The latter and his hundreds of subordinates all watched him warily.

　　His reputation had already spread throughout the day—Benjamin Thompson was the number one fierce general of the younger generation in the Shun army, yet he couldn’t last more than a few moves before having a blade at his throat, and that was even with other soldiers helping him, while the other man was unarmed. Such a formidable warrior must be treated with caution.

　　“Your Majesty, are you willing to become a captive?”

　　Brian Carter said without turning his head.

　　“I am a descendant of the Taizu. How could I suffer humiliation at the hands of rebels? If there is truly no hope, then death is all that awaits me. I will never allow the ancestral temple to be shamed. It is my fault; you need not concern yourself with me any longer. Take the Kunxing sisters and escape quickly. Do not let them be dishonored by the rebels.”

　　Franklin Roosevelt said slowly.

　　At the same time, he drew a dagger from his sleeve.

　　“Your Majesty, don’t be hasty. It hasn’t come to that yet!”

　　Brian Carter said.

　　“General, please report to the Chuang King and say that the Son of Heaven of the Ming Dynasty wishes to invite him for a meeting.”

　　He immediately said to the officer.

　　“You want to see the Chuang King? That’s easy. Tie you up and you’ll see him soon enough.”

　　The officer sneered.

　　“General, you don’t have the ability to get past me in a short time. I think you know that as well. And His Majesty is already prepared to take his own life, so I will buy him time. Even if you deal with me, in the end all you’ll get is His Majesty’s corpse. But believe me, His Majesty’s death will do you no good, and your Chuang King absolutely does not want to receive only His Majesty’s corpse.”

　　Brian Carter said.

　　The officer hesitated for a moment.

　　“General, we can’t escape. No matter how well I fight, I can’t take on a hundred men and still protect His Majesty and his two daughters. So what are you hesitating for? Do you really have the authority to make such a big decision in place of the Chuang King? Hurry up and invite the Chuang King. And get some food and drink. After all, this is a meeting between the highest leaders of both sides. Surely you’re not going to let us go without even a little wine and food?”

　　Brian Carter said impatiently.

　　The officer called over his deputy, gave a few instructions, then mounted his horse and left.

Chapter 9: Your Majesty, why don’t the two of you share a drink?

　　Half an hour later.

　　“You little bandit, you’re quite the runner!”

　　Abraham Lincoln said to Brian Carter with a half-smile.

　　“No matter how well I run, it’s all in vain. I’m just a fish in the net. I might flop around before the net is drawn in, but when you pull it tight, all I can do is wait to be cooked.”

　　Brian Carter said sadly.

　　“Ha, ha, then today I’ll cook this fish.”

　　Abraham Lincoln said with a laugh.

　　“There are rumors that Your Majesty cooked the Prince of Fu, and even boiled him with a deer, calling it the ‘Fortune and Prosperity Banquet.’ Is that true?”

　　Brian Carter asked rather tactlessly.

　　“Wouldn’t that just dirty the deer?”

　　Abraham Lincoln sneered.

　　In fact, he had never done such a thing. After killing Prince Fu Zhu Changxun, the attendant Cui Sheng guarded the corpse and wept, finally obtaining a coffin for burial. Then Cui Sheng committed suicide at the prince’s tomb. As for the so-called ‘Fortune and Prosperity Banquet,’ it was just a story made up to cement his reputation for cruelty. Abraham Lincoln was no saint, but he wasn’t that depraved. As he said, that would only ruin a perfectly good deer.

　　“I feel the same way!”

　　Brian Carter nodded.

　　With that, he followed Abraham Lincoln inside, and Benjamin Thompson followed as well.

　　At this moment, the room was indeed set with a banquet, just as he had said earlier. The soldiers had brought it in, mainly because Brian Carter was truly hungry. After all, he’d been like a tomcat in heat, not stopping for an entire afternoon and half the night. Abraham Lincoln clearly thought this was more fitting for their status, so he readily sent over the banquet.

　　Franklin Roosevelt sat expressionless in the center, David Clark stood by his side, and the inner attendants surrounded them.

　　Abraham Lincoln didn’t even spare them a glance, walking straight to sit opposite Franklin Roosevelt. Benjamin Thompson stood behind him, while Brian Carter stood to the side as an attendant. There was no one else. What surprised him was that Abraham Lincoln hadn’t even brought the likes of Niu Jinxing—just himself and Benjamin Thompson. In any case, they weren’t worried about Franklin Roosevelt trying any tricks; the place was already surrounded, with hundreds of thousands of his men in the city. What tricks could possibly be played here?

　　For Brian Carter to take Abraham Lincoln hostage?

　　That would be suicide.

　　Once seated, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt stared at each other.

　　It was the first time the two had met, and both looked at each other with curiosity. To Franklin Roosevelt, this was the rebel who had brought ruin to his family. Of course, to Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt was the ultimate boss on his path of conquest. Now, sitting at the same table, so close, for a moment neither could think of what to say. Abraham Lincoln had already entered the palace, but after searching the treasury, he hadn’t found much silver. Instead, he found a pile of patched clothes in Franklin Roosevelt’s bedchamber. The image of a debauched and wanton tyrant had collapsed; after all, the emperor’s own clothes were even worse than those of the corrupt gentry he’d confiscated from. It was truly a shattering realization.

　　The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

　　“Your Majesty, why don’t the two of you share a drink?”

　　Brian Carter said cautiously.

　　“For what reason did you rebel?”

　　Franklin Roosevelt ignored him, looking at Abraham Lincoln and asking.