Jinting Han people

Chapter 194: Military Morale Confusion (4k, additional content by the leader)
Sun Xiu, the chief secretary of King Zhao, took over the military power on the front line. At the same time, he dismissed Zhang Gui, the commander of the Western Expedition Army, from all his military posts. In front of all the generals and soldiers, he was put in a prison cart and sent to the capital in prison.

The charge was simple, written on a blue paper edict: Zhang Gui attacked his colleagues before the battle, talked nonsense about state affairs, disturbed the morale of the army, and was afraid of the enemy and did not advance, wasting food and fodder. Therefore, he had to be sent back to the capital to report on his work immediately.

As soon as the news spread, it immediately caused a storm in the army.

Zhang Gui had served as the commander of the Western Expedition Army for eight years. He held a position of power and influence, and was highly respected for his integrity. He was widely regarded as a capable and virtuous official in Guanzhong. Sun Xiu's misdeeds in Guanzhong had indeed caused considerable resentment, but ultimately no major chaos had occurred, and basic order had been maintained. This was all due to Zhang Gui's covert efforts to resolve the situation.

Just like the recent rebellion in Hedong, which caused hundreds of thousands of refugees, Zhang Gui boldly appointed Liu Xian, the prince of Anle, and entrusted him with important tasks, thus resolving the situation invisibly. There are countless similar incidents going on in secret.

But these were secondary. Zhang Gui's most important role was stabilizing the morale of the Western Expedition Army. After eight years in office, thanks to his outstanding military and political skills, Zhang Gui subdued forty-six Hu tribes and fought fourteen battles, achieving twelve wins and two draws. Consequently, the entire military held him in high esteem, believing that with him around, no battle was too difficult to win.

In this rebellion, Zhang Gui brought only 12,000 troops, which was nearly five times the number of the rebels. However, the morale of the army was still high, which was a reflection of everyone's trust in Zhang Gui.

But at the moment when a decisive battle with the rebels was about to begin, the imperial court actually changed its generals at the last minute, letting Sun Xiu, who had never served in the army, replace the battle-hardened Zhang Gui. How could this not cause chaos in the military's morale?

But surprisingly, Zhang Gui, the person involved, was very calm. He spoke to Sun Xiu calmly for a few words, handed over the matters at hand, and then walked into the prison van. The next morning, the prison van had already left.

The soldiers were at a loss as to what to do in this situation. For a moment, they felt empty in their hearts. The passion that had been boiling in their hearts was now completely extinguished, and they were instead filled with confusion about tomorrow.

Sun Xiu, however, was quite open-minded. He announced that the original departure date would be postponed for two days, allowing the entire army to continue the banquet, which was rather grand in scale. The banquet not only featured mutton and dog meat as yesterday, but also beef, a rare commodity. The usual drinks were replaced with rare wines. Even more dazzling to the soldiers was the arrival of numerous maids, who were dancing in the tents, creating a lively atmosphere.

After this arrangement, most of the soldiers temporarily stopped having any resentment. At least when there was food to eat, everyone would definitely eat first, and they also showed some gratitude to Sun Xiu.

But for some officers, the doubts in their hearts were difficult to remove. For example, Li Ju came to discuss Zhang Gui's dismissal with Liu Xian early in the morning.

The two of them went for a walk in a maple forest, talking as they walked:

"Brother, tell me, what crime did Zhang Junsi commit? Why was he dismissed at this time?"

"Didn't Sun Changshi say that? Talking nonsense about state affairs will disrupt the morale of the army."

Li Ju angrily said, "When has Commander Zhang ever discussed state affairs? Changing generals in the middle of a battle is the real way to disrupt military morale!"

Liu Xian smiled and said, "Shihui still doesn't understand politics. This is obviously not about the affairs of our army, but the morale of the army in the court."

"The morale of the army in the court?"

Liu Xian observed Li Ju's suspicious expression, plucked a maple leaf from a nearby branch, and slowly said, "General Zhang has long been dissatisfied with Sun Xiu, and he's also putting pressure on him during this military campaign. He's probably trying to take advantage of the chaos to advise the court and remove this poisonous sore from Sun Xiu."

"But it seems that the court is still very satisfied with Sun Xiu and has no intention of replacing him."

"Given Sun Xiu's temper, if he's not apprehended, then naturally it's Zhang Junsi who will be apprehended."

In just a few words, Liu Xian had guessed the truth and sighed deeply. He hadn't expected two things: first, Zhang Gui, who seemed so kind and benevolent, had reached the limit of his patience and could no longer tolerate Sun Xiu's actions; second, the court was so decisive that it removed Zhang Gui from his post without even allowing him to complete the battle. Could this impact really be resolved by rewarding the army?
Li Ju clearly thought the same thing. He kicked the maple tree, causing the treetops to rustle and red maple leaves to fall. He angrily shouted, "It's like this in the local areas, and it's also like this in the court! The country is being harmed by these treacherous officials!"

Liu Xian, however, was quite open-minded. After all, he had offended both local and imperial officials, and it wasn't just today he learned about it. For him, something else had a greater impact.

That was Zhang Gui's proposal to promote him to Chang'an to serve as a military officer. Now, it seems that this plan has failed again.

Since arriving in Xiayang, Liu Xian had encountered at least three or four opportunities to leave, but each time he failed. Initially, Liu Xian was distressed, but after so many attempts, he was now filled with regret, thinking, "I'm tired of it, but won't Sun Xiu and Jia Mi ever tire of playing around?"

He was now prepared to serve as the county magistrate of Xiayang for twenty years, so he didn't mind much. Instead, he could examine Sun Xiu's actions with a more relaxed perspective. He waited for Li Ju to calm down a bit before asking, "Shihui, do you think this battle will still be viable after Sun Xiu replaces Zhang Junsi?"

Li Ju was stunned at first, then lowered his head to think for a moment before analyzing: "If this battle were led by Zhang Junsi, he would definitely have a 100% chance of winning, and the rebels would be doomed."

"Now, it's Chief Secretary Sun who's in charge. Although he has a bad reputation, he usually doesn't get involved in military affairs much, except for logistics and personnel transfers."

"If he could let go of the other generals in this battle, I think even if Sun Changshi had never fought a battle before, he would probably still be able to win."

Liu Xian laughed heartily at this. He patted Li Ju on the shoulder and said, "Shihui is still overthinking it. The saying goes that the morale of the army can be taken away and the hearts of the generals can be taken away. It's not that simple."

"Sun Xiu has gone too far this time and broken the tacit understanding we had in the past. I don't think this can be easily resolved."

Liu Xian didn't understand what he said, and Li Ju was also confused, but there was no need for too much explanation. Soon, Sun Xiu took the opportunity of the banquet to convene a military meeting.

The standard of this military meeting was very high. Only officers of the sixth rank and above could participate, and there were only about sixty people in total. If the standard was higher, even Liu Xian would not be able to participate.

Sun Xiu's attitude was quite modest. He was a man who never put on airs, and this was no different. Although Zhang Gui also advocated respecting the virtuous and humble, he still maintained the minimum reserve of a scholar. Sun Xiu, on the other hand, liked to express himself without restraint. He would laugh out loud, weep, speak boldly, and then feel sad. The changes in these emotions were extremely exaggerated, almost unimaginable, but Sun Xiu switched them skillfully and smoothly.

He first said to everyone, "Alas, Zhang Junsi and I have been good friends for many years. I never thought he would misunderstand me! I am heartbroken too!"

"I originally wanted to reconcile with him privately, so as to recreate the beautiful story between Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. I never expected that the court would find out about this and make such a decision! This is really not what I want to see." "But don't worry, everyone. I have already submitted a petition to the Queen, saying that Zhang Junsi is absolutely innocent. If there is any fault, it is all my fault! I will definitely protect Zhang Junsi's innocence!"

"Right now, everyone should think carefully about how to fight the next battle!"

"This is a matter of great importance to the imperial court. The Empress takes it very seriously! If any of you could be a Huo Qubing, why would the state be so stingy with the title of Marquis of Guanjun?"

"I, Old Sun, would like to take advantage of you all. If you win this battle beautifully, I will give each of you present a beautiful woman. I guarantee you will enjoy the blessings of immortality! How do you think?"

"But if we lose this battle, not only me, but I'm afraid everyone here will be implicated as well!"

After saying this, Sun Xiu's expression changed continuously, from flattering to threatening, which made Liu Xian on the sidelines amazed.

Unfortunately, if the people from the Zhengxi Army had met Sun Xiu on the first day, they might have taken him seriously. But now they have been working together for three years, and they still don’t know that he says one thing in front of you and another behind your back. It can only be said that they are a bit lacking in wisdom.

The soldiers present also agreed verbally, but the more they did so, the more Liu Xian realized that it was just empty talk.

Because everyone present was just talking in clichés, no one actually stood up and expressed their willingness to be a vanguard in the battle a few days later. Even less did anyone come forward to offer advice or analyze the battlefield situation.

Instead, after the banquet, just as they left Sun Xiu's camp, Zhang Guang called out to Liu Xian and Li Ju in the darkness, saying, "Is Huai Chong free? Let's chat."

Liu Xian understood the elegant meaning of the music by hearing it. He looked back and around to make sure that no one was following him, then followed Zhang Guang to his tent. When he entered his private room, he saw that Li Han, Beigong Chun and Bai Yun were all there. It seemed that these old men appointed by Zhang Gui had secretly colluded with each other.

Zhang Guang said to Liu Xian, "Huai Chong, you've been battling Sun Xiu for so long, everyone knows about it. I'm sure you know him best. What do you think he's thinking behind this seizure of power on the battlefield?"

As expected! Liu Xian understood clearly that the generals still harbored doubts about Sun Xiu's rise to power and were afraid to serve him. After all, Sun Xiu couldn't even tolerate an elder as virtuous as Zhang Gui, let alone those less capable than him? And what about those who were generally considered his closest allies? They would definitely require careful consideration.

After Liu Xian pulled down the curtain, he leaned against the brazier and said with a smile, "You all flatter me. After all, I'm in Xiayang, not Chang'an. How could you possibly understand him?"

Beigong Chun waved his hand and said, "Huai Chong, you can say whatever you want. No one here will spread it."

"I'm not being polite. You should all have guessed it, right?" Liu Xian reached out and pried the charcoal from the brazier, then said slowly, "Sun Xiu's words are so nice, but he's just trying to take credit for it! Otherwise, why would he choose this time to seize power? He knows he's not cut out for war, so he's waiting until Zhang Junsi has finished arranging everything before he comes to reap the rewards."

"He's such a money-maker, so of course he's also greedy for credit! When the time comes, I predict that once we win the battle, all the credit will be his. Then he can openly purge all those who disobey him from the Western Expedition Army and become the sole leader. A few good meals for everyone these few days will be his greatest reward!"

Liu Xian's words were somewhat exaggerated. After all, based on past experience, Sun Xiu was at least quite kind to people like Xin Ran. The fact that he decisively offered him a ransom to buy back his followers also proved that he was not stingy.

But everyone present listened, and they all agreed. After all, they had never been Sun Xiu's personal associates, nor had they ever benefited from him. On the contrary, over the years, they had been forced to pay bribes to buy things like the Three Officials Seal to secure their futures. As scholars, they had never suffered such a loss before. It could be said that the resentment had been accumulating for a long time, and they couldn't help but believe it.

When Li Han failed to achieve the Zhuoran Second Rank, he hated people who took advantage of him the most, and his second hatred was people who blocked his path. He was extremely upset when he thought Sun Xiu was trying to steal his credit, but at the same time, a plan came to his mind. He said to everyone:

"Since he wants to steal the credit, let's deal with him first and see if this monkey can do the credit himself!"

"Although Commander Zhang has decided on the overall strategy, the specific battle arrangements have not yet been finalized. When we set out to discuss the battle tomorrow, we will remain silent and let him fight on his own!"

"If he can do it, that's fine. Let him take the credit! If he loses, he'll lose face. Won't he have to beg us in the end? Let's see if he feels embarrassed enough to take the credit!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the generals immediately echoed them.

This was a very offensive strategy, practically a blatant act of resistance. But those present were all soldiers, already prepared to risk their lives on the battlefield. And now, they were on the battlefield, so how could they be afraid of offending anyone?

Before a war begins, politics is the dominant force, but once it begins, the logic of war itself overwhelms everything else. This is what Liu Xian learned in this secret meeting.

After everyone dispersed, Liu Xian didn't immediately return to his tent. Instead, he stood on a high vantage point, surveying the torches that moved back and forth throughout the camp, and the tents that formed a dark cloud of snoring. He thought, the army's morale is already in disarray. A battle that was once a sure win has suddenly become more uncertain. Could it be that the Jin army will lose?

Liu Xian was unsure, so he decided to wait and see and walked towards his tent.

Unexpectedly, when he reached the camp gate, he saw Xue Xing wandering around with his head lowered. He approached him and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? It's so late, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Xue Xing shuddered when he heard the question. He looked up and saw it was Liu Xian. He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The battle is imminent, and I'm a little nervous."

"Nervous? Looks like you forgot to drink." Liu Xian patted his shoulder and joked, "We have a meal tomorrow, so you can drink more wine and get a good night's sleep!"

No matter what difficulties people encounter, what resolutions they make, whether they hesitate or remain calm, time will never stop flowing. People can only make their own choices as much as possible before they miss it.

The sun will still rise as usual the next day, and the footsteps of war will become clearer and clearer until no one can escape it.

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(End of this chapter)