Since the Accounting: A Chronicle of the Roman Khanate

Chapter 647 Guo Kang Discusses Tactics

The battle lasted about half an hour and was basically over.

After Li Xuanying's troops joined the battle, they quickly drove away the scattered enemies on the flank and rear. Finding their flanks and rear threatened, the already wavering Egyptian "volunteer" infantry immediately retreated, trying to escape this situation. Seeing them running, the Bedouins on the front line also hurried to run for their lives. The infantry line quickly collapsed.

Some enemies came to support, but seeing the numerous auxiliary soldiers advancing aggressively, they stopped and watched. They did not attack until Guo Kang's troops completely occupied the slope.

Guo Kang and his men continued to advance, and asked the three 100-man teams that were in the main attack to withdraw and rest, leaving only a few people to clean up the battlefield and count the heads. They replaced them with five or six teams stationed at high altitudes, and the auxiliary soldiers went to monitor the roads. While they were fighting, the main force of the army in the rear had quickly passed the intersection and the river branch and went to attack the port area.

What Guo Kang was most worried about was that the main force of the Mamluks would also join the battle. According to pre-war intelligence, there were an estimated 5,000 Mamluks on the Egyptian side. I don't know how many people the Sheikh has brought to the battlefield, but in such a big battle, the number will definitely not be small.

Their brigade was experimental in nature, and the combat experience and skills of the soldiers varied greatly, and their combat effectiveness was not stable enough, so they were not the main attackers of the legion. However, this mission was still very important.

Because when they were fighting, they were near the junction of the two armies; after the main force moved eastward, they actually became the defensive rear position. If the enemy was sharp enough, it was very likely that they would take advantage of the battle here and concentrate their forces to attack, or even disrupt the entire battle situation.

Guo Kang's troops had less than a thousand men in the battle, and most of them were new recruits, so they would definitely not be able to withstand the full force of the Mamluks. Therefore, from the very beginning, he had been thinking about how to delay the enemy's main force - with the forces at hand, this was the only way he could do.

However, this did not happen in the end.

The battle at the port was still going on, and even intensified. It was already dark, and both sides lit torches and continued fighting for a while. During this time, hundreds of enemy cavalry came to observe the situation of their positions. This time, there were too many enemies, and even Li Xuanying stayed in the formation honestly and did not dare to rush in.

After a short standoff, Father Ivan suggested that Guo Kang turn on the equipment and give it a try. Guo Kang thought about it and it seemed like a good idea. So he asked them to prepare.

Soon, Father Ivan, along with a few assistants, pulled the developing vehicle over, asked a few people to push the mechanism, and started it. The vehicle immediately emitted a strong light, becoming extremely conspicuous in the night. The priest carefully took out the prepared pictures from the magic box, and began to project them with the help of the light.

According to Guo Kang's request, the 400-man team, which was resting, prayed first. Although the previous battle was very fierce and bloody, the two veteran 100-man teams suffered few casualties. The 4th team, which went to intercept the enemy from the flank, did suffer some losses. Taking this opportunity, let them mourn their fallen comrades and relieve their psychological pressure.

The deacons took out some white cloths, threw the armored images of the Heavenly Brother on them one by one, and then handed them to the soldiers to collect the dead. Father Ivan led everyone in chanting scriptures. Looking at the Heavenly Brother appearing in the light, perhaps because it was the first time they saw such a scene, or perhaps because of the shock brought by the previous battle, many new soldiers sobbed. After the chanting, the priest comforted everyone again, and the mood in the team also improved a little.

The enemies in the distance were also seeing this kind of scene for the first time and were obviously surprised. After watching for a while, they turned around and retreated.

After a while, the sounds of fighting gradually stopped. The legion sent another messenger, saying that the enemy in the port had been driven away. The previous attack also opened up the connection with the city. Now, Guo Kang and his men could pack up and meet up to prepare to build a camp.

After receiving the order, Guo Kang and Lu Baihu and others discussed and decided to be more careful. They were now the rear guard, so they needed to cover each other and advance one section at a time. Li Xuanying's cavalry continued to stay on the top of the hill and set up more torches for lighting. Wait until everyone left before giving up this place.

Fortunately, probably because of the noise they made just now, the enemy was not sure of their strength and did not dare to come up. So the entire brigade went east smoothly and came to the edge of the port area. Here, the fourth brigade met them.

The battalion commander of the corps had already planned the location for the camp. Even the necessary materials had been placed. According to the instructions of the corps, the fourth battalion replaced them and stationed at the outermost part of the camp. Their second battalion was closer to the port area. From here, they could directly see the brightly lit dock and several large ships docked.

Although it was late, everyone was still busy with construction and then prepared to rest. Guo Kang also set up a tent and took some people to the dock to receive the distributed supplies and pick up Zhu Wenkui and others who had not yet landed. Along the way, many people greeted him and said that he was very good at commanding and responding today, and he was worthy of being the son of the old Guo family.

However, others may not know, but Guo Kang himself is very clear. In today's naval battle, he basically lay flat; in the landing battle, he made some conventional plans according to the common sense of military tactics and the various regulations in military books and regulations. The real decisive attack was actually launched by Li Xuanying who seized the opportunity and led his men. He was a little embarrassed to say that it was his credit...

After dealing with these matters, it was already very late. Guo Kang and a few people returned to the tent and lifted the curtain, but suddenly found that there was already a figure inside.

"Hey?" He quickly took a step back and lowered the door curtain: "I'm sorry, I'm so tired today. I went to the wrong place..."

"This is your tent, right?" the followers beside him reminded.

"Ah? Did they go the wrong way?" Guo Kang was very surprised. He shook his head, pulled the door curtain again, and said to the inside: "Brother, why do you smell a good smell?"

"This is my incense." Meltem's voice came from inside: "Brother, why did you go out halfway? Why didn't you just come in directly?"

"No—" Guo Kang pulled aside the curtain and saw clearly in the dim light of the incense burner: "Why are you here?"

"Why not?" Meltem asked him back.

"During combat, the army is not allowed to bring women with it. This has been the rule since ancient times," Guo Kang explained.

"But……"

"I know that Persians have unique hobbies, but you are in Rome, so you have to act like a Roman." Seeing that Meltem was still unconvinced, Guo Kang continued, "It is very troublesome for idle people to join the army."

"I'm not Persian." Meltem reminded quickly.

"That's not the point—" Guo Kang was speechless for a moment: "I don't know how you got in, but you'd better go back quickly. Now I can still pretend that I didn't see it, and I can tell my uncle in private later. But if this matter gets out of hand, it will be bad."

"Go south now to the docks. There are some Italian merchant ships unloading there. Go find a merchant named Joanna and tell her that I asked you to find her. Ask her to take you in for one night. I will come back to find you after the war is over."

"I'm not an idler either." Meltem was unhappy: "Who do you think I am? Am I the kind of stupid woman who stirs up trouble without thinking and breaks the rules by relying on her connections?"

"Uh……"

"I'm here on business. My ID is still here." She said, and really took out a certificate with the seal of the camp: "I have been here to spy on the enemy. I just reported and came here."

"Is that so..." Guo Kang felt that he had wronged the other party and felt a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, it was still wrong: "Then after you finish your report, go back to your own place. Why are you coming to my place?"

"Can't I just talk to you?" Meltem said confidently.

"I want to sleep first." Guo Kang immediately refused and said, "Get out now."

"I'll sleep with you too." Meltem requested, "It won't affect anything."

"How can it not affect me? I'm almost dead tired and don't have time to play with you." Guo Kang pointed out: "I didn't perform very well today. If I don't have the energy tomorrow, I'll be embarrassed."

"Everyone says you performed very well." Meltem said in surprise: "This is your first time commanding a regular battle. To have done this is already very good." "I didn't command much." Guo Kang turned around and asked the soldiers on duty outside to disperse, then sat on the ground: "I just memorized the military manual. I did what the regulations said in this situation - you can replace it with a machine, it can do it."

"It's not that simple." Meltem disagreed. "You can only use 50% of what you practice in actual combat. If you can use 70% of your strength, you are a person with excellent talent and suitable for combat. If you can use all the knowledge in the book right away, then you are a war genius. To be honest, I don't know whether you think you didn't perform well or you are bragging about yourself."

"Huh?..." Guo Kang didn't react for a moment.

"I have never commanded a war myself, but I have heard people say that the battlefield is a point-deducting competition, and it is all about who makes fewer mistakes, not more tricks. The reason why an excellent commander is superior to ordinary people is that he can allow his subordinates to maintain more combat effectiveness before entering the battlefield." Meltem said:
"In fact, it's the same for us. We travel thousands of miles to carry out a mission. We have to carefully observe the surroundings along the way, endure the bumpy ride, and even have to sleep in the open air. After arriving at the place, we have to conduct reconnaissance and collect a lot of key information. People who don't have particularly good physical strength and energy will be exhausted before the action begins. So, I can understand this situation."

"You seem to know quite a lot about it? Who did you hear it from?" Guo Kang became curious.

"My uncle told me," Meltem told him. "When I was very young, I often went to the palace there. My uncle and mother would chat from time to time, and he would start talking about the war. Although I didn't understand much at that time, I think my memory is pretty good. Anyway, I still remember some of the topics he talked about."

"Oh, I see. Which uncle is it?" Guo Kang nodded and asked casually.

"My uncle was already on the throne before I was born," Meltrum said, "After that, there was only one uncle!"

"Uh……"

This topic is quite complicated if you talk about it in detail, so Guo Kang decided not to talk about it.

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"Ah, aren't these just theories?" Meltem didn't care much. "Even my uncle himself failed to stick to the experience he summed up. Later, when Timur attacked, he hurriedly led his men to stop him, which exhausted his army. As a result, he was defeated and captured in one battle, and the country collapsed. You see, these things on paper are all good words. Who can guarantee that they can be fully implemented?"

"That's right." Guo Kang nodded. "Those who can skillfully use the art of war are considered heroes in our country. Timur's uncle first surrounded Wei to save Zhao, forcing the enemy to leave the advantageous terrain. Then he led the enemy to advance rashly and fight under fatigue and hunger. The art of war says: A good fighter attacks others, not by others. This is probably his strategic thinking. If he can do this, he can already dominate the west of the Pamir Mountains."

"Yes. Since the Mongol invasion of the West, nearly two hundred years ago, only he has achieved so many victories and defeated so many enemies." Meltem shook his head: "My uncle was also a famous general at the time. He defeated many enemies from different backgrounds, but he could only do this. You also know this, so don't be too stressed. If you can really master these, I'm afraid there will be no enemies in the world."

"I'm afraid I don't have the ability - and it's the world west of the Pamir Mountains." Guo Kang emphasized it again.

"Ah? The east is different?" Meltem asked puzzledly.

"The two sides are in different worlds." Guo Kang said seriously: "Our advanced skills are their basic skills. At least there must be an operation that violates the meaning of the military strategy on paper but actually conforms to the core spirit of the art of war, which can be considered a wonderful battle example worth mentioning. If you want to conquer the world, you must not only deeply understand these things yourself, but also deal with enemies who understand the same."

"As for those who left their names behind and are known to non-professionals, they are all masters who have developed their own military tactics and summed up a new set of experience. In our Mediterranean world, there have been no such famous generals since the classical era." Guo Kang said, lying on the ground: "Look at all these years, do we still have Alexander, Caesar and Hannibal? The entire system is already far behind them. Before Rome was reunified, I don't think it is necessary to compare with them. There is no comparison between the two sides."

"Why is that? Are we born smarter than them? But you are from the East, you can't be dumber than them?" Meltem was surprised to see him so confident.

"People are all the same, but they need to be educated. The things taught by the two sides are very different." Guo Kang shook his head and said, "You know, although the Han and the Romans have many similarities, what is the most fundamental difference?"

"The Han people are smarter?" Meltem seemed to have never thought about it.

"No, the Han people are better at fighting." Guo Kang replied: "To judge the level of a civilization, we should look at its low points, not its peak. Because when the limelight comes, even big-eared sheep can fly. But whether they can survive during the low points is hard to say."

"Whether it was the Romans or the Persians, when they were defeated, or even long before they were defeated, they were no longer considered excellent warriors. But the Han people were different. Even if they were conquered by others, the conquerors still needed to recruit Han people as soldiers because the fighting power of the Han people was still outstanding even at this time. In order to maintain rule and deal with competition from other ethnic groups and even other nobles within the tribe, it was very necessary to rely on the armed forces of the Han people. The Northern Zhou Dynasty set up the military government and the Yuan Dynasty formed the Wuwei Army, which were all such cases."

"Why were the Han Chinese able to fight under such circumstances? Because they were better organized, and war is essentially a competition between organizations. Why were they better organized? Because they had more advanced education, and had enough talent and a strong atmosphere to consolidate their organization. If you want to have a martial arts temple, you must first have a Confucian temple - the Mediterranean world doesn't have this foundation."

"So to learn how to fight, we have to start from Confucius?" Meltem asked in surprise.

"You overestimate them." Guo Kang didn't seem to give him face: "Old Confucius' books were 'borrowed' from the library of the Zhou royal family, and then he educated everyone according to these teaching materials. The European royal families themselves don't have many books, and the level of the church is better than nothing. What can they use to teach..."

"Uh……"

"As for the Muslim world, the level of organization is even lower. Everyone is competing viciously with each other, and there is no room for improvement." Guo Kang shook his head: "Do you know? When Timur was young, he was a chivalrous man."

"At that time, warlords in the river plundered the city, captured all the men and made them into hard labor, and captured all the women as slaves. The old priests in the city couldn't stand it, so they went to the warlords to persuade them, and the warlords also made the old priests into hard labor; Timur's uncle was living in the city at the time, and he might have wanted to gain political capital, or it might be that the young people were outraged, or it might be both - so he also went to persuade them to release everyone."

"I've heard of this." Meltem nodded. "As a result, Timur was also forced to do hard labor."

"Yeah. Luckily he wasn't lame at the time, he ran fast and escaped. After that, he was too lazy to do these things." Guo Kang shrugged: "The general environment is like this. Even if a capable person like him wants to do something good, he will suffer a great loss in the end, let alone others? Therefore, if the environment does not change, these are hopeless. And changing the environment is probably not something that can be done militarily."

"Hearing what you said, it seems that no one is very good." Meltem groaned: "But I have heard of some people who are quite good at fighting. Although some of them are Franks, they are quite famous here."

"I heard that Charles Martel defeated the Umayyad army and reversed the situation in the entire Mediterranean world in one fell swoop. Was he a good fighter? How did he do it back then?"

"That battle was just a fight between barbarians and a mob. It didn't have any value at all." Guo Kang disagreed.

"Well, Richard the Lionheart has been traveling all over our country, and his war is still often mentioned. Is he of real value?" Meltem continued to ask.

"He has a good battlefield intuition and a good grasp of the battle situation. It can be seen that he is a talented person." Guo Kang said: "Unfortunately, his foundation is too poor, his education level is not good, and his political ability is a mess. It is difficult to say that such a person is a famous general, because the more he wins, the more he will be doomed."

"I see. What about King Frederick of the Alemanni? It is said that he united various tribes and led the largest army ever recorded to attack us. Even now, some scholars still say that this was probably the most dangerous time. According to you, with this organizational ability, the military level cannot be too low, right?" Meltem asked.

"Let's learn how to swim first." Guo Kang muttered.

"This--" Meltrum had no choice but to ask: "If this doesn't count... who can still fight? Eh?"

She wanted to ask again, but Guo Kang did not answer - upon closer inspection, she found that he had fallen asleep.

Meltrum sighed and shook his head helplessly.

(End of this chapter)