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Chapter 1366 Analysis 2
This lifestyle, coupled with a leader who possessed strategic vision and charisma, capable of uniting numerous ethnic groups, made them virtually invincible in terms of combat power given the productivity conditions of the time.

Life is war, war is life; the front line is the rear, and the rear is the front line. There's no need to consider urban development or people's livelihoods, nor is there any need to worry about governance.

They fought their way through, killing and plundering in their wake. The more they fought, the larger their army became, like a snowball rolling downhill, leaving only ruins in its wake. They would eat everything in their path and then keep rolling. The end would come when they stopped rolling and could no longer roll.

However, with the improvement of productivity and the development of weaponry, firearms and artillery were widely used, and the military advantage of nomadic peoples became smaller and smaller, while the disadvantage of not having a stable agricultural and industrial base became bigger and bigger.

"Isn't 5 cavalry a bit too few?"

Wang Datou certainly wasn't good at calculations, but he did understand military operations. If the commander of the European coalition believed that a mere 50,000 cavalry could challenge a large country with more advanced military technology and a population of over 100 million, he was either insane or stupid.

If Europeans wanted to emulate the Mongols and launch eastward expeditions primarily with nomadic cavalry, the outcome could be summed up in four words: ill-timed!

Assuming the two sides can fight evenly in open field battles, once they encounter cities or fortified strongholds, cavalry will be subjected to multi-faceted attacks from muskets and artillery, and their mobility will be severely hampered. Even with a significant numerical advantage, they may still be completely at a disadvantage.

If the European coalition were to attack the Western Regions with 5 cavalry, they would face at least 11 Ming army garrisons, with the two sides roughly equal in strength.

Even though cavalry could use their mobility to gain an advantage in outnumbering opponents, they seemed to have no advantage against a series of fortified cities. Their numbers were several times greater, but they lacked heavy firepower. The longer the battle dragged on, the more obvious their disadvantages became, and the outcome was predictable.

"There's no other way. There are no big cities or densely populated agricultural areas along the way. If there were any more, we wouldn't be able to feed them. Cattle, horses, and sheep can graze, but soldiers can't survive by eating the soil."

The General Staff has conducted three reconnaissance missions over the years. Even with daily rations halved, controlling the number of troops is still crucial for traversing the Kazakh Khanate. Without any ethnic groups accompanying them, the maximum is 50,000, with some flexibility, but not much.

In response to Wang Datou's question, Tan Buming provided more precise data without hesitation. In fact, his assessment was rather optimistic, as the railcars had already reached the Fergana Valley. Without this vital transportation artery, transporting large quantities of supplies over long distances would be far more difficult.

"Let's say 8 for now. Don't forget the Crimean Khanate. If the Bolivian Federation and Russia both send troops, they will not let the Khanate remain stagnant. Based on the proportion of soldiers from various Mongol ethnic groups, they can probably only muster around 5 cavalry. Sending 3 to the front should be the limit."

The General Staff's calculations were not only accepted by Wang Datou, but also by Hong Tao. However, there was still controversy over whether the troops in one region should belong to the Ottomans or the European coalition. Now, the matter can be clarified.

"8... The Bolivian Federation, Russia, the Crimean Khanate, most of them are still using cold weapons in combat, right?"

With the emperor's decree setting the number, Tan Buming and Wang Datou couldn't argue further. Even with the addition of 3 troops, they still didn't believe it would pose a significant threat to the Western Regions.

Of the five designated war zones, the Western Regions War Zone should be the most powerful. In addition to having Army Chief of Staff Ding Shun personally in charge, Huang Taiji was indeed quite capable in military matters, especially in dealing with cavalry.

"Remember, the European coalition forces in the Western Regions have deployed 5 main force troops and 3 mercenaries. Now, let's calculate how many troops the Cape of Good Hope region will deploy." Hong Tao didn't want to discuss the strength of this European coalition forces that had marched eastward from the north, or whether the Western Regions commanded by Huang Taiji could hold them off. There was no data to back it up; guessing was pointless. It was better to focus on something practical.

"...Let the students go first this time! Based on my understanding of Enbird City and the South African Governorate, it is very difficult to cross the inland from the southwest coast of Africa."

About six years ago, the Ministry of Industry, together with the Ministry of Chemical Industry and the Ministry of Education, organized an expedition of nearly 100 people under the guise of a mobile medical team from the Ministry of Health. The team ventured deep into the inland areas north of Enbird City. Two months later, all of them lost contact, including three Khosa warriors.

Following the incident, the army organized two relatively large search and rescue operations, but both ended in failure. There were many reasons for this, and almost every aspect made it unsuitable to venture deep inland, so the operations had to be abandoned.

The advisory office conducted a detailed investigation into the tragedy and contacted several Xhosa chiefs. Two points left a deep impression. First, the actual area controlled by the Governor-General's District of South Africa is not large, only including the area within 200 kilometers north and 260 kilometers west of Ngöln.

On the one hand, there were too few troops stationed there, and almost no immigrants, making it impossible to effectively utilize the land. On the other hand, it was also the traditional territory of the Xhosa people, and going beyond this area would lead to endless wars with other ethnic groups.

Given this situation, the governorate has always focused more on development within its jurisdiction, with its main defense efforts concentrated at sea and rarely involving inland areas.

Secondly, the natural and human environment in the inland areas is very extreme. Not far north of the Governor's District, there is a large river running east to west, which is turbulent during the rainy season and often dries up during the dry season.

The middle reaches of the region are a Gobi desert, inhabited by the Sang people. This ethnic group is very unique, isolated, and xenophobic, rarely interacting with other ethnic groups except during wartime; even the Xhosa people choose to stay away from their territory.

Downstream, there are two other large ethnic groups, I think they are called... Nama and Niikoyi, which is the pronunciation in Xhosa. The area where these two groups live is also very arid, but not a desert, and some low and sparse vegetation grows there. They mainly live by animal husbandry, and their exact numbers are unknown.

These three major ethnic groups further subdivided into a dozen to several dozen relatively independent smaller ethnic groups, each with its own hereditary territory. Anyone, including members of the same ethnic group from other ethnic groups, who set foot on their territory without permission would be subject to war.

If these materials are not entirely false, the students believe that it is almost impossible to lead a large army across thousands of kilometers of desert and Gobi. Even if enough fresh water can be found, the indigenous tribes along the way will fight to the death.

Even using wooden spears and bone arrows, the casualty rate was still considerable. If they contracted a contagious disease, the entire army could be wiped out. Wasn't the risk too great?

Regarding the attack on Enbird City, Wang Datou first looked at Tan Buming, who tactfully relinquished the right to speak. As the Empire's largest and farthest overseas territory, the Advisory Office had long been involved, so it wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the matter; in some aspects, it even knew more than the General Staff.

For example, the incident of a joint expedition team formed by several departments, including the Ministry of Industry, going missing was kept under wraps by a very small number of people who knew about it. The military had no right to inquire about the specifics, but the advisory office did.

(End of this chapter)