462: Chapter 462 Xiang Liang's Thoughts

Under the power of money, Xiang Liang learned the full details of the battle.

"Special Operations again!"

"After destroying the Shule Tribe's Golden Grand Tent, Great Qin seized their territory with almost no effort."

Xiang Liang felt immense admiration for Zhao Fusu.

To a military enthusiast like Xiang Liang, Zhao Fusu's operation was as shocking as the Gulf War fought by the US.

While others were still stuck in traditional warfare, Zhao Fusu had pioneered a completely new combat system.

All he could do was learn the art of war through war itself.

Xiang Liang's military thinking was quite advanced.

Was the Great Qing strong?

During its peak, it was indeed strong.

The Solon Soldiers of the Northeast used powerful bows to pin invading Burmese to the ground; they crossed the Himalayas to defeat the invading Gurkhas; and after campaigning in the Northwest to pacify the Dzungars, the Great and Middle Jüz submitted to the Qing. This meant over half of modern-day Kazakhstan once belonged to the Great Qing.

The Great Qing's ferocity was renowned throughout Europe, sparking a "Great Qing craze"; even Great Britain's adoption of pigtails was influenced by the Great Qing.

At its height, the Great Qing's 13.16 million square kilometers of territory were won through sheer force.

Was the Great Qing weak?

During its decline, it was truly weak!

The number of humiliating treaties signed could fill an entire book!

So, what was the reason for the Great Qing's massive decline?

In terms of systems and technology, it lagged behind the West in every possible way.

Naturally, the most glaring weakness was that the Great Qing's military was no match for the West, particularly in terms of combat philosophy and training standards.

When the Zulus of Africa faced the British Army, they had no guns or cannons, only ancient shields and spears; yet, through flexible tactics, they inflicted heavy casualties on the British.

The casualty ratio between the two sides was nearly 1:1.

In contrast, the Great Qing suffered catastrophic losses against the British Army.

In the battles between the Great Qing and the British Army, the Qing deployed about 200,000 troops compared to the British Army's 19,000; the Qing suffered 22,790 casualties with over 2,000 killed, while the British suffered only 523 casualties with 69 killed—a staggering casualty ratio of 43:1.

This shows that even with inferior equipment, a well-organized, high-morale, and tactically flexible force can achieve a total victory.

During its decline, the Great Qing's army was like a heap of loose sand, barely trained and completely lacking in discipline.

They didn't study Western warfare at all.

How could they possibly win?

Later, the reason the ancestors were able to rise was that they learned from their failures, mastering the art of war through experience and innovating with tactics like guerrilla warfare, mobile warfare, and tunnel warfare.

Only by learning war through war can one maintain military dominance.

This is just like a martial artist needing constant real-world combat to grow stronger.

By reviewing every match to identify an opponent's strengths and one's own weaknesses, one can improve.

War is no different.

Without studying the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, how would one know that drones are the counter to a Steel Torrent of armored vehicles?

A drone costing a few thousand yuan can destroy a tank worth tens of millions!

Xiang Liang's motivation to learn war through war stemmed from his desire to be more than just a wealthy man within Great Qin.

He had seen the world map and realized that Great Qin's territory was still too limited.

He couldn't cause trouble within Great Qin, but he could certainly do so beyond its borders.

He could easily go to a land far from Great Qin and establish his own kingdom.