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

When the forty-three pack mules entered the fortress, Black Stone Fortress was quiet for a moment.

The entire street erupted in excitement.

The border guards who had been on guard duty all night peeked out from over the wall, the wounded soldiers sat up on wooden planks, and even the children of the military households hiding in the cellar could smell the aroma of roasted wheat and dried meat.

Ma Liu rode at the very front, carrying Liang Qi's bag of loose silver in his arms, his voice hoarse from shouting.

"The grain has arrived!"

"We've taken back the grain from the northern barbarians!"

This time, no one asked who approved the grain, and no one waited for the grain commissioner to open the granary.

Old Chai cleaved the first burlap sack open with one axe.

"Take it off the heat!"

Twelve large cauldrons were lined up in a row along the long street.

Stir-fry the wheat, add water, chop the dried meat, and pour in the black beans from Han's stable. As soon as the fire in the pot is lit, the rich aroma spreads throughout the entire fortress on the wind.

A soldier with a face full of chilblains stood by the pot, staring at the bubbling broth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Old Chai scooped up a full bowl and stuffed it into his hand.

"What are you looking at? Drink!"

The soldier held the bowl, but didn't take a bite.

"Sir, the ration coupons haven't been checked."

Old Chai slapped him on the back of the head.

"The tag on your hand is your food ration token!"

The soldier looked down at his hands.

Six of his ten fingers were cracked, and the blood mingled with the plaster.

He finally brought the bowl to his lips.

The first bite was too hot, and it made him cough.

But he couldn't bear to spit out a single drop; after swallowing it, his eyes turned red.

"There's meat in it."

Everyone around laughed.

It's not the name on the list, nor the reward money on paper.

It's just a bowl of hot meat soup that you can actually eat.

The guards were sent to the south gate, north wall, and west ditch first.

Each wounded soldier received an extra half spoonful of meat, and the military households of Xibao who had lost their families received an additional portion. The remaining roasted wheat was divided into small bags and stuffed into the arms of the cavalrymen who were about to leave the city.

People also came to the three dead houses in Xibao.

An old woman, leading two children, stood at the back of the crowd. Her son and daughter-in-law had both died in the old South Road, leaving only her two grandchildren. The younger one, no more than five or six years old, stared at the meat in the pot but dared not move forward.

Er Gou recognized them and squeezed through the crowd carrying two large bowls.

The old woman hurriedly waved her hand.

"We haven't defended the city, so we can't eat first."

"Your son pointed out the ditch to us."

Er Gou shoved the bowl into her hands.

"He guarded it."

The child grabbed a piece of meat and handed it to his grandmother first.

The old woman didn't eat it; instead, she turned and stuffed the meat into the mouth of a younger child. The child chewed it a couple of times, his eyes lit up, but he was reluctant to swallow.

Upon seeing this, Chen Mu instructed Ma Liu to take out ten taels of silver from the loose silver.

Ma Liu was stunned.

"Aren't you saving the money to buy things?"

"What Liang Qi took from Xibao, return to Xibao first."

The ten taels of silver were divided among the three households.

It's not much, and it won't bring people back.

With the silver in her hand, the old woman no longer had to think about selling her granddaughter to buy food for the coming year.

She knelt down before Chen Mu.

Chen Mu quickly went over to help him up.

Don't kneel before me.

"Go back and fix the leaky roof."

The old woman nodded through her tears.

The soldiers watching this scene suddenly realized that the bag of silver on the gray cart didn't seem like official silver, nor did it seem like a reward from any general.

It returns to whoever it scrapes off.

Su Wenyuan stood by the pot with a pen in hand, and habitually asked, "How much for each person? Do you want some—"

Chen Mu handed him a bowl of soup.

"Eat first."

Su Wenyuan was stunned.

Chen Mu said, "The grain was seized, the cooking pots were from the kitchen staff, and the men were the ones who defended the city."

"No need to wait for anyone to stamp it today."

Su Wenyuan looked down at the meat soup and remained silent for a long time.

He tucked the pen into his sleeve and took the bowl with both hands.

When Han Wenshan arrived, the first pot was already empty.

He had only a dozen or so personal guards left by his side who hadn't had their armor removed, and their morale was far lower than before.

"How can enemy rations be distributed without inspection?"

"If the grain is poisoned, who will be held responsible?"

A guard captain behind him immediately removed the seal and walked toward the second pot.

"By order of the deputy general, stop issuing pots and supplies!"

The soldiers who hadn't received their soup yet were anxious, but dared not raise their hands to stop the knife.

Just as the head of the guards affixed the seal to the rim of the pot, an iron ladle was pulled horizontally.

Snapped!

The seal, along with the wooden stamp in his hand, flew into the stove fire.

Chen Mu stood in front of the pot, holding the spoon handle.

The head of the personal guard was enraged and drew his sword.

"You dare destroy the deputy general's seal!"

Chen Mu smacked the back of the knife with the second spoonful.

The knife fell into the snow.

The third blow didn't hit anyone, but only knocked open the pot lid. A burst of steam rose up, forcing the head of the line to retreat several steps.

Chen Mu ladled out a spoonful of soup and drank it in front of everyone.

"If the poison takes effect, it's on me."

He handed the iron spoon to the wounded soldier waiting behind him.

"Continue to prosper."

The wounded soldier took the ladle, stepped over the head of the guards, and ladled himself a full bowl.

The people in line also moved forward.

The pot started bubbling again, but the seal that Han Wenshan brought turned into black ash in the fire.

Ma Liu was licking his bowl when he heard this, so he deliberately scooped up another spoonful and put it in his mouth.

"poisonous."

"It smells so good it makes my tongue numb."

The crowd laughed.

Han Wenshan's face darkened.

"Chen Mu, I have a question for you!"

Chen Mu sat by the pot, while Lin Qinghe re-treated his wounds. He didn't get up, but simply pointed to Liang Qi's head.

The human head hung on the gray cart shaft, half of the face was pressed by the millstone so that it could not be seen, but the Northern Barbarian travel talisman was still biting in the mouth.

Han Wenshan's pupils contracted slightly after he saw it clearly.

"Liang Qi colluded with the Northern Barbarians and is already dead."

Chen Mu said, "If you want to ask about the grain, ask him first."

Han Wenshan said coldly, "You dare to divide enemy grain and seize troops after killing a deserter? Do you have any respect for military law?"

Chen Mu picked up his bowl of soup and slowly took a sip.

"When Nanmen was starving, your horse was eating black beans."

"When the north wall collapsed, your personal guards were protecting the stables."

"When Liang Qi ran, you didn't chase after him even a step."

He put the bowl down.

"You talk to me about defending the city, I'll listen."

"You're talking to me about this grain? Get out!"

A moment of silence fell over the surroundings.

Immediately afterwards, Lao Chai slammed the iron ladle heavily against the edge of the pot.

"roll!"

Er Gou also shouted.

"roll!"

The guards at the south gate, the soldiers by the north wall, and the military households who had lost their houses all spoke up one after another.

Dozens of rolling sounds came together, shaking the soup in the pot.

Han Wenshan's personal guards gripped their knives tightly, but none of them dared to draw them.

Their horses were in Chen Mu's hands.

Their companion had just been found to have a fake license plate.

Even worse, they could also smell the aroma of meat in the pot.

A young guard suddenly took off his knife and placed it on the ground.

"I guarded the north gate all night."

"Could I have a bowl?"

Han Wenshan suddenly turned around.

The young guards turned pale, but did not retreat.

Old Chai scooped up a large bowl of soup and handed it over directly.

"You'll get it once you've defended the city."

The young guards caught it with both hands.

The second person put down the knife.

The third person also walked towards the pot.

Of the dozen or so people who had been by Han Wenshan's side, only four remained in the blink of an eye.

His personal guard, which he had painstakingly raised for many years, was torn apart by a pot of meat soup.

Chen Mu looked at him.

You now have four people left.

"The north wall needs stones."

"Are you going or not?"

Han Wenshan's lips twitched.

He was about to speak when Yan Heng arrived with his military officers.

This time, Yan Heng didn't take the case file, but only the key to Liu Sheng's body and the new military tag from the iron box.

"Lieutenant General Han, hand over the sword first."

Han Wenshan asked, "Yan Heng, even you listen to a squad leader?"

Yan Heng shook his head.

"I heard it from my own eyes."

"The box containing the map bears the Han family's private seal, and inside are new name tags belonging to the imperial guards. Your men also have a stash of crossbows, short arrows, and lamp oil."

"The siege by the northern barbarians has not yet been lifted, so you cannot leave the fortress for the time being, nor can you mobilize any more soldiers or horses."

Han Wenshan stared at him.

"Who gave you the guts?"

Before Yan Heng could answer, Lu Shuangyi came down from the north wall and threw her military officer's token into the snow.

"I."

"If that's not enough, add the people still standing in Blackrock Fortress."

Behind her, Zhou Tie, Shi Tou, Er Gou, and more than two hundred guards all looked at Han Wenshan.

Han Wenshan took a step back for the first time.

The military officer stepped forward and removed his sword.

He pressed his fingers on the hilt of the knife for a long time before finally letting go.

The sword fell into Yan Heng's hands.

There was no official seal, no official robes, and no personal guards surrounding him.

Standing in the snow, Han Wenshan suddenly appeared even thinner than an ordinary old soldier.

Chen Mu didn't look at him much.

Han Wenshan's account was not yet finished, but this man could no longer stand behind the city gate and wait for the Northern Barbarians to kill for him.

There's something even bigger to grab right now.

Anado laid out the Wild Dog Gully food camp map on the overturned cart.

"This is the cattle pen, and this is the sheepfold."

"Ugut's vanguard pressed all the way to Blackstone Castle last night, leaving at most 150 men in the camp."

Zhou Tie swallowed hard.

"One hundred and fifty is not a small number."

"We can ride less than eighty."

Lu Shuangyi said, "I'll lead my men to charge head-on."

Chen Mu shook his head.

"A direct charge, and the cattle and sheep all scatter in terror."

He poured the twenty-four bronze tokens used by the northern barbarians onto the cart.

He then pointed to the eleven sets of heavy armor from the Northern Barbarians and the gray-clad light chariots that had been captured.

"Liang Qi left the door open for us."

Anato understood.

"Disguise as a grain delivery team."

"Twenty-four men wearing Northern Barbarian armor led the way, with the gray cart in the middle, and the others hidden behind it."

Chen Mu said, "When you enter the camp, first seize the horse pen, then the cattle pen, and finally burn the tents."

Zhou Tie was taken aback.

"Not kill first?"

"People may run away, but cattle and sheep won't come back on their own."

Chen Mu used a short knife to draw three lines on the map.

"Lieutenant General Lu will remain to guard Black Stone Fortress."

"Zhou Tie led thirty cavalrymen to circle around the south slope and block the fleeing soldiers."

"Anardo and I entered through the main entrance."

Lu Shuangyi frowned.

"You're going again?"

"Liang Qi's people recognize me, but the Northern Barbarians don't."

"Your wound—"

"He can also wield a knife."

Lin Qinghe threw the blood-stained cloth into the fire.

"One hour."

Lu Shuangyi looked at her.

Lin Qinghe remained expressionless.

"He won't die within an hour."

"If it takes more than an hour, I don't care how many cows you've captured, just bring him back first."

Chen Mu suddenly felt like he was one of those cattle and sheep that hadn't yet been caught.

Anato laughed so hard her shoulders shook.

Su Wan walked out from the crowd and handed Chen Mu a newly drawn sketch.

She re-marked the blurred ditch opening, wind direction, and fence on Liang Qitu.

"I won't stop you."

"I won't go with you."

Her voice was soft, yet steady.

"I stayed in the fort to write letters home for the wounded soldiers."

Chen Mu took the simplified diagram.

"it is good."

Su Wan looked at him, as if she had finally let go of the self she used to be, the one who wore a red fox cloak and only waited for others to choose the path for her.

She stepped aside.

After finishing the last mouthful of broth in his bowl, Chen Mu got up and put on his heavy Northern Barbarian armor.

A is very heavy.

My shoulder is aching from the pressure.

But my stomach was warm, and the people behind me were also full.

The gate of the fortress opened a crack.

The gray cart went out first, with twenty-four copper tokens hanging on the cart shaft, clanging and jingling together.

Eighty-six Han family horses followed and charged into the snowstorm.

This time, they didn't just stand guard at the door waiting for people to come and attack them.

They went to seize the enemy's grain reserves.