Chapter 319: Entering a Stalemate Stage

The Fleet Commander furrowed his brow, "Indeed, adopting such a method would undoubtedly greatly increase our exposure risk.

"The Trisolarans have already reached a high standard in analyzing our actions, and what's more crucial is that they can now recognize the differences between us and them and even begin to exploit my weaknesses in their scheming.

"The Trisolarans cleverly passed the choice back to us, which is a very sound strategy. They understand that if Humanity collectively decides whether to attack the Trisolaran Star System, the actual possibility of launching an attack becomes slim to none.

"What we need to consider now is whether we need to launch another attack to thoroughly investigate the reality of the Trisolarans."

The Military Advisory Group discussed for a while.

Head of the Military Advisory Group, "Given the current strategic situation, we suggest shifting to Plan B, that is, to completely blockade Trisolaris.

"First is to launch another attack, but if we want to thoroughly investigate the reality of the Trisolarans, we would need to launch at least 1500 warships. However, this would also greatly increase our potential for exposure, which might not be worth the losses.

"A mere few hundred warships for reconnaissance would hardly achieve our goal, and that wouldn't be necessary for us either.

"Currently, the resources of the Trisolarans are dispersed among nearly ten thousand Mist Zones, and this geographical fragmentation has greatly constrained Trisolaran development and strategic layout capabilities.

"Although the Trisolarans achieved victory in their first battle with us, at most, they have only bought themselves some breathing time, unable to fundamentally change their predicament.

"Our next move should be to exploit this weakness of the Trisolarans and carry out a comprehensive and tight blockade against them. Meanwhile, we need to send a targeted fleet of warships and Sophons to deeply explore all non-Sophon Blind Zones, ensuring that our blockade action covers every Mist Zone.

"Our goal is to have the Trisolarans trapped in their respective Mist Zones, unable to effectively communicate and exchange resources with other Mist Zones.

"Thus, we can gradually reduce the living space of the Trisolarans.

"In fact, in our initial strategic planning, we had anticipated that the Trisolarans might attempt to establish a Dark Forest system.

"So, the current situation has not completely surprised us. It's only that the specific methods they've employed were not predicted by us, but in any case, we have prepared for their countermeasures."

The Fleet Commander sighed, "This is an unsolvable problem, and we have no other choice.

"Please also send the situation here to Command Headquarters, we need to hear the analysis from Command Headquarters."

The Fleet Commander had initially wanted to launch a second wave of attacks, but he also realized that the initiative was no longer in his own hands.

Only a small number of people in the Military Advisory Group agreed to launch another attack because it indeed posed too much danger. Humanity had just survived the Trisolaran crisis and was not eager to face the Dark Forest crisis immediately.

Reality is often more dramatic than drama itself, as both sides cleverly used the other's fears to construct their strategy for Deterrence.

Faced with the invasion of Trisolaris, Humanity established Dark Forest Deterrence using the individual instability that Trisolarans fear the most. In facing Humanity's counterattack, the Trisolarans also adopted a similar strategy, building Dark Forest Deterrence with the very choices that Humanity fears most.

This mutual deterrence situation seemed to have pushed the war between Humanity and the Trisolarans into a stalemate in an instant.

The direction this war will take is still a variable-filled question.

However, from the moment the Trisolarans began to use this weapon, it was destined that this expanse of the universe would sooner or later be shadowed by the specter of death.

...

The real-time situation on the battlefield was swiftly transmitted to Lin Sen, far away in the Solar System, through Sophons.

Upon receiving this information, Lin Sen couldn't help but show a look of astonishment on his face; the technical and strategic development of the Trisolarans far exceeded Lin Sen's expectations.

At the same time, this also indicated that the Trisolarans still possessed strong civilizational potential. They have an indomitable spirit, they would not easily be defeated by adversity, and they would not choose to give up. With a firm resolution and wisdom, they seek to find a breakthrough.

Lin Sen had once considered that it would be extremely difficult for the Trisolarans to establish a Dark Forest system, and relying solely on their military might, they could hardly stand against the Human Fleet.

The situation the Trisolarans face now is not much better than what Humanity faced in the early years of the crisis, and they could very well be utterly obliterated by Humanity.

Of course, Lin Sen would not feel much regret over the possible destruction of the Trisolarans. In his view, this would only indicate that the Trisolarans had not yet completely adapted to the complex and ever-changing universe.

However, Lin Sen also believed that the Trisolarans should not fail so easily. In the original work, the broadcast of the Returner at the universe's last moments mentioned the existence of the Trisolaran Civilization, still around 1.3 million. This at least showed that the Trisolarans had a place in the forest of cosmic civilizations.

Now, the technology and cunning displayed by the Trisolarans, as well as their interlocking strategic layout, had shocked Lin Sen. Their performance had fully proved their excellence and potential.

Previously, Lin Sen had envisioned that the Trisolarans might possess a method to crack the Curvature Propulsion Defense, which was already a bold prediction.

Yet, he had never imagined that the Trisolarans could build the Dark Forest system based on this, coupled with the right strategy.

Faced with all this, Lin Sen began to suspect that there might be higher intelligences orchestrating from behind. Yun Tianming was his prime suspect.

Perhaps it could be said that the Trisolaran Civilization had now become a united civilization.

Although Lin Sen was unaware of the Trisolarans' Patch the Sky Project, Yun Tianming must have also reached a deep cooperative mode with Trisolaris.

Indeed, the core of the Trisolaran Civilization's Patch the Sky Project was still Yun Tianming's brain.

The Trisolarans' greatest weakness was their lack of imagination. By leveraging the Patch the Sky Project, they had effectively compensated for their last shortfall, and their future technology would no longer be limited by a lack of imaginative power.

It could even be said that the Trisolarans' approach might be better than humanity's, not only compensating for their own deficiencies but also showcasing a new, vibrant form of civilization.

This new form could possibly lead them towards a more glorious and expansive future.

Of course, the manner in which the Trisolarans established Dark Forest Deterrence was too dangerous, and it significantly increased the possibility of exposing themselves, so Lin Sen's plans had to be accelerated.

...

The Command Headquarters received information from the Expedition Fleet, feeling the same as Lin Sen—that the Trisolarans were no longer the civilization humanity once knew.

Their technology, intelligence, and schemes had all greatly improved, and they were not far behind humanity.

The opinion of the Command Headquarters was to launch a second wave of attacks, not only to probe the true strength of the Trisolarans but also to further reduce the Trisolarans' living space. Even if they entered a prolonged standoff, they needed to completely deprive the Trisolarans of any chance to turn the tables.

But the United Council vetoed the proposal, believing that humanity should not enter the Dark Forest too soon and should develop further for a while.

The risk of the Trisolarans turning the tables was far smaller than the risk of exposing the Trisolaran Star System, an easy conclusion to draw.

In the end, the Command Headquarters decided to follow the plan of the Expedition Fleet: to gradually wear down the enemy's resources and will through a persistent strategic blockade, thereby achieving our strategic goals.

...

The Trisolarans never anticipated that just a decisive counterattack would win them valuable living space and a chance to breathe.

They originally thought that humanity would need to launch a second or even third wave of attacks before possibly entering a protracted phase with the Trisolarans.

Indeed, they understood that the Trisolarans might not withstand the three waves of human attacks—they were merely betting on humanity not launching a third offensive.

However, to their surprise, modern humanity, after achieving an initial victory in the war of civilizations, seemed to have lost their resolute drive and determination to press forward at all costs.

The Trisolarans were well aware that even such perseverance might still face the risk of failure thousands of years later, but the unwavering and forward-pressing spirit remained at the core of their civilization.

No matter how many difficulties and dangers the future held, the Trisolarans would never give up.

The Head did not know where the future of the Trisolarans lay, but he decided to take a gamble. If they failed, he hoped that the fleeing Trisolarans could preserve the seed of Trisolaran Civilization.

The Head's gaze flickered with unwavering determination, as though it could traverse the endless void. He stared at a star located about 8 light-years from the Trisolaran Star System—Ross 154.

This star was about 9.6 light-years from the Solar System, in the direction of Sagittarius, with a right ascension of approximately 18 hours 49 minutes and a declination of about -32 degrees. Ross 154 was slightly closer to the Trisolaran Star System than to the Solar System, forming an almost isosceles triangle with the Trisolaran Star System and the Solar System.