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

When the map was unfolded in the Hall of Military Merit, it was still dark.

Sunlight streamed in through the torn window paper, falling on the animal hide map. Black Stone Fortress, the North Slope, the East Valley, and White Wolf Pass were all re-marked with charcoal. Black Pine Ridge lay in the middle, like a black wound, blocking the road to White Wolf Pass.

Chen Mu sat at the desk.

There were still scorch marks from last night's fire in the corner.

From where Su Wan stood, she could see the beam blackened by smoke. The wound on the back of her hand was wrapped in cloth, and her fingertips would occasionally tremble with pain, but she never put down the wooden box. In the past, she would find this kind of military affairs vulgar and boring after hearing a few words; now, every place name, every road, and every booklet felt like a stone weighing on her heart.

She finally understood that when Chen Mu said "military merits cannot be lost," he wasn't concerned about a few taels of silver.

He was fighting for a way to survive for these nobodys.

The registrar knelt by the desk, following Chen Mu's instructions, and wrote the four characters "escort record" on a new sheet of paper. His pen trembled, and ink splattered on the edge of the paper. He had been terrified last night, but he dared not stop now. He knew that the more copies he wrote, the less likely they would be erased on the way.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stand; it was that Lin Qinghe simply placed the medicine box next to him and looked at him coldly.

"Speak while seated."

She only said three words.

Chen Mu sat down.

Lu Shuangyi stood on the other side of the map, Zhou Tie guarded the gate, and Lao Chai and a few soldiers from the cookhouse squatted by the wall. Su Wan stood behind the chief clerk, holding the wooden box. Anato knelt before the animal skin map, her hands still bound, the end of the rope around her neck held by Zhou Tie.

Zhao Chenglie also came.

He had a cloth wrapped around his shoulder, looked unwell, and stood far away from Zhao Hong.

Zhao Hong was held in a corner, his hands shackled, but there was little panic in his eyes. When he heard the words "Black Pine Ridge," the corner of his mouth even twitched slightly.

Chen Mu saw it.

"What is Commander Zhao laughing at?"

Zhao Hong looked up, his voice hoarse.

"I laugh at your stubbornness."

"Even now, it's still going to end up in Han Zhao's hands."

Several cooks in the hall gripped the iron hooks tightly at the same time.

Old Chai took a half step forward, but Chen Mu raised his hand to stop him.

"Let him speak."

Zhao Hong sneered and remained silent.

Lu Shuangyi lightly tapped the corner of the table with the hilt of her knife.

The voice was very soft, but it made Zhao Hong shut his mouth.

Chen Mu looked at Anato.

"Let's talk about Black Pine Ridge."

Anado pointed to the map with her bound fingers.

"This is the old mountain pass. There are black pines on both sides, the snow is thick, and it's dark even during the day. The pass is narrow, and the horse caravan can't spread out once it goes in. There are three collapsed slopes ahead, and a rocky gully behind."

She looked up at the wooden sign indicating Han Zhao's route.

"As the escort team passes through here, as long as there is a team blocking the front and a team blocking the back, the people in the middle will be like sheep in a pot."

Old Chai's expression changed upon hearing this.

"So Han Zhao still chooses this path?"

Anato smiled.

"That's why I said it's for the dead."

Chen Mu's fingertip touched the entrance to Black Pine Ridge.

"Han Zhao wants me to die on the road; he won't do it himself."

Lu Shuangyi said, "He will use the remnants of the Northern Barbarian cavalry, or the former troops of the Zhao family."

"Not only that," Chen Mu said, looking at the latter part of the map, "they'll also use military orders."

Zhou Tie frowned.

"How can military orders involve killing?"

Chen Mu said, "We were attacked during the escort. The Black Tiger Battalion couldn't protect us enough, and Chen Mu was killed in battle. Anato escaped but was killed on the spot. Zhao Hong was old and weak and died in the chaos of battle. Zhao Chenglie was credited with escorting us and brought the remaining evidence to White Wolf Pass."

Lu Shuangyi placed several chess pieces on the map.

Black represents the Black Tiger Camp, white represents the escort team, and red represents the possible barbarian cavalry. When the pieces landed at both ends of Black Pine Ridge, everyone in the hall understood.

With the front entrance blocked and the back entrance sealed off, those in the middle could only be hit by arrows in the pine forest.

Zhou Tie reached out and pushed Hei Zi, who represented the Black Tiger Battalion, to the back.

"If Han Zhao really blocks this place, should we fight or retreat?"

Chen Mu looked at the black piece.

"Don't do it first."

"Then what for?"

"Let's see what excuse he uses to block them."

Zhou Tie was taken aback.

Chen Mu said, "If he openly kills, it's treason; if he blocks roads to prevent chaos, it's military affairs. We need to let everyone see which one he is."

Lu Shuangyi tapped her fingertips lightly on the table.

This is Chen Mu's approach.

He wasn't in a hurry to draw his sword.

He first forces you to write down the name of the sword.

Zhao Chenglie suddenly looked up.

"Don't include me in this!"

Chen Mu glanced at him.

"Do you think Han Zhao will keep you?"

Zhao Chenglie's expression changed.

Outside the Hall of Military Merit, the wind blew through the corridor, and the wooden beams that had been burned last night made a slight cracking sound.

Chen Mu continued, "You know the Zhao family is stealing credit, you know the Zhao residence is hiding armor, and you know Zhao Liang is selling Su Wan's position. Your survival to Bailang Pass will do Han Zhao no good."

Zhao Chenglie's shoulders stiffened.

Zhao Hong suddenly shouted angrily, "Shut up!"

Chen Mu ignored him.

"Zhao Chenglie, what you are carrying now is not the Zhao family's fate, but your own."

The hall fell silent.

Zhao Chenglie's Adam's apple bobbed, but he remained silent for a long time.

Lu Shuangyi looked at Chen Mu.

"How do you plan to leave?"

Chen Mu opened the wooden box.

Inside were several booklets, half a blood-stained cloth, black wolf dominoes, black tiger inner tokens, a waist token with the character "Han," and a bronze plaque from the Zhao residence.

"We cannot allow the escort teams to become prison teams."

He took out the top supplementary book and placed it next to the map.

"We need to turn it into a sports team."

Old Chai didn't understand.

Chen Mu said, "One bright and two dark."

"On the surface, Su Wan carried a box of certificates as she walked in the line, so that everyone could see her."

Su Wan's face paled, but she did not back down.

"I can."

Chen Mu didn't look at her for long.

Chen Mu then looked at Lao Chai.

"The cooks don't go to the back of the line."

Old Chai was taken aback.

"Where to go?"

"Take the flanks." Chen Mu pointed to the treeline on both sides of the map. "You won't be riding horses, so you'll be less of a target and can stick to the snow gullies. Bring sacks, ropes, and grappling hooks. Don't think about killing anyone; focus on securing the path first."

Old Chai scratched his head.

"We used to always be the ones taking the blame."

"Not today."

Chen Mu looked at him.

"You'll clear the way today."

The smile on Old Chai's face slowly faded.

This sentence carries even more weight than the promotion to platoon leader.

The cooks cleared the way.

Before, they were only fit to walk at the back of the procession, carrying firewood, collecting corpses, and burying pots. Now, Chen Mu is sending them to the flanks to inspect the most dangerous forest line.

Danger.

But it is also a real military position.

Old Chai clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice hoarse.

"The cooks clear the way."

"That box contained fake books, fake letters, and scrap paper."

Su Wan was taken aback.

"Fake?"

"It was stolen." Chen Mu pointed at Lao Chai. "The true book was divided into three copies. One was hidden in a gray bag and carried by the cooks. One was sewn into the lining of Dr. Lin's medicine box. One was sent out in advance by Lieutenant General Lu's personal guards, going around to Bailang Pass via the southern route."

Lin Qinghe frowned.

"Me too?"

Before Chen Mu could speak, Lu Shuangyi said, "There are wounded in the escort team, and they need a medic."

Lin Qinghe looked at the strip of cloth on Chen Mu's chest and did not object anymore.

She simply lowered her head and hugged the medicine box even tighter.

Anato suddenly smiled.

"And what about me?"

Chen Mu said, "You should go through the open."

Anato's face darkened.

"Using me as bait?"

"You were the bait all along."

Zhou Tie almost burst out laughing.

Anado glared at him, then looked at Chen Mu.

"If I am recognized by Batu's men on the road, you will be in big trouble."

Chen Mu said, "That's why you need to wear an iron mask."

Old Chai was stunned.

Chen Mu pointed to the White Fox Guard leather armor and iron-faced headband that had been seized last night.

"Put it on her. Make sure her eyes are visible, but her face isn't."

Anato squinted.

"You need to guard against Batu, and also against Han Zhao."

Chen Mu said, "I'm still on guard against you."

Anato ground her teeth, and then finally laughed.

"You're living a really tiring life."

Chen Mu did not respond.

Zhao Chenglie suddenly spoke.

"I'll go too."

Everyone looked at him.

Zhao Hong angrily shouted, "Lie'er!"

Zhao Chenglie did not look at his father.

He stared at the white fox flag on the table.

"Even if I don't go, Han Zhao will still kill me."

His face was pale, but his voice was a little more steady than before.

"Chen Mu, what do you want me to do?"

Chen Mu looked at him for a while, then picked up the fallen white fox flag.

The flag was torn, and the edges were scorched by fire.

"Carry the flag."

Zhao Chenglie was stunned.

"What?"

"You carry it at the front of the column," Chen Mu said. "Let everyone know that the Battle of the North Wall of Black Stone Fortress is documented. Anyone who dares to snatch the document on the road is stealing the White Fox Flag and stealing the merits of the North Wall campaign."

Zhao Chenglie's face turned ugly.

A young general carrying the enemy flag looks like he's showing off, but also like he's being punished.

But this is a way out.

He gritted his teeth.

"I'll carry it."

Lu Shuangyi watched from the side, a faint light flashing in her eyes.

She suddenly realized that Chen Mu wasn't just good at using the cooks.

He even used Zhao Chenglie's shame.

Outside the door, the sky was finally turning white.

A guard strode in.

"Han Zhao sent someone to urge them."

"Depart at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

Chen Mu closed the wooden box.

Tell Han Zhao.

He slowly stood up, supporting himself on the edge of the table.

"Leave at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

"Roll call in front of the military merit list."