Chapter 3367
Negligence
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Although the Yuezhi people had a million soldiers stationed in the northern mountains and had numerous military camps, they were theoretically not lacking in elite troops.
However, Barak, who was in charge of the Khyber Pass fortress, was well aware that the Yuezhi people were actually lacking in elite troops, especially in the number of mid-level officers and generals, which was significantly short.
Soldiers are soldiers, and officers are officers; the difference between them is quite obvious.
This would require a war of attrition against the elite forces of the Han Empire. Barak knew the upper limit of the costs he could bear, but he was unsure of the upper limit the Han Empire could bear, so he naturally had to consider more factors.
It's a battlefield purely for the imperial elite; it's impossible not to feel heartache, but sometimes that's just how war is—there's no other choice.
When there is no other choice, we can only try our best to reduce or eliminate the negative costs.
Whether for the sake of the Khyber Pass fortress, the safety of Peshawar, or to reassure Vishdeva I, the Kabul Valley must be in their hands.
So even knowing that the cost of such a war would be enormous, Barak had no choice but to carry it out and even prepare for all possible scenarios.
In fact, directly deploying elite troops for war is something that neither Barak nor Cao Cao would want to fight.
A war fought purely by elite troops, without auxiliary soldiers, not only means high intensity and high damage, but also high risk and huge consequences.
Kingdoms wouldn't even dare to watch a war of this magnitude; only a true empire would dare to wage such a conflict.
Even Cao Cao, who possessed such power, would not wage a war that made the empire so cautious.
One wrong move and the whole game is lost; years of accumulation can be settled in one battle!
Without reliable logistical support and a safety net, Cao Cao had no intention of waging a war of gamble.
However, whether it was Barak or Cao Cao at this time, their plans and schemes were not only aimed at their immediate opponents, but also at the empires behind them, so their preparations were naturally different.
Sufficient preparation naturally requires more time, and Cao Cao himself also needs more time to improve his forward base and develop the Kabul River Valley region.
However, Cao Cao was not stupid. He realized that the Yuezhi people would definitely launch a counterattack, and the longer the preparation time was, the stronger the counterattack would be.
Therefore, while developing the Kabul River Valley, they were also strengthening their own army's defenses, making full use of the terrain advantages to make up for their own insufficient troop strength.
"Lord Cao, Guan Yu has replied." Xi Zhong looked at Cao Cao's calm expression and handed over the letter from his sleeve, his behavior completely unconcerned.
Upon hearing Guan Yu's name, Cao Cao took the letter, pried off the ink, and examined its contents.
After carefully reading the contents of the letter, Cao Cao smiled and then handed the letter to Xi Zhong.
"Guan Yu is indeed an honest man." Xi Zhong, after receiving and reading the letter, smiled as he looked at its contents. Xi Zhong, who had initially opposed Cao Cao's southward attack, felt much more at ease at this moment.
Originally, attacking the south would have been unprofitable for Cao Cao's forces, and the result would have been more harmful than beneficial, as it would have further provoked the Yuezhi people.
After all, the people who truly benefited from their attack on the south were Guan Yu and others who attacked the Kushan Empire from the south; they didn't get any advantage.
However, since Cao Cao had chosen to attack, Xi Zhong naturally would not forcibly stop him, but would instead devise a plan based on the existing reality.
In retrospect, this outcome wasn't entirely without profit.
"After learning about our actions and confirming that it was impossible for the north to transfer troops to the south in the short term, Guan Yu launched an attack on the southern Kushan region, which relieved a lot of pressure on us." Feeling a little more at ease, Cao Cao's respect for Guan Yu increased even further.
As long as Guan Yu launches an attack, the Kushan Empire will have to face pressure from Guan Yu in the south, whether they like it or not.
Unlike Cao Cao's tens of thousands of troops, Guan Yu, now reinforced and supported from the rear, commanded a truly large army. The deterrent power it generated and the attention it attracted were in no way inferior to the attention Cao Cao had drawn in the Kabul Valley.
The attention drawn by Cao Cao's forces was essentially a knock on the capital and the nation's gates, and more importantly, an impact on the empire's image—in other words, a political influence.
However, Guan Yu was different. He had a large army and strong combat power, enough to fight a large-scale war with an extremely long battle line, which was a true impact of war.
The former cares about saving face, the latter cares about life!
"Guan Yu in the south has already prepared the necessary logistics and is ready to attack. Regardless of whether we attack or not, he will launch an attack at the right time." Looking at Cao Cao's current state, Xi Zhong thought for a moment and then explained the actual situation to reduce Cao Cao's biased view of Guan Yu.
"Guan Yu will indeed launch an attack, but if he launches an attack at this time, I will naturally accept this favor, regardless of whether the other party acknowledges it or not." Cao Cao shook his head slightly, speaking in a rather serious tone.
Right is right, wrong is wrong. We cannot ignore the benefits that this matter brings to our own interests just because others are going to do it anyway.
"In that case, I will make a copy of some intelligence information from within the Kushan Empire and hand it over to Guan Yu..." Seeing Cao Cao's attitude, Xi Zhong thought for a moment and then offered some helpful suggestions.
When it comes to favors, especially favors owed by your boss to others, it's best to resolve them as soon as possible.
After all, favors are something that only become more troublesome the more you owe them.
Cao Cao nodded on the spot, which was considered as agreeing to Xi Zhong's request. As for whether this level of help could be considered help, that was a matter of personal opinion.
Having arrived in the Wenjia region and spent some time reorganizing and collecting information about the waterways, Guan Yu was now ready to continue his attack.
In order to deal with Guan Yu's army, after the defeat at Shantani, the Brahmins had no choice but to choose Rahul, the pillar of the south who truly possessed strength and demonstrated corresponding achievements and battlefield dominance.
It was precisely because they placed their hopes on Rahul that the Brahmins turned a blind eye to Rahul's behavior.
At this moment, the Brahmins had no idea of the serious consequences that their turning a blind eye would lead to. (End of Chapter)