The soldiers wore this kind of armor on their bodies—it was both flexible and wouldn’t cut themselves, and it also provided the protection of double-layered armor.

Given the manufacturing standards and production capabilities of the barbarians at that time, it was very difficult for them to break through the Han army’s armor, so on the battlefield against the Hu people, the Han army could often fight five enemies with one soldier.

Even the Xiongnu army, known for their ferocity, were so outmatched in front of the Han army; the southern barbarian army, whose combat strength was even less than that of the Xiongnu, had even less chance of victory against the Han.

However, the commanders of the southern barbarian army were not fools. Knowing they were no match for the Han in direct confrontation, they broke up their forces, splitting the army into many parts and scattering throughout Yizhou.

In this way, not only did it force Steven Scott’s troops to rush back and forth, exhausting themselves, but more importantly, it often allowed them to cut off the Han army’s supply lines.

After Steven Scott led a force of a hundred thousand into Yizhou, the initial battles were not very successful.

As a result, Steven Scott’s troops needed the support of the volunteer army even more, and the need to recruit volunteers became increasingly urgent.

Chapter 8: Persuading Big Brother

On this day, George Washington checked on the crops in the fields, and then went into the forest to continue his martial arts training.

Ever since he encountered those two ‘bandits’ that day, George Washington realized his skills were still far from enough, so he practiced even harder.

During this period, if there was one thing James Clark’s family didn’t lack, it was firewood.

Because of his martial arts training, at first, George Washington could only chop down a small tree as thick as half a person each day, but gradually, he was able to fell a tree thicker than a person in a single day.

Naturally, the trees he chopped down were split into firewood.

Seeing George Washington carrying home so much firewood every day, James Clark was quite pleased at first. But as George Washington brought back huge piles of firewood day after day, the house became so full there was nowhere left to put it.

James Clark specifically sought out George Washington and said meaningfully, “Axiu, you’re already tired enough working in the fields every day. You don’t need to chop so much firewood every day—give yourself a break.”

George Washington just smiled and said nothing. After that, he really did stop bringing firewood home; instead, he stored all the chopped wood near the small cabin, and once he’d accumulated enough, he’d load it onto the ox cart and take it to the market to sell for a little extra money.

It had been nearly a month since William Grant left, and George Washington’s arm and leg strength had improved greatly. Now, it took him less than an hour to chop down a tree as thick as a person with an axe.

Of course, after that hour, George Washington’s clothes would be soaked with sweat.

That day, after chopping down a tree, George Washington was sitting on the stump resting, preparing to split the tree into firewood in a bit, when he heard faint rustling footsteps behind him.

Almost instinctively, George Washington stood up from the stump, grabbed the axe leaning nearby, and turned around. He saw a man in tattered clothes, with a face full of scruffy beard, walking toward him.

He looked carefully for a while before recognizing the man—this fellow who looked like a suffering refugee was none other than William Grant, who had been gone for a month.

When George Washington recognized him, he exclaimed in surprise and delight, “Zhongbo, you’re back!”

Covered in dust and grime, looking utterly disheveled, William Grant first brushed the dust off his body, then quickly walked up to George Washington, bowed deeply, and said, “Master, your subordinate has returned!”

George Washington pulled him up, saying repeatedly, “Sit, sit!” He had William Grant sit on the stump and asked, “Zhongbo, did you find Thomas Grant and Samuel Grant on this trip?”

William Grant shook his head with a wry smile and said, “Although I didn’t find the two of them, I did find the marks they left for me in Lantian County. I also left marks for them—once they see them, they’ll come here to find me.”

George Washington let out an “oh,” feeling somewhat disappointed.

First, he was quite curious about Thomas Grant and Samuel Grant; second, to accomplish great things, he needed a group of trustworthy people around him, and since Thomas Grant and Samuel Grant were William Grant’s brothers, they could naturally be brought into his service.

Unfortunately, William Grant’s trip to Lantian County had yielded nothing, and he hadn’t been able to bring Thomas Grant and Samuel Grant back.

Suddenly, George Washington remembered something and asked, “Zhongbo, have you heard that Wang Mang sent Steven Scott to lead a hundred thousand troops into Yizhou to counterattack the southern barbarians?”

William Grant nodded and said, “I’ve heard a little about it.”

George Washington said, “Besides the hundred thousand troops led by Steven Scott, Wang Mang also wants to form a hundred thousand-strong volunteer army. My big brother plans to join the volunteers, and I want to go too!”

William Grant took a breath, frowned slightly, and said, “Master, joining the volunteers is basically helping that traitor Mang, isn’t it?”

George Washington shook his head and explained the whole story to William Grant, then said, “My big brother thinks joining the volunteers is a good opportunity to make some money, and I think this is an opportunity we can’t miss.”

“I see.” William Grant nodded thoughtfully. To overthrow Wang Mang’s tyranny, you definitely couldn’t do it without money. He said seriously, “If Master is going to Yizhou, your subordinate will of course follow you and go together!”

George Washington smiled, patted William Grant on the shoulder, and said, “My uncle and big brother are both against me going, so we’ll have to sneak off when the time comes.” As he spoke, he looked William Grant up and down and asked, “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come on, let’s go make some food!”