The Chu soldiers were indeed released, and this event was a tremendous shock to the Chu people.
Many of the Chu soldiers, along with Xiang Yan, retreated to another city after their defeat.
At this moment, the Chu soldiers were exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Not only that, but they lived in constant fear, always worried that Lin Tian's army would attack.
It was at this time that they heard that the surrendered Chu soldiers had actually survived. This was simply unbelievable to them.
"How is that possible? How could they have survived? How could the Qin army be so merciful??"
"Yes! How could the Qin army be so merciful? Not only did they let them live, but they also sent them back to Chu, letting them go home! It's truly incomprehensible!!"
"I can't understand it either, but knowing that those soldiers can go home fills my heart with envy! I, I want to go home too!!"
The Chu soldiers could not comprehend Lin Tian's decision regarding their lives.
They did not understand why Lin Tian was so benevolent, not only sparing their lives but actually allowing them to return home.
However, this did not diminish their envy.
Especially after the Chu army suffered a defeat, their desire to return home became even more intense.
Many of them did not wish to die on the battlefield.
Although they had joined the army, they still hoped to return to their homes alive one day.
But given Chu's current situation, going home was impossible for them.
Therefore, they could only feel envy towards those soldiers who were able to return home.
Along with their envy, they also fantasized. If only they had surrendered like the other soldiers before, would they now be reunited with their families at home?
No one answered their question.
However, many soldiers began to have different thoughts at this moment.
In the quiet of the night, soldiers were heard whispering amongst themselves.
"If only I had surrendered before, then I would be home now, seeing my parents!!"
"Who says not? I don't even know if my parents are still alive. I'm really worried about their safety!!"
"Wuwu! I miss my parents too!!"
When it came to their families, many soldiers secretly wiped away tears.
Perhaps they wouldn't cry if they were killed by the enemy on the battlefield, but when they thought of their suffering parents, they couldn't hold back their tears.
Especially given Chu's current situation, which was very unfavorable to the Chu people, it caused many to worry.
Because of this, amidst the cries, a soldier suddenly spoke.
"Do you think if we surrendered to the Qin army now, would General Lin Tian kill us?"
"Probably... not, after all, we surrendered!!"
"Then would he treat us like he treated the previous soldiers, letting us go home?"
"This...!"
When such questions were asked, the Chu soldiers lacked confidence.
They were not sure if Lin Tian would spare them and let them return home.
But in their hearts, they strongly hoped that Lin Tian would not kill them and would let them go home.
If that were the case, then they could go home and see their loved ones, their parents.
Thinking of this, countless soldiers' hearts stirred.
A thought began to take root in their hearts: they wanted to surrender to the Qin army, they wanted to go home.
Once this thought arose, these soldiers could no longer suppress their wild thoughts.
Especially since Xiang Yan was suppressing them, preventing them from returning home, and had not relayed any news about their homes, the situation was entirely different.
Many soldiers were secretly discussing whether to surrender.
Although these discussions did not reach Xiang Yan's ears, they caused great unrest in their morale.
At this moment, many soldiers had no intention of fighting and only wanted to go home.
Because of this, Xiang Yan soon noticed something was amiss.
He frowned, looking at the army under his command, and felt somewhat helpless.
If it were before, this army was entirely under his command. His soldiers had followed him for many years, naturally obeying his orders and trusting him implicitly.
But later, Lin Tian and Wang Jian's armies joined forces and killed many of their soldiers.
Coupled with the reinforcement of another hundred thousand troops, the number of veteran soldiers in their army became very small.
His management became less adept.
Looking at these soldiers, he always felt a sense of losing control.
This made him a little flustered, and he no longer had the same strong confidence in the upcoming battles.
Especially looking at the restless soldiers, he always felt that the soldiers under his command might cause trouble.
Therefore, he said to the generals beside him:
"We have just established a foothold here, and our morale is bound to be unstable. In these days, you must keep a close eye on the soldiers below, and absolutely do not let anything happen!!"
"General, please rest assured, with us here, nothing will happen!!"
"Yes, General! Although we have been defeated, we still have over two hundred thousand troops in our army. Therefore, such a defeat is not a great setback for us. We can definitely resist the Qin army!!"
"General, you don't need to worry, we will handle things below!!"
These generals swore with solemn promises that nothing would happen.
In their view, they still had over two hundred thousand troops, so even if Lin Tian's army attacked again, they had nothing to fear.
Therefore, although the defeat had been a slight blow to them, it had not truly shaken them.
They could still believe that the Chu army would surely triumph.
It was precisely because these generals held such thoughts that they failed to notice that the mindset of the soldiers under them had already changed.
They had no idea that their subordinates had lost the will to fight the Qin army. All they cared about was whether to surrender to the Qin army, and whether the Qin army would treat them like the previous Chu soldiers, sparing their lives and allowing them to go home.
Many soldiers were uncertain about this matter.
However, there were also some who were desperately homesick and wanted to try, to try if they could truly escape death and return home.
...