Chapter 3365
Perhaps
...
Not only does Foward possess exceptional tactical judgment and battlefield command skills, but he also has a remarkably sharp mind.
They naturally knew that blindly expanding the army was a bad thing, as it could easily affect their superiors' judgment and perception of them.
Therefore, in terms of the size of the army, Fuwod maintained a relatively stable size, trying his best not to provoke Vasudeva I.
However, due to the unique nature of the Desert Elite Cavalry, Fowold had to prepare a large number of camels to maintain the army's replenishment.
However, this part of the camels cannot rely entirely on supplies from the rear, because if they do, the rear can easily calculate the actual number of camels under their command, which is not a good thing.
Whether to conceal the true number of reserve camels or to alleviate the pressure on camels at the front, Fuwode also sent many members of the Yuezhi family to participate in the Silk Road trade, taking advantage of the northern Silk Road.
They already had some knowledge of Central Asia, both its people and its goods. In addition, they had elite desert cavalry. These merchants from within the Yuezhi region made a fortune, even though the Han Empire did not explicitly prohibit them.
It not only boosted trade along the Silk Road, but also provided a livelihood for a large number of camels.
Even though these camels differ from military camels due to the long hours they carry heavy loads and travel long distances, they are still camels after all.
With these camels, it's natural to form a camel cavalry and further expand the scale, which can be achieved in a short period of time.
As for a longer period of time, the only option would be to further expand the camel fleet, thereby increasing the size of the camel cavalry.
"How many more camels should we add?" Zasali, who was also thinking about the future, looked at Fuward and asked directly.
How many camels are needed and how many reserve soldiers to prepare are decisions that Foward alone can make, but ultimately he must consider the realities of the situation and cannot expand recklessly and without restraint.
If that were to be done, the logistics in the north simply wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Let's expand by another 20,000 or 30,000, at least enough to make 50,000 camel cavalry. In that case, our army will have a better chance of winning against the massive Xiliang cavalry..." After careful consideration, Fuward said a number that sent chills down Zasali's spine, recalling the Xiliang cavalry stationed in the Pamir Mountains.
"Even if we really expand to 50,000 men, it's still a question worth considering whether our army can defeat those Xiliang cavalry." Seeing the joy in Zasali's eyes, Fuward thought for a moment and decided to keep his words cold, as if splashing cold water on the other party to calm him down.
Based on his understanding of his own army's combat capabilities, Foward knew very well that his camel cavalry, especially the elite ones, were in no way inferior to their opponents, and were even more outstanding on the desert.
However, not all of his own cavalrymen were capable of such a level, so when faced with the massive Xiliang cavalry from the north, Fuward truly didn't know where to begin.
Once that group of cavalrymen, who were completely unethical, spotted them, they would use overwhelming numbers to try to annihilate them.
If it weren't for the two talents of the camel cavalry—one being the ability to share resources, ensuring sustained combat effectiveness and survivability, and the other being the speed that guarantees mobility—they would have truly been killed by the enemy. Even with these two talents, the camel cavalry's movement speed wasn't particularly fast, but for some reason, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry's movement speed was also slow, even much slower than theirs.
"If only we could lure them into the desert, we could bury them there, even if it meant dragging them out," Zasali said with a hint of wishful thinking.
"The commander of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry is also a very intelligent and capable leader. It's good enough that he didn't fall for their tricks, let alone expect them to." Fuward rolled his eyes at Zasali and said speechlessly.
They've done this before: they created an opening for the Han army to lure them into pursuit.
As a result, the Han army took the bait and then mocked them, infuriating them.
After several rounds of back and forth, Foward had completely given up hope of using trickery to outmaneuver this army.
In addition, given the unique terrain south of the Pamir Mountains, the only way to defeat this Xiliang cavalry is through sheer brute force, by defeating them head-on.
However, the difficulty of defeating and crushing a large number of Xiliang cavalry in a head-on confrontation is self-evident.
This is one of the reasons why Fowold stayed south of the Pamir Mountains for so long but failed to penetrate the Pamir region.
Moving back and forth between the desert and the grassland can achieve a decent casualty ratio and even train the army. If the entire army were to be pushed into the grassland, they would really be asking for trouble.
In fact, the schemes of Foward and others were quite effective. Whether it was Li Jue, Guo Si, Fan Chou, or Wan Peng, they were all easily outmaneuvered and easily deceived.
Fortunately, Jia Kui was still in the Pamir Mountains region. Even though he was nominally in charge of internal affairs, he naturally gained the recognition of Li Jue and others after a period of time.
Since Li Jue and others recognized Jia Kui's wisdom, they naturally listened to some reasonable analyses and explanations.
With Jia Kui's help, it was naturally impossible for Foward to outwit the almost brainless Li Jue and his group.
When intrigue and trickery cease to be effective, and victory in war can only be achieved through direct confrontation, then Vygotsky will be unable to secure the victory that Vasudeva I deserves.
“There are indeed experts among the enemy’s army, but according to His Majesty’s orders, we don’t need to continue engaging them. We just need to return the way we came, pass through the desert, and finally attack the Han army inside the Kabul River Valley region, driving them away as much as possible.” Zasali, who had already acknowledged the current situation, looked at the sheepskin in his hand and described the latter half of what was written on it, which was their next task.
"Expel the Han troops from inside the Kabul Valley?" Fuward gestured to a soldier beside him to take out a sheepskin map from his horsehide. Looking at the information marked on the map, he immediately pointed to the heart of the Kabul Valley.
"Should we attack their flank from the abdomen? If we can successfully cut off and block the retreat of the Han army, we can annihilate them. But if..." After considering the pros and cons of this operation, Zasali still explained cautiously.
The best way is naturally to annihilate the Han army, but annihilating the Han army requires strength, and do they have that strength?
Perhaps... (End of Chapter)