Chapter 41: On Military Strategy
"Kill!" About three hundred meters away from the enemy's camp, Xīn Kè suddenly turned his horse's head and avoided the thick infantry phalanx of the enemy army, which was like a forest of long guns. He charged into the opponent's relatively weak flank like a whirlwind. The enemy commander obviously did not expect the opponent to attack the infantry phalanx with the strongest defense first, so he was somewhat neglectful in his defense. Especially when Xīn Kè's army directly attacked his flank, it was beyond his expectations. Although the Mǎndān Imperial Guard was elite, under Xīn Kè's sudden and violent attack, the defensive line on the flank suddenly collapsed. Without formation, infantry posed no threat to cavalry. Xīn Kè led his seven thousand cavalrymen in a fierce charge, and surprisingly, he completely defeated the right wing of Mǎndān's infantry in one fell swoop.
Fortunately, this infantry commander was also a veteran general who had experienced many battles. As soon as he saw that the situation was unfavorable, he immediately separated the infantry from the scattered right wing. The cavalry on both wings also accelerated their encirclement. Therefore, after Xian's troops annihilated several thousand enemy infantrymen on the right wing, the enemy had already formed a complete encirclement.
"Brothers, follow me!" Xin Ke's double-bladed battle axe was raised high, and he let out a thunderous roar. Then, with deliberate intent, he drove the enemy infantry that had been routed earlier towards the enemy army that had re-stabilized its formation. Although Xin Ke was straightforward and generous, his military talent was beyond doubt. He understood that with his 7,000 cavalrymen facing an enemy ten times stronger than his own side, the only way to win was to keep his troops' morale high at all times, suppress the enemy's spirit, and thoroughly shatter their formation. Because if he allowed the enemy to form a complete defensive formation, his 7,000 cavalrymen would surely die without a place to bury them. However, there was still a hint of doubt in his heart - hadn't Mandan's Imperial Guard mobilized 800,000 men? Why were they not present on the battlefield with that number?
Under the conscious driving of the right-wing remnants, thousands of enemy troops had to retreat towards their own defensive positions. However, facing these comrades who were originally close friends, the soldiers in the infantry phalanx showed some hesitation. The originally tightly guarded infantry phalanx also revealed several gaps due to this. Seizing these gaps, the double-bladed battle axe swung, and 7,000 cavalry suddenly found an outlet like a flood, directly charging into the enemy's formation with an unstoppable momentum. Under the sharp blades of the Husita cavalry, countless Manda soldiers did not even have time to make a sound before falling under the horse hooves. However, the Imperial Guard was after all the most elite army of the Manda dynasty. Although they came fiercely, they were still fearless. The soldiers in front had just fallen, and the soldiers behind had already pushed up. The not-so-tight long gun array was like a layer of leeks, cut one layer and another, but it couldn't be cut off completely. And the commander of the enemy infantry was obviously a master of military strategy. Although his original 30,000 soldiers were reduced to less than 20,000, these remaining 20,000 soldiers were cleverly deployed in layers, forming at least five defensive lines in front of them. Every soldier who retreated from the front line was inserted behind the last line of defense by him, and the cavalry on both wings also frantically charged against the flanks of the Husita cavalry. Although the Husita army still maintained its unstoppable momentum, its strength was gradually consumed in this endless melee.
His heart was filled with anxiety, the light cavalry's greatest fear was the infantry's deep defense formation. If they couldn't disrupt the enemy's formation, then the dense long spear array would undoubtedly be suicidal for the light cavalry. Of course, he still held the initiative on the battlefield, but this initiative was already precarious. With a strong military advantage, the enemy could launch an overwhelming attack against him. Especially with the cavalry attacking his flanks and rear, it was like a bloodbath, quickly draining his blood, then slowly strangling him to death like peeling a scallion. The Blood Kill and Revered army were still tens of miles away, although the cavalry could arrive in just an hour, but this less than an hour's time was enough to annihilate his 7,000 cavalry.
Long battle without falling, long attack without conquering, the impact on the morale of an army is undoubtedly extremely serious. Especially when surrounded, no matter which direction you break through, no matter how many enemy soldiers you kill, there are still dense enemies around you. Even the Heshuo cavalry, who were determined and resolute, felt a deep sense of powerlessness in this situation. Although they still maintained their courage to fight to the death, they had already lost their former heroic spirit that could intimidate the gods.
On a small hill near the battlefield, two men stood with their hands behind them among a group of close guards.
"General Kasinbas, the enemy is surrounded and it's only a matter of time before they are completely defeated. The General truly uses his troops like a god." The speaker had a fierce face, but was actually Yelü Minghuang, the commander of the Mandan Imperial Guard.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince, don't underestimate this army. They can use a small force to launch a fierce attack on our heavily defended infantry position and have been at an advantage all along. This shows that their commander has sharp eyesight and bravery, and their soldiers have strong willpower and great combat effectiveness. Although they are surrounded, their formation has not been disrupted. Such an elite army is not so easily eliminated." Kashinbas shook his head and said.
"They now have less than four thousand cavalry, and I really can't think of a reason to take them seriously." Yelü Minghuang said nonchalantly.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince, military strength is never the most important factor in determining the outcome of a war. For a truly great general, unless facing an opponent with similar strength, military strength is always just a secondary factor. Take for example Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, who swept across the vast territory of China with no more than 100,000 soldiers at his peak. In the Battle of Pengcheng, 30,000 exhausted troops under him defeated the renowned general Han Xin's well-rested army of 600,000, beheading tens of thousands and causing countless to trample each other to death. If military strength were truly the most important factor in determining the outcome of a war, then history would not have seen so many instances of the few defeating the many, nor would there be so many famous generals. As long as one has the right timing, location, and general, even with just 100 soldiers, they can exert the power of a 100,000-strong army."
Yelü Minghuang said somewhat discontentedly, "But they are now just a desperate beast. Faced with the fact that morale is low and soldiers are dwindling, I really can't think of any way out for them."
"It's not a good thing for us that they're too quick to collapse. We've set up this whole situation, but only caught a small fish, which is a bit of a waste." Kashinbas said calmly: "Your Highness the Second Prince, don't underestimate the people of the Qingfeng Empire. Although their country has declined, their nation still has strong vitality. They have a history that's dozens or even hundreds of times longer than ours, they have twice the human resources of our three northeastern countries combined, their economic power is still several times that of our three northeastern countries, and their military tactics are still leading the entire continent. Such a vast and glorious ancient empire was born to be ignored by no nation or people. Moreover, every few decades, heroes who can be called the pride of their generation will appear in their country, and at this time, their national power will be greatly enhanced, and the surrounding countries will also be intimidated."
Yelü Minghuang said nonchalantly: "However, since the Qingfeng Wulie Emperor's restoration, no such figure has appeared."
Kasimbas nodded: "Your Highness is right! It's just that because it hasn't appeared for so many years, General is abnormally worried. This is like a river with a dam, the longer the dam is blocked, the greater the force of the explosion when it bursts."
"But their commander is not such a person." Yelü Minghuang muttered.
"Yes, their commander is now also a young general, but he can't be called a brilliant commander. So the army he leads, no matter how elite it is, is only a second-rate force." Kashinbas nodded and said.
"A second-rate unit?" Yelü Minghuang said, puzzled. Although he was the commander of the Mandan Imperial Guard, in front of this old general who had fought on the battlefield for decades, he still fell short by a lot.
"It's rare for Kasinbas to show enthusiasm, but he explained: "A top-notch army not only needs first-class equipment and armor, but also brave and skilled soldiers, wise and resourceful generals, and iron discipline. However, the Clear Wind Empire has always been renowned for its exceptional weapon craftsmanship, so they don't need to worry about that aspect. A top-notch army is the harmonious unity of outstanding generals and excellent soldiers. Whenever a new empire emerges on the continent of Shenzhou, one or several such armies will emerge. Their generals are exceptionally talented, their soldiers are fearless and undaunted, and their discipline is as strong as steel. Even when facing tens or hundreds of times more enemy troops, they dare to engage in battle! Wherever their military flags fly and their swords point, they conquer the world and slaughter thousands of miles. Just like during the founding of Clear Wind Empire by Taizu, their army marched from northeast to northwest, sweeping across our six tribes' territories with just 200,000 cavalrymen. However, such armies are rare."
A second-rate army is one with a mediocre commander and an elite group of soldiers. Such armies often appear in empires that have been established for decades or in some historically prominent aristocratic families. Although their commanders are not particularly outstanding, due to the fact that their soldiers are truly elite, their quality is really high. Even if the commander's command is only average, they can still achieve victory relying on their own good qualities. They are brave and skilled in battle, regarding death as nothing, even when facing adversity, their final counterattack is enough to make everyone worried. A good fighter has no great achievements, even without an excellent commander, they are still a fierce and powerful force. Because in their hearts, there are things more important than life, those things are precious, so they are willing to use their lives to defend them. They have their own very firm beliefs. Just like this army, any army that has lost 30% of its strength will greatly lose morale, after losing half, no matter how the commander encourages them, they will lose the courage to fight to the death. But now they only have more than 4,000 people left, but still dare not fear death.
A third-rate army is an outstanding general and a group of mediocre soldiers. The Qingfeng decades ago was like this, the quality of these soldiers has long been far inferior to their predecessors, so as long as the commander's ability is slightly worse, their combat effectiveness cannot be guaranteed. Such an army, its soldiers can also be brave and good at fighting, and can also be called elite, but they have long lost the tragic courage of their predecessors who regarded death as home. If such an army falls into the hands of an excellent general, he can rely on his command art and personal charm to forge them into a steel lion. However, once the commander changes hands, their beliefs will be shaken.
Highly recommended books: "The Little Prince", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "1984", "Pride and Prejudice", "Jane Eyre", "Wuthering Heights", "Great Expectations"
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