NOVPUBChen Xi and the others all fell into deep thought, Similarly, it was the first time for the military generals to encounter these matters, and they couldn’t help but furrow their brows.
"Generally speaking, the stronger a military general’s ability to lead troops, the stronger their control over their soldiers, thus the combat power they can unleash with the same force becomes stronger, the soldiers’ receptivity to the military general’s will is also higher, and the flow of Cloud Qi becomes faster," Zhao Yun shared the teachings of his master.
Just these few sentences, which Zhao Yun wouldn’t have divulged, could never have been summed up by half the people present in their lifetimes, which shows the terror of some monopolized knowledge.
"In other words, the general is the soldier’s courage," Chen Xi said with a furrowed brow, "This also involves the scale of troops a commander leads."
"Exactly, a commander’s own strength, as well as their ability to lead, greatly affects the performance of their soldiers. Meanwhile, the commander’s will influences the combat abilities of the soldiers. If the strengths and leadership abilities of commanders on both sides are equal, then what is ultimately compared is willpower," Zhao Yun continued to explain, and everyone else was taken aback by this revelation, showing just how important a good teacher is.
Chen Xi couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of his nose; from what Zhao Yun had said, it seemed that battles between military generals hadn’t changed much from before, yet there seemed to be something off.
"Zilong, be more specific. The aspect of will shouldn’t be so vague. Since you’ve started, then speak out the most important point, I think your master didn’t instruct you not to disclose it," Chen Xi pondered for a long time before inquiring, because there was a significant gap in understanding.
"The will of the military general is important, casting aside other conditions. The will of the military general alone can change many things, even without Cloud Qi, even with a scattered formation, as long as the leading general has instilled a fearlessness of death in all soldiers’ hearts, and all soldiers share a highly unified will, then even if this force is unarmed..." Zhao Yun did not continue, but everyone understood his meaning.
"So, after the image of the military general is deeply ingrained in the soldiers’ minds, the special abilities that the troops exhibit are in fact the implementation of the military general’s will?" Chen Xi’s mind was flooded with testimonies of many strong historical armies, countless examples of weaker forces overcoming the strong, many troops that despite facing the toughest times, did not falter and maintained awe-inspiring combat strength.
[Indeed, without the protection of a peerless valiant general or Cloud Qi, without the safeguard of formations, that indomitable spirit, the combativeness to drag the enemy down even at the cost of one’s life, commands respect from any adversary, even when stripped of all possessions.] This thought silently flashed through Chen Xi’s mind, evoking a sympathetic response.
"It is the implementation of a military general’s will, but not entirely so. How should I put it? It should be considered Military Spirit. Although the military general is the most important, it is not absolute. If a previous commander leaves a deep imprint on a troop, the subsequent commander might also be affected," Zhao Yun said somewhat uncertainly, as his master hadn’t explained this aspect very clearly.
"What if a troop has already formed a complete Military Spirit? A spirit so intact that even if the former chief general perishes, yet it remains, and the troop continues to be as strong as when the previous chief general was alive? How would the will of the subsequent chief general be handled?" Chen Xi asked curiously.
"That’s impossible. If the commander dies in battle, the Military Spirit is basically ruined, and it won’t take long for those soldiers to lose that iron-like will they had once," Zhao Yun thought Chen Xi was just speculating idly, so he replied without much thought.
[It’s over, the Vanguard Camp is at least one level stronger than both the Vanguard Death Squad and the Great Halberdiers who had obliterated the White Horse Righteous Followers.] As Zhao Yun gave his answer, Chen Xi immediately distinguished the strengths and weaknesses between the Vanguard Death Squad, the Great Halberdiers, and the Vanguard Camp.
It should be noted that after Juo Yi’s death, Vanguard fell into the hands of Chunyu Qiong, while Great Halberdiers came under the command of Zhang He. By the time they reached Guandu, they had already lost the imposing aura of the sharpest and the sturdiest in the land. The Eight Hundred Trap Formation, after Gao Shun’s death, came under the command of Zhang Liao as his trusted aides. Ten years later, at Xiaoyao Crossing, these death soldiers of the Vanguard made Sun Quan bleed like a beaten grandson.
From this, it is apparent that elite troops, even after losing their chief generals, can still carry on the indomitable spirit of their predecessors. The Trap Formation maintained Gao Shun’s unrivaled will, battling as if fighting their own sons, while the Vanguard Death Squad and the Great Halberdiers soon lost the contemptuous spirit toward the realm that Juo Yi once had.
As for the second-generation chief generals, excluding the trash that was Chunyu Qiong, there was no significant difference between Zhang He and Zhang Liao in terms of martial arts proficiency and command capabilities. From this angle, the disparity between the Great Halberdiers and the Trap Formation was entirely the doing of the previous generation’s chief general.
Just think, Chen Xi could sense an unsettling killing intent from the Vanguard Death Squad led by Juo Yi through intelligence reports. The Trap Formation could at least be a level stronger; one has to wonder just how powerful they must be. It’s no surprise that a few hundred of them managed to shave the heads of the two thousand men led by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. It’s only fair to say that Li Jin, who was flipped over by Lyu Bu, didn’t lose unjustly. How on earth did they train to become so formidable?
"Lord Xuande, when you go to battle in Xuzhou, please be sure to take Uncle Chen with you, and if possible, gather some more Elite Troops of Danyang." Chen Xi stood up and bowed to Liu Bei as this thought crossed his mind. It was necessary to create a special kind of troops, and among those present, only Chen Dao had historically managed to form a unique force—the White Spear Soldiers—based on the Danyang Troops. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"Agreed," Liu Bei nodded. Though he didn’t understand why Uncle Chen needed to come along, if Chen Xi asked, there had to be a compelling reason. "In that case, Uncle Chen, you can postpone taking charge of the Mount Tai Army Camp for now and serve as Zijian’s deputy instead. After the Xuzhou affair, we can make further arrangements."
"Understood!" Chen Dao responded joyously. Any capable military general would relish the opportunity to show their prowess on the battlefield, and Chen Dao was no exception. Being new to the scene, he preferred to keep a low profile so as not to give a bad impression, which is why he hadn’t spoken up. Unexpectedly, Chen Xi, whom he’d scarcely met, spoke on his behalf.
"Zhongtai, you and Meng Kang will temporarily take over the Mount Tai Army Camp. Continue with the daily drills without pause," Liu Bei said as he nodded to Chen Dao, his eyes sweeping over the military generals, pausing briefly on Wei Yan standing behind Guan Yu. But after a moment of consideration, he decided against making an appointment—it was clear that Guan Yu had taken a liking to Wei Yan, who was more like his son than his offspring, and wanted to keep him close.
"Understood!" Sun Guan, who had been managing Tuntian Soldiers and gathering refugees in Western Qingzhou, responded calmly, knowing full well that he should stay behind during the upcoming battle. He was aware of his limitations; while he could hold the fort, participating in a battle of this magnitude could disastrously end under his command.
"Xuangao, you will take over the military duties Zhongtai has stepped down from, and Yunchang will handle the situation in Licheng," Liu Bei instructed Zang Ba.
"Understood." Zang Ba stood up and saluted, accepting the military orders.
"The rest of the officers, be on standby at all times!" Liu Bei looked over to Zhang Fei, who seemed about to speak, and issued his directive.
"Understood!" Taishi Ci, Hua Xiong, and others saluted with a fist. After all, the outcome would be clear in just over ten days. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile phone users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
