Mythical Three Kingdoms

It was evident that the combat power displayed by the majority of the Han Army was only one or two levels inferior to the two legions that activated their Legion Talent, so estimating them as fairly elite Han troops posed no issue for the three of them.

Precisely because of this, in the eyes of Sulapri and others, although the Han Dynasty was strong, Kushan had already earned the qualification to gradually close the gap. After all, even if the Han Dynasty had more formidable legions and a Military Spirit Legion, Kushan also had elite troops, a Military Spirit Legion, and a navy beyond what the Han Empire imagined!

Therefore, as the main force of Kushan was about to be enveloped by the Han Army, Sulapri and Hirilah inclined towards conceding directly, having showcased all of Kushan’s strength and achieved what they desired in this battle.

Sulapri hardly needed to consider the issue of whether, upon such a graceful concession, the Han Army would still resort to harsh measures.

After all, given the current situation, Brack was about to regroup with the main force led by two commanders capable of Inner Qi Manifestation, and they already had the ammunition to forcefully break through and coordinate with Monnari and Sharuk for an internal-external pincer attack.

Thus, if they yielded gracefully and the Han Army still pursued ruthlessly, they could decisively break out, and despite the inevitability of Han’s victory, it would be a pyrrhic one. Furthermore, with three to five Kushan soldiers escaping, triggering enough hatred to mobilize a two hundred thousand strong army back home was not a risk the Han Empire should take.

However, the troublesome aspect now was that Brack seemed reluctant to concede easily and still wished to contend with the Han Army under such circumstances.

Leiblalei wished to intercept him, but Brack’s solemn gaze successfully stifled Leiblalei’s words.

”The situation is a bit dire. Brack seems intent on contesting with the Han Army,” Hirilah voiced via transmission to the other two, ”In truth, we’ve demonstrated our rightful strength, and the Han Army has unsurprisingly suppressed us; retreating now is the rightful course.”

Hirilah’s family, much like Sima Qian’s historical family, was dedicated to historiography, hence he harbored greater reverence for the Han Empire, akin to his previous shock witnessing the Han Empire’s combat power being countered by them.

Now that Kushan’s full combat strength had been unleashed and was being suppressed by the Han Empire, Hirilah deemed it only natural.

As a historical family, the records clearly documented the time when the Han Empire dispatched Zhang Qian to notify them about joining forces to fight against the Huns, avenging King of the Yuezhi who had his head severed and used as a wine cup by Chanyu.

Intimidated by the combat prowess of the Huns, the Yuezhi covered all expenses for Zhang Qian’s delegation but refused the proposal, as the Huns at the time were extremely powerful—absolutely despairing.

However, shortly after the Great Yuezhi’s refusal, the Han Dynasty commenced its solo campaign against the Huns, and around ten years later, the Noteworthy Feat at Langjuxu took place, leaving a profound imprint on Yuezhi’s memory—a settling of an inexplicable blood feud.

A century or two later, the Yuezhi grew affluent, rebranded as the Kushan, sought to marry a Han Princess, yet ended up being defeated by Ban Chao at Onion Ridge, coinciding with news of the Han Empire effectively decimating the Huns.

Thus, another clear impression of the Han Dynasty emerged for Yuezhi, symbolized by Yanran’s Achievement.

This is why, amid Kushan’s conversations, these two terms often appear, crucial to the Yuezhi—the removal of an oppressive weight and the terror of years under Hun domination.

Hence, the nobles associated with historiography in Kushan revered the Han Dynasty, culminating decades later in the historical record of the Kushan envoy embarking on a voyage to pay tribute to the Han Dynasty, as the Kushan Empire had dissolved by then, rekindling memories of the formidable empire by the Kushan nobility.

This reverence instilled in the Kushan nobility a yearning to someday conquer the Han Empire, yet the reverence simultaneously engendered an ennui upon realizing their ability to compete alongside the Han Empire—mirroring a deficit in self-assurance.

”Let him fight; even if it results in a pyrrhic victory for the Han Army, it will clarify to them that Kushan should not be underestimated,” Sulapri voiced via transmission to the others, who found nothing adverse in making the Han Army understand the gravity of underestimating Kushan.

The Han Army’s two flanks were continuously extending, successfully encircling Kushan’s rear army. Zhang Ren and Meng Huo had already rendezvoused, perceiving the fragile defenses of Kushan’s rear army readily, yet the Han Army’s encirclement revealed a significant shortcoming.

To complete the encirclement, the Han Army’s rear had to draw a substantial number of soldiers, gradually diminishing the forces originally blocking Kushan’s four advancing main forces. Additionally, with Brack directing his main forces to surge left and right, concentrating the vanguard elites, it became pivotal whether the rear could continue restraining the Kushan vanguard for a decisive victory.

”We can no longer remain spectators. Even if it means dismantling the completed encirclement of Kushan’s rear, General Wutugu must be liberated immediately,” Zhang Ren, having converged with Meng Huo, was now positioned at another command point in the clash between the two massive armies.

As another capable general from Yizhou with independent command experience, albeit less seasoned than Yan Yan, Zhang Ren joined Meng Huo and others at this new command point, promptly assessing the battlefield scenario.

”Ling Bao, Deng Xian, Liu Gui, Wu Lan, the four of you take your respective Cave Masters and launch an assault on Kushan’s rear army from our encirclement’s periphery. Do not delve too deeply; if Kushan’s rear army attempts to flee west, let them go, and the rest, follow me to strike the Kushan Central Army,” Zhang Ren issued new commands upon deciphering the battlefield.

The issue had been specifically deliberated early on, culminating in Yan Yan as the Commander-in-chief with Zhang Ren as the Vice Commander. If Yan Yan penetrated too deep into the enemy and couldn’t continue commanding, Zhang Ren, in the apt position, could undertake command. However, Yan Yan hadn’t furnished Zhang Ren with a war drum, limiting Zhang Ren’s command to field command.

This arrangement prevented the Han Army from possessing two distinct command systems on the battlefield, with field command, albeit limited to confined scopes, sufficiently compensating for numerous command system inadequacies. Zhang Ren, as the Vice Commander, was executing field command.

With Zhang Ren’s directive, the painstakingly completed encirclement was immediately dissolved, releasing the rear of Kushan from the encirclement, and Zhang Ren, alongside Meng Huo, led 3000 men to thrust into the rear of Kushan’s forces, while Deng Xian, Wu Lan, and others similarly launched fierce assaults on the Kushan rear.

All offensive military formations evolved from the Spearhead Formation cannot eliminate a crucial vulnerability—greater offensive power inherently weakens the rear guard.

This almost fatal flaw can only be resolved in two ways: abandoning the offensive military formation or, like the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, defeating the enemy before being defeated. Evidently, during this era, only the Xiliang Iron Cavalry achieved the latter.

Hence, when Kushan’s rear encountered a major attack with four feigned assaults, the already somewhat disarrayed Kushan rear army, suffering from dispatching issues, was effortlessly breached by five Han forces, reminiscent of how easily Kushan once breached the Han Central Army.

The significant contrast, however, compared to when Kushan breached the Han Central Army was, upon facing Zhang Ren and others’ ferocious assault, Kushan’s rear, lacking a command system and principal backbone, devoid of a Legion Talent like Yan Yan’s to stabilize morale and avert collapse, naturally began routing when the resistance proved futile.

The Kushan Legion’s reliance on visualization for swift mobilization had its latent risks finally detonated in the absence of core and backbone support.