This was indeed because Emperor Taizu of Sheng was extraordinarily gifted and had an unrivaled physique, but there was another very important reason— the differences in their military styles.
Generally speaking, Emperor Taizu employed troops in a somewhat reasonable manner, focusing on the long-term plan.
Since he rose from the ranks, his individual combat capability was certainly strong. However, as his power gradually expanded, he almost never led troops personally anymore but delegated the command to trusted generals like General Gu Yuan.
Later on, when he personally campaigned against the Northern Barbarians, it was because there was no suitable candidate available, and the battle was too crucial, which led him to decide to leave the Crown Prince to oversee the nation while he took the field himself.
But generally, Emperor Taizu emphasized momentum when deploying troops.
