Jiang Huai had barely stepped out of the barracks when the sound of cursing and fighting erupted behind him. The voices yelling insults sounded oddly familiar, reminiscent of the group of prisoners he was assigned to. He could already guess what was going on.

What the hell is this now?

Jiang Huai had hoped for a few peaceful days after entering the military camp, but reality had other plans. Barely a day into camp, trouble had found him again.

But what could he do? He could only take it one step at a time.

Following the armored soldier leading him, Jiang Huai noticed that the task of hunting down capable people seemed urgent. Several soldiers were going around questioning prisoners. However, the prisoners, aware that this wasn’t any cushy job, were reluctant. Even with the promise of rewards, few volunteered. Many were only exposed by those around them who ratted them out.

Jiang Huai was led along for quite some time before arriving at a brightly lit barracks.

Inside, a burly man sat scowling at a stack of account books, glaring so hard his eyes seemed to spin. Despite staring at them for ages, he couldn’t make heads or tails of the numbers, let alone balance the accounts.

Seeing the soldier bring in the group, the burly man’s face lit up with relief—only to dim again when he remembered the status of these prisoners. His gaze swept over them, pausing slightly longer on Jiang Huai before he spoke.

“You lot should know why you were brought here, right? If you don’t, I’ll repeat: your job is to balance these accounts. Go through every record and sort it out. That’s your task.”

With a wave of his hand, the burly man had the soldier distribute the account books, piling them on the tables in front of the prisoners. He gestured for them to get started.

Jiang Huai found himself assigned a pile as well. He opened the first book and was immediately hit with dizziness at the sight of the messy handwriting.

But work was work, and it had to be done. Steadying himself, Jiang Huai first skimmed the books to familiarize himself with the author’s handwriting, ensuring he wouldn’t misread the numbers. Then he began methodically going through the accounts.

The room was filled with the sound of abacuses clattering through the night. By the time the sky began to brighten, Jiang Huai had finished almost all his assigned books, with only two left to go.

Suppressing a yawn and holding his growling stomach, Jiang Huai sighed. If he stayed idle, the scant food he had eaten yesterday might barely sustain him, but after working his brain all night, he was completely drained.

He was running on autopilot now, his brain slowed to a crawl. After completing the last bit of his work, he couldn’t hold on any longer and slumped over the desk, falling asleep.

The other prisoners weren’t faring much better. Their eyes were glazed over from exhaustion, and their already poor physical condition combined with meager rations made their brains sluggish. Though they wanted to rest, they didn’t dare with unfinished work staring them in the face. Yet the more they pushed themselves, the slower they became—a vicious cycle.

When the burly man came to check on their progress, he was greeted by a sorry sight. The prisoners were glassy-eyed, and though their hands moved the abacus beads, their dazed expressions made him doubt the accuracy of their work.

Especially when he noticed Jiang Huai sleeping. This made his anger flare.

The burly man immediately assumed these prisoners were taking advantage of his need for their help and getting cocky. He strode over to Jiang Huai, ready to tear into him, but before he could speak, Jiang Huai stirred awake.

Despite being groggy, Jiang Huai still remembered where he was. Not fully asleep, he had sensed someone approaching and forced himself to wake up.

Looking up to see the burly man’s furious face, Jiang Huai instinctively grabbed the account book he had just finished and handed it over. “General, I’ve already completed the calculations. Please take a look.”

His words cut off whatever the man had been about to say.

“You’re done?” The burly man glanced at the table. The books that had been on the left side last night were now all stacked neatly on the right. It did look like the work was finished.

If not for seeing how lost the other prisoners were, the burly man might not have doubted Jiang Huai. But given their sorry state, he couldn’t help but suspect this kid had just scribbled down random numbers.

“Where are the accounts for the armor? Find them for me.” The burly man flipped through the pages, testing him.

Under his scrutinizing gaze, Jiang Huai forced himself to stay alert, quickly locating the entries for armor purchases and expenses for the man to verify.

Though the burly man wasn’t great at math, he could read and perform simple calculations. Comparing the numbers several times, he found that Jiang Huai’s work was indeed accurate. His expression softened into a smile.

His anger had stemmed from thinking Jiang Huai wasn’t doing his job, but since the work was done, what was a little nap?

“Alright, go ahead and sleep,” the burly man said, waving him off.

Jiang Huai hadn’t expected such generosity. After hesitating for three seconds, he promptly slumped back down and fell asleep again.

He knew his condition was terrible. If he had to return to the barracks and couldn’t sleep properly, he’d just collapse. But here, with the burly man’s approval, he could finally get some rest.

Watching Jiang Huai fall asleep so straightforwardly, the burly man blinked, then chuckled. He appreciated such directness—no pretense, no scheming. Just honest and efficient.

With Jiang Huai as an example, the burly man turned back to the other prisoners with renewed expectations. Maybe they weren’t as hopeless as they seemed?

However, his optimism quickly vanished. Using the same method he had tested Jiang Huai with, he found the others’ calculations to be riddled with mistakes. The further he checked, the darker his expression grew.

“What kind of useless crap is this?!” he roared, spittle flying. “Look at him! He’s much younger than you lot and managed to finish everything in one night. And you…”

Even in his deep sleep, Jiang Huai couldn’t completely block out the yelling. Stirring awake, he felt the prickling gazes from all around him and realized the burly man was inadvertently making him a target.

Although Jiang Huai wasn’t particularly worried about making enemies—he figured he wouldn’t be in the military camp for long—it was still better to make friends than foes. Especially when there was no gain from it.

Surveying the room, Jiang Huai noticed the other prisoners were much older, likely in their fifties. In modern times, that would be considered middle-aged, but in this era, after enduring harsh conditions, they looked far older and more worn out.

Thinking about the barracks’ meager food and the sheer workload, Jiang Huai hesitated but eventually spoke up.

“General…”

“What is it now?” The burly man, still fuming, turned to him.

“General, I was just thinking, if the accounts are only checked once, it’s easy to make mistakes. What if we form multiple teams to calculate separately and then cross-check? That way, errors can be minimized.”

The burly man’s eyes lit up. This sounded like a solid idea.

But when he glanced at the dazed prisoners, he frowned. “With how badly they’ve been calculating, will doing it more times actually help?”

“General, the workload is too heavy. To ensure accuracy and speed, we need more people,” Jiang Huai suggested.

The burly man’s excitement dimmed a little. “We already asked everyone yesterday. This was all we could find—no one else knows how to do this.”

“General, yesterday, when the soldiers asked around, they didn’t explain the situation. Everyone was afraid of the unknown and unwilling to take responsibility. But if the reason is made clear and no blame is placed on yesterday’s reluctance, we might find more people.”

The burly man’s eyes brightened, though he narrowed them at Jiang Huai. “Is that why you didn’t step forward yesterday?”

Jiang Huai blushed, unable to respond.

The burly man laughed heartily, deciding to let it slide. He immediately called for his men to search again.

“If that’s still not enough, perhaps we could ask among the previously exiled prisoners. Some of them might also know how to read and do calculations,” Jiang Huai added.

The burly man nodded repeatedly, his earlier frustration fading.

Noticing Jiang Huai’s pale face, he suddenly recalled the poor rations in the barracks. Even the soldiers ate little, let alone prisoners. “Alright, don’t sleep yet. I’ll have some food sent over—eat first, then rest.”

At that moment, Jiang Huai’s stomach growled loudly, and he blushed as he thanked the man.

But seeing the others’ envious gazes, Jiang Huai hesitated before speaking. “General, could the others also get some food? A full belly makes for faster work.”

This wasn’t just altruism. Jiang Huai knew the burly man’s goodwill stemmed from his ability to solve problems. But if the rest of the team couldn’t keep up, the man’s anger would likely shift back to him.

The burly man cast a glance at the other prisoners, recalling that their earlier work hadn’t been entirely terrible. “Fine. Since you’ve asked, I’ll have food sent for everyone. You’ll handle the distribution.”

The burly man figured someone had to take charge. Jiang Huai was smart, competent, and had already earned his favor. Most importantly, his youthful energy and cleverness made him stand out.

Surprised by the responsibility, Jiang Huai paused before quickly agreeing.

With that, the burly man left to attend to his many other duties, leaving the group to their tasks.