Chapter 3359
Achieving Absolute Victory in the War
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"Commander Barak, yes, I'm back." Seeing Barak in front of her, Gachali knew that she had returned to a safe zone and no longer had to take on high risks.
However, this act of entering the safe zone did not bring peace to Gachali's heart.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Gachel still found it hard to accept the outcome.
With nearly 200,000 troops, facing the onslaught of the Han army, the time they could hold out was far shorter than they had imagined.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Barak could understand Gachori's feelings and thoughts at this moment. He sighed softly and then began to comfort Gachori, helping him to relax as much as possible and return to the mindset a commander should have.
Although a five-level command system was established, it was never used to fight against a stronger opponent. The actual effectiveness can only be estimated.
With Gachali here, Barak felt much more at ease.
If the existing system is unable to withstand the advance of the Han army, then the defensive forces in this area should be transformed into a dual command system, with cross-cutting defenses between them, which will also allow for the command of more troops to launch attacks.
After a short rest, Gachali's mentality gradually recovered, and he regained the thinking and judgment that he should have had.
In particular, the information relayed back by the frontline scouts allowed both sides to make a general assessment of the intelligence.
"Thirty thousand cavalry?" Looking at this intelligence report, Gacholi nodded slightly, explaining with a more relaxed tone, "Compared to the previous offensive, the Han army's attacking force is now much smaller..."
Compared to the Han army forces they faced before, the Han army forces they faced now were almost half the size.
The defensive forces on their side are not only more numerous than before, but also more elite, more well-organized, and better prepared in advance.
"Is the number much less?" Barak murmured softly, which was barely considered good news. Finally, he frowned slightly and said, "But the Han army is mainly composed of cavalry, and their mobility is just too high."
“The Han army’s cavalry is very strong. Even if they are few in number, we cannot be careless. As for the issue of mobility, as long as we can hold the Kabul River Valley, they will not be able to cross the Khyber Pass.” Gacholi looked at the distant mountain peaks on both sides and then at the valley area in front of him. He was not too worried.
This area in front of us, while not exactly impregnable, is certainly advantageous terrain against cavalry.
There was only one wide road, making it impossible to flank from behind, and under the dense defense of the army, it was also difficult to force a breakthrough.
When one's own army has a sufficient number of troops, this advantage can be fully utilized.
"Since the Han army's cavalry is like this, should we try to defeat or annihilate this cavalry force..." After thinking about his elite infantry and looking at the current terrain, Barak pondered carefully and seriously considered the feasibility of this idea.
The relatively steep mountains can effectively hinder the advance of cavalry, but they will not stop the advance of soldiers. If one's own large infantry force can flank the enemy by passing through the mountains on both sides, set up camp in advance, and then wait for the enemy to appear before encircling them, it is not impossible to annihilate and defeat the enemy if one's strength is sufficient.
"Are there troops capable of traversing mountains and valleys and stopping the enemy's advance?" After careful consideration, Gacholi then spoke, "We do have quite a few such troops here, and some strong armies capable of traversing mountains and valleys. However, to stop the retreat of the Han Empire's cavalry, the number of troops must be substantial, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain. But if we send out too many..."
Although he hadn't finished speaking, Barak understood the meaning behind Gachori's words.
Send out a large number of elite infantry to flank the enemy and then try to annihilate them there.
If they succeed, that would be a great achievement. But if the Han army chooses to force a breakthrough and succeeds, things will become complicated.
Even if they manage to break through to the northwest, it won't pose a significant problem for anyone present.
The worst-case scenario is that the Han army will not retreat but instead choose to advance and break through towards the Khyber Pass fortress, which would easily lead to problems.
The Kabul River Valley is indeed not wide, but it is definitely not narrow either.
To block the entire valley with a dense formation and to have sufficient depth to ignore cavalry incursions, an army of over 100,000 would be required.
If the situation is the same on both sides, even Barak would have to be cautious about the number of troops that need to be deployed.
Moreover, it is very difficult to completely conceal such a large-scale military deployment and operation, evade the Han army's whereabouts, and launch the most fatal attack.
“So now that things have come to this, the best approach is to remain calm and wait for the right moment. We should block them at the exit of the Kabul River Valley and prevent them from advancing any further. Only in this way can both of us be safe.” After much deliberation, Gacholi chose a relatively cautious approach instead of a more aggressive charge.
Although he didn't know the true situation of the Han army, judging from Barak's behavior and judgment, Gaqueri felt that there was no need to take a gamble.
“Alright, then we’ll deploy several legions on each side of the mountain range to better deter the Kabul Valley region and make the Han cavalry more wary.” Barak thought about it carefully, realized his purpose, and then confirmed the corresponding war plan.
His goal was to stop the Han army from advancing, or even to repel them, rather than to fight with the intention of completely annihilating them. Therefore, there would be no problem in deploying infantry troops in the mountains on both sides.
Even if he couldn't restrain his aura and launch a fatal attack from the shadows, just staying in that place would still have a deterrent effect on the Han army.
Be careful of your flanks and your rear, especially in large-scale battles. If you are attacked by troops from these directions without prior preparation, it can be quite deadly.
Under such a deterrent, it would be exactly what he wanted if the Han army were to act cautiously and on guard.
By delaying the Han army and continuing to coordinate the troops north of the Khyber Pass, they can then arrive and return to their posts as quickly as possible, creating an absolute numerical advantage. This quantitative change will lead to a qualitative leap, ultimately resulting in absolute victory in the war. (End of Chapter)