He didn’t dare move a muscle, terrified that if Henry Carter so much as twitched, he’d be done for. He couldn’t afford to be careless—even though killing an officer in the Ming dynasty was a grave crime, and for a soldier to kill a squad or team leader fell under the “Ten Heinous Crimes” in the Ming Code, punishable by death without exception. But who knew if this fool in front of him even understood the law? And what if, after killing someone, he just patted his butt and defected to the bandits? There’d be nowhere to appeal for justice—things like this had happened before in Dongjia Village.

In these times, who’s really afraid of whom!

Thomas Bell’s wife, The Carter Family, walked forward with a deathly pale face. She glanced at Henry Carter’s expression and forced a cautious smile. “Wang... Wang ge’er, weapons are blind—let’s talk things out. You just want leave, right? We’ll approve it!”

Henry Carter looked at Thomas Bell. “Really approved?”

Thomas Bell replied in quick succession, “Approved, approved...”

Henry Carter smiled. “Thank you!”

He withdrew his spear, let out a few cold laughs, and strode away.

……

Only after Henry Carter calmly lowered the drawbridge, opened the gate, and walked off into the distance did Thomas Bell snap out of it. He shouted furiously, “He’s crazy, that fool is really crazy... I—I won’t let him get away with this.”

The Carter Family exclaimed in shock beside him, “He’s truly a desperate man...”

No one responded. Inside the fort, all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the crowd, and the occasional pained groan from David Miller.

……

Henry Carter swaggered out of Huo Road Fort, feeling elated. He’d finally vented his frustration, and after today, life inside the fort would surely be easier.

In fact, what happened just now was intentional. Over the past few days, he’d figured things out: aside from the The Grant Brothers, everyone else in the fort—including squad leader Thomas Bell—were all bluster and no backbone. With these people, if you’re tough, they go soft—no need to worry about future trouble.

And the fight just now proved that this body was in great shape. He possessed its memories and had inherited its skills. After this little test, Henry Carter was quite satisfied.

A gust of wind blew, and a surge of pride welled up in Henry Carter’s heart. He couldn’t help but hum a song: “For you, I show a man’s true nature, striving with all my heart for the future. For you, I give a man’s true love, devoted to spend my life with you. Relying on my hands, relying on my skills, to create a happy family...”

……

Henry Carter carried his long spear, striding down the road.

The road ahead was flat and smooth. Heading west from Jingbian Fort for a few li brought him to Dongfang River; crossing the river and going a few more li west led to Xinzhuang Village—Henry Carter’s home. Although Henry Carter served as a fort soldier in Jingbian Fort, his child-bride wife Grace Bennett and his mother still lived in Xinzhuang.

In fact, most of the fort soldiers in Jingbian Fort were the same. This was passed down through generations—each military household had many family members. When on duty, a soldier might have his wife with him, but the rest of the family lived in Dongjia Village Fort. Henry Carter was not unique in this regard.

As it happened, Henry Carter’s ancestors weren’t originally from Bao’an Prefecture, but from Jiangnan. Starting with his forebear Tiger Carter, the Wang family had lived in the Xinzhuang area for decades, becoming typical locals over the generations. In his memories, Henry Carter recalled his mother saying that their ancestor Tiger Carter had once been a member of the famous Qi Family Army, following General Qi into battle all over the country. Though only an ordinary soldier, he’d learned excellent martial skills in the army.

Later, Tiger Carter retired in Bao’an Prefecture, bought land, and passed down a family estate. Unfortunately, by the time of Henry Carter’s father, the family had declined—over a hundred mu of good land had been sold off, leaving only a few dozen mu of poor fields. That was why Henry Carter joined the army: partly because his mother didn’t want the family’s martial arts tradition to die out, and partly to earn some military pay to help at home. After all, as a civilian recruited into the army, there was no risk of all descendants becoming military households. It was just a pity that the army now was nothing like in General Qi’s day.

As he walked, Henry Carter couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. Making life easier in the fort was only the first step; how to survive and even thrive in this chaotic world was the real challenge. But what should he do? Henry Carter came from the future, with centuries more knowledge than the people of Ming, but all his grand ideas for changing things were useless in the face of reality. Even the cleverest housewife can’t cook without rice—Henry Carter understood this all too well.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no good solution. He didn’t even have the bare minimum to get started—just seven or eight copper coins on him. What could he do with that? In the end, Henry Carter decided to take things one step at a time, but he wouldn’t give up!

With his mind made up, he strode forward even faster.

Henry Carter was a fast walker, and soon arrived at the outskirts of Xinzhuang.

Xinzhuang Village was where Henry Carter’s family lived, and also the location of Sangganli in Bao’an Prefecture. Though called a prefecture, Bao’an was smaller than even a minor inland county, with fewer than a thousand households and less than ten thousand people, divided into just seven townships. Sangganli was one of them. Of the hundred-plus households in Sangganli, most were concentrated in Xinzhuang, with seventy or eighty households and over four hundred people. The rest lived in the natural villages of Fangjiagou and Yizhuang.