If cavalry truly wants to escape, infantry can’t hope to catch up. After the Xiongnu Tiefu cavalry ran a certain distance, they stopped, and one of them demanded that Henry Clark state his name.

Henry Clark couldn’t be bothered to respond. He actually wanted to provoke them, hoping those fleeing Xiongnu Tiefu cavalry would turn back and attack, but the others weren’t fools either—they just spat a few harsh words, slapped their horses, and rode off.

Arthur Hayes originally had about twenty people with her, but after a round of fierce fighting, only seven remained, including herself. She was now surrounded, repeatedly shouting that she was the younger sister of the ruler of Dai, then nervously waiting to see what kind of treatment she would receive.

With an absolute advantage, Henry Clark didn’t kill The Hayes Family because he vaguely remembered that this was a group of Hu people who were the last to fully assimilate into Han culture. It seemed that some historians even highly praised The Hayes Family for their contributions to various things. As for any plans, he had none for the time being.

The system soldiers were absolutely obedient to orders, but they were just too rigid. Henry Clark felt it necessary to explore whether he could appoint officers or something. Before figuring out how to appoint officers, Henry Clark gradually came to a realization: system soldiers could only serve as a foundation. First, there was a cap of 500 population, and second, every command required his presence. If he wanted to expand his power, he would still have to rely on the natives.

With this realization, Henry Clark chose to have William Reed lead people to take prisoners. After all, no matter what, it was an opportunity to boost the morale of the Jin soldiers. Sure enough, the Jin soldiers, who had just been saddened by the loss of their comrades, were instantly excited when they heard they could capture a Hu “princess”—some were shocked and fearful, while others howled with excitement.

“You can’t do this! I am the princess of Dai. Even if I am captured, it can only be by someone noble!” Arthur Hayes put on a look of utter defiance, staring at Henry Clark from afar and shouting loudly, “You, Han man, don’t you want to capture me yourself?”

It’s important to note that the current king of Dai, James Hayes, had long been a hostage in the Central Plains and was highly Sinicized. Also, when Hu people called someone a “Han man,” it was undoubtedly a term of respect at the time, because they truly both feared the once-mighty Han and admired the martial valor of Han people from the Han dynasty.

Another point to note: when a noble Hu woman was captured, according to Hu customs, she became the property of her captor. Arthur Hayes clearly had something in mind, which is why she shouted as she did. More importantly, the Xiongnu Tiefu tribe would only capture Arthur Hayes, not kill her. If she were killed by some unknown force that suddenly appeared, Arthur Hayes would never forgive herself, even in death.

Henry Clark just glanced at her, then continued calculating the casualties from this unexpected battle. The twitch at the corner of his mouth made it clear what he was thinking.

[Damn it! Lost 19 spearmen, 6 swordsmen, and 12 archers in one battle, and might have provoked a powerful tribe or clan. Seriously…]

Uh, Henry Clark didn’t know what “Tiefu” was for the time being.

“Tiefu” had two meanings during the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period: one referred to mixed-blood tribes, and the other specifically to Han people who married noble women from major Hu tribes.

The so-called mixed-blood Tiefu basically referred to a specific group within the Xiongnu, but the Xiongnu themselves didn’t acknowledge the Tiefu tribe as part of them. As a result, most tribes considered the Tiefu to be miscellaneous Hu, and many major tribes had their own Tiefu branches—not just the Xiongnu.

During the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period, the number of miscellaneous Hu was so great it was hard to count. At the same time, most tribes or clans rose and fell quickly, so almost no one was interested in writing biographies or anything like that.

The surviving Xiongnu Tiefu cavalry left, taking their hatred with them. No one knew what impact today’s events would have on Henry Clark in the future.

Henry Clark ordered a tally of the casualties. Aside from the losses among the system soldiers, the casualties among the Jin-identity soldiers were actually much lower than expected.

“Lord, please allow us to participate in future battles!” William Reed was both moved and ashamed. “We may not be as good as your clan soldiers, but we are your soldiers too!”

To be fair, the Jin people like William Reed who were selected as soldiers enjoyed much better treatment than ordinary refugees. Not only did they have dry rations to eat, but they could occasionally have meat. Beyond food, their living conditions were also noticeably better. For example, while refugees had to squeeze into communal barracks, these soldiers could have ten people to a room.

Never underestimate the discomfort of a crowded room—crowding means chaos, cramped space, and all sorts of inconveniences. Anyone with similar experience knows what a comfortable dormitory means.

After cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the bodies of the fallen from both sides, arranging care for the wounded, and dealing with the transport of captured horses, Henry Clark finally led his people toward the settlement.

On the way, Arthur Hayes kept calling out to Henry Clark, trying both soft words and threats, but Henry Clark simply ignored her.

One The Hayes Family tried to get rough and was executed on the spot by Henry Clark’s order, which finally made the The Hayes Family people quiet down.

But Arthur Hayes’s quiet didn’t last long—she actually started provoking the captured Xiongnu Tiefu, which made some of them fly into a rage.