The fiercest soldier of the border army

Wang Xianghong stood on the edge of the high platform in the training ground, his fingers cracking as he stared intently at Tang Shun and the other three, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

His gaze swept past Tang Shun, and he squinted as he swept his eyes over Wei Zong, Liang Enyi, and Cheng Feng behind him, a sinister glint in his eyes.

The soldiers below had already put down their spears when Shi Hanshan arrived, and no one dared to be presumptuous anymore.

"Tang Shun, our school has underestimated you."

Wang Xianghong's face darkened. "One squad leader, three platoon leaders—good, good tactics!"

"You think that just because you got the position of squad leader through the commander's connections, you can rest easy?"

Tang Shun remained silent, calmly meeting Wang Xianghong's gaze.

Countless fragmented memories surged through my mind, and in a short time I had a clear understanding of their intricacies.

First of all, Shi Hanshan may seem carefree and reckless, but he is actually shrewd and calculating.

School C was Wang Xianghong's private territory, a monolithic entity that had always obeyed orders but not proclamations from Shi Hanshan, its direct commander, while outwardly complying but inwardly defying him.

This disastrous task of covering the retreat and sending them to their deaths was a way for Wang Xianghong to abandon Tang Shun and his three companions as expendable pawns.

Shi Hanshan deliberately ordered them to withdraw ahead of time, precisely because he had anticipated that Wang Xianghong would take the opportunity to kill someone to establish his authority.

Taking advantage of the four men's meritorious service in the fight to the death, he publicly promoted them out of turn, forcibly removing Zhu Hang from the position of squad leader and inserting Tang Shun'an into the position.

To put it bluntly, it's about driving a nail deep into School C, which is firmly under Wang Xianghong's control!

Later, when the opportunity arises to take action against a few more teams, the power of School C will be split in half, and Wang Xianghong will find it difficult to move an inch in the camp from then on.

This dog captain has his uncle, the Commander-in-Chief, backing him up. He holds a high position and wields great power. Shi Hanshan can't touch the upper echelons, so he can only start from the bottom and dismantle his foundation.

Tang Shun took a deep breath.

Having twice pulled him from a pile of corpses, Shi Hanshan truly owed him a life-saving debt.

Moreover, it is the norm in military camps for each party to take what they need.

Shi Hanshan wanted him to break through the barriers of School C and gain a foothold to check and balance Wang Xianghong.

He also needed Shi Hanshan as a backer to survive and climb the ranks in the dangerous border region.

He was happy to take the deal, as it was a profitable one.

With this thought in mind, Tang Shun spoke, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, perfectly steady:

"This subordinate does not understand what the captain is talking about."

"The commander's distribution of rewards based on merits may have violated some military law. If the captain has any doubts, he may ask the commander to review the case."

Upon hearing this, all the soldiers instantly understood and found a reasonable explanation for Tang Shun's actions.

No wonder Tang Hanzi, who used to be simple-minded and dull, dared to be so tough today. It turns out he has latched onto the commander's powerful backer and is now fearless!

Wang Xianghong was so angry that he felt a lump in his throat. He pointed his finger at Tang Shun's nose and trembled with rage.

He was a captain, wielding considerable power, but rewarding merit based on military achievements was an ironclad rule in the military!

The thousands of border soldiers fought bloody battles, relying on the principle of rewarding merit and punishing demerit. If he dared to deny military achievements in public, he would chill the hearts of the entire battalion. He would never dare to do so!

After a long pause, Wang Xianghong forced down his anger and let out two sinister laughs.

"Alright! Killing the Xiongnu barbarians is meritorious, so promoting you to squad leader is reasonable and justified, and the school approves."

His tone abruptly changed, and he stared intently at Su Shu beside him, his eyes filled with extreme malice:

"This woman was given to you by the school for your amusement during the rear!"

"If you don't need it, then the school will take it back!"

"Zhu Hang!"

Wang Xianghong glanced at Zhu Hang, who stood beside him, his face ashen and now stripped of his official position, and coldly ordered, "She's yours! Do whatever you want with her!"

Su Shu's face turned deathly pale instantly. She shook her head desperately and struggled, her tearful eyes fixed on Tang Shun, full of pleading, trembling with fear.

Zhu Hang, who had been looking dejected, suddenly grinned maliciously upon hearing this, his eyes fixed on Su Shu with a sinister gaze, like a venomous snake waiting to bite.

Today, having lost his official position and suffered humiliation, he was filled with resentment and had nowhere to vent his anger!

Wei Zong, Liang Enyi, and Cheng Feng's expressions instantly tightened, and they all looked at Tang Shun with deep concern.

They could all see that Wang Xianghong was deliberately venting his anger and testing Tang Shun's bottom line.

If Tang Shun panics, gets angry, or reveals a weakness, he will be immediately caught red-handed!

Tang Shun remained calm, showing no sign of emotion.

He chuckled and slowly said, "Captain, don't try to trick me with such petty tricks."

"Such a delicate and precious person, you deliberately threw her out to trap me. I'm not stupid, I dare not touch her."

"But Zhu Hang dares to do it?"

Before anyone could react, Tang Shun continued to spout nonsense, his tone confident:

"I told her to take the bronze medal back to the city not because I was soft-hearted because she was a woman, but to leave a good impression."

"This woman begged me all the way, saying that her father was only temporarily demoted and would be reinstated sooner or later. I didn't believe her and couldn't be bothered to pay attention to her."

"But the commander privately advised me that Prime Minister Su still has a strong foundation and deep resources, and he will restore the throne sooner or later. This woman cannot be touched or killed, so I let her return to the city."

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Zhu Hang's sinister smile froze instantly, his face turning deathly pale. He hurriedly turned to look at Wang Xianghong, his eyes filled with fear, seeking confirmation.

Wang Xianghong's brows were furrowed tightly, his heart filled with doubt and uncertainty, his face full of hesitation.

During the Great Qianlong era, regional military governors held immense power, comparable to local lords.

However, the prime minister of the imperial court is one of the most important officials in the central government, and is equally unfathomable.

If Prime Minister Su were to lie low and wait for his moment to rise again, returning to the court in the future, he could easily crush a mere captain or even his uncle, the commander, with a flick of his finger, as easily as crushing an ant!

He couldn't afford to gamble on this, nor did he dare to!

After a moment's hesitation, Wang Xianghong felt a chill run down his spine and immediately shouted in a stern voice:

"Someone come here!"

"Place this woman in solitary confinement and keep her under strict guard! Anyone who dares to approach or move her without permission will be dealt with according to military law!"

"All officers of the rank of squad leader and above, follow me to the yamen for a meeting! All others, dismissed!"

After saying that, he gave Tang Shun a cold look, his anger finding no outlet, and turned to leave in a huff.

The soldiers dared not say a word and followed their respective squad leaders to disperse.

Su Shu was taken away by the soldiers again, her frail figure filled with helplessness.

In the vast training ground, only Tang Shun and his three companions remained, standing alone in the same spot, becoming the oddities of the entire School C.

Once everyone had left, the honest and rough-around-the-edges Cheng Feng could no longer contain himself and burst into laughter, his voice deafening:

"Hahaha! I got promoted! I'm a platoon leader now!"

"I can lead ten soldiers and become an officer! This time I can truly bring glory to my ancestors!"

"Get lost!"

Wei Zong kicked him hard, both angry and helpless. "What's with all the joking!"

"You really think getting promoted to a lowly squad leader will solve everything? That bastard Wang Xianghong hates the four of us to death and is clearly trying to kill us!"

Cheng Feng scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile: "I just got promoted, let's have some fun first!"

Liang Enyi, standing to the side, was the most meticulous. His brows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Squad leader... no, company commander, the captain was in such a hurry to convene a meeting just now. He definitely had ill intentions and was clearly targeting us. What should we do next?"

Cheng Feng was a hothead, but Wei Zong and Liang Enyi knew exactly what was going on.

The official positions of the four men were all forced upon them by Shi Hanshan, and they had long been a thorn in Wang Xianghong's side.

From now on, every step will be fraught with danger.

Tang Shun grinned, exuding a carefree and domineering aura:

"What's the rush?"

"Cheng Feng is right, let's have fun first!"

"Wang Xianghong has some underhanded tricks, so we'll counter them one by one."

"We'll meet force with force, and with the commander holding the line, how can he possibly cause trouble?"

"You three go back and rest, I'll go deal with these bastards myself."

……

The officer's office was a low, earthen building, simple and crude, but it was more spacious and brighter than the other buildings in the camp, making it the most decent place in the entire Bing School.

At this moment, all four members of Team C from the yamen were present.

A row of neatly arranged third-year university students, slightly overweight middle-aged men with slick and worldly faces.

Wang Quanhu, the leader of the second team, had a rough, orange-skinned face and was rather tall. He was a trusted confidant of Wang Xianghong.

Team leader Ma Wuliu was thin and wiry, timid and opportunistic.

In addition to the four squad leaders, the yamen also had a number of subordinate officials, such as military commanders, camp clerks, and messengers, each with their own duties.

Before Tang Shun could even push open the door, he heard Zhu Hang's heart-wrenching cries coming from inside.

"Captain! You must stand up for your subordinate!"

"My subordinates worked tirelessly, shedding blood and sweat, to reach the position of squad leader. They were conscientious and made no mistakes whatsoever! Why are they just dismissed like that?! This is so unfair!"

Zhu Hang cried and wailed, tears streaming down his face, throwing a tantrum and wailing.

Wang Xianghong was already extremely irritable and frustrated, and the noise from him made his temples throb and the veins on his forehead bulge.

He suddenly grabbed Zhu Hang by the collar, his eyes flashing with malice, and growled through gritted teeth:

"Useless! Stop crying!"

"If that's what you're looking for, then go and kill Tang Shun right now!"

Snapped!

The wooden door was pushed open directly.

Tang Shun strode in, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone in the room…