If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

On the training ground of Broken River Fortress, the cold wind was still biting, but at this moment, everyone's blood seemed to be completely ignited by a fire.

Three hundred sets of standard lamellar armor, forged from fine iron, were laid out neatly in the wide open space, like a steel jungle. The rising sun shone on the armor plates, polished to a cold, gleaming sheen, reflecting a chilling light. Beside the armor were two thousand heavy armor-piercing arrows in moisture-proof wooden crates, and a dozen camphor wood chests filled with gold dust and silver ingots.

These things were laid bare under the sunlight, exposed to the soldiers of Sibao, the refugees, and the merchants and old blacksmiths who had rushed from Bailangji.

Several old blacksmiths who had spent most of their lives forging iron in Bailangji, at Su Jinniang's behest, walked shakily to the pile of armor.

An old blacksmith reached out and stroked the cold-forged collar of the lamellar armor, then tapped the armor plates tightly strung together with tanned cowhide ropes on the chest. Hearing the heavy, dull metallic sound, the old man's eyes instantly reddened.

"No mistake... This craftsmanship, the quality of this steel..." The old blacksmith turned around, his voice trembling with extreme anger, "This is genuine, original equipment from the Yunzhou Beicang Armory! Even if the blacksmiths in our border towns worked for a hundred years, they couldn't forge armor of this quality! It's coated with tung oil to prevent rust; it's top-grade material specially made for the elite border troops to keep warm and protect them from sword cuts!"

Upon hearing this, the caravan managers around gasped in shock and began to curse loudly.

"Those damned corrupt officials! They're hauling loads of the Great Qian's military armor onto the grasslands!"

Just as the crowd was getting excited, Bai Zhi strode forward, carrying a wooden box containing various exquisite tools.

Instead of looking at the exterior, she directly opened the lining of a breastplate and carefully scraped away a layer of camouflage black paint from the corner of the lining with a specially made small scraper.

As the black paint peeled away, a line of tiny inscriptions deeply carved into the iron plate was revealed.

Bai Zhi squinted and read out the words: "Yunzhou North Granary, Xuan No. 15, made in the fourteenth year of Tianxi."

Upon hearing the year and batch number, Shen Qinghe's expression changed drastically. As if remembering something, she immediately pulled out the old military records and ledgers from Sibao over the years from her document box and began to quickly peruse them.

A moment later, Shen Qinghe's fingers remained fixed on a page of the account book, her fingertips turning white from the excessive force, and her voice trembling with barely suppressed fear.

"Found it... Tianxi fourteenth year, Xuan character approval number."

Shen Qinghe raised her head, her eyes reddening, and looked at Feng Shouyi, the manager of Qingya Fort, and Gao Bai, the veteran, who were standing on the periphery of the crowd.

"Manager Feng, Brother Gao... This batch of armor was issued by the Yunzhou General's Office three years ago to Qingya Fort and Tiemen Fort for winter protection. But this batch of armor was never delivered to the four forts. The case file from the Yunzhou Military Supply Office states... 'Heavy snow overturned the carts, which were then caught in an avalanche and completely destroyed in the Luanshi Valley.'"

Immediately following was a suppressed howl, like a lone wolf weeping blood.

Feng Shouyi shoved through the crowd and rushed to the armor with bloodshot eyes. He grabbed the heavy iron lamellar armor and hugged it to his chest, his rough fingers digging into the armor plates so hard that his nails even split and bled from the force.

"The snow capsized the carts...and they were completely destroyed?"

Feng Shouyi trembled violently, and two streams of tears rolled down his weathered face.

"It's been three years! Three years ago, that winter, Qingya Fort was blocked by heavy snow, and the barbarians took the opportunity to sneak up the cliff. My thirty-five brothers, wearing tattered leather armor that couldn't even keep out the wind, fought the barbarians' sabers head-on!"

Veteran soldier Gao Bai also stepped forward, his tiger-like eyes fixed on the new armor, his teeth grinding together.

"In that battle, eight brothers froze to death at Qingya Fortress, and twelve were hacked to death by the barbarians!" Gao Bai's voice was filled with endless sorrow and hatred. "When they died, the leather armor on their bodies was frozen solid by blood! I personally buried them in the snowdrifts on the back mountain, and I even told them that God was blind and buried our new armor under the snow..."

Feng Shouyi raised his head and let out a wild laugh filled with grief and indignation: "So there was no avalanche! So our armor wasn't lost! Our brothers risked their lives to guard this wall, and those cannibalistic, bloodthirsty bastards up there just sold our life-saving armor to the barbarians!"

On the drill ground, the surviving veterans' eyes were red with tears. The new recruits gripped their spears even tighter, the anger in their chests almost melting the swirling snow.

This is something that hurts the morale of the troops even more than "embezzling military rations".

This isn't just arms trafficking; it's blatantly using the lives of the Zhenbei Army soldiers to exchange for the Chen family's real money!

"Centurion!" Zhou Laoqi's eyes blazed with fury as he drew his saber. "The brothers can't stand this humiliation! Give the order! Distribute all these armors! We'll don them now, mount our horses, and charge straight into Yunzhou City, hacking those Chen family bastards to pieces!"

"Yes! Don your armor! Charge into Yunzhou!"

Soldiers all around responded, their battle cries shaking the heavens.

However, Xu Qingshan strode to the command platform, raised his hand, and pressed it down heavily.

His cold gaze swept across the entire room, and the imposing aura of a commander suppressed the restlessness of the crowd.

"The armor is the armor from the north wall. But now, no one can wear it."

Xu Qingshan's voice was deep and powerful, piercing through the cold wind.

"These three hundred sets of armor are not only iron weapons for self-defense, but also iron hammers to smash Chen Huaishan's official hat! If we distribute the armor now, Chen Huaishan can easily accuse us of being a rebel army that holds sway over its own power and plunders military supplies! At that time, our dead brothers will not only be unable to clear their names, but will also bear the infamy for a lifetime!"

Xu Qingshan turned his head and looked at Shen Qinghe, Liu Ruyan and Bai Zhi.

"Seal it off!"

Xu Qingshan gave the order with a firm and resounding voice.

"Qinghe, you will lead the clerks to record the transactions; Liu Ruyan, you will be responsible for verifying the handover documents and testimonies; Baizhi, you will be responsible for making rubbings of the forging serial numbers of all the military equipment."

"Three hundred sets of military armor, two thousand fine steel arrows, Chen Huaiyi's private seal, sealing ropes for the northern granary, delivery documents, silver and silver from the grasslands, and the prisoners from the patrol battalion and the Vulture Tribe!"

Xu Qingshan's eyes were sharp as he pointed to the evidence piled up like a small mountain.

"I want all three of you to testify cross-examine and create the most complete list of evidence! Make sure you nail every single detail, clearly and precisely, to the case file!"

"I will leave the Yunzhou General's Mansion with not a single word to deny it. These three hundred sets of armor—however they swallowed them, I will make them spit them out, skin and bones! No one will take them away!"

The three women looked solemn and accepted the order in unison.

All day long, the drill ground at Duanhebao was bustling with activity. Anger transformed into an extremely efficient execution force; every piece of evidence was meticulously sealed, and every signature and fingerprint was handled flawlessly.

Meanwhile, in the cold and damp dungeon of Broken River Fortress, an equally ruthless interrogation was unfolding.

Icy water seeped from the dungeon walls, and the torchlight flickered in the dark corridor.

Dozens of captured black-clad cavalrymen were imprisoned in separate cells. Their disguises, hidden by black robes, had been stripped off, revealing the standard soft armor of the Yunzhou Patrol Battalion underneath.

Liu Ruyan, dressed in a neat dark outfit and holding a blank confession, slowly walked into the deepest cell.

Hou San, who was in charge of the interrogation, had already ordered his men to tie the patrol battalion's captain to the rack.

Liu Ruyan did not use torture; she simply walked up to the company commander, pulled over a wooden chair, and sat down.

Her beautiful eyes were devoid of any emotion, as if she were looking at a dead object.

The cell remained deathly silent for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

The company commander was tormented by the silent oppressive feeling, sweating profusely, his mental defenses crumbling little by little.

Finally, Liu Ruyan opened the blank confession in her hand, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink.

She raised her eyes, her red lips parted slightly, and asked her first question:

"Who gave the military order to remove your Daqian military uniforms before leaving the city?"