“Since he is in our army, the truth will come out sooner or later. There’s no need to be so impatient right now—if he notices, it could ruin everything instead.”

“Yes, uncle, I understand. Then let’s just wait and see what happens.”

“That’s right. Pass down my order: everything Henry Sutton needs—supplies, personnel—give it all to him. No department is allowed to make things difficult for him for any reason, or they will be dealt with by military law.” Clark suddenly intensified his tone on the last sentence, a powerful and murderous aura spreading far and wide, making Mark Bennett beside him shiver violently. Truly, a hero of his generation—he indeed has a terrifyingly fierce side.

Chapter Ten: Building the Army

Leaving the commander’s mansion, the two mounted their horses and headed toward the courtyard where Henry Sutton resided.

“Little brother, little brother, I really envy you.” Brian Cooper wore a look of indignation. “No way, you have to treat me to dinner tonight, no matter what.”

“Don’t just talk about me, big brother. Didn’t you get promoted too?” Henry Sutton said with a grin.

“How can that compare? I joined the army at seventeen, and only got promoted to lieutenant general four years ago. That’s fourteen whole years grinding in the barracks.” In fact, there was something else Brian Cooper didn’t say: it was true he’d spent fourteen years in the army, but the main reason for his rise was his illustrious family background and connections at court. Otherwise, not to mention fourteen years—even twenty-four years might not have been enough to become an officer.

With a chuckle, Henry Sutton shamelessly said, “So you mean I got promoted to deputy general in just four years? That’s a post commanding over ten thousand men! Big brother, you’re amazing.”

A lieutenant general could only command three to five thousand men, while a commander of ten thousand was a deputy general. Those who led more than ten thousand were generals. In the five main corps, each camp’s leader was a general, the deputy leader a deputy general, and only a grand general could serve as the overall commander of the five corps. Brian Cooper’s promotion to deputy general, commanding ten thousand, was due to his outstanding achievements in the last battle.

“Hmph, it took me eighteen years to become a deputy general. Compared to you becoming a general in just half a year, I’m much slower.” Brian Cooper sneered. “Do you know, in the history of our Han, your promotion is the fastest ever? I won’t say no one will surpass you, but there’s definitely never been anyone before you. If you’re still not satisfied, we might as well all go end it ourselves.”

These past few days, the two had become close friends. Though there was a big age gap, they were like brothers. Henry Sutton naturally didn’t mind his joking mockery and laughed, “Big brother, you’re wealthy—don’t go after my little bit of money.”

Brian Cooper was the eldest son and grandson of the Fang family, one of the four great families of Han, so he certainly didn’t care about a mere ten thousand taels of silver. He laughed and called him a miser, saying, “Tonight I’ll host a banquet at Drunken Moon Pavilion to celebrate our promotions and good fortune. How about it?”

“Not going,” Henry Sutton said firmly.

Seeing Henry Sutton shake his head, Brian Cooper asked in surprise, “Why not?”

“These days are critical. I plan to strike while the iron is hot and get all the personnel and equipment sorted out. If you really want to treat me, let’s meet at Drunken Moon Pavilion in three months.”

“Alright, then in three months, we brothers will drink together again.”

Henry Sutton nodded in agreement, then said, “Big brother, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it? As long as it’s within my power, I’ll do it, no matter what.”

“It’s not that serious. I’m newly appointed as a lieutenant general and know nothing about the organization of the column. You’ll have to give me some pointers.”

“That’s a small matter. Come to my place and I’ll explain everything in detail. Tomorrow you can start picking your men.”

The next day, Henry Sutton arrived at the main camp. Clark’s orders here were even more effective than an imperial edict. Whatever Henry Sutton wanted—men or supplies—no one dared to make things difficult for him in the slightest. Especially the well-greased logistics department: not only did they provide the best equipment, they even threw in several hundred extra pounds of jerky. Even when Henry Sutton made the outlandish request for alcohol, they handed it all over with strange looks. As soon as Henry Sutton left, the logistics officers muttered among themselves: never had any officer dared to openly ask for alcohol. Who knows what relationship this young man has with the commander, to dare break military regulations so brazenly. Little did they know, Henry Sutton was just a newly promoted lieutenant general and had no idea there was a prohibition on alcohol in the army.

Accompanied by Edward Grant, Henry Sutton selected three thousand slave soldiers. Their spirits were extremely low, their clothes ragged, faces sallow and thin. Most importantly, none of them had any status.

Yes, the slave soldiers were all slaves—lower-class people unworthy of having any status. Since they were mostly criminals and surrendered soldiers, of course they couldn’t be well fed. Otherwise, if they were full, wouldn’t they have the energy to plot rebellion? Their treatment was the worst in the army, but they did the hardest, dirtiest, and most exhausting work. The death rate was always high. But with the empire’s vast territory, there was never a shortage of criminals and captives, so their camp was always overcrowded, giving Henry Sutton plenty of choice.

Looking at this group of listless men, Henry Sutton frowned deeply. He chose them only because he had no other choice. To achieve combat readiness in three months, there was only one way—blood wine. The problem was, while blood wine was powerful, its side effects were just as obvious.