Ling Hua had been rushing her troops, still unaware that her fourth brother Ling Yunyang and the new emperor Xiao Zhen had exchanged words and passed another heavy burden onto her shoulders.
After half a month of marching, they had not reached Youzhou as she had anticipated; they were only at Jiangyang City.
She thought she had overestimated the Jinglu Army Camp; their troops were not as commendable as praised, being strong in appearance but lacking substance. Though not completely weak, they were considerably inferior to truly seasoned soldiers who train through storms and heatwaves.
Such soldiers could not keep up with plans during rapid marches, and on the real battlefield, they might prove even less reliable.
So, Ling Hua decided to refrain from rushing to Youzhou for now, instead choosing to rest and reorganize in Jiangyang City using Du Wei's territory to reevaluate her strategy.
