God Three Group Chat: Three Kingdoms

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Based on his past exchanges with Huangfu Song, Yu Jin has a relatively objective understanding of the previous situation.

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the entire Han Empire's annual military expenditure was only a few hundred million coins.

This sum of money included not only the army's pay but also the cost of weapons and equipment, including local county soldiers.

It can be said that the scope of coverage and the number of people affected were not much different from today, but the difference in military spending was like heaven and earth.

“We’ve gotten used to hard times, and after all these years, we still haven’t gotten used to things like this.” Recalling what Huangfu Song said, Yu Jin sincerely felt that it made sense. At the same time, he suddenly understood how the Kushan Empire was able to maintain such a large military force, and then he had even stronger confidence in the victory of the Han Empire.

The fact that the Han Empire is currently maintaining a high-pressure stance against external forces has not yet affected the lives and stability of the people within the empire, indicating that it is still a very long way from reaching the limits that the Han Empire itself can allow.

How long can the Gusou cream last? That remains to be seen.

The exploitation of the lower classes by the Brahmanical system is indeed shocking and astonishing, but this method can only be regarded as a means of cost-cutting.

The fact that the Han Empire had not yet implemented cost-cutting measures already predetermined the logistical gap between the two empires.

No wonder they all say that the path to final victory was predetermined; there's a reason for it.

Chen Xi, who has always been superior to others, is indeed terrifyingly strong. He can see the big picture from small details and understand the abilities of his opponents, which are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

“Yes, those were tough times before, but things have changed so much now.” Zang Ba didn’t think much of it; he simply compared his past life with his present life and could indeed feel the difference.

This gap is not a class leap brought about by promotion, but rather a reflection of the gradual positive progress of all people in society.

Having experienced that kind of life before, most people cherish their current life more and understand its preciousness.

At the same time, it is precisely because of this improvement in living standards that the vast majority of people have genuine support for Liu Tong, who is now on the throne.

Regardless of whether Liu Tong worked or how well he worked, as long as life is getting better, whoever sits in that position, no matter who they are, will gain credit and popular support.

This is also why Liu Tong was assassinated by the Kushan general Bianjie during the court assembly, and why the entire Yuezhi people in Chang'an suffered as a result.

Because it was not just the mobilization of the army, but also the spontaneous action of all the people.

This is also a factor that made it relatively easy to attack the Kushan Empire with little resistance.

Those in power wanted to expand their territory and gain the glory and benefits of establishing their own domains; the soldiers longed to make achievements and live a better life; and the common people wanted to maintain their current good life.

When there were no jars or pots, people were naturally fearless, just as those who had nothing to fear were not afraid of those who had shoes.

But as life improves and people acquire their own pots and pans, they begin to hope that the environment will not be damaged. Anyone who tries to damage the environment is already at odds with the people.

This psychological state under such circumstances, coupled with Chen Xi's excellent domestic administration skills, is the reason why the Han Empire was able to mobilize nearly a million troops for external campaigns. If either of these two factors were lacking, maintaining an army of a million would become extremely difficult.

This is also why Liu Tong and Chen Xi believe that this era is the most suitable for expanding territory abroad.

People who have experienced darkness are better able to appreciate the hard-won nature of this good life and are more proactive in supporting and endorsing policies. However, the next generation of people, who have not experienced that darkness, are less enthusiastic and are more likely to return to the level of a normal empire.

Even with excellent domestic and policy environment management capabilities, the strength that such an empire could unleash was far less than that of the present-day Han Empire.

This is also why the Han Empire today chooses to actively expand its territory, rather than waiting for the empire's population to grow on a large scale before resorting to overwhelming force.

"We've arrived just in time, so let's see just how troublesome this Kushan opponent really is." After a brief exchange and confirming that Zang Ba had no objections to the command, Yu Jin took over the unified command of the entire army.

Zang Ba served as the deputy commander in this army, overseeing the army's logistics and commanding the reserve forces.

The army then did not delay for long. After unloading the food and military supplies from the ships and building the corresponding storage bases, it began to advance south.

Meanwhile, the governor of Rinan County began to coordinate the civilian population to provide logistical support for this large army.

Fortunately, the distance was not far, and road transport was not particularly difficult, so the loss of grain was not particularly large.

As a result, even with only half of the population of Rinan County being mobilized, the logistics of the army could still be guaranteed.

The fact that so many laborers were drawn from Rinan County during the autumn and winter seasons would also affect local grain production, and the Han Empire would subsidize this portion of the affected grain production.

Because of its location in the south, Jilin County can guarantee two harvests a year, so there is no problem with food shortage. In fact, after deducting the normal consumption of the people, there is still a large amount of surplus grain to sell.

However, now that the army has been stationed here, the surplus grain in Rinan County is no longer sold through shipping channels, but is directly supplied to the military.

The military paid the corresponding amount of money, providing the people of Jinan County with normal wages and five coins to buy food.

Opening roads through mountains and building bridges over rivers, Yu Jin's army marched with greater composure and confidence compared to the former Taishi Ci army.

The convenience provided by roads is essentially bidirectional; if they can use it, the Kushan Empire can naturally use it as well.

Yu Jin's lack of fear about the Kushans' ability to use these roads was based on the assumption that his army would not lose.

As long as the army doesn't lose, the Kushans won't be able to use the roads they've built, and the Kushans can use these roads for rapid resupply.

"Although the Kushan navy is strong, in terms of land warfare capabilities, it is only fit to fight against the Jiangdong army." Standing on the top of the hill, Yu Jin looked at the road that had spread out below the hill, and then looked at the dividing line between land and sea on the horizon, and a smile appeared on his lips.

As a general, who wouldn't want to achieve great deeds and make a name for themselves?
"Then we just need to wait for news from the navy." Zang Ba glanced at the token at his waist and nodded calmly. (End of Chapter)