Mother, I have returned to the throne.

Chapter 319 Breaking the pot

For a moment, Song Yuan's words echoed in the tent.

Everyone was stunned on the spot, gaping in astonishment.

It was Song Yuan's words that completely refreshed everyone's perception.

Even when Huo Jianchuan was talking about it before, he tied the barbarians and war horses together.

As Song Yuan said, such thinking is a fundamental misunderstanding!

Who says barbarians can’t have infantry?

Who says barbarians can’t abandon their war horses?

After sorting out this thought, everyone felt suddenly enlightened.

"Your Highness means that if the barbarians launch a major attack, they will use infantry as their main force."

Wang Chao suddenly clapped his hands, and he suddenly understood, but when he was halfway through his words, a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.

"That's not right. If we rely solely on infantry as the main force, their mobility will be greatly reduced. They can only travel a few dozen miles a day. How can we talk about surprise attacks?"

If the main force of the barbarians were infantry, it would probably take half a day just to get from the Peacock River to the military camp.

At such a fast pace, how could the men led by Wei Da not have enough time to retreat?

What exactly is the deviation here?

"You misunderstood. Your Highness means that cavalry can be converted into infantry at any time. Isn't it easy to accomplish this by simply abandoning their horses?"

Compared with Wang Chao's thoughts, Huo Jianchuan was obviously much more active and pointed out the deviation with just one sentence.

Then he looked at Song Yuan with some doubt and asked, "But there is one thing, Your Highness, do you think the barbarians would do this?"

"Their main force is the cavalry. The grassland people live on horses. Once they dismount, their combat effectiveness is greatly reduced. Abandoning the horses is easy, but how can we maintain our combat effectiveness?"

"In short, if I were a general, I would definitely make this choice!" Song Yuan nodded in response.

"Since Your Highness says so, I'm afraid we're not far from the truth!" After receiving Song Yuan's affirmative answer, Huo Jianchuan couldn't help but shake his head: "After all, the enemy's target is us. As long as we can defeat Zhenbei City led by General Wei, even if there are some losses, what does it matter?"

The two of them sang in unison, leaving everyone around them with confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Situ Jing stepped forward with some doubts and asked immediately.

My heart is full of doubts.

I can understand every word they say, but why can't I understand when they are put together?

Facing Situ Jing's bewildered look, Song Yuan responded briefly, "The barbarians' method is very simple. Once they become infantry, their warhorses become useless!"

"That way, they can slaughter those war horses and use them as rations, using the meat to make up for the food shortage!"

Kill war horses as rations?

Wouldn't this be a bit too extravagant?

When the people around heard Song Yuan's speculation, a hint of surprise flashed in their pupils.

You should know that any war horse in the Qin Dynasty is of great value, worth hundreds of gold.

Isn't it a blatant waste to use something so precious only to satisfy oral desire?

But if you think about it carefully, the method Song Yuan mentioned is probably the only choice the barbarians have now.

They each rode two horses, carried a small amount of food and fodder, and rushed to their destination as soon as possible.

After achieving the goal, he would directly kill the warhorse under his crotch. In this way, he would not have to worry about how the warhorse would replenish its strength.

At the same time, horse meat can be consumed to supplement the food needs of his subordinates.

It's no wonder they chose to besiege the military camp. After killing the war horses, their ability to charge long distances was naturally far from enough. Instead of being led by the nose everywhere, it is better to sit back and wait!

But no matter how you look at it, the barbarians' actions always seem a bit crazy.

After abandoning their war horses, they were indeed able to solve the problem of food and fodder, but the tribal warriors originally recruited lacked basic training except for being strong.

Without the support of war horses, the barbarians are equivalent to giving up their left arm. Having given up their strengths, how can they have the courage to clash with the Qin Dynasty?

Doing so can be said to be giving up one's strengths to make up for one's weaknesses!

Are those barbarians fools? Why would they make such a choice?

Situ Jing came back to her senses and immediately questioned: "I don't think the barbarians would do this. Are they fools?"

"If they are truly courageous enough to abandon so many war horses, they can use them as bargaining chips to trade with our Great Qin. By then, the emperor will be greatly pleased. Not to mention food and fodder, even a truce will be a piece of cake!"

"Why would they take such a big detour, give up so much, and gamble on an uncertain future?"

"Thank goodness you're not the leader of the barbarians, otherwise, it would be a question whether the barbarians could be kept alive until now!"

Faced with the method Situ Jing mentioned, Song Yuan couldn't help but frown.

"Why would the barbarians rather abandon their warhorses than offer them to our dynasty? To put it bluntly, the biggest reason is to maintain a balance between the two sides!"

"Even if the barbarians abandon their warhorses, they still have the strength to fight. But if they offer them to the Qin, wouldn't that just increase their prestige?"

"Once the Qin Dynasty possesses war horses, its combat power will increase dramatically. Then, dealing with the barbarians will be just a matter of moving a finger."

"You hand a knife to the enemy and let them use it against you. What kind of fool would do such a thing?"

"But what you said is completely different from what I said!" Faced with Song Yuan's disparagement, Situ Jing argued with reason.

"After those barbarians offer their war horses as tribute, we can definitely sign a truce agreement. This way, we can bide our time and recuperate!"

"While our Great Qin is growing stronger, the barbarians can also rapidly multiply their population and make up for their own shortcomings. If both sides are improving, why can't we do the same?"

"You are right about this point, but you overlooked one thing!"

Song Yuan then explained, "As the saying goes, all is fair in war. The relationship between the two parties is originally an enemy. How can you guarantee that the other party will abide by the agreement?"

"If I were the Khan of the barbarians, I would definitely be worried. What if the Great Qin broke the agreement and started a war in the spring of next year?"

"At that time, the barbarian population had not yet multiplied. After all, this is a major undertaking that will take more than ten years. With one side growing while the other side shrinks, what can the barbarians use to fight against the Qin Dynasty?"

"Remember this: between nations, the most important thing to discard is credibility. There is only one truth: only those with the strongest fists can grasp the truth!"

"Killing you while you're ill is the right thing to do. Everything else is nonsense!"

After hearing Song Yuan's final serious statement, Situ Jing lowered his head and fell into silence.

I have to say that Song Yuan's analysis is indeed correct.

The word "credibility" is completely worthless in the face of the struggle between countries!

Just like the barbarians before who tore up the contract without authorization and sent people to rob the food and fodder that was originally intended for exchange.

If Daqin were in the same position, it would probably make the same choice without hesitation!

The resentment between the two countries is deep-rooted. Under such circumstances, it is simply a luxury to want to reconcile. At this point, only when one side truly bows its head can the whole thing come to an end.

Otherwise, the struggle will never stop!

How can there be any talk of a truce?

"Your Highness, what you said makes sense!"

Faced with Song Yuan's analysis, Huo Jianchuan immediately nodded in agreement: "The barbarians have come to this point and there is no retreat. They have suffered a lot at our hands before, and now they have lost tens of thousands of troops!"

"If we don't continue this battle, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself to the Khan, not even to the tribal leaders!"

"That's right!" Wang Chao nodded in agreement at this moment. After returning to the military camp, Wang Chao's thinking and insights improved a lot.

"The barbarians' sole purpose in making this reckless investment is to completely defeat our army. Only in this way can we buy time, at least until the beginning of spring next year!"

"Furthermore, by the beginning of spring, if all the border lands fall into the hands of the barbarians, even if a large army comes to support us, it will probably be difficult to recapture them!"

"This way, we can solve the problem once and for all. As for the lost war horses, it will only take a few years to replenish them. Compared to the harvest, they are not worth mentioning!"

The barbarians' current choice can be described as hurting the enemy by a thousand and hurting themselves by eight hundred.

But at the moment, this is indeed the most appropriate choice!

The barbarians now have no way to retreat, and there may be a glimmer of hope only if they move forward bravely.

If we can achieve final victory in this war, all previous losses can be compensated.

It will only take some time to replenish the war horses, and it will take no more than a few years to completely replenish them.

But if this battle fails, the entire barbarian tribe will probably cease to exist, and that would be a truly unacceptable outcome!

Putting aside their personal stances, many of the generals present were impressed by such a ruthless strategy.

After all, looking at the entire Qin Dynasty, how many people have such backbone?

It is just as the saying goes, it is better to die in glory than to live in disgrace!

If you can do this, even your enemies deserve respect!

"With this idea as a premise, the barbarians' strategy of dividing their forces is now clear to me!"

Just as everyone nodded in agreement, Song Yuan had already come to the map and stretched out a hand while speaking.

"According to the information we received earlier, the three barbarian armies have already lined up. If I'm not mistaken, the war horses on the left and right wings should have been slaughtered by now and used as rations for the people!"

"As for the middle, I'm afraid they still have their warhorses. They are the only ones who can be considered cavalry!"

"Your Highness's analysis is exceptionally accurate!"

Huo Jianchuan, who was standing by, nodded in agreement upon hearing this: "Placing the cavalry in the middle will not only maintain mobility, but also allow them to provide support in a short period of time if the left and right wings encounter any crisis!"

"This way, this mixed force possesses all the advantages. It can attack when advancing and defend when retreating. The barbarians have used a good strategy this time!"

Under such an arrangement, even if the Qin Dynasty racked its brains, it would probably not gain any benefit at all.

No matter which route they attacked from, they would eventually face a cavalry raid.

As for the Zhenbei Army, although it has always claimed that it has 100,000 cavalry, when the war really starts, the cavalry force it can deploy is only 40,000 to 50,000.

The extra war horses can only be used as reserve forces.

Otherwise, if there are losses of war horses, where can we get a replacement?

In this case, even if the number of horses left by the barbarians was only 30,000, it would be enough to make the Qin side feel fearful!

The remaining war horses are enough to support hundreds of thousands of troops through the winter.

In this case, how should the Zhenbei Army respond?

Faced with such a difficult question, Song Yuan slowly stood up and commented with a serious look on his face.

"I have to admit, I miscalculated this time, and so did the general. I'm afraid neither of us could have imagined that the barbarians could be so ruthless!"

Song Yuan had imagined everything before. In his opinion, the barbarians were nothing to be afraid of. After all, food was the biggest problem restricting their development.

But he never expected that the other party would use precious war horses as rations!

In this way, the original shortcomings were instantly made up, and the combat effectiveness that could be exerted increased exponentially.

Now that things have happened suddenly, even Song Yuan feels that the burden on his shoulders is extremely heavy.

Especially when facing such a general, Song Yuan was even more wary.

This person is definitely a ruthless person, otherwise, how could he make such a drastic choice?

Everyone nodded at once, and Situ Jing took a step forward with some worry.

"You make it sound so serious. Will Wei send troops to rescue the people in the tent?"

"I should, but I'm afraid not now!"

Song Yuan shook his head and responded, "The camp has already made preparations. The stored food should be enough to last for a month!"

"General Wei has always been cautious. Although his men could be killed at any time, he will definitely buy time. After all, in his opinion, the barbarians will not be able to withstand the freezing cold for long. Even if he can only deplete their combat power, it will increase the chances of victory!"

"Then what should we do next?" Situ Jing asked.

Song Yuan raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a strange smile.

"We analyzed the barbarians' strategy earlier. I think that although this plan is cruel, it has already forced them into a dangerous situation where they have no way to retreat!"

"If we can defeat these barbarians and make them return empty-handed, the losses we will suffer will surely increase exponentially!"

Song Yuan clenched his fists tightly at the end of his speech.

If they could drive these barbarians back to the other side of the Peacock River, all their previous efforts would be wasted.

Those killed war horses also became irreparable losses.

With so much consumption on all sides, what can we use to fight against the Qin Dynasty?