“Andrew, please rise quickly!” James Carter beamed as he invited Ethan Brooks to stand, then asked excitedly, “I heard that Andrew captured the great general of Cao’s army, Edward Grant, alive. Who would have thought that someone so young as Andrew would have such ability! Truly, heroes emerge from the youth!” James Carter was genuinely delighted—not only had they won a battle, but they had also captured a major enemy general alive. Moreover, James Carter felt as if he had discovered another treasure: Ethan Brooks, the one who had captured Edward Grant. Right now, James Carter’s desire for talented people far exceeded that of Cao Cao and others, because he only had a handful of men under his command. Guarding the small city of Xinye was barely manageable, but if he wanted to continue developing, he would need to recruit more civil and military officials. Who would have thought that just after recruiting the Sleeping Dragon, another young general would show up at his door, making James Carter so happy that he thought his luck had finally turned. After returning victorious with everyone, James Carter sat there cheerfully, ready to discuss merits and rewards, when suddenly a subordinate reported that David Clark’s personal guard, Ethan Brooks, had captured Cao’s general Edward Grant alive. Everyone in the hall was stunned; no one had expected that a general from Cao’s army had been captured, and none of them knew who this Ethan Brooks was. They all turned in surprise to look at David Clark, since Ethan Brooks had reported David Clark’s courtesy name.

Seeing this, David Clark immediately stepped forward and said, “This man is someone I met in Fancheng not long ago. His surname is Xue, given name Bing, courtesy name Andrew. (That courtesy name, in fact, was made up by Ethan Brooks on the spot at the time.) I saw that he was quite brave, and his circumstances didn’t seem very good, so I took him in as a personal guard and kept him by my side. This time, he went into battle with me. When the battle ended and I didn’t see him, I thought he had died in the chaos, but unexpectedly, he survived and even accomplished such a great feat!” Hearing this, James Carter was overjoyed to have gained another general, and immediately ordered David Clark to bring Ethan Brooks in, then waited at the door with a smile for David Clark to return.

When Ethan Brooks entered the hall, James Carter began to carefully observe this young man, finding him dignified in appearance and liking him more the longer he looked. And since he was able to capture Edward Grant alive, his skills must be impressive as well. So he asked, “May I ask what position Andrew currently holds?” He was inquiring about Ethan Brooks’s official rank. But Ethan Brooks had never had an official title, and even he himself didn’t know what rank he counted as now. After thinking it over, it seemed he was just a soldier. In the end, it was David Clark who stepped forward and answered, “Since Ethan Brooks has only recently joined the army, he does not yet have an official position!”

Upon hearing this, James Carter thought for a moment and said, “This time, Andrew captured Edward Grant alive, which is a great achievement. I hereby appoint you as Assistant General, and you will continue to serve by William’s side. What do you think?”

As soon as Ethan Brooks heard this, he immediately cupped his hands and said, “Thank you, my lord, for your reward!” In his mind, he thought, “Assistant General? Not bad, at least I’m a general now! Even if it’s the lowest rank!”

James Carter nodded and said, “You may rise now!” Upon hearing this, Ethan Brooks immediately stood up. Then he wasn’t sure whether he should leave or stand to the side. In the end, it was Thomas Evans, who was closest to him, who quietly called him over, signaling him to come closer, thus resolving the awkwardness. Although Ethan Brooks was only an Assistant General at this point, since James Carter had few generals to begin with, Ethan Brooks remained in the hall.

Seeing Ethan Brooks take his place among the generals, James Carter ordered his men to bring Edward Grant forward! As soon as the order was given, two soldiers pushed the tightly bound Edward Grant into the hall and made him stand before everyone. The two soldiers tried to force Edward Grant to kneel, but he wouldn’t budge. Just as one of them was about to kick the back of Edward Grant’s knee, James Carter stopped them: “Do not make things difficult for General Grant. You two may leave.” The two soldiers saluted James Carter and replied, “Yes, sir,” then withdrew.

Once the two had left, James Carter immediately stood up, personally walked over, and untied the ropes from Edward Grant, saying, “General Grant, it’s been a long time since we last met!”

Edward Grant flexed his wrists, glanced at the smiling James Carter, and snorted, “If you want to kill or torture me, do as you please. Don’t bother with these pointless gestures.” With that, he closed his eyes and stood motionless in the hall, apparently waiting for James Carter to give the word so he could be taken out and executed.

As soon as Edward Grant finished speaking, Ethan Brooks began to observe everyone’s reactions. Robert Evans, who had been standing with his eyes closed like a statue, now opened his eyes, stroked his long, beautiful beard, and nodded slightly. Michael Bolton stared wide-eyed at Edward Grant, as if trying to intimidate him, but since Edward Grant had his eyes closed, he couldn’t see him at all. David Clark’s expression remained unchanged from start to finish, though his eyes showed a hint of admiration. Ethan Brooks looked around and saw that most people wore expressions of approval; only he himself was glancing about, looking rather out of place. He had thought that, standing behind the crowd, no one would notice his actions, but in fact, Benjamin Reed saw everything. While Ethan Brooks found the others’ expressions amusing, Benjamin Reed found him the most interesting, fanning himself as he observed Ethan Brooks.

In this short time, James Carter had already said quite a lot, but Ethan Brooks had been too busy watching everyone else to pay attention to what James Carter was saying. All he heard was James Carter sigh and say, “Take him away, treat him well! Do not make things difficult for him!” It seemed the attempt to win him over had failed, and James Carter was left feeling frustrated!