Free Dynasty: The Glorious Strategist (Dynasty Saga Book 3) by Sam Ryan Page A

anyway.” Lymee looked up from the map at the others. “What can we really expect the ramifications of this to be?”
    “Keo?” Alia looked up at Keo.
    “In the long term,” Keo shook her head. “We cannot be completely sure. The motivations behind the other Dynasty Lords is too unclear to know what they plan to do after this. Nor do we know if this truly is an ‘in the moment’ act of Rebellion.”
    “You think some of the lords have been planning this?” Alia asked not seeming to like the idea.
    “It’s possible,” Keo nodded. “Lord Yung of Fu Dynasty is a crafty one I hear. Even if she did not plan this, I am sure that she is manipulating things to her advantage. While it was the Lord of Gon Dynasty that sent out this call for an alliance, I would not be surprised to learn that it was Lord Yung who put the idea in her head.”
    “Then we had better play it close to our chest then,” Lymee stated thinking over all the different possibilities. Lymee opened her mouth ready to explain the idiom that she had used then realized that they had card games in this world.
    “Agreed,” Alia nodded. “While we may be united in a common goal now, we must see everyone as potential future enemies.” 
    “So then the question now is how much of our forces do we actually commit,” Lymee chewed on the inside of her mouth thinking it over. Turning to Sai she asked, “What’s our military strength at currently?”
    “Approximately twenty five thousand troops in total, spanning all five provinces,” Sai reported. “As well as two thousand reserve troops.”
    Lymee nodded in approval hearing that Sai had followed through on Lymee’s suggestion to build a reserve army. “And as far as our unique forces go?” Lymee asked.
    “We have one hundred phalanx soldier currently being trained,” Sai said. “The idea being to work out the chinks of using such a formation before trying to implement it on a larger scale.”
    “Understandable,” Lymee nodded.
    “We also have roughly two hundred crossbows that have been manufactured and we are currently training our men to use them,” Sai continued. “We have also managed to construct four trebuchets however we have still been unable to get them to fire at the range that you talked about. Though the accuracy is astounding none the less. And given it only requires three people to man they are still of great benefit,” Sai added as if to say that Lymee had not been completely wrong.
    Lymee let the implication slide focusing on more important things. “And what of siege towers?”
    Alia shook her head as her hand stroked Kitsune who was still curled on her lap. “I thought it more advantageous to focus funds into developing the trebuchet. If we knock the wall down then there is no reason to climb over it.”
    “Fair enough,” Lymee nodded. “But I almost wonder if it better to leave all of those things behind.”
    Sai frowned. “Why? Those things give us an advantage that no one else has.”
    “Or knows about,” Lymee pointed out. Keo nodded seeming to agree with what Lymee was suggesting. “As you stated before our forces are but peanuts compared to the army they are raising.”
    “I never stated that,” Sai said under her breath. “I do not even know what a peanut is.”
    “Our new toys aren’t going to make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things,” Lymee continued ignoring Sai grumblings. “The only thing it would accomplish is letting the other lords know what we have and allow them to possibly plan against it in the future. They are all potential enemies after all,” Lymee looked up at Alia as she said it. “We’re just there to show our support. Let the other Lords do the planning and actual fighting and hopefully all the dying as well.”
    “Then how many men do you suggest we send?” Keo asked folding her hands across her stomach again.
    Lymee bobbed her head as she thought it over. “Five, maybe ten thousand. Enough to show we are