Many people think that Linghu Chong at that time was nothing special, but if you compare him to others, you won't think so.
One Lin Zhennan can fight at least ten bodyguards, and one bodyguard can fight at least three or four ordinary strong men. If Linghu Chong wanted to, he could fight at least two or three Lin Zhennans.
Therefore, to be fair, it's not unusual for a militiaman in his thirties or forties to open up ten or eight out of twelve channels, if not all of them.
"What exactly happened? Why were there so many casualties? Weren't the enemy just ordinary cavalry? Could it be that something unexpected happened?" Lin Yang asked directly.
"That's right. The enemy cavalry had long since lost their minds. Before the battle, they underwent a secret treatment to stimulate their vital essence, doubling their strength. Coupled with their complete loss of reason, they became fearless. As a result, morale became irrelevant."
"No matter how many casualties they suffer, they can attack calmly. No matter how dangerous the traps they face, under the control of the Taoist priests, they can continue to charge forward without changing their expressions. Therefore, in the end, we are the ones who are most disadvantaged."
"If it weren't for our lord's kindness to the people, distributing land and houses to them, which won their deep support, and the fact that our hometown was just behind us with no way to retreat, the army would have collapsed long ago," Taishi Ci said with lingering fear.
They mobilized a full million Hu tribe soldiers who were willing to die, and even used a secret technique to stimulate their cultivation beforehand. It can only be said that they were well prepared!
Compared to the Taiping Dao, the Han Dynasty and Lin Yang had made far fewer preparations. Under these circumstances, the fact that the first wave of attacks was held with only 20,000 troops was good news in itself!
Hearing this, Lin Yang nodded smugly. Yes, it was all thanks to the land and houses he had distributed. Back then, the Heavenly Emperor swept away all demons and monsters at Yingzhao, and later, the sun rose high in the east, marking the beginning of his great undertaking! Why? Essentially, it was just about distributing land and houses!
In China, rulers with even a sliver of conscience can garner immense popularity. If they're willing to share even a small portion of the profits with the people, they're treated like divine beings descended from heaven, their morale soaring!
"Ahem, let me tell you about the next part of the battle."
"On the first day, after the battle ended, Taiping Dao did not stop, but instead began a night battle. This battle was defended by Xu Sheng and Chen Wu. Of the 20,000 militiamen, more than 10,000 died, and of the 3,000 county soldiers, more than 1,200 were killed or wounded. As for the heroes, about half of them were killed or wounded."
"As for the enemy, another 100,000 have died! Overall, the casualties in this battle were slightly less than in the first wave of attacks. However, the number of the enemy was simply too great. Moreover, those who died were mostly Lakers players, so no one cared about their casualties."
"The second day, we faced the third line of defense, again with 20,000 militia and 3,000 county soldiers. This battle was led by Xu Chu and Zhou Yu. In this battle, the enemy still suffered 100,000 casualties. Our casualties were significantly fewer. Xu Chu and Zhou Yu performed exceptionally well," Taishi Ci praised.
You have to understand, Xu Chu and Zhou Yu were just kids back then! Now, although still young, they've already reached the third level of cultivation. They're many times stronger than I was back then!
(This is because the Heavenly Dao is gradually becoming apparent, and the difficulty of cultivation is gradually decreasing. It doesn't mean that Zhou Yu and Xu Chu's talents are actually dozens of times stronger than Taishi Ci's!)
------------
Chapter 42: Leading the World's Best Warriors to Beat Up Xiang Yu
"Now, on the seventh day, we have fought thirteen major battles. Our army has retreated thirteen times, each time by five li, and has now retreated sixty-five li."
"Among them, the first time, our army suffered the heaviest losses, with 13,000 militiamen alone dying. As for the thirteenth war that just happened, only 8,000 militiamen and 1,000 county soldiers died."
“But the enemy is different. On average, they have lost at least 1.5 million cavalrymen. Although their numbers are large, they have already suffered about half casualties by now,” Taishi Ci said calmly.
“That’s right. According to intelligence, there are a total of 30 million Hu people in that world. Of them, only about 3 million are elite. The rest can also fight on horseback, but their strength is much weaker. Even if they use the same secret techniques to stimulate their potential, their combat power is no match for the initial 3 million cavalry,” Guo Jia added.
Throughout history, siege warfare, or even just siege warfare, has always featured incredibly low exchange ratios. A ratio of one to three, one to four, or even one to five is quite common.
This is why ancient wars often involved the massacre of entire cities. If it were a city-by-city attack, let alone tens of thousands of troops, even hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers wouldn't be enough to survive!
Therefore, in ancient times, in order to intimidate the enemy, it was common to massacre entire cities and search for three days straight! The purpose was to terrify the enemy and force them to surrender!
(At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty, like wild boars, truly conquered China by massacring entire cities! Every city that dared to defend itself was slaughtered after it was captured!)
They slaughtered them mercilessly, and then the cowards dared not resist any longer. Anyone who dared to resist was slaughtered! Eventually, once surrounded by the Manchus, they simply surrendered!
Now, the Han army is on the defensive and has set up many traps, crystal cannons, and a large number of ballistae and crossbows. In addition, their cultivation level is higher than theirs. With so many advantages, it is understandable that they can achieve an exchange ratio of one to ten.
Moreover, those militiamen who were injured or survived the ordeal could basically break through to become county soldiers at the Eight Extraordinary Meridians stage as soon as they returned and replenished their resources.
Therefore, continuing this consumption is actually more advantageous for Lin Yang!
"Alright, since that's the case, let's continue this slow and drawn-out process. The three million Hu tribes will eventually be wiped out, and using them to train our troops is just the right thing to do," Lin Yang concluded.
Meanwhile, while Lin Yang was still discussing the war with Guo Jia and the others, Emperor Ling also made his move.
After all, at this moment, with the dragon aura surrounding him and the ability to mobilize the entire fortune of the Han Dynasty at any time, he was undoubtedly the number one expert in the world!
This can be seen from the fact that even Xiang Bawangyu, whose cultivation level has now reached the half-step seventh level, dared not enter Luoyang City.
Of course, Xiang Yu was Xiang Yu after all. Once Emperor Ling left Luoyang, the outcome between the two would be uncertain. At least, that's what the ordinary people thought!
And today, at this very moment, Emperor Ling, the top expert of the court, has come before Xiang Yu, the former strongest enemy of the Han Dynasty!
At this moment, Xiang Yu, wielding the Thunder Blade, had reached the pinnacle of his strength. His aura completely filled the surrounding space. Countless dazzling lights flashed across the Thunder Blade.
Beside him stood Yu Ji. At this moment, Yu Ji had already taken out a series of magical treasures, assembling them into a set of spiritual treasures, and quietly awaited how things would unfold.
Surrounding the two were thirty experts whose cultivation had reached the sixth-level Celestial Immortal realm.
At the very core, and at the forefront, was Emperor Ling himself. At this moment, Emperor Ling, wielding the Emperor's Sword and clad in a dragon robe, stood facing Xiang Yu head-on, showing no fear whatsoever!
Beside Emperor Ling stood a majestic man clad in a dragon robe; this man was Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, one of the Han Dynasty's trump cards.
Especially after Lin Yang spread the detailed explanation of the divine way, the Great Han immediately established an official religion—the Heavenly Emperor Divine Cult.
All the incense offerings and fortune collected by the entire Heavenly Emperor Sect were devoted to him. As a result, Emperor Guangwu's strength had already recovered to the late stage of the Heavenly Immortal realm. He was also the second most powerful person present, second only to Xiang Yu!
(Cultivation level is cultivation level, and strength is strength; these are two different concepts!)
In addition, there are also the mountain god of Mount Tai, Chongxuan, the river god of the Yellow River, the city god of Luoyang, Xun Shuang, Cai Yong, Yuan Feng, and Ma Teng...
All nine Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Cabinet have arrived. Moreover, their strength has all reached the early stage of the sixth rank!
To be honest, if there was only one early-stage Celestial Immortal expert, Xiang Yu felt that he could have easily defeated him with a single strike!
If two people work together, it only takes three or four strikes. But when nine people are practicing, especially when each of them has a powerful magic weapon, it will take them quite a while to fight seriously!
The problem is, at this moment, he is facing a total of thirty Celestial Immortals! The strongest among them, the Spirit Emperor, is no weaker than himself due to the blessing of the Han Dynasty's fortune.