Border Soldier: My fiancée snatched credit and broke off the engagement, so I promptly became a marq

The fortress gates opened.

Not fully open.

It's only half open.

Three hundred Black Tiger cavalrymen lined up outside the gate, their torches forming a continuous line.

Han Zhao rode on his horse, his black cloak covered in snow, his face grim.

He had originally thought that Blackrock Fortress would remain closed off.

This way, he could exert pressure by claiming that the patrolmen were detained and that they were disobeying orders and refusing to be investigated.

But to his surprise, the fortress gates opened.

To everyone's surprise, the person standing behind the fortress gate was not Lu Shuangyi.

It was Chen Mu.

A sergeant, pale-faced and bleeding from his chest.

Behind Chen Mu were Zhou Tie and the Lu family's personal guards.

Behind them were the guards of Blackstone Fortress, veteran cooks, officers, and wounded soldiers.

Even Su Wan and Lin Qinghe were standing in the crowd.

Lu Shuangyi stood inside the city gate and did not step forward.

She gave up the position to Chen Mu.

Han Zhao's eyes grew even colder upon seeing this.

"Where is Lieutenant General Lu?"

Chen Mu said, "If Commandant Han wants to punish someone, he should ask me."

Han Zhao sneered.

"You dare to challenge me?"

Chen Mu was not angry.

He ordered his men to drag out the three captured Black Tiger Camp night soldiers.

All three were tied up.

A wrist was pierced.

One knee is ruined.

Another person was stabbed in the shoulder.

They hadn't had time to change out of their Black Tiger Camp leather armor.

Han Zhao's expression changed slightly when he saw them.

But he quickly regained his composure.

"These three are patrolmen from the Black Tiger Battalion."

"Why were you detaining them without their consent?"

Chen Mu asked, "Did the patrol soldiers break into the Military Merit Hall at night?"

Han Zhao said, "They noticed something unusual at the Military Merit Hall and went in to investigate."

Chen Mu then asked, "Does checking require killing the guards at the gate?"

Han Zhao remained unfazed.

"In the chaos of the night, there was accidental injury."

Chen Mu asked again, "Is it necessary to slit the registrar's throat to check?"

Han Zhao said, "I didn't see it."

Chen Mu asked again, "Do we need to take away the Black Wolf Dominoes, the Zhao Residence Bronze Plaque, the broken letter, and the military merit register?"

Han Zhao's expression darkened slightly.

"Chen Mu, do you have any evidence to support your claims?"

This is exactly what Chen Mu was waiting for.

He raised his hand.

Zhou Tie handed over the wax ball paper.

Chen Mu did not read it himself.

He turned around and handed the paper to an old soldier in the cookhouse.

The old soldier was stunned.

"I...I'll read it?"

Chen Mu said, "Read it."

The old soldier's hands were rough, and his fingers were covered in cracks.

He doesn't know many words.

After looking at it for a long time, he read it haltingly:

"The registrar is dead."

"Burn the book."

"Chen Mu, kill him."

When the last three words were uttered, there was a deathly silence inside and outside the fortress gate.

Chen Mu looked at Han Zhao.

"Captain Han."

"Your men broke into the Military Merit Hall at night, carrying this piece of paper."

"Is this what you call patrolling?"

Han Zhao looked at the paper, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"frame."

Chen Mu asked, "Who framed me?"

Han Zhao said, "You."

Chen Mu smiled.

"I'll have your men, dressed in Black Tiger Battalion armor and carrying your secret orders, go and kill the chief clerk in the middle of the night."

"And then catch it yourself?"

Han Zhao said, "Who knows what methods you used?"

Chen Mu nodded.

"Then investigate."

Han Zhao squinted.

Chen Mu asked, "These three are from the Black Tiger Camp. Does Captain Han acknowledge them?"

Han Zhao remained silent for a moment.

"Yes."

"Did Commander Han know they broke into the Military Merit Hall at night?"

"I don't know."

"They have this piece of paper on them, does Captain Han know about it?"

"I don't know."

"Alright then."

Chen Mu turned to look at the people from Black Stone Fortress.

"Captain Han said he knew nothing."

"Since they didn't know, then these three were disobeying orders, breaking into the Military Merit Hall at night, killing the guards, murdering the clerk, and stealing evidence of military merits."

"According to military law."

Chen Mu paused for a moment.

"Should he be executed?"

There was a moment of silence.

Then the veteran cook was the first to shout:

"He deserves to be executed!"

Immediately afterwards, the guard at the south gate also shouted:

"He deserves to be executed!"

The Lu family guard's voice deepened:

"He deserves to be executed!"

More and more people are speaking up.

"He deserves to be executed!"

"He deserves to be executed!"

"He deserves to be executed!"

Han Zhao's expression changed completely.

He finally understood Chen Mu's purpose in opening the fortress gate.

This is not an explanation.

They forced him to cut ties in public.

If Han Zhao believes that these three men were acting under orders, it would confirm that the Black Tiger Battalion broke into the Military Merit Hall at night.

If Han Zhao doesn't admit it, he can only watch as these three are beheaded.

No matter what choice they make, the Black Tiger Camp will suffer a significant loss.

Zhao Hong stood in the crowd, his face ashen.

Zhao Chenglie was sweating profusely.

He always felt that Chen Mu was being protected by Lu Shuangyi.

But now he understands.

What's most terrifying about Chen Mu isn't that someone is protecting him.

He always manages to force people into a choice between two options.

And both choices are painful.

Han Zhao stared at Chen Mu.

"You dare to kill members of the Black Tiger Camp?"

Chen Mu said, "I wouldn't dare."

Han Zhao was about to sneer.

Chen Mu turned to look at Lu Shuangyi.

"But Lieutenant General Lu dares."

Lu Shuangyi finally stepped forward.

She gripped the hilt of the knife and looked at Han Zhao.

"Since Commandant Han claims to be unaware of the situation, then these three are likely members of the mutinous army."

"The chaotic army stormed the Hall of Military Merits at night."

"According to the law, behead him."

Han Zhao's horse stomped its feet twice in the snow, looking uneasy.

The Black Tiger Camp cavalrymen behind him simultaneously gripped their swords.

The Lu family guards inside the city gate also drew their swords.

The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

It was just a hair's breadth away from turning into a stalemate between the two camps.

Chen Mu suddenly spoke.

"If Commandant Han is reluctant to part with it, he can be guaranteed to stay."

Han Zhao looked at him.

Chen Mu said, "You only need to say one thing: they went there on your orders."

Han Zhao's eyes were as gloomy as water.

Say?

He can't say.

If I say that, I'm no longer acting as a guarantor.

It's about dragging yourself into it.

Han Zhao pressed his fingers on the knife handle for a long time before finally releasing them little by little.

"They acted on their own initiative."

"It has nothing to do with the Black Tiger Camp."

The three bound night soldiers turned deathly pale instantly.

"Captain!"

"Lieutenant, save me!"

"It was you who made us—"

The blade flashed.

The first person's voice trailed off.

Just as the second person was about to shout, the Lu family guards had already drawn their swords.

The third one struggled desperately, but was also pinned down in the snow and executed.

Three bodies lay in front of the fortress gate.

The heat slowly dissipated from the snow.

Han Zhao sat on his horse, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

Chen Mu did not look at him.

He bent down and took a small bronze talisman from the bosom of one of the corpses.

The bronze talisman is engraved with a tiger's head.

Zhou Tie's expression changed.

"Black Tiger Camp Order"

Chen Mu raised the bronze talisman.

"Captain Han just said that it has nothing to do with the Black Tiger Battalion."

Han Zhao stared intently at him.

Chen Mu asked, "Then this internal order is also unrelated to the Black Tiger Camp?"

Han Zhao did not answer.

Because everyone is watching.

Chen Mu placed the bronze tally into the evidence box below the military merit list.

"Make a note of it."

The registrar stood in the crowd, his face pale, but immediately responded.

"Yes."

Chen Mu continued, "Three night soldiers from the Black Tiger Battalion broke into the Military Merit Hall, attempted to assassinate the registrar, and failed in their attempt to destroy evidence."

"Already executed."

"Confiscate one Black Tiger Internal Order."

The registrar's hand trembled as he wrote.

With each character he wrote, Han Zhao's expression grew increasingly grim.

Once these words are posted, even if the Black Tiger Camp isn't confirmed as the mastermind, they won't be able to clear their name.

Chen Mu looked at Han Zhao.

"Captain Han."

"Now you can question me."

Han Zhao suddenly smiled.

She laughed very softly.

"Chen Mu".

"You're fine."

Chen Mu said, "Thank you."

Han Zhao said, "But don't forget, you're just a squad leader."

"A corporal dies every day at the border."

"Died silently."

Chen Mu nodded.

"I know."

"That's why I post everything out loud."

"If I die someday, at least the people of Blackrock Fortress will know who to blame."

Han Zhao's smile vanished completely.

Lu Shuangyi stood beside Chen Mu, a faint light in her eyes.

She has met people who are not afraid of death.

There are plenty of them in the border troops.

But there aren't many people who aren't afraid of death and can even turn their own death into a knife in advance.

Han Zhao turned his horse around.

"Walk."

The Black Tiger Camp slowly retreated.

But they did not leave Blackrock Fortress.

Three hundred riders retreated to their camp, their torches still burning in the wind and snow.

Like a pack of wolves, they temporarily retreated beyond the snow line.

The fort gates closed again.

The guards did not disperse.

Everyone's gaze towards Chen Mu changed.

The old soldier from the cookhouse suddenly knelt down.

"Chief Chen".

"From now on, the cookhouse will listen to your word."

Chen Mu looked at them.

"I'm just a corporal now."

The old soldier raises his head.

"The sergeant also came from our cook battalion."

"You're taking credit for the dead."

"We, the living, will remember."

Upon hearing this, many low-ranking soldiers around him fell silent.

Who suffers the most at the border?

Not a hundred households.

Not a personal guard.

They were cooks, firewood carriers, night watchmen, and lowly soldiers whose names might be misspelled even in death.

By listing seventeen people on the military merit list, Chen Mu was essentially telling them:

Even the fate of a lowly soldier can be counted.

This is more effective in winning people's hearts than killing a Black Wolf Guard.

Lu Shuangyi looked at this scene and suddenly spoke.

"Chen Mu".

Chen Mu turned his head.

Lu Shuangyi said, "From today onwards, the seventeen remaining soldiers of the cookhouse will be temporarily under your command."

Everyone was taken aback.

Chen Mu was also taken aback.

Lu Shuangyi continued, "Weren't you going to take credit for them?"

"Then let's help them continue to earn merit."

The eyes of several veteran soldiers in the cookhouse instantly turned red.

Chen Mu looked down at his chest.

Blood seeped out again.

But he still stood up straight.

"I obey."

Su Wan stood outside the crowd, staring blankly at Chen Mu.

It's been promoted again.

It's not a promotion.

It is because people's hearts have risen.

Before last night, Chen Mu was just a poor cook in the kitchen who looked down on her.

Now, the men of the cookhouse were kneeling before him.

Lu Shuangyi handed the remaining soldiers over to him.

Even Han Zhao of the Black Tiger Battalion was forced to retreat in public by him.

She suddenly felt a strong urge to go over and say congratulations.

But she couldn't move her feet.

Because Lin Qinghe had already rushed over with her medicine box.

"Chen Mu!"

This time, she didn't even call him Sergeant Chen.

"Did you reopen the wound?"

Chen Mu looked at her reddened eyes and felt a rare sense of guilt.

"Just a little."

Lin Qinghe reached out to help him.

Lu Shuangyi, however, raised her hand first and pressed down on Chen Mu's shoulder.

"Go to the medical tent."

Chen Mu looked at her.

Lu Shuangyi said, "This is a military order."

Lin Qinghe nodded immediately.

"Yes, military order."

Helpless, Chen Mu could only walk towards the medical tent.

Su Wan stood there, her fingers tightly gripping her sleeve.

She looked at the two women following Chen Mu, one on each side.

One is Lu Shuangyi.

One is Lin Qinghe.

One of them gave him a personal guard order.

One thing is to ignore the wound.

And what about her?

She was once engaged.

When you have his most tender moments.

But she threw it away herself.

Just as Chen Mu was about to reach the medical tent, a horn suddenly sounded outside the fortress.

It's not the Black Tiger Camp's number.

It is the Northern Barbarian Bone Number.

Lu Shuangyi turned around abruptly.

The sentry on the city wall shouted:

"North slope!"

"Barbarian cavalry spotted outside the north slope!"

"Not just a small group of scouts!"

"At least five hundred riders!"

Han Zhaogang has just retired.

The barbarian cavalry will arrive soon.

The expressions of everyone in Blackrock Fortress changed completely.

Lu Shuangyi looked towards the Black Tiger Camp outside the fortress, her eyes as cold as knives.

"Did Han Zhao attract them here?"

Chen Mu stopped in his tracks.

He turned and looked towards the north slope.

Deep in the snowstorm, the faint howls of wolves could be heard.

He pressed his hand against the wound on his chest and slowly smiled.

"Perfect."

Lin Qinghe became anxious.

"You're still laughing?"

Chen Mu looked at the darkness in the distance.

"The Black Tiger Battalion just said I was only a corporal."

"Then let them see."

"How can a corporal defend the fort?"