Because of the factors mentioned above, leading troops in ancient times was more than just a superposition of numbers.
As the number of troops under his command increases and the battlefield expands - the test for commanders will definitely increase exponentially.
For example, Xiong Wuliang—maybe able to command an army of 30,000 to 50,000 people and fight from left to right with excellent equipment. But on such a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of people, I'm afraid I can't even remember which army under my command is located in which position.
Not to mention leading them to fight with ease!
This is the meaning of the allusion that later Han Xin said - "You Liu Bang can lead a hundred thousand people to fight at best, and I, Han Xin, order troops, the more the better."
The fact that Han Xin was able to make such an impressive statement shows that his ability to lead troops is extremely terrifying (otherwise he could be called the 'Soldier Immortal')... Of course, Qu Ping didn't know who this Han Xin was, but in front of him Sima Cuo also put considerable pressure on the former!
In the "Battle of Pheasant Mountain", Sima Cuo not only commanded well and predicted well, but also allowed more than 200,000 troops to act under his orders.
Even some of the dispatch orders have been conveyed to a rather small combat unit like the 'Century'.
The level of terror is equivalent to Principal Chang's airdrop order - the order is issued directly from Chongqing to the frontline 'company' level unit, and the machine gunner moves forward five meters...
It should be noted that there was no telegraph in this era. How could an army of hundreds of thousands be commanded so precisely with just flags and messengers?
This memory alone is amazing!
So scary!
Sima Cuo is indeed a top general!
In the "Battle of Pheasant Mountain", Sima Cuo relied on his superb commanding skills to maintain a balance of power with King Huai of Chu's army of more than 400,000 for a long time.
If it weren't for the fact that the combined forces of Qin, Wei, and South Korea were not strong enough, they would show their weakness under the siege of the Chu, Qi, and Yue armies...
So the outcome of the Pheasant Mountain War is really not necessarily what it will be.
Facing such a terrifying opponent, Qu Ping did not dare to slack off at all!
…
The allied forces of Qin, Wei and South Korea also sounded the war drum!
The battle of Lu Guan is about to begin!
King Huai of Chu had superior troops and launched an active offensive at the beginning of the war.
Of course, our overlord, King Chu Huai, sat in the chariot and watched the whole process - all commands were basically exercised by General Qu Ping of the Zhu Kingdom.
The central army of the Chu army advanced slowly, and the messengers surrounded King Chu Huai's chariot in a continuous stream, passing military orders one by one to every corner of the battlefield.
Qu Ping did not have the terrifying micro-management ability of Sima Cuo, so his way of leading troops seemed very traditional - sending various military orders to each phalanx of ten thousand people, and giving a general order to the generals.
As for more specific orders, they will be issued layer by layer by the grassroots generals.
This method of command is simpler, but the disadvantages are also obvious - due to errors in the ordering soldiers or different understandings of orders by generals, the integrity of the army may be slightly worse.
Compared with the hundred-man troops of Qin, Wei and Han who could follow Sima Cuo's orders with ease, their combat effectiveness was much worse.
Fortunately, we have the advantage in numbers!
Under the gaze of the generals on both sides, the two armies collided!
Chariots and infantry fought together, and huge shield formations collided!
The drums were rumbling continuously, and the infantry fought desperately for their lives against the enemy's formation.
Benedict!
Benedict!
On the side of the Qin, Wei and Han coalition forces, the crossbowmen began to exert force!
Fifty thousand Korean troops, each holding a mulberry wood crossbow, raised it slightly and aimed in the air...
Tens of thousands of arrows were thrown from the sky!
"The Korean army's bows and crossbows are sharp, and they are truly worthy of their reputation." Qu Ping put up a pergola with his hands and looked from a distance - he saw a large number of Chu soldiers who were engaging the enemy at the front fell down.
From such a distance, you can still see splashes of blood mist.
What a terrifying scene it is on the forefront of the battlefield - you can imagine!
On the side of the Qin, Wei and Han coalition forces, Bao Yuan looked up to the sky and laughed, feeling proud.
Our Korean army’s crossbows are invincible in the world!
"The chariot troops advance in depth! Charge towards the enemy's crossbowmen!" Qu Ping ordered coldly!
Such an order is a bit risky - if the chariot troops concentrate on charging, it will be easy to lose touch with the infantry covering the rear.
That is, 'going deep alone'.
But Qu Ping was confident - the Chu army had superior strength and a very thick formation, so there was no need to worry that Sima Cuo would penetrate the Chu army's formation.
Even if the first wave of chariot troops fell into a tight siege, the Chu army still had enough troops to break the siege.
A sneer appeared at the corner of Qu Ping's mouth - Korean crossbows are indeed world-famous, but I, the Chu army, are not vegetarians either!
"Your Majesty, please lend me your imperial army!" Qu Ping turned his head and bowed his hands respectfully to King Chu Huai.
King Chu Huai waved his fat hand: "I will listen to you, I will listen to you."
A phalanx composed of six thousand Forbidden Soldiers advanced forward - this is the elite force of the Chu State!
Everyone is a huge shield covered with skin, wearing armor and holding a long ax!
A heavily armored legion protected by heavy armor and giant shields began to advance toward the front.
The former army, which suffered heavy casualties under the attack of the Korean army's crossbows, had already shown signs of retreating... But when they saw this elite forbidden army advancing, they all became energetic and fought back again!
"The Imperial Guard is coming! Hold on!"
"Kill! Kill the Qin people!"
"Great Chu will be victorious! Long live the Imperial Army!"
…
"Quick look, Lieutenant! It's the Chu people's forbidden army!" Meng Xixiang raised his hand and pointed at the battlefield.
Sima Cuo's face was as frosty as ice, unmoved.
The Forbidden Army of the Chu people... There are not many opportunities to fight with this army, but those who can be called the 'Forbidden Army' cannot be the weak soldiers!
Looking from a distance, the heavy infantry phalanx advanced slowly without making a single noise - the formation was neat, the armor was bright...
Undoubtedly, it is a quite powerful army!
If such an enemy army rushed forward, the Qin army's central army would probably be unable to withstand it... Sima Cuo did not panic, but a trace of imperceptible joy flashed across his face.
"Don't worry, hold on." Sima Cuo waved his hand: "I believe in the strength of the Wei army's infantry."
Gongsun Xi's face was full of anger - at this moment, the Wei army was strangled with the Chu army, and there was no doubt that there would be heavy casualties.
The Qin troops on both wings have not yet entered the battle!
What surprised Sima Cuo was that the 6,000-strong Chu Imperial Army formation did not rush directly to the front line after advancing for a certain distance.
Instead, he stopped!
"What do Chu people want to do?" Meng Xixiang frowned, his face full of confusion.
On the other hand, Gongsun Xi breathed a sigh of relief - if this heavy infantry charged forward, the men of Wei who were resisting the damage from the front would be in dire straits...
Under the gaze of the generals of Qin, Wei and Han, the heavy infantry legion stopped slowly, and then...
Sixty thousand arrows! Shoot out!
The Marquis of Quyang fired his crossbow, showing off his power!
"What!" Bao Yuan, the leader of the Korean army, couldn't laugh at all!
Those 60,000 arrows clearly flew towards the Korean crossbowmen!
"Blank!" Bao Yuan's eyes widened! My heart is bleeding!
…
