Mo’as looked at the war horses before him with some confusion. The Elder had transported five thousand war horses here.

Xerxes wanted to shout with joy. This was exactly what a warrior needed. Attila had relied on a powerful cavalry force to be invincible everywhere. He jumped onto a war horse without a saddle, clamped his legs, and the war horse began to gallop. After circling around, Mo’as tossed a round shield to Xerxes. When Xerxes came around again, a javelin came whistling toward him. Xerxes swung his left arm and easily deflected the javelin with his round shield. Controlling the war horse with his legs, he came to the Elder’s side and asked urgently, “Are these for us?”

The Elder didn’t speak. Xiao Miao interjected, “Of course. You were warriors to begin with—how could you not have horses? Not only do you have war horses, but also the sharpest weapons in the world and the most solid armor. Only then do you look like warriors.”

Xerxes didn’t cheer as Xiao Miao had expected. Instead, he lowered his head very sorrowfully. Mo’as walked over, patted his shoulder and said, “Judy doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to the family that abandoned us. The war horses here are what belong to you. Go choose—among five thousand war horses, you’ll surely find another Judy.”

The Elder clapped his hands, and a black war horse was led out from the herd by a herder. Seeing this war horse, tears immediately welled up in Xerxes’s eyes. Mo’as laughed heartily and walked forward, embracing the magnificent horse that kept shaking its head trying to break free from the rope. He turned back to Xerxes and said, “Look, Xerxes, Judy is here.”

Then he took the reins from the herder’s hand, hooked them on the cross-hook of the saddle hanging on the horse’s back, and gently patted Judy’s neck. The horse quickly walked to Xerxes’s side and kept nudging him with its head.

“Run, Xerxes!” Mo’as shouted loudly.

“Run, Xerxes!” Xiao Miao found it interesting and also shouted.

“Run, Xerxes!” All the war slaves shouted together.

Xerxes leaped onto the horse’s back. Judy lifted its head and neighed, its front hooves rising into the air, kicking twice in the void. Its hind legs exerted force, and its entire body immediately shot forward like an arrow. Xerxes released the reins, allowing Judy to run freely.

Mo’as came to Liu Fang’s side, crossed his arms in salute and said, “Respected Elder, your painstaking efforts will surely yield the most abundant fruit. Among all of us, only Xerxes is a natural cavalry commander. He will train an elite cavalry force for His Highness.”

After listening to Xiao Miao’s translation, Liu Fang nodded with satisfaction, then prepared to return to the city. Training cavalry naturally needed to be entrusted to specialized talent, such as Xerxes. A war horse worth fifty silver coins could gain a cavalry commander—Liu Fang felt it was very worthwhile.

Xiao Miao’s army didn’t need large numbers—ten thousand men would be enough. But these ten thousand men all needed to be the most ferocious people. Only desperadoes truly didn’t care about their own lives. As for rational people, Liu Fang believed having himself alone was sufficient.

The angel Anqi was recruiting guards—this was the recent topic among the people of Suiye City. Written on a huge cowhide was one sentence: “Only the most valiant are worthy to join!”

If these words weren’t enough to move hearts, then the words on another cowhide drove the men of Suiye City into madness: Two silver coins per month! That’s what the cowhide said.

In Suiye City, one silver coin could support a family of five. Two silver coins would be enough for them to live a middle-class life. Times were hard now, eating wasn’t easy, and even the strongest warriors could barely fill their bellies. Therefore, very many people signed up.

Ren Xiong never asked what recruits had done in the past. The more fierce-looking their faces, the more he liked them. As long as these people could withstand ten exchanges under the war slaves’ large shields and short swords, he would immediately agree to let them join.

Ten thousand men—Xiao Miao only wanted ten thousand men, not one more. When Xiao Miao’s guard had recruited enough people, the area outside the camp was still surrounded by those wanting to join.

“You need me, you absolutely will need me! Sir, if you don’t recruit me, you’ll definitely regret it!” A ragged prisoner loudly shouted toward the camp, pulling at the iron chain at his feet until it clanged noisily. The fellow chained to the other end was unwilling to approach the camp and wanted to drag him away from this place that made him feel ashamed.

The Lord of Suiye City didn’t have surplus grain to feed prisoners, so his method was to use thick iron chains to lock two people’s ankles together, then throw them into the streets to beg for survival. If one was starved to death, another would immediately be replaced.

Liu Fang listened for a while, then suddenly ordered Ren Xiong to bring this prisoner in. He wanted to ask why they would regret it.

“Speak then. Why do you say this? If the reason you give is recognized by us, congratulations—you’ve joined the guard. If your reason can’t persuade us, that general will chop off your head.”

A clerk from the Yun Family merchant caravan looked at this emaciated man with interest and said to him.

“Please kill the fellow beside me. I don’t want to look at him again,” the prisoner said to the clerk.

The clerk casually called over a newly recruited soldier and gave an instruction. That soldier very decisively chopped off the other prisoner’s head with one strike. Killing a person carried no burden for him.

The prisoner sat down, took out a small knife from his bosom, and bit by bit carved away all the flesh on the dead prisoner’s left foot. He extracted that foot from the shackles, threw it aside, then quickly stood up. Straightening his tattered clothes, he respectfully bowed to Liu Fang and said, “You won’t regret your decision today. The humble Abbas is willing to serve you, sir.”

Liu Fang laughed and gave an instruction to the Yun Family clerk. Then the clerk said with a smile, “Abbas, listen clearly. Now tell us why we’ll regret this. If you don’t speak, we won’t chain you together with a fellow who likes men again. See that wild, untamable magnificent horse? We’ll tie you and it together, then set fire to its tail. Do you want to know the consequences?”

Abbas wasn’t afraid. Instead, after bowing to Liu Fang again, he said, “Miss Anqi is the most powerful warrior. The ten thousand men you’ve recruited will also become great warriors. The army they form will become an invincible force. And the wise sir, you possess incomparable wisdom. Thus, you and Miss Anqi, along with these warriors, will form the strongest giant, whose formidable military power can sweep away everything. But even the invincible Achilles had the weakness of his heel—how could your giant be an exception?”

“You may not fear the lion’s attack, but a viper’s venom can equally weaken this giant until it crashes to the ground. Respected sir, Abbas is a hyena following at the giant’s feet, specifically devouring vipers. Now you need such a hyena to serve you, because many people of unknown origin have already infiltrated your army. They are vipers, one after another, ready to viciously bite when you’re unprepared.”

“Abbas’s greatest talent is never mistaking people, and also having an exceptionally keen nose. Do you see that fellow wearing leather armor and holding a curved blade? He’s a warrior from the City Lord’s household. Believe me, I won’t be mistaken. Miss Anqi surely wouldn’t want people from the City Lord’s household appearing in her army for no reason.”

“And that person holding a horizontal blade and hiding in the shadows is also an interesting person. One evening, when Abbas was sleeping in a corner, I inadvertently saw him in secret talks with people from the Ashina family. Although the moon only illuminated half his face, please believe me, that person is definitely him. Miss Anqi killed all the adult men of the Ashina family. Doesn’t the appearance of Ashina family members in Miss Anqi’s army deserve your consideration, sir?”

After hearing the clerk’s retelling, Liu Fang laughed very happily and said to the clerk, “Remove his shackles, let him bathe, and give him clean clothes and piping hot food. We need him to maintain his best condition to find the enemies lurking in the army. Tell him we won’t ask about his past. As long as he can loyally do his job well, whatever he wants, we’ll satisfy him.”

The clerk happily relayed Liu Fang’s words to Abbas. Abbas knelt before Liu Fang and said loudly, “I don’t need money, I don’t need beautiful women. I can work like a hyena, without rest day or night. I can even sign an indenture contract. My lord, I have only one request. I only ask that after Miss Anqi achieves final victory, you lend me five hundred of the most furious knights, let me lead them back to my homeland, attack a small fortress, and allow me to act as I will. My lord, please grant me this request.”

“Rage and hatred are indeed the most unforgettable things. Abbas, your request has been granted. Whether the opponent is good or evil, the great army will firmly stand on your side for only one reason—you’re one of our own.”

Liu Fang patted Abbas’s dirty, disheveled hair and left the camp with his hands behind his back. He could finally leave the camp with peace of mind to attend to his own affairs. Clearly, Abbas was a person with a good background. His memory was excellent, he was very intelligent, and therefore very suitable to be a spy. The most wonderful thing about this fellow was that he was blinded by hatred. As long as one promised to help him take revenge, he would do the craziest things in the world. In his own long life of over seventy years, Liu Fang had seen many such people.

From then on, Xiao Miao was surprised to discover another refined and cultured fellow had been added to her dining table. He was very polite to everyone—even the humblest servants could receive his praise. His gray eyes were full of warmth, full of trust toward everyone.

But Xiao Miao didn’t like him at all, never had. Because she smelled a thick scent of blood from this fellow, a scent even heavier than that of Ren Xiong, who specialized in killing people.