Chapter 274: Trisolarans Begin War Seminar

Trisolaran world, joint meeting of the Governors.

(The newly appointed) Strategy Governor: "Excellent, the Wallfacer has deployed 3,000 warships to the Kuiper Belt Combat Zone.

"Their military force within the Bunker is estimated to have been reduced by almost half, and once our attack begins, it will be much easier for us to deal with the remaining forces inside the Bunker.

"Lin Sen has actually sent out 3,000 warships, according to our analysis of him, if he dispatches so many warships, there must be at least 5,000 warships remaining inside the Bunker.

"But based on the resources humanity has transported to the Bunker, even if Lin Sen goes all out in manufacturing warships, their total number would not exceed 8,000.

"We can make at least the following deductions:

"First, Lin Sen must have invested the majority of resources into the manufacturing of warships. However, no matter how powerful these warships are, they're still within human capabilities. As long as there are no fundamental technological breakthroughs, they won't pose a substantive threat to us.

"Secondly, Lin Sen has invested very few resources into other plans. Although we have never been able to pinpoint the specifics of Lin Sen's plans, a plan with such little resources is hardly realistic.

"In our understanding, only strategies like the Dark Forest theory could have a significant impact with minimal resource investment.

"Furthermore, it seems that humanity, even the Wallfacer themselves, has let down their guard against us, thinking that internal human strife is a bigger threat than we are.

"This is the perfect time for us to launch a surprise attack."

At this point, No. 7 really wanted to knock on the head of the newly appointed Strategy Governor. A head is for thinking, not for nodding. If he kept nodding his head like this next time he spoke, it would become incendiary.

The Military Governor spoke gravely: "All three points are your speculation. When the Wallfacer appears most innocuous, that is often when they are most threatening, a lesson we've learned through countless costly mistakes.

"Moreover, you're also ignoring a fundamental logic: Lin Sen has spent a fortune constructing the Bunker, and Ye Chen and Feng Zi have been injecting massive resources into the Bunker for decades. Could it be that all of this is merely for producing warships?

"You dare to underestimate humanity's top trio so easily, I really wonder who gave you the courage.

"In such critical times, we need to be more cautious in our approach to war and must avoid acting rashly."

The Science Governor said: "The Military Governor's analysis is very pertinent. Based on Lin Sen's character, if he shows a flaw, we should be even more cautious, as this could well be another meticulously designed trap, potentially hiding a far more intricate plan behind it.

"The Bunker plan is the largest resource investment project in human history, even more insane than the High-Energy Particle Accelerator project before the day of doomsday.

"For such a grand endeavor, we cannot overemphasize its importance. I even suspect that those 3,000 warships are but a bait thrown out by humanity deliberately, to entice us to launch an attack.

"However, we're perplexed as Lin Sen must have some assurance that he can contend with us; what is this assurance? Humanity's current technological strength seems vastly inferior to what we had 200 years ago.

"Even if our technology hasn't advanced at all in these 200 years, having studied The Waterdrop for so long, humans would have a basic estimate of our technological capabilities.

"This time, they're facing our fleet, and even the First Fleet is not something their current strength can contend with."

After pondering, the Leader (No. 7) spoke slowly: "This indeed seems very illogical, especially since Lin Sen has chosen to go to war because of a supply transport under attack, which is completely inconsistent with his usual style of conduct.

"Lin Sen's thinking far exceeds that of ordinary people; he's accustomed to starting from the perspective of the entire civilization, hence to go to war for such a reason and in such a manner seems too contrived.

"Therefore, the greatest possibility is that his real target is not the Long-Livers, but us.

"All this resembles a meticulously planned bait, intended to lure us into initiating an attack.

"Although I am currently unclear on how exactly humanity might pose a threat to us, based on the current situation, this inference seems most reasonable."

Unable to restrain himself, the Strategy Governor interjected once more: "Could there be a possibility that Lin Sen anticipates our hesitation as a result of this, therefore purposely putting on an empty fort strategy to achieve their other goals?"

The Military Governor firmly rebutted, "That is absolutely impossible. We cannot make judgments based solely on speculation; any conclusion must be grounded in solid data support and rigorous logical analysis."

The Leader interrupted the Military Governor, addressing the Strategy Governor, "Wait... Explain in detail the empty fort strategy you just mentioned!"

The Strategy Governor said, "My guess is that Lin Sen believes the current civil war within humanity will greatly affect the development of civilization, and he wants to end this war sooner.

"That way, the human states can continue to provide resources to him steadily.

"Lin Sen must be plotting something under the Bunker, but the plan could be long-term and is not yet fully formed.

"What they lack most now is time; if they could employ some strategy to make us hesitate, so we don't dare to attack rashly, then they could gain precious time to calmly advance his plan."

The Science Governor nodded in agreement, "Hmm... This argument does have some merit, and it's backed by solid data.

"Based on the progress of humanity's Solar System Accelerator research, they have the potential to break through the Sophon Blockade within the next ten years. In another decade, this theoretical breakthrough could transform into actual military force.

"The current Sophon Blockade can only slow down humanity's technological exploration to some extent, but it cannot completely halt their technological development."

After some reflection, the Leader proposed, "Your views are that Lin Sen might be engaging in a psychological gamble with us with the empty fort strategy.

"He uses his own shadow in our hearts, causing us to fear him, so we don't dare to launch a surprise attack. With this, he can gain valuable time to continue his development plans, even the secret ones under the Bunker.

"This kind of analysis indeed makes some sense. But what if not? What if Lin Sen's real plan is to lure us into attacking?"

The Military Governor remained adamant, "War is inherently risky; no war can ensure victory before it begins.

"I advocate for an immediate surprise attack, not because Lin Sen may be playing a psychological game of the empty fort strategy with us, but because of the strategic urgency.

"In ten years, humanity might break through our technological blockade; if we don't seize this opportunity to act, we may forever lose the chance to defeat them.

"Since the battle of Doomsday, we planned to use the Long-Livers program to spark human infighting to create an opportunity for our offensive. That opportunity is now before us, and we have no reason to let it pass.

"Of course, Lin Sen may indeed be luring us to attack, and I can only prepare more thoroughly. Whatever is under the Bunker, we must strike first to find out."

The Leader looked around, asking, "What do others think?"

The Governors concurred, "We agree with the Military Governor's view, regardless of the outcome, we need to discover the answer through war, after all, time is on the side of humanity."

The Leader said, "Whether we launch this surprise attack depends on our determination, not strategic considerations or speculative conjectures. Data is always just a reference, not a basis for judgment; this must be remembered.

"Now, since we have reached a consensus on executing this surprise attack, we must prepare thoroughly.

"I demand that the Military Advisory Group must come up with a detailed battle plan, taking into full consideration the possibility that humanity may already possess technology comparable to ours.

"Reflecting on the battle of Doomsday, humanity managed to complete their Wallfacer plan under our close surveillance, at a time when they even knew nothing about Strong Interaction Force materials.

"Today, not only have they established multiple Sophon-Blocked Zones, but they have also mastered Strong Interaction Force materials. Hence, in this battle, we must not be complacent; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to think even higher of humanity.

"To ensure our civilization survives in this Dark Forest, human civilization has become our greatest enemy.

"Defeating humanity, we will win the future!"

Among the Trisolaran hierarchy, a phenomenon existed where the older generation of Governors harbored deep fear of Lin Sen, having experienced his wit and power in several confrontations with him, fully aware of his not-to-be-underestimated capabilities. However, the new generation of Governors lacked that reverence for Lin Sen, believing that in the presence of absolute power, individual strength seemed insignificant.

This mindset is even more common among humanity, and that is a perfected societal model.