Ming Yuan quickly gave Ashura King a look, signaling him to prepare to hand over command of the Ashura Legion to Lin Zhan, and to find some smart individuals to learn from.
Lin Zhan quickly waved his hand at the five legion commanders under him.
Li Jing, Wei Qing, Wu Qi, Huo Qubing, and Li Siye each led their personal guards into the Ashura Legion, observing the Ashura army's combat effectiveness at close range.
"Command the attached staff officers to establish a positional staff headquarters on the spot and invite the brothers from the underground to participate."
As Lin Zhan issued order after order, the attached staff officers of the Vanguard Legion sprang into action, leaving the three underground simpletons utterly bewildered.
"This is too much..."
"Ancestor Ming Yuan, order the Ashura Legion to retreat and establish defensive positions to prevent a counterattack from the Celestial race."
"Generals leading each legion, follow me to the command tent for a meeting."
A moment later, led by the three ancestors of the underground, a group of underground legion generals sat dutifully on small stools, waiting to hear Marshal Lin's military persuasion... or rather, military lecture.
"During this attack, which lasted about three hours, the Ashura Legion suffered nearly two million casualties, and they couldn't even reach the walls of the Celestial fortress. It was a complete failure. 1800 individuals of Imperial rank and above were killed."
"The Celestial soldiers generally have stronger combat capabilities than the Ashura Legion. Furthermore, the Celestial second fortress has high walls and thick defenses, its defensive weapons are powerful, and its various defensive measures are endless."
"In this attack, the Celestial fortress suffered less than 300,000 casualties, almost all of whom were killed by the Celestial race's divine archers. With a casualty ratio of 1 to 7, this is a losing business we cannot afford to engage in."
The underground generals nodded in agreement. The Ashura warriors, in particular, had flushed faces, their emotions a mixture of anger and shame.
"The above remarks are a summary of the siege. Now, I will share some useful practical knowledge. Everyone, take note."
Lin Zhan appeared serious, but inwardly he was beaming. These imbeciles were practically begging to be educated. If he didn't give them a good lesson, he would be unworthy of his title as the Great Persuader Lin.
Ashura King even stood up and roared at the assembled underground generals, "All of you, listen carefully and take notes! Everything you learn will save your lives!"
Lin Zhan was taken aback. "Holy cow, has Ashura King studied at the He family before? Otherwise, how could he have messed up the He family's dialect so badly... no, learned it so well."
"The key elements of a siege battle are the troop numbers of both sides, their combat effectiveness, the comparison of their weaponry and equipment, and the defensive strength of the city being attacked. These are the primary factors."
"Additionally, there are weather, geographical location, environment, and surrounding biological populations. Although these are secondary, if utilized well, they can also determine the outcome of a battle."
"For a siege battle against a fortress like the Celestial second fortress, almost all advantages lie with the enemy, not with us. Therefore, only one path remains: a forceful assault."
Seeing the underground generals whispering amongst themselves below, Lin Zhan couldn't help but bang on the table and roar, "All of you shut up! I haven't finished speaking, what are you jabbering about down there?"
The underground generals below were stunned. "Holy cow, this feeling is so familiar."
Then they heard Lin Zhan continue, "The forceful assault I speak of is not like you charging in a chaotic mob. Instead, it is about maximizing your own advantages, identifying your enemy's weak points, and launching precise strikes to directly decide the course of the battle."
"In this siege, since we have no advantages, we will inevitably suffer heavy casualties. However, we must make these casualties worthwhile, and reduce them to the lowest possible level. That is how you fight a war; otherwise, it's just feeding the enemy."
"Next, listen to what my generals have to say." With that, Lin Zhan gestured to the five legion commanders.
Wu Qi was the first to rise and address the assembly. "The Celestial defending army, while seemingly disorganized, actually harbors hidden formations. The front lines should be defended by the Celestial's ranged units: archers, javelin throwers, and some magic users."
"The second wave consists of siege weapon operators, and the third wave comprises spearmen and axemen. However, I can assure you that the Celestial race definitely has an elite force skilled in close combat, hidden within the city walls. Even if a small contingent of our troops manages to ascend the walls, they will be immediately repelled or will be locked in a stalemate of close combat on the ramparts."
After speaking, Wu Qi returned to his seat. Li Jing then rose and said, "The defensive capabilities of the second fortress's walls are superior to the first fortress. Attacks below the Imperial rank are almost incapable of causing significant damage to the walls. If we do not consider breaching the walls, we can pack up and go home now. There would be no point in fighting this battle."
After Li Jing finished, Wei Qing also stood up and said, "The Celestial archers rotate almost every half hour, which means the Celestial race has ample troops. Under such circumstances, it is impossible for our soldiers to capture the fortress by fighting on the walls. Therefore, the only option left is to breach the walls."
"What my uncle said is correct. However, based on my observations, especially since the Celestial race suffered a great loss from our wall breaching at the first fortress, they must have heavily armed elite cavalry hidden behind the fortress. As soon as the fortress walls are breached, the Celestial cavalry will charge out and immediately scatter our formations." Huo Qubing said after Wei Qing returned to his seat.
As for Li Siye, well, forget it. His observation was purely to make up the numbers.
After listening to the five generals, Lin Zhan immediately looked at the attached staff officers and asked, "Have the combat effectiveness comparisons been calculated?"
"They have been calculated, Marshal. We will connect them to the large screen for you shortly."
As soon as he finished speaking, the large screen lit up, displaying the comparison between the underground legion and the Celestial defensive forces.
Under the awestruck gazes of the three underground simpletons, Lin Zhan turned to Ancestor Black Robe and Ashura King and said, "The main advantages of the Nether Beast Legion and the Ashura Legion have been identified. Do you two ancestors see any errors?"
Ancestor Black Robe and Ashura King nodded. A moment later, they said with full agreement, "Extremely accurate. The combat prowess of the human race is indeed far superior to ours."