weaving

Chapter 1440 Is the strategist's advice feasible?

At dawn, the area around Shancheli Village was already bustling with people, creating a lively scene.

Although it seemed like a bustling market at first glance, upon closer inspection, all that could be seen were elderly, weak, and starving people in tattered clothes, each one emaciated. If one saw such a scene at night, one might even mistake it for the underworld!
What terrible sins must one have committed in their past life to suffer such retribution in this one?

They dug, carried, dug, carried, or dragged soil; in short, tools were extremely scarce, and most of the starving people worked with their bare hands.

The aroma of porridge wafted from not far away, but they could only smell it, not eat it. They did the hardest, most tiring, and dirtiest work, yet they couldn't even get a sip of hot porridge.

They're truly worse than cattle or horses!

And so, there were also thieves on foot patrolling to supervise the work. If they found anyone moving slowly, they would be whipped and beaten with sticks. As for those who were too weak, they were dragged away to who knows where. In any case, no one was ever seen to come back alive.

To live... even if it's worse than living like an animal... it's better than dying!

…………

"Grand Marshal, I have a suggestion, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, was taken aback. He gently put down the half-bowl of porridge he was holding and asked Song Xianze with a puzzled look on his face, "Why do you say such a thing, strategist? But please tell me what you have to say."

Song Xianze was still hesitant. He first glanced at Niu Jinxing, but saw that he was drinking his porridge without any reaction. Then he looked at Yuan Zongdi and saw the anxiety in his expression. He made up his mind and said softly, "Grand Marshal, have you ever thought about withdrawing the troops?"

Although he was determined to speak his mind, he didn't dare to be direct when the time came, and instead probed Li Zicheng gently.

"The strategist means..."

Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, frowned slightly, looking somewhat displeased, yet also deep in thought. None of the people present dared to speak, fearing that they might say something that would offend Li Zicheng.

Niu Jinxing was still carefully eating his pickled vegetables and thin porridge, while Yuan Zongdi looked at Song Xianze with hopeful eyes, and Li You and the others' gazes were fixed on the rebel king.

Song Xianze knew that now that he had spoken, if he didn't speak frankly, the rebel king might develop a rift with him, and if that happened, he wouldn't be able to stay in the rebel army.

He silently organized his thoughts before speaking: "Grand Marshal, although we suffered a minor setback in yesterday's battle, our main force is still intact. However, our morale is not as high as before. This is probably due to the continuous battles, which have left our soldiers without rest, and they are exhausted both physically and mentally."

Song Xianze first spoke, but as a prelude, he didn't mention the defeat yesterday or the fact that the commander's flag was cut down. He attributed the defeat to the soldiers' physical and mental exhaustion, which was quite a painstaking effort.

Seeing that the rebel leader's expression softened slightly, Song Xianze continued, "I believe that our army should return to Funiu Mountain via Xuzhou."

"What?" Luo Hu was stunned upon hearing this, and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this running away?"

"Retreat," Song Xianze said firmly. "According to Zhang Cheng, who fought alongside us, it can also be called a retreat."

"Retreat?" Luo Hu was very puzzled: "It sounds nice, but it's still just running away."

Song Xianze shook his head helplessly, but then he heard the voice of the rebel king: "Luo Hu, don't talk nonsense."

"Strategist, please continue."

"Our army will return to the Funiu Mountains, where we will organize starving people to reclaim wasteland and plant crops, while simultaneously pacifying the surrounding prefectures of Ruzhou, Henan, and Nanyang, recruiting, training, and supplying troops without ceasing. After a few months of lying low, once the soldiers have recovered from their exhaustion, their morale is restored, and their fighting spirit is high, our army will march out of the Funiu Mountains again and be able to take Kaifeng directly. At that time, even if Zhang Cheng's Xuanda border army is still there, they will be no match for us."

After listening to Song Xianze's words, Chuang Wang remained silent, and the rest of the crowd also looked thoughtful.

Only Song Xianze, with an uneasy expression, looked at the rebel leader, carefully observing his changes in expression in order to figure out his true thoughts.

Just then, General Liu Tichun returned from his patrol. Li You quickly served him a bowl of thin porridge, which Liu Tichun accepted without hesitation and began to eat heartily with some pickled vegetables.

"Erhu, how is the morale of the soldiers?"

Liu Tichun took a big gulp of thin porridge before speaking, "The leaders and our Eighth Team are doing relatively well. Although their morale is a bit low, they have no fear of battle..."

When Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, saw that he had only spoken halfway through his sentence, he laughed and said to him, "Erhu, when did you start saying only half of what you meant? This isn't like you at all."

"Grand Marshal, the troops who joined us after the fall of Luoyang, seeing our setbacks against the Xuanda government forces, have become somewhat disillusioned, their morale is low, and their spirits are low. However..."

"But what? Speak up quickly if you have something to say, or I'll punish you if you keep stammering like this!"

"If the Grand Marshal orders them to fight, Erhu believes they would not dare not risk their lives on the battlefield."

After hearing this, the rebel leader shook his head slightly and said calmly, "Relying solely on strict orders and coercion is not a solution."

He turned his gaze to Niu Jinxing and asked, "Mr. Niu, do you think the strategist's suggestion is feasible?"

Niu Jinxing was incredibly intelligent. Upon hearing the King of Chuang's question, he immediately guessed that the King's mind had softened. After preparing himself mentally, he said, "What you have suggested is not without reason. Considering the current situation, it is not a bad choice."

Niu Jinxing was far more cunning than Song Xianze.

While his words seemed to agree with Song Xianze's strategy, he did not express clear support. He only said that "what Xianze said is a good choice," but it did not mean that it was the only choice.

This is where Niu Jinxing's wisdom lies: he answered the King of Chuang's question, complied with the King's inner thoughts, and left room for maneuver in the future.

After listening to Niu Jinxing's words, Chuang Wang's face relaxed, as if he had already made up his mind.

"What did Military Advisor Song say?"

Liu Tichun arrived late and did not hear what Song Xianze said, which is why he had this question. Li You stepped forward and briefly summarized what Song Xianze had just said to him.

"What?" Liu Tichun's eyes widened: "If we just run away like this, won't our brothers have died for nothing?"

"General Dejie, times have changed. We are only temporarily avoiding the government troops' sharp edge. Once our morale is restored and our troops are stable, we will be able to defeat them in one battle when we return to Kaifeng. Then our great cause can be accomplished."

Liu Tichun looked at Song Xianze and said, "Strategist, I can't argue with you, but I feel that if we just run away like this, wouldn't it be a bigger blow to the morale of the troops?"

Yuan Zongdi then spoke up to persuade the two of them, saying, "We don't need to argue back and forth. Let's listen to the Grand Marshal's decision!"