David Reed checked the situation around the perimeter, then walked up to the small tent and paused at the entrance. He listened intently, shook his head, lifted the tent flap, and stepped inside. There, he saw George Washington holding a golden, fragrant roasted lamb leg, eating heartily. At David Reed’s arrival, he merely glanced up, then continued to focus on his food.

David Reed couldn’t quite believe the way George Washington was eating and shook his head in disbelief. Then he took a leather flask from his waist, pulled out the stopper, and a milky aroma of alcohol immediately filled the tent.

David Reed first took several big gulps of the mare’s milk wine himself, then, noticing George Washington’s gaze drawn by the scent, shook the flask in his hand and said in clumsy Chinese, “Want a drink?”

“If you don’t mind, could you pour me a cup? I’ve long heard of mare’s milk wine, but I’ve never actually tasted it.” George Washington tossed the half-eaten lamb leg back onto the plate, pointed to an empty cup beside him, and smiled calmly, as if inviting a friend to share a drink.

David Reed was slightly taken aback, but instinctively stepped forward and filled the cup with the pale mare’s milk wine.

George Washington picked it up, sniffed it, then took a sip. His brows furrowed at first, but then he downed the entire cup—at least three or five taels’ worth—in one go, exclaiming with satisfaction. Such boldness even made David Reed feel a sense of admiration.

After refilling George Washington’s cup, David Reed couldn’t help but ask, “You’ve been captured by us Oirat, and as a prisoner, how could you act like that just now? Aren’t you afraid of death?”

Just a moment ago, after King Richard brought George Washington here and was about to untie the guards and the eunuch, the eunuch named Eric Stone, once the gag was removed from his mouth, began shouting loudly that George Washington had already written an abdication edict and given it to a Ming general hiding on the hilltop, instructing him to escape the battlefield with the blood-written decree.

What shocked everyone was that, at the very moment Eric Stone shouted this, the always refined and composed George Washington, who claimed to be the Ming emperor, suddenly flew into a rage and rushed up to beat the eunuch Eric Stone.

If the surrounding soldiers hadn’t reacted quickly, that eunuch might have been beaten to death on the spot by the suddenly ferocious George Washington.

Even after several Oirat soldiers pulled him away, this great figure of the Ming barely stopped, but his undisguised murderous intent and icy gaze made even a battle-hardened warrior like David Reed shudder.

King Richard stopped the Oirat soldiers who wanted to attack George Washington, then ordered Eric Stone and the captured Ming guards to be taken elsewhere, and sent riders to the hill where George Washington had been captured. However, David Reed knew very well that by now, that Ming general had probably long since disappeared.

Hearing David Reed’s question, George Washington smiled, took a sip of the tart, astringent mare’s milk wine, and thought that at least this wine suited his taste better than the grape wine of later generations. “Who in the world isn’t afraid of death?”

“It’s just that I really hate those scoundrels who would even betray their own people. If I didn’t beat him up to vent my anger, I’d probably die feeling uneasy.” Though he spoke of fear, his voice remained calm and composed, as if this self-proclaimed Ming emperor truly didn’t care about life or death.

A look of admiration flashed in David Reed’s eyes, and he nodded in agreement. “I hate such petty men too.”

Chapter Six: Truly a Treasure Caught.

George Washington couldn’t help but take another look at this Oirat centurion with the typical Mongolian features.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Sensing George Washington’s scrutinizing gaze, David Reed said in a displeased, deep voice.

“I believe you,” George Washington replied with a smile. “If I didn’t, why would I say all this to you?”

Hearing George Washington’s explanation, David Reed’s expression softened. “Whether or not you’re the emperor of the Ming, you’re certainly a man who dares to act and take responsibility.”

Hearing David Reed’s praise, a bitter smile appeared on George Washington’s face. He was just a cautious, third-rate school political counselor in the twenty-first century, scraping by on a meager salary in a harmonious society.

Now, having traveled to this era, all his actions were simply attempts to follow the original course of history and save his own skin. Yet this man called him a true hero—he really didn’t know whether to feel proud or ashamed.

Just now, when he rushed up to beat that eunuch Eric Stone, it was only because he couldn’t suppress his anger and impulse in the moment. After being pulled away, he was actually so frightened by his own impulsiveness that he broke out in a cold sweat. But upon honest reflection, now that he’d calmed down, he didn’t regret his actions in the slightest.