Chapter 691 Xun You also has five wins and five losses
Everyone, including Liu Zhang, pricked up their ears and were ready to listen to Xun You's advice.
"The first is that no matter how many troops you have, it will not help. They are all just a mob! You can win consecutive battles, but once you encounter a setback, your morale will drop drastically, or the entire army will collapse!"
There is absolutely no doubt about Xun You's first point. A month ago, Han Sui confirmed this conclusion to everyone with the lives of 150,000 people.
"The second is that there are too many factions under his command. Han Sui's army is about 250,000 to 300,000, but Han Sui's direct troops probably don't even have 20,000!"
"Therefore, Han Sui cannot control every part of his troops at all times. This means that Han Sui's army must be very rigid in its actions and cannot be flexible! If something goes wrong, morale will immediately drop!"
"The third is that the factions hate each other and it is difficult to truly work together. This time Han Sui will definitely advance steadily, so his only method is to attack the city."
"Everyone knows that sieges cause the greatest casualties! So who will attack the city and who will bear the casualties will definitely become a big problem for the coalition forces!"
"If you are not careful, conflicts will immediately arise. However, this is a conspiracy, and even if Han Sui knew it, he could not resolve it!"
Liu Zhang was a little puzzled and looked at Xun You doubtfully.
"Military advisor, as long as we are fair and just, won't we be able to solve it perfectly?"
Xun You smiled and shook his head, his eyes very sure.
"My lord is right, but fairness and justice are often the most difficult!"
"This time Han Sui not only gathered the five major Qiang tribes, but also the forces of many small tribes. The Shaodang Qiang and Han Qiang, who were friends with Han Sui, must not be willing to waste their military strength during the siege because of the casualties they suffered last time."
"The Xianling Qiang and Gongtang Qiang, both of the five major tribes, will also retreat frequently. As for the Bei Qiang, they are alone, how can they bear the losses?"
"So in the early days of the war, those who came to die at Yuzhong City must have been the Qiang people from the small tribes!"
Liu Zhang suddenly realized what Xun You meant.
"What the military counselor means is that small tribes are even more reluctant to suffer casualties among their subordinates!"
"good!"
Liu Zhang's wit was praised by Xun You.
"The small tribes were completely coerced into participating in the coalition. How could they be willing to sacrifice the only force to protect the tribes to death at the foot of Yuzhong City?"
"What's more, all the five major tribes are ambitious people. They always want to annex other Qiang tribes to strengthen themselves. How can there be no contradictions after a long time!"
Xun You's thoughts are very clear and can be expressed in one word, drag!
If you drag it on, the Han-Sui coalition will fall apart!
"Fourth, it is winter now, the weather is cold, and Han Sui only occupies one county. How can he afford the supplies for hundreds of thousands of troops? Not to mention clothing to keep out the cold, even food is a huge problem!"
This is almost the most deadly point. Without perfect logistical supplies, tens of thousands of people can freeze to death in one winter!
Liu Zhang's Northern Expedition army spread across several counties, but the total number did not exceed 200,000!
Even so, after Liu Zhang gathered the power of a state, it was only after several years of development, supported by the Chamber of Commerce, and accumulated supplies for many years that Yizhou could barely afford the Northern Expedition army.
Why could Han Sui support more than 200,000 people in one county?
"As time goes by, the coalition will have more and more problems, and it will eventually turn into a disaster!"
With Xun You's inference, the generals had no worries at all. After all, they could win the final victory just by defending the city, so what else could they worry about?
"Commander, is there any fifth article?"
Liu Zhang was quite joking. After all, with the first four points, Han Sui was bound to lose.
Xun You thought for a moment and finally nodded.
"Article 5: Han Sui is bluffing and lacks the essence of military skills. My lord uses troops like a god, often defeating many with a small number!"
"Han Sui overestimated his capabilities and turned against his lord. This is undoubtedly a mantis trying to block a chariot, hitting a rock with an egg, and ultimately destroying himself!"
Liu Zhang was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that Xun You would flatter him!
However, Xun You's praise was completely different from other people's praise. Liu Zhang felt as if he had eaten candied dates!
"Hahaha, the military advisor has received the award, you don't deserve it! You don't deserve it!"
Liu Zhang just said something modestly, but unexpectedly all the generals stood up and praised him.
"My lord is well strategized and resourceful. He will definitely be able to destroy Han Sui and unify Yongliang!"
Liu Zhang has always been very puzzled about one thing: how do these people unified their rhetoric?
At this time, Pang Tong also stood up with a smile.
"My lord is wise and powerful, and everyone in the world knows that defeating Han Sui is nothing more than searching for something!"
Liu Zhang did not refuse anymore, he believed that everyone was sincerely praising him.
"Alright, Han Sui is about to attack the city in the near future. Generals, prepare quickly. When the Qiang people attack, you must give them a big meeting gift!"
The first battle is of great significance. The side that gains the advantage will definitely be able to boost its morale. Otherwise, its morale will be severely damaged and will be difficult to recover.
"As you command!"
All the generals surrendered and retreated, leaving only Liu Zhang, Xun You and Pang Tong in the room.
"Gongda, apart from these five points, are there any other reasons for victory?"
Liu Zhang was simply curious, as long as Guo Jia's theory of ten victories and ten defeats was causing trouble in his heart.
"Lord, if you want to break it down, I'm afraid there are ten more items that can't be explained, such as whether the morale of the defeated army has been restored, whether the new army has been affected, etc. If you expose too much about the Han-Sui coalition issue, it will inevitably arouse everyone's contempt."
"My lord's sincere warning from a month ago is still ringing in my ears. How could I fail my lord's intention!"
After getting the answer he wanted, Liu Zhang was overjoyed and couldn't help praising Xun You.
"With Gongda here, Han Sui can only be defeated in a matter of seconds!"
Now that Han Sui's hundreds of thousands of troops were pressing down on the border, Liu Zhang could not see the reason for his failure at all.
From the military advisors Xun You and Pang Tong to the generals and soldiers, everyone has full confidence.
"My lord, the timing alone is enough to destroy Han Sui's entire army! We only need to hold him back, and I'm afraid we can decide the winner in a month at most!"
"So fast?"
Liu Zhang originally thought that this was a real war of attrition, but he didn't expect that Xun You's conclusion was so short.
"After we have increased our troops in Longxi County and Wuwei County, Xu Huang and Zhang Liao have already begun to march. Can the Qiang people entrenched in these two counties stay here with peace of mind?"
"Allied forces, allied forces! Only when we unite can we become an army!"
"What the coalition forces fear most is the continuous withdrawal of forces. Once the war is lost, morale is low, there are serious problems with logistical supplies, and the ethnic group is threatened, how can the Qiang people sit still?"
"Once the withdrawal starts, it will immediately become a scourge and unstoppable!"
Now Liu Zhang completely understood that Xun You had already understood the process of Han Sui's defeat again.
Perhaps Han Sui embarked on the path of defeat designed by Xun You from the moment he sent out troops!
No wonder the contrast between Xun You's two confrontations with Han Sui's 300,000-strong coalition was so huge.