Once again, the once-mighty Han dynasty has long been swept into the dust of history. The Jin people, especially those left behind in the northern lands and the Central Plains, for various reasons, have long since become weak and docile lambs. The more arrogant and overbearing Samuel Grant acted, the more eager the Jin people were to join.

Now, it is a common understanding among the Jin people that only by finding a good master can they secure a livelihood. If someone is willing to take them in, then they are no longer refugees. If they can be taken in by the Hu people, all the better—at least they gain some protection.

If those fleeing Jin people knew the true situation of the so-called Han Division under Henry Clark, and realized that Henry Clark was now merely holed up in a corner of Qingzhou’s Changguang Commandery (located in modern-day Qingdao), with only about two thousand civilians and five hundred armed men, they might not even be willing to join this so-called Han Division.

Of course, the aforementioned civilians and armed men are those developed by Henry Clark excluding the system’s contributions. The things developed by the system are actually quite impressive, but that will be discussed later.

Covered in blood, Henry Clark turned back. He didn’t dismount, and just as he was about to say something to Samuel Grant, the latter spoke first.

Samuel Grant was extremely respectful: “My lord! I have not failed in my mission and have already gathered this group of refugees.”

Henry Clark himself didn’t like being called “my lord”; it always made him feel like some kind of bandit or highwayman. By the way, after he transmigrated, he actually couldn’t understand the language of this era. Fortunately, the system came with a translation module, so he could understand and speak all languages.

The languages of China have never been fixed. Every dynasty had its own official language, and each region had its own dialect. Most of these dialects are called Old Chinese. Modern Mandarin (Guoyu) is actually the Beijing dialect that settled during the Manchu Qing rule.

“Very good.” Henry Clark felt time was tight, so he kept it brief: “As planned, you take them and set out first.”

The place they were in was called Dongguan Commandery (not Guangdong, but located in modern Ju County). Previously, they had operated in Donghai Commandery, Langya Commandery, and other places, naturally taking advantage of the chaos in Later Zhao to quickly gather refugees and increase their population.

Henry Clark knew that Shi Hu’s attacks on Former Liang and Eastern Jin were unsuccessful, so he vented his anger on the Jin people at home, causing large numbers of Jin people to flee south. That’s why Henry Clark took his people out for a stroll. As he wandered, he found chaos everywhere, and thought to himself, “There’s great potential here!”—and so he couldn’t stop wandering.

All in all, Henry Clark had already gathered sixty or seventy thousand refugees, but he had no idea how many could be safely sent back. It was more of a “cast a wide net” mentality.

“My lord! You’ve been away from the tribe for so long, you should return.” Samuel Grant actually didn’t know where Henry Clark’s base was. He was a Jin man, after all, with a rather unique mindset—especially after learning that Henry Clark had neither offspring nor elders, he was constantly advising, “Otherwise, I fear something unexpected might happen!”

Come to think of it, if Henry Clark really were a Xiongnu, being away from the tribe for so long, his power would likely have been seized by someone else. Or rather, if he didn’t have a “golden finger” to rely on, maybe he wouldn’t be so at ease wandering around.

“It’s time to go back.” Henry Clark wasn’t that deep or scheming, and showed an expression that was both nostalgic and worried: “I wonder how things have developed by now!”

But Samuel Grant misunderstood, thinking Henry Clark was worried about instability within the tribe, and hurried to continue persuading him, saying, “If there’s anything I can do for you, my lord, just give the order!”

Henry Clark didn’t think much of it and said, “There is something you can help with.”

Samuel Grant was full of anticipation at first, but after hearing what Henry Clark said, he was quite disappointed.

Henry Clark only asked Samuel Grant to take care of the refugees they had gathered along the way; there were no other arrangements, let alone the important responsibilities Samuel Grant had imagined.

“How far we can go from here depends on how many people we can gain this time. So, it’s very important!”

“Yes, my lord! I will do my utmost!”

Chapter 3: The Long Road Home

“The harsh wind blows, frost withers the sea grass... Three hundred thousand Han warriors, the general also commands Huo Qubing... The enemy can be crushed, the banner destroyed, treading on the Hu’s entrails and crossing their blood... When there are no Hu left, the Han way prospers. May Your Majesty’s life last three thousand frosts. Just sing of the great wind and soaring clouds, oh, if only there were fierce warriors to guard the four corners.”

Henry Clark was singing loudly, and the lines “When there are no Hu left, the Han way prospers. May Your Majesty’s life last three thousand frosts. Just sing of the great wind and soaring clouds, oh, if only there were fierce warriors to guard the four corners.” were repeated again and again, making those who understood the words look at him with strange expressions.

A Hu man reciting “When there are no Hu left, the Han way prospers”—nothing could be more surprising to the Jin people, who began to wonder if they had misunderstood something.

The song was not a song, but a poem, from the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai’s “No Hu Left.” It was one of the few poems Henry Clark could remember so clearly.

Samuel Grant had always been trying to figure out what kind of person Henry Clark was, and also what kind of tribe the Han Division was. He couldn’t get any answers from the soldiers in crimson armor, but did get some ambiguous answers from others who were also of Jin origin.