If one were only training mid to low-ranking officers, practical battlefield knowledge would suffice.
The rest would depend on their own accumulation of experience.
If they could grasp some deeper insights, they could advance further, perhaps even becoming generals in charge of entire fronts.
And if, from that position, they could progress further and gain new insights, they might rise to become supreme commanders or marshals—the highest-ranking officers.
The saying "live and learn" is no empty phrase.
Shao Xun was well aware that most of the student soldiers he was teaching would only rise to mid-level officer positions.
Only a very few would stand out and take on the heavy responsibility of commanding entire fronts.
As for supreme commanders or marshals, that would depend on luck.
But he would still teach them what he could.
"Today's war game," Shao Xun said sternly, looking at the student soldiers seated on the ground—all of them squad leaders or higher—"must not be mentioned outside this door. Violators will face military punishment."
"Yes, sir!" the group responded loudly.
"Assume that the Grand Commandant is leading the emperor on a northern campaign—" Shao Xun began, dropping a bombshell right from the start.
The students' expressions shifted, but no one spoke.
"With 20,000 elite troops from the central army in Luoyang, supplemented by conscripts from all regions, hereditary soldiers, and private troops from local strongholds, and using surrendered troops as the vanguard, the total force would exceed 100,000," Shao Xun said, observing the young men's reactions as he spoke.
Though this was called a "war game," it felt far more real than the historical battle examples he had previously discussed, making it much more engaging.
"Prince Sima Ying has lost the trust of the people, and both the court and the common folk resent him. Now, he can only muster 50,000 troops, with just over 10,000 elite central army soldiers."
"The imperial army will march north in full force during the seventh or eighth month, with the emperor personally leading the campaign, accompanied by officials and princes."
"By the time they reach Hebei, the total force will exceed 100,000."
At this point, Shao Xun paused and looked at the group.
"If you were Sima Ying, how would you respond?"
The students fell silent, deep in thought.
The scenario was too vast for them, something they had never encountered before.
They had to consider not just military tactics but also broader strategic issues.
Shao Xun deliberately waited for a long time, giving them ample opportunity to think.
After a while, he pointed to one of them.
"Jin San, you answer."
"Yes, sir!" Jin San stood up, initially hesitant but soon resolute.
"I would implement a scorched-earth policy, harvesting all the grain and wheat in the fields, confiscating the people's stored food, slaughtering all livestock, and then retreating to defend Ye City. With nothing to plunder in the countryside and Ye City's high walls and deep moats, the imperial army would grow weary over time and eventually withdraw. At that point, I could send out well-rested troops to pursue and attack them, possibly achieving a great victory."
The room buzzed with discussion.
Jin San's plan was ruthless.
Even if it won the war, it would cause significant losses and likely alienate the people, making his position even more unstable.
It was a strategy that would harm both sides.
"That's actually not a bad plan," Shao Xun said, first encouraging Jin San and motioning for him to sit down.
"But Sima Ying can't fight like that. Within his own camp, people's loyalties are divided. He's already lost the trust of the masses. If he implements a scorched-earth policy, half of his own faction might rebel. So, unless he wants to die, he can't do that—at least not the scorched-earth part. Anyone else want to answer?"
"Master Shao, I'll answer," Mao Er stood up.
"Since Sima Ying has lost the people's trust, there might be a way to win it back."
"Go on," Shao Xun encouraged.
"Among his officials and generals, there are those who are unpopular and have a bad reputation. He could execute them to appease the public. Then, he could distribute their wealth and slaves to his officers, revitalize the administration, and even if it's just for show, it might help regain some trust," Mao Er said.
This was straightforward thinking.
If you've lost trust, try to win it back.
It wasn't wrong, and it might help the overall situation, though how much was hard to say.
"Mao Er's suggestion has some merit," Shao Xun said, not entirely dismissing the idea.
He motioned for Mao Er to sit down.
"In peaceful times, Sima Ying might achieve remarkable results this way, as he would have time to stabilize the situation. But with war imminent, this approach has both pros and cons. It's a method, but it won't change the overall situation. Anyone else?"
"Master Shao," Wang Que'er stood up, full of confidence.
"You once told us about the Battle of Jianchun Gate. I heard that after the vanguard of the Ye army was defeated, the entire camp collapsed, with everyone fearing they would be left behind and become scapegoats. There might be a way to resolve this crisis, but I'm still unclear on some points. I hope you can clarify."
"Go ahead," Shao Xun said simply.
"The imperial army has gathered over 100,000 troops. Where do they come from?"
"20,000 from the imperial guard, 20,000 to 30,000 hereditary soldiers and conscripts from Sizhou, and at least 50,000 from various local strongholds, powerful families, and even bandits north and south of the Yellow River. Prince of Fanyang might also mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 hereditary soldiers from Yuzhou to accompany the emperor on the campaign. Oh, and there might be some surrendered troops as well."
"With such a mixed force, how would they be commanded?"
"What do you think?" Shao Xun asked with a smile.
"I don't know," Wang Que'er admitted, shaking his head in embarrassment.
"Let me add a few points," Shao Xun said.
"The leaders of local strongholds and powerful families have no real loyalty. They might join out of necessity or to gain status and positions. The court doesn't take them seriously, only wanting to use them as cannon fodder. They, in turn, don't take the court too seriously, only looking to fight easy battles and seize some benefits. They would never fight to the death. Their resources are their own, and if they lose them, the court won't look kindly on them."
"As for bandits and surrendered troops, they would never fight to the death either. At the first sign of trouble, they would likely flee."
Hearing this, Wang Que'er became even more convinced of his idea.
"In that case, Sima Ying has a way to defeat the imperial army."
"Go on."
"Master Shao, there's one more thing I don't understand," Wang Que'er said, suddenly thinking of something else.
"You sure have a lot of questions," Shao Xun joked, but he didn't mind.
The more Wang Que'er thought, the more comprehensive his thinking became, which was a good thing.
"Go ahead. This is just a war game, not real. I can answer anything."
"When a large army marches, it's divided into vanguard, main force, and rear. But who would the imperial army choose as its vanguard?" Wang Que'er asked.
With over 100,000 troops, it was impossible for them to march together.
Some would go first, others later.
These troops came from different places, with no unified command, so it was common for the marching column to stretch over a hundred miles.
Some units might already be at Ye City, engaging in battle, while others were just setting out from temporary camps.
"Surrendered troops would be the vanguard," Shao Xun said.
In truth, he didn't know who Sima Yue would choose as the vanguard.
He was just using a common tactic of the time for this "war game," since it wasn't real.
"Are the surrendered troops from Hebei?"
"Yes."
"Then there's a real opportunity," Wang Que'er said, his eyes lighting up.
"If I were Sima Ying, I would gather my main force and meet the enemy head-on, first crushing the vanguard. That shouldn't be too hard. Once news of the vanguard's defeat spreads, the main force might not react well, but the local stronghold leaders, powerful families, and bandits would definitely panic, hesitate to advance, or even spread rumors and retreat.
At that point, without stopping, I would directly attack the main force. Our army would be fresh from victory, morale high. The imperial army, having just suffered a defeat, would be demoralized.
The local stronghold leaders and bandits retreating without a fight would greatly shake the army's morale. Even the elite Luoyang central army would become suspicious, feeling abandoned as all their allies retreated. If the Grand Commandant could rally the Luoyang central army and lead them in a desperate fight, that would be one thing.
But if he couldn't..."
Shao Xun walked over to Wang Que'er, took his hand, and led him to the front.
"That's quite interesting. How did you come up with that?"
"I mentioned it earlier," Wang Que'er said softly.
"The Battle of Jianchun Gate."
"But how can you be sure this battle would be like Jianchun Gate?" Shao Xun asked.
"I just feel it might be similar," Wang Que'er said, a bit embarrassed.
"Retreating to Ye City would likely lead to death. It's better to meet the enemy head-on. Win or lose, that's all there is to it."
"You're bold yet meticulous, brave and determined," Shao Xun said with a laugh.
He then glanced at Jin San.
"Jin San is too ruthless, treating lives as expendable, willing to do anything to win."
The group chuckled softly.
Jin San's face turned red.
"Jin San isn't bad either," Shao Xun said, waving his hand to quiet the group.
"In war, lives are at stake. Deciding how to act is never easy. You'll each have to figure that out for yourselves in the future."
"Yes, sir!" the group responded in unison.
"Today's war game—" Shao Xun patted Wang Que'er's shoulder, signaling for him to return to his seat, then said, "Who do you think would win or lose?"
"The imperial army would lose."
"The imperial army would win."
"The imperial army would lose."
"The imperial army would lose..."
A rough count showed that about half thought the imperial army would lose, 30% thought they would win, and 20% believed the imperial army would be stuck outside the city walls and have no choice but to retreat, resulting in a stalemate.
Overall, the consensus was that the imperial army didn't have a high chance of winning.
Shao Xun was satisfied with this result.
The northern campaign was imminent, and everyone could use the actual war to refine their views, strengthen their impressions, and gain new insights.
This time, the focus was on cultivating a sense of the bigger picture, rather than just basic military knowledge.
Personally, Shao Xun also thought the imperial army's chances of winning were slim.
The various units had no unified command, were hastily assembled, and had never trained together.
Expecting them to win was like hoping for chaos within Ye City.
If even one part of this 100,000-strong army were defeated, the others, hearing of the loss, would likely scatter and return home.
History had many such examples.
During the Battle of Feishui, out of Fu Jian's several hundred thousand troops, only a small portion actually engaged the Jin army.
When they were defeated, the rest, having little loyalty to Fu Jian, naturally fled.
In essence, Fu Jian had never truly integrated these armies—in fact, he had never truly integrated his entire country.
He had only achieved superficial unity.
Another example was the Tang dynasty's campaign against Xiangzhou, where nine military governors besieged the city.
The An-Shi rebels were in retreat, suffering heavy casualties and low morale.
But the Tang court didn't appoint a supreme commander, so the nine governors fought independently.
When one was defeated, the other eight would flee, refusing to fight to the death.
Without a supreme commander, no one knew who would cover the retreat, who would block the enemy, or who would flank them.
The lesson was simple: don't trust your allies, or you might end up as cannon fodder.
If Sima Yue wanted to succeed in his northern campaign, he would have to hastily gather a motley assortment of troops, as Luoyang's own forces were too few.
Hastily assembling troops was one thing, but the real problem was the lack of unified command.
Each unit was independent, with its own agenda.
No one trusted anyone else, and everyone wanted others to die while they reaped the benefits.
This was the most fatal flaw.
Leading such a force north would leave little room for error.
If the vanguard suffered a defeat, it wouldn't normally be a big deal.
They were just scouts, probing the enemy's strength and deployment.
They could regroup, and the main force could step in to fight properly.
But in this case, it could trigger a chain reaction, leading to the failure of the entire campaign.
In a massive retreat, no one could guarantee their own survival.
A wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall.
A war with "allies" who each have their own agendas is best avoided.
Instead of getting involved in such a mess, it would be better to stay in Luoyang, train students, and drill troops.
Shao Xun would never fight a war like Sima Yue.
He needed a relatively pure, well-disciplined force that he could command with ease.
In short, the student army was his core, while the rest were auxiliary.
He knew which to rely on.
(End of Chapter)