Chapter 3357
Guarantee
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Meanwhile, Cao Cao, who was advancing from the north to the south, was also leading his army southward.
However, this military attack was different from the previous ones; the objective of the operation was completely different.
The previous rapid, lightly armed raid was intended to drive the Yuezhi army out of the Kabul River Valley region, weaken their manpower as much as possible, and attempt to occupy the area.
The purpose of this attack was quite simple: to attack the Khyber Pass fortress and draw the attention of the Yuezhi people.
If this is the objective, then naturally the corresponding military forces and military spending will also change.
Instead of launching another full-scale attack, Cao Cao left most of his troops behind to defend the Kabul River Valley region, which he had already conquered. He then led 20,000 to 30,000 cavalrymen, with ample food supplies, to cross hundreds of miles of desert and directly attack the Kabul River Valley region to intimidate the Yuezhi people at the Khyber Pass.
After leading his army across the desert, Cao Cao looked back at the desert behind him and frowned slightly.
Mao Jie, who accompanied them all the way, also remarked with emotion, "The best area in the Kabul Valley is the Kabul region. It has the largest area, the most suitable terrain, and the land is suitable for planting, but the distance is just too far."
"Yes, it's too far." Cao Cao, who also sighed, instantly understood what Mao Jie meant and why this road was so difficult.
The attack went quite smoothly on this journey, but that doesn't mean it will be so smooth in the future.
Even with their considerable military strength, it would be difficult for them to occupy the Kabul region.
Without establishing a forward base, it would take more than a year to occupy the Kabul region and barely achieve self-sufficiency.
Although they advanced triumphantly, conquering many Yuezhi camps and acquiring a considerable amount of food, this food supply was simply not enough to sustain Cao Cao's army for even a year.
If we can't hold out for that long, and if we want to force a defense, we'll have to coordinate food supplies from the rear.
How far away is the grain supply?
One was in the Pamir Mountains region, and the other was in one of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions. The distance between them was basically thousands or even two thousand miles. Resupplying food over such a distance was practically tantamount to suicide.
Supplying small armies is not a problem, but supplying large armies is basically a pipe dream.
However, a small army simply could not hold the Kabul region, especially after fighting against the Yuezhi army, Cao Cao had a clear understanding of this.
Only a large army could stand up to the Yuezhi and avoid being driven out.
Unfortunately, their food supply couldn't achieve this. Even though they didn't lack this portion of food, the journey was too long, and they simply didn't have enough manpower to transport so much food.
Transporting goods over such a distance, especially in desert regions, is considered relatively efficient if two out of ten bushels of grain are received. To actually sustain a large army for a year would be a gamble.
Knowing he couldn't afford to gamble, Cao Cao was well aware that if he bypassed the Kabul region this time, it wouldn't be as easy to come back next time.
Having learned their lesson, the Yuezhi people couldn't possibly be unprepared in this regard. Once they were on guard, the battles in the Kabul Valley would have to rely solely on brute force. If it were just a matter of unleashing a burst of brute force, Cao Cao wouldn't be afraid, nor would he consider it too much.
However, the resilience of the Yuezhi people, as well as their large army and deep reserves, forced Cao Cao to be more cautious.
Once your elite troops have been wiped out, replenishing them becomes extremely difficult.
In contrast, the Yuezhi people could quickly regroup their troops even if they were wiped out.
The different populations and forces on both sides created different war backgrounds, which ultimately influenced their different war tactics.
If Cao Cao had as many Han Chinese under his command as the Yuezhi, he could make the Yuezhi understand what it meant to be a son of the Han people.
Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of background, so I can only keep thinking about it in my heart.
"Given the amount of food our army is carrying, and after deducting the amount needed for the return journey through the desert, our army can only stay here for three days..." After looking at the logistical loads on the horses and making a simple estimate, Mao Jie gave a relatively safe timeframe.
"Three days?" Upon hearing this, Cao Cao nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.
"Such a desert has its pros and cons." Seeing that Cao Cao was not in a good mood, Mao Jie thought for a moment and then said a relatively good piece of news to comfort Cao Cao at this moment, "If cavalry is already in such a state, then infantry will lose almost half of their food supplies when crossing this desert. This is the case for our army, and it is also the case for the enemy army."
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun, who was standing nearby, immediately nodded in agreement, his eyes lighting up.
When launching an attack, this hundreds of miles of desert region is indeed an insurmountable terrain obstacle, but if it is for building an advance base, then time is needed.
The time available for construction was during the period when the Yuezhi were under threat.
With this desert as a barrier, even if the Yuezhi wanted to reclaim the Kabul Valley, the number of troops they could deploy would ultimately be limited by the availability of food, and the actual number of troops they could actually deploy would not exceed their capacity.
Even if the Yuezhi people launched continuous attacks regardless of the cost, this desert region would be able to stop their advance at a very low cost.
From a defensive perspective, this desert region along the way is more advantageous than disadvantageous, and for Cao Cao's forces at present, it is a blessing from heaven.
Whether there are better opportunities for advancement is unclear to everyone, but the current situation clearly provides a safety net.
With this safety net in place, even in the worst-case scenario, everyone can still obtain a decent benefit instead of ending up with nothing.
The area they occupied along the way was roughly the same size as the area they had occupied in the Han Empire in the past.
Compared to the complex internal workings of the Han Empire, the people under Cao Cao's command at this time were relatively more homogenous.
At least in terms of dividing the spoils, it's not as complicated as it is domestically. (End of Chapter)