He merely sparked a tiny flame, yet it turned into a raging wildfire! Edward Clark's mind became even more active. He had already saved William Harris's young son and helped the Guo family collect the bodies. If he could open the city gates and welcome William Harris into the city, he would surely become the number one meritorious official of the new dynasty. Coupled with his familial ties to William Harris, he might just soar to great heights overnight.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the situation was chaotic and promotions came quickly—often just a matter of a single word from the emperor!

Abraham Carter is William Harris's adopted son, so that's out of the question. But Big Walker, he seems to still be a low-ranking soldier. If he could make him his own little follower, how satisfying would that be!

Edward Clark called Mark Brooks over. Mark Brooks wiped the blood from his face and rasped, "What is it?"

"Shitou, don't you want to be a great general? Now, take your men and seize the city gate. Welcome General Harris into the capital—how could you not become a general then?"

"That makes sense!" Mark Brooks grinned. "Eddie, you're really smart. If I become a general, you'll be my chief advisor—I won't treat you badly!"

With that, he laughed and went off to find Albert King. Edward Clark was so angry he jumped up and down. This bastard, nothing's even happened yet and he already wants to climb over my head—what a delusional fool!

Mark Brooks dashed off and found Albert King. The two hit it off immediately. Albert King called over some fellow imperial guards, and they prepared to attack the city gate.

But just then, an unexpected turn occurred. Over ten thousand troops surged in from all directions, surrounding them. Strangely, these people only surrounded them without attacking, and the two sides stood in a standoff.

Clearly, Albert King, Mark Brooks, and the ordinary people all lacked organization. They had risen up hastily out of righteous indignation, but their fighting power was lacking.

If the other side struck ruthlessly, they would have a good chance of winning. But the other side held back. From the crowd, an old man stepped forward and bowed deeply.

"Fellow villagers, elders, people! I am Arthur Reed, here to greet you all!"

Grand Tutor Reed had arrived!

By rights, this shameless old man should have been spat upon by the people, but who would have thought that his appearance actually calmed the crowd quite a bit...

"Listen to me, everyone. You are all honest, hardworking people, born and raised in Kaifeng for generations. Haven't we suffered enough from war in Kaifeng these past years? Do we really need to go through it again?"

Old Arthur Reed wasn't wrong. If a rebellion broke out in Kaifeng, it would be rivers of blood and mountains of corpses!

But did the people have a choice?

Albert King spoke loudly: "Old Grand Tutor, we respect your character, but we know exactly what we're doing! The court won't let us off, so we might as well fight to the bitter end! As long as General Harris enters the city, we have nothing to fear!"

The common people shouted along, cheering each other on, and it looked like a bloody battle was about to erupt.

At this moment, a young official ran up to Arthur Reed and whispered a few words in his ear.

Arthur Reed's eyes widened instantly, then he took a deep breath. "Listen, everyone, Sir Harris's troops have already passed Qili Slope and are not far from Kaifeng. There's no need to fight—everyone can go home in peace!"

After all, these were ordinary people. Upon hearing this, their hearts wavered. Since the dynasty was about to change, there was no need to take risks. Who wanted to kill, anyway?

Albert King was still sharp. He frowned and said, "Grand Tutor Reed, what if you're lying to us?"

"I would never deceive you. How about this: we each guard our own area and quietly wait for Sir Harris to enter the city... In short, everyone has suffered enough. Let's not bring more bloodshed to the people of Kaifeng!"

As he spoke, Arthur Reed wept bitterly, bowing repeatedly, disregarding his status, pleading earnestly.

His actions had an effect. The people gradually dispersed, and the soldiers and officials made way. Albert King, Mark Brooks, and the others retreated to the area around Jixiang Nunnery, covering about four or five wards. Outside were the officials and soldiers, and the two sides maintained a peaceful standoff.

...

The chance to earn merit had been snatched away, and Edward Clark was burning with rage, stomping his feet in anger. Truly worthy of being the old fox who had served ten emperors—so shameless!

Edward Clark couldn't help but complain to Mark Brooks: Didn't you want to be a general? Heaven sent you a golden opportunity, and you just let it slip away! "You're such a pig! Isn't it great that General Harris won? You should have seized the moment to open the city gates and welcome the royal army! Such a great achievement, and you don't want it? Are you leaving it for Arthur Reed?"

Mark Brooks hung his head at the scolding, but still protested, "Eddie, Old Grand Tutor wasn't wrong. Kaifeng has suffered so much already. If we keep fighting, who knows how many will die! We're all fellow townsfolk, with families and loved ones. If fewer people die, that's more important than anything!"

"Foolish!" Edward Clark scolded without hesitation. "You've been duped! General Harris has already won, and the morale in the city is gone. Even if people die, it'll just be shameless old foxes like Arthur Reed! For every general's success, thousands of bones are buried—what are you afraid of?"

Mark Brooks's face darkened, and he said sullenly, "Eddie, why do you have such a deep grudge against Sir Reed? If Kaifeng really fell into chaos, wouldn't the ones to suffer most be the common people? I do want to be a general, but I don't want to kill my own people. If I have to kill, let it be the Khitans—let's take back Yan and Yun! That's what a real man should do!"

Mark Brooks's face flushed red. "Eddie, you're smart, but I think you should use your smarts for the right cause. Learn from Grand Tutor Reed—that's what it means to serve the country and the people!"

You want me to learn from Arthur Reed?