Mythical Three Kingdoms

Lul Xun was a bit taken aback. Was he supposed to participate in the discussion too? He scratched the hair behind his ear, glancing at Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng, both of whom he envied greatly.

”I feel the same way, but I think our army shouldn’t retreat.” Lul Xun hesitated before speaking, although he had another thought that they should seize the opportunity to pursue—but Lul Xun hesitated and did not say it.

”Gongtai, what do you think?” Jia Xu’s expression was almost unchanged. As for Xu Shu, Jia Xu did not ask him. In Jia Xu’s view, Xu Shu was suitable for being trained as the kind of military advisor specialized in decision-making during battle, but not in strategic planning.

”Wen He, since you have an idea, why not say it directly?” Chen Gong said with a smile.

”The Northern Huns still have some skill,” Jia Xu said calmly. He had already guessed most of it.

”Which of our infantry divisions is the least afraid of ambush and can best withstand the enemy’s attack?” Jia Xu asked. ”The target of the Northern Huns is us; as for the aristocratic family private soldiers, they are merely a distraction for us.”

Fa Zheng and Zhuge Liang both raised an eyebrow and then began to think silently.

”Our strength is not weak; do the Northern Huns have such confidence?” Fa Zheng reacted quickly but then grew skeptical.

”I don’t know if the Northern Huns are confident, but it’s not good to pin life and death on others’ weaknesses,” Chen Gong said with a smile to Fa Zheng, feeling moved by Fa Zheng’s intelligence.

”That’s true. So, Strategist Jia means that regardless of the opponent’s strength, we should first engage in battle, in case something goes wrong?” Zhuge Liang inquired, slightly frowning.

”It’s about whether to act first or later. If our army chases, and the Northern Huns determine this, then they would believe that their preemptive strike has succeeded, whereas Strategist Jia’s idea might be that we act later,” Chen Gong explained with a smile, recognizing Jia Xu’s brilliance.

”As a secondary force, our strength is not advantageous compared to the Northern Huns, but the Northern Huns could not possibly commit all their troops to fight us,” Jia Xu said with an indifferent expression.

”Due to the battlefield environment, the Northern Huns couldn’t bring too many troops; the first wave would not exceed fifty thousand at most, and that’s only with the advantage of cavalry could they execute such a large-scale encirclement,” Chen Gong said, raising a finger.

”So, Strategist Jia means, regardless of anything else, to engage with the main force of the Northern Huns?” Fa Zheng, inherently sensitive to ingenious strategies, immediately understood, ”But if the Northern Huns’ target was us from the beginning...”

Zhuge Liang realized as well, ”It seems this time the Northern Huns not only have strength but also intelligence. Their primary target is us, attacking the aristocratic family’s private soldiers from east to west, likely just to confuse us. They are right beside us.”

Chen Gong clicked his tongue. These two young men were both formidable; although Zhuge Liang might not excel in cunning strategies, with a slight hint, he could understand the whole picture.

”It seems you all understand the situation. The Northern Huns’ target is us, the first elite troops of the Han Army to reach the north,” Jia Xu said, glancing around. Everyone understood the situation except for Lul Xun, who was still frowning in thought.

”Under these circumstances, since we have not yet figured out the Northern Huns’ forces, engaging in a head-on fight wouldn’t be advantageous for us,” Zhuge Liang cautioned. ”Since the Northern Huns are probing us, why don’t we camp here, holding this position and conserving our strength until an opportunity arises?”

”Xiaoo Zhi, what do you think?” Jia Xu looked at Fa Zheng inquiredly.

”Kongming’s strategy is too conservative, but usually, overly conservative strategies don’t yield great results. Currently, we indeed do not know the Northern Huns’ forces, but we can make an educated guess. Since they are right next to us, why shouldn’t we...” Fa Zheng said darkly, drawing a gesture across his neck.

Seeing everyone considering his plan, Fa Zheng continued, ”Our greatest advantage lies in our bold soldiers and excellent generals. Even if the Northern Huns command the Miscellaneous Hun, their commander would surely be at the center. Why don’t we take advantage of the night and create chaos?”

”Xiaoo Zhi, if I were the Chanyu, I’d definitely insert elite troops into the Miscellaneous Hun, encamping them in units, only keeping my core elite troops as a spearhead to break through formations,” Zhuge Liang immediately countered. He hadn’t yet grown old and cautious, and this led to many disagreements with Fa Zheng.

Fa Zheng raised an eyebrow, ready to retort, but reconsidered and realized that encountering the kind of dire situation Zhuge Liang described would indeed lead to unnecessary casualties. While he doubted the Northern Huns Chanyu had such boldness, war was not a game.

Chen Gong chuckled from the side, amused by how Fa Zheng and Zhuge Liang complemented each other.

”Actually, while we are cautious of the Northern Huns, they’re also wary of us. We don’t know their forces, and they’re likely guessing ours,” Jia Xu said calmly. ”Moreover, aristocratic family private soldiers can’t continue perishing like this.”

Both Fa Zheng and Zhuge Liang understood his meaning. Even without the Northern Huns, the state was working to diminish the power of the aristocratic families, reducing their private soldiers. Yet, their private soldiers absolutely couldn’t be massively consumed in the Northern Expedition Against the Huns.

The Han Dynasty’s advantage over the Miscellaneous Hun couldn’t be shaken. If this problem arose, defeating the Northern Huns would be irrelevant.

”The Northern Huns aim to destroy the fear the Miscellaneous Hun holds towards us; we all know how to accomplish this, just like three hundred years ago,” Jia Xu said calmly, though everyone noticed the ruthlessness in his eyes.

Three hundred years ago, how did the Han Court break the fear of the Huns? Simply put, after the failure of the Ma Yi conspiracy, Zhang Liao’s ancestor Nie Yi left Bingzhou to avoid calamity. To prevent Hun retaliation, the Martial Emperor forcibly dispatched forty thousand troops, losing over twenty thousand and decapitating seven hundred Huns...

This was the Battle of Dragon City, the so-called Great Victory of Dragon City. Although it cost over twenty thousand men, this battle shattered the myth of Hun invincibility. After their Invincible Golden Body was broken, the Huns were naturally overwhelmed by the Han Dynasty.

Now, the Northern Huns are bringing the Miscellaneous Hun, hoping to enable them to defeat a Han army, so that one day they no longer need to be led by the Northern Huns.

Regardless of the Han Army’s origin, even if the group were beggars with crutches, as long as it’s a genuine Han Army and the Miscellaneous Hun wins without external interference, they could truly awaken.

This is what concerns Jia Xu the most: fifty thousand Miscellaneous Hun who flinch at the sight of the Han Army and fifty thousand who no longer see themselves as weak are completely different adversaries.