Chapter 134: The Dust of Battle Rises Again (Part II)

The military orders were issued, and the troops from various commanderies began to withdraw. Naturally, there were those who were unwilling to leave.

Regardless of the era, there are always those who are patriotic and those who are not. At this moment, Zhao Qian counted himself among the patriots. As the descendant of a famous general, he had always dreamed of achieving glory on the battlefield just as his ancestors had. Having been frustrated and unrecognized in Ba Commandery, he was desperate to seize this opportunity to strike against the invading Hu tribes, hoping to secure a distinguished future for himself. Unwilling to let the chance slip, he stepped forward and said to Zhang Chi, "Commander, I am willing to follow you, campaign against the Hu, and recover the six commanderies."

"Will you not regret it?" Zhang Chi asked with a faint smile.

"I swear, even in death, I shall have no regrets!"

Zhang Chi nodded slightly.

Although the Yizhou army had suffered heavy losses, there were still brave souls among them who were unwilling to retreat. "A man should fight on the battlefield, protect his home and country, and be prepared to be wrapped in his own horse hide for burial. I, too, am willing to follow the Commander. However..."

"However, what?" Zhang Chi asked.

The officer replied, "However, the Inspector of Yizhou has strictly ordered the generals of all commanderies to withdraw. If I lead my own men to follow you, I ask that you treat these soldiers well in the future. If we succeed in recovering the six commanderies and return, I beg that you do not send the survivors back to their home commanderies. The Inspector of Yizhou is a man of narrow mind; he will surely persecute and punish these soldiers."

The officer had already steeled himself for death. Zhang Chi was deeply moved and asked, "What is your name?"

The officer stood straight, cupped his hands, and replied, "My name is Gao Yan."

Zhang Chi nodded, neither confirming nor denying, then turned and ordered, "Form the three armies in ranks! I have words for them!"

...

Within moments, the three armies were arrayed. Zhang Chi rode out on his white horse.

Originally, Zhang Chi had only seventy or eighty thousand men, fifty thousand of whom were from Yizhou. Against the Hu, the Yizhou forces had suffered heavy losses, and after most had now withdrawn, only about five thousand original Yizhou soldiers remained. Zhao Qian’s Ba Commandery troops also numbered five thousand. Adding Qin Bo’s elite troops from Badong, the remnants of the New Army and the ten thousand refugees recruited in Shu under Du Ximing, and the surviving followers of the Five Pecks of Rice sect brought by Han Xiang, the total came to just over thirty thousand. To march against the Hu with such a force was indeed a grim prospect—it was no wonder Gao Yan had prepared for death.

These tens of thousands stood in formation, facing the platform where the commander stood.

Zhang Chi, mounted on his white horse, Xue, surveyed the army before dismounting and walking onto the platform. He spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "Do you know where we are going on this campaign?"

Thirty thousand men is not a small number, but for one man on a high platform, his voice could only reach so far. Only the officers nearby answered in unison: "To fight on the battlefield, to be wrapped in horse hide—as the Commander orders, we shall not disobey!"

The soldiers in the distance, though they could not hear clearly, followed the lead of their officers and shouted in unison: "We shall not disobey!"

The sound was like a crashing wave; as the sound from the front faded, a new wave rose from the rear, shaking the very heavens.

Zhang Chi waited a moment, then shouted until his throat was raw: "This time, we are marching to attack the six northern commanderies occupied by the Hu! We are going deep into enemy territory to strike at the Hu!"

"Strike the Hu! Strike the Hu!"

...

The roar was overwhelming. Zhang Chi continued, "The Hu have slaughtered our brothers, humiliated our wives and daughters, and seized our six commanderies. They have oppressed us year after year, causing endless wars, leaving the dead to rot in the wilderness and tearing families apart. Now, I am leading you to share in the nation's calamity, to expel the Hu barbarians, and to restore our country!"

"Expel the Hu barbarians, restore our country!"

The chant was even more ferocious than before. Zhang Chi loved this fervent energy. As his green robes fluttered in the wind, he waited for the sound to die down before continuing: "However, this campaign to recover the six commanderies is fraught with danger. We must have the resolve to face death without fear. But I... I have nothing to give you."

At this, Zhang Chi’s expression turned somber.

"If anyone is unwilling to go, I will not force you. But if you choose to follow me, Zhang Chi, I can guarantee nothing else except this: from this day forward, those who follow me are my brothers. We shall strive with one heart to repel the foreign invaders, and we shall not abandon one another, even in death!"

Though he spoke only a few sentences, his voice was now hoarse and strained, adding a sense of tragic grandeur.

"Those who have elderly parents or children, return to your homes. I, Zhang Chi, will not blame you. Even if you are afraid of death, you may leave, and I will not stop you. I cannot ensure every soldier hears these words, so I ask the officers at every level to relay them! If anyone wishes to leave, you may do so now."

Having spoken, Zhang Chi sat down before the platform.

He had thought this through clearly. The situation was different now. Before, although the Hu had three hundred thousand men, they were on their own territory with walls to defend. This time, they were going to siege cities. If the army was not of one mind, they would not only lose their fighting strength but invite disaster.

A fortress is easily broken from within.

Zhang Chi’s reason for being so transparent was to ensure that every soldier knew that those who stayed were those who had steeled themselves to sacrifice their lives for their country. Only then could he forge an army of tigers and wolves.

Victory lies in quality, not quantity!

As the officers relayed the message, it took considerable time. Many soldiers with families left, their faces downcast, and indeed, no one stopped them. At first, the soldiers had not believed the Commander would truly let them leave without obstruction—after all, who wants to die if they can live? The morale of the army wavered.

To be honest, Ding Yizhi was nervous. He hadn't expected Zhang Chi to suddenly hold this assembly and speak such words. Once the order was out, it was too late to stop it. Throughout history, generals had always driven their troops forward, even to their deaths, without telling them the truth. To do otherwise was to invite chaos.

Yet, Zhang Chi did the opposite because he believed that people must save themselves before others can help them. Today at the Chengdu palace, Zhang Chi had been deeply disheartened. If even the officials of Shu would not save themselves, who could help them?

If no one was willing to join the Northern Expedition, then so be it. A nation and a people that would not save themselves deserved to perish!

But he did not believe it. He did not believe that there were no brave, hot-blooded men in this world!

Within the army, as morale wavered and soldiers moved, Du Ximing patrolled the ranks. Seeing a common soldier standing perfectly still, he asked, "Why do you not move? Do you not fear death?"

The soldier replied loudly, "I fear death!"

"If you fear death, why do you stand so tall? Do you not know that those who stay are going to march against the Hu, a mission with nine deaths for every life?"

The soldier, eyes fixed forward, replied again, "I fear death, but my parents were killed by the Hu, my wife and children were killed by the Hu, and all my kin were killed by the Hu! What is the use of stealing a few more years of life? I want to kill the enemy, exact my revenge, and protect my country! I have no regrets even if I die!"

His words were righteous and firm. The soldiers standing near him, who had only been shouting along, now grew louder and louder. By the end, the entire army was roaring with a force that moved mountains. Many soldiers had tears in their eyes.

After years of war, who did not have kin who had died under the iron hooves of the Hu? Many soldiers, their voices choked with sobs, shouted until they were hoarse: "Protect our homes, save our country! We have no regrets even in death!"

Even some who had intended to leave returned to their ranks and joined the roar.

Two or three hours passed. Those who were meant to leave had left, and those who remained were the elite Zhang Chi had sought.

The officers finished their counts, and Du Ximing approached the platform.

"How many men remain?" Zhang Chi asked.

"Two-three thousand, seven hundred and thirty-one in total," Du Ximing replied, a bit dejected that over ten thousand had left.

Du Ximing was not satisfied, but Zhang Chi was delighted. This number was well above his bottom line. "Good. Reorganize these men. I am not well-versed in military affairs, so I appoint Du Ximing as Commander-in-Chief, with Qin Bo as his deputy. Rest for one day, and we march in two!"

Seeing the situation, Ding Yizhi let out a long breath. The total collapse he feared had not happened, and he was filled with admiration for Zhang Chi’s performance.

Having been through these trials, although Zhang Chi was still not a master of military logistics, he knew how to manage his command effectively—otherwise, he could not have used his interlocking strategies to crush the main force of the Hu earlier.

Seeing Ding Yizhi smile, Zhang Chi asked, "Cousin, what are you smiling at?"

Ding Yizhi replied, "I am smiling because, my brother, you are increasingly displaying the charisma of a great leader."

Zhang Chi felt ashamed. "What charisma do I have? In leading troops and fighting battles, I rely heavily on Du Ximing and Qin Bo. For strategy, I rely on you. If you ask me, you are the ones with the talent; I am just a fool who knows nothing."

"You are well-read in history, brother. You must know of Liu Bang and Han Xin," Ding Yizhi said with a smile. "Han Xin was best at leading troops, while Liu Bang could only lead a few. Why was Liu Bang the emperor, while Han Xin was merely one of his generals? The difference is that Han Xin could lead soldiers, but Liu Bang could lead generals."

"What is the difference?" Zhang Chi asked.

"You only need to know how to use people and oversee the big picture. As for how to lead the troops, let the specialized generals handle it. Why should you worry? Just like Liu Bang—he was not as scholarly as Xiao He or Zhang Liang, nor as militarily gifted as Han Xin, yet he was the monarch. Or look at Liu Bei; he was not as strong as Guan Yu or Zhang Fei, nor as wise as Zhuge Liang, yet he was the Lord of Shu!"