The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 189 Full of Strategies
Wu Chengyu felt the expectant look in Old Man Liang's eyes, but also felt that he was being mocked, as if to say, "Aren't you full of strategies? Then tell me a solution."

The sixteen-character strategy of "when the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue" flashed through his mind, but he immediately rejected it.

The premise of guerrilla tactics is mobility. When the enemy advances, we retreat. The premise is not to be caught up by the enemy. But these rebel armies are not the iron army that can march 120 kilometers overnight. Their advantage against cavalry is mobility.

Furthermore, these rebel armies lacked the tight organization of the later Red Army; they were a disorganized mess. Even guerrilla warfare requires organization.

These rebels had practically nothing but enthusiasm and the ability to launch occasional ambushes.

"Or we could have the soldiers form a dense hedgehog formation, with long spears or chevaux-de-frise extending outwards to block the cavalry charge."
No, their mobility is too poor; cavalry can easily outmaneuver and outflank them.

Wu Chengyu fell into deep thought and tried to come up with a solution, but immediately rejected it himself.

"Or they could form a defensive camp by using wagons and supply wagons, and then attack from a distance with powerful bows and crossbows. Li Ling of the Western Han Dynasty used this tactic to kill the Xiongnu cavalry."

"That won't work either. That would only be a passive defense. The Song Kingdom doesn't even have many of its own Divine Arm Bows; how could they possibly give them to you?"

"Or we could learn from Marshal Yue's Beiwei Army, using horse-slaying swords and heavy axes specifically to cut off horses' legs, but that would result in too many casualties. Besides, where can we find the Beiwei Army now, which is easier to shake a mountain than to shake Yue's army? Ordinary armies crumble at the first touch when faced with a cavalry charge, so how can they remain as immovable as a mountain?"

Wu Chengyu whispered several strategies in succession, but he rejected them all, unaware that the old man Liang's eyes next to him were getting brighter and brighter.

They had fought against the Jin army for many years and were experienced on the battlefield. They were also very familiar with the Jin cavalry. How could they not know what Wu Chengyu was talking about? However, what pleased Old Man Liang was Wu Chengyu's attitude. It was obvious that he was also using the Jin army as a hypothetical enemy, and his hostility towards the Jin was very obvious in his words.

Although Old Man Liang always looked down on Wu Chengyu for being pedantic, people in this era generally held scholars in high esteem. There were many scholars in ancient times who led troops and achieved great military exploits. In his opinion, the rebel army was currently lacking in talent, and it would be good to have one more person who had studied military strategy.

Wu Chengyu fell into deep thought. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary person who had never served in the military and had only watched some TV dramas. He knew nothing about military affairs.

In this life, he boasted to outsiders that he was a scholar, but in reality, he had only practiced martial arts all these years. He hadn't read any military books, let alone the Four Books and Five Classics. His mindset had always been that since he came to the world of martial arts, he should naturally learn martial arts, roam the martial world, and enjoy the pleasures of life. He never thought about going to war.

Even the execution of Shi Miyuan was forced by the situation step by step; it was still the same old story of a knight using martial arts to break the law. He never thought of rebelling and becoming emperor.

Unless one is transported to a chaotic world where they will die if they don't fight or rebel, or has an overpowered cheat ability that allows them to summon strategists and generals and instantly command thousands of troops, the normal thought of an ordinary person from the future after being transported to another world should be simply to survive and live a better life.

However, after killing Shi Miyuan and the Xiangyang Prefect who oppressed the people, he himself did not notice that his own mentality began to change. Unconsciously, he also hoped to overthrow the Jin and Song dynasties, restore the Han people's land, and make those people live a little better, even if it was just a little.

Wu Chengyu continued to mutter to himself, "The best way to deal with cavalry is naturally... and it seems I have... and it's something I can do."

The voice grew softer and softer, and Old Man Liang had no idea what he was saying.

"What's the best way? Tell this old man." Wu Chengyu shook his head and remained silent. The decline of cavalry began with the rise of firearms. In fact, the firearms of the Song Dynasty were absolutely world-leading, but their effectiveness on the battlefield was not ideal.

At this time, there were many types of firearms: rockets, caltrop fireballs, thunderbolt fireballs, poison smoke balls, iron-beaked fire hawks, bamboo fire hawks, etc., and even the earliest fragmentation grenades appeared, as well as the world's earliest firearms and bullet prototypes.

The foundation for manufacturing is already in place; what's lacking is the power of gunpowder and the tactics and concepts for using firearms. Wu Chengyu is very clear about the power and prospects of firearms, and tactics can be studied gradually. Even some rudimentary tactics would be awe-inspiring in this era.

The biggest problem was the power of gunpowder, which seemed to be something that bamboo slips could solve, just by doing a few more experiments and causing a few explosions.

Wu Chengyu's mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts, but he couldn't say a word. Researching firearms was time-consuming and laborious, requiring a lot of manpower and resources, which he didn't have right now, and the timing wasn't right either.

He couldn't possibly stay here as the benevolent leader of the righteous army, leading them on the path of rebellion and seizing power; he had a serious lack of confidence in doing so.

Old Liang kept pressing for answers, and Wu Chengyu could only smile wryly and say, "Old Liang, don't ask anymore, I don't know either."

Old Liang wasn't disappointed. He hadn't expected anything from Wu Chengyu anyway. Now he was thinking about how to get Wu Chengyu into the rebel army.

“Young man, if you want to go north after you reach Dasanguan, it will be dangerous. There are many bandits in the Jin Kingdom, and those Jin cavalry are even more ruthless than bandits. If you are not careful, you may not be able to come back.”

The old man has some friends over there. I'll write you a letter later. If you encounter any difficulties, you can go to my friends; perhaps they can help you.

Wu Chengyu didn't think too much about it, but he couldn't help but complain in his heart. No wonder that Jin Dynasty spy chief could easily infiltrate Black Tiger Village.

He had only chatted with Old Man Liang a few times, expressing his dissatisfaction with the Jin Dynasty and the current situation, when the old man wanted to introduce him to his friends from the rebel army. With such organization and secrecy, it would be strange if the rebel army hadn't been infiltrated like a sieve.

Under the increasingly enthusiastic persuasion of Old Man Liang, Wu Chengyu eventually became somewhat annoyed. Fortunately, a day later, the caravan was only a dozen miles away from Dasanguan Pass, and after another half a day's walk, they would arrive at the place where the martial arts conference had been held twice.

The cheat system just isn't working. If it were the daily check-in system, the reward for checking in might be something like the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms or the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. But Ah Ku probably already knows all of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, and he has the first five levels of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. So, Wu Chengyu thinks he's not bad either.

Just as he was lost in thought, the sound of hooves came from afar, and a caravan of about twenty men galloped toward the merchant caravan.

Old Man Liang jumped off the carriage instantly and excitedly went to greet him. Wu Chengyu looked up, his eyes lit up, and he unconsciously said something.

"What a wonderful matchmaker!"

(End of this chapter)