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I am seeking a clarification on rule 23.12.5 Effects of Routing.
The first part states:
"Routed units do not participate in combat, but if part of a stack that is attacked and is forced to retreat, the routed unit will be shattered."
The next reference states:
"Routed units are forced to make a displacement move if they are alone in a hex and are next to an enemy unit(if the routed unit is isolated, it will shatter)."
My question is what happens to routed units that are alone in a hex and are next an enemy unit but not isolated? They just seems to displace a second time. Surely if they are in a retreated stack and shatter; they shatter when they are on their own?
Just Asking

They do displace a second time rather than shatter, I believe. I would assume they do not shatter when alone because, being already disorganized and in "retreat" mode, they melt away in the face of the advancing enemy before the enemy can get its "claws" into the unit (while taking additional attrition and retreat losses), whereas if they are bolstered by a fit unit they would be more likely to hold a position while they rally, and thus bear the brunt of an assault in their badly weakened state while doing so.

Shattering AFAIK is about getting down to a very small number of elements along with low morale. Routed units alone or in a hex that is forced to retreat from combat will suffer additional losses and may shatter depending on how weak they are and how low their morale is.