Song Xiu

Chapter 86 Fatal Mistake
To find out what the Song army was really like, Liu Ji'en left a team of scouts outside Shangdang City before leading his troops away.

As instructed by Liu Ji'en, this scout team was to follow behind the Song army and, when the opportunity arose, investigate the number of fire pits the Song army had.

The Han scouts, hidden in the woods, witnessed the large number of Song soldiers marching off in high spirits.

After the Song army set off, the Song army camp that had just been built the day before was not abandoned.

As the magnificent camp gates were closed again, the faces of the Han scouts became solemn.

A bad feeling crept into their minds.

To further prove their deductions, the Han scouts rode out of the woods and patrolled around the Song army camp.

Song scouts patrolled the area around the camp from time to time, which prevented Han scouts from getting too close to the Song army camp.

However, within a certain distance, Han scouts were able to observe a great deal of military intelligence.

From the perspective of the Han scouts, the Song army camp was filled with flags, scattered like stars in the sky.

Meanwhile, large plumes of smoke and dust would occasionally rise from the center of the camp, as if a large number of soldiers were drilling.

As they risked getting even closer, the sounds of drums and gongs emanating from the Song army camp became even more incessant.

The numerous signs of "sharpening knives" within the Song army camp, when combined, further confirm one fact.

After reconnoitering the Song army camp, the Han scouts, filled with worry, spurred their horses and chased after the Song army ahead.

Several thousand Song soldiers, led by Zhao Dexiu, followed tens of thousands of Han soldiers northward.

During their march, the Song army stopped at several abandoned camp sites.

Those abandoned camp sites were subsequently observed by Han army scouts.

During their first observation of the ruins of the Song camp, the Han scouts made a preliminary deduction:
The Song army had approximately four thousand regular soldiers.

However, as experienced scouts, they knew that a single observation was insufficient to determine the truth.

According to the common practice at the time, not counting auxiliary soldiers and laborers, each stove could provide food for about 5-10 regular soldiers.

The reason why the number of soldiers supplied by the same stove sometimes varies significantly is not because the amount of food each person eats is too different, but because military rations are precious in chaotic times.

To conserve military rations, generals typically do not give each soldier too much food when the army is on a march.

In this way, the rations produced by one stove can feed about 10 soldiers.

As the war situation changed, ensuring that soldiers were well-fed became the top priority in order to motivate them to fight bravely.

For this reason, even if the number of soldiers does not change, the number of cooking stoves in the army will increase significantly.

To make a "relatively accurate" judgment about the enemy's field strength, one must be able to judge the trend of the increase or decrease of fire stoves.

With their extensive experience, the Han scouts continued to observe the abandoned Song army camps in the days that followed.

When the Han scouts stood once again in an abandoned Song camp, looking at the densely packed stoves in front of them, they all felt a chill run down their spines.

The number of stoves that the Song army had used up was increasing.

what does this mean?
The initial estimate of the number of Song troops was completely wrong!
The number of regular soldiers in this Song army must have been more than several thousand.

The alarming sight of numerous cooking fires led the Han scouts to a new, instinctive conclusion:
"The Song army must number over ten thousand!"

This deduction further overlaps with the intelligence observed outside the Song army camp a few days earlier.

This Song army was very likely just the vanguard!
If the vanguard army already numbered over ten thousand, then how many Song troops were outside Shangdang City?

The more I think about it, the more alarmed I become.

What frightened the Han scouts even more was that the Song army was gradually increasing the number of cooking stoves, a move intended to "reward" the troops.

Before any major battle, the army must be rewarded first.

"The vanguard of the Song army will launch an attack in the next few days!"

Upon realizing this, the Han scouts mounted their horses and galloped towards the main Han army force ahead.

Scouts come and go like the wind.

As they sped along, a crucial military intelligence report, concerning the life and death of the army, was delivered to Liu Ji'en and the Han generals. "What? The Song army behind our lines numbers over ten thousand?"

This news startled Lu Zan so much that he immediately stood up.

Lu Zan's exclamation caused panic among the generals in the tent.

In the past few days, the Han army has deliberately slowed down its march while waiting for reports from the scouts.

The tens of thousands of troops marched and stopped intermittently, and were currently stationed outside Lucheng, just a stone's throw from the Funiu Mountains.

Upon learning that the Song army's vanguard was about to launch an attack, many Han generals became increasingly restless.

"Our troops are not on high morale; how can we rashly engage the enemy in open battle?"

The general consensus among the Han army is that morale is low.

Previously, the Han army had a numerical advantage over the Song army, and the fatal factor of unstable morale was temporarily suppressed.

Now, thanks to the scouts' reports, the Han generals realized that their numerical advantage, which they had originally considered their shield, seemed to have disappeared.

"Even if our army can repel the enemy's vanguard, what if they retreat but do not disperse and continue to follow behind our army?"

These remarks depict an even worse situation.

The vanguard of over ten thousand Song soldiers did not seem fatal.

But what if their main force gets bogged down by the Song army's vanguard, and tens of thousands of Song troops come pressing in from outside Shangdang?
With unstable morale and a numerical disadvantage, the entire army could be wiped out in this battle.

In an instant, all sorts of thrilling speculations arose in the commander's tent.

If Liu Jiye were still in command, he might have been able to see some clues and reassure the generals.

But now Liu Ji'en is sitting in the commander's seat.

Hearing the many perilous speculations from his generals, Liu Ji'en was already in complete disarray.

Desperate for a cure, Liu Ji'en turned his attention to Lu Zan.

Lu Zan, however, had no brilliant ideas whatsoever. In his panic, he simply spoke from the heart:

"Your Highness, immediately order the entire army to retreat!"

If we wait for the Song army to launch an attack, it will be too late.

As soon as Lu Zan said this, he immediately received the agreement of the vast majority of the generals in the tent.

Now they only have one thought in their minds:
Get back to China as quickly as possible!

Seeing the crowd's reaction, Liu Ji'en hurriedly gave the order:

"All troops, retreat immediately!"

As soon as Liu Ji'en issued this military order, the generals scattered like birds and beasts, each organizing their own troops.

When Liu Ji'en's military order spread throughout the army, tens of thousands of Northern Han soldiers were at a loss.

When morale is low, it is easy for rumors to spread.

"The vanguard of the Song army numbered approximately ten thousand."

"The Song army may launch an attack soon."

The above two points are the military intelligence reported by the scouts.

Amidst the demoralization of the troops, a terrifying rumor was rapidly spreading throughout the army.

"Tens of thousands of Song soldiers will launch a general offensive against our army today!"

When the rumor spread throughout the army, tens of thousands of Northern Han soldiers were thrown into complete chaos.

Most fatally, the unrest among the Northern Han army could not be concealed from the ever-approaching Song army.

　Thank you all for your support. Today we have finally reached the Three Rivers!

　　It will be available the day after tomorrow, and I'm going to wash away the "slander" of its brevity and weakness!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)