But the soldiers muttered among themselves, thinking their lord was far too timid.
How could they fight a war if he feared the enemy like that and saw threats everywhere?
Orders were absolute, so they could only force themselves to perk up, take their weapons, and form ranks.
Eventually, the soldiers could no longer hold out. Many secretly lay down on the ground to sleep. Whenever they heard the horn, they sprang up by reflex, though most still had their eyes closed.
The officers had grown numb to it too, turning a blind eye and pretending not to notice.
After finally enduring until the latter half of the night, they saw Colonel Scarlet arrive with his men to relieve them.
At Blackmoore's command, the soldiers scattered, vanishing in an instant.
Blackmoore called Colonel Scarlet over and gave him several careful instructions before returning to the command tent to rest.
The soldiers assigned to guard duty for the latter half of the night had been roused from a sound sleep. They yawned endlessly, barely able to stay awake. Before long, men lay sleeping all around the camp.
Then the alarm horn sounded again.
The enemy riders always harassed them from a distance before immediately disappearing. The soldiers patrolling outside the camp could barely be bothered to blow their horns anymore.
Before the soldiers inside the camp could get up and form ranks, the enemy riders had already swept away like a whirlwind.
After the patrols sounded the alarm three times, the harassing riders suddenly disappeared.
Perhaps the enemy had been busy all night and had gone to rest too.
Everyone in the camp who was supposed to be sleeping was asleep, and so was everyone who was not.
Colonel Scarlet struggled to stay awake, but he was simply too exhausted. His