Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 457 Qin Shi Mo Yu's Method of Calculating Profits

The white tide comes quickly and goes quickly.

The battlefield, which had been roaring just moments before, was now reduced to the sound of tattered flags being torn apart by the wind and the suppressed groans of the wounded.

Before the dust had completely settled, it had already swallowed up the silhouette of that white torrent.

Meng Wu slowly turned his head, his tiger-like eyes burning with rage, and fixed his gaze once again on the central army camp with its gates wide open, his brows furrowed.

The harassment by the elite cavalry just now not only caused considerable casualties to the Qin army, but also bought them some time.

The defeated soldiers of the Allied Forces, who had been driven there by the Qin army, had now mostly disappeared into the camp.

It is likely that after the eerie silence of this deserted camp and the brief respite from being pursued and blocked by the Qin army, the survival instinct of these routed soldiers should have given way to reason.

Immediately afterwards, the middle and lower-ranking officers who were lucky enough to survive would seize this opportunity to regroup their remaining troops and reorganize their forces in the camp.

"General, should we launch an attack immediately?" An adjutant rode forward, his voice tinged with urgency.

He looked at the shadowy figures inside the camp gate. In his eyes, these were not people, but rather great military achievements.

Meng Wu did not answer immediately; his gaze seemed to pierce through the camp and reach its depths.

He knew the adjutant was right.

Attacking now would undoubtedly be the best opportunity.

Even though the enemy was well prepared, and even though the harassment and containment by that elite cavalry force was indeed extremely well done.

Although the routed soldiers had temporarily escaped the Qin army's pursuit, reorganizing them and forming an effective defense would not be a task that could be accomplished overnight.

The lower and middle-ranking officers in the camp needed time to calm the panic, gather the routed soldiers, and reorganize the formation.

If the Qin army launches a thunderous attack at this moment, it will surely crush this army that has not yet fully recovered its strength.

But the problem is...

In his mind, the image of the flock of startled birds deep within the camp resurfaced once more.

"What if the entire camp is a trap?" Meng Wu's voice was low, as if he were talking to himself, or perhaps asking his adjutant beside him.

Upon hearing this, the adjutant also fell into deep thought, and then understood Meng Wu's meaning.

If the camp is filled with oil, it will be ready to be set ablaze as the Qin army rushes in.

At that time, the 30,000 elite Qin troops, along with Meng Wu himself, would perish in the sea of ​​fire and turn into charred remains along with the routed soldiers.

He had no doubt that the person directing all of this behind the scenes was capable of such ruthless and decisive actions.

Meng Wu narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the silent camp, his expression complex.

On the one hand, there was the readily available military merit and the impulse to crush the remnants of the enemy army;

On the other hand, it cost the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and depleted the strength of the Qin state.

As a vanguard general, his duty was to pave the way for the army, not to sacrifice himself and his elite troops in an unwitting trap.

The hesitation lasted only a brief moment.

Meng Wu took a deep look at the central army camp, and finally gave the order that made him feel extremely frustrated.

"Issue my order... the entire army, retreat. Return to Pingyang!"

"retreat?!"

"The general has ordered a full retreat!!"

"Back to Pingyang—!"

Each command was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the Qin army's ranks.

Although the officers were unwilling, Meng Wu's prestige and the shadow left by the elite cavalry earlier made them dare not disobey in the slightest.

Pingyang has fallen, and he has breached the vanguard camp of the allied forces, thus fulfilling his duty as the vanguard general.

The remaining matters should have been decided upon once the main force arrived.

Meng Wu silently said to himself.

He couldn't let his emotions affect the overall battle situation.

……

On a high slope several miles away.

Qin Shi Moyu held a telescope and quietly observed the movements of the Qin army.

When he saw the Qin army retreating slowly like a tide, instead of rushing into the camp, a slightly regretful smile appeared on his lips.

"Ha, they can endure all this? Aren't the Qin soldiers supposed to be all about military merits and not their lives?"

Without turning his head, he said to the messenger behind him, "Pass down the order: no more fire arrows are needed. Replace all the quivers with armor-piercing arrows."

Meng Wu's retreat meant that his fire trap had failed.

Just as Meng Wu had predicted, the central army camp was now filled with oil and flammable materials.

Once the main force of the Qin army steps into the camp, he will order a volley of arrows to turn the camp, along with the routed allied soldiers and tens of thousands of elite Qin troops, into scorched earth.

He loved his soldiers like his own children, but used them ruthlessly.

One will be a million bones.

This is the essence of military strategy.

If this plan had succeeded, he would not have been branded with the infamy of "slaughtering his comrades," but rather with the formidable reputation of "annihilating 30,000 elite Qin soldiers," a reputation that would shake the world. Unfortunately, Meng Wu ultimately did not fall for it.

"Lord Commander!"

A veteran cavalryman, who had just replenished five quivers, rode up to Qin Shi Moyu's side. His face was still flushed with excitement, and his eyes gleamed with an undiminished, fervent fighting spirit.

"Should we go for another round and give them a hard time?"

"Yes, Commander, let's charge one more time with the brothers!"

"I can shoot another three thousand arrows!!"

The other elite cavalrymen also responded with excited cheers.

The exhilarating archery performance they had just delivered gave them unprecedented confidence and pride.

However, Qin Shimoyu shook his head and rejected this extremely tempting offer.

"No need."

His voice was calm and indifferent: "To continue harassing them would have no strategic significance and would only increase casualties. There's no need to do things that are of little value."

Upon hearing this, the veteran's excited expression froze.

He looked at Qin Shimoyu with some confusion.

Which of the generals he had served in the past didn't want to wipe out the enemy? Which of them didn't want to gain more military merits on the battlefield?
But this new master seemed completely indifferent to all of this.

Qin Shi Moyu seemed to see through his confusion and calmly explained:

"We were not unscathed from that attack just now. More than thirty of our brothers fell forever on that battlefield."

The veteran looked back and saw that several familiar figures were missing, and many of them were wounded.
"My lord, isn't this how war has always been?"

His doubt did not lessen, but rather increased. "We killed at least a thousand Qin soldiers! They lost more than we did!"

Qin Shimoyu turned to look at the old soldier, knowing that he was speaking from the heart, so he just smiled and didn't explain further.

You cannot discuss ice with a summer insect.

In this chaotic and numb era.

Death is not actually something that is too frightening.

Because life is too bitter, too bitter.

How can we know about death if we don't know about life?

You can't expect someone who has never enjoyed life and has to endure countless hardships just to survive to have a deep love for life.

That's why Lao Tzu said, "The people do not fear death, so why threaten them with death?"

The sacrifice of a mere few dozen men resulted in the deaths of thousands of Qin soldiers, the preservation of friendly forces, and even the successful halt of the main Qin army's offensive.

Such an exchange ratio, placed in any battle, would be enough to make the commander-in-chief laugh out loud.

Although these elite border cavalrymen were the soul of the army, exchanging them for the Qin army's elite soldiers was a loss from a resource perspective.

But the spirit of the military emphasizes organization and will.

As long as the organization remains intact and the military spirit endures, elite soldiers can be used to replenish the ranks, and combat strength can be restored quickly.

A kill ratio of more than ten times is enough to make up for the resources consumed.

However, in Qin Shi Mo Yu's algorithm, the value of "humans" far exceeds that of resources.

In particular, he had absolutely no elite units to replenish his ranks...

The few people who were just added were left to him by Pang Nuan when he left.

Moreover, he didn't have the extra time or energy to simply lead this elite cavalry force to rack up casualties on this battlefield.

His time is precious, so he should use it on more valuable goals.

Otherwise, if you don't make a profit, you lose money.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to fight, so just try to survive. Only by living can you shoot arrows and kill more enemies."

Qin Shi Moyu patted the veteran on the shoulder, then changed the subject, "All troops, heed my command!"

"Go south along the Pu River, avoid the main force of the Qin army, and bypass Pingyang!"

"Target: wild jujubes!"

After a brief rest, the white cavalry torrent began to move again.

The veteran paused for a moment, looking at his shoulder with a blank expression. He seemed to understand something vaguely, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

This new master seemed completely different from any of the generals he had ever served before.

He could burn his own routed troops as bait without batting an eye.

But he valued the lives of every soldier under his command more than anyone else.

These seemingly contradictory qualities, when combined in one person, create an indescribable and awe-inspiring charm.

Some of his acquaintances, seeing him standing there in a daze, laughed and scolded, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and catch up, don't fall behind!"

"coming!"

(End of this chapter)