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

As dawn broke, the men from White Wolf Pass entered the fortress.

They are not a team.

There are three teams.

The first group, dressed in blue armor, protected a tall, thin civil official. The man was around forty years old, with a pale face and narrow eyes. He held a wax-sealed wooden box in his hands, with a plaque reading "White Wolf Pass Review" hanging from the corner of the box.

The second squad consisted of Han Wenshan's personal guards, twenty men in total. They didn't enter the Hall of Military Merit, but instead stood guard outside. Their swords remained sheathed, yet their hands rested on the hilts.

The third team is the most conspicuous.

They looked at the objects first, not the people.

Two armorers, carrying a wooden cart, headed straight for the spoils pile on the north wall. The iron claws, short axes, leather armor, and several shoulder guards from the White Fox Guards that the cooks had dragged back the previous night were all stacked beside the cart.

Old Chai squatted to the side, wiping a pair of iron claws with a rag.

He dragged it back himself.

The claws still had chips, and the handle was wrapped in black leather. Old Chai held it and laughed half the night before, saying that in the future, even the cook could climb walls and go down ditches, and wouldn't have to rely solely on pot lids to block knives.

The armorer walked over, bent down, and took it.

Old Chai pressed down on the iron claw.

"What are you doing?"

The armory officer frowned: "Put the public weapons into storage."

"What library?"

"White Wolf Pass Armory"

Old Chai stood up abruptly, half of his face turning blue.

"We towed this back."

The armorer sneered and raised the iron plaque in his hand.

"Enemy weapons captured should be returned to the army for unified storage. Who gave you permission to divide them among yourselves?"

The cooks from the surrounding camp gathered around.

Stone, with a cloth still draped over his shoulder, became so anxious upon hearing this that his eyes turned red.

"We risked our lives for this!"

The armorer didn't even glance at him.

"Life is life in the military."

As soon as these words were spoken, the cooks' quarters erupted in chaos.

The lame man, leaning on a wooden cane, limped to the front. He was a man of few words, usually most steady when reciting the list, but now his fingers were white from gripping it so tightly.

"Three White Fox Guard corpses were dragged away; Lao Chai, Ma Liu, and others were awarded minor merits pending verification. Seven iron claws, nine short axes, and five sets of leather armor were seized. This is written on the notice."

The armorer scoffed.

"Rankings?"

He turned and looked in the direction of the Hall of Military Merit.

Whether that list still counts is still up in the air.

The snow-covered ground fell silent.

That's harsher than a knife.

The reason these men from the Fire Station dared to fight last night wasn't because they suddenly became bolder, but because they were on the list. Now, the first thing the people from White Wolf Pass do when they enter the fortress is tell them—the list might not count.

Old Chai's face slowly darkened.

He was illiterate.

He only understood one thing.

What your own brothers risked their lives for, is about to be taken away by someone else.

"I don't understand your rules," Old Chai gritted his teeth. "Whoever dragged this claw back gets to use it first. That's what Sergeant Chen said."

The armorer raised his hand and waved it.

"move."

Two guards stepped forward.

Stone couldn't help but rush forward, but Ma Liu grabbed him.

Ma Liuzi wasn't tall, but he was fast and had a sharp tongue; he was always quick-witted and loved to talk nonsense. This time, however, he lowered his voice and scolded, "Your shoulder isn't even healed yet, and you're rushing in to give someone a false accusation?"

The stone trembled with anger.

"Then let them take it?"

"Wait for Corporal Chen."

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain on the other side of the medical tent was lifted.

Chen Mu came out.

Lin Qinghe followed behind, holding a bowl of medicine in her hand, her face looking very pale.

"If you take two more steps, the wound will reopen."

Chen Mu did not turn around.

He was wearing an old robe, his face was pale, and he walked slowly. But the people in the snow automatically made way for him.

Han Wenshan stood at the bottom of the steps of the Military Merit Hall, watching him walk over, without saying a word.

The tall, thin civil official was also watching.

Chen Mu walked up to the pile of spoils, without first looking at the armory officer.

He squatted down, picked up the iron claws, and turned them over.

A short wood-cutter's mark was engraved on the inside of the claw handle.

Old Chai carved it last night.

It's not for aesthetic reasons.

It's to prevent others from taking the wrong one.

Chen Mu asked, "Who dragged it?"

Old Chai immediately replied, "Me and Ma Liu."

Who answered?

"Stone and Crippled Three."

Who took the inventory?

The lame man said, "Me."

Chen Mu nodded and looked up at the armorer.

"Did you hear that?"

The armorer said coldly, "So what if I heard? Confiscated goods must be put into storage; that's military policy."

Chen Mu said, "Returning it to the warehouse is acceptable."

The men from the cookhouse changed their expressions.

Old Chai was also stunned.

A hint of a smile flashed in Han Wenshan's eyes.

Chen Mu continued, "Write it out clearly first."

He pointed to the wooden cart.

"Seven Iron Claws. Write down on the sealing slip which one was brought back, who received it, and who counted it."

The armorer frowned.

"This is unnecessary."

Chen Mu said, "If you don't write it down, it's not sealing it up, it's stealing it."

The wind picked up suddenly in the snow.

Han Wenshan finally spoke: "Chen Mu, you haven't been tried yet."

Chen Mu looked at him.

"I know."

Han Wenshan slowly walked down the steps.

"A person awaiting trial is now meddling in the sealing of military equipment?"

Chen Mu did not back down.

"I don't care about sealing it up."

He put the iron claw back in its place, his voice low.

"I'm in charge of names."

The cooks were all watching him.

Chen Mu said, "I can lift the iron claws. I can lift the short axe. I can lift the leather armor too."

"But write clearly who towed it back, who guarded it, and who paid it."

"From now on, if Curry is missing a pair, has a bad pair, or needs to switch to a new pair, he'll know who to ask for help."

The tall, thin civil official's eyes flickered.

He was the White Wolf Pass review officer, named He Wenbai. He hadn't said a word all the way into the fortress, but now he looked down at the wax-sealed wooden box in his hand.

Han Wenshan said calmly, "You don't believe that White Wolf locked up the armory?"

Chen Mu said, "I don't trust anyone."

Old Chai's lips twitched.

That's a rough way of putting it.

But it sounds satisfying.

Han Wenshan's face turned cold.

His personal guards stepped forward half a step.

Zhou Tie also took half a step forward, the hilt of his sword striking the armor plate with a sound.

Lu Shuangyi came out from the side door of the Military Merit Hall, her red cloak billowing in the wind.

"Deputy General Han, you seized the confiscated goods before the trial even began, which is against regulations."

Han Wenshan looked at her.

"General Lu, you've gone too far. It's just being sealed up."

Ji Yunzhou also came out, holding the three copies of the list he had copied last night.

His face was still pale, but this time he did not bow his head.

"Sealing is acceptable, but a sealing slip is required."

He Wenbo finally spoke.

"Write."

The armorer's face stiffened as the two words were spoken.

Han Wenshan glanced at He Wenbai.

He Wenbai didn't look at him, but opened the wooden box and took out the review pen.

"If the spoils are related to military merit, their source should be recorded first, and then they should be sealed and stored away."

Chen Mu did not laugh.

He simply turned his head to look at the cookhouse.

"Did you hear that?"

Old Chai immediately roared, "I heard you!"

Chen Mu said, "Keep an eye on it yourself."

Ma Liu darted to the wooden cart and craned his neck to watch the armorer write.

"Don't misspell my name. Ma Liu, not Ma Lu. I was the sixth child when my mother gave birth to me, not a worm crawling on the ground."

Someone at the fire station couldn't help but laugh.

The taut snow loosened a little.

Han Wenshan, however, did not laugh.

He looked at Chen Mu as if he were looking at a tough nut to crack.

I failed to steal anything.

But he wasn't in a hurry.

He never expected to take down Chen Mu with just a pair of iron claws.

He wanted to see the reaction of the cooks.

Let's see if these peasants dare to talk back to Chen Mu and the people of White Wolf Pass.

Now I see it.

He knew better where to make the first cut.

By the time the sealing slip reached the last piece of leather armor, Ma Liu had practically stuck his neck to the paper.

He doesn't know many words, but he can recognize his own name.

The armorer would write a line, and he would read it aloud. If he misread it, he would have the lame man point it out to him.

Several guards who were initially just watching the commotion gradually moved closer as they listened.

Someone whispered, "So that's how you write 'seized goods'."

Someone touched the chipped dagger at his waist, his eyes shining, then quickly lowered his head.

In the past, the things they captured were either taken by the centurion or confiscated by the treasury clerk under the pretext of "public use." No one asked who risked their lives to obtain them.

Chen Mu didn't spout any grand principles.

He simply added a name next to each item.

Han Wenshan observed all these reactions.

His eyes were even colder.

When the sealing slip reached the last piece of leather armor, Han Wenshan suddenly said, "That guy called Old Chai."

Old Chai looked up.

"I'm here."

Han asked Shan, "Are you the temporary squad leader of the cookhouse?"

Old Chai glanced at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu remained silent.

Old Chai puffed out his chest.

"Yes."

"Come with me."

The men from the cookhouse all changed their expressions.

Stone was the first to step forward.

"Why should I?"

Han Wenshan didn't even look at him.

"Re-examination questioning."

Chen Mu's fingers slowly tightened.

Lin Qinghe stood behind him and whispered, "Don't get angry."

Old Chai also noticed something was wrong, but he still grinned.

"Just ask."

He handed the freshly cleaned iron claws to Ma Liu.

"Keep an eye on him, he'll curse you even if you lose a single claw tip."

Ma Liu caught the iron claw, his face turning pale.

Old Chai followed Han Wenshan's personal guards to the backyard of the Military Merit Hall.

As he reached the door, he turned back and shouted.

"Corporal Chen!"

Chen Mu looked at him.

Old Chai said, "I'm not good with words."

"But I remember."

"I dragged this iron claw back with me."

No one in the cookhouse laughed.

Han Wenshan had his back to everyone, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Chen Mu knew.

The real mastermind is only just beginning.