Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 622 The life-or-death struggle felt like a year.
The Shenwei Army surrendered very quickly.

The main reason was not because news of Xiao Qi's personal surrender or abandonment spread, but because they simply couldn't continue fighting.

The vanguard led by Shi Qilang and the right wing led by Wang Shilong were both veterans of the Jingnan Army, having participated in a series of major battles in the Huai River region. Their combat strength was a level above the other armies, and they entered the battlefield as fresh troops, almost driving the Shenwei Army to the brink of defeat as soon as they made their move.

Therefore, when Xiao Qi ordered all the armies to surrender, apart from a small group of soldiers who were still putting up a stubborn resistance, the rest of the Shenwei Army readily laid down their weapons.

Of course, the matter is not over yet.

What to do with these 5,000 soldiers is going to be a big problem.

Especially Xiao Qi.

With the fighting reaching this point and both armies suffering significant casualties, the promised position of general to Xiao Qi and the preferential treatment given to the Shenwei Army are naturally no longer valid.

But Xiao Zhongda still wanted to try.

"Commander, my uncle rose up on the battlefield. I hope you will consider my humble contribution and punish me leniently."

After Xiao Zhongda stood up, he maintained his bowing posture, looking somewhat pleading.

Liu Huai shook his head and said, "Second Brother Xiao, our Han army has its own rules. Although I am not a man of absolute authority, I still keep my word. If everyone were to follow General Xiao's example and I were to grant everyone special favors and forgive them all, wouldn't the world think I am weak and easily bullied? If everyone were to follow General Xiao's example and surrender after being defeated, how many more soldiers would our army have to die?"

Xiao Zhongda wanted to argue, but he was speechless.

Xiao Qi sighed. He was alone in battle, in enemy hands. What else could he say?
"Then may I ask, Liu Dalang, what should be done with me and the Divine Might Army?"

Liu Huai said calmly, "Naturally, we will follow military law and treat them as soldiers who surrendered on the battlefield. From the commander-in-chief to the soldiers, one in twenty of the Shenwei Army will be conscripted and killed!"

The Divine Might Army has nearly five thousand men here. If they were to be executed in this manner, more than two hundred men would be killed.

To be fair, this was already considered a lenient approach.

Not to mention the previous battles with the Taiping Army, the casualties incurred just in defending Zhengjiaweizi were two or three times higher than this number.

"Young Master is benevolent and righteous." Xiao Qi sighed and said, "But in doing so, the morale of the Divine Might Army will be shattered, and they will not be able to be used by Young Master. It is a case of losing more than you gain."

That's true. The most terrifying thing about the lottery is not that one of the few people will inevitably die, but the agony of waiting for the draw, a life-or-death struggle. An army that has experienced this kind of torment often becomes demoralized.

Upon hearing this, Liu Huai laughed directly: "According to Chief Steward Xiao, should I destroy the foundation of my military law for the sake of a mere five thousand soldiers? You Jin traitors have put the Han people of the North in dire straits. As long as I am upright and impartial in rewarding and punishing, all the Han people of the North can be used by me. Do I really need your five thousand Khitan soldiers?"

Upon hearing this in silence, Xiao Qi immediately changed his approach, kneeling down and saying, "Commander-in-Chief, I have important military intelligence here. I hope you can grant me some favor."

Liu Huai didn't rush to ask about military affairs, but instead asked, "What favor? Is it just for you alone?"

Xiao Qi shook his head and replied, "Many of the soldiers of the Divine Might Army have family members under your command. They have long wanted to submit, but I, an old man, have failed to understand the will of Heaven and the difference between obedience and rebellion, and have dragged them into this predicament. I want to ask for a way out for them. If you want to establish your authority, you can just kill me."

Liu Huai remained noncommittal and instead asked directly, "General Xiao, what military intelligence do you have? You can speak now, starting with the most important ones."

Xiao Qi did not hesitate: "Left Prime Minister Heshi Lieliangbi led the Wu'an Army back north, and they should have already crossed the Beiqing River."

Liu Huai narrowed his eyes; he genuinely didn't know about this news and hadn't even guessed it.

Who the hell could have imagined this? The prime minister of the Jin Dynasty abandoned more than 5,000 field troops without even fighting a single battle.

Moreover, when the Wu'an Army crossed the river, they released a large number of scouts to block the news. Even the military commanders of the Shenwei Army were stopped, let alone the scouts of the Han Army.

"go on."

“Yes!” Xiao Qi was also going all out: “Tu Danzhen is still leading nearly three thousand clan soldiers in Dongping Prefecture. If we go to surround them now, we can still make it in time.”

"The Wu Jie Army in Xuzhou has been completely isolated. They will not receive any reinforcements. Now is the best opportunity to capture Xuzhou."

"And then there's the North, Your Majesty... Wanyan Yong's bottom line is to preserve Hejian Prefecture. Daming Prefecture has already been abandoned, and half of Hebei is at your disposal."

"General Jia Gu Qingchen was blocked in Bozhou. General Wang Youzhi of the Taiping Army is holding the line. I heard that the fighting is extremely fierce."

This is certainly not all the military intelligence that Xiao Qi possesses, but it is the most urgently needed military intelligence right now. Liu Huai glanced at the document he had just written, blew on the still-wet ink stains, and said, "Send the document to Commander Licheng, and make another copy to send to Zhang Baiyu in Pizhou, so that he can adapt to the situation."

"Send an order to He Boqiu: tell him to head upstream immediately and, no matter who blocks his way, fight his way through!"

After giving his instructions, Liu Huai looked at Xiao Qi, pondered for a while, and then said to Lu You beside him, "Mr. Lu, does our military law include any rewards for outstanding meritorious service?"

Lu You, who had been deep in thought, pondered for a moment after hearing this before saying, "Yes, and Chief Steward Xiao's actions can be considered a major meritorious service, and he should be rewarded. I thought that Chief Steward Xiao should be exempted from the conscription of the Divine Might Army and instead given a year of hard labor."

Liu Huai nodded: "Then let's do it that way."

Xiao Zhongda breathed a long sigh of relief, but Xiao Qi still kept a straight face.

Liu Huai only pardoned the Shenwei Army, but not Xiao Qi. Given the severity of the military law, Xiao Qi didn't think Liu Huai would forget him.

Sure enough, Liu Huai waved behind him, and Luo Huaiyan understood, taking over a bamboo divination tube containing twenty bamboo sticks.

After swaying a couple of times, Liu Huai said, "Steward Xiao, according to the rules, one in twenty is selected. Whether you live or die is entirely up to fate. Please."

Xiao Qi took a deep breath, knowing that this was inevitable no matter what, and was about to get up and step forward.

Xiao Zhongda stepped forward and approached the divination box, saying to Liu Huai, "Commander-in-Chief, it is my incompetence that failed to persuade you, which led to your uncle's tragic end. I will draw a divination for you. If you draw a death divination, I will die in your place. Is that alright?"

Liu Huai held the divination sticks, remaining noncommittal.

Xiao Qi grabbed Xiao Zhongda's shoulder, about to say something, but was interrupted by Xiao Zhongda: "Uncle, I really don't mean to use you and the Divine Might Army as a stepping stone to advancement, but the situation is what it is. If we Khitans want to survive, this is the only way, the only way!"

As he spoke, Xiao Zhongda rudely pushed Xiao Qi aside and pulled a bamboo stick from the divination tube.

At this moment, Xiao Qi finally felt the seriousness of the execution. In this instant, this general, who was once fearless of death, felt as if his bones had been removed, and he became powerless.

Xiao Qi couldn't imagine how he would face his deceased brother in the afterlife if Xiao Zhongda had actually drawn the death warrant and been executed under military law.

This moment felt like an eternity.

Liu Huai took the bamboo stick from Xiao Zhongda, glanced at Xiao Qi, and then spread his hands to show both of them the character '生' (life) on the bamboo stick.

"It's a birth certificate."

Xiao Zhongda let out a long sigh, while Xiao Qi collapsed to the ground, his face pale, unable to stand up for a moment.

Liu Huai returned the bamboo tube to Luo Huaiyan and said to Xiao Qi in a friendly manner, "Chief Steward Xiao, you can't be the chief steward for the time being. How about you become a military advisor in my military governor's office?"

Xiao Qi was panting heavily, his body covered in cold sweat. After a long silence, he nodded and said, "Since you think so highly of me, I will naturally not refuse. However, I still have some family members in the capital. I hope you can cover for them."

He needed to have an official status; otherwise, these five thousand Shenwei soldiers, who were demoted to a year of forced labor, might be played to death by the lower-level officials.

Liu Huai nodded and turned to the clerk, saying, "Recognize Shi Qilang for the merit of beheading a general, post notices in all directions, and when conveying the victory report, say that he has already killed Xiao Qi, the commander of the Divine Might Army."

Xiao Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief, then kowtowed heavily: "I am willing to serve as your henchman, and do my utmost!"

Liu Huai finally dismounted and personally helped Xiao Qi up, adopting a humble and respectful attitude: "With General Xiao's help, I am like a tiger with wings. My Flying Tiger is truly going to grow wings."

After the principles of loyalty between ruler and subject were established, everyone present relaxed somewhat.

Only Lu You sighed inwardly again, thinking, "He's another one who surrendered to Liu Bei but not to Song."

Xiao Qi, a top general of the Jin Dynasty, failed to defect to the Song Dynasty and instead became Liu Huai's personal follower, which was undoubtedly a huge loss for the Song Dynasty.

But what could Lu You say?

Xiao Qi's choice was simple: the Song army had not come to Dongping Prefecture and had not fought a major battle with the main Jin army. The Song ministers and generals were even more far away. How could Xiao Qi possibly pledge allegiance to the Song?
Only by being able to tackle tough challenges can one truly succeed; this is a universal truth. Lu You's attempt to change this with his words only brought him humiliation.

(End of this chapter)