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

Yue Zhenyuan paused slightly, then sat down again, gently rubbing the handle with his hand, looking expressionlessly at Leng Wuye who had stood up.

"Captain Leng, just say what you have to say!"

Leng Wuye nodded slightly, turned his head to look at Wang Liefeng behind him, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

This glance reminded Wang Liefeng of Leng Wuye's ruthless style, and his heart skipped a beat.

Leng Wuye slowly withdrew his gaze, completely unconcerned about Wang Liefeng's reaction. He sighed softly and then spoke in a deep voice.

"General, I... am also guilty!"

The first words Leng Wuye uttered shattered the hope that had just risen in Wang Liefeng's heart, turning his face deathly pale.

"When Commandant Wang reported his military achievements, his subordinates had some doubts, but they did not investigate further out of consideration for his feelings."

As he spoke, Leng Wuye turned to look at Zhao Daxuan beside him.

"Fortunately, Centurion Zhao arrived in time and revealed the truth. The evidence was irrefutable, and I dared not conceal it any longer!"

"Regarding Wang Liefeng's claim of credit, I am willing to take responsibility for my oversight and request that the General punish me!"

After speaking, he bowed deeply to Yue Zhenyuan, looked at him quietly, and awaited his decision.

Yue Zhenyuan frowned slightly, his hand rubbing the armrest of the seat again. He looked coldly at Leng Wuye for a while before turning his gaze to Wang Liefeng.

When Wang Liefeng saw General Yue looking at him, his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground, his forehead touching the ground, his body trembling slightly.

"General Yue, please let me explain. I never intentionally claimed credit!"

"These Tartar warhorses and weapons, along with these prisoners, inexplicably appeared in the hands of a group of villagers outside the city. I only brought them back as a precaution!"

"I did not intentionally claim credit, and the news I brought back about the 30,000-strong Tartar army marching south is absolutely true!"

"I may not have made any great contributions, but I have certainly worked hard! Please, General, understand!"

Towards the end, Wang Liefeng's voice trembled slightly, perhaps due to nervousness or urgency.

He glanced coldly at Wang Liefeng, who was kneeling on the ground, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, and then let out a cold snort.

"Enough! Wang Liefeng, not only did you maliciously claim credit, but you also colluded with prisoners to fabricate confessions, making your crime even more serious! Today, you are dismissed from your position as captain!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Liefeng, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly went limp, his whole body like a broken sack, his eyes glazed over and he collapsed to the ground.

Yue Zhenyuan slowly withdrew his gaze and continued, "Given that this is your first offense, and considering the considerable blood and sweat you have shed in the past, you are hereby demoted to centurion after being dismissed from your post, but will also be fined three years' salary!"

Having said that, he ignored Wang Liefeng, who was slumped on the ground, and simply glanced at Leng Wuye before speaking indifferently.

"Captain Leng, although you were negligent in your duties this time, I will not pursue the matter further since you took the initiative to report it. A three-month salary deduction will suffice."

As soon as Yue Zhenyuan finished speaking, Leng Wuye bowed slightly to express his gratitude. After lowering his head, a barely perceptible smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you for your magnanimity, General!"

Yue Zhenyuan waved his hand listlessly. Although the city guards were always lax, he hadn't expected even the elite Black Armor Battalion to be so incompetent.

I had originally placed my hopes on this team, but now it seems I need to re-evaluate it carefully.

After letting out a long breath, Yue Zhenyuan finally turned his gaze to Zhao Daxuan, his eyes revealing undisguised admiration.

"Zhao Daxuan, you're quite impressive! Who would have thought that after all the twists and turns, it would still be you who has achieved such remarkable feats!"

"Ever since the battle in the Liangshan Mountains, I've been deeply impressed by you. I knew then that you were no ordinary person!"

"To think you could lead a hundred infantrymen against five hundred cavalry, achieving a victory against overwhelming odds, is nothing short of a miracle! And in just one month, you've accomplished such a feat again!"

As he spoke, he walked up to Zhao Daxuan, looked at the handsome young man, and nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

"Tell me, what reward do you want? I'll try my best to grant your wish!"

Yue Zhenyuan looked at Zhao Daxuan with a smile on his face, his eyes filled with curiosity, quietly waiting for his answer.

Although Zhao Daxuan exposed Wang Liefeng's crime of taking credit for others' work, he did not see the heavy responsibility he had imagined. He could sense the deep-rooted problems within the Zhenbei City Guard.

Although this was not a problem he could solve in a short time, Yue Zhenyuan's question still made him want to try again.

So Zhao Daxuan slowly spoke, "General, I do not wish for a reward."

Yue Zhenyuan was slightly taken aback; Zhao Daxuan's answer was unexpected. "Hmm? What do you want?"

"I have only one request: please punish the person who took credit for this!" Zhao Daxuan replied resolutely.

Upon hearing this, Yue Zhenyuan paused slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing across his face. In fact, he had already weighed the balance between all parties before making the decision regarding the punishment.

Now, Zhao Daxuan's words were practically a public insult directed at him. He was extremely embarrassed because he hadn't fairly punished the person who had taken credit for him.

Yue Zhenyuan turned around and slowly walked back to his seat. He sat down again, stroking the armrest of the chair. After a moment's thought, he nodded.

"Yes, but as I just said, Wang Liefeng has shed a lot of blood over the years, and his attempt to claim credit for others' work has not succeeded."

"Alright then, Wang Liefeng will be relieved of his centurion post. He will no longer serve in the Black Armor Battalion and will be transferred to the supply depot as a regular gatekeeper!"

"Zhao Daxuan, are you satisfied with this outcome?"

After saying that, Yue Zhenyuan stared intently at Zhao Daxuan, his eyes scrutinizing him, awaiting his answer.

The outcome of this resolution did not actually meet his ideal expectations.

If he could, he actually wanted to eliminate any future trouble by directly sentencing Wang Liefeng to death on this charge.

But given the current situation, he knew that continuing to argue would be ungrateful, so he bowed respectfully and spoke loudly.

"The general is wise!"

Yue Zhenyuan's expression finally brightened, and he nodded in satisfaction. "That request is too simple. I'll allow you to make another one!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan smiled slightly, surprised that he could make another request.

He looked around and saw Chu Hanchuan standing not far away with an expressionless face. A thought struck him, and he knew what request he should make.

"General, I request permission to form my own army and report directly to you!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Everyone looked at Zhao Daxuan with surprise, never expecting him to make such a daring request.

Everyone stared at Zhao Daxuan as if he were a fool. While forming an independent army might seem impressive, it also contained many drawbacks.

In the past, if there were problems, superiors could help cover for us; if something went wrong, there were people who could speak up for us; and if we faced difficulties, we had a powerful backer to support us.

Being an independent unit means facing and solving all problems and difficulties on your own.

Just like daily military pay, in the past, with the backing of a captain, there was a force of five thousand men. How could the supply battalion dare to deduct too obviously?

But if Zhao Daxuan were to form his own army now, with only a hundred men, the supply battalion could easily cut off a small portion of his troops' pay, enough to make his men suffer terribly.

Not to mention other things like troop replenishment, equipment maintenance, logistics and supplies, which used to be handled by dedicated personnel in a systematic way, but now that it's an independent army, it has to be responsible for itself!