Chapter 813: First Volume, Chapter 813: Military Affairs Are an Extension of Politics

First Volume, Chapter 813: Military Affairs Are an Extension of Politics

On a direct battlefield, no single unit under Qin Feng's command could defeat the Snow Wolf Brigade alone—this cavalry, forged from the entirety of Beidi's effort, was too elite…

Compared to warhorses, armor, and weapons, the most terrifying aspect of the Snow Wolf Brigade was their combat experience.

All members were Hundred-Battle Veterans!

Know this: on the battlefield, veterans—whether in tactical application, accumulated experience, or morale strength—are incomparable to new recruits who have trained for only a year or two.

Qin Feng, relying solely on the Northern Border Troops, dares to look down upon the entire Shedynasty; in truth, Qin Feng's strength lies entirely in the combat experience of the Northern Border Troops.

Yet compared to the Snow Wolf Brigade, the Northern Border Troops still had considerable gaps.

Even Qin Feng could only narrow the gap and gain a slight advantage by leveraging his armor superiority combined with precise command.

Moreover, according to Qin Feng's knowledge, although the Snow Wolf Brigade was famed alongside the Xiongying Brigade as Beidi's two sharpest swords, in pure combat effectiveness, the Snow Wolf Brigade still lagged noticeably behind the Xiongying Brigade.

After all, beyond their full roster of Hundred-Battle Veterans, the Xiongying Brigade's weapons, equipment, and warhorses were also the most elite in all of Beidi.

Even after prolonged warfare, many weapons and armor pieces from the Tianji Camp fell into Beidi's hands, and after study and replication, they had already begun being deployed on the Xiongying Brigade.

Although counterfeits still differed significantly from originals, they were sufficient to close much of the armor disadvantage.

In short, the force Qin Feng least wished to face was the Xiongying Brigade.

Knowing full well that both the Snow Wolf and Xiongying Brigades—each capable of toppling a small nation outright—possessed extraordinary combat effectiveness, Qin Feng still dismissed them as worthless.

Qin Feng intended to create a false illusion among the Beidi people.

That even elite units like the Snow Wolf and Xiongying Brigades faced nothing but death when confronting him, utterly extinguishing any thought of launching military action.

"Big Brother Chen, the Snow Wolf Brigade is indeed elite, but ultimately it is cavalry; all cavalry inevitably has one fatal weakness: poor defense."

"Put simply, cavalry tactics—offense, ambush, cover, infiltration—all boil down to one word: movement."

"Move, and you are cavalry; stand still, and you become a target."

"It is widely known that Liang's horses cannot match Beidi horses; thus, Liang cavalry almost always suffers disadvantage when fighting Beidi cavalry."

"Precisely because of this, Liang has long cultivated a habit: in every battle, we never deploy a single branch—always combined operations of cavalry and infantry."

"We may lose the speed and mobility of your nation, but in return, our defense is greatly enhanced."

"Any prolonged warfare can accumulate advantage."

Chen Si pondered Qin Feng's explanation.

As Qin Feng said, it was too difficult to defeat Liang's Combined Force using cavalry alone.

Yet despite knowing the weakness, Chen Si remained firmly committed to cavalry warfare and would not alter his operational thinking.

The reason was simple: Chen Si had interacted longest with Qin Feng and understood him best.

Qin Feng highlighting Beidi cavalry's weakness was merely an attempt to instill a habitual mindset in Beidi—that to eliminate the weakness, they must adopt Liang's tactics, shifting from cavalry-dominated warfare to combined operations with infantry as the core and cavalry as auxiliary.

On the surface, it seemed like the demon outwitted the Taoist.

In truth, it forced Beidi to voluntarily abandon its greatest advantage.

Moreover, Liang had maintained Combined Forces and coordinated warfare for centuries, achieving deep tacit understanding—something Beidi could not catch up to merely by reforming its army.

Add to that the astronomical military expenditure required to train vast numbers of infantry.

For impoverished Beidi, this would be adding frost to snow.

Thus, to gain military superiority over Liang, there was only one method: attack, and attack again—to push cavalry's advantages to their extreme.

Chen Si slowly raised his head, his sharp gaze landing on Qin Feng, and he smiled.

"In the end, Marquis Qin is hinting that cavalry alone cannot support Sangzhou—abandon military fantasies and resolve the Sangzhou conflict through political means, correct?"

Exactly right!

Qin Feng inwardly marveled—no wonder it was Chen Si; he had immediately grasped the core of the Sangzhou unrest.

But since Chen Si asked this, it meant he would not follow Qin Feng's intended path—he would only harden his commitment to military confrontation.

Qin Feng immediately delivered Chen Si his final blow: "The war between our two nations has lasted for a long time."

"Although Beidi relies primarily on cavalry, over these many years of conflict, Beidi has consistently held the upper hand."

"After all, cavalry need not lay siege; they merely ride past cities, swiftly infiltrate, plunder land, and finally starve out any city that resists."

"This tactic is simple and efficient!"

"But remember, Big Brother Chen, Liang has long favored civil over military affairs, its military strength weakened—only then could Beidi gain the upper hand."

"If you believe you can still hold the upper hand under the guard of my Northern Border Troops, then by all means, try."

Chen Si's heart lurched—he had overlooked this point, the most critical one.

Liang's main army and Liang's Northern Border Troops were entirely different concepts.

Liang's main forces were either controlled by the Powerful Clans of Nan Jing or the Central Plains Imperial Party, consolidating the Central Plains and guarding against Nan Jing; after years of standoff, they had seen virtually no combat and had long lost their edge.

Hence, Beidi commanders generally looked down on Liang commanders, viewing them as mere ornamental pillows—pierce one, and they collapse.

But Qin Feng's Northern Border Troops were entirely different.

These troops had all been tempered by fire; though not all were Hundred-Battle Veterans, they were all veterans, fiercely loyal to Qin Feng, and with unwavering morale.

Most importantly, due to Qin Feng's repeated personal leadership in charges.

The Northern Border Troops dared to fight and kill.

As the old saying goes: a cowardly soldier makes one coward; a cowardly general makes a whole nest of cowards.

If Beidi dares to repeat its old tactics—using cavalry to infiltrate, plunder, and encircle—then what awaits Beidi is nothing but resistance everywhere, battles erupting everywhere, dragged straight into the abyss of total war.

Troop reinforcements and grain and forage will be severed at the waist, utterly unable to supply or support.

At that point, it will not be Beidi encircling Qin Feng—it will be Qin Feng encircling Beidi!

As a commander, Chen Si knew well: even if he knew the battle was hard, or even unwinnable, he must never show the slightest fear.

He took a deep breath, his resolve firm: "If Sangzhou remains in chaos, we have no choice but to send troops."

"Qin Feng, understand this: some wars are not about whether you can win—they are about fighting even when you know it means death."