The character Su Ehuang is portrayed in Zhe Yao (Bowing at the Waist). As the eldest daughter of the Su family, who held the title of Xuanping Hou (Marquis of Xuanping) in the state of Zhongshan, she was born into great nobility. A diviner once proclaimed at her birth that she was "destined for supreme nobility," which shaped her character to be both confident and fiercely ambitious.
In her youth, Su Ehuang became acquainted with Wei Shao and even nursed him for half a year when he was severely injured. At that time, there were intentions of a marriage alliance between their two families. However, due to the weakness of the Wei family's influence, the Su family instead betrothed her to Liu Li, the younger brother of Emperor Xuan. After Liu Li's death from illness, Su Ehuang became a widow.
Notably, Liu Li left Su Ehuang with 50,000 elite troops and a capable general. With this military strength, she quickly captured a city and established a separatist power. Yet, despite possessing such resources, she chose to remarry as a means to fulfill her ambition of contending for dominance over the Central Plains. This plot setup reveals a logical inconsistency, stemming from the screenwriter's insufficient understanding of the strategic power of 50,000 elite troops in turbulent times.
During the Warring States Period, the total population of all states was approximately 20 million, with the combined standing army exceeding 2 million. However, "elite soldiers" underwent rigorous selection and required extremely high training costs, so a force of 50,000 was already considered top-tier combat power. For example, the Wei Wuzu (elite soldiers of the Wei state) were the premier elite troops of their time, with a maximum strength of 50,000. Clad in heavy armor, these soldiers were highly disciplined in battle and possessed overwhelming impact when charging. It was with these 50,000 men that the Wei state fought 72 major battles, winning 64 of them. They suppressed the Qin state in the west, held back the Qi and Chu states in the east, and became the most powerful state in the early Warring States Period.
During the Western Han Dynasty, the total population was about 60 million, and the peak military strength exceeded 600,000. However, cavalry was the core in wars against the Xiongnu. A force of 50,000 elite cavalry (such as the "light cavalry" led by Huo Qubing) could undertake strategic surprise attacks due to their mobility and impact. In the Battle of Mobei, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing each led 50,000 cavalry, advancing separately and converging for a joint attack, which dealt a crushing blow to the main force of the Xiongnu. They performed the ceremony of "Feng Lang Ju Xu" (sealing the Langjuxu Mountain as a symbol of victory), after which "the Xiongnu fled far away, and no royal court remained south of the Gobi Desert."
During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the total population was approximately 90 million, with the combined strength of fubing (military service soldiers) and mubing (recruited soldiers) exceeding 800,000. However, military forces were scattered across border regions and the interior. An elite force of 50,000 troops at the level of the "Xuanjia Army" (heavy armored cavalry coordinated with crossbowmen) served as the dynasty's "fire brigade."
In the early stages of the An Lushan Rebellion, An Lushan led 150,000 rebel troops southward, putting Chang'an in imminent danger. With about 50,000 elite troops from the Shuofang Army, Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi first pinned down the rebels in Hebei, then joined forces with Uyghur reinforcements, and finally recaptured the two capitals (Chang'an and Luoyang).It is evident that across all historical dynasties, the power of 50,000 elite troops far exceeds the imagination of the screenwriter of Zhe Yao. Su Ehuang could have completely relied on 50,000 elite soldiers to carve out a separatist territory and then gradually expand her power to fulfill her ambition of contending for dominance over the Central Plains.