Chapter 749

Si Ren took out the letter from Yan Zhenqing, which was filled with copious amounts of writing. "Prince of Yan, our opponents this time are expected to field an army of around 1.2 million. The vast majority of them are local peasants and commoners. Only a very small fraction consists of private armed retainers kept by noble families. These people usually run amok in their local districts, bullying ordinary civilians. Once they reach the battlefield, their combat effectiveness is far inferior to soldiers seasoned in a hundred battles. Therefore, while the enemy may seem formidable, they are actually vulnerable and easy to break. Moreover, maintaining an army of 1.2 million imposes a fatal burden on the Great Tang. The imperial treasury simply cannot produce enough funds, silver, and grain to supply so many people. Even if the Great Tang were capable of paying, only a tiny fraction of that money would ever reach the pockets of the common soldiers. The vast majority, if not all, of the military pay is likely to be embezzled by the noble families.