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

When the commander ordered his cavalry to enter the fortress, Blackstone Fortress had just recovered from the exhaustion of defending the city.

The fire on the north wall had not been completely extinguished.

Half of a white fox flag lay askew in the snow, a corner of its surface blackened by smoke. Beside the merit board, a newly posted list of battle results rustled in the wind, and the cooks of the kitchen camp stood around it, none of them willing to leave.

They were afraid that in the blink of an eye, their names would be gone again.

The messenger's horse stopped in the center of the drill ground.

He was clad in gray armor, with a copper tally hanging from his waist, and his boots were covered in frozen mud. The moment he unfolded the document bearing the fire seal in his hand, the once-warm training ground instantly turned cold.

"Commander-in-Chief of Jingbei!"

"Since last night, the fighting at Blackstone Fortress has been chaotic, and there is considerable controversy surrounding military achievements."

"All cases of meritorious service, beheading generals, defending cities, and treason will be temporarily suspended from rewards and honors."

"Chen Mu, Zhao Chenglie, Zhao Hong, and Anato, be escorted to Bailang Pass for retrial in three days."

"Han Zhao from the Black Tiger Battalion is in charge of escorting them."

After the last sentence was uttered, the fire station fell silent.

The iron hook in Old Chai's hand slowly drooped down.

Stone's shoulder was still wrapped in cloth, and his face turned pale.

Everyone can understand it.

This is not an escort mission.

This is to hand Chen Mu over to Han Zhao.

Han Zhao stood behind the crowd on the east side, a corner of his black cloak scorched by the fire in the side valley. His face, which had been gloomy, finally twitched at the corner of his mouth after hearing this.

"Chief Chen".

He looked up towards the direction of the medical tent.

"Your score will still be settled at White Wolf Pass."

The curtain of the medical tent was lifted in the wind.

Chen Mu was helped out by Lin Qinghe.

He was draped in a thick robe, his face was pale, and the deputy commander's badge still hung at his waist. Lin Qinghe's hand rested on his arm below, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

She did not speak.

But everyone could see that she didn't want Chen Mu to take another step forward.

Chen Mu, however, only looked at Commander Feng.

"Where's the ranking?"

The registrar hurriedly stepped forward with the booklet in his arms.

"exist."

"The results of the battle, which were just posted, are still intact."

Chen Mu nodded.

"That's good."

He walked up to the list of military merits, but instead of looking at Han Zhao or the messenger cavalry, he simply reached out and pressed down the corner of the list that had been lifted by the wind.

Beneath the paper was the name of the cookhouse.

Old Chai, Stone, Ma Liu, three dead, five seriously wounded, and seven slightly wounded.

There is also the merit of Su Wan protecting the book.

Zhao Chenglie protected his commander with a single strike.

The Black Tiger Battalion was relieved by the Cook Battalion.

Every line is still there.

Chen Mu then turned around.

"Read it a second time."

The messenger was taken aback.

Han Zhao sneered: "Commander Du has already announced it. How many more times do you want to hear it?"

Chen Mu looked at the messenger rider.

"When military orders are issued, those involving escorting prisoners, military merits, or collusion with the enemy must be recorded by the chief clerk."

"Read it again."

Lu Shuangyi stood beside the military merit list, her hand on the hilt of her sword.

"read."

The messenger looked rather grim and had no choice but to unfold the document again.

The wind swept across the middle of the drill ground.

The paper was blown and trembled slightly.

Chen Mu did not listen to the content.

He was looking at the paper.

There is a crease on the edge of the paper.

It's not a new fold.

It looks like it was folded first and then ironed flat. There are two layers of wax marks on the edge of the fire mark, one dark and one light. The words "escorted to Bailang Pass for retrial" at the bottom are half a shade lighter in ink than the ones before them.

When Chen Mu read the line "Han Zhao was in charge of escorting," he suddenly spoke up.

"stop."

The messenger's voice abruptly stopped.

Han Zhao frowned.

Chen Mu took a step closer and pointed to the lower half of the document.

"When were these words written?"

The messenger's expression changed.

"How dare you question the Commander's clerk!"

Han Zhao took half a step forward, and the thirty Black Tiger Camp riders behind him simultaneously drew their swords.

The armor plate made a soft thud, like a piece of cold iron pressing forward.

The cooks also started moving.

Old Chai lifted the iron hook.

Shi Tou picked up the broken pot lid.

They were no match for the Black Tiger Battalion, but they did not retreat.

Chen Mu didn't even look at the knife.

"Registrar, record this."

The registrar quickly picked up his pen.

"The commander-in-chief sent a messenger to announce the order to escort the document. Chen Mu asked about the ink color of the document, but the messenger refused to answer."

The messenger's forehead was sweating profusely.

Han Zhao's gaze turned cold.

"Chen Mu, are you trying to disobey orders?"

Chen Mu said, "I will not disobey orders."

"I'm just issuing a trial order first."

The drill ground was deathly silent.

Everyone has heard of judging people.

The trial order was ignored.

The officers exchanged glances, but none of them dared to pick up a pen.

The cooks were also stunned. Old Chai gripped the iron hook, his gaze shifting from the document to Chen Mu's face. He didn't understand the language or formalities, but he understood one thing: Corporal Chen wasn't going to be taken away by a piece of paper.

Zhao Chenglie's expression changed several times. He used to have complete faith in this kind of paper. If the Zhao family said someone had rendered meritorious service, that person would be recorded on the paper; if the Zhao family said someone had committed a crime, that person would also be recorded on the paper. But now, for the first time, he saw someone dare to take out the paper itself for interrogation.

Chen Mu looked up at Lu Shuangyi.

He did not directly accuse Han Zhao of forging military orders.

That's too hasty.

When they get desperate, they'll bite and gnaw.

He laid out the time, the distance, the ink color, and the creases one by one before everyone's eyes. He showed them to the military officers, the cooks, and the Black Tiger Cavalry behind Han Zhao.

A mere soldier's assertion that Han Zhao is guilty is insufficient.

A letter that reveals a flaw is enough.

Han Zhao understood this as well, which is why he didn't immediately retaliate the first time.

The more silent he became, the more uneasy the thirty riders of the Black Tiger Camp grew.

They were used to Han Zhao's words overwhelming others, but not to someone breaking down his words into specific details. A cavalryman's hand was already on his sword hilt, but was quietly pressed down by his comrade beside him.

Drawing the sword now would seem like a sign of guilt.

The wind in front of the merit list picked up even faster, the paper slapping against the wooden board twice with a thud, as if urging Chen Mu to answer the questions. The brazier beneath the list flickered in the wind, making the seal of Commander Feng Du seem to tremble, and even the hand of the officer holding the pen beside him stopped.

Chen Mu looked up at Lu Shuangyi.

"General Lu, Black Stone Fort has just experienced a battle, and the list of military merits has just been posted, but the Commander has already stated that the battle was chaotic and there are many disputes over military merits."

"Excuse me, how long did it take from the time the defenders held the north wall until the order was given for the cavalry to enter the fortress?"

Zhou Tie immediately replied, "In less than an hour."

Chen Mu nodded.

"In less than an hour, White Wolf Pass already knew that the battle at Black Stone Fortress was in chaos, knew that I was to be taken into custody, and knew that Han Zhao was to take me into custody."

"Captain Han."

He finally looked at Han Zhao.

"Your news travels faster than the wind on the north slope."

Han Zhao's face darkened.

The messenger urgently replied, "This order was anticipated by the Commander-in-Chief; it was not a private message from Commandant Han!"

Chen Mu smiled.

"Did you anticipate this?"

"Then we must investigate even more."

Lu Shuangyi's gaze fell on the document.

She wasn't a civil servant, but she had seen a lot of military clerks.

That edict was indeed not clean.

She reached out her hand.

Give me the order.

The messenger instinctively stepped back.

Han Zhao stood in front of him.

"Lieutenant General Lu, the official documents must not be withheld at will."

Lu Shuangyi did not draw her sword.

She simply took one step forward.

The snow was pressed down by the armored boots with a crisp sound.

"I will not detain it."

"I'll verify the warrant."

Han Zhao was about to speak when someone suddenly shouted from outside the training ground:

"A Black Tiger Camp spy has been captured in the backyard of the Military Merit Hall!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Two Lu family guards dragged in a black-armored cavalryman.

The man had his head down, and a tinderbox and a small piece of paper fell out of his arms.

Zhou Tie picked it up and took a look; his face darkened.

There were only six words on the note.

Ordered to burn the proclamation.

The six characters trembled slightly in the wind.

A cook suddenly took half a step forward, but was stopped by Old Chai. The cook's eyes were red, his shoulder wound had not yet healed, and his voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

"They're going to burn it again."

No one laughed at him.

Everyone saw the fire at the Military Merit Hall last night. The booklet that Su Wan pulled out of the fire still smells burnt. Those names had only been written down for a day, and someone had already burned it once. Now, the escort order has just arrived, and a second batch of firecrackers has already reached the back of the list.

Chen Mu placed the paper on the table.

Ordered to burn the proclamation.

He didn't rush to interrogate the spy.

Instead, they first had someone move the brazier in front of the merit list away. Then they had two cooks stand on either side of the list, one holding a damp felt mat and the other a bucket of water.

This small movement was understood by everyone in the training ground.

From now on, Blackrock Fortress will be the first to be protected.

Protecting the list is protecting human lives.

As Lu Shuangyi watched this scene, a faint glint flashed in her eyes. When she led troops, she relied on military orders. Chen Mu, leading these soldiers, relied on the tent. Military orders instilled fear, while the tent gave one a sense of hope for survival.

Han Zhao understood it too.

Therefore, his face became even colder.

Upon seeing the list of military merits, the cooks' eyes immediately turned red.

Han Zhao stared at the paper, the last trace of a smile vanishing from his face.

Chen Mu pressed down on the list, his voice low.

"It seems like it was before the escort."

"Some people even want to burn the accounts clean first."