Of course, the final decision still rested with General Zeng. He was the commander-in-chief, and any final decision related to military operations had to be made by him.
Even Old Song could only offer advice. He couldn't make the decision for him.
General Zeng was under pressure, too. He had submitted the battle plan to the Central Hub long ago, but a response had yet to arrive. In other words, when he ordered a full-scale advance, he hadn't received the Central Hub's approval.
As the frontline commander, he did have the authority to act at his discretion. Since ancient times, there had been a saying: a general on the battlefield need not obey every order from the ruler.
In a situation like this, the opportunity could vanish in an instant. Unable to wait for the Central Hub's final decision, he had gone ahead and mobilized the troops. That was still within the rules.
But doing so carried risks as well.
If everything went smoothly, then everyone would be happy.
But if the battle went badly, if they suffered heavy losses or were defeated, the procedural flaw in General Zeng's decision as commander-in-chief would be magnified beyond measure.
The responsibility he would personally bear would be incalculable.
So General Zeng was under pressure, too.
A leader who went along with the crowd and shirked responsibility would never have sent out the troops in such a hurry. He would have drawn up a plan, submitted it to the Central Hub, waited for further instructions, then mobilized the troops and made all the necessary preparations. It would have taken at least three to five days before the army could set out.
As for the opportunity to strike, of course it mattered. But avoiding procedural mistakes and protecting himself from blame would naturally take