“Brian, when you were studying in the south, did you ever hear of a southern barbarian army called the ‘Wolf Army’?” General Grant turned to Brian Foster and asked.

Brian Foster glanced at the General’s serious expression and replied doubtfully, “Never. Isn’t this army just the other large camp we’re supposed to deal with?”

General Grant said, “Exactly. You’ve only just arrived at the battlefield, and in less than three days you’ve already arranged such a great victory for me. I suppose you must have some understanding of these southern generals, right?”

Brian Foster replied solemnly, “Brian Foster has received great favor from the lord, who took me in from a young age and even sent Brian to the Southern Dynasty to study their culture and gather intelligence. Brian would never dare to slack off in the slightest, always working diligently. In order to repay the lord’s kindness, before going into battle I had already thoroughly investigated the temperaments and personalities of these officers.”

Looking at the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield in the distance, Brian Foster continued, “Take this William Thompson, for example. He governs his troops with strict discipline, always by the book, and is utterly loyal to the Southern Dynasty. But his weakness lies precisely in this. As the saying goes, ‘When a general is in the field, he may disregard the emperor’s orders.’ Yet William Thompson, just for a mere envoy, opened the camp gates wide and personally came out to greet him as a sign of respect, even leading all the troops, great and small, to kneel in welcome. How could such a thing be allowed between two armies?”

After a pause, he went on, “The officer of the fourth camp, Henry Cooper, is nothing but a fool. If it weren’t for his backing at court, he wouldn’t even qualify as a squad leader. Moreover, most of his soldiers despise him and don’t follow his orders, so there’s no real chain of command. How could someone like that possibly see through my carefully laid plans? Besides, the fourth camp is made up entirely of convict soldiers, numbering only about four thousand. How could they possibly stand against our ten thousand iron cavalry?”

General Grant looked at Brian Foster’s spirited face and sighed inwardly, then said, “Brian, you’ve just joined the army and aren’t familiar with the battlefield, nor have you experienced real combat. In the Southern Dynasty, you mainly relied on the court officials to gather intelligence, so it’s normal that you don’t know about the Wolf Army. But you must never underestimate the enemy!”

“Oh!” Brian Foster’s interest was piqued by General Grant’s words, and he asked in return, “Is this Wolf Army really so formidable? Why is there not a single mention of them in the Southern Dynasty’s intelligence?”

General Grant turned to look at the confused Brian Foster and called out sharply, “Eric!”

“Here,” a retainer from the rear rode forward, came to his side, and reported respectfully, “Reporting to my lord, because the Wolf Army is made up of convicts, their achievements are never mentioned in official reports.”

Brian Foster was greatly surprised. “Could it be that the Wolf Army is actually this convict army?”

Eric replied, “Exactly.”

General Grant turned and said, “Eric, you’ve faced the Wolf Army in battle. Tell Brian about their situation.”

“Yes.” Eric said, “The Wolf Army was originally formed from convicts exiled by the Southern Dynasty. They’ve always been undisciplined and lawless, so much so that even the great generals guarding the border never paid them any mind. In past battles, they were mostly used as cannon fodder and sent to die. But in recent years, as the Southern Dynasty has enjoyed peace and prosperity, the number of convicts has gradually decreased, so the convict army has not been expanded and has remained at around twenty thousand. After countless battles, the convict army has slowly dwindled to its current size, with just over four thousand left.”

Brian Foster was still puzzled and pressed further, “Then why is the convict army called the Wolf Army?”

Eric continued, “The Wolf Army is famous for two reasons. First, they don’t obey orders—no Wolf Army officer has ever lasted more than three months in command. Second, every member of the Wolf Army is as fierce as a wolf or tiger. Five years ago, the convict army still had over twenty thousand men, but four years ago it had already dropped to five thousand. Yet even now, after countless battles, there are still more than four thousand left.”

“Hiss—” Brian Foster drew in a sharp breath. “Could the Wolf Army really be so fierce?”

Eric said, “Currently, the Wolf Army is half infantry and half cavalry. A year ago, my lord sent us to lead five thousand elite cavalry to contain the Wolf Army. Who would have thought that as soon as we engaged, the Wolf Army fought us head-on.”

Brian Foster said, “So does that mean every member of the Wolf Army is just aggressive and combative? If so, they shouldn’t be too hard to deal with.”

Eric said, “The five thousand elite cavalry we led were the most elite ‘Tiger Guards’ in our army, each one worth ten ordinary soldiers, invincible on the battlefield.”

Brian Foster suddenly interrupted Eric and asked, “Wait, a year ago when the Southern Dynasty won a great victory and the border commander Samuel Wright defeated our Tiger Guards and was promoted three ranks, was he actually leading the Wolf Army?”

Eric said, “No. At that time, the Wolf Army was not under Samuel Wright’s command.”

Brian Foster asked in surprise, “Then why did the Southern Dynasty’s official report credit Samuel Wright?”

“That’s exactly why you’ve never heard of the Wolf Army,” General Grant took over the conversation.

Brian Foster was quick-witted and immediately caught on. “Could it be that the Wolf Army’s achievements have never been rewarded? Why do they still fight so desperately?”

“Hehehehe, exiled convicts only need to survive five years in the convict camp to shed their convict status and return to their original homes. But in the heat of battle, surviving five years was nearly impossible in the past.” General Grant sighed deeply.

Brian Foster seemed to sense something and asked cautiously, “My lord, since the Wolf Army is so formidable, why didn’t you warn me when I was making my plans?”

General Grant laughed, “You are clever and have studied in the Southern Dynasty for many years, but you are also proud and tend to theorize on paper. If you don’t suffer a few setbacks, how will you know there’s always someone better out there? How can you become truly great?”