I will make Qin Shi Huang immortal in the Great Qin Dynasty.

The civil official's expression changed from curiosity to confusion.

He suspected that he had heard wrongly.

five hundred?

The entire Qin Dynasty mobilized its resources and only managed to muster five hundred heavy cavalry?

The disparity between 20,000 light cavalry and 500 heavy cavalry is simply too great.

Most of the civil officials present were skilled in calculation and coordination, and they quickly figured out the costs in their minds. Some of them unconsciously frowned.

"General Meng," the civil official hesitated, carefully choosing his words, "five hundred heavy cavalry... isn't that a bit too few?"

Meng Tian turned to look at him: "These five hundred heavy cavalry were selected and equipped according to His Majesty's Imperial Guard standards. Their armor is the same as that of the Imperial Guard, weighing over five hundred catties, covering them from head to toe. Their weapons are also provided according to the Imperial Guard standards, with each man equipped with two iron hammers, each weighing eight hundred catties, connected at the end by a fine iron chain."

The civil official opened his mouth, but the image of the imperial guards shattering the bluestone slabs every day during their changing of the guard flashed through his mind. He remained silent.

Meng Tian continued, "Including the people and armor, each person carries over two thousand catties of weight."

The civil and military officials in the hall subconsciously turned their gazes to the two large iron hammers on Fusu's back, then back to Meng Tian's face.

His eyes held a look that said, "I think I understand what you mean by heavy cavalry."

Another official couldn't help but interject, "Over two thousand pounds of weight... what kind of horse could carry that? Wouldn't it break its hooves running like that?"

Meng Tian turned his head slightly and looked at the minister outside: "Who says cavalrymen have to have horses?"

The hall fell silent once more.

"These five hundred heavy cavalry, though called cavalry, were not equipped with horses."

"They are all top-tier Yuan Tu masters, selected from among thousands in the Qin army. Their speed on foot is faster than a galloping horse, their endurance surpasses that of a warhorse, and they can travel a hundred li day and night without changing color, traversing mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground."

"Having horses with them only made them a burden. The horses couldn't outrun them, nor could they carry their iron armor and hammers. To put it bluntly, those so-called heavy cavalry were just a bunch of infantrymen wearing iron armor, wielding huge iron hammers, and running faster than horses."

Qin Tian stood at the front of the line, listening to Meng Tian's words, nodding frantically in his heart.

With or without censorship, of course it's different, ←_←.

Having a code is actually a burden.

Moreover, motorized infantry in later generations may not necessarily have motorcycles.

Are they faster than motorcycles?

Qin Tian chuckled inwardly, but maintained a calm and collected expression on his face, saying nothing.

Meng Tian's words did not immediately spark a new round of discussion after they were spoken in the hall.

While the civil officials were still processing the tactics of the five hundred heavy cavalry, the military officers were silently deducing the feasibility of the "unmarked cavalry" tactics.

But Meng Tian was clearly not finished speaking, and continued to add to the story.

"Furthermore, there is one more thing I must make clear to you all."

All eyes in the hall turned back to him.

"The light cavalry of my Great Qin have now been fully equipped with the three-piece cavalry uniform."

One of the civil officials was slightly taken aback: "The cavalry's three-piece set?"

"Saddle, stirrups, horseshoes." Meng Tian held up three fingers, pointing to each one. "These three items may seem insignificant, but they are fundamental to the cavalry's combat effectiveness."

"A saddle allows the rider to sit firmly on the horse without having to grip the horse's belly with both legs to maintain balance."

"Stirrups give riders a foothold, allowing them to stand up or turn sideways on horseback, making them more agile and powerful when wielding weapons."

"Horseshoes protect horses' hooves, making them less prone to cracking even on gravel roads or during long marches, thus greatly improving marching speed and durability."

The military officers in the hall nodded slightly, and some of them showed a look of sudden realization.

It was as if their tacit understanding that "cavalrymen are born to ride horses like this" had now been revealed by a single sentence.

When the civil officials heard the words "horse riding is more stable" and "running is faster," they understood the weight of these three things.

Meng Tian continued, "Although these three items are small, when combined with the cultivation of the Yuan Power Guidance Technique, even though most of these light cavalry have not yet broken through to the Yuan Apprentice realm, the nourishment of Yuan Power within their bodies has already made them much stronger than before, with greater strength, longer endurance, and faster reactions. The combat power of the light cavalry has increased more than tenfold."

He paused slightly at this point, giving everyone in the hall a moment to process his words, before shifting his focus to more specific and ruthless tactical arrangements.

"I have conducted numerous tactical simulations with the generals. The overall strategy for this battle is as follows—"

"In the first phase, 20,000 light cavalry entered the grasslands, taking advantage of their mobility to launch attacks from all sides, plundering various Xiongnu tribes. They seized their cattle and sheep, captured their horses, and took their people prisoner."

"The Xiongnu people lived a nomadic life, following the water and pasture. Their tribes were scattered, without fixed cities or strongholds. Once light cavalry swept across the grasslands like wolf packs, their weaknesses were exposed. Faced with the Qin cavalry, their tribal defenses were powerless to resist and had no choice but to flee for their lives."

One of the military officers interjected, "What should be done with the people and livestock that were plundered?"

Meng Tian glanced at him and replied in a calm tone, "Transport the people back to the interior and arrange for them to work in mining, road construction, and fortification."

"Those arduous and dangerous jobs are best suited for the Xiongnu. The people of Qin already have enough stable employment and don't need to take unnecessary risks."

"Livestock was used as a supplement to military rations, while a portion of the livestock was allocated to replenish the Qin Dynasty's livestock reserves, accelerating the breeding and expansion of military horses."

The officer who had interrupted nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

The civil officials in the palace were also secretly calculating the direction of this labor force and the cost of its allocation.

Some people are already silently comparing which mines and highway projects in famous locations are short of manpower.

"The second phase," Meng Tian's gaze sharpened, "is to force the Xiongnu into a decisive battle with our main force."

"With 20,000 light cavalry continuously sweeping and plundering, the losses of the various Xiongnu tribes will accumulate rapidly."

"They could not stand by and watch their tribes be defeated one by one, their cattle and sheep stolen, and their people taken captive."

"Either consolidate your forces, concentrate all your main strength, and fight a decisive battle with our army."

"They'll either continue to scatter and be gradually devoured by our army."

"And if the Xiongnu choose to concentrate their main force for a decisive battle with us—"

Meng Tian's lips curved slightly.

"That's when these five hundred heavy cavalry will make their appearance."

His gaze shifted to the few exceptionally burly generals in the ranks of military officers.

Those were heavy cavalry commanders selected from the Imperial Guard. Although they were not wearing heavy armor, they still stood out like cranes among chickens in the crowd, exuding an aura of iron and blood.

"Five hundred Yuan Tu level heavy cavalry, clad in heavy armor and wielding heavy hammers, charged head-on into the main force of the Xiongnu cavalry, numbering in the hundreds of thousands."

"I have repeatedly analyzed the situation, and although this number may seem small, it is sufficient for actual combat."

"A master at the Yuan Tu realm possesses the strength of ten thousand jin, runs like the wind, wears heavy armor weighing over five hundred jin, and wields two hammers. When he wields them, no one within a radius of several zhang can get close to him."

"Ordinary cavalrymen, let alone resist, would be seriously injured even if they were swept by the wind generated by that iron hammer."

"Even if the enemy force numbers in the hundreds of thousands, it will crumble and collapse layer by layer before five hundred such beings."