Zhao was already positioned even against his true will.
That was the quality Julius valued above almost everything else in someone in that line of work the ability to process the situation at the same speed as the commander, to have already reached the same conclusion without being walked through it.
Zhao read the group in seconds, who had flying beasts, who could carry an additional person without sacrificing the speed they'd need, which order minimized bottlenecks at the exit point, and organized the first wave out with the methodical efficiency of someone who had made these calculations in worse conditions than this and knew which variables actually mattered.
"Yes, take the faster ones and you go first," Julius told him.
Zhao opened his mouth.
"It's not negotiable," Julius added.
Zhao closed it again, with the expression of someone who disagrees but recognizes when the conversation is already over.
♢♢♢♢
