Outside the city of Ming, tens of thousands of troops slowly marched forward.

  Arrived at the foot of the city, set up camp and settled in, busy as can be.

  The gates were thrown open, and a number of horsemen rode out at full speed to the front of the main body. A fine-looking young general called out loudly: "Where is Colonel Bancroft?"

  "Haha......"

  A loud and unrestrained laughter came from the team, a burly man of extraordinary stature stepped out with big strides.

  His hair was curled like a carpenter's shavings, and even the color was like pine wood. At a glance, it left a very deep impression on people.

  "Look who's here, Artuso Legion Commander. I'm not mistaken, am I? The esteemed Second Legion, and the commander himself has come out to greet me in person."

  Artuso's handsome face, as sharp as a knife, revealed an almost imperceptible cold smile: "Artuso has been ordered by the Second Highness to invite the General into the city to discuss the conquest of Han."

  "Cut down?" Bancroft's mouth opened wide in exaggerated surprise, and he laughed: "If I'm not mistaken, didn't our respected Second Highness and your - Artuso Military Commander's second legion already cut down these disobedient heretics who refused to follow the divine guidance once before? What was the outcome, I wonder?"

  Artuso's handsome face suddenly turned pale, his fists clenched tightly. However, his tone was still calm as usual: "We didn't encounter the main enemy forces' resistance, so we're back."

  He stared at him in astonishment, Bancroft was extremely surprised in his heart. Artuso was one of the few young high-ranking generals in the Caesar Empire, along with Caesar's third son Aljernon, Adis of the Fifth Legion, and he, Bancroft, were known as the four great young legion commanders of the empire.

  Just because they have different ways of doing things, their evaluations are also slightly different.

  Among these four young outstanding generals, Artuso was the most prestigious and first-class legion commander.

  Secondly, it was the third prince Ardygion who led the Third Legion to conquer thousands of miles eastward, opening up new territories for the empire and plundering countless wealth. If he hadn't been defeated by the sudden rise of the Black Flag Army when he was complacent, this number one position would have been his long ago.

  The deputy commander of the Fifth Legion, Adis, although he was the only deputy commander among the four of them, still ranked above Bancroft.

  Bancroft's own merits and abilities were in no way inferior to those of the other three, but the evaluation he received was far from it, and he could only be relegated to a lower position.

  Algrenon, being the son of Emperor Caesar, even though he suffered a crushing defeat in the East and nearly lost his entire legion, did not dare to show any hint of criticism or ridicule in public.

  For Adis, he was even more helpless. Although the other party was only a deputy regimental commander, the Fifth and Sixth Regiments had always been directly under the Lion King family. As long as Adis was willing, he could take on the role of Regiment Commander of these two regiments at any time.

  Not even Caesar could stop this, as the Rhein family's influence was deeply rooted in Caesar's home ground, and their loyal allies occupied a quarter of the 108 seats in the Upper House. Such great power made even him, the supreme one, dare not to take it lightly.

  Bancroft, though proud, had some self-knowledge and knew he could not compare with this paragon of the heavens. The great disparity in their family backgrounds was not something that his own merits could make up for.

  In the vast and boundless imperial territory, Adis' noble status is absolutely one of the few people who can be counted on his fingers, and has already surpassed the three sons of the great emperor.

  His unexpected defeat in Northern Xinjiang resulted in the loss of two thousand war horses. At such a moment, what did these two thousand fine war horses represent? They couldn't have been unaware.

  If it were someone else, they would have been beheaded by Caesar long ago. However, in exchange for Adis' freedom, even the Emperor himself only made a couple of sarcastic remarks and then dropped the matter.

  It never occurred to Bancroft that Algernon and Adis would ever be on anything but the most distant terms.

  But Atuso is different.

  As for their family backgrounds, they both came from noble families of Caesar's clan. Their ages were similar, and even the timing of joining the army was coincidentally in the same year.

  After joining the army, they showed no fear and fought bravely, achieving great military successes. If there was anyone among Caesar's younger generation who could rival them in terms of military achievements, it would have been Prince Algrenon III before his defeat.

  However, the prices they get for their products are vastly different.

  Atticus was humble, dignified in his demeanor, elegant in speech and measured in action. He maintained a courteous attitude towards everyone, making him the most noble knight in the Caesar Empire.

  Perhaps it was only when he met the Second Prince Absolon that he would lose his usual calmness and courtesy. However, this was a secret unknown to others.

  As for him - Bancroft, he is a completely different type of commander. In his motto, there are only two words: "Strong". His greatest wish is to be able to trample all enemies underfoot, so he can order the slaughter of cities without hesitation, and plunder everything belonging to heretics mercilessly.

  He was delighted to see those pagans struggling on the brink of life and death, for him, nothing could be more stimulating than this to his almost numb senses.

  So he never directed a campaign with delicate steps and beautiful planning, his tactics were simple and practical, and full of bloodshed, including that of the enemy and his own.

  Perhaps it was because of this that his troops were called butchers, and not liked by those old fogies in the Senate. He would be ranked last among the four with the highest military achievements.

  As for Artuso, he was very familiar with him and knew more about this person's calmness, but today he seemed a bit unusual.

  "General Atusso..."

  A hoary voice came from behind Bancroft, his face slightly moved, and he quickly made way for the passage. Just by looking at him being so arrogant, one can imagine the status of the person behind him.

  "Lord Harry." Artuso exclaimed in surprise, clearly the arrival was completely beyond his expectation.

  An old man over sixty years old walked out of the camp, his hair and beard were all white, like silver threads, fluttering in the wind, shining with crystal clear white light.

  Artuso immediately dismounted and bowed respectfully: "Lord Harry, how did you come here?"

  Harry walked up to Artuso with a smile all over his face, and in the eyes of this young knight, there was a heartfelt love: "I have received the order from His Holiness the Pope, and I will follow General Bannockburn to conquer the Han people."

  "You? With him?" Atuso's face was incredulous.

  Bankcroft's face showed a trace of anger and he said, "Colonel Artuso, is there something wrong?"

  Artuso looked at him coldly and said, "How can the respected knight follow a crazy executioner around?"

  Bancroft's face was red with rage and he was about to berate him when Harry spoke up in a low voice, "Alright, no need to quarrel."

  He opened his mouth, and finally closed it with a sense of unspoken words.

  "Our enemies are not here, but ahead. If the two of you have any grudges, why don't we settle them on the battlefield?" Harry advised.

  Almost simultaneously, the two legion commanders lifted their heads together, and their gazes met in mid-air, sparking endless sparks.

  "Arthas, I have brought a hundred Temple Knights, some of whom are your friends. After you've seen the Second Prince, go take a look." The old man said in a low voice.

  "Very well..." Artuso replied, saying: "Then now please ask you and General Bancroft to enter the city."

  Although Mingdemen is not luxurious, the residence of Second Prince Abso Soren is absolutely luxurious and romantic, making people extremely envious.

  But whether it was Old Harry or the two legionnaires, they all seemed to be oblivious to this, and in their eyes, the Absolem who had just lazily crawled out of bed was still the only target of their trip.

  "Colonel Harry, you're actually taking action yourself? Has His Holiness the Pope gone senile?"

  Harry's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and for this outspoken Second Prince, he was helpless and could only respond: "Your Highness, the Pope has his own thoughts, and I just need to obey."

  "Hmm... Alright, so when are you planning to set off, respected Captain Harry?"

  "The Senate has approved Caesar's general mobilization request, the Emperor is deploying troops, and in about two months, the Emperor will be able to lead more than half of the Empire's soldiers to the front lines." The old man said calmly.

  "So, it will take two more months?" Abusoren muttered to himself, as if he had put down his thoughts. "In that case, let's just put it aside for now and I'll prepare a grand feast tonight, please make sure to attend..."

  "Your Highness, I am willing to lead the Fourth Legion to advance to Lin'an City first." Bancroft's eyes flashed with a hint of dissatisfaction and mockery, and he suddenly took a step forward.

  "You..."

  "This is what Duke Abelmar means: to test the true strength of the Han army, please allow it."

  Absolem's gaze shifted to Old Man Harry's face, and he slowly said: "I am under the command of His Majesty the Pope, and I will be with General Bancroft at all times. As for what actions to take, I have no authority to decide."

  Abu Soleh fell silent for half a moment before finally saying, "Alright then, you all discuss it among yourselves."

  He got up and walked out to the outer room, where he sat in thought for a while before instructing: "Go to the Rhein residence. It's been quite some time since I last spoke with Miss Katerina."