Chapter One: First Battle (1)

Ethan Brooks sat on horseback, holding his long spear. He remained silent, saying nothing. In front of him stood a general, clad in a silver helmet and armor, draped in a white cloak, with a long spear slanting toward the ground—looking quite imposing. That is, if not for the soldiers behind him, who were standing in a crooked, disorderly fashion. From a distance, these soldiers looked just like a band of armed rabble; no one could possibly associate them with an elite force.

Looking at the armor on his body and the soldiers around him holding weapons, Ethan Brooks once again recalled his bizarre experience. He was not a man of this era—he was sure of it. He could clearly remember that just a month ago, he was still drinking beer with classmates, going to dance halls, and getting into fights with hooligans. But after that? When he woke up, he found himself in this era that was both familiar and strange.

Suddenly thrust into an unfamiliar environment, Ethan Brooks had no idea what to do—not even where to find something to eat. However, heaven never seals off all exits. Perhaps the heavens felt it was too cruel to bring him here and then just leave him to fend for himself, so he happened to run into David Clark, who was patrolling the city for security. At that time, Ethan Brooks was walking along the road, pondering where to get some food, and didn’t notice a few ruffians ahead stirring up trouble—he walked right into them. As a result, the ruffians took him for a meddler, and before a word was exchanged, a fight broke out. The poor ruffians were knocked to the ground by a few punches from Ethan Brooks, and this scene was witnessed by David Clark. Seeing his strength, David Clark took him in as a personal guard. Over the past month, David Clark treated him very well—not only teaching him how to use a spear, but even instructing him in horsemanship. When going into battle, David Clark especially reminded him to stay close by his side. All of this moved the friendless Ethan Brooks deeply—he was almost ready to call David Clark “big brother.”

Lifting his head, he happened to see that white figure before him. With his free hand, Ethan Brooks touched his nose and thought to himself, “If I told my buddies that the famous David ClarkWilliam Clark is standing right in front of me, would they think I’m crazy?” At this thought, Ethan Brooks couldn’t help but give a wry smile. “If someone had told me a month ago that David ClarkWilliam Clark would become my superior, I’d have thought they were crazy!” Ethan Brooks’s gaze wandered back and forth. Although he had been in this era for a month, he had always stayed by David Clark’s side. If not for Charles Miller’s army attacking and James Carter recalling David Clark from Fancheng, he might not have left the city for who knows how long.

As he was thinking, he suddenly noticed billowing dust rising on the horizon ahead, and knew that this must be Henry Foster’s army arriving. He straightened up, preparing to face Henry Foster (the character for DUN isn’t in the smart font library, so this substitute is used). David Clark immediately turned to glance at Ethan Brooks, and Ethan Brooks instantly understood the meaning in his eyes: “Are you ready?” That was what David Clark was asking. Ethan Brooks didn’t reply, but simply adjusted the helmet on his head. Although he was now a soldier, his equipment was better than that of ordinary troops—at least he wore armor and a metal helmet, and he was mounted on a horse.

“They’re coming!” David Clark called out softly. Ethan Brooks pushed aside his distracting thoughts and focused on the army just appearing on the horizon. The mass of troops was dense and dark, raising clouds of dust, the black shapes so numerous they seemed endless.

“Sure enough, Henry Foster is personally leading the vanguard—just as the strategist predicted!” From afar, David Clark recognized the man at the head of the enemy forces: the main commander of this attack on Xinye—Henry Foster. “Let’s go! Out to meet the enemy!” David Clark’s troops were hidden in Bowang Slope, invisible from outside.

At this moment, Henry Foster was asking the guide where they were, and upon learning they had reached Bowang Slope, he immediately ordered the soldiers to split into two groups: one to follow him at the front, the other to guard the supply wagons at the rear. Edward Grant and John Thompson and other deputy generals were assigned to the rear. As soon as Henry Foster gave the order, he saw a force of cavalry emerge from Bowang Slope. He looked closely, and when he recognized the troops led by David Clark, he burst out laughing and said to those around him, “Looks like today I’ll be able to capture both James Carter and Benjamin Reed!” With that, he spurred his horse forward, charging straight at David Clark.

From a distance, David Clark saw Henry Foster riding at the front, charging toward him, and thought to himself, “The strategist told me to feign defeat! I’ll fight him for a while first!” With this in mind, he turned to Ethan Brooks and said, “I’ll go out to meet the enemy. You stay here and watch for my signal.” Before setting out, he had already explained the mission to Ethan Brooks. In fact, even if he hadn’t, Ethan Brooks would have known. Seeing Ethan Brooks respond, he spurred his horse out of the formation to meet Henry Foster.

The two main generals clashed in front of the lines, while the soldiers on both sides stood aside, loudly cheering for their commanders. However, David Clark only had three thousand troops, and they all seemed listless, their shouts lacking vigor. At this moment, their voices were completely drowned out by the tens of thousands of enemy soldiers on the other side—one couldn’t hear a sound from this side at all.