534: Chapter 534 The Awe-inspiring Elephant Soldiers

Zhao Fusu's expression was grave, his brows tightly knit as he spoke slowly, "Everyone, we face an extremely thorny problem in our campaign against the Mauryan Empire—their war elephants."

"war elephants?"

Aside from Xiang Liang and Fan Zeng, the attendees of the meeting included Zhao Xuan, Tian Feng, Han Zhao, as well as Abdulrehim, Maimaitijiang, and Halike from the Mercenary Corps.

Interpreters stood beside Halike and the others, translating Zhao Fusu's words for them.

Since the local language of the Kingdom of Loulan had no word for 'elephant,' the translators used a direct transliteration of the term.

Lacking even a word for it, they had naturally never seen an elephant before.

Zhao Fusu noticed the look of confusion on many of the attendees' faces.

He said, "I presume many of our brothers here have never seen an elephant."

After speaking, he signaled to the attendant beside him. The attendant understood immediately and quickly brought over a meticulously drawn illustration comparing an elephant to a human.

Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn to the drawing, focusing on it like magnets.

In an instant, the faces of many who had never seen an elephant turned as pale as paper, as if all the blood had been drained from them.

In the drawing, the elephant was massive; standing next to a human, the difference in size was simply staggering.

Even someone as strong as Xiang Yu, world-renowned for his ability to lift a heavy tripod, paled in comparison to this behemoth.

The elephant's thick limbs were like massive pillars. Just imagining it giving a simple nudge, Xiang Yu would likely be sent flying like a kite with a broken string, landing who knows how many meters away.

Fan Zeng and Xiang Liang's expressions also darkened instantly, as if covered by a thick layer of dark clouds.

As the Leader of the School of Military Strategy, Xiang Liang had spent his life immersed in countless military texts, possessing vast knowledge of history and a deep understanding of various tactics and strategies.

Yet at this moment, his brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with worry. Even after searching through every classic in his mind, he could find no effective strategy to counter war elephants, leaving him deep in thought.

Zhao Xuan, Tian Feng, and the others also looked incredibly grave. Their eyes were fixed on the hopeless disparity between the elephant and the human in the drawing. Their bodies trembled involuntarily, and their breathing became rapid and heavy, as if every breath was taken under immense pressure.

Zhao Xuan couldn't help but whisper, "The difference is too great. Defeating the Mauryan Empire's war elephants will be no easy feat!"

Tian Feng nodded slightly with a stern face, "Indeed, such a disparity in power is truly worrying."

Xiang Liang frowned. If they had Great Qin's Skyfire series weapons now, they might have a chance to fight, using the earth-shattering power of the Skyfire weapons to blast these intimidating behemoths.

However, how could Great Qin easily hand over such cutting-edge weaponry?

These were weapons that could shake the very foundations of Great Qin's rule; they were strictly guarded and would not be allowed to circulate.

Fan Zeng shook his head slightly, saying with a worried expression, "The Mauryan Empire possesses such a large number of war elephants. If we rely solely on bows and crossbows, it will be truly difficult to contend with them."

"With such a massive body, the elephant must have thick skin and flesh, giving it incredible resilience. Even after enduring several volleys of arrows, it could still advance steadily and then use its massive body to rampage through the battlefield. Who could possibly withstand that!"

"Indeed!"

"Exactly!"

...

The crowd broke into a flurry of discussion.

Such a grim situation weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a massive stone, making it difficult to breathe.