"His Highness said, war is the continuation of politics, and must always bear in mind the political goals that war aims to achieve... The imdiate political objective of the Kingdom's army eastward campaign against the Maya is to open and secure the sea route to Cuba! The inland jungle is actually not within the scope of the campaign, and even if attacked, it cannot be defended... The foundation of the Kingdom's rule in the Maya Lands is really too weak. Even priests and samurai who can speak Maya are scarcely found..."
"The second long-term political objective is to guide Maya Tribes to embrace the embrace of the Chief Divine! Gradually establish the order of the Kingdom's rule, spread the belief in the Chief Divine, carry out xica-ization, and ultimately govern the Maya Lands... So, at this mont, is launching a decisive battle with the Xiu Clan beneficial to such a political aim?..."
"Right now there are three possibilities for the decisive battle with the Xiu Clan! One is a great victory, destroying the Xiu Clan in one fell swoop, eradicating their Divine Descendant lineage... Then cos the distribution of the fruits of victory! Part of the Xiu's old land will be restored to the Mayapan Royalty, rebuilding the Kokom Clan's territory, while another part will be divided among the Canul, Kapoor, and even Corn Clan... For the Kingdom, the most direct benefit might be plundering an astonishing collection of wealth! But it is impossible for the Highland Barbarians to rule directly over the Mayans by crossing hundreds of miles of jungle..."
"Once the Kokom Clan's territory is rebuilt, Mayapan restored, the Kokom Royal Family will inevitably demand a return to the depths of the jungle, returning to the most legitimate old capital Mayapan located at the center of each Clan! Since the Kingdom of the Lake raised the banner of restoring Mayapan, it's difficult to refuse this demand. Otherwise, the previously proclaid political slogans would beco invalid, causing unpredictable changes in each Maya Clan's attitude, and deep rifts would even appear between the Kokom Clan..."
"Yet if the Kokom Clan is allowed to return to the old capital in the jungle depths, surrounded by each Clan country... then it becos difficult to hold the Mayapan Royalty firmly, and speak the Kingdom's words through their mouth! The Mayapan Royalty will surely collude with each Clan country, seeking support from each Clan's Divine Descendants! After all, these Maya Divine Descendants have been of one family for thousands of years! Those secretly intertwined relationships are neither known to the Kingdom nor can they be severed..."
Bertade lowered his eyebrows and carefully wrote down the nas of "Kapoor", "Chel", and "Reed Sea" three Clans.
The Kokom Clan has long been sheltered by the Kapoor Clan, and for several consecutive generations, has intermarried with Divine Descendants. The Chel Divine Kingdom is the Kokom Clan's ancient ally, only choosing neutrality due to hostility towards the invading Highland Kingdom missionaries. Even the Reed Sea Clan can completely lean towards the Kokom Clan for the sake of the Divine Descendant's bloodline, showcasing the hidden influence of the Mayapan Royalty...
Once the Xiu Clan is conquered and the Kokom Clan returned to Mayapan, this puppet raised by the Kingdom will be entirely uncontrollable!
"The second possibility of the decisive battle with the Xiu Clan is a standard victory, capturing the Xiu Capital City, yet the Xiu Clan's Divine Descendants escape, capable of leading residual forces to resist! The Xiu Clan's territory contains seven or eight City-States, three hundred miles of jungle, hundreds of thousands of tribal people... Conquering City-States is not difficult for the Kingdom's army, but it is extrely challenging to conquer the Maya Jungle!"
"The Maya Jungle is unfavorable for large armies to campaign, but it is more advantageous for small independent samurai skirmishes... Once the Xiu Clan completely abandons the City-State, with Divine Descendants taking samurai retreating into the jungle, they beco elusive enemies!... Given the absolute influence of Maya Divine Descendants over their territory's ant-people, the entire Xiu territory would beco a quagmire, potentially spawning tribal guerrilla forces akin to those in the Otapan mountain forest..."
At this point, Bertade furrowed his brow, recalling the Otapan campaign more than a decade ago. Those silent guerrilla slaughterings in the mountain forest almost beca a rare nightmare for the fearless xica Warriors! In the complex terrain of the jungle, the equipnt and battle technique advantages of warriors are minimized, while the terrain advantage of local tribespeople is maximized! Even a few elderly and weak tribespeople could rely on terrain traps to take a samurai's life...
"Chief Divine preserve us! Never engage in guerrilla warfare with local tribes within the Maya interior jungles using the Kingdom's main forces! Even if the Maya Jungle must be subdued in the future, it should be with the deploynt of a large Maya servant army, clashing with the Maya Clans that need conquering!"
Bertade's eyes flickered, the war intent in his chest gradually cooled, and his thoughts on the decisive battle with Xiu eased slightly. Calmly continuing to wield the pen, he wrote down the worst possible scenario of the battle.
"The third possibility of the decisive battle is the defeat of the Kingdom's army! It could be due to damp gunpowder, resolute enemy defenses, excessive casualties, making it temporarily difficult to capture the City-States, ultimately having to retreat in a minor defeat. It might also be due to a sudden rebellion by the Canul Clan, cutting off the Kingdom's supply line, while the Putun Barbarian Tribe is bought by Xiu, and the Brocade Snake Clan scatters in total defeat... Once the Kingdom's army is defeated in the jungle, the myth of the highland's military deterrence collapses, making retreating two to three hundred miles to the coastline a daunting task! One little mishap could lead to expended food and water, and the entire army's demise..."
"His Highness has said, war is a matter of life and death, one cannot underestimate the enemy and must always maintain caution. A truly skilled warrior first ensures himself invincible, then waits for a chance to defeat the enemy!... As long as the Kingdom's army relies on the coast, with ample supplies, it is invincible against the Maya Tribes!"
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