Chapter 681 The Wei army fled and Han Xin was injured!

Chapter 681 The Wei army fled and Han Xin was injured!

The Wei soldiers who were left at the front were filled with despair and fear. They waved their weapons desperately, trying to resist the attack of the Southern Border Army, but the enemy was too numerous and their resistance seemed so weak.

Don't underestimate these seemingly insignificant positions of centurions, because starting from this position, a person truly enters the military system. The reason for this is actually closely related to the way military merits were evaluated in ancient times.

In ancient times, due to the limitation of technology, it was impossible to record the number of enemies killed and the specific methods of killing them through accurate statistics and various advanced equipment like in modern times. Therefore, the main basis for evaluating military merit at that time was still more dependent on some tokens.

In small-scale battles, soldiers usually choose to cut off the heads of enemy soldiers as proof of military merit. However, this method has many disadvantages. First, the heads are easily snatched away or lost by the enemy, resulting in inaccurate statistics of military merit. Second, some soldiers may deliberately kill civilians or friendly soldiers in order to claim military merit, and then pass their heads off as enemy soldiers.

In large-scale battles, it was impractical to cut off the heads of the enemies due to the large number of enemies killed, so the military merit was calculated by cutting off the enemy's left ear. However, this method also had problems, such as the possibility of mistakenly cutting off the ears of one's own soldiers, or someone deliberately using a fake ear to claim military merit.

Although there have been continuous improvements in the way of assessing military merit, it is still extremely difficult for ordinary soldiers to obtain military positions. After all, in that era, the competition was extremely fierce, and the assessment of military merit was often affected by various factors and was not completely fair.

Moreover, for ordinary soldiers, the outcome of a battle actually did not have much impact on them. Whether they won or lost, they were just chess pieces on the battlefield, and their life and death often depended on luck and the decisions of their generals. Therefore, it was extremely difficult for ordinary soldiers to become officers.

Once you become an officer, even if you are just a common centurion, the situation will be completely different. In the following battles, as long as you win, the officers will have their merits recorded. As time goes by, these merits will accumulate and you will naturally get the opportunity to be promoted.

This is the biggest difference between officers and ordinary soldiers, and it is also the reason why countless soldiers are eager to stand out. They are willing to fight hard on the battlefield, not only for the country and honor, but also for the future of themselves and their families. In this turbulent era, being able to obtain a military position almost means that the whole family can live a stable life.

However, with Zhao Shuo's withdrawal, all of this came to nothing, and the soldiers fell into the abyss of despair. To successfully retreat from the heavy encirclement of the Southern Border Army, and to rely entirely on their own legs, this was almost an impossible task. I'm afraid that not one out of a hundred people could escape.

At this time, Han Xin was at the forefront of the battle, wielding his sword and engaging in a life-and-death struggle with two Wei soldiers. After a fierce fight, Han Xin finally succeeded in killing the two Wei soldiers.

When he looked at the Wei army that was fleeing in large numbers, he finally felt relieved. He took a deep breath and shouted, "All troops, listen up! You are only allowed to pursue them for five miles!"

"Yes!" With Han Xin's order, the soldiers under his command suddenly seemed to be ignited with fighting spirit, and they rushed straight towards the fleeing Wei army like hungry wolves.

After all, now was the perfect opportunity for them to strike hard at the fallen. As long as they could catch up with the Wei army and kill one more person, they would get one more military merit. This kind of opportunity didn't come along every day, so the soldiers naturally wouldn't hesitate at all.

However, just after Han Xin gave the order, he suddenly felt a black screen in front of his eyes, and his body fell forward involuntarily. Before he could react, he fell off the horse.

Fortunately, Han Xin's personal soldiers were quick-witted and quickly reached out to grab him when he was about to fall to the ground. Otherwise, if he fell from such a height, Han Xin would probably have suffered a serious fall.

At this moment, Han Xin's armor, which originally shone with cold light, was now stained red with blood, as if he was a killer walking out of hell. This blood came not only from the enemy, but also from Han Xin himself.

The commander's personal participation in the battle was undoubtedly a great encouragement, which could greatly improve the morale of his own army. However, the disadvantages of doing so were also obvious. The enemy was not stupid, and they naturally understood the importance of Han Xin. Therefore, when Han Xin appeared on the front line of the battlefield, a large number of Wei troops around him began to frantically approach him like sharks smelling blood.

What's worse, some people shot arrows in secret, trying to kill Han Xin in one fell swoop. If it weren't for the armor Han Xin was wearing, which was given to him by Gao Yao himself, and the fearless protection of his personal soldiers, Han Xin would have died by now.

After all, Han Xin was better known for his outstanding leadership and combat wisdom rather than his personal military strength. Therefore, it was an extremely dangerous act for him to rush to the front line of the battlefield. And how could a feat like beheading a general and seizing a flag be easily accomplished by ordinary people?

"Be the first to reach the target", "Breaking into the enemy's formation", "Beheading the general" and "Seizing the flag" are known as the four great military merits. Even if one can achieve any one of them, it is already a very remarkable achievement.

First to climb: In a siege, the first soldier to climb the enemy's wall or break through the city defense is called the first to climb. This requires soldiers to have extraordinary courage and excellent combat skills, because they have to face the enemy's fierce counterattack and charge in the rain of guns and arrows. The first to climb successfully can often open the city gate or stabilize the top of the city, creating conditions for subsequent siege operations and having a decisive impact on the battle situation.

Breaking through the enemy's formation: refers to rushing into the deepest part of the enemy's formation in battle, disrupting the enemy's formation and creating favorable opportunities for one's own troops. This requires soldiers to have super combat effectiveness, tenacious will and good teamwork ability. The soldiers who break through the enemy's formation have to face the enemy's main force and rush left and right in the enemy's formation, which is extremely dangerous. However, if the soldiers are strictly trained and have excellent generals to command them, and use tactical coordination, there is still a certain possibility of successfully breaking through the enemy's formation.