A small military meeting was held in the wooden conference hall of Changle Plateau. Both in the East and in the West, in many later historical records, this meeting was not a formal meeting, but it was regarded as extremely important.

However, even many of those present at the time had absolutely no idea that this would be the beginning of a great journey. It was from this meeting that the Han Empire began the prelude to another of the most important wars since the conquest of the Xiongnu.

"Originally, I didn't want to start another war again so soon...... But, now we have no other choice. There is a Western behemoth that has stretched out its claws and posed a serious threat to the Great Han from three directions. We had to fight. ”

Yuan Zhao, who presided over this meeting in place of His Majesty the Emperor in the capacity of the Han Dynasty, did not say a word of nonsense at the beginning. He was straightforward and put the grave situation in front of everyone.

Since Yuan Zhao issued an early warning in Chang'an that war was imminent, in just a few days, the situation in the Western Regions had deteriorated to this point. No one dares to despise the enemy in their hearts anymore. The loss of the two important frontier fortresses of Wuwei and Jiuquan, and the death of thousands of the most elite soldiers of the Han Dynasty, are enough to unmistakably show how powerful the invading Persian army is!

"Yuanhou, if we gather troops and horses now and rush to the Western Regions as quickly as possible, I don't know if it's too late?"

After hearing the news of the death of Li Dang and the 5,000 Red Fire Army, Su Jian, as the main general of the Black Eagle Army, finally put away his previous proud thoughts. When it comes to combat level, he and Li Dang are only between the best. No matter under what circumstances Li Kang was defeated, the strength of the enemy army was definitely not blown out.

Yuan Zhao shook his head. He glanced at Wei Qing with a somewhat bitter look on his face.

"General Su, so far, I'm afraid that the battle report we have received from the front is not the worst, maybe ...... The latest news will be in the near future. No matter how fast we organize a backup army, it may be too late. ”

"Yuanhou! What do you mean by that? ”

Su Jian and many others stared at Yuan Zhao in surprise, could the situation in the Western Regions be even more serious? Yuan Zhao walked over to the huge map hanging in the center, and he used the green bamboo in his hand to slash the arrows marked in three directions. Said in a deep voice.

"The South China Sea, the Western Regions, and the Xiongnu Grassland, all three places have accidents at the same time, which can only show one problem, the huge empire of the Western world has been eyeing our Han for a long time. The purpose of their crusade was not only for wealth, but also for our vast and rich land...... Now that the king of Persia, who is said to be very cruel, has already activated his ambitions, it may not be so easy to stop if he does not achieve his goal. Although the South China Sea and the Xiongnu Grassland have not yet received the latest news, they must be extremely difficult. And the Western Regions are ....... ”

Speaking of this, Yuan Zhao pondered slightly, as if considering the wording. Wei Qing withdrew his gaze from staring at the map, and he interjected and asked.

"You mean...... Will the fortresses of the four counties of the Western Regions Protectorate be lost? ”

Facing everyone's nervous gaze, Yuan Zhao nodded. The consequences, while heavy, are likely to be an inevitable reality.

"The various military supporting facilities in Jiuquan, Wuwei and Zhangye counties are not perfect. Moreover, the Han army was not familiar with the combat methods of this new opponent, and if they rushed into battle, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses. Judging from the information available so far, the Persian army is not only sharp and brave in battle, but they should have mastered some secret weapons that are not known to the outside world. ”

Although Li Guang has retired and has long ceased to participate in military affairs, this time is different. Li Kang's death in battle caused him a lot of trauma. Yuan Zhao understood his mood and specially asked him to observe. Hearing what Yuan Zhao said so seriously, he couldn't help but raise his head and ask.

"The weapons in the Han army have been improved several times, and they are already very powerful. Nine-armed chain crossbows, large bed crossbows and other sharp weapons in the army, can those barbarians also be able to make them? ”

"Old General, what you are talking about...... It's not really a powerful weapon. ”

Hearing Yuan Zhao's somewhat helpless words, not only Li Guang was surprised, but others also looked at him in surprise. These divine weapons that helped the Han army to achieve great fame and repeated meritorious feats, now Yuan Zhao's mouth is a little disapproving? However, without waiting for their questions to be spoken, Yuan Zhao had already continued.

"Although the outcome of a war does not depend entirely on the strength of the weapon, it can indeed play a decisive role in many critical moments. For a long time, when we fought against the Xiongnu and other surrounding countries, relying only on these crossbows was enough to suppress their bows and arrows, so the Han army had a complete advantage in this regard. But this fiasco in the Western Regions should make us feel alarmed...... The barbarians of the West are not without outstanding talents, and they may have developed a more powerful means of warfare than crossbow arrows. Otherwise, how could thousands of our warriors be wiped out? ”

"What Yuanhou said is good. The Jiuquan garrison is said to have suffered a fire attack in the Great Food King City! More than 3,000 elites were burned to death inside...... The Persians are so vicious! ”

Dongfang Shuo looked sad and indignant, and sighed. I was not only sad about the death of the Han man, but also a little puzzled, and I wondered what means the other party used to burn a stone city. seemed to be able to see his doubts, and Yuan Zhao immediately gave an answer.

"Yes, most of the countries in the Western Regions, including the Great Food, are Stone Cities. And there is only one possibility for a stone city to burn to that extent, and the Persians have already mastered how to use black fire oil! ”

Yuan Zhao's inference not only surprised the others, but even Wei Qing had a look of disbelief. Black fire oil, which began to be mined in Goryeo-gun, Donghae, a few years ago, has long been regulated as the country's most important military material. Outside of the military aspect, the outside world simply does not know what this kind of thing is for. Could it be that the West also has such resources? And already known to the Persians and used on a large scale? If that's the case, it's scary.

"Yuanhou, do you mean that in the territory occupied by the Persians, there will also be black fire oil resources?"

Dongfang Shuo asked with a shocked face. Yuan Zhao nodded again. Black Fire Oil...... Of course they do! And it's so much!

"The black fire oil found in Goryeo County is nothing compared to the underground storage in the Western world! In many places from the Western Regions to the west, there is an inexhaustible supply of this resource buried underground. It is not surprising that the Persians were able to discover and exploit it. ”

After a moment of silence, as if to deliberately downplay the tension at the scene, someone said.

"Actually, this kind of black fire oil is not much use except for setting fires, right? The battlefield still relies on soldiers to charge and fight, as long as you are vigilant during the battle, the chance of ambush is still a small number after all. ”

Yuan Zhao glanced around slightly, and saw that the expressions on the faces of most of the people present seemed to mean the same thing. He couldn't help but sigh secretly in his heart. Due to the limitations of the times and perspectives, everyone's understanding of war is still at the stage of the end of the Warring States period. If you think that you can always be invincible in the world with the benefits of swords, armor, bows and horses, it is a big mistake! In fact, this can't be blamed on ordinary generals, even Wei Qing, the general with the most military vision, doesn't seem to be able to see farther.

"Generals, it is very dangerous if your thoughts remain in the past! The root cause of the defeat in the Western Regions and the resulting casualties among our soldiers lies in this! Sun Tzu said in the Art of War that only by knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent can one win a hundred battles. But how much do we know about the Persian army? General Gongsun, if you were to lead your troops to support the Persian army in the Western Regions, how would you fight? ”

Yuan Zhao pointed his finger at Gongsun Ao, the general who was closest to him. Huo Ran, one of the most famous generals in the Black Hawk Army, stood up and raised his arms generously.

"The last general should be the first soldier and fight bravely to kill the enemy. I am willing to repay the country with death, and I will never be born into the Yumen Pass! ”

Yuan Zhao felt some twitching on his face, and he wanted to scold. But then he took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He understood very well that this was Gongsun Ao's true thoughts, and it was also the attitude of several other generals present. Courage is bravery, but ...... It's stupid! Very, very stupid!

"General Gongsun, and everyone! I hope that from today onwards, everyone will remember that whether it is you or every ordinary soldier of the Han Empire, life is extremely precious! Going to war is not about giving your life, but about getting the greatest victory at the lowest cost...... Now is no longer the past era of turmoil, the glory of the prosperous dynasty is about to shine all over the world, everyone living on this land, not only to live with dignity, but also to die with value! ”

Yuan Zhao stood there with his body straight, his words sonorous and powerful. The value of life of the same bloodline has always been more important than anything else in his eyes. Therefore, he will do everything in his power to reduce the casualties caused by unnecessary wars.

"Yuanhou, the last general is willing to listen to the instructions!"

Gongsun Ao and the other generals present stood up and saluted, they knew that the reason why Yuan Zhao said so much must have an extremely important entrustment next. Sure enough, in everyone's expectation, Yuan Zhao stretched out his hand to summon Zhuo Yu, a disciple who was standing beside him, and whispered something to him, and Zhuo Yu went out to prepare with excitement on his face.

"The Persian army was unlike any enemy we had ever fought before, not only in their unpredictable ways, but also with the help of powerful black oil, and the camel formations as mobile cities. We rely only on cavalry to fight against it, and it is already difficult to achieve victory. Therefore, it is necessary to form a special branch of the armed forces to assist in the operation in order to defeat the enemy and reduce casualties. ”

Yuan Zhao's eyes emitted a faint light. At this moment, no one realized that in his few simple words, a milestone war method had been opened.