Asano leaned back in his chair, his dark eyes revealing nothing of his thoughts. "Forgive me, Kanrei, but we have not enough information to render that judgement. We have five regiments here, which translate roughly into a Clan force half our size. We have not seen a Clan assault with more than two of their regiments, except the rumored force they used to take Rasalhague. I also assume that the pattern of previous attacks means that we will be facing the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats, while the Ghost Bears and their new allies, the Steel Vipers, will strike further into our territory."
Theodore nodded. "I was not given any information on a Ghost Bear or Steel Viper attack, but I have no reason to assume you are wrong."
"Then I would have to agree that reinforcement is crucial, but let it be a general reinforcement of our whole line. Luthien may be the capital, but it is not the whole of the Combine."
The other officers stared at Asano as though he were mad, but Shin began to see at what the old man hinted. Shin knew the Ryuken were prepared to stage raids into Clan-held territory and that they had a sanctuary on Wolcott that the Clans would not hit. Pulling the Ryuken back would only keep the Combine on the defensive, while letting them loose would force the Clans to be more cautious.
Theodore leaned forward, pressing his fingertips to the ta-bletop. "Time and again, we have had to rediscover the key to modern warfare. We no longer have fronts, and ownership of planets means nothing. The only way to defeat an enemy is to destroy his capacity to wage war. This is done by destroying his troops and disrupting his supply lines. We all know this, but our pride often blinds us to this truth.
"Twenty years ago, we saw two sharp examples of this truth. The Liao strike at the Kathil ship yards was misguided and unsuccessful, yet could have crippled Hanse Davion's war had it come off as planned. There was also Katrina Steiner's strike at my JumpShips, preventing our invasion of the Isle of Skye, at no greater cost than a handful of agents."
The First Swords leader, Yoshida, raised a counterpoint. "What you say is true, but how can you discount how the loss of Luthien would affect our population? The dishonor ..."
"Damn the dishonor! Yes, the loss of Luthien would be a blow, but a successful defense of other worlds would temper that, as would the reconquest of worlds the Clans have previously taken." Theodore's blue eyes blazed like a PPC beam. "So far all we have done is react to attacks by the Clans. But if they want to throw forces at Luthien, it means they do not have troops to hold other worlds. It means they're devoting too much of their munitions and spare parts to one world, making them vulnerable elsewhere. That vulnerability is exactly what I intend to exploit."
The Kanrei looked at Shin. "Sho-saYodama, please punch up Case Tako."
Octopus?Shin typed the request into the computer and saw a map of the Combine materialize and hover over the center of the table. Golden sparks of light glowed on each world where the Combine maintained troops. Slender golden threads representing supply circuits connected worlds in a wispy web.
Without his doing anything, the picture slowly changed. Ninety percent of the line units on the border with the Federated Commonwealth—both along the Draconis March and the Isle of Skye—drifted up toward the Clan lines, and the supply web shifted to support them. More important, supply lines to frontline worlds increased, giving those units enough material to launch strikes at the enemy. Shin realized that even if the Combine's attacks were little more than raids, by the time the Clans could react to them, attack units shifted from the Davion border would be arriving to reinforce the planets they would attack.
"This is it, my Lords. We reallocate our forces to provide far more resistance than the Clans can imagine. The field modification kits are being shipped to the units I want to use for strikes, so the Clans will be facing 'Mechs that are close to their equal. We'll have the Ryuken strike at their rear and feint toward the Periphery, as though intending to backtrack the Clans and strike at their home."
Asano smiled ever so slightly. "Audacious, to say the least. Will you concentrate on reinforcing and supplying units with strong aerospace wings, the only combat arena where we seem to fight on even ground with the Clans?"
"Of course." Theodore straightened up. "We are also upgrading conventional air forces to aid in anti-'Mech activities. The cost will be high in terms of personnel, but it will give the Clan fighter pilots even more to think about, as well as keeping their 'Mech forces off guard."
The leader of the Otomo shook his head. "This plan certainly seems to offer the solution to dealing with the Clans, but I fear we are burning the roof to warm us against the cold night. Stripping forces from the Davion border is madness. Davion will be on us like a shark to a bleeding fish."
"Hanse Davion has given me his word that he will not strike."
"And you believe him?" Hideyoshi could barely disguise his incredulity. "That is a grave error, and one your father has never made."
Shin saw Theodore stiffen at the mention of Takashi Kurita. His father, still the Coordinator of the Draconis Combine, claimed the loyalty of many old-line military men who believed Theodore's reforms had emasculated the Combine and stripped it of honor. As a yakuza, Shin would never have been allowed to serve his nation or have risen to his present position except for Theodore's reforms. The thought made him flush slightly, whether in anger or embarrassment, he was not sure.
"Tai-saHideyoshi, I hasten to remind you that my father very nearly delivered us into Hanse Davion's hands twenty years ago. He also managed to alienate the most powerful mercenary units in the Successor States through his Death to Mercenaries order. Had it been my father leading the defense of the Combine against Hanse Davion only ten years ago, he would have lost the Dieron district and half of the Galedon district as well."
Theodore's words came quietly, but the anger in them was enough to subdue his listeners immediately. "My father's hatred and distrust of Hanse Davion is born of prejudicial contempt. Takashi dismissed Davion as an inferior, which leads him to underestimate the Prince of the Federated Commonwealth. I do not make that mistake. I treat Hanse Davion as the deadly foe he is. That is why I understand that because it is not in his best interest to attack us, he will not."
Stubborn as a pit bull, Hideyoshi refused to let go the matter of the Davion threat. "Perhaps you do not find it odd to be considering Hanse Davion's best interests, but I have never approved of this alliance you made."
"Do you have more than your old traditions to back this distrust, or are you caught in a repetitive groove that will not let you free?"
"Let us assume it is as you say. Let us assume that Hanse Davion will not hit us right now. But the moment he learns that Luthien is vulnerable, he will have to strike us. This is his one chance to end our threat to him. And if Luthien falls, he must hit us. Not only will that be in his best interest, but he can claim merely to be bolstering your faltering realm. Then you marry your daughter off to his son, and Hanse Davion becomes the First Lord of the new Star League."
Watching Hideyoshi impassively through half-shut eyes, Theodore stroked the stubble on his chin. "I see that the court gossips have your ear, Tai-sa.Though we are here to discuss military matters, you seem determined to deflect the discussion into some dialogue on politics. I do not intend to honor that gambit because matters at hand are too grave for us to be sidetracked by fairy tales, rumors, gossip, or any other foolishness."
The Kanrei clasped his hands behind his back. "I likewise reject your distrust of Hanse Davion. I have been with him. I have looked him in the eye. He is a man of great power in our time, and we know he will never give it up easily and will always seek to increase the power he wields. We saw greed in his strike at the Capellan Confederation twenty years ago, and the same in his attack on us ten years ago. Hanse Davion, however, saw something else. He saw himself striking a blow for freedom and humanity.