Chapter 159: The Response from the Trisolaran World_1
No. 7: "In addition to being far behind Earthlings in strategic planning, we are also vastly inferior in military aspects. We have only theories of war, but no practical experience whatsoever.
"Military commanders need a strong ability to grasp the battlefield, strategic decision-making prowess, determination, and resilience, all of which we lack.
"We can ask Mr. Lin Sen to hand over command of operations against the Earth Alliance to us, with one of them serving as an executing Governor.
"To further cultivate our military commanders' abilities, commanders should be allowed to use a Sophon only once a month at most.
"Sophon surveillance now seems to be the greatest obstacle to the development of our strategies.
"During the process of our civilization's development, we have woven for ourselves a 'rule' cage, which protects us while also restricting us; only by breaking the old can we weave the new.
"Our collaboration with Lin Sen is exactly to break this kind of 'rule' cage. What Lin Sen can do, we can too!
"How to break the cage, we will have the final say."
Military Governor: "That's well said. The wars experienced by our Trisolaran civilization are way too primitive compared to those on Earth. War is not data extrapolation; it requires practical experience.
"If we could participate in the Earth-Moon war, our military command abilities and strategic levels are sure to greatly improve. Especially in cooperation with Lin Sen, we must be extremely vigilant.
"Lin Sen will definitely have prepared traps for us in countless places, overcoming fear is more important than overcoming warfare itself."
Leader: "Strategy Governor, your plan has once again impressed me. We should also strike back at Lin Sen—fear serves no purpose; we must face it bravely.
"What we have always feared is the Dark Forest, not the 'Dark' Lin Sen.
"Since Lin Sen is willing to cooperate with us, let's give him the opportunity. More importantly, we need this opportunity!"
If No. 7 had Earthly thinking, he would definitely facepalm and sigh: What "impressed"? This plan is Lin Sen's idea; are we really planning on using it to trap Lin Sen?
Whatever Lin Sen says, you won't believe, but you utterly trust what you have imagined.
Subsequently, the Leader engaged in discussions with the various Governors, finally reaching a unanimous decision to make contact with Lin Sen and choose one amongst them as Wallfacer Lin Sen's challenger for the duel.
The Trisolaran world has changed significantly. With the use of the Brainwave Blocker, the boundary between individuals and the collective has become increasingly distinct. Individual consciousnesses are awakening, which has also led to a major technological surge.
Choosing a challenger is also the beginning of further reforms in the Trisolaran world. In the early years of the crisis, a lot of communication between Trisolaris and ETO was with a collective consciousness, not with individual Trisolarans.
This is why we have always felt that the Trisolarans are rational, indifferent, composed, and tolerant..., with hardly any emotional fluctuations.
In the end, everyone unanimously nominated No. 7 to be Lin Sen's challenger, not only because of No. 7's wisdom but also because they realized that No. 7 had a relatively strong individual consciousness. Only such a person would be better able to duel Lin Sen.
The ten minutes were almost up.
There was a sudden bright light before Lin Sen's eyes. He opened his eyes and saw subtitles.
No. 7 (Trisolaran Challenger): [Mr. Lin Sen, hello!]
Lin Sen: "Hello, Trisolaran world!
"Your response indicates that you too wish for change, and although it's incredibly dangerous for both sides, we cannot halt our progress out of fear.
"Humanity and the Trisolaran world will thus enter a new chapter of civilization."
No. 7: [We respond to you out of respect for you, unrelated to your plan.
After calculation, the probability of humans understanding the Dark Forest Theory and using the communication station to broadcast stellar coordinates is very low, less than 5%.
Theoretically, we could completely ignore your threat.]
Lin Sen: "No, the deterrent effect of this plan does not lie in whether others will use the communication station to broadcast stellar coordinates, but rather in...me.
"If the Moon Base or the Earth Alliance is on the verge of total annihilation, it means that in the duel between humans and Trisolarans, we have failed.
"I will enact the Deterrence Escape Plan, threatening to trigger a mass escape by humanity.
"The current Human Warships are capable of executing the escape plan. You should know, when humanity has the capability to flee, whether we choose to flee or not depends on our confidence in defeating the Trisolaran Interstellar Fleet."
No. 7 inwardly raged: You're really relentless, we agreed to cooperate, so why set me up again? Although I know this is your negotiation strategy, couldn't you have given me a heads up? Are you forcing me to breach your wall?
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No. 7: "You must be deceiving us. You are incapable of threatening humans with widespread evacuation.
Human technology has achieved a significant breakthrough that has given them the confidence to confront us, and I have no doubt about their determination to fight to the death.
Humans are actually not willing to escape now; without sufficient threats, they will not choose to flee.
Only the Dark Forest can deter them from leaving, but in the hearts of many, even if you tell them about the Dark Forest Theory, they only consider it a speculation without precise evidence; they will not believe it.
Unless you have tested it once, and it is best to choose a star 50 light-years away as the target for verification; otherwise, it is too dangerous for you as well.
From the time you send out the verification signal to the destruction of a star 50 light-years away, and then for humans to witness the star's destruction, there is not enough time. You are incapable of deterring humans from choosing to flee."
Lin Sen: "Correct, your analysis is very accurate; I am indeed incapable of doing so.
"I was just testing your strategy level. It seems you have reached an upper level of strategic thinking compared to that on Earth.
"Our cooperation is more like confrontational cooperation. The higher your level of cunning, the better it is for our cooperation, and the more closely we will work together in confrontational cooperation.
"To cooperate with me, one must be as cautious as when facing Mr. Poison Snake, always on guard. Only such a partnership can last."
Despite lacking much emotion, No. 7 was also angered at this moment, his heart violently fluctuating: Haven't you had enough, how can you be so capable, how do you manage to remain so proud and justified after being caught lying.
What's more infuriating is that the Head of State and other Governors actually deeply agree with you, have they gone mad!
No. 7: "Mr. Lin Sen, how would you like to cooperate?"
Lin Sen: "You must have also experienced war in the Trisolaran world. We do not understand what your mode of warfare is like, but it is certainly primitive.
"The essence of war is the strong dominating the weak, and the essence of cunning is the small outwitting the large.
"No one can be strong forever, especially when stepping into the Interstellar Era. A single expedition could last a thousand years, and anything could happen over a millennium.
"We are the two star systems nearest each other. If human civilization were to undertake interstellar voyages, the first target would definitely be the Trisolaran Star System.
"Your thirst for strategy is greater than our thirst for technology.
"You have always relied on mathematical deduction, but math cannot even produce an exact solution to the three-body problem. In military strategy, mathematics is at most a reference; wars have always been fought by humans.
"By participating in human wars and being part of human conflicts, you can achieve a huge breakthrough in strategy and eventually grow accustomed to human modes of warfare.
"Our cooperation proposal is to jointly participate in this human civil war between Earth and the Moon Base.
"You will use Sophons to provide intelligence as our surveillance and act as our advisory group, with the military objective being to maintain a state of balance in the Earth-Moon conflict."
No. 7's depression subsided somewhat: There's still a bit of conscience after all. Now it's my turn to play the part; I've been preparing for this day for a long time.
No. 7: "We do not agree with your proposal. I hope you understand that we hold the initiative in this cooperation.
Compared to us, you should be more afraid of complete annihilation of either the Moon Base or the Earth Alliance.
You are right that we need to participate in human wars, but participation cannot be limited to an advisory role.
We need command over the war, and Sophon surveillance should be limited to once a month at most.
If you do not agree, then this cooperation ends here.
Furthermore, you are mistaken; our options are not limited to just you.
We could also contact the forces within the Earth Alliance. The internal instability of the Earth Alliance means that the moment the Moon Base is destroyed is also the moment they split.
We could also make contact with some of them, as there will always be those willing to cede command authority. We can still participate in the war and ultimately grow accustomed to it."
Lin Sen: "Your analysis is reasoned, but there is a flaw here. If the Moon Base falls, the development of the Earth Alliance will undoubtedly proceed as you have predicted.
"And I will have no real authority, or even face death, so why wouldn't I simply expose our coordinates to the universe? After I die, what do I care if there's a deluge?
"So I haven't lost the initiative."
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