Chapter 3356
The Best Defense
...
Their discussion quickly led to a result, a result that was neither unexpected nor agreed upon by either of them.
That is, to force the Han Empire to marry a princess by force, which was basically impossible for the Han Empire at that time.
Conversely, the probability of succeeding in marrying the princess through other means or by using clever tricks is actually more normal.
Following this line of thought and idea, Mahinda understood Tinoika's so-called advice and ideas.
"But the Han general north of the Khyber Pass is Cao Cao, a very famous general in the Han Empire. He is also a very capable general with a very strong force under his command. In the Han Empire, he should be considered a warlord..." Tinoika, who was sitting down, calmly looked at Masinde and described the situation north of the Khyber Pass.
The situation at the Khyber Pass at this point in time is complex, especially after Arvind left, making the situation even more unpredictable.
"So, without the interference or influence of other factors, the Khyber Pass is most likely already embroiled in war. Cao Cao, the commander of the Han Empire, and the general of the Yuezhi in the north have probably already clashed. As for the specific outcome, we will soon be able to find out." Tinoika turned his head to look at the west, his words not filled with much nostalgia, but simply describing a very normal thing, something that had already happened.
“It’s too late to stop it now, isn’t it?” Although he was a Saipanese, Mahinda was in no way inferior to the Yuezhi people themselves in terms of how he treated them, and perhaps even more so.
At its peak, nearly half of the officers and soldiers in the entire north were people personally discovered and trained by Mahinda.
These people are highly capable and have excellent aptitude. The strength they can demonstrate under the current circumstances is enough to make them the backbone of the nation.
It can be said that the Yuezhi, with this group of people, reached the peak of their military strength, capable of not only dealing with the Parthian Empire in the north, but also suppressing the Brahmins in the south.
The only drawback is that too many talented people have been discovered, and there simply aren't enough positions available within the entire Yuezhi system. This has led to internal strife, especially when political struggles occur, which can have even more dangerous consequences.
“It is indeed beyond our power to stop it, especially since it is an impossible thing for us.” Tinoika nodded slightly, looked at Mahinda seriously, thought for a long time, and firmly rejected the idea.
If this had happened a decade or two ago, before Mahinda was affected by political struggles and withdrew from the military stage in the north, he might still have had such prestige, and so many people would have been influenced, thus leading to intervention in the war north of the Khyber Pass.
However, now that he has lost the generals who supported him and has also withdrawn from the political stage, Mahinda naturally no longer has that power.
As a successor to the younger generation, Tinoika, compared to Masind, lacked the ability to discover and mentor talent, so much so that among the younger generation of officers, he was merely considered a relatively clever fellow.
This level of wisdom might be believable, but it can never guide the masses, much less inspire absolute trust in so many people, especially when it comes to life's journey and choices, in which case it becomes even more difficult to influence them.
“Indeed, our era may have already passed…” Mahind shook his head in unison, a hint of regret in his voice. The magnificent past was now just a distant memory for them.
At this time, the situation at the Khyber Pass was much as Masind and Tinoika had imagined.
Under Barak's all-out coordination, the remaining officers and front-line corps quickly assembled their troops and were dispatched to designated positions to prepare for the defense of the Khyber Pass fortress.
Even if Cabech and others are not present, there are still deputy generals in the legion who can command and mobilize the troops when the legion commander is not in the presence of the commander.
Although the command and troop deployment were slower, they still arrived at their designated positions and made defensive preparations in about the same amount of time.
So much so that even though Barak sensed something was wrong, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was amiss.
As for the issue of the army's slightly slow assembly speed, there are too many ways to explain it. With a formidable enemy at hand, in order to ensure the safety of the Khyber Pass fortress, Barak did not dare to conduct a large-scale investigation of his legions, lest it affect the command and prestige of his generals.
To shake the morale of one's own army at this time would only affect the army's combat effectiveness, thereby impacting the defensive capabilities of the Khyber Pass fortress.
Regardless of any previous problems, Barak was absolutely going all out in defending the Khyber Pass fortress.
In order to achieve this goal, some minor, non-critical problems can be set aside.
No accountability, no condemnation, no questioning; the soldiers under his command only need to carry out orders. As for subsequent inquiries and condemnations, those will only be done after the Khyber Pass fortress is no longer a threat.
“Press the army further forward to form a deep defensive line, penetrating into the Kabul River Valley region. This will provide greater operational space for the Khyber Pass fortress and buy more time.” Standing in the Kabul River Valley region, Barak glanced at the valley area in front of him and then at the Khyber Pass fortress in the distance behind him. Without hesitation, he decided to place the defensive line north of the fortress, rather than actually relying on the fortress for defense.
As long as the fortress remains intact, the soldiers will retain their fighting spirit and courage, and they will have the support of the rear fortress. They will also not face pressure from within Peshawar.
If you really rely on fortresses for defense, the pressure they create will constantly suppress the morale of the soldiers and slowly wear them down. At that point, there's no point in talking about combat effectiveness.
Therefore, the best way to defend a fortress is always to fight outside the fortress, rather than relying on the fortress itself to fight.
If possible, Barak naturally hoped to block the Han army within the Kabul River Valley region; if that wasn't possible, he would have no choice but to lead his troops to form a defensive formation with their backs to the fortress and fight outside the fortress. (End of Chapter)