On the Tongue

"Sergeant Donnie, you're in charge of continuing the pursuit..." Sean shouted his orders to Sergeant Donnie not far away after catching his breath. Then he turned his head to look at the river bandits who had been knocked into the water and said to Thor, "Thor, command the soldiers to put out the fire on the grain ship. Also, I want prisoners..." He pointed at a few bandits still splashing in the river.

Just ten minutes later, Thor directed the soldiers, working with the grain ship's crew, to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, the soldiers left on board used grappling hooks to haul over a dozen struggling bandits from the river onto the guard ship, among them the figure of Big Boss.

Sergeant Donnie had already rendezvoused with another Independent Squadron. Under the pincer attack from both sides—especially after their leader fell into the water and disappeared—the several bandit fast boats that had been besieging them abandoned their comrades' corpses and turned tail, fleeing deep into the swamp.

The sudden ambush and counterattack ended just like that. After checking their losses, the Transport Fleet regrouped. The guard ship Sean was on arrived at the waters where the initial battle had taken place. Soldiers from the other Independent Squadron, who had been fighting the bandits, were also cleaning up the battlefield.

"Senior Anderson, are you injured?" Sean shouted toward a black-haired young man standing at the bow of one of the guard ships, loudly directing the soldiers. The black-haired young man turned his head toward Sean and broke into a smile.

"Haha... Junior Winchester, you're here. I'm fine, thank you for your concern..." Senior Anderson laughed loudly in reply. He took a couple of steps closer to the railing near Sean and then praised him loudly, "Junior, you're something else... I saw that outrageous move of yours just now. No wonder everyone's saying you're the most talented cadet the academy has seen in a hundred years. Impressive, truly impressive..." He even gave Sean a thumbs-up, looking utterly admiring.

"Senior, you flatter me... I just work a bit harder than others," Sean replied with a modest smile, not wanting to come off as too arrogant. Then, pointing at the captured fast boats, he asked with a grin, "Senior, I'm planning to tow all these captured bandit boats back. After selling them, we can give the soldiers some rewards... What do you think?"

"Haha, looks like we're on the same page. How about we follow the usual practice?" Senior Anderson laughed heartily after hearing Sean's question, looking thoroughly pleased. Then he proposed a distribution plan with a smile.

The so-called usual practice referred to the standard method of dividing spoils within the Imperial Army: whoever captured it kept it.

The two of them cheerfully divided the seven captured fast boats. Sean got four of them, since he had indeed captured the most. Afterward, Sean bid farewell to Senior Anderson and led the other guard ship, commanded by Sergeant Donnie, back to the rear of the fleet. By then, the entire Transport Fleet was nearly ready to set off again, waiting only for Sean and the others to give the order to sail.

"Young Master, we lost one soldier this time... and one seriously wounded, plus three lightly injured." Thor reported to Sean, who stood at the bow, his tone slightly low and heavy. After a pause, he continued, "We also captured twelve bandits and killed about thirty of them... Do you have any further orders, Young Master?"

Sean pondered for a moment, then instructed Thor, "Thor, gather all the soldiers on board. I have something to say."

Soon, after a few hurried footsteps, all twenty-three soldiers on the ship stood neatly in formation before Sean. His gaze swept over them, and he spoke loudly, "Soldiers, just now, I was glad to see each of you perform bravely... You dealt a heavy blow to those vicious river bandits, inflicting heavy casualties on them..."

"Congratulations. I will personally report your merits and request rewards for you..." Sean paused after speaking, noticing the faint excitement on the soldiers' faces. His tone then turned grave as he continued, "But unfortunately, one of our fine warriors has left us forever... Please join me in a moment of silence for him." With that, Sean turned and saluted the body lying on the deck, covered with a white cloth. The other soldiers also dropped their smiles and saluted the body with solemn attention.

After a minute, Sean lowered his hand and turned to look at the soldiers, their faces heavy with emotion. Generals die in battle—since ancient times, all soldiers have been nothing more than expendables on the battlefield, waiting to be consumed in the next fight.

Pushing aside his stray thoughts, Sean smiled and continued, "Besides the Garrison's pension, the family of the fallen soldier will receive an extra share from the spoils of war. The seriously and lightly wounded will also get additional compensation..."

The soldiers stirred slightly at Sean's words but quickly settled down. Their eyes focused intently on him, and Sean could see recognition and gratitude in them. This was exactly what he had expected, and he had finally shed the awkward identity of an Academy Officer, earning the soldiers' genuine acceptance.

"From now on, as long as I'm your commander, we'll follow this example—extra compensation for the fallen and wounded," Sean declared in an unwavering voice. Then, looking at the soldiers' stirred expressions, he nodded in satisfaction.

He turned to Thor and ordered loudly, "Thor, bring the prisoners up."

Thor, equally stirred with emotion, had a fire burning deep in his eyes and looked at his Young Master with reverence. It was an expression of both pride and awe. Hearing Sean's command, he immediately answered, "Yes!" and turned to call his squad, heading toward the prisoners.

Soon, the prisoners were dragged stumbling before Sean by Thor and his soldiers, then forced to kneel on the deck under their pressure. Sean's cold eyes swept over the wretched bandit captives. Some wore defiant expressions, while others trembled in fear.

Sean smirked and pointed at a defiant, bearded middle-aged bandit. "Want to live... or die?"

The bearded bandit, roughly forced to kneel on the deck by two soldiers, still glared at Sean with hatred. Faced with Sean's cold question, he pressed his lips together and said nothing.

"Thor, did you personally kill any bandits in the battle just now?" Unexpectedly, Sean ignored the bandit's hateful glare and instead asked Thor in a gentle tone.

Thor was taken aback for a moment, then said sheepishly, "Young Master, I think I hit one bandit with an arrow, but..." He didn't finish, implying the bandit either escaped or sank to the riverbed.

"You've only been practicing archery for half a year; hitting one is already good," Sean comforted Thor gently. After a brief pause, his expression turned flat as he continued, "Since you haven't killed anyone yet, kill this one." He pointed at the defiant bearded bandit.

The moment Sean's calm words fell, the bearded bandit began struggling violently. But with his hands tied behind his back and two soldiers holding him down, he remained pinned to the deck. Thor showed a hint of hesitation, but under Sean's steady gaze, he took a deep breath, drew his sword, and thrust it straight into the bearded bandit's chest amid his terrified screams. The bandit's dying cry was cut short like a pair of invisible scissors snipping it off. His eyes gradually glazed over, and he collapsed into his own pool of blood.

The remaining bandit captives trembled uncontrollably like frightened quails.

Thor clearly felt the discomfort of his first kill. He pulled out his longsword, stumbled back a few steps, and gasped heavily.

Sean smiled and encouraged Thor, then turned to another bandit and repeated softly, "Want to live... or die?"

The young bandit Sean addressed turned pale instantly and slumped onto the deck. Fear shone in his eyes as his lips quivered, unable to speak.

Sean looked back at Phil behind him and jerked his chin.

Phil immediately understood Sean's intent. Whether from fear or excitement, his hands trembled as he slowly drew his longsword. Amid the young bandit's panicked cries of "Please..." he stepped forward, gripped the hilt with both hands, hesitated briefly, then thrust it into the young bandit's body. The young bandit's pleas turned into screams, but soon faded to nothing.

Even some of the soldiers were unnerved by Sean's brutal orders, their scalps tingling. But a few veterans looked at Thor and Phil with envy, clearly seeing that Sean was deliberately training them. This meant Thor and Phil would continue to receive Sean's guidance and favor.

Phil, splattered with blood, stepped back in some panic. The remaining bandit captives looked at Sean, who was still smiling gently, as if they were staring at the most terrifying demon. They curled up desperately, and a few even had murky liquid pooling beneath them, making Sean grimace in disgust.

Sean frowned but kept his cold smile. "Gentlemen, congratulations. Our little game is over for now." Then his sharp eyes locked onto Big Boss, and he sneered, "So, Mr. Boss, can you tell me what I want to know? Of course... I'd be most grateful." Though he used a questioning tone, his meaning was clearly a statement.

"Sir, wh-what do you want to know?" Big Boss asked, trembling and terrified in the face of Sean, who killed so casually while chatting.

"Excellent. It seems we can have a pleasant conversation from now on..." Sean said with a seemingly lighthearted laugh after hearing Big Boss's words. Then he ordered the soldiers, "Lock the other prisoners in the hold and keep a close watch. As for Mr. Boss... get him a clean set of clothes and invite him to my cabin." With that, Sean turned and leisurely strolled back to his own cabin.