At a critical moment, The Carter Family's General of Chariots and Cavalry, David Thompson, and Right Prime Minister Samuel Foster rallied the officials and supported the current President Lincoln in ascending the throne. While stabilizing the government: they ceded the nine provinces, agreed to annual tribute, sent a prince as hostage, and married a princess to The Parker Family. Only then did they dissolve the alliance between Qi and Chu. Afterwards, the Carter's Army united their forces, pushed back the The Foster Family army, and averted the crisis of national destruction.

Over a dozen years have passed, and time has changed many things: the princess from The Carter Family who married for peace became depressed and passed away a few years ago; the upper echelons of The Parker Family are intoxicated by the scent of victory, indulging in luxury and debauchery. The common people suffer unbearably, conflicts grow sharper by the day, and the nation's strength melts away like snow. Meanwhile, The Carter Family endured hardship, worked diligently to strengthen itself, and with unity from top to bottom, finally restored its national power.

As one rises and the other falls, the situation is self-evident: The Carter Family needs a war to wash away its former humiliation.

As for that prince who has now grown up, it seems no one cares.

In the past two years, relations between The Carter Family and The Foster Family have eased, turning instead to hostility with The Parker Family. Hundreds of thousands of troops are stationed at Hangu Pass, ready to strike at any moment. Since the princess passed away, the only buffer between the two countries is gone, and frictions are constant. In such circumstances, how could life be good for the prince held as a hostage?

If the prince, also named Ryan Carter, were still the same, he would surely wallow in self-pity. But now, he is Ryan Carter from the twenty-first century, an elite instructor of a top special forces unit, with no trace of weakness or self-harm.

Through analysis of the situation, Ryan Carter strongly senses that he may soon become the focal point of the three kingdoms' power struggle. The Foster Family definitely wants him dead—the assassin last night was most likely from The Foster Family; The Parker Family probably does not want him dead, as it would give The Carter Family a reason to go to war; as for The Carter Family, their attitude is rather ambiguous. Although William Thompson is nominally here to discuss an alliance and ransom the prince, he has subtly hinted that the elders of The Carter Family seem prepared to abandon him to spark a war. However, opinions are likely divided—at least William Thompson leans toward saving him.

Once he sorted out his thoughts, he stopped overthinking. He reached for the cool tea, gulped it down, and with a flick of his hand, hurled the cup—a white chrysanthemum blossomed against the red pillar, accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering. Ryan Carter rose steadily and strode out of the pavilion, with Eagle Carter closely following behind. Ryan Carter would never tell Eagle Carter that the intense activity in the morning had left him with a sore back, unable to move, and that he had only just recovered.

……

William Thompson's request to Ryan Carter was—to feign illness. Ryan Carter agreed, instructing Eagle Carter to tell others that he was severely shocked, suffering from amnesia and insomnia, with violent mood swings, and even lashing out dangerously when agitated.

As for himself, he hid in the small study to the west, reading every day from the "New Records of the Three Kingdoms" personally written by William Thompson. This book starts from the previous Tang dynasty's loss of the Nine Tripods and continues up to the present. His scholarship is rigorous and his writing straightforward; he does not overly praise The Carter Family, nor does he arbitrarily belittle Qi or Chu, but simply gives an objective account of over two hundred years of history.

Such a book would not be well received in any era or country, and William Thompson had no intention of making it public. The entire work, over 600,000 characters, is handwritten in elegant regular script—its value is self-evident. That day, Ryan Carter had asked William Thompson to buy some history books for him, for reasons unknown. The next day, William Thompson brought over his own work.

With the study's collection, Ryan Carter learned that the world before the Tang was the same as the one he originally came from. But the river of history took a small turn at Mawei Slope, and everything after became unrecognizable.

Emperor Xuanzong died, Emperor Suzong died, the world fell into chaos, and thus the Tang dynasty perished. After fifty years of warlord strife, only the current three great nations remained. For two hundred years, they have alternated between war and peace; whenever one side grows strong, the other two tacitly join forces to suppress it. To this day, the three ancient nations still stand, locked in endless conflict...

……

A few days later, the imperial physician from The Parker Family arrived.

The trembling, white-haired old man examined Ryan Carter thoroughly but found nothing unusual—yet Ryan Carter's amnesia was real.

Watching the old physician shake his head as he walked out, Ryan Carter curled his lips and said to Eagle Carter, "Keep negotiating with them. Tell them I'm about to forget how to breathe."

In the days that followed, William Thompson visited more and more frequently. Sometimes he played a few games of Go with Ryan Carter, sometimes they chatted idly. He even recounted the negotiations at the The Parker Family court to Ryan Carter. Knowing that opportunities were rare for someone in his half-prisoner state, Ryan Carter did not hold back, often analyzing the tangled court intrigues incisively in just a few words, making Mr. Thompson increasingly gratified.

……

One evening after dinner, feeling that his body had mostly recovered, Ryan Carter pulled Eagle Carter to the backyard.

Eagle Carter looked at the lightly dressed Ryan Carter across from him in confusion, waiting for him to speak.

Ryan Carter raised his thin, reed-like arm, palm facing inward, and said to Eagle Carter, "Let's spar, Brother Carter, please attack with full force."

Eagle Carter responded with an "oh," thought for a moment, and said, "It's better if Your Highness attacks first!"

Ryan Carter knew he was afraid of hurting him, felt a bit annoyed, and nodded, "Alright then, Brother Carter, prepare yourself." As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged forward, whipping a leg toward Eagle Carter's waist.

Volume One: Grass on the Plain

Chapter Five: Tempering the Body—Ryan Carter Strives for Strength, the Abandoned Prince's Frustration

Half an hour later...