"There is also Jeremy Valk, a man of good private character, not bloodthirsty, with only one wife, and very good to civilians. But this man is timid as a mouse and a spineless coward, lacking any leadership aura or the spirit of a true man." Tian Rao said with disdain.
"What makes you say that?" Jiang Ye asked. "How can a warlord who occupies a territory be timid and spineless?"
"Valk's territory was originally on fertile land, but he was constantly oppressed by other warlord forces. He resolutely refused to resist, leading his subordinates to cede territory and flee. Now they live in barren mountains. Valk has always hoped to curry favor with a major power and become its vassal, completely lacking self-reliance and not developing his own military strength. Any capable subordinates under him have cursed him for earning money by kneeling, so they have all betrayed him and gone to other warlords. Now, Valk only has sycophants and freeloaders under his command," Tian Rao explained, her expression extremely contemptuous.
Jiang Ye, however, looked skeptical. "The first two are indeed incompetent, but the last one, Valk, is worth paying close attention to."
"Why?" Tian Rao was stunned.
"I'm afraid he's acting," Jiang Ye said. "If he's acting, then this person is not simple. Focus on collecting intelligence about him, and it would be best to arrange for someone to infiltrate his inner circle. Do your intelligence officers have that capability? If not, I'll send my people."
"We can try. It shouldn't be a problem, after all, Valk is an idiot," Tian Rao said. "Besides these three warlords we've contacted, there are a few more warlords on Wheeler Planet who are more suitable for support."
"Who specifically?" Jiang Ye asked seriously.
"My most favored warlord is Rao Cheng Zhou. His territory is in the frigid zone. Although the climate is harsh and freezing, he has developed large-scale agricultural and industrial zones. He also has connections with many interstellar smuggling merchant groups and is rumored to have acquired nuclear weapons. Rao Cheng Zhou has a force of 150,000 soldiers, and his territory has a population of 19 million. He is already a very prominent power on Wheeler Planet. This man has the aura of a king. In diplomatic documents, surrounding warlord forces respectfully call him the King of the Arctic. Ordinary people also mostly call him the King of the Arctic when they mention him," Tian Rao paused. "I think we can try to contact him."
"Alright, collect more intelligence and make contact simultaneously," Jiang Ye nodded. "Besides him, is there anyone else you favor?"
"Gunter Kim, a black man, leader of a tropical region, with 280,000 soldiers under his command, including 10,000 air force personnel. His primary air combat weapons are helicopters and bombers. His territory is rapidly expanding, with a population of 30 million, expected to reach 40 million within the year. Gunter's army is divided into white and black regiments, clearly separated like black and white chess pieces. When fighting, Gunter deliberately intersperses troops of both colors, creating competition between them, seeing which skin color's soldiers can attack the enemy positions first. So far, this comparative strategy has been very effective," Tian Rao said. "Gunter has two systems of civil and military officials, one entirely composed of white-skinned individuals, and the other entirely of black-skinned individuals. These two systems are also in constant conflict. He himself observes coldly, using one system for a while, then the other, being unpredictable."
"It feels like this person is very skilled at playing power games and manipulating people's emotions and instincts," Jiang Ye narrowed his eyes.
"Gunter is extremely obsessed with playing Go. His leisure activity is Go. When excited, he can play from 8 PM to 4 AM in consecutive matches. He also encourages his close associates to learn Go, claiming it is a sport that truly hones strategic ability," Tian Rao blinked. "He also has a very interesting theory... Open the file folder at the bottom."
Jiang Ye searched through the file folder and quickly retrieved Gunter's personal information. Tian Rao stood up, snatched it, and quickly flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning rapidly until she stopped at a certain point.
"Here, I think this passage reflects some of his personal habits and thinking. Whether we deal with him or support him in the future, it can serve as an important reference," Tian Rao pointed to a spot in the document and pushed it towards Jiang Ye.
Jiang Ye frowned as he read the passage. It was written as follows:
"There are two types of leaders in the world: low-level leaders are like chess players, and high-level leaders are like Go players. I often call myself a player, referring to a Go player, not a chess player."
"The goal of a chess player is to win completely, to clear the opponent's pieces as much as possible, and ultimately to capture the king. Chess is confined to a fixed battlefield, adhering to rigid rules. Knights move in an 'L' shape, bishops move diagonally. Essentially, it's just a simple life-or-death battle. The vast majority of chess matches are won by exhausting the opponent's pieces and relying on brilliant moves. Therefore, chess is suitable for frontline officers to practice, but not for leaders who control the macro picture."
"A Go player has no concept of 'capturing the king.' All pieces only have color differences; otherwise, they are all the same. The battlefield is merely 19 horizontal and vertical lines, where battles can unfold everywhere. Every time a stone is placed, the power balance on the board slightly shifts. The territories of both sides interlock. Outsiders who don't understand Go cannot judge the outcome at all. When victory is finally achieved, the winner often has only a slight advantage. The underlying philosophy is to accumulate small victories to achieve a great victory. There is also a vast amount of deception involved. A Go player must have a judgment of the overall situation in their mind, while also being sensitive enough to important local situations to avoid being deceived by major moves like the 'zombie flow' or 'cosmic flow'."
"Chess is the bravery of short-term combat, while Go is a long and arduous war of attrition, a marathon of intellect and caution, a strong balance of attack and defense, and repeated transformations. The number of chess pieces does not increase, just as soldiers on the battlefield only die in combat. The number of Go stones constantly increases, developing with time, much like the reproduction and strategic layout of a region or even a planet."
Tian Rao propped her chin on her hand and stared at Jiang Ye. "My feeling is that this Gunter is more patient and has a longer-term vision."
"Not only that," Jiang Ye frowned. "Damn it, although there isn't much information, I feel like this person is difficult to deal with! Anyone who has their own set of theories and rules is usually difficult to deal with."
"What do you mean by 'someone with their own set of theories and rules'?" Tian Rao was bewildered.
"It means this person has their own set of theories and rules for things, which are very niche. In other words, this person's mind is their own, and their thoughts are difficult to fathom," Jiang Ye said. "Most fools just repeat what others say, like parrots. They hear something others say and think it's right, so they remember it. A group of people open their mouths and say similar things, like a repeater. You can tell what a person is thinking after listening for a couple of sentences."
"I don't quite understand. You sound like you're describing someone with autism..." Tian Rao looked confused. "Aren't widely accepted views the correct views that have been tested by time and facts? If a person's thoughts cannot be understood by others, besides the possibility of being a genius, isn't it more likely they are an idiot?"
"I'm not talking about right or wrong, only about this person's state. He might be right, or he might be wrong, but regardless of right or wrong, he has come up with his own ideas. Therefore, such people have the possibility of not playing by the rules, making them difficult to deal with," Jiang Ye paused for a moment, his expression worried. "If it were an ordinary person, it would be fine. But this Go player, Gunter, has become the leader of a major force on Wheeler Planet. His way of thinking is very likely to be feasible on a large scale."