Chapter 3418
Environmental Adaptability
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Upon arriving at Zhanbo City and providing assistance, Seghedi, after understanding the cause and effect, also used his wisdom to offer some corresponding methods and strategies based on the intelligence he possessed, in order to deal with the Han army's relentless advance.
The 200,000 well-ordered, fully armored elite Han soldiers exuded a sense of oppression and threat that was enough to make everyone take them seriously and recognize the strength and threat posed by the Han army.
The vibrations generated by walking on the road are enough to travel for dozens of miles.
The basic conditions revealed during the march also demonstrate just how elite this army truly is.
The uniform marching steps, the orderly deployment of troop types, and the standardized armor all represent excellence in all aspects.
They demonstrated exceptionally high competence and thorough combat readiness in terms of discipline, organization, teamwork, and logistical support.
To put it bluntly, within the entire Brahmanical system, without limiting the number of people or the scope, there is no equivalent army for comparison or reference.
"The armor and related weapons were commissioned to be made by specialized craftsmen several months ago," Pasa said with a hint of confidence, after considering his preparations.
Although it was said that the Kushan Empire had a million armored soldiers, everyone knew the actual number.
No matter how great the conflict between the North and the South is, how many weapons and equipment will the Brahmins prepare, given that they are simultaneously bowing their heads in submission and engaging in cultural soft infiltration?
Possessing an excessive amount of weapons and armor, their underlying intentions are obvious to everyone.
Besides, how can those low-class animals, who can never be completely killed or exterminated, be worthy of such excellent armor?
Having a weapon capable of killing is something Brahmins do to save face; they need to give people a means of killing.
This initial decision-making process destined the southern Brahmins to have difficulty acquiring large quantities of weapons and equipment, especially armor, in a short period of time.
After the army suffered several defeats and its remaining stockpiles were almost exhausted, the Brahmins began to mobilize a large number of craftsmen to forge weapons and armor, despite the disdainful looks of the Yuezhi people in the north.
This situation was itself a result of a pragmatic political compromise arising from the internal conflicts between the northern and southern factions within the Kushan Empire.
Of course, there is another very important practical factor, namely the hot climate in the south, which is indeed unsuitable for heavy armor combat under normal circumstances.
The hot and humid climate poses a significant threat to heavily armored units, and also causes them to lose stamina and equipment at an extremely rapid pace.
In contrast, lightly armored and unarmored units are not only more agile but also have greater mobility in this hot climate.
From a purely cost-effectiveness perspective, the selection of high-ranking Brahman officials throughout the Ganges River basin is entirely without issue.
A full set of armor is worth far more than a human life.
Both environmental factors and value judgments contributed to the fact that Brahmins rarely deployed heavily armored units on the battlefields of the Ganges River basin.
As for the Kshatriya warrior legion, it already belonged to the noble class, and their weapons and equipment were all custom-made according to a set of specifications.
Once they were certain they could save their lives, they naturally didn't care about the small financial loss.
Although the Kshatriya warriors participated in the war, even enjoyed it, and were not afraid of death, it did not mean they would die arbitrarily.
It was precisely this difference in equipment that allowed armies under the original Brahmanical system to distinguish whether an army was an elite force simply by looking at its equipment. However, after large-scale battles with the Han Empire's army, this situation changed completely.
The extravagance of the Han Empire and the awe-inspiring sight of everyone wearing armor left many Brahmin generals and officers completely dumbfounded.
Given that weapons and armor are more expensive than people, is it really worthwhile to equip all soldiers with such things?
If it were some noble legions, the Brahmins wouldn't be surprised. Surely not all the armies of the Han Empire were noble legions?
How vast must an empire be, and how large must its population be, to have such a massive noble army?
After several major wars, especially after Rahul took actual power, the provision of weapons and armor to ordinary soldiers became a priority.
Between weapons and armor, weapons come first and are the most pressing issue to address.
How could one inflict damage on Han soldiers without superior weapons when facing a fully armored Han army?
One cannot penetrate the real armor with mere courage and fearlessness.
Therefore, possessing weapons capable of penetrating this armor, enabling soldiers to shatter the defenses of the Han army, is what a general should do.
The Han army appeared to be large in number, and as a smart man, Seghedi, after understanding the situation, directly deduced that the Han army was running out of manpower.
The more elite the Han army was during such a long and arduous expedition, the more it spoke volumes.
That is, the Han army had to use elite troops to make up for the difference in personnel numbers with the Kushan Empire's army.
This means that strangling the Han army's fighting force is a very effective option.
"The Han army is indeed formidable." Seghedi, who had formulated the main strategic direction for the future, also expressed his admiration for the Han army. "To be able to fight fully armed and armored in such an environment and still exert such strength is truly terrifying."
In hot and humid climates, without divine guidance, the fact that soldiers can still maintain their fighting capacity, obey commands, and exert their full combat effectiveness truly makes them an elite force.
Faced with Seghdi's exclamations and praise, Durga coughed lightly, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face, before decisively saying, "Master Seghdi may have some misunderstandings. While the Han army is strong, it's impossible for them to completely ignore the influence of the environment..."
In terms of adaptability to the current environment, the army and soldiers under the Brahmanical system are definitely superior to ordinary Han soldiers.
Having grown up in this place, how could I not have the corresponding adaptability?
Conversely, the Han army, which had come from afar, was far less adaptable in this regard than the Brahmin soldiers.
The soldiers from Yizhou fared relatively better and didn't take too much time to adapt, but the Guan Yu army that arrived later took a lot of time to adapt.
This is also why Guan Yu's army, despite its formidable strength, remained stationary after arriving at the Protectorate General of Southeast Asia, except for the initial battle.
After shedding their heavy armor, all the Han soldiers were able to quickly adapt to the environment and demonstrated considerable combat capabilities.
However, Guan Yu immediately rejected this voluntary act of giving up the protection of the armor.
They'd rather spend a few more months adapting to the environment than have soldiers fight without their armor, especially when the army has no shortage of armor… (End of Chapter)