Soon, Lan Ling received the letter from this unfamiliar fiancée.
He opened it and saw elegant yet razor-sharp handwriting, as if carved by swords.
There were only a few simple words inside: “Suo Lun, if you ever dare to associate yourself with me again, if you ever dare to claim I am your woman, I will kill you!”
Lan Ling shuddered. The tone of this letter was truly domineering and overwhelming.
In an instant, he found himself filled with curiosity and anticipation towards this cheap fiancée of his.
At that moment, Mentor Xiu Yan said, “Very well, class begins now. Today’s assignment is, as usual, a policy essay. The topic is: What is the true foundation of the Raging Waves Kingdom’s strength?”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone let out a knowing chuckle. This topic had been discussed to death.
Mentor Xiu Yan continued, “Over the past century, many other nations have either declined, even perished, or stagnated. Why is it that only our Raging Waves Kingdom grows ever stronger, with no sign of decline in sight?”
Immediately, a fair and delicate-looking young man raised his hand high.
“Zhi Min, you are a member of the royal family. You may speak,” Mentor Xiu Yan said.
“Without a doubt, it is our Raging Waves Kingdom’s warrior system,” Zhi Min replied. “The Royal City Academy continuously produces well-rounded civil and military talents who form the most fundamental ruling class of the kingdom. When a nation’s foundation is stable, it possesses true strength.”
Mentor Xiu Yan offered no comment and simply called on the next student. “Duo Luo, you are the future marquis. Tell me, what do you believe is the true foundation of our Raging Waves Kingdom’s strength?”
The plump Duo Luo stood up and said, “Of course, it is because of the wise kings of successive generations. A nation becomes powerful entirely because its supreme leader always lights the way forward for us.”
At this answer, many in the room burst into laughter, finding his flattery shamelessly blatant.
Yet Lan Ling thought to himself that this Duo Luo, with his pig-like appearance and bright mind, was undoubtedly a clever man.
Mentor Xiu Yan continued calling on students one by one.
The answers varied, but they all stayed within familiar bounds: the wisdom of the kings, the superiority of the warrior system, the excellence of the noble class, the Royal City Academy’s endless supply of talent to the kingdom, and so on.
Mentor Xiu Yan never expressed any opinion, though the slight furrow in his brow revealed his disappointment.
Finally, he called out, “Suo Lun, what do you believe is the true foundation of our Raging Waves Kingdom’s strength? In recent centuries, other nations have also had warrior systems, academies, and wise kings. Why is it that only our Raging Waves Kingdom has continued to grow stronger and rise rapidly?”
Lan Ling stood up, hesitating slightly in his heart. Logically, he should remain low-key at this moment and hide his true abilities.
But ever since childhood, he had been someone with a gentle exterior and a sharp inner edge.
The moment he stood, every gaze in the room fixed upon him, eager to hear his view.
“It is very simple: geopolitics,” Lan Ling said, introducing an entirely new term.
Mentor Xiu Yan’s eyes lit up. “Go on.”
Lan Ling continued, “The Raging Waves Kingdom borders the Flame Empire to the north and the vast barbarian tribes to the south. This unique position is the fundamental reason why the Raging Waves Kingdom has remained powerful.”
At these words, someone immediately sneered. “How ridiculous. The Flame Empire to the north is the world’s hegemon, and the barbarian lands to the south are the most perilous region. Such a dangerous location, and yet you call it the foundation of our strength.”
Lan Ling replied, “A warlike state will perish; a state that forgets war will be endangered. Born in adversity, perish in comfort. Precisely because the Raging Waves Kingdom occupies such a perilous position, successive rulers have had to remain constantly vigilant, never daring to slack off for a moment. The southern barbarians are warlike. To survive, the Raging Waves Kingdom has had no choice but to grow ever stronger. Who can make you stronger? Your enemies. Even a wild beast, if it has no natural predators and food is always within reach, will see its claws dull and its fangs degenerate. The same holds true for nations.”
The classroom fell silent.
Mentor Xiu Yan looked at him with admiration and asked, “Is that all? Anything more?”
Though he spoke this way, he no longer expected Lan Ling to reveal anything deeper. Seeing this level was already impressive.
Lan Ling said, “There is a deeper layer.”
“Speak,” Mentor Xiu Yan said, now filled with anticipation.
Lan Ling continued, “Because of its unique geographical position, the Raging Waves Kingdom has maintained a single, unchanging strategic direction for over a century.”
Mentor Xiu Yan’s eyes brightened. “Be more specific.”
Lan Ling explained, “To the north lies the Flame Empire, the undisputed world hegemon. Until it weakens completely, or until the Raging Waves Kingdom grows strong enough, attacking it is impossible. To the east is the boundless ocean, and to the west lies a thousand-li desert. Therefore, the Raging Waves Kingdom has only one strategic direction left: continuous southward expansion to conquer the southern barbarians and seize their lands to enlarge the kingdom’s territory. For a nation, the most terrifying thing is not a foolish king, but the absence of a clear strategic direction.”
At this point, Mentor Xiu Yan’s gaze was filled with astonishment. His voice trembled with excitement. “Continue.”
Lan Ling went on, “As everyone knows, kings of various nations typically reign for only ten or twenty years each. Every new king has his own ideas. One generation wants to expand westward, the next eastward. Such shifting directions lead to enormous waste of strategic resources, and previous efforts are rendered futile. The Raging Waves Kingdom has only one direction. Every generation of kings has striven tirelessly for this single strategic goal. Although the barbarians are the most dangerous enemy and conquering the wilderness is the most difficult form of expansion, a hundred years of unwavering effort has accumulated into substantial gains. More than a century ago, the Raging Waves Kingdom had only two provinces. Today it has six. All the additional territory was seized from the barbarians. This alone proves my theory.”
This principle held true not only in this world but on Earth as well. The greatest fear for any nation was a mistaken or chaotic strategic line.
At this moment, Mentor Xiu Yan’s heart was filled with profound admiration.
He had never expected that this absurd wastrel Suo Lun possessed such genuine insight. It was completely beyond expectation.
Thus, he continued, “Then, in your view, what should the next strategic direction of the Raging Waves Kingdom be?”
Lan Ling felt a bitter pang in his heart and said, “For what comes next, I am no longer suitable to speak.”
This single sentence struck directly at Mentor Xiu Yan’s core.
This wastrel Suo Lun actually possessed such wisdom?
Many in the room did not understand the meaning behind Lan Ling’s words, but Mentor Xiu Yan, as a master strategist, instantly grasped it.
The southward campaign against the barbarians had already stalled for more than a decade.
Why? Because the conquest of the wilderness had reached a bottleneck. Ahead lay the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, an impassable natural barrier. The kingdom’s armies could no longer advance. Without crossing the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, further southward expansion was naturally impossible.
These Ten Thousand Great Mountains now stood like a heavenly barrier between the Raging Waves Kingdom and the barbarian tribes.
The only passage through this barrier was a valley roughly several dozen li wide.
This valley was called the Barbarian Wilderness Canyon. An army could pass through it smoothly and enter the barbarian plains.
However, the territory north of this canyon did not belong to the royal family. It belonged to the vassal Suo Clan.
The Suo Clan’s Tianshui City was precisely positioned between the Raging Waves Kingdom and the Barbarian Wilderness Canyon.
To continue the campaign against the wilderness, the canyon must be taken. And before taking the canyon, Tianshui City must first be seized.
That was why Prince Zhi Li had gone to such lengths to plot the seizure of Tianshui City. His strategic direction was to use the Barbarian Wilderness Canyon as a breakthrough point to enter the barbarian plains and continue southward expansion.
What astonished Mentor Xiu Yan was how far and how clearly this wastrel Suo Lun could see.
Mentor Xiu Yan asked, “Suo Lun, then what do you believe should be the kingdom’s new strategic breakthrough point? As you know, the kingdom’s southward expansion has already encountered a bottleneck. If your proposed breakthrough point is correct, I can relay your view to His Majesty the King.”
Lan Ling’s heart surged with excitement. He felt deep respect for Mentor Xiu Yan.
Prince Zhi Li wanted to use Tianshui City as the breakthrough point to enter the barbarian lands, yet King Zhi Bian had not yet taken a stance. If Lan Ling proposed a new direction, the two strategic views would spark debate within the royal family and the cabinet, giving the Suo Clan a chance to preserve Tianshui City.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “First, I believe we should not use vassal territories such as Tianshui City as the breakthrough point. The noble vassal system remains the current state policy of the Raging Waves Kingdom. Once action is taken against my Tianshui City, it will inevitably cause enormous internal turmoil within the kingdom.”
Xiu Yan nodded. “Correct. But the kingdom must have a breakthrough point to continue southward expansion.”
Lan Ling replied, “Develop a navy and strike directly at the heart of the barbarian lands from the sea. Moreover, with a powerful navy, we would not only be able to attack the barbarian continent directly.”
At this moment, the classroom fell into complete silence. The topic had reached such a high level that many could no longer interject.
This idea was unprecedented, yet it struck like a flash of insight.
Mentor Xiu Yan’s heart jolted. He had originally thought Suo Lun’s proposed breakthrough would involve crossing the desert to attack the Xiliang Kingdom. He never imagined Suo Lun would suggest developing a navy to bypass the Ten Thousand Great Mountains by sea and strike directly into the barbarian continent’s interior.
Though it was uncertain whether this was feasible, it was undeniably an innovative and heavyweight proposal.
Xiu Yan said, “One cannot judge by appearances. Though I cannot offer any evaluation of your view, I can relay it to His Majesty the King and the cabinet. I believe Duke Zhi Ting will greatly need this perspective of yours.”
From these words, Lan Ling gleaned a great deal of information.
After receiving the bribe, Duke Zhi Ting had indeed worked diligently on behalf of the Suo Clan, directly opposing Prince Zhi Li.
However, after Prince Zhi Li put forward his own strategic direction, Duke Zhi Ting lacked a counterargument of equal calibre. He could not simply say the Raging Waves Kingdom should halt expansion. Thus, Duke Zhi Ting was currently at a disadvantage.
By proposing this view, whether correct or not, Lan Ling had at least given Duke Zhi Ting a direction for debate.
“Thank you, Mentor Xiu Yan.” Lan Ling bowed deeply to him in respect.
At that moment, the bell rang, signalling the end of the class.