Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1598 - 1540: Putting Yourself in Others’ Shoes

"How should we proceed?" Zhou Yu pressed his temple with a finger. This was his forte, battlefield command. Though somewhat arrogant, at this moment, there was probably no one better than him.

"Hmm, although I'm reluctant to admit it, to be honest, my command of troops is pretty poor. I'm good at internal affairs and people's livelihoods." Chen Xi sighed, revealing the truth without hiding anything; by now, there was no harm in stating the obvious.

"I had some suspicions about that." Zhou Yu nodded, indicating his understanding.

"However, I believe in the idea that the heavy sword has no edge; great skill appears clumsy. If it doesn't work, just overpower them. We all know the outcome of this battle against the Northern Huns—an inevitable defeat for them. Our national power is about a hundred times theirs. For us now, the Northern Huns are merely a nuisance," Chen Xi said earnestly to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu could only smile wryly; it was a fact. With Chen Xi's expertise in internal affairs and people's livelihoods, their power accumulation surpassed others greatly.

"You're following the King's Way," Zhou Yu said after a moment's silence. "It seems foolish at first, but it is the most stable, making it very difficult for us to deal with you."

"It's merely difficult?" Chen Xi smiled. "You will understand in the future. For now, I will tell you what you want to know because this battle involves not only your forces but my forces as well."

"Let's start with our side. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry numbers four thousand, and these four thousand are sufficient to handle any army of the same size on the plains, ensuring victory," Chen Xi said with utmost seriousness to Zhou Yu, needing him to feel that sense of invincibility.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu felt his heart tighten, staring gravely at Chen Xi.

"Indeed, on the plains, with equal numbers, in direct combat, as long as the final step hasn't been taken, it's impossible to defeat the Xiliang Iron Cavalry," Chen Xi said with a slight trace of pride as he observed Zhou Yu's solemn expression.

"Neither Lü Bu nor others leading their own legion could defeat the Xiliang Iron Cavalry on the plains, given equal numbers," Chen Xi's quiet words echoed like thunder in Zhou Yu's ears.

Chen Xi once asked Li Youu why the Xiliang Iron Cavalry was exceptionally strong in direct confrontations compared to other cavalry. Li Youu, with a nostalgic expression, explained to Chen Xi that unlike other cavalry, from the start, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry had no other choice.

Although Gongsun Zan was poverty-stricken, he could still equip the White Horse with sabers and bows. Ding Yuan maintained Bingzhou for over a decade, supported by fellow townsmen, equipping the Wolf Cavalry with various weapons for ranged and melee attacks, charges, and mounted archery.

As for Dong Zhuo, during his time in Xiliang, he was verging on bankruptcy. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry had little to no equipment; providing them with food was already a feat for Dong Zhuo, issuing pikes to the Iron Cavalry for combat with instructions to remember to return the pikes even if they died...

Thus, the Iron Cavalry only had one mode of combat from the start, which was direct confrontation; anything like long-range or cutting people down with knives was mere fantasy. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry, impoverished to the point of having only one pike and those wearing cloth armor considered well-equipped, had only one path to follow.

Human energy and talent are probably limited. The soldiers of the Iron Cavalry chose only one path, negating the need to consider others. All attributes were aimed at making them more brilliant in direct confrontation.

In the end, the shabby Iron Cavalry achieved attributes comparable to the Wolf Cavalry and White Horse Soldiers. However, at that time, the Wolf Cavalry and White Horse Soldiers only matched the bare-equipped Iron Cavalry in combat power when equipping additional attributes.

Thus, when Dong Zhuo could afford leather armor for his troops, Fan Chou was able to lead the Iron Cavalry to defeat Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry led by Lü Bu, even if Lü Bu had activated the Legion Talent. The Iron Cavalry, relying on its inherent Elite Talent, overwhelmed Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Li Youu directly informed Chen Xi that once the Xiliang Iron Cavalry were properly equipped, no army of equal numbers in the entire land could face them directly.

The Elite Talent of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry only strengthened defense, but it enhanced the physical defense of both the war horses and riders and the defense of worn items. Thus, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry's Elite Talent ostensibly had only one aspect; however, its essence contained two effects.

This is also why Li Youu used to say that the most elite Xiliang Iron Cavalry was just short of a unifying belief to recognize them; otherwise, they already stood as a Military Spirit Legion. By quality, the individual quality of the most elite Xiliang Iron Cavalry already matched the soldiers of the Military Spirit Legion.

Unfortunately, not even Li Youu could bestow upon them a unified belief.

"Are they that strong?" A tinge of bitterness appeared on Zhou Yu's face.

"You might not believe it, but it's the truth." Chen Xi spread his hands. "The Northern Huns Cavalry and Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry are essentially on the same level, but the Xiliang Iron Cavalry can withstand the arrow onslaught from both these cavalry types, break into their formations, and eliminate them."

Zhou Yu's gaze turned solemn as he recollected the difficulties he had faced while annihilating the Northern Huns Elite Cavalry before.

"Alright, I understand now." Zhou Yu nodded thoughtfully after pondering for a moment.

"As for the twelve thousand Wuhuan Cavalry, you can equate them to four thousand Northern Huns Elite Cavalry," Chen Xi shrugged as he said.

"Can Wuhuan Cavalry fight three times their number?" Zhou Yu said with disbelief.

"Originally they couldn't, but the second ability of the Iron Cavalry is leading miscellaneous soldiers' cavalry and significantly enhancing their combat power," Chen Xi smiled as he said.

"..." Zhou Yu was somewhat unable to accept this. "Is there such a Talent Attribute?"

[But speaking of it, the Iron Cavalry leading other cavalry does seem to provide significant augmentation, though it's driven by the Iron Cavalry's overwhelming momentum, appearing somewhat like an inherent talent,] Chen Xi mused silently.

"Just kidding, but the Iron Cavalry leading miscellaneous soldiers indeed brings a significant boost to them, so equating to four thousand Wuhuan Elite Cavalry isn't an issue," Chen Xi said with a smile.

"This means your forces can withstand ten thousand Northern Huns Elite Cavalry, and adding my archers, our actual combat ratio approaches two to three. In such a scenario, although we appear weaker, we still have a chance for annihilation," Zhou Yu slowly lifted his head and said to Chen Xi.

"That's why I sought you out; an excellent Commander-in-chief matching the power of troops under suboptimal command is no problem," Chen Xi said with a smile. "Actually, launching surprise night attacks isn't difficult; hawks generally don't come out at night."

"I'm pondering whether, since you could find Wuhuan wholeheartedly supporting the Han, could the Northern Huns find other Hu People staunchly loyal to their rule," Zhou Yu slowly raised his head, looking towards the Wuhuan People's direction, then turned slightly to gaze at Chen Xi. Chen Xi was slightly surprised.