Chapter 94 Logistical Difficulties In the Liaodong military camp, Guan Hai was being beaten by Guan Yu. Guan Yu wielded the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with great momentum, and every strike was as powerful as thunder. Guan Hai looked extremely embarrassed under this fierce attack. He struggled to parry, his body covered with criss-crossing knife marks. Blood continued to flow from the wounds, soaking his clothes and armor. Guan Hai's body was shaking, as if it would collapse in the next second, but he always stood firm. Although there was a big gap between Guan Hai and Guan Yu in strength, he relied on his extremely strong will to hold out for dozens of rounds without being defeated. Even someone as proud as Guan Yu couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration in his eyes. The soldiers watching the battle around cast their eyes on him with admiration. Although he had Tian Ze's recommendation, Guan Hai did not become the head of Quzhang overnight. Now, as Tian Ze's army grows in size and gradually becomes more formalized in management and operations, the appointment of all generals must be convincing. Guan Hai first demonstrated his unique legionary talent in front of everyone, and then relied on his extraordinary bravery to defeat many experienced Quchang one by one, and single-handedly won over a group of soldiers, and finally received the official appointment.
Tian Ze stood aside and watched the fierce battle quietly, a smile of relief appeared on his face. I am so lucky! While the second five-year plan was being finalized, Tian Ze had already begun to conceive of the third five-year plan. He knew in his heart that if nothing unexpected happened, the chaotic situation of warlords' separatism would begin in a grand manner after the end of his second five-year plan. In this urgent situation, Tian Ze knew that he had to take Youzhou as soon as possible, and at the same time completely eliminate the three forces of Wuhuan, Buyeo and Sushen. None of these three forces were strong, with Wuhuan being the more difficult to deal with. However, most of their tribes were within the Han territory, and their numbers were not large. With Liaodong's current strong military strength, it would not be difficult to destroy and annex them in one fell swoop. There are probably only two enemies that cannot be completely resolved in the short term and are very likely to be confronted head-on, namely Yuan Shao and the Xianbei. Yuan Shao and Tian Ze also have some confidence in dealing with them. After all, his war potential and the lineup of civil and military personnel under his command far exceed those of the enemy. If there is a head-on confrontation on the battlefield, Tian Ze is confident that he will not be at a disadvantage. However, it was the Xianbei that made Tian Ze feel a little difficult to deal with. The Xianbei are now divided internally, their overall strength is much weaker than before, and on the surface they seem to be nothing to be feared. But this doesn't mean that Tian Ze has no ideas. How can I allow others to snore on the side of the couch? Xianbei, we have to fight! Moreover, we must find a way to completely subdue and drive them away, and manage and guard them well, otherwise the Northeast Plain will never be effectively developed and utilized. However, it was more difficult than one could imagine to completely defeat the Xianbei in that vast grassland. Environmental disadvantages, cavalry disadvantages, supply problems, intelligence problems, disease problems, cost problems, etc. It’s a headache just to think about it. In other aspects, Tian Ze and his civil and military officials have come up with certain countermeasures after research, but the key issue of supply is giving him a headache. Tianze has now recovered to a state where there is no shortage of food. However, having no shortage of food does not mean that the food can be transported. The supply line is too long! Tian Ze does not have a Huo Qubing under his command, nor does he dare to do what Huo Qubing did. That is something that no normal person would dare to think about, let alone put it into practice successfully. It seems simple to say, just four words "take food from the enemy", but to actually implement it in an actual war is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
On the vast grassland, without navigation or positioning, it is impossible to tell where one is. At a glance, the scenery all around is exactly the same. Even Zhang Qian, an experienced envoy who had once been on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions, had gotten lost in such an environment. Moreover, the lifestyle of the Hu people tribes is to wander around and adapt to circumstances. They have no fixed residence or stable living area at all. Often, two tribes would be extremely far apart. If one was unlucky, the troops would run out of food and face the risk of starving to death before they could reach the next tribe to get supplies. Huo Qubing, who was able to successfully complete his strategic goals in such a hellish combat environment, has, to some extent, surpassed the scope of ordinary human beings and was completely blessed by heaven. In later generations, humans made a comparison. That is equivalent to our country being in a fierce war with another country, and suddenly a regiment disappears and all contact is lost. Later, at the critical moment of this great war, the disappeared regiment suddenly appeared at the enemy's headquarters, and with lightning speed, it wiped out the enemy's command center, forcing the enemy to collapse across the board. And this was only the first battle. Later, they directly took down the enemy's parliament building, held a grand military parade on the spot, and completely penetrated the enemy's entire border. Although this comparison contains some elements of joke and is not entirely appropriate, the difficulty of Huo Qubing's combat was actually not much different from this. This was beyond Tian Ze's comprehension. It was a battle fought like a god's war. Even if he understood the causes and consequences of the entire war, he couldn't figure out how they won, let alone copy it for reference. Tian Ze's previous idea was to use high-energy foods such as dried meat and dried fish that are easy to store and carry as military rations to reduce the army's food consumption during the march. However, after careful consideration, this method might still be insufficient. Although there was a "mini map" and Tian Ze was in charge personally, he was not too afraid of the Xianbei attacking his baggage train, but he was still unable to effectively solve the problem of the huge consumption of the army during long-distance marches. You know, high-intensity marching will greatly consume the soldiers' physical strength, which will inevitably lead to an increase in food demand. And the most crucial thing is that the baggage troops responsible for transporting food and fodder also need to consume food to survive and move. On the grassland, there are only a handful of rivers that can support large-scale water transportation. Therefore, the main mode of transportation must be land transportation. However, land transportation has many disadvantages that are difficult to overcome. Not only is the transportation speed slow, but the amount of grain that can be transported each time is relatively small, and the losses during transportation are also huge. Of the ten dan of military rations transported from the starting point to the front line, only six dan might eventually arrive, with the rest being consumed by the baggage train on the way back and forth. If the battle line is long, this ratio might be even smaller. Even Tian Ze felt annoyed when faced with such a long supply line to the grasslands during the Northern Expedition. Even if there are sufficient transport vehicles and cattle and horses, and even if a phased method of transporting military supplies is adopted, it is still not safe enough. Because Tianze's ultimate goal is not just to defeat the enemy, but to achieve long-term rule and occupation of these areas. (End of this chapter)