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

On the way back, because the group had more than forty prisoners, the group's progress was almost half as slow as it had been on the way there.

Furthermore, it was already noon when everyone descended the mountain, so although the group continued onward, they had only covered half the distance by nightfall.

On the way back, the whole team was filled with excitement.

To my utter surprise, what I thought was just another formality that would only lead to a scolding upon my return turned out to be a perfectly completed task.

Although most of the military merits belonged to Zhao Daxuan alone, the others had also worked hard, and when it came time to reward them, they would certainly receive a share.

In particular, the vanguard team of dozens of people were all beaming with pride and full of energy, eager to walk faster so they could return to Zhenbei City as soon as possible to receive their rewards and honors.

As the team that followed Zhao Daxuan all the way, they would definitely be ranked second when it came time to be rewarded for their contributions.

That evening, the main force found a sheltered spot to set up camp and began cooking.

At this time, Zhao Daxuan was no longer ignored as he had been when he set off for Daliang Mountain.

Conversely, the teams that formed the vanguard during the day unconsciously gathered around Zhao Daxuan. The freshly boiled porridge was immediately served to Zhao Daxuan, and only after Zhao Daxuan took the first sip of the hot porridge did the others follow suit.

Zhao Daxuan knew that these people were not wholeheartedly following him at this moment. They were only intimidated by his performance during the day and had also gained some military merits by following him, so they naturally gathered around him.

But he didn't care. To succeed in this world, one had to have their own power base. He believed that with his military achievements this time, he could be promoted to a minor official position, and then he could bring these people under his command.

Once they realize that following them will lead to great success, they'll be guaranteed to be able to get rid of them no matter what. That's human nature.

Therefore, Zhao Daxuan didn't care that these people had treated him coldly yesterday. Instead, he watched with a smile as Li Erlong spread rumors at will.

At this moment, Li Erlong held a bowl of hot porridge in one hand and vividly described Zhao Daxuan's invincible heroic figure on Daliang Mountain to the other city guards who had gathered around.

"Lord Zhao raised his powerful bow, reached behind his back, and three arrows appeared in his hand, which he fired simultaneously!"

Li Erlong exaggeratedly gestured as if he were drawing a bow and shooting an arrow, then stood up and continued his story with an excited expression.

"Yes! You heard right! Three arrows were fired at the same time! Lord Zhao fired the legendary Three-Arrow!"

A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd, and murmurs of discussion arose one after another, with the most common sentiment being disbelief.

One of the disbelieving people in the crowd exclaimed, "How is a three-arrow shot possible! I've been a soldier for so many years and I've never seen anyone shoot a three-arrow shot. I've only ever heard of shooting a two-arrow shot!"

Li Erlong sneered upon hearing this, and said disdainfully, "Why is it impossible! Those who think it's impossible simply haven't met Lord Zhao yet."

Then, annoyed, he added, "Do you want to keep listening? If you don't believe me, just leave!"

Everyone fell silent, pretending to listen attentively.

Li Erlong nodded in satisfaction and continued, "With a few volleys of arrows, the chests of the ten bandit archers who had just stood up burst open, all killed by Lord Zhao's single arrows!"

"One of the squad leaders, not believing in evil, picked up a knife and charged straight at Lord Zhao. But Lord Zhao was skilled and daring, and he let the squad leader get to within an arm's length of him before he released the arrow in his hand and blew his head off."

"The blood that splattered at that moment covered Lord Zhao's face, making him look like a god of death descending upon him, chilling to the bone!"

"When the other bandits saw this, they were so frightened that they either turned around and ran away or knelt down and begged for mercy."

"Lord Zhao pursued relentlessly, shooting arrow after arrow, until finally killing all the bandits lying in ambush at the narrow pass."

Like a storyteller, Li Erlong vividly described the unilateral massacre on the border at that time, adding some artistic embellishments, but basically not deviating from the actual situation.

This captivated the city guards who hadn't experienced the battle firsthand, making them feel as if they were there themselves. Even those who had personally witnessed it found it eye-opening and unforgettable, hearing Li Erlong recount it from a completely new perspective.

As night deepened, Li Erlong stopped his storytelling, waved his hand, and said, "Let's call it a day. It's getting late, and Lord Zhao needs to rest. We'll share today's experiences with everyone another time."

The group then left, still feeling quite unsatisfied.

At this moment, Gao Yuan was in his tent, writing today's battle report.

The battle report only briefly mentioned Zhao Daxuan's achievements, focusing more on Gao Yuan's strategic deployment and tactical arrangements for the mission, as if the victory over the bandits in Daliang Mountain today was entirely his doing.

Upon hearing his soldiers' report on Zhao Daxuan's situation, Gao Yuan snorted coldly and said fiercely, "I'll let you laugh for one more night. When we return to Zhenbei City tomorrow, you'll be crying."

After saying this, he dismissed everyone and returned to his table alone to carefully examine the battle report he had just completed.

As the saying goes, if you don't seize what Heaven has given you, you will suffer the consequences. This time, such a huge windfall has fallen from the sky. If he doesn't make the most of it, he will be letting down the opportunity that Heaven has given him.

The reason I rushed down the mountain and back to Zhenbei City today was partly because Zhao Daxuan had something on me and I wanted to get back quickly to resolve it, lest things get complicated.

On the other hand, because such a huge windfall had suddenly fallen into his lap, he had to go back and smooth things over immediately so that the main credit would fall on him.

Only after confirming that the battle report could not be altered further did he pick it up with satisfaction, dry the ink, and put it into his pocket.

The next day, they continued their journey, but because they had not eaten all day, the bandits and prisoners were in even worse condition, which seriously affected their progress. It was not until that afternoon that they arrived three kilometers outside the town of Zhenbei.

Looking at the distant Zhenbei City, everyone felt a surge of joy. Although only three days had passed, it felt like an eternity, especially for the vanguard team from yesterday, who felt as if it were a lifetime ago.

However, just as everyone was about to quicken their pace to reach Zhenbei City, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from ahead.

Immediately afterwards, a hundred-strong cavalry in black armor galloped from the direction of the city gate, arriving in an instant like a black cloud. They stopped abruptly less than a hundred meters away, blocking everyone's path.

A burly man in black armor slowly reined in his horse and stepped out, looking down at the crowd with sharp eyes. He spoke in a deep voice, "Wang Liefeng, the captain of the Black Armor Battalion of Zhenbei City, is here. Centurion Gao Yuan and soldier Zhao Daxuan, come to see me immediately!"