Chapter 3389
A massive military force
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As soon as Guan Yu spoke, everyone present understood that their next destination was the heavily fortified defensive line of Jambo City, which was defended by Rahul.
“Rahul’s troops have completed a scorched-earth policy, making continuous resupply along the way extremely difficult. As for our large army, the only way to meet our food needs is by water transport, especially since we are going upstream. There is pressure, but not too much.” Guo Jia, who had taken over the intelligence system, explained the current logistical pressure on their side.
Throughout the southern Kushan region, which was originally Southeast Asia and Wenga, the Han army forces underwent several rounds of reinforcements, and their numbers can be described as quite large.
Yizhou, the aristocratic families, Guan Yu's army, and subsequent rounds of reinforcements.
In addition, there were a large number of migrants, and county soldiers who followed them.
It can be said that the number of troops they can currently mobilize is not at a disadvantage compared to the Brahman army on the front lines.
Of all the foreign wars we've fought, this one is one in which we had an exceptionally large supply of resources and manpower.
Both sides can deploy more than 300,000 troops to the battlefield if necessary, in order to determine the outcome of the war and the fate of their nations.
Since the wars are all taking place on Brahman lands, no one feels much pressure if something like pots and pans are destroyed.
As long as it's not a major defeat that results in large-scale losses of our own troops and personnel, and further depletion of our manpower, it's all within the acceptable range for everyone.
“If logistics can keep up and manpower replenishment is sufficient, it’s not impossible to wage a full-scale war against Rahul.” Fazheng said with a hint of excitement after learning that supplies and manpower were plentiful. “Among all the Kushan Brahmins, Rahul is the only one with real strength. If we start a full-scale war, the enemy will naturally be exhausted, and our victory will be a matter of course.”
Upon hearing this, many officers and soldiers present had their eyes light up.
Large-scale, strategic decisive battles can indeed have a decisive effect, but they are also fraught with uncertainty.
As officers at the corps level, in order to gain merit in such battles, they need not only their own performance but also the strength of their commander.
However, in a total war, the ability to gain merit depends entirely on individual ability, and the requirements for a commander are not as high.
If a full-scale war were to break out, everyone would have greater autonomy in the war and more opportunities to gain merit, which is a good thing.
Moreover, in the total war mode, the outcome of local battles is unlikely to affect the overall situation. As commanders, Guan Yu and Rahul will have more reaction time and a higher tolerance for error, and they seem to be friendly to everyone.
However, for Guan Yu, this suggestion of all-out war only briefly crossed his mind before being rejected.
It wasn't that such advice affected his command, but rather that the demands of the suggestion were simply not met on the battlefield at that time. Deploying over 500,000 troops for a full-scale offensive, with approximately 500,000 reserves for backup and rotation, was the only way to achieve the deterrent and lethal force required for a full-scale war, to keep Rahul exhausted and ultimately lead him down a path of slow suicide.
The basic number of soldiers did not meet this requirement, and Guan Yu, as the commander, was also well aware of his own command ability and could not meet the basic requirements of a total war. Only by delegating all command authority to the various legion commanders could such war requirements be met.
However, with command authority delegated, the actions of each legion commander will naturally differ. After all, each legion commander has a different personality and command style, so it's hard to guarantee that there won't be situations such as underestimating the enemy, offending, not paying attention, or being negligent.
If a full-scale war is not won, and instead the enemy defeats them one by one, accumulating small defeats into a major one, then there will be no way to turn the tide.
If Guan Yu's command ability in a total war could reach the level of Liu Tong, even without subsequent reinforcements and rotations, with only 500,000 troops, he would be confident that he could kill the enemy.
Only after truly commanding a large army, especially a massive one, can one realize just how terrifying Liu Tong's normal multi-line real-time command capabilities are.
In the past, when I was commanding thousands or tens of thousands of people, I didn't realize how terrifying this ability was. It wasn't until my own army actually had 500,000 troops that I realized how unattainable this ability was.
There were 200,000 soldiers on the front lines, 50,000 naval troops supporting water transport in the rear, and another 50,000 mobile and supplementary troops. In addition, 100,000 troops were stationed throughout the Wenga River system to guard against the Brahmanical naval forces.
Meanwhile, the original rear core, the Protectorate of Southeast Asia, also had 100,000 troops stationed there.
Even if less than half of the troops are truly capable of frontline combat, this is still a very large army.
Throughout history, there have been only a handful of commanders who have commanded this many troops.
And now, Guan Yu has also secured a place among this small number of commanders.
Although there are no corresponding battle records and results yet, at least there is a corresponding foundation.
This is an opportunity, a pressure, and a responsibility.
"Yu Jin's army is still holding back the Kushan army forces in the Strait of Malacca, preventing them from moving to the Wenga region." After everyone understood their own troop strength, Guo Jia also emphasized the current external conditions. "As for the Kushan navy, due to some special reasons, a large number of the main naval combat forces are still stationed in the Strait of Malacca. The naval forces that can help our opponents are also unable to conduct amphibious operations, at most they can only harass the coast. We have also made corresponding arrangements for this harassment, and there will be no problems at sea in the short term."
These words conveyed to everyone present that the situation in the rear was relatively stable, and this was an opportunity for them to showcase their abilities and take advantage of the situation to further achieve their goals.
"Since this opportunity is too good to miss, and our food and weapons are ready, let's march on Zhanbo City!" After confirming that no one else had any objections or suggestions, Guan Yu stood up, looked at everyone present, and directly issued the next phase of the battle orders and directions.
Eager for battle, the troops quickly received the order after Guan Yu issued it, then organized their forces and prepared to march to Zhanbo City. (End of Chapter)