Chapter 3648
Fear that Entangles the Mind
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Zhang Fei, who had not wasted much time along the way, led his army straight to Rajagriha without any delay.
Zhang Fei did not take the defeated Kushan army seriously, and Yan Yan, who followed behind, was also puzzled as to why they did not choose to continue pursuing the Kushan army.
However, he was not the absolute commander after all, and the importance of Rajgir was self-evident, so after thinking about it, he didn't say anything more.
After all, if this battle is won, the city will most likely fall as well, and the objectives of the battle can be said to have been perfectly achieved, so naturally, these trivial matters are no longer of concern.
As Yan Yan had imagined, the Han army quickly reached Wangshe City after defeating Kusroy. Without much fighting or siege, they directly captured the city, a city with very low walls.
Only after capturing this city and completely eliminating Zhang Fei from the south of Huashi City did his smile return, and his expression became much more relaxed.
While staying in Rajagaha, Yan Yan took some time to find Zhang Fei, who had already withdrawn from the state of war. He still had many doubts in his heart.
Faced with Yan Yan's confusion, Zhang Fei calmly gave an explanation, emphasizing the reasons behind his actions.
"I see, it wasn't due to our army's failure to pursue them..." Listening to Zhang Fei's explanation, Yan Yan felt a little more at ease.
Faced with the defeat of the Kushan army, the Han army did not pursue them. In Yan Yan's view, one important factor was that the troops stationed in the rear failed to reach their designated attack positions in time, thus eliminating the possibility of pursuit.
The largest part of the Han army's military structure was the rear guard, which comprised the vast majority of the infantry.
To inflict effective damage on the enemy, a small number of cavalry units would hardly be able to cause serious harm, let alone annihilate them. Given the terrain, it would be quite an achievement to simply drive the enemy away.
If the opponent were a more reliable commander, or a commander like him who could instill great resilience in the entire army, and even the ability to counterattack, then the situation would be different.
"Of course, maintaining a proper distance from the enemy can also make them think that way, preventing them from developing more suspicions in this regard." Zhang Fei nodded slightly, explaining his reasoning.
Instead of wasting a large number of their own manpower in a deadly battle with the enemy, they achieved victory through clever means, which not only greatly reduced their own casualties but also effectively influenced their enemy.
In a conventional war, if a conventional commander or general chose to fight this way, they would definitely suffer a loss.
After all, without inflicting effective casualties on the enemy and even involving them in this level of warfare, once the war ends, with some rest and recuperation, and after some training, a considerable number of elite troops will emerge from the army, posing a greater threat to them.
However, this is only based on the premise that ordinary generals command wars.
As the commander of the Han army, Zhang Fei was completely different from ordinary commanders. This difference was not only in command but also in ability. While ordinary generals struggled to exert a sustained influence on the enemy, for Zhang Fei, simply activating his talent to crush his opponent and plant the seeds of fear in their hearts was enough.
"Because they are filled with fear, they must overcome their fear in order to become elites. But for the vast majority of new recruits, where do they get the will and courage to overcome the fear in their hearts?" Zhang Fei said very seriously, speaking of the power based on the talent of his own army.
As Zhang Fei's legion talent, it is essentially indiscriminate in its distinction between friend and foe. Precisely because it is indiscriminate, Zhang Fei is actually very clear about the negative aspects of his legion talent.
Being entangled in fear and dread makes it difficult for both opponents and soldiers under one's command to make progress. This is why, although the casualties among Zhang Fei's soldiers during wars may not be very high, they are usually close to retirement after the war ends.
Although many soldiers grew stronger and more powerful amidst this fear, even transforming it into motivation and gaining terrifying combat strength, such soldiers were ultimately a minority. So few that even Zhang Fei and Liu Bei could remember their names and treat them with respect.
After listening to these explanations, Yan Yan gained a deeper understanding of Zhang Fei's talent, but at the same time, she also became more wary.
The Legion talent is terrifying, and its effects are terrifying. Its only drawback is that it can't distinguish between friend and foe.
This purely negative talent effect, which acts on a person, even to a large extent, suppresses his Legion talent.
Yan Yan, who understood that his own legion talent could only increase the army's resilience and even strengthen its organization, was very clear about how destructive this talent was to the legion's organization.
It not only undermines the opponent's fighting spirit and organizational ability, but also undermines its own.
"In that case, even if the Kushan army successfully retreats, it will be difficult for them to train a large number of elite troops based on the experience gained in this war." After understanding the gains of this war by following this line of thought, Yan Yan felt much more at ease.
As an opponent, Yan Yan naturally hoped that the enemy's army would have as few elite troops as possible.
Having come from Yizhou to fight in the Ganges River basin, carrying such a long logistical burden, Yan Yan knew very well that the Han army was essentially composed of elite troops, making it difficult to surpass the enemy in numbers.
Therefore, to make up for the lack of quantity, it is necessary to surpass the competition in terms of quality.
However, soldiers under the Brahmanical system, through their ability to visualize gods and Buddhas, were not much different from most Han soldiers in terms of physical fitness, and even surpassed them in terms of internal energy.
In this situation, Yan Yan would naturally hope that the Kushan army would have as few talented soldiers as possible, and that the number of elite troops would be as small as possible.
The appearance of each elite force signifies a new milestone for the Kushan army, and also means that the Han army's advance will face even greater difficulties.
Especially in large-scale battles, the role that each additional elite unit can play is not only to increase the margin for error, but also to further enhance the overall strength of the army. (End of Chapter)