He was reminding George T. that last time, he had nearly died at the hands of two 'bandits'. Upon hearing this, George T.'s expression immediately changed, and his attitude became much less resolute than before.

He took a deep breath and said quietly, "Do you think war is child's play? People really die!"

"Big brother, I have the ability to protect myself!" George Washington said anxiously.

"You have the ability?" George T. almost laughed in exasperation. Even he himself couldn't guarantee his own safety on the battlefield, let alone Little George.

"I don't care! Anyway, I've already come out, and even if you beat me to death, I won't just go back like this!" In front of George T., George Washington had always been an obedient and sensible little brother, but this time he was uncharacteristically stubborn.

Seeing the determined look on George Washington's face, George T. thought it over for a long time, and finally compromised, saying, "Since you're joining the volunteer army, no matter what happens, you are not allowed to make decisions on your own. You must listen to me. Do you understand?"

Chapter 9: Astonishing Skill

"Yes, sir!" Seeing that his big brother had finally relented, George Washington was overjoyed and gave a deep, formal bow with clasped hands.

Everyone present was amused by his manner, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed.

George T.'s gaze shifted to William Grant, who was standing beside George Washington, and he asked suspiciously, "Little George, who is this?"

"His name is Robert Grant, a friend I met at the market. When he heard I was going to join the volunteer army, Robert Miller decided to come along with me." George Washington had already prepared this explanation.

William Grant's identity was too special to be revealed. His big brother could be trusted, but not necessarily everyone around him. Besides, it was not appropriate to say that William Grant had joined his own ranks and recognized him as his lord.

George T. sized up William Grant again, feeling that this person's bearing was quite unusual. He probed, "Are you a martial artist?"

William Grant gave a slight bow to George T. and said, "I have practiced some skills, but nothing special, nothing worthy of mention."

George T. smiled and said, "Having trained is better than not. You can come with us, but you must take good care of my third brother."

William Grant replied solemnly, "Yes, Brother Clark!"

In fact, even without George T.'s instructions, William Grant's top priority was naturally to protect George Washington.

After George Washington joined up with his big brother and the others, they traveled together to Xiangyang.

The journey was uneventful, and three hours later, George Washington, George T., and the others arrived safely at Xiangyang City.

Xiangyang was a large city with tens of thousands of residents. Now that it had become one of the gathering points for the volunteer army, there were even more people in the city.

The registration site for the volunteer army was at the county office, and the county magistrate, deputy magistrate, and county captain of Xiangyang were personally in charge of recruitment.

In counties with more than ten thousand people, the highest administrative official was called the county magistrate; in counties with fewer than ten thousand, the highest official was the county chief. The deputy magistrate was in charge of civil affairs, and the county captain was in charge of local troops.

There were indeed quite a few people coming to sign up, and the line was very long. George T. waited for more than half an hour before it was finally his turn.

At his station, there were two minor clerks registering people, while the county captain, Brian Turner, sat to the side with his eyes closed, resting.

One of the clerks glanced at George T., picked up a bamboo tag, and asked, "Name?"

"I am George T., courtesy name Bosheng."

"Place of origin?" The clerk wrote George T.'s name on the bamboo tag as he asked.

"Nanyang Commandery, Caiyang County."

The clerk quickly finished writing, then pushed the bamboo tag toward George T. and said, "Alright, next."

George T. took the bamboo tag, looked at it, and remained where he was, saying, "I didn't come alone. I have dozens of brothers with me!"

Hearing this, the clerk looked at him in surprise, and even Brian Turner, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked at George T. with curiosity. Before the clerk could speak, Brian Turner asked, "You're George T.?"

"I am."

"How many people did you bring?"

"Twenty-seven."

Brian Turner stood up and slowly walked over to George T., sizing him up and asking, "Have you practiced martial arts?"

"I have."

Brian Turner smirked and gestured toward a few stone blocks nearby, saying, "Go over there and try. See if you can lift one of those stone blocks."

George T. turned to look. There were several stone blocks of various sizes, all carved from solid stone, with handles on top.

After looking them over, he shook his head. Brian Turner grinned and snorted, "If you can't even lift one of those stone blocks, how dare you say you've practiced martial arts?"

The people waiting in line behind also cast disdainful glances at George T..

George T. smiled calmly and said, "Sir, it's not that I can't lift them, but that these stone blocks are too small."

Brian Turner was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, saying, "You sure talk big. Go ahead and lift one for me."

The stone blocks varied in size, but even the smallest weighed at least seventy or eighty jin—not something an ordinary person could lift.

George T. shrugged indifferently, strolled forward casually, glanced around, and patted the largest stone block.

Seeing this, everyone present couldn't help but widen their eyes. The stone block George T. patted was estimated to weigh at least a hundred jin.

George T. grabbed the handle on top of the stone block, and without even bracing himself, he lifted the largest stone block with one hand as easily as picking up a chick.