Chapter 225: The Four Schools of Military Strategy

"General Xu! Dong Zhuo practices nepotism and cannot recognize or employ talent. If you had been the commander defending against our great army," "I think it would have been impossible for us to break through your defensive line. Dong Zhuo's failure is entirely of his own making."

In Su Fan's main military camp, Xi Zhicai looked at the silent Xu Rong and continued to speak.

"My lord is different. You should have been able to see it these past few days: he knows how to recognize and employ talent, has a reputation for discernment, and firmly believes in promoting the virtuous. As long as you have the ability, he will surely give you the status and authority to exercise it."

"I presume General Xuan and General Shu have already communicated with you before. You understand what their status was previously, do you not?"

"My lord does not care about one's background. Whether you come from a top-tier noble family or are a commoner from the marketplace, as long as you have the ability, you can rise to the top."

"To tell you the truth, our strength is no weaker than Dong Zhuo's. Dong Zhuo has hundreds of thousands of elite Xiliang troops under his command, and he controls a million imperial guards; he is indeed the number one in the world."

"However, he is not accepted by the scholar-gentry. Luoyang may appear to be under his control, but in reality, he is now in a position as precarious as eggs piled high."

"The Prime Minister has a million-strong army suppressing the region; the Guandong warlords simply cannot break through Hulao Pass." Xu Rong, who had been silent for a long time, responded with a single sentence.

"True, Hulao Pass is a majestic pass of the world, and with hundreds of thousands of strong troops stationed there, even an army of ten million would find it difficult to break through."

"But is Dong Zhuo truly at ease? The army under Dong Zhuo is too complex; it includes his core Xiliang elites, the Bingzhou Army, and the imperial guards."

"Although he has the Xiliang Army to suppress them, preventing the Bingzhou Army and the imperial guards from acting rashly, he can suppress them for a time, but not for a lifetime. Your Xiliang Army is arrogant and domineering in Luoyang City, plundering at will, provoking the wrath of both heaven and man."

"Luoyang City is like a furnace; sooner or later, it will explode from within."

Xi Zhicai said calmly: "Is General Xu willing to be blown to smithereens along with Dong Zhuo? Even if you are willing, is your family willing?"

"General Xu, you are not of the Xiliang core lineage. Even with outstanding ability, it is very difficult for you to get ahead. It would be better to follow my lord to establish merit and build a career. My lord governs tens of millions of people and has hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers. In the future..."

"Moreover, General Xu, you do not need to worry about your family; my lord has already sent people to bring your family here."

When Xi Zhicai walked out of the tent, a faint smile appeared on the corners of his mouth.

"Zhicai, how did it go?"

"Haha! Rest assured, my lord. Xu Rong is not a man of blind loyalty, and besides, Dong Zhuo is not worth his blind loyalty."

"Very good!"

Su Fan nodded, his face full of smiles. Soon, he would gain another great general, and this great general was different from those like Taishi Ci or Chen Dao who specialized in charging into enemy lines.

This was a commander-type military general. Such generals are actually very rare. Although the late Han and Three Kingdoms period saw many famous generals, most were of the type that charged into battle, such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Lv Bu.

The Military School has four schools, or "four strategies": Military Power and Strategy, Military Form and Situation, Military Yin-Yang, and Military Techniques.

The core of Military Power and Strategy lies in temple calculations—that is, calculating the odds of victory beforehand and determining how to win. Before the troops move, the commander's mind moves first. This school values stability and safety; victory or defeat is clear in one's heart, and every plan for both enemy and self is calculated without error. Whether winning or losing, it has already been deduced.

The core of this school is brilliant strategy and planning, requiring an extremely strong sense of the big picture, strategic insight, and military planning. Its representative figure is the Military Immortal, Han Xin.

The core of Military Form and Situation lies in tactical application on the battlefield. It involves driving the army as if it were one's own arm, knowing how to arrange formations, attack and defend, advance and retreat, charge and withdraw, etc., to maximize the victory of the war.

This school advocates flexible adaptation to the enemy on the spot and requires extremely high martial support from the general, as they often need to charge into battle and lead the troops personally to inspire the morale of the three armies and achieve the strongest combat power.

The representative figure is Xiang Yu of the late Qin period; it can be said that he is the ancestor of the brave-combat school. In the late Han and Three Kingdoms era, most generals belonged to this school.

The core of Military Yin-Yang is heaven's timing and geographical advantages—turning things that cannot be controlled or changed by humans, such as celestial phenomena and geography, into advantages for one's own side and disadvantages for the enemy.

Figures of this school are like gods and ghosts, understanding Yin-Yang and celestial phenomena. In major battles, they always choose places where heaven and earth provide advantages. The representative figure of this school is Zhuge Liang.

The core of Military Techniques is to improve all aspects of the army's strength, which can be used even if one has never led troops or fought a war. Military Techniques are very practical and yield quick results. Improving the physical fitness of soldiers, strengthening military discipline, ensuring timely supply of grain and fodder, innovating and inventing practical weapons and equipment, managing the army with specific methods, and ensuring soldiers are of one heart and mind—these are all part of Military Techniques.

This school is the least famous of the four Military Schools, but the further one goes, the more powerful it becomes, as technology continues to advance.

Su Fan now belongs to the representative of this school, using powerful logistics and advanced weapons and equipment to crush the enemy army.

The reason Niu Fu's Xiliang army was suppressed by him is precisely because of this. Let alone Niu Fu, even Xu Rong would absolutely have no good way to deal with him.

Xu Rong himself has a bit of the Military Power and Strategy style, though his experience is much lacking, but he has the potential.

There is no superiority or inferiority among the four Military Schools, only suitability. For example, Military Techniques might be very suitable for Su Fan, but if it were someone else, they might not be able to do it.

There is no other reason than the limitation of technological productivity.

Military Power and Strategy often produces commanders, Military Form and Situation represents brave generals, and Military Yin-Yang produces all-rounders.

Regardless, Su Fan was very happy to be able to win over such a future commander. A commander means the ability to direct large-scale wars, which is often the flaw of brave generals.

Xu Rong does not have these flaws. It is not to say that the superiority or inferiority of the two sides is immediately clear; after all, they cannot be compared.

Some generals, leading thousands of troops, can beat an army of tens of thousands into a rout. This has happened before.

Of course, in Su Fan's eyes, a commander is more useful to him. After all, future great wars will require commanders capable of directing large-scale battles.

Chen Dao and Taishi Ci find it difficult to have such ability. It is not that they are incompetent, but that they cannot fully qualify for the role.

Xu Rong has such ability. In large-scale group operations, one must consider the connections between various branches of the military.

In this regard, Su Fan also cannot do it. Even though he has lived for over a hundred years in his heart, the times he has truly commanded a great army are very few and far between.

Therefore, he needs to find someone to command the three armies. In the late Han and Three Kingdoms period, are there such people? Naturally, there are. Zhuge Kongming and Zhou Yu are top figures among them, and of course, Sima Yi also counts.

The experienced Cao Cao could also do it, but Cao Cao is a monarch, and he naturally occupies a slight advantage in brilliant calculations and military power and strategy.

Apart from them, those who can become commanders of the three armies are very few. In the later period, Lu Xun, Jiang Wei, and Deng Ai also count.

Especially Lu Xun; his command ability is not much worse than Zhou Yu's. It can be said that the four great governors of Eastern Wu did not lack command ability.

But those who truly reached the top were only Zhuge Kongming and Sima Yi. Both were from scholar backgrounds, but their ability to lead troops and fight battles made many generals feel inferior.

Especially Zhuge Kongming; he is a figure who ranks at the forefront even in the Martial Temple.

Later generations on the internet do not rate Zhuge Kongming highly; that is because his political talent was too prominent, leading people to misunderstand.

In Su Fan's eyes, Zhuge Liang's military talent is absolutely in the top three of the late Han and Three Kingdoms period.

With the strength of the Shu Kingdom, he kept the Wei Kingdom almost unable to breathe in the early stages.

It is a pity that the potential of the Shu Kingdom was still too low. ===== CHAPTER 226 =====