Chapter 3404
But Who Am I?
...
"Under normal circumstances, wouldn't that be the case?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Ren's face immediately darkened.
Through conversations with these wise men, Zhang Ren discovered a pattern.
That's what's called "generally speaking," the probability is really not high.
By making inferences and judgments based on past historical experience, we can understand that this so-called general rule is actually no different from a principle.
Thinking about this, Zhang Ren couldn't help but think: just how much of a scourge would a self-centered god or Buddha be?
Becoming a god or Buddha in the Central Plains is at most a topic of conversation for a while; it's something to laugh about and then forget, nothing serious.
However, becoming a god or Buddha among Brahmins is truly a death sentence and will severely damage one's reputation after death.
He strives for fame and fortune in this lifetime, and naturally he also strives for posthumous fame. If things go as he expects, then posthumous fame is basically out of the question.
Brahmanism is a complete trap; the system and its corresponding gods and Buddhas are a series of huge pitfalls.
"Don't worry, at least our Wenga region is now stable, and we can free up our resources to continue our advance. The next goal is to take Zhanbo City and push our army's advance to Huashi City. That will be enough." Looking westward, Lu Qi's words were filled with plans for the future.
Huashi City is a very special place and a very special city.
This city serves as a dividing line. The area east of Pataliputra is part of the region that the Brahmins have not yet developed, but it is also an area influenced by the Brahmins.
Because it was undeveloped, the fertility of this land varied greatly, and the Brahmins valued their own face more than this area.
If it weren't for the humiliation in front of the Yuezhi people in the north, the Brahmins wouldn't have cared too much about losing the area east of Huashi City.
But if they actually reach Huashi City, the situation will be completely different.
Even the Brahmins who wouldn't have paid attention before would start to take it seriously at this moment, because after passing Pataliputra, they would be in the core area of the entire Brahmanical system.
Food, taxes, population, and wealth are basically concentrated in this area.
It is precisely because of the special nature of this place that if the Han army were to actually reach Huashi City, it would mean that the real challenge would begin.
A large population, fertile land, and readily available logistical support were all advantages that the Brahmins possessed.
The situation faced by the Han army was completely the opposite.
The relatively small and unstable population, the vast but uncultivated land, the long land transport routes, and the logistical support of upstream water transport all posed significant challenges for the Han army. In addition, several other factors had a particularly profound impact.
West of Huashi City, along the main river, lies Varanasi, a city garrisoned by the Yuezhi army from the north, a place of taboo shared by both the north and south.
For the Yuezhi people in the north, the existence of this city determined whether they would have food to eat the following year, and whether millions of Yuezhi people could survive.
For the south, the city of Varanasi was considered a key town on the periphery of the entire core area.
Any threat or attack to the Brahmans would seriously affect their actual ruling position and interests.
All this would require is to breach the defensive perimeter of Huashi City and Zhanbo City, allowing them to extend their reach and pose a real threat to the Kushan Empire.
Under such a threat, even the North and South, who have conflicts, will have the opportunity and possibility to sit down and talk.
Therefore, we must carefully assess and plan for the cities of Pataliputra and Varanasi to the west.
If it is not broken, then so be it; but if it is broken, then the decision is final.
"All we need to do is push forward. This has been the only mission in all these years; it's unbelievably simple." Facing this short-term objective, Zhang Ren still sounded somewhat skeptical, even doubtful. "Rahul is indeed strong, but without him, is it really necessary to be this cautious?"
The purpose of deploying so many troops and officers was to strike and annihilate the enemy, not to capture important cities. The goal was simply to push the troops forward and put pressure on the enemy.
Even if he doesn't believe it, if this purpose were actually revealed, how many people in the world would believe it?
“Their methods and measures are not important; what’s important is that we need to secure our own escape route.” Lu Qi tapped the map with his finger and said in a fairly calm tone, “Rahul is not in Huashi City, that’s a piece of information we can confirm. But if we think we can take this city just because they’re not here, then we’re underestimating Rahul.”
Huashi City, Zhanbo City, and several neighboring smaller cities formed a defensive zone with depth, which could be held for a very long time by any commander who was not incompetent.
Moreover, the enemy had already adopted a scorched-earth policy along the way, forcing them to transport their food supplies from Kalmanta, which in itself posed a significant risk and hidden danger.
"With such immense logistical pressure, why are we still sending such a large number of troops?" Based on this reality, and considering the actions of the army at this moment, Zhang Ren frowned on the spot.
"The intelligence that is out in the open is that our army only has one chance to attack, at least this year. Given that we only have one chance to attack, isn't it normal to send more troops?" With a slight smile, Lu Qi said these very normal words.
"On the surface, there's only one chance, which means the actual situation is more than that? But that shouldn't be the case. Our army has mobilized such a large number of troops, and the amount of food they need to consume cannot be faked. Both sides know how much food Kalmanta City has, so there's no possibility of deception in this regard..." Having cooperated for several years, Zhang Ren had grasped some of the essence of his friend's words and habits.
“What you said is indeed correct, but who am I?” Lu Qi did not deny this point, a hint of pride appearing on his face. His tone was full of confidence as he said earnestly, “General Zhang, do you think that all the efforts you’ve made during this period were just to settle the people in this place?”
"Isn't that so?" Zhang Ren reflected on his actions over the past few days. He had either been performing miracles or on his way to performing miracles, occasionally issuing one or two divine pronouncements to enlighten some lost sheep. It seemed he hadn't done much else. (End of Chapter)