The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 254 Soldiers Also Have the Right to Choose

What, going home?

War is about to break out, are you going to let us go home?

Guan Xing's words were like a heavy hammer blow, leaving tens of thousands of soldiers stunned once again, their faces filled with disbelief as they looked at Guan Xing's imposing figure.

The lower-ranking soldiers are also capable of thinking; they understand that there is strength in numbers and that fighting requires the efforts of ordinary soldiers like themselves.

Now Wu's army has arrived with 200,000 troops. The Han army is already at a disadvantage in terms of manpower. They can't even keep up with conscripting men, yet you want to let us go back. Do you think you have too many troops, Guan Xing? Or do you think you are the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, capable of fighting against ten thousand men all by yourself?

The lower-ranking soldiers all thought the same thing, not to mention the officers. Shen Yi paced anxiously, frantically calling out, "General..."

Guan Xing raised his hand to stop his question and continued to shout to the soldiers: "I am telling the truth. You don't need to worry, and you don't need to worry that I am fishing, lying to lure you out and then punish you. You can rest assured that I have absolutely no such intention. I swear in my father's name."

The soldiers looked at Guan Xing with less than friendly eyes. Do we not know who you are, Guan Xing? Is it necessary to say such things?

You don't trust us, do you? What kind of people do you take us for? Do you think we're the kind of people who judge others with the mind of a petty person?

The soldiers were internally ranting, but Guan Xing continued, "No need to rush to make a decision. There will be no training this afternoon, everyone is on leave. Go back and think it over carefully. Those who want to go home, apply to your superiors. I will personally see everyone off tomorrow morning."

"I'll emphasize again, registration to go home is only open today. We won't accept any more applications to go home tomorrow, so you only have half a day to consider. Dismissed."

Upon hearing the order to disband, the soldiers turned around passively and left in a daze, led by their respective platoon leaders, as if they had lost their souls.

At this moment, most soldiers were caught in a battle of wills, with two opposing forces clashing fiercely within them: the desire to go home and the desire to stay.

Who doesn't want to go home? Who doesn't want their wife and kids? Who doesn't want to go back and show off their new clothes to their childhood friends?

But General Guan has been so good to us, how could we bear to leave? If we left, would we still be able to enjoy such good treatment?

Besides, war is about to break out, and now is the time to repay General Guan's kindness. If we leave when General Guan is in the most danger, are we even human? We'll be the talk of the village when we go back.

Besides, what good would going back do? I'd probably be conscripted into the army by the local officials again soon, or even turn around and fight General Guan. In that case, I might as well stick with General Guan.

But I really miss my son. It's been almost two years since I last saw him. He was just over 100 days old when I left home. He should be able to run by now, right?

The soldiers returned to camp lost in thought, sharing their worries with their teammates in the hopes that they could help them make a decision. However, they were dismayed to find that their teammates were just as conflicted as they were, which made things awkward.

Shen Yi stood behind Guan Xing and watched the army disperse. After the army had all left, he couldn't help but ask hastily, "General, isn't it too hasty to let the soldiers go home at this time?"

Guan Xing smiled slightly, pulled Shen Yi to sit down by the platform, and while swinging his legs around, he put his arm around Shen Yi's neck and laughed, "Let me ask you a question first. Do you think there's anyone in the army who wants to go home?"

Shen Yi instinctively replied, "Of course! Not to mention them, I want to go home too."

He also missed his wife and children, and the hometown dishes his mother used to cook.

Guan Xing laughed and said, "That settles it. You know, when we left Jianye, we only took two or three thousand men with us. The more than forty thousand men in the army are all surrendered soldiers, just at different times."

“Since they are surrendered soldiers, there must be some who miss their former masters, some who are hostile to us because they were forced to surrender, and some who are homesick and do not want to fight anymore. You saw it when Zhou Laosan said he would fight Sun Quan. Only a few thousand people responded, which is not even a fraction of the army.”

"In this situation, do you think these soldiers would fight to the death for us on the battlefield?"

For the surrendered soldiers, Guan Xing was, after all, their former enemy. Few would be willing to fight for the enemy, and even if they were, they wouldn't give it their all. If they all just went through the motions on the battlefield, wouldn't that be putting Guan Xing in a terrible position?

Shen Yi smiled wryly, "That's true, but we can't just let it go. What if they all run away?"

Guan Xing shook his head and laughed, "They won't all run away. There must be some left. I may not be a good person, but my character isn't that bad."

"Old Shen, you need to understand that everyone has the right to choose. By letting them leave, I am giving them that right. If they choose to stay, they will abandon all selfish thoughts and be determined to fight alongside us, because it is their own choice. If that is the case, we will have achieved ideological unity and completely united the army. You can imagine how much fighting power that will generate."

Shen Yi nodded in deep agreement and said, "I understand what you're saying. I'm just worried that they'll all choose to go home. Even if only a third of them run away, it'll still be a huge loss."

Guan Xing laughed and said, "Not necessarily. You need to look at the issue from multiple perspectives. Even if these surrendered soldiers go back, they will remember our kindness and tell their relatives and friends about our ideals and treatment. This is equivalent to giving us free publicity."

"Secondly, will the surrendered soldiers really settle down to farm after they go back? I don't think so. Most people will get bored after staying at home for a few days, and after arguing with their parents and wives a few times, they will feel that home is a prison and can't wait to leave and find some peace and quiet. Where can they go then? They will definitely prioritize us. You are also a married person, so you should understand the principle that you can go back to home often but you can't stay there for a long time."

Shen Yi was speechless. He had been married for many years. When he was with his wife, they were inseparable, but when they argued, he wished she were dead. He even had constant conflicts with his parents. He knew all too well the truth that one can return home often but cannot stay there for long.

Guan Xing continued, "There's another point. Even if the surrendered soldiers go home, they are still our soldiers. We can completely reorganize these scattered soldiers and weave them into a large net, making the surrendered soldiers and even their relatives our eyes and ears. In this way, no matter what happens within our territory, we will know immediately. As long as the Wu army enters the range of this net, we will receive the news immediately. In this case, if the Wu army sends small groups to launch a sneak attack, they will be courting death."

"So whether the surrendered soldiers choose to stay or go home, it will only benefit us and not harm us. Now we just hope that they won't all run away at once, considering how well I, Guan, have treated them in the past."

While it would be beneficial for Guan Xing to have the surrendered soldiers return home, there was a condition: not too many would leave at once. Guan Xing's limit was one-third. It was perfectly fine if less than one-third of the soldiers returned home, but it would be dangerous if more than one-third left.

So Guan Xing is also gambling, gambling on his own character. Now that there's no result, he's somewhat uneasy.

Shen Yi breathed a sigh of relief and said with a relaxed smile, "Then I'm relieved. What should I do next? I can't just do nothing, can I?"

Guan Xing pondered, "Go talk to the soldiers and try to persuade them to stay, but don't make things difficult for those who insist on going home, and don't use your status as a general to force them to stay. In short, just persuade them, don't force them."

“I just said to let them go home, and then I turned around and advised them to stay. That would be hypocritical, so it’s not appropriate for me to handle this. Only you can do it.”