Gao Shun's Differential Treatment

Gao Shun nodded in satisfaction. "Well said, Boyang. The gentleman has always sought steadiness. Being a little slower will not earn his blame. If he truly means to punish someone, this general will bear it all."

"The gentleman would never blame you," Shamoke said with a teasing smile.

With Lan Yuan and Gao Shun vouching for him, no one believed Lan Tian would hold them accountable for exceeding the allotted time.

As Yu Fan nodded in agreement, he noticed that the soldiers marching beside them carried halberds and spears, fully armed. Frowning, he offered counsel. "Having the men march in full armor will not only slow the army but also exhaust their bodies. I suggest they remove their armor and advance lightly. General Li's ships can carry the armor; it will not be too late to put it back on once we reach Hengshan Pass. The farther south we go, the hotter it will become."

Shamoke's Wuxi Barbarian soldiers wore light leather armor, while Gao Shun's Trap-Breaking Army, as always, wore heavy armor. The army had only recently entered Hepu when someone proposed marching light.

Gao Shun ultimately rejected the proposal. Of the five thousand Trap-Breaking Army soldiers he had brought, most were newly recruited men who had never seen actual combat. He did not want them developing lazy habits. Marching in heavy armor could not only strengthen their physiques, but also temper the will of the Xianzhen Soldiers. Every moment had to be treated as if it were battle.

Though the Trap-Breaking Army marched on foot in heavy armor, they kept pace with the Wuxi Barbarian soldiers. As they passed through Hepu, Jiaozhi, and Jiuzhen, they gave the local soldiers and civilians a powerful visual shock. The Shi Clan had long heard of the Trap-Breaking Army, and seeing them