In fact, what Clark was truly interested in was what kind of methods Henry Sutton had used to inspire such tremendous fighting spirit among the soldiers. According to confessions from prisoners who had participated in the siege, the Han soldiers defending the city were each incredibly fierce; even when blades cut into their bodies, they paid no heed. Even if they lost hands or feet, they never stopped fighting—unless they were beheaded or bled out, they would never fall. In this way, over more than twenty days of attack and defense, they created the miraculous feat of killing fifty thousand regular troops of the Caesarites. Just how was such unparalleled combat power unleashed? If all Han soldiers possessed such fighting strength, then not only would the Caesarites before them be nothing to fear—even their age-old enemy, the Xiongnu, would no longer be a threat.

Chapter 9 Promotion

“Reporting to the Commander, in truth, being able to hold out until that day was entirely due to the selfless sacrifice of the officers and soldiers. I myself contributed nothing at all.” Henry Sutton decided to retreat by advancing, preferring to forgo any reward rather than continue this topic. In fact, ever since he was struck by an arrow, he had been hiding behind the battlements and had not set foot on the city wall before Brian Cooper's reinforcements arrived. He had even specially assigned ten men to protect him. If these facts were to become known, it would cause an even greater sensation than before.

Clark scrutinized him for a long time, until beads of sweat covered his forehead, then laughed heartily: “For a young man, it’s good not to be arrogant or impatient, but there’s no need to be overly modest either. You must understand, youth itself is a kind of wealth. Being proactive and enterprising is what you should strive for.”

Henry Sutton secretly let out a long breath. He could tell that Clark had made it clear he did not intend to pursue the matter further, so he quickly picked up the conversation: “Yes, I have learned from your teachings, Commander. I will surely follow your guidance in the future and dare not make any mistakes.”

Clark had experienced countless things in his life and let the matter drop easily, for he had his own reasons and was not worried that Henry Sutton would not take the bait.

“Henry Sutton, I have already reported your achievements to the imperial court. After learning of them, His Majesty specially issued an edict to reward you with ten thousand taels of silver. As for your official position…”

Henry Sutton’s heart was instantly stirred. To say he didn’t want promotion and wealth would be self-deception. Ten thousand taels of silver was a fortune he had never even dared to dream of before. Judging by Clark’s tone, it seemed there was even more to come in his official career, and his heart burned with excitement.

Seeing the look of joy on Henry Sutton’s face, Clark was even more unable to figure out what kind of person he really was. If he wasn’t greedy for wealth and rank, then his current expression clearly showed he was eager for fame and fortune. Yet earlier, when recounting his achievements, he had shown a selfless and indifferent attitude, without any embellishment or the usual tricks of claiming undue credit. Such starkly contradictory behavior left Clark deeply puzzled.

However, since he had already made up his mind, he did not change it now. He said to Henry Sutton, “In the last battle, of the more than five thousand men in the Fifth Division of the Western Camp, only one hundred and twenty-four survived—almost total annihilation. By convention, the unit should be disbanded. However, the Fifth Division displayed extraordinary bravery and courage on the battlefield, earning a reputation as the bravest in the entire army. To commend and encourage this, we have decided to make an exception and reestablish the Fifth Division, bestowing upon it the title ‘Black Banner Army,’ with you temporarily serving as the division commander.”

Henry Sutton was dumbfounded, unable to believe his ears for a moment. Brian Cooper, standing beside him, quickly nudged him and whispered, “Hurry and give thanks.”

Only then did Henry Sutton snap out of his daze, step forward, and kneel on both knees: “Thank you for your grace, Commander. I will remember your kindness forever and never dare forget it.”

The military structure of the Han Empire was basically divided into squads of ten, companies of a hundred, and battalions of a thousand. The leaders of these units, whether primary or deputy, were all junior or mid-level officers. Any unit larger than a thousand was called a division, with numbers ranging from as few as three thousand to as many as ten thousand. The division commander’s rank was at least that of a deputy general, and although deputy general was the lowest general rank, it still meant entering the ranks of the generals. For every soldier, the greatest dream was to one day become a general, but those who actually achieved this were one in ten thousand. Many heroes and talents were stopped at the rank of battalion commander; without connections or the favor of those in high positions, no matter how capable, one could only remain a battalion commander for life. It could be said that once this barrier was crossed, the future would be bright and full of promise.

Half a year ago, Henry Sutton was just a farmer facing the yellow earth with his back to the sky. Two months ago, he was a mere rookie fresh out of training camp. But after today, he would rise in a single bound to join the ranks of the generals. Although Clark said he was only temporarily acting as division commander, as long as he held real power and achieved further merit, making the position permanent would only be a matter of time.

Neither Henry Sutton nor Brian Cooper had ever imagined that Clark would be so bold as to appoint someone with only half a year of military service as a deputy general. They had thought that being promoted to a full battalion commander would be the limit, but now, with this leap over the dragon gate, they were left at a loss for how to react. That was why Henry Sutton had lost his composure so completely.