Mythical Three Kingdoms

”You’ve all read it, what are your thoughts?” Li Youu casually folded the letter and placed it on a small table beside him, then turned around and asked as calmly as possible.

”Borrow troops,” Chen Xi said almost without thinking. ”These troops need to be borrowed, as it’s not easy to replenish Xiliang Soldiers. Their strong combat capabilities also make them hard to replenish, and for the level of conflict we previously faced, Xiliang Soldiers are probably the most suitable for that battlefield.”

Li Jue sent the letter to Li Youu mainly because Xiliang Soldiers are not easily replenished. Although they are recruited from Liangzhou and trained, becoming Xiliang Iron Cavalry is still a distant goal.

To be precise, there are only two ways to replenish Xiliang Iron Cavalry once they’re lost. One is to fill the ranks with new recruits: ordinary miscellaneous soldiers survive ten battles in the legion wars and are then eligible to join Xiliang Soldiers, undergoing cavalry enhancement training to become full-fledged cavalry in about a year.

However, Li Jue neither has the ability nor the time to do that in the Western Regions, and Hua Xiong’s side has many elite cavalry that, once recalled and given weapons and armor, can be battlefield-ready with a little practice.

”Borrowing troops requires going through Lord Xuande. We don’t have an appropriate method,” Lub Su shook his head slightly, also feeling that these troops should be borrowed. He believed Li Jue’s approach was correct, even if he was shocked by what Li Jue said.

”The Xiliang Iron Cavalry is indeed suited for such a battlefield, but as Li Jue stated in the letter, Great Qin is not so easily dealt with, and even a strong Iron Cavalry only means temporary victory,” Guo Jia noted, shaking his finger to indicate the complexity of the issue.

”With a casualty ratio as high as seven-to-one, it seems favorable, but according to Li Jue’s letter, the actual exchange ratio between true Great Qin infantry and the Iron Cavalry is only slightly over two-to-one,” Guo Jia said with caution. ”Which infantry in the Central Plains can achieve this sort of record?”

”No need to be alarmist,” Jia Xu interjected. ”Although Great Qin archers were severely restricted due to the cavalry’s defensive power and General Li’s legion talent, it’s undeniable that that archer squad was indeed elite.”

”With archers able to launch ten volleys of arrows in battle, most armies were thoroughly suppressed,” Fa Zheng remarked with admiration. ”This rate of fire means that a quiver is depleted in only a few breaths.”

”Using archers in an established formation, if Great Qin has no special arrow-making techniques, it means they are simply wealthier than us,” Liu Ye said, frowning. ”We need to find a way to gauge Great Qin’s capabilities; I agree with borrowing troops to Li Jue.”

”More importantly, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry can only exert its true combat power in Li Jue’s hands, whereas giving us just a complete formation is a hassle,” Liu Ye pointed out candidly when he saw others looking his way.

”I’ll add this: Even though I’ve never seen that Duke of Great Qin, from his standpoint, I believe his words are credible,” Liu Ye said slowly. ”That’s why I admire Li Jue’s answer at the time, and I’m curious whether he indeed answered in such a way.”

”He did answer that way,” Li Youu replied coldly. ”If we don’t step out of our borders, we might never have the courage to influence the fate of the world with a single word.”

”The breadth of one’s vision determines their ultimate height,” Chen Xi said quietly. ”We all wear the mantle of the Han Empire. Whether strong or weak, we are part of an empire.”

Seeing that everyone was listening intently, Chen Xi continued, ”Just like how we don’t usually pay attention to the surrounding nations, other empires do the same. But that doesn’t mean empires are unaware of one another. We know of Great Qin, we know of Parthia, and similarly, they will know of us!”

”Perhaps the imperial authorities often overlook another distant empire, but just like when I mentioned Parthia, Wen Ru could cite classics, every empire is the same. While we might disregard small countries as insignificant, but...” Chen Xi paused, looking at everyone as they looked back at him.

”We cannot ignore another empire. Standing from a national position, faced with such circumstances, use your brains, and you’ll know,” Chen Xi’s eyes flashed with a cold light in his otherwise serene gaze, conveying that some matters require a high vantage point to consider clearly.

”But Li Zhiran did answer well, remember that once we step outside our borders, we are no longer just ourselves. Everything about the Han Empire relies on you all to manifest, and in this era, nothing commands awe as much as martial force,” Chen Xi stated slowly.

”Therefore, I support lending them troops. Even if Great Qin has many soldiers and Parthia stands between us and them, we should prove ourselves. The pride of an empire depends not only on civilization but also largely on martial force,” Chen Xi said with a cold smile at that moment.

”We all agree to lend troops,” Guo Jia scanned the room, sensing that everyone’s thoughts aligned. Since Chen Xi had brought out the world map, stepping beyond the borders had become an inevitable path.

”Ziyang has laid everything bare, and if a complete formation of Xiliang Iron Cavalry truly were given, it would be a challenge to the system and to us,” Lub Su said cheerfully, as the old good-natured individual, ”and it’s not suitable for anyone to command, even if the command is rotated.”

”Lend four thousand troops to Zhiran,” Li Youu said quietly. ”The rest can be incorporated under Zijian or Yide; others aren’t suitable for the combat style of Xiliang Iron Cavalry.”

Li Youu was always the type to recommend talent regardless of personal connections. He would directly recommend anyone he deemed suitable without worrying if they were closely related to him. As for gossip from others afterward, reality would prove his decisions correct.

”Wen Ru, I want to ask something,” Mann Chong, who usually kept silent in military strategy meetings, suddenly spoke.

”What question does Boning have?” Li Youu looked at Mann Chong with slight surprise, as he generally did not ask questions in this setting.

”To what extent can four thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry, when given to Li Zhiran, perform?” Mann Chong’s question went straight to the point, though his coffin-like face was a bit menacing under the dim light.

”With his previous force of two thousand, commanding carefully, he could defeat a group of thirty thousand Veteran Soldiers of Mount Tai led by an ordinary general,” Li Youu thought for a moment before replying. ”If his legion talent can cover the entire legion, victory would be even easier.”

”That’s pretty much what I expected, but what if they encounter strategic schemes?” Mann Chong looked at Li Youu when asking, slightly surprised by the answer, but he remained composed. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommended tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)