Sky Curtain: A Review of Historical Foes and the Secrets of Ministers

They relied too much on established tactics and direct orders from superiors.

If this army were led by top generals like Wang Jian and Meng Tian, ​​it would naturally be as easy as using one's own limbs. The combination of the generals' tactical genius and the soldiers' absolute execution could unleash earth-shattering combat power.

However, if there is no excellent general to act as the brain, what if there is a sudden and strange battle situation that is not within the scope of the conventional battle formation?

The junior officers at all levels of this army often find themselves in a temporary stalemate due to a lack of autonomy and a broad perspective.

Even if they lose unified command, they will fight their own battles. Although each soldier is very strong, the whole group is like a pile of loose sand.

Having grasped this point, Zhang Han finally gained confidence.

Just as he expected.

When the imperial edict was read aloud and he, as the Minister of the Imperial Household, officially took over the power to train troops, the area below the training ground was silent, but the ten thousand pairs of eyes revealed undisguised contempt.

An old soldier stepped forward, saluting but speaking with disdain, "General, you've come a long way. But we roughnecks only know swords and heads. If you want to teach us how to keep accounts and records, we'll listen attentively. But if you want to teach us how to kill..."

"Hahahahaha!" The soldiers below the stage burst into laughter.

The scarred veteran gave a cold laugh and didn't continue speaking, but his meaning was already self-evident.

"Insolence!" The accompanying captain was about to draw his sword, but Zhang Han stopped him by raising his hand.

Zhang Hanju looked at the scarred old soldier and sneered.

"I know you are not convinced," Zhang Han said calmly. "In the Qin army, the strong are respected. I, Zhang Han, have not yet achieved any merit, so naturally I dare not expect you all to immediately submit."

He paused, drew his sword and pointed it straight at the sky, "So, I won't talk to you about military rules and regulations today, I'll just make a bet with you."

The entire audience was stunned.

Zhang Han announced loudly, "From among you, select one hundred of your most elite veterans. No generals are needed to command them; you can form your own formations. I will then select fifty soldiers from among them to personally lead."

"I, Zhang Han, hereby pledge that I will lead fifty men to defeat your hundred men!" Zhang Han's voice suddenly rose and boomed across the training ground.

These words caused an uproar in the room.

"If I am defeated, there's no need for you to rush me; I, Zhang Han, will resign and personally apologize to His Majesty!"

Zhang Han's gaze sharpened as he stared intently at the scarred old soldier. "If I win, what then?"

The scarred veteran was intimidated by Zhang Han's imposing presence and paused for a moment before his eyes blazed with intense fighting spirit.

Fifty against one hundred—this was an immense insult to these veterans.

"If the general can truly defeat a hundred with fifty men, we will be completely convinced! From now on, we will give our lives to the general! We will go through fire and water without hesitation!" the scarred veteran roared in response.

"good!"

The subsequent part of the separation process was quite awkward.

Since it's a bet, it should be a real fight.

But the weapons were all covered with lime cloth.

Faced with a formation of one hundred veterans with rich experience in killing enemies, who would want to join Zhang Han's fifty-man team?

We all came from the same muddy fields, so our individual skills are pretty much the same.

With a one-to-two numerical disadvantage, following a novice general who doesn't even know how to hold a sword properly is just asking for trouble, isn't it?

Soldiers value honor, and no one wants to be defeated and humiliated in front of the entire army.

It took a full incense stick's time before a few new recruits, who had only recently joined the army and had not yet established any prestige, finally stood behind Zhang Han, albeit reluctantly.

"General, it's not too late to regret it now." The scarred soldier, holding a long wooden spear, stood a hundred paces away and mocked loudly.

Zhang Han ignored him.

He turned around and looked at the fifty soldiers behind him, their heads bowed and their morale low.

He simply walked among them, ripped his silk outer robe to shreds, revealing the rough leather armor underneath.

"Grip your weapons tightly." Zhang Han's eyes were calm. "From now on, you must execute all my orders without question!"

The fifty soldiers trembled, intimidated by Zhang Han's imposing aura, and instinctively straightened their backs.

"Rehearsal, begin!"

With a deep, resonant war drumbeat, the military exercise officially commenced.

Without hesitation, the scarred veteran on the other side gave the order to charge.

"kill!!!"

One hundred elite veterans roared in unison. Despite their numerical advantage, they did not underestimate their enemy. Instead, they formed the most classic frontal assault formation of the Qin Dynasty.

The front row, with its long spears like a forest, and the rear row, with its short swords and round shields providing cover, pushed forward with overwhelming force towards Zhang Han's fifty men.

In their view, a single charge would be enough to completely crush the opponent's flimsy formation.

On the platform, Wang Jian narrowed his eyes slightly.

As a seasoned military genius, he immediately recognized the power of this formation. Although it was not commanded by a high-ranking general, the formation of a hundred men was extremely solid, without any flaws. It completely relied on the intuition and experience of a veteran to lock down all of Zhang Han's escape routes.

"How can we break this deadlock with Zhang Han?" Wang Jian stroked his beard, thinking to himself.

Just as the city wall was less than thirty paces from Zhang Han's position, Zhang Han suddenly waved his command flag and issued an order that shocked everyone.

"All troops, listen to my command! Divide into two teams, spread out to the left and right like a goose wing! Retreat!"

Although the fifty soldiers were puzzled, they quickly carried out the order under the pressure of military command.

The small square formation that had been barely held together was instantly split in the middle, receding to both sides like a tide that had been cut open.

Right in the center, the gate suddenly opened wide, leaving Zhang Han completely unprotected and exposed to the charging enemy troops.

"You're asking for it!" The scarred veteran was overjoyed at the sight.

To catch the thief, first catch the king. Since the enemy commander has delivered himself to our doorstep, this battle is over ahead of schedule.

"Change formation! Wedge formation, charge straight for the center!" the scarred veteran roared.

The veteran immediately changed his pace, and the originally advancing square formation quickly contracted into a sharp cone shape, like a sharp sword, piercing straight at Zhang Han's position.

"Close the net!"

Zhang Han drew his command flag in the air.

The fifty soldiers who had just retreated to the left and right turned around and rushed back at an extremely fast speed.

"kill!"

Fifty soldiers flanked from both sides, their wooden swords coated with lime flying in the melee.

The veterans' proud frontal defenses instantly became ineffective.

When they discovered that their flanks had been attacked, they tried to turn back and regroup to defend, but because their formation was already chaotic and crowded together, they were unable to maneuver effectively.

Zhang Han's fifty men were divided into ten five-man combat teams.

This is a tactic that Zhang Han came up with after much thought last night, specifically designed to target these scattered, unorganized soldiers without a commander.

The five-man team, like a pack of wolves, tore at the enemy's positions.

If resistance is encountered, retreat immediately and send another group.

His movements, both advancing and retreating, were extremely methodical.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the battle situation was completely reversed.

When the last drumbeat sounded, the exercise was over.

The entire training ground was deathly silent.

In the arena, at least seventy of the original one hundred menacing veterans were now covered in conspicuous white lime.

According to the rules of military exercises, anyone whose vital parts are covered with lime is considered dead.

The scarred veteran who was leading the group had a long white line drawn on his neck. He was staring wide-eyed at Zhang Han, who was panting but still standing in the center of the field, as if he had seen a ghost.

Lost.

One hundred battle-hardened veterans were defeated in broad daylight by a civil official with fifty greenhorns.