A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Yue Zhenyuan stared intently at Zhao Daxuan.

"Commander Zhao, I just came from the north gate. The refugees outside the city were being slaughtered by the Tartar cavalry, which pained me greatly."

"Commander Chu just suggested that your Wangbei Camp be stationed outside the city to protect the people outside, and if necessary, to coordinate with the main army inside the city!"

"I believe this move can restore the morale of our army and is worth a try. Are you confident?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan frowned. Although he had originally intended to protect the refugees in Wangbei Village camp, he was also going to act according to circumstances.

If he were given a mission, he would be hampered in combat, and even if he had to retreat, he would leave himself vulnerable to criticism.

"General, I have only a few hundred soldiers, most of whom are new recruits. I am afraid I am not up to the task."

Zhao Daxuan lowered his head slightly and politely declined.

He could protect refugees, but he was unwilling to be given the order in this form.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Yue Zhenyuan's eyes. He was still hesitating whether to issue the order directly when several captains beside him spoke up first.

"Commander Zhao, the General has entrusted you with this important task because he appreciates you, and he has just promoted you. Is it appropriate for you to repay him like this?"

A burly captain with a protruding belly snorted and glanced sideways at Zhao Daxuan.

"Commander Zhao, don't be ungrateful! The general is only being polite to you out of respect. If he gave you the order directly, you would have to go whether you liked it or not!"

Another captain looked at Zhao Daxuan with a sneer, and then turned to look at Yue Zhenyuan.

"General, look at the person you just promoted and entrusted with important responsibilities, yet he repays you like this. What use are his great military achievements?"

"I suggest taking back his right to form his own army and placing him under my command so I can properly discipline him!"

As soon as the two finished speaking, Chu Hanchuan stepped forward and said with a smile.

"Daxuan, you also rose through the ranks under my command. I made this suggestion to the general so that you can better utilize your talents."

"Moreover, what the two captains said, though rough, is not unreasonable. After the general promoted you, this was the first time he made a request of you, and you refused it outright. It is not appropriate, either in terms of sentiment or reason."

"So I suggest you reconsider?"

Zhao Daxuan watched the three men playing good cop and bad cop, a cold smile creeping across his face. Did they really think they could get him to obediently agree to leave the city and defend it with such a little trick?

He glanced at Yue Zhenyuan, whose face had darkened after listening to the words of the captains, and knew that if he did not agree, a rift would inevitably be formed between him and Yue Zhenyuan.

After a brief silence, Zhao Daxuan spoke in a firm and powerful voice.

"General, it is indeed a matter of oversight on Da Xuan's part. I am willing to leave the city and defend it, fighting to the death!"

"I only ask that the general grant me three requests!"

"First, provisions, pay, and weaponry must be supplied to my unit's maximum ration of one thousand men. Any spoils captured may be kept by us. Any withholding or delay will be dealt with according to military law!"

"Secondly, given the chaos of war, I should be allowed to act expediently and expand my forces locally, organizing them first and reporting later, with no limit on the number of soldiers under my command!"

"Third, wartime military law is paramount. Anyone who undermines morale, misses opportunities, or disobeys orders may be executed without prior notification!"

Zhao Daxuan made several demands, his voice booming like thunder, startling several captains who jumped up.

"General, no!!"

"Absolutely not! Just agree to his first request; the other two are too unreasonable. If this precedent is set, there will be endless trouble!"

Even Leng Wuye, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward, glanced coldly at Zhao Daxuan, and then looked at Yue Zhenyuan and spoke in a deep voice.

"General, please reconsider. I agree that the first condition is acceptable, but the latter two are unreasonable."

Yue Zhenyuan frowned, glanced at the several captains who looked shocked and angry, then at Zhao Daxuan who had a determined look in his eyes, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, and he paced back and forth.

Upon seeing this, several captains curled their lips into a smug smile, their faces beaming with triumph.

Zhao Daxuan glanced coldly at the smiles on the faces of the captains, then turned his gaze to Yue Zhenyuan, his face showing obvious disappointment.

"Since the general distrusts me so much, then I shouldn't force myself."

As soon as Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, Yue Zhenyuan frowned again, turned to look at the obvious disappointment on Zhao Daxuan's face, gritted his teeth and said.

"Who says I don't trust you? It's just three conditions, what's wrong with agreeing to them!"

"However, your second and third requests are only temporary. After the Tartars retreat this time, you will still only be able to command a thousand men."

Yue Zhenyuan's words made Zhao Daxuan's eyes light up, and he bowed respectfully to him.

From an angle unseen by others, Zhao Daxuan revealed a triumphant smile.

"General, you mustn't..."

The officers standing nearby wanted to speak up again to stop them.

"Shut up! Since you think it's inappropriate, how about you take charge of the garrison duty outside the city?"

The captains had barely opened their mouths when Yue Zhenyuan interrupted them sharply, coldly looking at the speechless men with a look of disappointment on his face.

After giving a cold snort to the captains, Yue Zhenyuan turned to Zhao Daxuan and spoke gently.

"Perform well and protect the peace of the people outside the city. I don't expect you to fight to the death, but if you are outmatched, you should act according to the situation."

Zhao Daxuan nodded emphatically, patted his chest, and said loudly, "Your subordinate understands, please rest assured, General!"

Then Yue Zhenyuan ordered his personal guards to bring him pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote the four characters "execute first, report later" with a wave of his hand, and stamped the general's seal.

He picked it up, blew on the ink stains, and handed it to Zhao Daxuan with a smile, saying, "Take good care of it; if you lose it, I won't give you another one!"

Zhao Daxuan grinned, took the calligraphy from Yue Zhenyuan with both hands, then shook it as if to wipe away the ink marks.

Zhao Daxuan's actions, in the eyes of the captains, were clearly a way of showing off his "act first, report later" attitude.

The captain with the potbelly glared at Zhao Daxuan with a dark expression.

"Commander Zhao, there are tens of thousands of Tartar cavalry outside the city. Even we captains have to think twice before leading troops into battle. How dare you, a mere captain, make such a bold promise?"

"Hmph! Don't let yourself end up getting special privileges but losing your head, leaving us to clean up your mess!"

Zhao Daxuan simply smiled faintly, "The success or failure of this battle is none of your concern, Captain. Just observe my performance!"

Yue Zhenyuan, unwilling to listen to the captains' empty talk any longer, turned around and went down the city wall, at the same time his voice came.

"Alright, Commandant Zhao, don't linger here any longer. Every moment in war is extremely precious. If there's anything else, go and take care of it."

"All officers and captains are to be reinforced in their positions to ensure the defenses of the city walls are secure; no mistake can be made!"

The officers quickly followed, responding loudly, "Yes, sir!"

Zhao Daxuan and Zhang Xiaoshan also followed them down the city wall.

Zhao Daxuan noticed that Li Erlong and the others had been waiting for a long time, so he stepped forward and gave instructions to Li Erlong.

"Erlong, you'll have to work hard later. When you go to collect the rations, pay, and weapons, collect them according to the quota for a thousand men."

Upon hearing this, Li Erlong's mouth gaped slightly, and he scratched the back of his head, saying, "Sir, would the quartermaster camp agree to this?"

Zhang Xiaoshan, standing to the side, laughed loudly and said, "Don't worry, there's no problem. This was personally agreed upon by the General!"

He then recounted the conditions that Yue Zhenyuan had agreed to on the city wall to Li Erlong and the others, leaving them looking at each other in bewilderment.

After a long silence, Li Erlong clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Daxuan and exclaimed, "My lord, I admire you!"

Zhao Daxuan shook his head and waved his hand with a sigh.

"What's the big deal? It's all thanks to the brothers risking their lives! Alright, hurry up and collect your rations, pay, and weapons. After you've collected them, you need to get out of the city as soon as possible to prevent the Tartars from attacking again."