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

Inside the main hall of the General's Mansion, the atmosphere was as heavy as the frozen ground beyond the Great Wall.

Beside the vermilion pillars on either side, more than twenty fully armored officers and colonels from the Yunzhou Camp stood solemnly, hands on their swords, their gazes fixed on the young border fortress garrison below. Pine wood burned in the charcoal brazier, occasionally crackling into sparks, but unable to dispel the suffocating, chilling atmosphere.

Sitting in the main seat, Chen Huaishan, still clad in golden armor, had a cold and hard expression.

On the left side of the main hall, the border patrol envoy Tang Su sat upright in a grand chair, with two bodyguards behind him, wearing gold-threaded cloaks, their hands on the emperor's banner and the imperial gold plaque, their eyes sharp as knives, subtly creating a rivalry with Chen Huaishan's personal guards on the right side of the hall.

"General Chen has eyes and ears all over the northern border, so he must have heard about this many times."

Xu Qingshan's neither humble nor arrogant reply echoed in the empty hall, causing the eyes of several garrison captains on both sides to twitch slightly.

Chen Huaishan narrowed his eyes slightly, a chilling glint flashing deep within them, but it was quickly concealed. He didn't dwell on this show of force, but instead raised his hand and slowly patted the wide, thick rosewood table.

"I command tens of thousands of soldiers in Yunzhou and am busy with countless affairs every day. It is not surprising that I have heard of your name." Chen Huaishan's voice was deep and resonant, carrying the imposing authority of someone who has been in a position of power for many years. "Today, I have invited Lord Tang to the court and granted you permission to bring your sword into the mansion, so that I may thoroughly investigate the case of Gray Bear Ridge in front of the three armies."

At this point, Chen Huaishan turned to Tang Su, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Tang, although this case involves my younger brother, I know that the laws of the country and the military cannot be disregarded. Last night, I personally led my guards to confiscate his private residence and imprison this traitor. Today, in this public trial, there will be absolutely no favoritism or perversion of justice!"

Tang Su picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "General Chen acted righteously, even at the cost of his own family, and I have certainly witnessed it. Now that the evidence and witnesses are all there, let's proceed with the trial."

"Bring in the prisoner, Chen Huaiyi!"

At Chen Huaishan's command, a heavy, chaotic sound of chains dragging on the ground immediately came from outside the hall.

A moment later, two prison guards escorted Chen Huaiyi, who was disheveled and wearing heavy shackles, into the main hall.

At this moment, Chen Huaiyi was no longer the wealthy and arrogant man he once was in charge of the Beicang granary. His prison clothes were tattered, and his face was covered with dried blood and grime. As soon as he entered the main hall, he subconsciously looked up at Chen Huaishan on the commander's chair. When he met his brother's cold and ruthless gaze, he couldn't help but tremble.

"Thump!"

Chen Huaiyi knelt in the center of the hall, his hands pressed to the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold blue bricks.

"The sinner Chen Huaiyi... kowtows to the Commander-in-Chief, kowtows to the Imperial Envoy!"

Chen Huaishan abruptly stood up from his chair, his face filled with grief and indignation. His right hand trembled as he pointed at his kneeling younger brother and shouted sternly:

"You scoundrel! You have received great favors from the imperial court and are in charge of the vital affairs of the northern granary. Instead of serving the country and ensuring the supply of the border troops, you have dared to be blinded by greed and engage in the illicit theft of military equipment and collusion with unscrupulous merchants on the border! Do you know your crime?!"

Chen Huaiyi was trembling violently, his voice trembling with sobs and fear, but he recited the words perfectly:

"I, the sinner, know my guilt! I was greedy for huge profits and was lured by the large sums of money offered by merchants from beyond the Great Wall. I was blinded by greed and took advantage of my position to secretly switch some of the decommissioned weapons in the warehouse and even secretly took some spare armor... All of this was done by me alone and has nothing to do with the General's Office or the Commander-in-Chief!"

As Chen Huaiyi spoke, he kowtowed forcefully, the blue brick floor thumping with each thud.

"The sinner knows his crime is unforgivable and is willing to submit to the law! He only begs the commander-in-chief to spare him the trouble of anger, for the sake of his family!"

This tearful confession brought a sigh of relief to many Yunzhou officers on both sides of the hall.

Chen Huaishan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and his face revealed endless sorrow and determination.

"A country has its laws, and an army has its regulations. Although I am your elder brother, I cannot let personal matters interfere with public duty!" Chen Huaishan turned to face Tang Su, clasped his hands in deep sorrow, and said, "Lord Tang, my brother's confession is irrefutable; he has admitted to stealing and selling military equipment. I suggest that the General's Military Law Office immediately sign and finalize the case, and he be executed according to the law to uphold the discipline of the border troops!"

Its surface is impeccable, exuding an awe-inspiring presence.

Once Chen Huaiyi confesses to the crimes of "theft and embezzlement," this massive case of treason will be quickly classified as a case of economic corruption involving a mid-level official. All leads will be completely severed once Chen Huaiyi's head falls.

The hall was solemn, and many generals nodded, as if the case should be settled now.

However, Xu Qingshan, who was standing below the hall, chuckled softly at that moment.

The laugh wasn't loud, but in the quiet lobby, it sounded particularly jarring.

Chen Huaishan frowned, his sharp gaze sweeping over Xu Qingshan like a blade: "Commander Xu, this is a place of joint trial, where military law is solemn and imposing. Why are you laughing?"

Xu Qingshan calmly took two steps forward, stepped into the center of the hall, and looked down at Chen Huaiyi, who was kneeling on the ground trembling.

"I laughed because Chief Chen's confession was recited so fluently."

Xu Qingshan remained calm, his deep eyes gleaming with a cold light, his tone gentle yet each word sharp as a needle:

"Master Chen, since you say that all the shady dealings were done by you alone, then I would like to ask you three very simple questions."

Chen Huaiyi stiffened, his face, buried between his arms, contorted slightly, and he dared not look up or say a word.

Xu Qingshan didn't wait for his answer, but directly raised the first finger, his voice suddenly rising in the hall:

"First, the three hundred elite cavalrymen captured at Grey Bear Ridge were all riding Hequ horses, armed with Yunzhou-style waist knives, and even using the unique leg-binding fighting style of the patrol battalion. Han Zhong, the deputy captain of the patrol battalion, has already signed a confession, admitting that you went directly to the camp that night with the General's Office's 'Temporary Troop Deployment Copper Token' to pick them up!"

Xu Qingshan turned his gaze to Chen Huaiyi, his voice as cold as ice:

"According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, anyone who privately mobilizes more than a hundred troops is guilty of treason. You are merely a seventh-rank official in charge of the North Granary, without any troop mobilization verification or order from the Ministry of War. On what basis could you possibly mobilize three hundred battle-hardened cavalrymen from the regular border defense camp to protect your private forces?!"

Chen Huaiyi's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his lips trembled: "I...I forged the token and bribed the officer on duty with silver..."

"A forged token?" Xu Qingshan sneered, directly interrupting his explanation. "The troop deployment tokens from the General's Mansion all have hidden marks and anti-counterfeiting inscriptions. If the patrol battalion's adjutant couldn't even distinguish between the real and fake, his head would have been on his head long ago!"

Before Chen Huaishan could speak to stop him, Xu Qingshan immediately raised his second finger.

"Secondly, the three hundred sets of Daqian lamellar armor seized at the Grizzly Bear Ridge site were examined on the spot by the old craftsmen of the workshop and Shen Wenshu. Every armor plate was engraved with the official inscription 'Xuanzi No. 15' from the Beicang warehouse, indicating that it was genuine heavy armor made in the fourteenth year of Tianxi!"

Xu Qingshan's gaze swept across the faces of the Yunzhou generals on both sides of the hall.

Chen Huaiyi was speechless, gasping for breath, and almost collapsed to the ground.

Xu Qingshan's expression was grim. He raised his third finger and unleashed his final killing move:

"Third, three years ago, Qingya Fort reported the loss of 72 sets of armor, and two years ago, Tiemen Fort reported the loss of 84 sets of heavy armor. The Yunzhou military supply depot closed both accounts with the explanation that 'the carts were overwhelmed by heavy snow, and an avalanche occurred on the way, resulting in all the damage in the valley.' But why did these heavy armor sets, which should have been buried deep in the mountains by the heavy snow, appear on the backs of those barbarian tribes in Gray Bear Ridge without any discrepancies? And why can every amount of the deficit be found in the secret accounts of Black Wind Stronghold and North Granary, representing the spoils?!"

"The snow-covered carts were a lie, the encounter with bandits on the mountain road was a lie; the real story is exchanging the border guards' life-saving armor for real gold and silver!"

The three questions landed like three thunderclaps in the main hall of the General's Mansion!

The faces of the officers and lieutenants on both sides of the hall changed drastically, and many of them broke out in a cold sweat. These three questions were all fatal, completely shattering Chen Huaiyi's excuse of "personal greed and embezzlement"!

Everyone knows that without powerful connections to give the green light all the way, none of these three things could be accomplished!

Chen Huaiyi was driven to the brink. He looked up at Chen Huaishan in the main seat, then at Xu Qingshan who was calm and composed. Fear and resentment were intertwined in his eyes. His lips trembled wildly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The entire lobby fell into a deathly silence.

The crackling sparks from the charcoal brazier only served to accentuate the coldness of the hall.

Xu Qingshan slowly turned around, meeting Chen Huaishan's sinister eyes, which seemed to devour people, sitting in the main seat. A sarcastic smile appeared on his lips.

He gave a slight bow, and spoke softly, breaking the silence:

"General Chen."

"I must say, your younger brother is quite capable."

Xu Qingshan's gaze was piercing, staring directly at Chen Huaishan's face. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed throughout the hall:

"A mere seventh-rank warehouse manager in charge of the northern granary could mobilize three hundred elite cavalry from the patrol camp, open the heavy armory doors of this crucial military stronghold, and even secretly control the loss and write-off of military equipment across the entire northern border for over a decade..."

Xu Qingshan paused, then coldly uttered his last sentence:

"He alone has almost done all the work that you, the General of Yunzhou, should be doing."

"boom!"

These words, like an incredibly sharp scalpel, stripped away Chen Huaishan's disguise of "putting righteousness before family" right in front of all the civil and military officials and Imperial Envoy Tang Su!

Inside the lobby, you could hear a pin drop.

Several trusted generals even instinctively placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, their faces ashen and their breathing heavy.

On the command chair, Chen Huaishan's facial muscles twitched slightly, and the veins on his hands, resting on the table, stood out. He stared intently at Xu Qingshan below, the killing intent in his eyes almost tangible, but faced with this ironclad logic and questioning, he couldn't find a single word to refute him.

In the midst of this tense stalemate, Tang Su, the border patrol commissioner who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly put down his teacup.

The porcelain lid landed on the teacup with a crisp "clang".

Tang Su stood up, smoothed the wrinkles on his scarlet official robe, and slowly walked to the center of the hall. His sharp gaze swept across the entire room before finally landing on Chen Huaishan's face.

"What Commander Xu said is absolutely right."

Tang Su pulled out the imperial envoy's warrant bearing the emperor's golden seal from his sleeve, raised it high, and spoke in a booming voice that reverberated throughout the entire general's mansion:

"Issue this imperial envoy's order—"

"The amount of heavy weapons involved in the Beicang case is enormous, and there are many suspicious points. It could not have been handled independently by a single person in charge!"

"Effective immediately, the Imperial Envoy's Guard and the Yunzhou Supervisory Battalion will jointly take over!"

"Completely seal off the North Granary of Yunzhou. No one is allowed to enter without authorization. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"