Essence

The command room was quiet, with several pairs of eyes fixed on him.

Shen Heng slowly raised his head.

"Actually, I don't really understand what war is, but I still remember the looks in the eyes of those Calamity Beast I saw."

"The eyes of the Calamity Beast?" Zhou Zhenguo frowned, somewhat puzzled as to how the war had become related to the eyes of the Calamity Beast.

The others also looked at Shen Heng with some confusion.

"Hmm." Shen Heng nodded. "In the past year or so, I've probably killed over a thousand Calamity Beast. Many of them struggled and fought desperately as they were about to die, and when they finally realized they couldn't be saved, they showed that look in their eyes—that fear, despair, and helplessness."

No one spoke inside.

Everyone frowned, pondering the meaning of Shen Heng's words.

"At the time, I was thinking," Shen Heng continued, "Since they don't want to die, they probably don't want to fight either. If that's the case, then why did they come here? They could have found a chance to escape along the way, right?"

Lu Xunzhou raised his eyes and said, "The power of a group is indeed strong, but even in the ordinary world, when individuals do not possess great power, they still need to gather together to have power. This gathering is very difficult, extremely difficult, far beyond what Calamity Beast can do. Moreover, high-level Calamity Beast possess great power; one can deal with countless low-level Calamity Beast. Under these circumstances, they have no other choice but to come along!"

He paused, then continued,

"As for what you just mentioned about running away, when the road ahead is unclear and the current environment is sufficient for survival, most creatures will instinctively follow the group."

"Yes!" Shen Heng nodded, his gaze fixed on the water. "If you can't resist and can survive by staying with the group, there's no need to run. That way, even if you realize something's wrong later, it will be too late to escape!"

"But, at the moment of their death, did they know they were fighting? Did they know why they were attacking us?"

Shen Heng raised his head.

"I think they probably don't know, and the higher-ups of the Ruins Realm probably wouldn't tell them these things."

"So?" Zhou Zhenguo looked at Shen Heng, as if he already knew what Shen Heng wanted to say.

Shen Heng said, "I think war is, at best, nothing more than a violent means used for one's own purposes."

"It has nothing to do with whether you are alive or dead, or where you are in the world; it just stands there, pulling one person after another into it."

"Perhaps there's only one standard left to judge its success: whether its initial purpose has been achieved!"

As for individuals...

Shen Heng paused for a moment, then added:

"If they don't know why they're fighting, then surviving might be the greatest meaning for them; if they know why they're fighting, surviving but failing might be a greater punishment for them?"

After he finished speaking, the two officers exchanged a glance, looking at each other somewhat bewildered.

They had heard similar words before, but hearing them from Captain Shen's mouth gave them a slightly different feeling.

The command room fell silent.

Staff officer Lu Xunzhou stood to the side, looking at Shen Heng with extremely serious eyes.

Zhou Zhenguo also looked at Shen Heng, his eyes filled with disbelief.

This kid, he grasped it so quickly?

Although he had some expectations when he asked the question, he was more prepared to accept a mediocre or textbook answer. He didn't expect the other party to use an example to introduce the topic and give such an answer.

He could hear similar answers from many people, even from students he had taught at the military academy, such as Lu Xunzhou standing to the side.

However, being able to express it only means that they know it; they are still a long way from truly understanding or even comprehending it.

Just like textbooks have always said, we must follow the mass line, come from the masses, and go to the masses. Everyone would say they understand this.

But when you actually throw them into the masses, you'll find that one by one they drown in it.

Feudal superstition, selfishness, shortsightedness, ignorance, blind obedience...

Negative information, like a flood, will completely drown them in the vast ocean called humanity, leaving none able to rise to the surface.

Has the masses changed, and lost their power?

No, the masses are still standing there, they still have power!

Why is that? Have they forgotten this principle?

No, they still remember and know, but they simply lack the energy to deal with the negative information anymore.

When you ask them, they can explain that same principle again.

But only when asked do they realize that they haven't actually fully grasped this principle.

Because once you understand this principle, you will naturally know what you should do!

Similarly, those who end up in war often focus on victory after victory, and very few are truly able to transcend that.

Thinking of this, the surprise in Zhou Zhenguo's eyes gradually faded.

In his view, there are roughly five types of people who fight wars.

One type is those who know nothing, don't know how to fight, and don't know any theories.

In his view, this person could only be an ordinary soldier.

The second type knows all the theories, but just doesn't know how to use them, so they can't win.

These are the kinds of people who can't be sent to fight, but can be kept by your side as advisors, providing various suggestions.

The third type is based on some unknown theory, but they can still win.

In every era, there are always some people who know nothing but can still do a great job; we usually call these kinds of people geniuses.

However, if someone doesn't know any of the underlying theories, it's best not to assign them overly demanding or burdensome tasks.

The fourth type is those who not only know various theories but also can apply them to warfare to achieve victory.

This category varies greatly in terms of skill level, with significant differences between the upper and lower limits, but the upper limit is already sufficient to govern a region.

As for the fifth type...

Zhou Zhenguo looked at Shen Heng with a more intense respect in his eyes than ever before.

To be honest, there are still many shortcomings, but without a doubt, the ceiling has been raised once again.

No, we have to find a way to bring this kid into our system, no matter what. It's a waste of his talent to keep him in the Supervision Bureau.

We have resources here too!

Suppressing his thoughts, Zhou Zhenguo asked:

If you had to describe war in one sentence, what do you think would be the most fitting?

Without a sound of joy, Shen Heng wondered what Zhou Zhenguo was thinking. He pondered for a moment and then said:

"War is an act of violence that forces the enemy to submit to our will."