He glanced sideways and said coolly, “Richard Hill, do you have the guts to go with me to earn military merit and silver rewards?”

Richard Hill shot Henry Carter a hateful look, his face dark and silent.

Henry Carter snorted disdainfully, “So you don’t dare to go. Useless coward—other than showing off in front of women and children, what else can you do?”

Richard Hill glared at Henry Carter, the muscles on his face twitching. He shouted angrily, “Big Fool Carter, you dare insult me in front of everyone?”

Henry Carter gave a cold snort and couldn’t be bothered to look at him again. This only made Richard Hill even more furious; he gnashed his teeth, wishing he could tear Henry Carter apart.

John Grant called out loudly, “Savage Hill, let’s go together! Kill some Tartars for silver rewards. Judging by your look, you probably haven’t had meat in days, right? With some money, you can eat and drink well—isn’t that good?”

After hesitating for a while, he muttered, “Damn, could this guy really be gutless now? Could it be, as Buddy Carter said, that he only dares kill civilians, not Tartars?”

At this point, Richard Hill was already tempted. He’d been poor for too long and was indeed afraid, but the current military rewards were substantial. This time, after the Later Jin army invaded, to boost the Ming army’s morale, the Ming court set a reward of thirty taels of silver for each enemy head taken, and all captured horses, cattle, and goods belonged to the captor. Although this wasn’t as generous as the fifty taels per head in the early and middle Ming, it had returned to the scale of the Jiajing era—enough to tempt many desperate men.

Spurred on by Henry Carter and John Grant, he shouted, “Who’s afraid? If we’re killing Tartars, who’s ever been scared?”

Henry Carter nodded and said, “Good, at least you’re a real man.”

Chapter 009: Kill the Slaves!

The group returned to Jingbian Dun to discuss matters. At this time, the night scouts from Juludun, Peter Ford, also agreed to risk his life with them, joining the attack on the Later Jin soldiers for military merit and silver. This brought the number of volunteers to seven.

At John Grant’s loud suggestion, everyone unanimously chose Henry Carter as their leader, and even Richard Hill accepted it.

After all that had happened, everyone admired Henry Carter’s skills—even Charles Grant did. Charles Grant considered himself on par with Richard Hill, but now that even Richard Hill was no match for Henry Carter, he figured he wouldn’t be either.

Especially in recent days, Henry Carter’s calmness and cunning had given everyone great confidence, as if following him guaranteed success.

Since everyone was all in, the matter was settled. Before a big battle, a good meal was in order. For this, Thomas Bell and Goldie Carter were especially enthusiastic, spending generously to procure some meat from Dongjiazhuang and Xinzhuang so the heroes could eat and drink their fill.

That evening, Charles Grant, John Grant, Richard Hill, and Peter Ford went ahead to scout, to locate the Later Jin army’s camp. They were all night scouts—Ming dynasty’s professional reconnaissance soldiers—accustomed to infiltrating enemy territory and gathering intelligence.

In the Ming dynasty, night scouts were the elite of every camp and fortress. Because of the danger, only the best Ming soldiers were selected, and they received generous treatment. Even if they died or were wounded, their descendants were well rewarded, and at year’s end, officials would hold ceremonies for them in the town.

But by the Chongzhen era, such generous treatment was a thing of the past. Like ordinary border troops, night scouts in every camp and fortress suffered from hunger and cold. This was why Charles Grant, John Grant, and the others were willing to risk their lives—better to die in battle than starve.

Early the next morning, Charles Grant and the others returned, having found the Later Jin army’s camp near a grove by Zhangzhuang village, not far from here. The Later Jin soldiers were so arrogant they didn’t even bother to hide their tracks, making it easy for Charles Grant and his group to locate them.

When Charles Grant and the others came back, they brought two more night scouts: April Bolton and Mark Reed from Dakang Dun. The two were friends with Charles Grant, and after being persuaded—and being poor for a long time—they gladly agreed to join the group and fight for military merit and silver.

With more people joining, morale soared. Now there were nine men going into battle, six of whom were night scouts—the odds of success were much higher. However, when April Bolton and Mark Reed saw that Henry Carter was the leader, they were deeply dissatisfied. Henry Carter’s reputation for being foolish and weak was well known in Dongjiazhuang and the surrounding area, and April Bolton and Mark Reed naturally knew of it.

Seeing their discontent, Henry Carter stepped forward to accept their challenge. From unarmed combat to swords, spears, and archery, even when the two joined forces, they were no match for Henry Carter. The two were astonished—when did this Big Fool Carter, this Big Softie Carter, become so formidable? Though still suspicious, in the army, strength commands respect. Faced with the facts, the two accepted Henry Carter’s leadership, though their doubts lingered.

During the day, everyone rested, ate, and drank to regain their strength. Henry Carter even took time to visit Xinzhuang, and seeing that his mother and Grace Bennett were safe, he was finally at ease.

At night, the nine men, fully armed, bid farewell to the worried folks in Jingbian Dun and quietly disappeared into the night.