Song Xiu

Chapter 83 Who will let whom go?
Liu Ji'en's trip south was intended to make a difference.

After taking command of the Han army, Liu Ji'en changed Liu Jiye's original tactic of holding back his troops.

Liu Ji'en ordered the civilian laborers in the army to go to the surrounding forests to cut and transport timber, in preparation for building siege weapons on the spot.

When this military order was spread throughout the army, the Han army camp was in an uproar.

The greatest harm caused by changing generals on the eve of battle is that it destabilizes the morale of the troops.

Although Liu Jiye had considered the overall situation, the internal situation of the Han army had not completely deteriorated.

However, with Liu Jiye's sudden dismissal, some negative emotions inevitably arose within the Han army.

The instability in morale stems from two aspects.

On the one hand, there was suspicion and doubt in the hearts of the soldiers.

Even Liu Jiye, the commander-in-chief, was struggling to protect himself amidst the barrage of rumors, let alone the others.

Similar incidents have occurred in previous years.

When Guo Wei publicly announced that Emperor Yin of Han had punished him, it directly stirred up the emotions of the entire army.

Not all of the officers in the 20,000-strong Northern Han army were natives of Hedong.

Even among those from the same region, Hedong is rife with factions and infighting.

Given these two objective reasons, Liu Jiye's sudden resignation inevitably caused much discussion and suspicion among the soldiers.

Secondly, Liu Ji'en had no authority in the army.

Compared to Zhao Dexiu, Liu Ji'en held a more prestigious position within the Northern Han state.

He was almost universally recognized as the crown prince.

Liu Ji'en's arrival was further aided by the imperial edict in hand and the backing of imperial power.

However, these two points were met with utter contempt by the 20,000 Northern Han soldiers.

In the military, military merit is highly valued!

The reason why the Northern Han army was able to faithfully carry out Liu Jiye's orders was that Liu Jiye's reputation for being "invincible" was earned through his own battles.

The Northern Han army believed that Liu Jiye would lead them to victory in the war.

Now that Liu Ji'en, who was "accustomed to a life of ease and knew nothing about military affairs," had come to power, the mentality of the Northern Han army immediately changed.

The saying "If a general is incompetent, the entire army will perish" is a consensus among all soldiers.

If there is no confidence in the commander, the morale of the army will be uneasy.

As time went on, a chilling situation gradually emerged in the Han army camp.

"Your Highness, deserters have recently appeared in the camp."

Lu Zan reported this to Liu Ji'en with a look of anxiety on his face.

Unlike Zhao Dexiu, Liu Ji'en preferred to be addressed as "Your Highness" rather than "General".

Upon hearing Lu Zan's report, even though Liu Ji'en was completely ignorant of military affairs, he realized the seriousness of the matter.

Since the late Tang Dynasty, due to the frequent and brutal nature of wars, desertion has been a common occurrence.

This was something that every general of the time was extremely wary of.

Because the desire to flee is like a plague, and if it is not stopped in time, it will eventually spread to the entire army.

At that point, our side will collapse before the enemy even has a chance to attack.

"Capture them and kill them!"

Upon hearing Lu Zan's report, Liu Ji'en gritted his teeth and gave the order.

Liu Ji'en recalled the decisive measures his grandfather, Liu Min, took when facing deserters.

Aside from tattooing faces, killing was the most common way contemporary generals dealt with deserters.

But can Liu Ji'en and Liu Min be compared?

Liu Min had military merits back then!
Killing can have a certain deterrent effect.

However, the underlying reason for desertion lies in the instability of morale within the army.

If this underlying cause is not addressed, indiscriminate killing will only backfire in the end. Given the current situation, the best strategy to curb the desertion trend within the army is to withdraw troops.

Under the call to withdraw troops and return home, morale was barely salvaged.

There are people in the army who understand things.

However, the advice of some wise people could not persuade Liu Ji'en, the "third-generation emperor" who was determined to make meritorious contributions.

Liu Ji'en was still thinking about attacking Huguan and becoming famous in one battle.

Liu Ji'en's obstinacy led to an increasingly serious trend of desertion within the army.

It started with just a few soldiers, then a dozen or so, and later even some low-ranking officers began to desert.

With the situation developing to this point, most of the generals in the army could no longer sit still.

"Your Highness, let's withdraw our troops!"

Almost every general in the army who was considered a leader came to advise Liu Ji'en to withdraw his troops as soon as possible.

Attacking a city is difficult enough, but now the morale of the army is unstable, and the Han army is already in a precarious situation.

If we were to attack the city now, wouldn't that be just throwing our lives away?
Under the combined remonstrance of many generals, Liu Ji'en's thinking changed.

Liu Ji'en's decision to attack Huguan was almost impulsive; he had no long-term plan in mind.

A few people in the army tried to dissuade him, and Liu Ji'en was able to persist, but it seemed to have aroused public anger, so Liu Ji'en dared not continue.

After recalling his uncle's fate, Liu Ji'en finally issued the order to withdraw his troops and return home.

When he issued the order, Liu Ji'en was filled with regret.

He looked regretfully at Huguan—Zhao the traitor! I'll let you go this time.

When Liu Ji'en's order to retreat spread throughout the army, cheers and jubilation erupted.

The recent upheavals in the military have caused the entire army to lose its fighting spirit, and they are only thinking about returning to the safety of the country as soon as possible.

The cheers of celebration that erupted in the army as they retreated caught the attention of Liu Jiye, who was under house arrest in his tent.

The cheers reached Liu Jiye's ears, filling him with worry, and he couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.
"I only hope that Zhao Dexiu's ambition lies in Shangdang, not in our army."

otherwise"

The thought of his opponent, who had mastered the art of deception, intensified Liu Jiye's ominous premonition.

Eager to return home, the 20,000 Han soldiers left the camp on the second day after the military order was issued, slowly heading back towards the Northern Han.

Upon learning of this military intelligence, Zhao Dexiu no longer hesitated.

He personally led several thousand Song soldiers out of Huguan City and pursued the twenty thousand Northern Han soldiers.

The news of the Song army's pursuit outside the city quickly reached Liu Ji'en.

Upon hearing this military intelligence, Liu Ji'en stood there dumbfounded for a long time.

"With only a few thousand soldiers, how dare he abandon the city and choose to pursue our army?"

After a moment of confusion, Liu Ji'en was suddenly filled with anger.

"He underestimated me!"

Liu Ji'en originally thought that he could let Zhao Dexiu go for the time being.

Now it seems that this is no longer necessary.

Liu Ji'en wanted to turn back and attack the Song army, but he overestimated the current strength of the Han army.

It is true that the Han army's strength far surpasses that of the Song army, but none of the 20,000 Han soldiers currently have the will to fight.

In addition, although the Song army was small in number, its smaller size meant greater mobility.

If the Song army temporarily avoids direct confrontation and proceeds cautiously, the Han army cannot keep chasing them indefinitely.

The Han army, eager to return home, had no intention of continuing to slowly wear down the Song army in a foreign land.

After issuing several military orders, Liu Ji'en was not only angry but also saddened to find that no general was willing to fight back against the Song army.

Judging from this situation, who is not letting whom go?

(End of this chapter)