Chapter 3358
Mutual Preparation
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Self-interest can move people's hearts; this has always been the case.
This aspect becomes even more important, especially after moving abroad.
Even Cao Cao had to consider the distribution of internal interests. Of course, before distributing the interests, the pie needed to be made bigger so that the vested interests could have more benefits.
Therefore, this southward march was not only something Cao Cao was willing to do, but also something his followers were willing to do.
Every piece of land that is visible to the naked eye, and every region that is difficult to reach even by galloping on horseback, contains immense value.
What aristocratic families value most are knowledge, land, and the corresponding inheritance.
Knowledge and its inheritance can be handled by established families themselves, so the benefits they can share are basically limited to land.
Within the Han Empire, attempting to annex land and expand the scope of private land ownership was an extremely risky endeavor.
This behavior is illegal in itself; it is merely disguised as legal by relying on a powerful family and influence, and by leveraging connections and resources.
As long as the power within a family exists, so does its legitimacy. Conversely, when the family's power disappears, this facade of legitimacy collapses, becoming a significant threat to the family and further exacerbating its decline, causing it to slide into the abyss at an even faster pace.
But things are completely different abroad.
True legal privatization of land, as long as it exists, cannot be considered illegal.
Naturally, there's no need to worry about the survival of the family for the sake of temporary gains or losses in power.
Even if they lose power, they can still ensure the continuation of their family line by relying on marriage alliances and compromises, which are the strengths of aristocratic families.
Only by leaving the Han Empire and coming to this outside world can one truly see what it means to have a vast sky and a boundless sea, and what a wonderful new world is.
It can be said that the enormous benefits that can be obtained outside the empire are enough to blind many people, preventing them from seeing the dangers involved and causing them to make irrational actions and choices.
However, at Cao Cao's level, one is able to perceive the risks involved and make sufficiently cautious and correct decisions.
Under normal circumstances, their food reserves, after deducting the food consumed during the desert march, would only last for three days.
However, these three days are not absolute and can be affected by external factors.
The impact of the subsequent war will be even more deadly and risky.
If they were not at a disadvantage during the war and their food supplies were not damaged, they would have had more than just three days' worth of food left, because the soldiers who had been killed could not continue to use the food.
However, if they are at a disadvantage in the ensuing war and lose a large amount of food reserves, then they must be prepared for the possibility of being completely annihilated.
Without sufficient food and water, crossing the hundreds of miles of desert behind them would be a deadly task.
A few high-ranking officers need not worry too much, as they can at least fly back. However, from a holistic perspective, Cao Cao cannot allow such a thing to happen to his subordinates.
Cao Cao's core forces must be solidified, especially the troops that launched this attack, which can be considered his core army. Although the number of troops was not large, they consisted almost entirely of cavalry, with virtually no infantry. They were essentially the core mobile forces that Cao Cao could mobilize.
If this force suffers heavy casualties, then needless to say, Cao Cao will have no elite mobile forces left for at least one or two years, or at most several years.
The cavalry units under the command of Ma Chao, Pang De, Cao Chun, Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, and Zhang Xiu constituted Cao Cao's core mobile forces.
With three family members and three outsiders, and the outsiders further divided into two factions, the situation is quite stable in terms of both military strength and internal balance.
This way, you won't lose your voice, and outsiders won't think you have no chance to strive; there's still a possibility of success through hard work.
Cao Cao and his men, emerging from the desert, entered the range of Barak's scouts' sights after their army appeared, and then transmitted the intelligence back as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Gachori, who was also commanding troops to intercept at the front, successfully broke away from the front-line command unit under the protection of Serona and others, and returned to Barak Camp at the fastest speed.
Looking at Gachari brought back by Zerona and the others, Barak already understood the true extent of the battle's success at the front.
Under normal circumstances, a commander-in-chief would never abandon his troops and retreat with only a handful of men.
If this situation occurs, it only indicates the actual situation on the battlefield, which can only be described as extremely bad.
However, Barak was somewhat prepared for this terrible situation.
On the one hand, the Han Empire's army was indeed very strong and seized the opportunity quite well, launching an attack decisively when its own army had a major weakness.
On the other hand, the preparations of our own troops were indeed not good, and could even be described as very poor.
After the commanders in the front-line areas led their troops away, the vacuum left behind became a deadly zone.
However, Barak had no good way to avoid the problem of leaving a defensive vacuum after directly withdrawing the army.
Ultimately, the defense of these areas relies on people and the military.
Without corresponding generals and troops, these areas are destined to be empty and unable to assume the corresponding defensive responsibilities.
So after much deliberation, Barak could only put aside this existing hidden danger and then report the problem back to Peshawar, entrusting it to Emperor Vasudeva I to resolve.
As for what he needs to do next, it is to defend the Khyber Pass fortress and do what a fortress commander should do.
"Commander Gachori, it's wonderful that you're back." Barak said sincerely, even with a hint of relief, as he looked at Gachori who had returned, without a trace of complaint.
In that crisis, it was truly remarkable that Gachali, as a member of the royal family, was able to step forward.
As for their battle record, Barak didn't care at all. In that kind of crisis, no matter who came, the situation wouldn't be much better than that of Gachali. At most, it would just delay things for a longer time.
Having already completed some defensive preparations during this period, Barak naturally wouldn't blame Gachali; instead, he was filled with gratitude.
It was precisely because of the time Gachali bought them that Barak had the opportunity to set up the corresponding defensive system; otherwise, if he had hastily engaged in battle, who knows what the Khyber Pass would have become? (End of Chapter)