Chapter 3361
Step by Step
...
When Ma Chao led his troops in a charge, he not only did not conceal his movements, but also amplified the effect of sound transmission.
Before directly attacking the Yuezhi camp, Ma Chao activated his legion talent, using his bow and arrows for ranged harassment, and even using fire arrows for further harassment.
It was already nighttime, and the information provided by the rocket perfectly exposed Ma Chao's army.
This will allow all the Yuezhi people to see Ma Chao's army, a cavalry force that is extremely fast and has a very quick reaction time.
The Yuezhi, who were well-prepared and had a large number of archers, launched a long-range counterattack and blocked the advance, forcing Ma Chao's army, which wanted to charge, to retreat in a split in front of the camp.
Instead of spinning around and charging as Barak had imagined, Ma Chao's army retreated directly into the distance and disappeared from everyone's sight. Even the shockwave from the cavalry charge gradually faded away.
"Is this a tactic to wear down the enemy?" Looking at Ma Chao's actions, Barak's initially relaxed expression instantly furrowed. "The Han army is probably doing this to further deplete our forces' energy, waiting until we are mentally exhausted before inflicting a heavy blow..."
“In that case, let a portion of the army go to sleep and prepare for a war of attrition. Anyway, our army is large and we are not afraid of this at all…” Gachori agreed with Barak’s words and offered a solution.
"Well, since that's the case, we'll have to proceed this way." Barak sighed softly and could only shake his head in the end.
Without cavalry, there was no way to launch a rapid pursuit. With the Han army forces blocked outside the effective range, they could only endure such harassment tactics.
Although a large number of troops were transferred, it was still quite difficult to mobilize a large cavalry corps in a short period of time.
In particular, the elite cavalry legions are basically only located near Peshawar, and even though the distance is not far, it takes time to move them over.
Regular transfers require procedures, and emergency transfers also require approval from above. It can take anywhere from one or two days to three to five days to reach his command.
Moreover, due to the special nature of war and the vast disparity in troop strength between the enemy and ourselves, even if we really wanted to transfer cavalry, it might not be possible to do so.
Putting those thoughts aside, Barak composed himself and began to plan the rotation schedule for his troops.
As the supreme commander, Barak himself possesses exceptional physical attributes and considerable strength; going without sleep for several days will not have any negative impact on him.
Whether the Han army can hold out for these few days is a question, so Barak doesn't need to sleep at all; he only needs to devote all his energy to the war.
"If our plan is correct, the Yuezhi, with their massive army, will surely take turns resting, and they will rest without fear of harassment." With no lights around, Cao Cao gazed calmly at the distant Yuezhi camp, saying, "Under this arrangement, even if the Yuezhi camp has 200,000 troops, our army will only face about 100,000. With our current strength, we are ready for a forceful assault."
With Cao Cao's explanation, the generals present all understood the significance of Cao Cao's actions.
Contrary to the common perception of harassment and attrition, Cao Cao took the opposite approach, paving the way for a subsequent powerful attack. By reducing his response force by half, he kept the ensuing battle within a reasonable range, which can be considered a remarkably effective tactical strategy.
This simple arrangement made everyone realize that Cao Cao, as the commander, was not only of noble status but also extremely powerful, especially in terms of tactical command, where his strength was terrifying.
The scene that unfolded after the harassment, followed by a full-scale attack on the Yuezhi camp, further cemented this impression in everyone's minds.
They launched a full-scale attack, directly dismantling the Yuezhi people's camp defenses, and then launched a strong assault on the interior.
Meanwhile, the rear guard of the Yuezhi people remained largely inactive, essentially dormant. Only the vanguard and central forces responded effectively and assembled efficiently.
With this level of mobilization, stopping them wouldn't be a big problem, but holding them back would be impossible.
It can be said that after the entire Han army was mobilized, Barak became the most conflicted person.
Theoretically speaking, if the entire Han army were to advance, there would be no possibility of exhausting the enemy. However, because they were cavalry, Barak dared not gamble on the possibility of such an outcome.
What if their strategy is still harassment?
Awakening all the soldiers who have fallen into a deep sleep will cause negative effects on the entire army due to the loss of physical strength and the depletion of morale.
Despite these negative consequences, Barak gritted his teeth and commanded 100,000 infantrymen in the vanguard and central armies to deal with the charging Han cavalry.
Thirty thousand elite cavalrymen faced one hundred thousand elite troops, and the battle was taking place at night. Neither side was confident of victory, but both launched their attacks with all their might.
After the battle had lasted for an hour or two, Barak, under pressure from his own army, finally woke up the sleeping soldiers, regrouped, strengthened the reserves, and prepared to notify the troops in the mountains on both sides to prepare for encirclement and interception.
As the rear guard moved, Cao Cao did not hesitate and immediately issued a signal to the cavalry to provide cross-cover and retreat in an orderly manner.
Seeing the Han army start to flee as soon as he woke up his troops, Barak's face turned ashen. But he had no other choice but to watch as the Han army left a portion of its troops to cover their retreat while the rest of the troops quickly left.
Faced with the Han army covering the rear, Barak remained silent for a while, but still chose to pursue with all his might.
"Notify the rear guard to take over from the vanguard and advance directly!" After careful consideration, Barak decided to seize the initiative on the battlefield in order to change the current situation.
We cannot confine our defenses to the area around the camp; we must rely on our own troops to advance along the Kabul River Valley, even if it's a step-by-step process, to force the Han cavalry back and compel them to re-enter the desert region. (End of Chapter)