Outside Shanhaiguan Pass, at the Jizhou Garrison Camp.
"What did you say?"
Zhao Shuaizhen looked at the disheveled soldiers who had fled from Jizhou, his eyes filled with shock, disbelief, or rather, disbelief.
Meanwhile, the other generals in the military tent also showed the same shocked expression as Zhao Shuaizhen.
The soldier who had escaped from Jizhou looked pained and said in a tearful voice:
"General, Jizhou has fallen, and the families of all the generals have fallen into enemy hands."
After the soldier repeated himself, all the generals present showed expressions of shock and sorrow.
"Where did the enemy come from? We are blocking Li the traitor inside Shanhaiguan."
The Tatars have clearly gone to graze their livestock far away; they couldn't possibly be back so quickly.
Zhao Shuaizhen slammed his hand on the table and said to the soldier in front of him.
The soldier continued, his voice trembling with tears:
"General, they are not Tatars, they are Jurchens, the Jurchens attacked Jizhou."
Upon hearing the word "Jurchen," Zhao Shuaizhen's immediate reaction was that it was impossible.
Because the Jurchens were located north of Liaodong.
How could they possibly come to Jizhou?
The fastest way for them to leave was to cross Liaodong.
Without crossing Liaodong, they simply couldn't have reached Jizhen so quickly.
After some speculation, Zhao Shuzhen immediately realized the reason.
It must be that Li Qin and the Jurchens reached an alliance, allowing the Jurchen tribes to cross over into Liaodong.
He then angrily walked to the center of the military tent, pointed in the direction of Shanhaiguan in the distance, and cursed loudly.
"Li Qin, you are from a family of generals for generations, yet you have colluded with the Tartars and allowed them to invade our Central Plains through Liaodong."
"By letting them through, you are truly the greatest sinner of the Great Wu!"
As he spoke, Zhao Shuaizhen's legs went weak, and he almost fainted from the shock. Fortunately, the generals rushed over and helped him up.
After catching his breath, Zhao Shuaizhen knew that the news of the fall of Jizhou and the loss of the families of his soldiers to the enemy could no longer be kept secret.
When soldiers learn that their parents and wives have fallen into enemy hands, their morale will surely waver.
They will no longer be interested in attacking Shanhaiguan.
The morale of the troops has collapsed.
The soldiers had lost all will to fight.
Zhao Shuzhen knew it was all over, completely over.
Li Qin's move to ally with the Jurchens, a foreign tribe, to invade the Central Plains was shameless, but it did give him a glimmer of hope.
He won.
I lost.
He, a man who colluded with foreign Tartars, won, while his family, who had defended the border for generations, lost.
He believed that his abilities were no less than Li Qin's, and that his soldiers were no less capable than those of the Liaodong army.
However, he did not expect that Li Qin would win because he had even less moral principles than him.
Having spent many years on the frontier, he should know very well that once the Tartars entered the pass, they would inevitably be accompanied by slaughter and plunder.
That would absolutely result in widespread death and destruction.
However, he still colluded with the Jurchens and allowed them to enter the pass.
Just as Zhao Shuaizhen was in despair, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
His deputy, Yuan Wenzong, immediately got up and went out to see what had happened.
But as soon as he went outside, he saw that the area outside the military tent was already surrounded by soldiers.
Yuan Wenzong immediately reprimanded him:
"What are you doing? Don't you know military law? Military law is merciless."
"General, we know that military law is merciless, but we are more worried about our loved ones."
Among the soldiers outside, a burly man with a scar on his face stepped forward.
"General, we have already learned of the fall of Jizhou. Our families are all in Jizhou."
The soldiers are now worried about the safety of their parents and children and wish to return to Jizhou.
As the man with the scar on his face stepped forward, the soldiers surrounding the tent echoed his sentiments:
"Yes, General, we want to go home. We are worried about our parents and wives."
As they spoke, the soldiers even took a few steps forward.
As Yuan Wenzong watched the soldiers take those few steps forward, he immediately knew that this was very close to a mutiny.
If they dare to refuse, these people will probably immediately draw their swords and rebel against them.
Just when Yuan Wenzong was about to give up, Zhao Shuaizhen, the commander of the army, also came out of the tent.
As Zhao Shuaizhen walked out, the previously noisy soldiers outside immediately quieted down.
Everyone watched Zhao Shuzhen in silence.
Zhao Shuzhen looked at the soldiers in front of him who had quieted down because of his appearance.
The imposing manner that had just threatened Yuan Wenzong was completely gone.
Zhao Shuaizhen nodded in agreement. It seemed that after many years in the army, his prestige still held sway over them.
However, Zhao Shuzhen was also aware of this.
My suppression of them can only be done by going with the flow.
As long as I go with the flow, I will still be their leader.
If I really tried to go against the grain, I would tell them not to go back to Jizhen to rescue their parents and children.
Tell them to forget about their wives and children in Jizhou and continue attacking Shanhaiguan.
He was certain that the crowd before him, whose power had just been suppressed by his prestige, would immediately come up and cut off his head.
Finally, Zhao Shuaizhen could only sigh, take one last, reluctant look at the walls of Shanhaiguan, and say to his soldiers:
"Return to Jizhou."
As soon as Zhao Shuaizhen spoke, the soldiers present immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
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