Brian Foster was still unconvinced when suddenly an urgent report was heard, “Report—”, as a scout galloped over, dismounted, knelt on one knee, and reported, “Reporting to my lord, the fourth camp is heavily guarded. The ten thousand troops attempting to ambush the fourth camp were discovered from ten li away. There is no news from General Frank, who was posing as an envoy. Our army was harassed by two squads of a hundred scouts each, resulting in over six hundred casualties. The enemy suffered no losses.”

The Khitan general asked anxiously, “What, still no news from Frank?”

“Reporting to my lord, General Frank sent a signal two ke ago indicating the operation had failed and he could not escape. There has been no sign of the general’s return since,” the scout replied respectfully.

“You may go!” The general waved his hand. The scout turned and left.

Turning his head, he asked, “Brian, what do you think?”

Brian Foster was now more cautious. After thinking for a moment, he said, “My lord, for the Wolf Army to be so vigilant is definitely not the style of that fool Henry Cooper. It can be concluded that there must be a highly skilled strategist orchestrating things within the Wolf Army.”

The Khitan general looked at Brian Foster and nodded, “Indeed, there is a highly skilled figure in the Wolf Army—so skilled it’s frightening. Because of this person, the prisoner army has been renamed ‘Wolf Army’ by our soldiers who have fought them. Because of this person, I have lost men and officers, and for five years have been unable to advance even a step past the Leichi. Even my ‘Tiger Guards’, whom I trained meticulously for ten years and who were invincible beyond the frontier, lost half their number in a single battle. Now, the entire army is terrified at the mention of the Wolf Army. Otherwise, how could a mere two squads of scouts dare to harass and attack my force of ten thousand, kill over six hundred, and retreat unscathed?”

Brian Foster asked in shock, “Such a person really exists? Who is it?”

The Khitan general sighed and replied, “We never took the prisoner army seriously. In the past, we only went through the motions in battle, and both sides suffered casualties. But in recent years, the Wolf Army has hardly suffered any major losses, while our casualties have been heavy. Eventually, I had to send my elite Tiger Guards to contain the Wolf Army—five thousand men, but they were wiped out in a single battle. Since then, no one in my army dares to provoke them lightly. Now, every engagement is fought with long spears and large shields, with defense as the priority, never taking the initiative. Such military might is truly enviable!”

Brian Foster laughed, “My lord, you still haven’t said who this person is. Why are they in the prisoner camp?”

Eric took over, “It’s not that my lord is hiding anything. The truth is, even we don’t know who this person is.”

Brian Foster was silent for a moment, then dismounted, knelt on the ground, and said respectfully, “My lord, Brian failed to plan thoroughly and caused the death of General Frank. I request punishment!”

The Khitan general looked down at the kneeling Brian Foster and said, “You are new here, but you have already helped us capture the Southern Dynasty’s third camp and destroy ten thousand enemies, greatly boosting morale. Such merit cannot be punished.” He paused, then added, “Besides, I intended for you to suffer a setback at the hands of the Wolf Army, to learn a lesson. I hope you remember it well.”

Brian Foster kowtowed and said, “Brian accepts the lesson.”

The Khitan general continued, “Don’t belittle yourself. The Wolf Army may be formidable, but the Southern Barbarians’ court knows nothing of it. By next month, these men will be discharged and return home. You need not worry too much. You may rise.”

Brian Foster stood up and replied, “Yes.” But in his heart, he kept wondering who could be so formidable as to earn the Khitan king’s admiration, yet leave not a single trace to follow.

The group rode back to the Khitan main camp.

Meanwhile, in the fourth camp, a contest was underway.

Charles Brooks was still furious. The impostor envoy turned out to be a master, killing fourteen brothers even while surrounded. Seeing his comrades bleed, Charles Brooks’s eyes turned red. He personally joined the fight, and after a whole incense stick’s time of fierce combat, finally found an opening and used a blade technique taught by the boss to slice open the tough enemy’s belly.

Watching the two squads of a hundred scouts swagger back, Charles Brooks was even more upset. This was trouble—if the boss found out, he’d be skinned alive. Thinking of the boss’s usual methods against enemies, and then looking at the corpse of the enemy he’d killed, he still felt uneasy. Why was the boss’s move so bloody, making it so hard to leave a whole corpse?

As he was feeling uneasy, he looked up and saw a smiling, nodding face—a habitual smile, a calm expression. Seeing this face, at least ten years younger than himself, Charles Brooks was truly startled.

“Boss, I…” Charles Brooks cried out in panic.

The young man waved to stop him from speaking, “I saw everything.” Charles Brooks was startled again—did that mean he’d also seen his brothers being killed?

The young man shook his head and said, “That was a master, at least of general rank. Judging by his moves, he was probably the Khitan Tiger Guard commander known as the ‘Smiling Tiger’, Frank.”

After hearing this, Charles Brooks was shocked again. What was going on today, that he kept getting startled?

But this time, he was truly stunned. He had actually killed Frank. Charles Brooks could hardly believe it.

Although he was a lay disciple of Shaolin, skilled in both internal and external arts, and had become a centurion in the prisoner camp thanks to his martial prowess, he had never dared to hope that he could, by himself, kill the “Smiling Tiger”, one of the “Three Tigers Beyond the Frontier”.

“What, you don’t believe he was Frank?” the young man asked with a smile.