Chapter 400: Chapter 400
"The \"Zheng Zi Art of War\"?"
Li Fusheng smacked his lips. Despite being unrefined, he clearly recognized the gravity of adding the suffix ’Zi’ to one’s surname. Adding ’Zi’ to one’s surname was akin to introducing oneself by saying, "Hello everyone, my surname is Zhang, and I am a genius. You may call me Genius Zhang." It gave off quite a shameless vibe. But warriors, who are instinctively antagonistic towards civil officials, consider such blatant arrogance an innate part of their nature. Therefore, in Li Fusheng’s imagination, the so-called "Zheng Zi Art of War," by its very name, seemed to embody a warrior’s absolute confidence—a brazen trampling on the refined beliefs of scholars! He truly liked that! Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NoveI-Fire.ɴet
"Good. After this battle is over, I will delve into it."
Zheng Fan still felt somewhat bewildered. Honestly, in the nearly one year since he had awakened in this world, he hadn’t actually done much plagiarizing of classic texts, aside from spouting some clever sayings to the Sixth Prince. Of course, this was also because the situation in Yan State was vastly different from that in Qian State; there simply wasn’t much of a market for such plagiarism. Most importantly, Liang Cheng, who was usually so taciturn, was being rather talkative today.
However, this was not the time for private murmuring. The previous probing had ended, and now a decision on the next crucial step had to be made quickly.
Li Fusheng turned to Liang Cheng and asked, "Did your lord teach you what the real key to winning on a battlefield is?"
Upon hearing this, a variety of scenes flashed through Liang Cheng’s mind. To put it bluntly, while Li Fusheng had earned a notorious reputation in the wastelands for his penchant for annihilating entire tribes, Liang Cheng himself had razed more cities than Li Fusheng had fought battles. This question was akin to a child asking an old man, "Do you know the meaning of life?" Liang Cheng certainly had an answer. But the limelight he—or rather, his lord—had garnered today was already significant enough. If he continued to take center stage, it might seem a bit too conspicuous. As for The Art of War by Sun Tzu, even presenting a complete copy wouldn’t be a major issue. Only the truly naive would believe that reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu could teach someone how to wage war. This was similar to the naive beliefs that "half the Analects can rule the world" or that Hong Taiji and Dorgon learned their strategic abilities from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms—whoever believed such things was simply simple-minded. Even if this military treatise were submitted later, while it would likely cause a stir, the commotion would still be manageable. To true veteran commanders, the book would merely be seen as an interesting and incisive summary.
"Please enlighten me," Liang Cheng replied.
Li Fusheng gave a hearty laugh. "Nothing more than strong soldiers and sturdy horses!"
War is often laden with political factors, not to mention economic, cultural, strategic, and circumstantial considerations. But if we strip away these external factors and just look at this ongoing encounter, who wins and who loses? Isn’t it ultimately down to which side has stronger soldiers and sturdier horses?
"Charge Brigade, set formation!"
Following Li Fusheng’s command, the central army began to split, and a cavalry brigade of a thousand horsemen arrayed itself at the front. Each rider held a horse lance in their hand.
This weapon, the horse lance, might resemble a spear or the long lance favored by Western knights, but it was, in fact, more complex and also more valuable. In ancient times, a horse lance could be passed down as a family heirloom. Ordinary people could neither afford to own one nor equip themselves with one.
The horse lance was divided into two parts: the head and the shaft. The blade of the lance head was 50-60 centimeters long, far exceeding that of ordinary spears and lances. The shaft was typically made from a resilient hardwood; thin rods of it were soaked in oil, air-dried, and then laminated together using fish bladder glue.
When a knight charged on horseback wielding a lance, the weapon gained fearsome momentum. Coupled with the knight’s excellent horsemanship and skill, the lance could become a devastating ’cutting edge,’ slicing through any obstruction. It was highly effective in cavalry duels and equally terrifying against infantry. Much like the bolts previously fired from the Qian army’s siege crossbows, when these thousand cavalry charged, it was as if a thousand terrifying blades were sweeping forward. A single lance could impale several men, like skewering candied haws on a stick.
Of course, after such a charge, the horse lance would typically be discarded, and the knight would draw their saber for close-quarters combat.
"We don’t care what the Qian commander is scheming, what kind of plan he’s making, or what his intentions are. Wherever the iron hooves of my Northern Army tread, all turns to dust!" Li Fusheng expressed this sentiment with great vigor.
Yes! No matter what strategy the Qian army commander employed, I would directly shatter the most solid part of their wedge formation and send all their tactics to hell! No matter how numerous or clever the strategies, they would appear pale and laughable in the face of absolute strength. What was absolute strength? The six thousand cavalry blocking the way had forced the opposing commander, despite having thirty thousand troops, to halt and form up on the spot, too intimidated to make a rash move. That was absolute strength!
Li Fusheng reached out, and one of his personal guards respectfully presented him with a horse lance. Li Fusheng held the lance in his left hand. He didn’t ask Zheng Fan, because he knew that a talent like Zheng Fan shouldn’t risk an accident on the battlefield, at least not in the initial charge. Instead, he asked Liang Cheng, "Would you dare to join me?"
Liang Cheng didn’t answer. Instead, he spurred his horse forward, his arrogant demeanor seemingly innate.