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

Once the back gate was closed, even the sound of the wind outside subsided.

The people in front of the Hall of Military Merit did not disperse.

No one in the cookhouse was willing to leave.

Stone held a pair of iron claws, his eyes fixed on the back gate, as if he were about to rush in at any moment.

Ma Liu squatted by the car, muttering to himself.

"Just ask questions, why are you closing the door?"

"Can't you just open the door whenever I ask?"

"Old Chai's mouth; something that could be explained in three sentences, he'll rant about in five..."

Crippled San didn't say anything.

He stood beside the three lists, leaning on a wooden stick, carefully reading the list he had copied down the night before, word by word.

It's like I'm afraid I'll forget.

Chen Mu sat under the eaves of the Military Merit Hall.

Lin Qinghe shoved the medicine bowl into his hands, her tone colder than the wind.

"drink."

Chen Mu took a sip, the bitterness suppressing the metallic sweetness in his throat.

He didn't ask what they were asking in the backyard.

Han Wenshan wouldn't ask Tiezhao.

They wouldn't ask about military achievements.

He was asking about the heart of the cookhouse crew.

After a cup of tea, the first muffled thud came from the backyard.

boom.

Like a wooden stick falling on wet skin.

The stone suddenly stood up.

Ma Liu's chatter stopped.

The second sound fell.

boom.

The cooks' faces all changed.

"Damn it!" Zhou Tie rushed towards the backyard.

Lu Shuangyi raised her hand and pressed down on the scabbard, blocking him.

"We can't go through."

Zhou Tie's eyes were red.

"They hit people!"

Lu Shuangyi looked towards the backyard.

Her hands were also turned white from pressing.

"If we break in, it's like a hostage situation."

These four words brought Zhou Tie to a sudden stop.

The third sound faded.

This time, some people in the cookhouse lowered their heads.

It's not that I'm not angry.

It's fear.

Han Wenshan wasn't just fighting Lao Chai.

It's shown to all of them.

Following Chen Mu in keeping accounts can bring merit.

They'll get a beating too.

Chen Mu put down the medicine bowl.

The bottom of the bowl hit the wooden table with a soft sound.

Lin Qinghe looked at him.

You can't go.

Chen Mu said, "I know."

He didn't move.

He simply asked Ji Yunzhou to get the paper.

Ji Yunzhou was taken aback.

"Write what?"

Chen Mu heard the fourth muffled thud from the backyard.

"Old Chai was beaten with a military baton during the retrial interrogation."

Ji Yunzhou's throat moved.

"You even keep this in mind?"

Chen Mu looked at him.

"Why not write it down?"

Fifth tone.

Ji Yunzhou gritted his teeth, picked up his pen, and wrote.

The moment the first line of text was written, everyone in the cookhouse looked over.

The sixth tone.

Chen Mu said, "I'll write it down again."

Ji Yunzhou continued writing.

On the seventh note, Stone finally couldn't resist and took two steps forward.

"Sergeant Chen, let me in to relieve him."

Chen Mu glanced at him.

"If you go in, it will only give them another opportunity to write a story about a mutiny."

Stone's lips trembled.

"Then let's just watch?"

Chen Mu did not answer immediately.

The eighth note fell in the backyard.

He then said, "Watch."

The stone statue looked like it had been slapped in the face.

Chen Mu's voice was deep.

"Look carefully."

How will they fight?

"Who gave the order?"

"Who's holding the stick?"

"He hit me a few times."

"Look carefully."

Ma Liu raised his head.

Chen Mu said, "I'll pay you back later."

These two words didn't ring.

But the cooks in the camp suddenly fell silent.

It's not that it doesn't hurt.

Something is pressing down on it, causing the pain.

Ninth tone.

The tenth tone.

The eleventh sound.

The twelfth tone.

A young soldier in the cookhouse suddenly took half a step back.

It's not that I'm afraid of pain.

It reminds me of home.

His father was still farming outside the fort, and his mother relied on military rations every month. If he were labeled as Chen Mu's private soldier, their family's ration tokens might be confiscated.

Han Wenshan's blow landed on Lao Chai's back, and also on their front door.

Chen Mu saw it.

He didn't call the coward a bastard.

A person who is afraid of running out of food at home is not considered cowardly.

This debt should be remembered even more.

The back gate finally opened.

Two guards carried Old Chai out.

His face was covered in snow, his mouth was smeared with mud, and his robe was torn in several places. There was no bone exposed, no blood and gore, but he could barely stand.

Stone rushed over and caught him.

"Uncle Chai!"

Old Chai's face turned pale with pain, but he cursed first.

"What are you yelling about? I'm not dead."

Ma Liu's eyes immediately reddened.

"You're still being stubborn."

Old Chai looked at Chen Mu and laboriously raised his hand.

"Chief Chen".

Chen Mu stood up.

"What did they ask?"

Old Chai gasped.

"Ask me if you bribed me."

Curses erupted throughout the fire station.

Old Chai grinned.

"I said yes."

Everyone was stunned.

Stone got anxious: "How can you say that?"

Old Chai glared at him.

"I said, Corporal Chen bribed me with his military merits."

"I'll use my own merits to buy my own life."

He gasped for breath from the pain and continued, "They asked again if you set up the three lists yourself."

Chen Mu asked, "What did you say?"

Old Chai said, "I said I don't understand what personal settings are."

"All I know is that without this list, the iron claw I dragged back would have been taken for nothing."

The eyes of everyone in the cookhouse were all red.

Suddenly, Crippled San bent down and picked up a broken piece of grass from the snow.

He drew a line on the ground.

Another line was drawn.

There are twelve in total.

Stone stared at the twelve marks, his jaw clenching so tightly it made a grinding sound.

Ma Liu stopped talking and just held the iron claw that Lao Chai had given him earlier in his arms.

Those iron claws were as cold as stone, yet he seemed to be holding a pot of fire.

Han Wenshan walked out from the backyard, patted his sleeves, and acted as if he had just dealt with a small matter.

"This man speaks crudely and incoherently. The matter of the cooks being misled by Chen Mu needs to be further investigated."

Chen Mu looked at Ji Yunzhou.

Ji Yunzhou held up the paper he had just written on.

Twelve lines on the paper.

Each line is a stick.

"Deputy General Han, twelve instances of torture were inflicted during the interrogation."

Han Wenshan looked at him coldly.

"Is it unusual for soldiers to give a few lashes during interrogations?"

Chen Mu said, "That's not surprising."

He walked over to Old Chai and glanced down at him.

Old Chai tried to stand up straight, but couldn't.

Chen Mu reached out to support him.

I only helped her up briefly.

It loosened up quickly.

"Twelve strokes, recorded."

Han Wenshan smiled.

"A beating counts as military merit?"

Chen Mu looked at him.

"It's not a merit."

He turned to look at the cookhouse.

"It's a debt."

The wind and snow swept across the eaves.

Old Chai's lips twitched in pain, but he still managed to smile.

"I'm also involved in this debt?"

Chen Mu said, "You get the biggest share."

Someone in the fire station was cursing under their breath.

Someone wiped their eyes.

Some people turned pale and dared not look at Han Wenshan.

Chen Mu saw it.

He didn't curse.

That's probably just human nature.

He cannot expect every cook to be unafraid of being beaten.

This was exactly the effect Han Wenshan wanted.

Let the cooks know that accounts can be kept, and sticks can be used against them.

Not far away, the soldier who had taken a half step back suddenly looked up.

He looked at the torn clothes on Lao Chai's back, then at the paper in Ji Yunzhou's hand, and asked Ma Liu in a low voice.

"Can those twelve blows really be returned?"

Ma Liu, who usually talks the fastest, paused this time.

"Whether I can pay it back, I don't know."

He hugged the iron claw even tighter into his arms.

"But if we don't remember, no one will pay it back."

The soldier slowly returned to his original position.

Chen Mu saw it.

This is enough.

The cooks did not become fearless immortals.

Despite their fear, they were still willing to stand up and come back.

He Wenbai stood on the steps, his brows furrowed deeply.

He looked at Lao Chai, then at the paper in Ji Yunzhou's hand.

"Why wasn't the use of torture during interrogation reported to the reviewing officer?"

Han Wenshan said calmly, "In military matters, the deputy general has the authority to issue orders."

He Wenbo said, "I'm inside the fortress."

Han Wenshan finally looked at him.

"Lord He is new to the border and does not understand the customs of the army."

That's not a strong statement.

But he pressed down on He Wenbo.

Civil officials stationed at the border are most afraid of being accused of being ignorant of military affairs.

He Wenbo remained silent.

Han Wenshan withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Mu.

He certainly saw the soldier return to his post.

Therefore, the coldness in his eyes was even deeper.

A group of people who are afraid is not scary.

It's troublesome if they're afraid and then come back.

"Remember it if you want, then remember it as you please."

"I'd like to see how many people a few sheets of paper can protect."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left.

The imperial guards also retreated outside the Hall of Military Merit.

The back gate was closed again.

But this time, the cooks did not disperse.

Stone squatted down next to Old Chai, without saying a word.

Ma Liu gripped the iron claws even tighter.

Suddenly, Crippled Three spoke up.

"Chief Chen".

Chen Mu looked at him.

The lame man's voice wasn't loud.

"If the paper gets taken, I can take the blame."

Chen Mu's eyes flickered slightly.

The lame man looked at the three lists.

"The cook battalion suffered three dead, five seriously wounded, and seven slightly wounded."

"We dragged away three corpses of the White Fox Guards, seized seven iron claws, nine short axes, and five sets of leather armor."

"Old Chai was beaten with twelve strokes of the military rod during questioning."

He didn't misspell a single word.

The men from the cookhouse slowly raised their heads.

Chen Mu looked at him and nodded.

"Starting tonight."

"You teach them to memorize it."

The lame man gripped the wooden stick tightly.

"it is good."

In the distance, Han Wenshan stopped under the eaves and heard these words.

He glanced back at the three lists.

Accounts on paper.

A tent on a wooden board.

Accounts in people's mouths.

He finally realized that taking on Old Chai alone was not enough.

To silence these people, we need to use even harsher methods.