Ethan Brooks rode on horseback, straightened the spear in his hand, and in the blink of an eye charged into the midst of those fierce warriors. Every time Ethan Brooks thrust his spear, a spray of blood would follow, but whether he killed the enemy or not, he didn’t care, because in his eyes there was only that wounded general—he had no mind to bother with these foot soldiers. Fortunately, the soldiers who had been following Ethan Brooks also charged in after him, and in just an instant, these few hundred men scattered the less-than-a-hundred-strong enemy squad. And Ethan Brooks finally, as he wished, charged right up to that general.

Originally, his plan was to say nothing, just rush up and knock the opponent off his horse with a single spear, then capture him and leave. But the man opposite saw him and shouted loudly, “Who goes there?” Upon hearing this, Ethan Brooks thrust his spear and knocked over a foot soldier to his left before replying, “I am Ethan Brooks, Xue Zihan! You there, state your name!” Since the other had already spotted him, Ethan Brooks simply answered and decided to face him openly in combat.

“A nobody! I am Edward Grant, Yu Wenze! Prepare to die!” With that, he spurred his horse and charged at Ethan Brooks. It turned out that Edward Grant had originally been at the rear of the main force, guarding the supplies with John Thompson. Later, John Thompson noticed the terrain was narrow and the woods thick, so he said to Edward Grant, “The mountains press in, the trees are dense—if the enemy uses fire attacks, what will we do?” Edward Grant agreed, “You’re right. I’ll go to the vanguard and speak to the commander. You have the rear slow down.” With that, he immediately rode toward the front. John Thompson stayed behind and shouted, “Rear guard, slow down!” But with so many men and horses all marching quickly, how could they stop at once?

Meanwhile, Edward Grant rushed forward and finally caught up with the vanguard’s Henry Foster. Upon seeing Henry Foster, Edward Grant hurriedly said, “The road here is narrow, the mountains press in, and the woods are thick. The commander must beware of enemy fire attacks.” Henry Foster was suddenly enlightened by Edward Grant’s words and quickly ordered the army to halt. But before he could finish speaking, a thunderous cry of battle erupted. Henry Foster looked back and saw a burst of firelight; in an instant, reeds on both sides were ablaze. In that moment, fire was everywhere, and with the night wind blowing, the flames spread even faster. Henry Foster’s hundred-thousand-strong army was now completely surrounded by fire. The troops panicked at the sight, charging left and right, trampling each other in the chaos—countless died. At that moment, David Clark led his army back in a fierce assault. Seeing the situation was dire, Henry Foster took several hundred cavalry and broke through the flames to escape.

After speaking with Henry Foster, Edward Grant turned his horse and headed back. As he rode, flames shot up all around. Soon after, he saw from afar that the rear guard was also ablaze—clearly, the supplies had been attacked by the enemy. He made a snap decision and escaped down a side path, gathering a few fleeing soldiers along the way, until he had about a hundred riders. These men fled toward Xuchang, but just as they were about to get away, a group of James Carter’s troops suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Edward Grant thought to himself, “Unlucky!” He looked back to see who was leading them, hoping it wasn’t Guan, Zhang, or Zhao. When he asked and heard the name, Edward Grant realized he’d never heard of this person before and figured he was just an ordinary officer. Relieved, he thought that if he killed this leader, the enemy would fall into chaos and he could escape. Grabbing his broadsword, he charged at Ethan Brooks. In the blink of an eye, the two horses met, and Edward Grant slashed at Ethan Brooks with his blade. His right hand had been struck by two arrows during the retreat, and now, enduring the pain, he put all his strength into this blow, hoping to end Ethan Brooks’s life with it.

When Ethan Brooks heard his opponent was Edward Grant, he was startled and thought, “I didn’t expect it to be him!” Looking up, he saw Edward Grant already charging at him, and in that instant, he was right in front of him. Seeing Edward Grant’s blade coming down, Ethan Brooks thrust out his spear, using its shaft to block the broadsword. Ethan Brooks’s move happened to catch the sword at the junction of blade and hilt. Then, twisting his spear and using Edward Grant’s force, he spun the spear, drawing the broadsword in a circle. With a flick of his right arm, Ethan Brooks wrenched the sword away. Edward Grant felt a powerful force pull his sword from his grasp, and the movement tugged at the arrow wounds in his arm, making his hand go weak so he could no longer hold the sword. The broadsword flew from his hand, sent spinning far away by Ethan Brooks—who knows which unlucky soul it struck. Edward Grant, now weaponless, had just thought, “This is bad!” when he saw a spear sweeping toward him. It was Ethan Brooks, who, after sending Edward Grant’s sword flying, swept back with his spear and struck Edward Grant squarely at the waist.