Liu Cheng already had ample military experience, but this was his first time commanding an army independently as its chief. Then he understood why, throughout the ages, there had been a category of poems called "Songs of Joining the Army."
There was no other reason: marching away from the rear was too exhausting, too grueling, too tense, and too full of petty details.
Fortunately, he had brought Yuan Hong and all the others of his sort along. They, along with those few men from Hebei, really did have experience.
Of course, it was best not to ask what sort of experience, but experience was experience. Some experiences were instead engraved into the bones and heart, and worked all the better for it.
With these men helping, and all his principal officers reliable-there was no need to elaborate on Shen Jin's keen, spirited bearing, Liu Huzi and Gao Heng were both dependable, and Zhu Xian, knowing his father's jurisdiction lay ahead, naturally would not flag either-the only men Liu Cheng really needed to devote his full attention to were the three battalions of his so-called Central Army, two infantry and one cavalry. Yet he still felt mentally exhausted.
Fortunately, Huan Yi was a good young man. He was a little older than Fan Ning, and certainly fell somewhat short in terms of trustworthiness; once they reached Luoyang and met Huan Wen, Liu Cheng might well be unable to keep him. But he was very eager to learn and conscientious, and picked things up extremely quickly along the way. He organized the march by day, and could still play his flute and chat with people in the tents at night. When minor problems and disputes arose among the Central Army's three battalions, the men could hardly take them to Liu Cheng, so