Thomas Harris showed a bitter smile upon hearing this, and in an instant, the stern faces of Captain Tian and even several Qu Army Marquises flashed before his eyes... As a mere squad leader, he had overstepped countless ranks, made a commotion before the Chief Clerk, and then requested a hundred riders to raid the enemy camp—naturally, this was a grave taboo in the army. How could he not know this?

"I had hoped to make a name for myself on the frontier with this blade in my hand, but I never expected to end up like this." Thomas Harris was rather helpless. "I've made a fool of myself in front of you, young lord."

"In that case, Brother Yigong, do you have any plans? To be honest, I am currently preparing to seek a recommendation from the Prefect in the commandery, and then go to Luoyang with my cousin William Benson to study under a great Confucian scholar, so as to master the classics. Why don't you..."

Thomas Harris immediately fell silent.

Truth be told, Thomas Harris was no fool. Even if he were, with the other party speaking so plainly, he would have realized by now that this scion of a noble family had taken a liking to his martial skills and wanted to recruit him as a retainer.

However, such matters were not so simple or easy. According to Thomas Harris's life experience and the customs of society, once he bowed his head, he would likely have to serve this person for life. And although this noble youth had a powerful surname and a wealthy family, he was ultimately still too young. To put it bluntly, at this very moment, even though the other party had a bright future, if you really looked into it, he was about to become an awkward, lowly student...

In other words, if things went wrong during these years of study, the other party might end up worse off than a commoner!

Moreover, a good horse does not graze on old pasture. He had just left the family business to join the army, seeking to achieve merit and bring honor to his family. If he were to go back with his tail between his legs after just half a year, wouldn't that be a laughingstock?

Besides, as a man of Yan, should he, George Harris, in the prime of his twenties, give up his proud skills in archery and horsemanship to follow this man to Luoyang to study the classics?!

Such things were of great use to someone like Edward Benson, a noble scion and a two-hundred-stone official in the commandery, but what use were they to a poor commoner like himself? Even if he wanted to study, no one would take him! If he went to Luoyang, at best he would serve as a bodyguard under the title of retainer—how could that compare to making a name for himself on the battlefield?!

Facing him, George Harris's thoughts were obscure, but Edward Benson was no fool either. In fact, he even knew of a strange concept called "survivor bias," so he was well aware that this squad leader before him might not be very clever, but as a future tiger general of Jiangdong, he would lack nothing he ought to have. So, this man had definitely understood his intentions. And acting like this now could only mean he was hesitating, unwilling to accept.

But so what?

His mother always said he should make his name known among the lords, so as to survive in troubled times. But in Edward Benson's view, if the world was as chaotic as his mother said, even becoming a lord might not guarantee survival. To endure, one must have enough resources in hand... and above all, everything depends on people—this was something his mother had taught him since childhood.

Given that, with such talent so close at hand and of such low status, how could Edward Benson bear to give up?

Besides, the Xianbei at the gate were blocking his own future!

"What are you thinking about, Brother Yigong?" At this thought, Edward Benson suddenly spoke, deciding to take a risk and act according to his backup plan.

"Master of Accounts Gongsun..." Thomas Harris sighed helplessly, quietly reverting from the familiar 'young lord' to the more formal official title. "To be honest, your kindness makes me feel ashamed, for I truly do not know how to repay you... You are about to go to Luoyang to study under a great Confucian, while I have only brute strength, and fear I can only make a name for myself here at Lulong Fortress."

Thomas Harris's direct refusal was within expectations. After all, at this moment, he was just a frontier ranger who had once traded horses—a man of simple courage, with no schemes to play.

But on the other side, Edward Benson couldn't help but laugh at these words: If you could really settle down and make a name for yourself here at Lulong Fortress, that would be fine. At worst, when I return and become a high-ranking official, I could recruit you then. But what I fear is that one day you won't be able to stand the humiliation here and will inexplicably run off to Sun Jian... That Sun Wentai is known as the Tiger of Jiangdong, surely a southerner—how did a great man from Liaoxi like you end up under his command right from the start?!

"Why does the Master of Accounts laugh?" Thomas Harris's face flushed red.

"Brother Yigong, don't be angry." Edward Benson waved his hand with a smile. "I just want to ask you one thing... Do you feel unwilling to leave, yet troubled about how to get along with your comrades?"

"That's exactly it." Thomas Harris breathed a sigh of relief, answering honestly. "You are a nobleman, Master of Accounts—do you have any advice for me?"

"My mother once taught me... Life is like sailing against the current; if you do not advance, you will fall back," Edward Benson replied. "Brother Yigong, your situation is nothing more than two choices: one is to retreat, the other is to advance!"