Soon, news of the Wuhuan people sending troops to launch a surprise attack on the rear spread throughout the Xianbei allied forces.
All the soldiers also began to worry about their families, wives, and children back home.
If all your family members perish, what's the point of fighting and dying here?
In an instant, the morale of the Xianbei allied forces plummeted to rock bottom. No one was willing to take another step forward, and they all clamored to rush back to their tribes to protect their families.
Despite Murong Tu's efforts to suppress the calls for retreat, he was unable to quell them.
Not to mention ordinary able-bodied men and soldiers, even the noble leaders unanimously demanded a withdrawal.
No one knows how long this war will last, and every day it is delayed, their families will be in greater danger.
That night, Murong Cuo sat anxiously in his tent, worried that his tribe might also be attacked by the Wuhuan people.
A short while later, several nobles also quietly arrived at his tent.
Murong Cuo glanced at everyone and said in a low voice:
"Gentlemen, the chieftain refuses to withdraw his troops, allowing our tribe to be slaughtered by the enemy. Such behavior is simply unacceptable!"
"Yes, if our tribe is wiped out, then we'll have nothing left. What's the point of defeating the Wuhuan people then?"
"That's right, the chieftain is acting recklessly now, we can't go down with him!"
The other noble leaders also spoke up, expressing their dissatisfaction.
Murong Cuo then said, "Since the chieftain is so stubborn, we no longer need to obey his orders. I have decided to lead my soldiers back tonight to protect our tribe."
"Yes, let's go back together!!"
The others echoed this sentiment.
Soon, these people began their own actions, leading their soldiers to secretly leave the military camp and head towards their hometowns.
Not only on Murong Tu's side, but the situation on Yuwen's side was even more serious, with many soldiers swaggering past Yuwen Mohuai's tent.
Murong Tu and Yuwen Mohai were aware of the soldiers' desertion, but they dared not go to stop them.
Those men were so eager to return home that they no longer took military orders seriously. Anyone who dared to stop them would likely be killed by those soldiers on the spot.
In just one night, nearly 17,000 members of the Xianbei coalition deserted their camp.
The Xianbei coalition, which was already small in number, now had only 25,000 men left and was no longer able to launch an attack on the Wuhuan people.
The next morning, the remaining soldiers, armed with weapons, surrounded the central command tent and shouted, "Retreat!"
Yuwen Mohuai also said urgently, "Chief Murong, we should retreat. If this continues, I'm afraid a mutiny may break out!"
Murong Tu stared with bloodshot eyes at the soldiers who were gradually surrounding him, including his personal guards.
At this moment, Murong Tu felt utterly desolate.
He knew that this time, he was truly finished.
"withdraw!!"
In the end, Murong Tu chose to compromise and agreed to retreat.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers cheered and began packing their belongings, rushing back towards their hometowns.
Upon learning that the Xianbei coalition had finally retreated, Wuhuan leader Shefu breathed a sigh of relief, but also began to worry.
After this war, the once vast Northern Wuhuan tribe was reduced to less than 30,000 men.
It is virtually impossible to rely on these men to support the hundreds of thousands of women in the tribe.
The daily expenses of those women are astronomical.
Even if those women are able to reproduce, without a sufficient food supply, the tribe will be eaten up before the children even grow up.
Thinking about all this, Shefu felt a headache coming on, and then went to find Li Ru.
"Mr. Li, now that many men in the tribe have died in battle, what will happen to the women who are left behind?"
Li Ru thought for a moment, then said, "Why don't we sell them to the Han people and use them to exchange for some supplies, which will also ensure the survival of the tribe!"
"Sell it to the Han?"
Shefu paused slightly, "But will they agree? After all, their husbands and brothers died in battle to protect the tribe!"
She Fu is not the kind of person who would stop at nothing like Murong Tu; she cannot be that cold-blooded and ruthless.
Li Ru sighed softly: "The conditions on the grasslands are harsh. Without men, it would be difficult for those women to survive. Rather than staying and waiting to die, they might as well go to the Han Dynasty to find a way to live."
Why don't you ask them? If they're willing to go to the Han Dynasty, then send them there. You're doing this for their own good..."
"Sigh... that's all we can do!"
Hearing this, Shefu sighed, but finally nodded.
Subsequently, Shefu sent people to question the women.
Because many people had come into contact with the Han army during the westward migration, those women also longed for the wealthy Han Dynasty.
They were naturally extremely happy to be able to go and live in the Han Dynasty.
Subsequently, Shefu also sent people to Liaozhou to discuss the resettlement of those women.
Meanwhile, after several days of hurried travel, Murong Cuo and the noble leaders led their soldiers back to their own territories.
However, when they saw the scene of the tribe, they were stunned.
"What happened? Where are they?"
In Murong Cuo's eyes, the once bustling tribe had vanished, not only its people and livestock, but even a single tent had disappeared.
Apart from a bare open space, there wasn't a single hair left on the ground.
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