan over maps and sand tables until they were both satisfied.

Qi Xuansu straightened up. “That’ll do. It’ll be just as good as if Great Sage Gong personally commanded the assault on Del Rio.”

Huangfu Ji smiled, called in his secretary, handed over the jointly drafted plan, and ordered, “Execute it immediately.”

The secretary obliged.

Qi Xuansu handed a redacted version of the plan to Du Juanzhi. “Send this to the Evangelical Ministry.”

The full plan was known only to commanders, so a partial version was better suited for an advisor.

Du Juanzhi complied honestly, transmitting it word for word to the Evangelical Ministry.

Qi Xuansu did not relax his guard, personally watching her to prevent any tricks.

After sending it, Du Juanzhi looked at Qi Xuansu respectfully. “Chief Deputy Qi, it’s done.”

Qi Xuansu nodded in approval. “Good. Keep it up. Do well, and you may be reassigned to a monastery under the Kunlun Daoist Mansion.”

Instead of anger, Du Juanzhi felt relief. It was better to be sent to a monastery than to lose her life.

Even ants clung to life; how much more so do humans?

After receiving the intelligence from Cuckoo, Milton could hardly conceal his delight. He said to Alex, “Tawantin’s main force plans to depart from Monterrey, advance northwest, cross the Rio Grande tributaries, and head straight for Del Rio, clearly aiming to cut off our army’s retreat. What’s the situation on your end?”

Alex replied, “Our small reconnaissance flying crafts have spotted Tawantin forces assembling near the Rio Grande tributaries. There’s also significant troop movement around Monterrey.”

Milton smiled. “That lines up. The Easterners say that provisions move before the troops. Tawantin is preparing for a rapid advance. I think we can report this to Robert.”

He also instructed his secretary, “Keep pressing Cuckoo. Have her gather more valuable intelligence.”

Soon, Du Juanzhi received a positive reply from the Evangelical Ministry and immediately reported it to Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji.

After the discussion, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji decided to expand the plan by dispatching another 20,000 second-line troops northwest, creating the appearance of blocking the Holy Court’s main force from reinforcing Del Rio. This would further draw the enemy’s attention. As a result, the Del Rio garrison would not dare act rashly or reinforce Laredo, easing pressure on Great Sage Gong’s assault there.

To be fair, Qi Xuansu and Huangfu Ji’s strategy was not particularly brilliant, nor was the Evangelical Ministry foolish. Under normal circumstances, they could have seen through this easily.

But now that the battlefield situation changed daily and they were under immense pressure, they were no longer thinking clearly.

Once in such a state, people began making strange decisions.

Before Fenglin decided to wage war against the Daoist Order, they conducted war simulations. Initially, every simulation ended in defeat because the power gap was too great. No strategy could bridge it. So the Tenmon Sect began artificially boosting Fenglin’s parameters while weakening the Daoist Order’s, eventually achieving a “victory” in simulations.

But in a real war, no one could boost Fenglin’s strength or weaken the Daoist Order. Under the massive disparity, the Tenmon Sect collapsed in the February offensive led by Sage Qingwei.

It was absurd and almost comical, yet it truly happened.

Simply put, Fenglin had already made up its mind and only believed what they wanted to believe.

Under immense pressure, Milton fell into the same predicament. That was why he could no longer evaluate the intelligence calmly or objectively. It had nothing to do with arrogance. In his eyes, this was hope. Anyone who questioned it was cutting off that hope.

When Milton excitedly reported the intelligence to Robert, Robert raised doubts. “If Tawantin intends to attack Del Rio, that means they want to trap our main forces between Del Rio and Monclova. Do they really have that kind of appetite? Even if they do, can they digest it?

“If I redirect my main force back to Del Rio, wouldn’t Tawantin’s attacking force be caught between two fronts? Even if they deploy a detachment to block our return, placing the fate of their main army on whether that detachment succeeds is far too risky. That sounds like Huangfu Ji’s style, not Gong Fu’s.”

Compared to Del Rio, Robert was more concerned about Laredo, which had always been Tawantin’s key defensive point with ample troops. He suspected their real play might be there.

Robert Abraham was truly deserving of his image as the War Bishop, hitting the nail on the head.

But Milton was already at the edge of a cliff, forced into a desperate gamble. He saw no flaw in the intelligence and believed Robert was deliberately obstructing him. The two argued fiercely and parted on bad terms.

At the subsequent war council, Robert voiced his concerns, but most commanders believed Tawantin would not dare attack Laredo.

Setting aside the logistical strain, the Holy Court held overwhelming superiority on the main battlefield, so much so that victory was assumed. Only cost mattered.

If Tawantin attacked Laredo, Monterrey would be left exposed. If Monclova fell, Monterrey would soon follow.

In that case, Del Rio, Monclova, and Monterrey would in turn encircle Laredo, spelling the imminent destruction of Tawantin’s army.

It was a risky move.

Moreover, Milton had deep roots and connections in the region, while Robert’s foundation was relatively shallow.

In the end, Milton’s supporters prevailed at the council.

Robert was only the deputy commander, not the overall commander, so he could not impose his strategy at will.