Zhao Haiping also needed to give a speech to reunite the fragnted troops.
"Soldiers!
"Before each campaign, each tough battle, I stood here and told you of the disgrace of Jingping.
"Today, I will still speak of the disgrace of Jingping. However, the details I will relate are different than before.
"I would like to ask all of you, whose disgrace is the disgrace of Jingping?"
Zhao Haiping asked loudly while the soldiers below looked confused.
"To General, it is the disgrace of our Qi Dynasty!" a soldier replied.
Zhao Haiping nodded, "Exactly! It is the disgrace of our Qi Dynasty!
"On the day the capital fell, the sinified royalty and officials were all captured and taken to Jin Country, subjected to wanton humiliation. The disgrace of Jingping is the disgrace of the Qi Dynasty, and the hatred of its subjects is the hatred of the Qi Dynasty’s subjects!
"That is why our dynasty cried out the slogan to welco back the two emperors. Because only by striking directly at Yellow Dragon Mansion, taking Five Countries City, and rescuing the two emperors can we truly avenge the disgrace of Jingping!
"But I have also told you in great detail, who really caused the disgrace of Jingping?
"Was it caused by the loyal army that traveled a thousand miles, only to be disbanded in the end?
"Was it caused by Li Boxi, who strongly advocated for the defense of the capital only to be stripped of his post?
"Or was it caused by the citizens who wept blood in their defense of the city yet ended up having their wealth plundered and families torn apart?"
The continuous questioning left the soldiers speechless.
After a long ti, a soldier whispered, "It was... caused by the two emperors..."
Though it was said quietly, it seed that others had already reached the sa conclusion.
Indeed, had it not been for the foolishness of the two emperors, how would the capital have fallen? Even if it fell, if the Jin soldiers couldn’t enter the city, how could they have captured the entire royal family and officials?
Zhao Haiping nodded and declared loudly, "Exactly! It was caused by the two emperors!
"Then whose disgrace is the disgrace of Jingping?"
He looked around, saw no one dared to reply, and simply answered himself, "It is the disgrace of the Qi Dynasty’s royal family! It is the disgrace of the sovereign!
"As subjects, we should share the sovereign’s worries. That’s why we have co to view the disgrace of Jingping as a shared humiliation among the warriors and citizens of the Qi Dynasty—hoping that our bloody struggle will wash away the previous disgrace!
"But what if the current sovereign and the magnates at court no longer see it as a disgrace? What if they seek peace with Jin and sell the lands for which we warriors shed blood, in search of a precarious safety?
"Why then should we avenge a disgrace that does not even belong to us!"
Upon hearing these words, the soldiers were stunned.
In fact, many had thought the sa thing before.
The disgrace of Jingping was a debacle created by the two foolish emperors. And with Emperor Han Fuyue’s recent orders to retreat, it was clear they no longer wished to fight. There’s a saying, ’If the emperor isn’t worried, why should the eunuch be?’
If the royal family didn’t desire to restore their honor, why should we rush to sacrifice our lives for the court’s pompous officials?
But without avenging the disgrace of Jingping... what should we do then?
It is known that ever since we took up arms, avenging the previous disgrace of Jingping has been the rallying cry that united us. One could say that General Han’s mighty army was built upon this shared belief.
Without a goal, should we just beco bandits?
That would likely cause an imdiate collapse of morale.
The soldiers clearly did not expect General Han to suddenly abandon this slogan and were at a loss for what to do.
Zhao Haiping continued loudly, "The disgrace of Jingping does not belong to us, but that doesn’t an we lack a reason to continue fighting!
"The Jin soldiers march southward, burning, killing, and looting. How many families were torn apart, how many loved ones separated! Countless villages laid to waste, reduced to grim bones along the Jin’s path of conquest!
"If the royal family does not care about the disgrace of Jingping, then we need not risk our lives to avenge it. It is the disgrace of the Qi royal family and can be unrelated to us!
"But can we really sit idly by in the face of the atrocities the Jin have committed against our soldiers and citizens?"
"So, those of you who follow and stay," he declared, "from this day forward, every battle we fight will no longer be about avenging the disgrace at Jingping but simply about...
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
"Whatever land the Jin has seized from us, whatever people they have killed, we shall repay in full!
"Therefore, as of today, this army shall be renad as the Zhao Yi Army.
"Justice is as clear as day; duty cannot be refused! This also announces to the world that my Zhao Yi Army will never forget the people of River East and Hebei - even if Qi and Jin sign peace treaties and cease hostilities, my Zhao Yi Army will still rescue our people from dire straits!"
The Zhao Yi Army was actually established during the Liang Dynasty, commanding regions such as Xiangzhou State and Xingzhou State, which were precisely the core areas in the north occupied by the Jin soldiers.
The na ’Zhao Yi’ was imbued with anings like ’justice as clear as the sun in the sky’ and ’a duty that cannot be refused.’
This move was essentially a public declaration to the entire world: The army I, Han Fuyue, lead is no longer the army of the Qi Dynasty but a brand new Zhao Yi Army!
This Zhao Yi Army, not fighting for the Qi royal family, but for the people suffering under the iron hooves of the Jin!
The slogans and ideology of the Zhao Yi Army were no longer about loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country, about welcoming back the two saints, or about avenging the disgrace at Jingping - slogans highly tied to the Qi royal family. Instead, it completely set aside the royal family, standing alongside the people of Qi.
After a mont of hesitation, the soldiers quickly realized this and shouted in unison, "Justice is as clear as day! Justice is as clear as day!
"Kill the Jin dogs! Save the people!
"Long live the Zhao Yi Army!
"Ready to follow the General and die to demonstrate our resolve!"
A roar as loud as a tidal wave filled the air, and Zhao Haiping nodded in satisfaction.
"Summon the n for the blood oath!"
...
This step finally proceeded smoothly according to Zhao Haiping’s plans.
Actually, once it ca down to it, he found it wasn’t as difficult as imagined.
The literacy rate in ancient tis was very low.
Soldiers and junior officers were mostly illiterate, and the military was a place that emphasized obedience. Although there were constraints of loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country, breaking free from them was not impossible.
The more than thirty thousand soldiers who had truly decided to stay were those who recognized only General Han Fuyue, not this court or this royal family.
The army was a mix of many elents, including troops who had followed him since the crossing to the south, various detachnts from other armies who had co to join him, the Rebel Army that had surrendered, and captives that had been rehabilitated after the defeat of the puppet army.
Many of his loyal followers were tied by their interests; returning was out of the question, as they would definitely not be reused and could even be killed for the cri of rebellion - these people certainly did not want to go back.
The Rebel Army, which had surrendered, never had much of a good impression of the Qi Dynasty to begin with; they simply had no other choice. They were only willing to join General Han Fuyue after an uprising if he could achieve victories. If they had to follow an incompetent leader, why should they risk their lives for others?
As for the defeated puppet army and the refugees gathered along the way, they recognized only General Han Fuyue. What was the Qi Dynasty to them? They didn’t care.
Of course, within the original hundred-thousand-strong army, there were also many who hesitated and, between rebellion and returning to their bases, would choose the latter.
After all, many had families waiting for them at ho; asking them to abandon their wives and children to stay and fight was unrealistic. If they were to be implicated by accusations of rebellion, many could not bear the thought of their families suffering.
However, regardless, these remaining thirty thousand or more people unhesitatingly sided with General Han Fuyue when choosing between him and the Qi Dynasty.
In truth, their hearts were even more united.
But since they were prepared to completely break ties with the Qi Dynasty if necessary, the old slogans of loyalty to the sovereign and love for the country obviously couldn’t be chanted anymore; that would be undermining their own morale.
The solution Zhao Haiping thought of was to adopt a new slogan.
My Zhao Yi Army is not loyal to the Qi Dynasty; my only concern is for the innocent people of the world, and my only aim is to annihilate the Jin and avenge the people who have been murdered and enslaved by them!
Without a doubt, these soldiers who had stayed were all those who bore a deep grudge against the Jin.
But Zhao Haiping knew that this was only the first step.
What awaited him was an even more severe test!
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