Chapter 3422
Each side's defensive preparations
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While planning for a specific territory, one should not limit oneself to that one region. By broadening one's perspective and considering the overall situation from multiple angles, the results of planning and strategizing will often be more significant.
Champa was not a very important city in the entire Brahmanical system, but Brahma was different.
Neither the north nor the south could accept any unexpected events occurring in the city of Varanasi.
Champa City is only a month's journey from Varanasi, which is not far at all.
Once past Huashi City, the road ahead is flat and offers virtually no natural defenses. If we don't react in time and the Han army seizes the opportunity to break through, things could really get very bad.
If Huashi City is not lost, they will be able to realize their war potential and thus have the ability to resist and counterattack the Han Empire's army.
If these cities are lost, the empire's war potential will be directly threatened.
So even though he knew the relationship between the South and the North wasn't good, Pasa still asked Lidas to inform Nilanjan so that the other side could be prepared, just in case.
The war between the Kushan Empire and the Han Empire is no longer confined to a single place, region, or direction.
The Khyber Pass fortress in the north, the Ganges River basin in the south, and the sea in the southeast—everywhere was filled with the atmosphere of war and the smoke of battle.
If they are unlucky, it is entirely possible that the Han army could break through their offensive line in one direction, triggering a chain reaction and causing irreparable consequences.
Therefore, at times, Pasa had to do things that seemed abnormal in order to maximize his own advantages and strengthen the collective strength and combat effectiveness, rather than trapping the army in large-scale internal strife and making the Han Empire's army laugh at him.
Therefore, even though they knew that Rahul's actions would seriously affect the armies and actual combat power that the southern Brahmins could mobilize in the coming period, they still chose to support him.
Their current strength is sufficient to potentially withstand the actual combat power of the Han army.
Taking advantage of this ability to buy time, thoroughly resolve internal issues, and further strengthen one's own capabilities through long-term observation.
“They only informed Nilanjan of the situation in advance, and even if Nilanjan understood the risks involved, he probably wouldn’t have informed the Yuezhi people in the north.” Lidas nodded slightly and said bluntly, “With something like this happening north of the Khyber Pass, the mobilization of the Yuezhi troops in the north is not so simple. Varanasi is important, but the Khyber Pass fortress is even more important.”
So, as things have developed to this point, the content of what has been said has given everyone a clear understanding.
For Seghdi in particular, these words evoked a multitude of thoughts.
It is clear that both the actions of the Northern Han army and the Southern Han army showed a kind of cooperation, but it is unknown whether this cooperation was intentional or accidental.
However, considering the worst-case scenario, Seghedi knew just how serious the matter was.
In the past, the reason why northern armies could not come to the south was because the south refused the north's help, both militarily and politically.
If the royal family mediates and they don't want a direct civil war, they have to compromise on this matter. The result of the compromise is that the southern issues are resolved in the south, and the northern issues are resolved in the north.
Of course, that was the situation in the past; the situation is completely different now. The South now has no right to refuse the Northern army's advance southward, and in Rahul's absence, it doesn't even have the corresponding strength.
If the northern army wanted to move south, they could easily find any excuse to resolve the issue.
Unfortunately, nowadays, there are necessary reasons for people to go south, so it's not as simple as just wanting to go south.
“We know the Yuezhi army very well. The northern army is indeed incredibly powerful, but the north will not obey our orders, not even if there is a threat from the Han army.” Pasa nodded heavily, describing a real reality.
The conflict between the North and the South is a long-standing historical conflict, and also a hatred conflict that has accumulated a large number of lives. It is not something that can be suppressed by an external enemy.
Whether the North and South can set aside their hatred and work together before this external enemy reveals its absolute destructive power remains an unknown.
"Right now, all we can rely on is the defensive system built around Zhanbo City." Recalling the defensive system that had been established under everyone's urging, Durga's words carried a newfound confidence.
Meanwhile, Kailash, who was at the front line, led his generals to the designated defensive zone.
Within the area radiated by Jambo City, there is a large number of Brahmin soldiers, including not only the elite troops under their command but also a large number of auxiliary troops.
Kailash was well aware of the significance of these auxiliary troops.
Aside from transporting food and supplies, they generally do not participate in the main battlefield, but in this defense plan, they will also be involved in the use of a large number of defensive equipment.
Indeed, in order to deal with the Han army's large number of fully armored troops, Kailash and the others made ample preparations, or rather, each made their own preparations.
Using superior weapons and thicker armor are among the options.
In addition, this also included the use of a large number of siege weapons to deal with the increasingly thick armor of the Han army.
The threat posed by auxiliary troops directly to the battlefield against the elite Han army is essentially negligible, and they do little more than exacerbate the losses on their own side.
However, any person who can move still has value in war, especially in defensive operations, where their value is even greater.
“These soldiers use ordinary weapons, making it difficult for them to build the defenses that the Han army possesses, or even to injure them. But if they use these military siege weapons, let alone wounding the Han army, it wouldn’t be difficult to completely kill them…” Kailash looked at the catapults around him and nodded in satisfaction.
After realizing that the Han army had archer legions capable of long-range attacks, the defensive systems and military equipment they prepared, including catapults, were deployed more sparsely, but in much larger numbers.
Whether used to attack Han soldiers or to deplete the stamina of the enemy's elite long-range archers, it is a good choice.
As for the destructive power of the catapult, Kailash didn't care much.
Some things, simply by existing, will have a deterrent effect; their actual lethality is not a consideration. (End of Chapter)