Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Zhuang Li expressed the thoughts of all the generals of the State of Wei. The State of Jin had never nurtured them nor protected them, nor given them any benefits. Why should the 450,000 troops of the State of Jin hide in the rear to watch the fun, while they were asked to fight 150,000 people in hand-to-hand combat with the Mongolian cavalry?
This was using them as cannon fodder!
“It seems there is no need to fight this battle. Let’s go.” Le Zhengming slammed the table and stood up.
All the generals also retreated.
The monarch of Jin then gave in and agreed to let his 450,000 troops lead the charge and give the supreme command to Le Zhengming.
The monarchs of several nearby countries all knew that when it came to fighting, Le Zhengming was really good. He could charge into a million-strong army and kill them all. His reputation outside the Great Wall could even stop children from crying at night. With him around, the Mongols would at least be a little wary.
After the King of Jin left, Zhuang Li asked his partner to gather all his confidants in the tent for a pre-war seminar.
“The Mongols can destroy a country with only a few hundred thousand cavalry, which shows their combat power. The Jin army is composed of remnants of various tribes. They have low morale and scattered people. I’m afraid they can’t withstand a fight.” A general shook his head and sighed.
The other generals also agreed with this view and began to worry.
“We will definitely win this battle.” However, Zhuang Li gave a completely opposite answer.
The noisy tent suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and everyone’s burning eyes all turned to the military advisor.
Le Zhengming immediately poured a cup of hot tea for the little curly-haired boy and asked him to give them a good tactical lesson.
Zhuang Li sipped the tea to moisten his throat before continuing, “When I say that we will definitely win this battle, I am not saying this to encourage you. Rather, I am drawing a conclusion based on scientific deduction and calculation. Just as geometric shapes can effectively divide the dimensions of war, mathematical formulas can also accurately predict the outcome of a war. For example, how long a battle will last, who will win and who will lose, how many casualties each side will suffer, and so on.”
The generals only understood the last few words, and their hearts suddenly became hot.
Knowing the outcome of a war through calculation? Wasn’t that equivalent to prophecy? The military advisor was truly a god!
All kinds of doubts were turning over in their minds, but no one was in a hurry to ask questions. Later, the military advisor would naturally help them explain it clearly in simple terms.
Zhuang Li further explained: “How to use mathematical formulas to predict a war? First of all, we need to understand a concept called the kill rate. The ratio of the number of enemies killed in a certain period of time to the initial number of enemies is called the kill rate.
“For example, if the Mongolian army has 100 people, and we can kill 10 of them within one hour, then 10:100 is 10%, which is our destruction rate within a time series.”
“We only killed ten Mongols in one hour? That’s impossible?” Huai Laoer said with a frown.
Zhuang Li: “…”
Le Zhengming scolded angrily: “Didn’t you hear the military advisor say that he was giving an example? This is just an assumption to make it easier for you to calculate.”
“I understand, I understand.” Huai Laoer lowered his head in shame, and his black face turned red.
The other generals covered their mouths and snickered. In fact, they also wanted to ask this stupid question just now, but they were a little slow. Fortunately, the fool Huai Laoer rushed to the front, highlighting their wisdom and intelligence.
Zhuang Li continued, “The destruction rate is the most basic variable in describing the war equation. Through it, I can simply reveal to you another secret of winning every battle.”
When they heard the words “victory in every battle”, everyone looked over at once, their eyes glowing green.
Zhuang Li filled in the form while narrating: “The Mongolians are very powerful in combat. Do you agree with this?”
“Agree.” Everyone nodded reluctantly.
“I set the Mongols’ destruction rate at twice that of ours. Do you agree?”
Everyone was silent for a moment, but still nodded, “Agree.”
Zhuang Li filled in the corresponding data in the blanks and said, “So, the Mongolian destruction rate is 20%, and our army’s destruction rate is 10%. Our army’s combat effectiveness is only half of theirs, and the gap is quite large. So let’s take a look. If both of us have 100 soldiers at the beginning, in the first time series, the Mongolians kill 20 of us and we kill 10 of the Mongolians, and our forces become 90:80.
Assuming that our kill rate remains constant and the battle continues until the last man in one of the armies dies, then in the second time sequence, our forces will be 81:64.
In the third sequence, the ratio was 73:51.
In the fourth time series, the ratio is 66:41…”
Zhuang Li counted for nineteen time periods before the strength of the two sides’ troops became 14:0.
Then, he took out another piece of paper, drew a table, and said, “Now, let’s calculate another war model. Assume that the Mongolian destruction rate is still 20%, and our army’s destruction rate is still 10%, but this time, the Mongolian initial strength is 100, and our army’s initial strength is 300. Then in the first time sequence after the war, the ratio of the Mongolian and our army’s strength is 70:280.
In the second time series, the ratio was 42:266.
In the third time series, the ratio was 16:263.
In the fourth time series, the ratio is 0:263.”
Zhuang Li spread the two tables flat on the table and said slowly, “Now I want to tell you about the second variable, which is the loss rate, which is the ratio of the loss of an army after the battle to its initial strength. In the first war model, the Mongols annihilated our army, and the loss rate was 86%; in the second model, our army annihilated the Mongols, and the loss rate was 12%. Now compare the two models, do you see any mystery?”
All the generals immediately gathered around, pointing at the two tables and discussing them. They felt that they had grasped something, but they couldn’t tell what it was.
Le Zhengming understood it after just a quick thought. Just as he was about to give the answer, he saw the little curly-haired boy winking at him.
He understood and remained silent.
The generals put their heads together and stared at the two forms, but they didn’t dare to speak at all, for fear that they would say something wrong and cause everyone to laugh at them.
Zhuang Li had no choice but to remind them, “Don’t just stare at the numbers. Just compare the two tables’ destruction rate, casualty rate, initial troop strength, and the length of time it takes to win the war. If I tell you the difference between the two, you’ll understand everything.”
Everyone was silent for a moment, and then one after another became excited.
“I understand, military advisor! The Mongols’ fighting power is twice as high as ours, but when the number of combatants is equal, it will take them a long time to kill us! You see, in the first table, it took them nineteen time sequences to kill us all; in the second table, with three hundred of us, it only took us four time sequences to wipe them all out!” A general raised his hand and shouted.
“Right, right, right,” someone nearby immediately echoed, “The more people join the battle, the shorter the time it will take to achieve victory!”
Someone else added: “The casualties will be even smaller! With the same 100 people participating in the battle, the Mongols killed 86 of us; in the latter mode, we have three times more people than them, but only 36 people died while we killed them all!”
“I understand now. Even if the Mongols are much stronger than us, with our numbers being three times theirs, we can still defeat them easily. Is that what you mean, Military Advisor?” Huai Laoer also got the idea and shouted, clapping his hands.
Zhuang Li smiled lightly and was about to speak.
A general standing on the periphery suddenly roared with excitement: “Military Advisor, I have realized a truth, which may be the secret of winning every battle that you want to teach us. Do you want to listen to it?”
“You say.” Zhuang Li looked over expectantly.
Everyone turned their heads with burning eyes.
The man cleared his throat and said quickly, “Combining these two tables, I find that there is no such thing as a battle in the world where the few defeat the many or the weak defeat the strong!”
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the tent.
Someone immediately retorted: “You are talking nonsense. The military advisor led us to defeat the Jie people! Isn’t that defeating the enemy with fewer people?”
Zhuang Li couldn’t stop laughing, and raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.
Le Zhengming looked around at this group of rough men who suddenly loved to study and think and felt quite comforted. After being taught by Little Curly, they seemed to have developed a passion for fighting.
The general who had just fought bravely continued, “No, think about it carefully. The military advisor taught us the Yanyue Formation, which allowed us to control the effective number of Jie people to about 3,000. In fact, in the Battle of Guandu, the ratio of our troops to the Jie people was 40,000 to 3,000. We outnumbered them by more than ten times!”
The generals thought about it for a moment and suddenly realized: Yes, that’s the truth!
Seeing everyone nodding, the general spoke louder: “Then I thought of Mr. Kong Ming’s most famous battle, the Gaopo Battle. In that battle, Mr. Kong Ming used 130,000 troops to annihilate the enemy’s 300,000 troops. In that, he used the Bagua formation, which could effectively divide the enemy into sixty-four parts. If you do the math, sixty-fourth of three hundred thousand is more than 4,600 people. Mr. Kong Ming’s troops were more than twenty times more than the enemy in an instant. That’s why he won a great victory! Now, have you figured out something?”
“I figured it out, I figured it out. In fact, all wars are won by the side with more people. And the concept of a large number of people is not what we see with our eyes. It is divided, calculated, and deliberately arranged!”
Huai Laoer touched the back of his head and said happily, “I can actually say such profound words! General, did you hear it?”
The ice on Le Zhengming’s face melted as his subordinates spoke one after another, and he could only smile and nod.
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