Chapter 3362
Immense Logistical Pressure
...
The sheer size of the army naturally brought a high degree of leeway for error, and Barak, who commanded the rear guard to advance further, displayed considerable composure and confidence.
The Yuezhi people, who received the orders, also had a general understanding of the war situation at the beginning of the war.
With this basic understanding, no Yuezhi person would doubt the outcome of this war.
After all, with ten times the enemy's troop strength, how could we possibly lose?
Ten against one, how could they not win? Especially since it's 300,000 against 30,000!
The sheer size of the army and the vast disparity in strength resulted in a very low morale among the soldiers. As a result, even though Cao Cao relied on his tactics to lead his army to achieve a remarkable initial victory, he still failed to break through the defenses of the Yuezhi camp.
Faced with the Yuezhi's tactic of rotating their rear guard to the front, Cao Cao could only sigh and order his army to retreat according to the established plan.
After this attack, Cao Cao understood Barak's character and general methods, and also gained a clearer understanding of his abilities.
Having realized this, Cao Cao understood that for the next few years, their focus would likely have to be on the development, management, and construction of the Kabul Valley.
With a large army, a geographical advantage, and a cautious and capable nature, it's nothing short of a pipe dream for a guy to try and break through the enemy's defensive positions and fortresses.
"Now that things have come to this, it has drawn the enemy's attention. In this way, the entire Yuezhi people in the north will likely turn their attention here..." Cao Cao looked back at the Yuezhi people in the distance and had a rough estimate in his mind.
Throughout the Kushan Empire, the Yuezhi people were essentially the main force in terms of military strength, providing nearly 60% of the empire's military power.
When this group of people focuses their attention on the north, the pressure faced by the south will naturally be much less.
If the Yuezhi people did not focus their efforts on the south and did not provide timely support to the south, then Guan Yu, who was fighting in the south, would have had many more plans and strategies to implement.
A Brahmin with support and a Brahmin without support are two completely different concepts.
Although there are sharp conflicts between the northern and southern factions within the Kushan Empire, they may still unite when certain bottom-line issues are involved.
As an opponent, you must plan for the worst-case scenario, even if the probability of that scenario is not high.
However, if a commander-in-chief, who holds the lives and deaths of hundreds of thousands of troops in his hands, does not even consider this aspect, it is no different from treating human life as worthless.
Every decision and every order comes at a price. As a commander, your job is to achieve the most with the least cost.
It can be said that Cao Cao's actions further reduced this possibility, allowing the Yuezhi people within the Kushan Empire to lower their bottom line and refuse the Brahmins with reasonable grounds.
When two bottom lines are violated, and you can only choose one, you should naturally choose the one that you can or are willing to accept.
Given the choice between supporting the Brahmins and guarding the Khyber Pass fortress, which would a normal Yuezhi person choose?
Faced with this choice, even the Kushan Empire's royal family, the so-called Emperor Vasudeva I, had to hesitate when the Brahmins were in trouble.
After all, if a Brahmin were to face a predicament and were truly going to die, he wouldn't die immediately. However, if the Khyber Pass fortress were threatened, Peshawar could very well die suddenly. Without Peshawar, without the capital, it's hard to say whether Vasudeva I would die.
Whether it was due to subjective will or objective reality, Cao Cao's actions did indeed provoke the Yuezhi people within the Kushan Empire, and even included Vasudeva I.
As the emperor of the Kushan Empire, Vasudeva I, upon learning of the Han army's invasion and their advance from the Kabul River Valley, naturally paid close attention to the situation at the Khyber Pass fortress.
Whenever things go wrong, Vasudeva I would naturally have to think about his escape route or remedial measures.
Whether it's commanding the royal elite troops to support the Khyber Pass fortress, or preparing for the possibility of the fortress falling and Peshawar being attacked, all decisions and choices need to be made based on actual intelligence.
Peshawar is only a few dozen miles from the fortress, or to put it bluntly, a day's journey.
If the fortress is breached and captured by the Han army, the Han army can reach Peshawar within a day. If the Han army's combat strength is exceptionally high and its own deployment is not timely, the Han army may have just emerged from the fortress in the morning, and by evening his head could be hanging above the city gate.
Or perhaps the Han army set off from the fortress at night, he simply took a nap, and then his head was hanging above the city gate.
Even if the possibility is extremely low, its very existence will naturally make people feel threatened and create a sense of unease.
As an emperor, Vasudeva I naturally did not want to face such a threat.
In theory, as long as one stays away from Peshawar, there is no need to worry about this threat, but as an emperor, how could he leave the capital at will?
Therefore, the actual battle situation from the front lines is of utmost importance.
The information needed to be accurate and transmitted as quickly as possible, so that even before the war was over, Vasudeva I could receive the actual situation of the war.
What would take the army a day to cover, Vasudeva I received intelligence that would only take an hour.
This speed and relatively high frequency of intelligence gathering also indicate Vasudeva I's attention and emphasis on this aspect, which naturally puts great pressure on the frontline generals.
Fortunately, the two commanders, Barak and Gachori, were not only powerful but also deeply trusted by Vasudeva I. Therefore, in the face of this situation, Vasudeva I did not make any substantial command interventions or micromanagements, allowing Gachori and Barak to effectively command and ensure the safety of the Khyber Pass fortress.
When Barak led his army to push Cao Cao's cavalry out of the Kabul region and began to garrison troops and build defensive facilities in the Kabul region to guard against the Han army forces in the north, Vasudeva I was finally able to relax completely.
This series of arrangements and deployments means that the subsequent war in the Kabul region, whether offensive or defensive, will enter a stalemate.
After just a quick glance at the terrain of the region, Vasudeva I understood that whichever side launched the attack would face enormous logistical pressure.
Crossing hundreds of miles of desert is no easy feat. (End of Chapter)