Chapter 679: Hesitant Zhao Shuo and decisive Han Xin!

Chapter 679: Hesitant Zhao Shuo and decisive Han Xin!

Since this worry came into being, Zhao Shuo's heart has never been able to calm down. He knows very well that if the battle continues, once the two sides fall into a stalemate and it is difficult to determine the winner, then Han Xin's pre-ambushed troops may suddenly attack at the critical moment. By then, I am afraid that even he himself will find it difficult to escape this disaster.

This was only one aspect of Zhao Shuo's worries. In addition, there was another issue that worried him, which was the order Wei Bao gave him. Wei Bao clearly required Zhao Shuo to defend Dongjiao County to the death and never let Han Xin easily capture it. Wei Bao promised to mobilize a large amount of food and grass to support Zhao Shuo to ensure that he could hold his position and resist Han Xin's fierce attack.

Wei Bao's goal was simple. As long as he could stop Han Xin from occupying Dongjiao County, he would have accomplished his mission. After all, from the beginning of this war, Wei Bao's plan was to sit back and watch the tigers fight, and he didn't really want to fight Han Xin to the death. He was always concerned about how to preserve his own strength, which was also his usual style of doing things.

Wei Bao was good at winning over powerful forces in various places to enhance his own strength and foundation. He also actively recruited people to expand the size of his army. But at the same time, he always maintained superficial friendly relations with the forces around him. Of course, these were just superficial efforts. In fact, Wei Bao had been secretly observing the princes around him, waiting for them to fall into weakness, and then taking advantage of the opportunity to seek greater benefits.

It was precisely by this method that Wei Bao was able to develop to such a scale during this period of time. However, unexpectedly, the order Wei Bao gave to Zhao Shuo was completely contrary to the current actual situation! This undoubtedly became the most worrying issue in Zhao Shuo's mind.

For his own monarch, if he continued to fight so desperately, even if he finally won, it would be a miserable victory. According to Zhao Shuo's estimation, this war would cause his side to lose at least 50,000 soldiers. With such a huge number of casualties, once Zhao Shuo brought this result back to present to Wei Bao, I am afraid that his position as a general would be difficult to keep.

It was precisely because of these consequences that Zhao Shuo was under tremendous psychological pressure at the moment. He knew that he was facing a difficult choice: either he could retreat decisively and return to his original base for defense; or he could continue to fight regardless of everything.

Although retreating would indeed bring some losses, if they could successfully resist Han Xin's fierce offensive and hold their original positions, such losses would not be considered a real failure. After all, in a brutal war, preserving one's own strength was the most important thing.

However, in stark contrast to Zhao Shuo's hesitation, the morale of the Southern Border Army was high. Han Xin personally came to the front line to supervise the battle. He not only led the troops himself, but also ruthlessly killed the Wei army with his sword. This feat undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of the Southern Border Army. Seeing their generals so brave and fearless, the soldiers were naturally inspired to fight even harder.

This is the importance of an excellent general. When the leader is fearless and bravely fights the enemy together with his soldiers, the power of this example can inspire morale to the greatest extent and make the entire army full of fighting spirit and confidence.

On the other hand, Zhao Shuo was in a state of extreme entanglement. On the one hand, he knew that continuing to hold on might lead to greater losses; on the other hand, he was unwilling to withdraw his troops so easily, as if doing so would mean admitting his failure. This contradictory mentality made him indecisive and difficult to make a decisive decision.

At this critical moment, Zhao Shuo showed an indecisive attitude, which had a huge impact on his subordinates. Especially when Han Xin was personally on the battlefield commanding the battle, Zhao Shuo should have shown a resolute and decisive attitude to deal with the battle situation.

If the power gap between the two sides is huge and Zhao Shuo has an absolute advantage, then no matter what action he takes, there will be no big problem. However, at this moment, the power gap between the two sides is not big, the situation is extremely tense, and every decision Zhao Shuo makes may have a decisive impact on the outcome of the war.

In this situation, the more hesitant and conflicted Zhao Shuo was, the more his generals would think about it. They would begin to question whether the battle was still worth continuing, whether they were capable of defeating the enemy, or even whether they should consider retreating. Once these thoughts began to grow in the minds of the generals, they would shirk and delay when faced with the critical moment of needing to reinforce troops.

This will not only lead to the loss of opportunities, but also severely damage the morale of the entire army. Soldiers will doubt the commander's decision and feel confused about the prospects of the battle, which will affect their fighting will and combat effectiveness.

At this time, the situation on the battlefield changed, and the excellent personal qualities of the Southern Border Army were finally fully demonstrated. When the battlefield began to fall into chaos, the soldiers of the Southern Border Army showed amazing discipline and tacit understanding. They did not fight alone like other armies, but quickly formed a battle formation of three people in a group.

The advantages of this three-person formation are very obvious. They stand back to back to form a tight defensive circle. In this way, everyone can share the pressure of defense and avoid being attacked by the enemy. At the same time, this formation can also be quickly transformed into an advantage in frontal combat. Once the enemy's flaws are discovered, the members of the group can immediately launch an attack.

In contrast, the Wei army completely lost its organization after the melee. Once they fell into chaos, they would rush forward like headless flies. This chaotic attack method not only failed to bring out the true strength of the Wei army, but also made them easy targets for the enemy.

On such a battlefield, the people around you may change at any time. Sometimes, the friendly forces may become enemies due to the chaos; and sometimes, the enemy may suddenly appear behind you. Being stabbed in the back is too common in the melee.

The active formation of the Southern Border Army can maximize the safety of the soldiers and give full play to their attack power. Through close cooperation and mutual support, the soldiers of the Southern Border Army can remain calm on the chaotic battlefield and effectively deal with various emergencies.