The Camp

On the open training ground in front of the castle.

Zhou Ming held a spear and continuously charged at the scarecrow in front of him.

Zhou Ming was very serious, his attention completely focused on the scarecrow. With each charge, he quickly and accurately stabbed the scarecrow in five places: the mouth, eyes, neck, chest, and heart. The scarecrow in front of him was soon unrecognizable.

Ten years, nearly ten years. Except for the two months he spent recovering from injuries, he hadn't missed a single day of his spear thrust training. Even when staying in the castle, every night he would take out the sandbag and Birch Pole from under his bed and practice simulated training against several points drawn on the wall.

In this pre-battle training, he didn't hide his strength. In a corner where others weren't paying much attention, he used all his might, thrusting again and again, treating the scarecrow in front of him as an enemy on the battlefield.

"Ryan, when did you start practicing the spear? Your spear technique is better than the Hebrew Pikemen (mercenaries from the Hebrew Kingdom in the south, famous for their spear formations) I've seen." Knight Morris, who had been standing beside him at some point, spoke up.

"Is that so? Can my spear thrust technique help me survive on the battlefield?"

Zhou Ming stopped, turned his head, and looked at the middle-aged knight.

Knight Morris paused, thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know. Pikemen are only somewhat useful against knights when they are together. Your spear technique is somewhat useful against peasants. As for knights and mercenaries... good luck, my child."

Zhou Ming lowered his head and continued practicing his spear thrust. Although this war only assigned him the task of transporting supplies, he had a vague feeling that what awaited him was definitely not as simple as transporting supplies. Fighting desperately on the front line might be waiting for him—in his hundreds of years of survival experience, this kind of premonition had never been wrong.

Twenty days later.

The sky was clear, and the autumn sun was warm.

Both sides of the road at the entrance of Glan Territory's castle were filled with people who had come to see them off.

Small Rose Flower petals were scattered in the air, sweet bread was stuffed into sons' hands by their mothers, and young women cried while embracing their husbands who were going to war—in this fine weather, a heavy haze hung over everything.

"Ryan, you must be careful, watch out for those arrows flying around in the sky. When you come back, we'll go teach that damned fat pig Baum a lesson together!"

Donny pulled Zhou Ming, saying indignantly. Ryan was his only personal servant, and Baum actually made him transport supplies. In this huge castle, were there still a few servants short for transporting supplies?

Zhou Ming, who was driving an ox cart loaded with many supplies, stopped for a moment and said to Donny, "Donny, during the time I'm away, please take care of Alice. Whether I come back alive or not, you must help me take good care of her. Can you promise me this?"

"Leave this to me! Ryan, I promise you, during the time you're away, no one will dare to bully Alice!" Donny patted his chest and promised. When it came to protecting women, no one was better at it than him, especially protecting beautiful women...

"Then I can rest assured." Zhou Ming nodded and continued to drive the ox cart.

"Brother, brother, you must be careful, you must come back safe and sound!"

At this moment, a young girl with a good figure and lovely appearance, under the gaze of a crowd of men, carried a basket full of cakes, dried meat, bread, and other food, walked up to Zhou Ming, handed the basket to him, and with tears in her eyes, held his hand, her eyes full of reluctance.

"I know, Alice, trust your brother, I will definitely come back!"

Zhou Ming nodded firmly, bidding farewell to this sister he was so worried about.

"Tsk tsk, that hot figure, that cute face, those full buttocks and chest... Young Master Edward, in the entire Glan Territory, there should be no other woman comparable to Alice, right?" Riding on a tall horse, gazing infatuatedly at Alice's receding back, the fat Baum felt his mouth dry and his blood quicken.

"After this war is over, let Alice be my personal maid. Annie is already old, it's time for a new one." Edward wasn't actually that interested in women, but hearing Baum say this, and feeling a bit hot-blooded himself looking at that back, he suddenly felt that perhaps he should change his maid.

"Yes, Young Master Edward!" The fat Baum said with a fawning smile, wanting to slap himself twice in the face.

On a high ground north of Glan Territory.

A well-arranged camp enclosed by a wooden fence stood up, bringing unprecedented noise to this quiet grassland.

Accents from various places echoed through the camp, warhorses neighed in the stables, bards sat on haystacks singing epic tales of heroes, traveling merchants who had heard the news were hawking all sorts of goods and souvenirs, and prostitutes soliciting customers from within their covered wagons emitted blush-inducing moans day and night.

Zhou Ming stared dumbfounded at everything in the camp. This is a military camp? A military camp where all the warriors who are about to go to war and fight bloody battles are stationed?

It was more like a chaotic mix of a market, a concert venue, a stable, a mobile brothel, and various other odds and ends.

However, everything that exists naturally has its reason for existing. Looking at the decadent behavior of the mercenaries who were spending money like water, the noble knights lying in wine barrels, and even the peasants who usually wouldn't spend a single copper coin but were generously taking out ten copper coins today just to touch the snowy-white chest of a prostitute, Zhou Ming understood: existence is reasonable. Facing the unknown and the possibility of death at any moment tomorrow, seeking immediate pleasure had become the main way for these warriors to relieve stress.

Zhou Ming also spent ten copper coins to buy a cup of malt liquor from a wine merchant, hoping to use this drink to ease the pressure in his heart.

"Ryan, so you're here. I've been looking all over for you. It's like this, Mr. Wade accidentally sprained his foot on the march today. He won't be able to be at the front on tomorrow's battlefield, but the Third Peasant Team is short one person. Young Master Edward discussed it with the captain of the Third Peasant Team and decided to transfer someone from the supply team. You're strong and healthy, so there shouldn't be a problem with sending you up, right?"

Just as Zhou Ming was about to taste the malt liquor, he heard the words he least wanted to hear.

"No problem, Mr. Baum."

Zhou Ming poured the malt liquor in his hand onto the ground, returned the cup to the wine merchant, clenched his fists, and returned to the supply team's tent.

Baum, one day, I will kill you with my own hands!