Li Shu's decision breathed fresh life into this hastily launched engagement. On the one hand, it filled gaps in their tactics, greatly improving the plan's chances of success. On the other, once this Great Dragonhead stepped forward and announced that he would use himself as bait, no one doubted any longer that this battle would take place.
Beyond that, Li Shu's action would bring another enormous, hidden benefit: unified command. Whatever else might be said, he was the Great Dragonhead of the Eastern Front, the man responsible for the Eastern Expedition. Even losing Yuncheng did not erase the three consecutive times he had saved the eastern forces before that.
Merits were merits, faults were faults. He still commanded considerable prestige among the eastern forces.
And it must not be forgotten that, even as Zhang Xing clearly showed himself to be more assertive, more capable, and better able to command allegiance, not every leader would willingly submit so promptly and cleanly to this Great Dragonhead of the Western Front. This was not to say that all these men bore Zhang Xing some private grudge, or preferred Li Shu. Rather, these leaders were all, at heart, local strongmen. Today, with Zhang Xing clearly on the rise, they felt anxious, afraid of being swallowed up. Tomorrow, if Li Shu rose instead, they would feel just as anxious and just as afraid of being swallowed up.
That was what made getting things done so difficult.
But once Li Shu volunteered to lure the enemy, there could no longer be any dispute over who would command this battle.
It could fairly be said that, beginning that evening, beginning inside that tent, dissent among the middle and upper ranks was completely eliminated-or at least wiped clean from the surface. They could bypass many things and confront