Chapter 3363
Adapting to Local Conditions
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However, even though Vasudeva I had already made such plans, he eventually received relevant advice from Gachali and Barak at the front.
As he placed the suggestion on the table, Vasudeva I began to ponder, his face showing signs of hesitation and inner conflict.
The fighting strength that the Han army has shown so far, especially that of its cavalry, is indeed very strong. It is so strong that, with almost equal numbers of troops, the Han army would have little chance of countermeasures or means of countering them.
The royal family's elite cavalry was indeed very strong, perhaps comparable to the elite cavalry of the Han army. However, as an important force and pillar for stabilizing the country, Vasudeva I could not arbitrarily mobilize the royal family's elite troops.
It's not that they don't have the right, but rather that they can't be transferred arbitrarily in order to maintain their rule.
There were conflicts between the North and the South. As a member of the royal family and as emperor, Vasudeva I had to balance these conflicts and had the power to mediate or even forcibly stop them.
Without this force, Vasudeva I, no matter how skillful his political tactics, would be like a rootless duckweed when facing the North-South conflict again.
The fighting power displayed by the Han army can be described as terrifying. Even if the elite royal cavalry were thrown into the fray, they would not necessarily emerge unscathed; in fact, they would most likely suffer heavy losses.
Therefore, Vasudeva I was unable to respond immediately to the sound advice offered by Barak and Gachali.
Seeing that Vasudeva I had been thinking for so long, Zhuhelai knew how troublesome this matter was.
Are there any problems with the suggestions made by Barak and Gachali?
No problem. Even from the perspective of the southern Brahmins, Barak and Kachali's proposal is acceptable.
The Han army launched a large-scale attack on the Kabul River Valley region, capturing a considerable amount of land, and even taking over the entire area north of the Kabul River Valley desert, greatly extending the logistical line.
In this situation, the Han army was under tremendous logistical pressure and had not yet established a firm foothold. If they were to launch an offensive, they would only need to maintain a logistical line along hundreds of miles of desert to launch an attack on the Han army with superior forces. There was a high probability that they would defeat the Han army and even drive them out of the Kabul River Valley region, returning them to the state they were in at the beginning of the war.
At that time, the Yuezhi people of the entire Kabul Valley could establish a sufficient and comprehensive defensive line in depth, completely blocking the Han Empire's army in the north, ensuring the safety of the entire Khyber Pass fortress, and also ensuring the safety of Peshawar.
To achieve this, sufficient logistical support is required to sustain a large army.
Under normal circumstances, logistics over hundreds of miles, even in desert areas, would not be a problem for the Kushan Empire.
The Ganges Plain can provide enough grain to disregard the loss of grain along the way, since this place is too suitable for growing grain; you can just throw the seeds down and harvest grain.
But that's just the normal scenario. To drive the Han army out of the Kabul Valley, a massive army would be needed, including a significant number of cavalry units. Combined with hundreds of miles of desert, the amount of food required would be astronomical. The food losses from 100,000 troops would be different from those from 200,000 troops.
Although the number of troops only doubled, the food losses were far more than just doubled.
If it were just an infantry army of 100,000, there would be no need to draw food from other places. It would only be necessary to coordinate with the surrounding areas of Peshawar to ensure the food supply for this part, even if it meant sacrificing resources in the desert region.
But if it's 200,000, it means that grain needs to be drawn from more distant areas, which means more losses during the journey and greater grain consumption.
Moreover, could an army of 200,000 really drive the Han army out of the Kabul Valley region?
Judging from the combat effectiveness shown by the Han army, it would probably take more than 50,000 cavalry and 300,000 infantry to defeat the enemy with overwhelming force.
The food losses caused by this massive army did not just require drawing food from the area around Peshawar; it necessitated further supplies from the southern Brahman region of Banglo to meet this portion of the food needs.
"Your Majesty need not worry too much about this. Barak and Gachali's ideas are not wrong, but they have forgotten one thing. Based on this alone, our army would not have needed to pay such a huge price to forcibly expel the Han troops in that area." After reviewing the past records of the Kabul Valley, Zhuhelai said calmly.
"Oh? I wonder which point?" Upon hearing this, Vasudeva I became interested instantly, and his eyes showed satisfaction as he looked at Zhuhelai.
“The Han army has concentrated its elite troops to invade from the direction of the Kabul River Valley, which is thousands of miles away. Our army will have difficulty in supplying supplies, but do you think the other side can supply them so easily? Moreover, they have such a large number of cavalry, and their food consumption will only be greater than ours. The army they can maintain is only a temporary force. If we attack now, it will probably play right into the hands of the Han army…” Zhuhelai, who was completely unaware that the Kabul River Valley could be used for irrigation and achieve food self-sufficiency, provided Vasudeva I with a direction and choice from the most realistic perspective.
Upon hearing this explanation, Vasudeva I immediately gestured to the attendant beside him to bring over the corresponding area.
Then, looking at the huge parchment map, Vasudeva I gestured with his hand to indicate the distance above, a smile beginning to appear on his lips, which then turned into a soft laugh.
"As expected of Zhuhelai." Vasudeva I, having ascertained the actual distance, murmured his praise.
There was no food supply in the Kabul River Valley region. The only food supply available was the temporary food supply from the Yuezhi military camps. Although this food supply was considerable, how long could it last to support such a large Han army?
Without these grains, how long could the Han army, which was thousands of miles away, sustain its supply?
If the Han army can hold out for this period, it will have to drastically reduce its forces if it wants to stay. At that time, with the enemy forces weakened, they will not need to commit too many troops to drive the Han army out of the Kabul River Valley.
With an army of three to four hundred thousand men and such a long logistical line, even the Kushan Empire, with its abundant food supplies, would find it difficult to cope.
After all, the Brahmins in the south were still maintaining a large army and providing a huge amount of food for logistics.
However, if the army is reduced to less than 150,000, and some food is managed, Peshawar can provide it internally.
"In that case, let's prepare the food supplies in advance. Having tens of thousands more troops will be more secure." Relieved, Vasudeva I looked at Zhuhelai and made his arrangements. (End of Chapter)