Especially Han Yu, after having used the Art of War several times and winning, he even felt a little excited and eager to try when he heard that Zhao Fan was going to attack. It was not a big deal to be able to win when the troops were evenly matched. If he could still win when the troops were much different, then he had understood the true meaning of the Art of War. In the past, he could only sit quietly and study the Art of War. Talking about war on paper was just theory. Now he finally had the opportunity to practice his skills, so what did the danger mean!

Upon learning that Zhao Fan was going to launch a massive attack, Liu Xiu was not as calm as Han Yu, but he was still relatively calm. After all, he had experienced countless dangers along the way. If he was not calm, he would have been scared to death. However, such a major event could not be taken lightly, and he immediately summoned his generals and staff to discuss the matter and work out a safe response strategy.

However, most of the others were not as calm as Han Yu and Liu Xiu. After all, the other side had several times more people than them. Even though they had won a few small victories recently, this could not cover up their biggest disadvantage in this war. Even if they did not lose, this war would be very tragic.

"General, why don't we retreat? The troops sent by Mang are several times more than ours. Even if General Han is good at military tactics, he can't defeat them. It's better to retreat for the time being and preserve our strength. We can make plans when we have the strength to fight against Mang in the future." A soldier said, fearing the enemy's strength, but was immediately refuted.

"Bullshit! Retreating without a fight, isn't that what cowards do?! What's more, our morale is high, while the enemy's is low. Even if we can't match them in terms of military strength, we have General Han's command, so we might be able to defeat the enemy. Even if we lose, it's still an honor. I won't be a cowardly coward!"

"What is a coward? Knowing that you can't win but still charging forward, is it acceptable to sacrifice in vain? Such people are more despised than cowards. Even if you don't care about yourself, you have to think about your wife and children at home. Is such a worthless sacrifice worth it? I also think that we should preserve our strength and retreat. This is called recognizing the situation! Don't think that you are great just because you have won a few small victories. They are just a small force of the enemy. How can we resist a real full-scale attack? Don't exaggerate the ability of some people."

When Han Yu heard this man speak like this, he glanced at him sharply. This man was usually on good terms with Yin Shi, so it was normal for him to go against him. However, he should not have made such discouraging remarks at this time. It was obvious that it would undermine morale. His excuses were so high-sounding that it was obvious that he was just not brave enough to be afraid, and he exaggerated the enemy's strength.

Although Han Yu was dissatisfied, he did not say anything. His current status and position were not enough to lower himself to argue with these petty and cowardly people. Moreover, he understood Liu Xiu's attitude. This battle was inevitable and there would be no possibility of retreat. If he did not even have this courage, he did not deserve to aspire to that position.

However, although there are those cowardly and timid people, they only account for a small part. Liu Xi's vision of judging people is not bad. Therefore, before Han Yu showed his dissatisfaction, someone directly rebuked him: "Even if you want to retreat, you have to fight first. It's still unknown who will win or lose. Don't keep saying discouraging words. This is clearly an excuse for yourself. Why do you want to be a soldier if you are so afraid of death? You might as well go home and hug your children!"

"What did you say? You are a reckless man who only knows how to use brute force. You should use your brain more often. There is nothing shameful about us retreating now. It's just a matter of strategy. Didn't I say that we will get it back from the reckless thief when we are strong enough?"

…

There were so many people arguing fiercely. Liu Xiu listened for a while before speaking to stop them: "Okay, stop arguing. I have made a decision now. We accept this battle!"

Liu Xiu said as he looked at the subordinates and staff who had insisted on retreating. "Although we are at a disadvantage now, we are not completely without a chance of winning. If that were the case, I would lead people to retreat without hesitation. After all, such a meaningless sacrifice is meaningless. But the situation is different now. The outcome is still unknown, it's just a matter of how much chance we have of winning. If we don't even have the courage to fight, why did we rise up and oppose the court? It really fits the saying that if you don't even have this little courage, you might as well go home and hug your children!"

After hearing what Liu Xiu said, those who advocated retreat looked a little embarrassed, lowered their heads and stopped talking. After all, their lord had already made the decision, and even if they wanted to object, they couldn't. Some of them were even provoked to fight back.

Liu Xiu paused for a while before continuing, "Having said that, I don't want to say anything more. If anyone dares to say those spineless and discouraging words again, affecting everyone's mood and even shaking the morale of the army, I, Liu Xiu, will not show mercy and will bring them to justice!"

When Liu Xiu said this, someone outside reported that a few people who looked like spies for the enemy had been caught. They were spreading rumors in the military camp in an attempt to demoralize the troops. Liu Xiu didn't even ask any questions, but had them dragged out and beaten to death with sticks to serve as a warning to others.

When everyone saw Liu Xiu's actions, they dared not say anything about retreating. There was a moment of silence in the tent. After all, Liu Xiu was usually quite gentle in his dealings and rarely used such direct and violent means as he did today. He was more likely to convince people with reason.

Liu Xiu did this to intimidate everyone. After all, there were more than one or two people who had just said they wanted to retreat and made those discouraging remarks. In extraordinary times, severe punishments must be used to suppress those people with bad intentions who intended to escape, so as to avoid chaos at the critical moment.

Han Yu was very satisfied with Liu Xiu's handling and attitude. With Liu Xiu's firm attitude as support, he could command without any worries and lead his soldiers to fight in the front.

"Okay, let's not discuss the issue of whether to fight or not. I have already decided on this issue. Let's talk about how to deal with the enemy's attack and defend Yiyang City!" Liu Xiu said and looked at Han Yu.

"Xiuqi, you are familiar with the art of war, and you have fought against the enemy and won several battles. You are the most experienced in this area. Tell me what you think." Liu Xiu first asked Han Yu about his opinion. It was impossible for him not to be worried about the enemy's attack. Seeing Han Yu so calm and not taking the enemy's full-scale attack seriously, he was influenced by Han Yu and became much calmer, as if this was just an ordinary thing. In this critical moment, they no longer cared about the suspicion and grudges of the past, and the two of them trusted each other a lot.

Han Yu already had some ideas in his mind, but in the matter of military strategy, if one wanted to defeat a larger force with a smaller one, the key was to take the enemy by surprise. He could not fully trust those present, so he only told them his general ideas. He did not mention anything confidential, and even deliberately mentioned some ideas to mislead those present. However, no matter who he hid it from, Han Yu certainly could not hide it from Liu Xiu.