Hao Ren was extraordinarily mighty; he defeated hundreds of soldiers and the five generals on his own.
All those soldiers who were fighting with their lives admired the supreme masters.
Unlike those 'strategic powers', A.K.A elders, who didn't fight battles regularly, the soldiers had to battle in wars very often. A powerful leader could bring them greater chances of survival and more hopes for victory.
Therefore, when Hao Ren fought Liu Yi, Wang Sheng, and the other three gate generals, the soldiers' minds changed. In the beginning, they wished for Hao Ren to lose so Zhao Kuo could take back the position as the Commanding General. But slowly, they started to hope for Hao Ren to defeat all five of them as some sort of miracle!
The bottom line was, there was no point if Liu Yi and the others won. However, if Hao Ren could win, it meant that East Ocean Dragon Palace got another great leader in battles!