Bai Xiaowen led the Youzhou Army through a full day's march. They covered hundreds of miles, defeated the enemy nine times, and killed fifteen enemy generals.
Bai Xiaowen and the other Awakened Ones still had strength to fight, but most of the Youzhou Army was exhausted. The emperor's entourage and the accompanying officials complained the loudest.
Ordinarily, they would have stopped to rest after nightfall and set out again at dawn.
Instead, Bai Xiaowen ordered the entire army to rest for only two hours.
He had thought carefully before allowing even that much time.
First, although the Youzhou Army had fought nine battles, each had been against a weak force of only one or two thousand men. Every victory had been overwhelming, and the fighting had been light.
Second, the Youzhou Army had marched under the Speed Is Paramount in War strategy from Meng De's New Book, reducing physical exertion by 50%! And to accommodate the emperor's carriage and the officials' wagons and horses, the soldiers had traveled slowly, expending little energy.
With the Youzhou Army's natural recovery, their physical reserves had barely been depleted.
The weariness they felt was mental. They needed sleep.
But nine consecutive victories, with almost no casualties, had kept the Youzhou Army's morale rising. Even the fatigue of marching had done little to dampen it.
Only under those circumstances did Bai Xiaowen dare issue such a strict order, without worrying that the soldiers would mutiny or scatter.
As for the emperor and the officials, they were probably tired of sitting in their carriages, their backsides gone numb. Bai Xiaowen had no intention of worrying about them.
Two hours later, Bai Xiaowen ordered the whole army to light torches and march through the night.
After only two hours of sleep, the troops were drowsy at first,