A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

The tent was small and the facilities were simple. Apart from a simple map and a few stools, there were no other items.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a square face was sitting in the main seat in the tent. He was probably Captain Zhang Xiaoshan.

Several people were sitting on either side, discussing something, and stopped when they saw Zhao Daxuan and his companion enter.

Deng Rong took two quick steps and knelt down in the tent with a thud, crying and pleading, "Commander, you must do me justice!"

"This Zhao Daxuan is lawless and beat up his comrades. I was ordered to summon him, and he beat me up like this! Please, you must do justice for me!"

Zhao Daxuan stopped in the center of the tent, and respectfully saluted the captain according to military etiquette, saying calmly, "Your subordinate greets Captain!"

Zhang Xiaoshan scrutinized Zhao Daxuan, whose appearance was beyond his expectations.

Contrary to rumors of being a sick person, he was actually in high spirits and showed no fear whatsoever.

After staring silently at Zhao Daxuan for a long while, he finally spoke, "Zhao Daxuan, do you know your crime?"

Zhao Daxuan smiled and said, "My lord, what crime have I committed?"

Zhang Xiaoshan's face darkened, and before he could speak, a person sitting next to him immediately jumped up.

This man had a long, horse-like face and narrow eyes. He immediately declared, "You've committed a grave crime and don't even realize it! Your crime is compounded! Guards, drag him away and give him thirty strokes of the cane!"

Zhao Daxuan glared at him: "And who are you? Do you think you have the right to make decisions before the Commandant?"

The horse-faced man snorted and said, "I am Gao Yuan, a centurion under the command of the Commandant, and Deng Rong is my platoon leader."

Then the horse-faced man bowed to Zhang Xiaoshan and said, "Commander, please order this disrespectful fellow to be severely punished!"

Zhang Xiaoshan, the captain in the main seat, looked at Deng Rong, whose head was swollen like a pig's head, and a flash of anger crossed his face.

"Hmph! Zhao Daxuan, you dare treat the person I sent to summon like this? You're utterly lawless! Guards, take this away..."

"Wait! My lord! I have something to say!"

Seeing that the situation was about to turn against him, Zhao Daxuan immediately spoke up to stop it.

"This time, Deng Rong was at fault first. Not only did he falsely convey the Commandant's orders, but he also showed disrespect to the General!"

"Yesterday's events are still unresolved, yet Deng Rong has already ordered me to await punishment. How can you, Commandant, make a decision without conducting an investigation!"

"And my newlywed wife was a gift from the general. Not only were she forcibly abducted by Deng Rong's soldiers in broad daylight yesterday, but today Deng Rong openly stood up for them!"

"These people are utterly lawless and show no respect for the general whatsoever!"

"As a man of stature, how could I face the Commandant and the General if I did not punish Deng Rong for such bullying?"

"We implore Your Excellency, Commandant, to see the truth!"

Zhao Daxuan finished speaking in one breath, his words resounding.

Zhang Xiaoshan sat upright, his eyes narrowed, and after a long while, he said, "What do you have to say about yesterday's serious injury to three comrades?"

Zhao Daxuan remained calm, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "That was because they forcibly kidnapped people and broke the law first. There were quite a few witnesses at the time."

"I admit I was a bit too hasty and used too much force, but I could only take them down in one move by myself."

He shrugged and said, "They're so easily defeated, you can't blame me for that, can you?"

After listening, Zhang Xiaoshan remained silent, then stared at Deng Rong, who was kneeling on the ground, and asked, "Deng Rong, is it true?"

"My lord, this...this..."

Deng Rong knelt on the ground, unsure of how to respond. He had learned the whole story from his subordinates, and what Zhao Daxuan had just said was indeed true.

Deng Rong could only look to his superior, Centurion Gao Yuan, for help.

Upon seeing Deng Rong's plea for help, Gao Yuan could only curse him inwardly: "Useless!"

He stood up again, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhang Xiaoshan, and said, "My lord, even if Zhao Daxuan's actions had their reasons, he cannot escape responsibility!"

"My suggestion is that while he may escape the death penalty, he will certainly face severe punishment! Zhao Daxuan should be given a hundred lashes and then expelled from the city guard. The army cannot tolerate such a black sheep!"

Zhao Daxuan gritted his teeth as he listened. "You old bastard, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and you're already trying to kill me."

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to withstand even fifty strokes of the cane, let alone a hundred.

If he were to receive a hundred lashes, he might be able to withstand it given his current physical condition, but he definitely wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least ten days to two weeks.

Zhao Daxuan couldn't help but step forward, clasping his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Commander, Gao Yuan is truly wicked, actually trying to frame you unjustly!"

"If you were to heed his words, I fear you would be criticized! I urge you to reconsider!"

Zhang Xiaoshan's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the armrests of the table and chair as he squinted at Zhao Daxuan: "Zhao Daxuan, I'll give you two choices!"

"The first option, as Centurion Gao suggested, is to give you a hundred lashes and then expel you from the city guard!"

"The second option is for you to sign a pledge to atone for your crimes by killing twenty bandits in the suppression of bandits in the Daliang Mountains three days later! If you can accomplish this, I will not pursue your crimes."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone else in the tent revealed a meaningful smile.

Zhang Xiaoshan is known for protecting his own people. This time, Zhao Daxuan hit his man, so how could he let him off so easily?

In their view, the Captain seemed to have given them two choices, but in fact, no matter which path they chose, the result would be the same!

Several encirclement and suppression missions had been organized before, but each time the teams sent out were not strong and they were just there to make up the numbers, and in the end they all returned empty-handed.

However, it was precisely because the bandits in the Liangshan Mountains were powerful and had a geographical advantage that the teams sent to suppress them were unwilling to risk their lives.

The task of having Zhao Daxuan kill twenty bandits was simply impossible.

Zhao Daxuan blinked. Was it so hard to kill twenty bandits? It was just a matter of shooting twenty arrows. It was a piece of cake.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "My lord, is execution absolutely necessary? Would shooting him count?"

Zhang Xiaoshan said irritably, "Whether you shoot them or kill them, as long as you can take the lives of twenty bandits, then you'll have fulfilled your military order."

After listening, Zhao Daxuan asked again, "Commander, what if I not only take the lives of twenty bandits, but forty, or even more?"

"Hahaha, this kid really doesn't know his own limitations!"

"That's hilarious! Everyone knows Zhao Daxuan is a disgrace to the entire army, a notoriously sickly weakling! He thinks he can kill forty enemies?"

As soon as Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, the centurions burst into laughter.

Only Deng Rong, who was standing to the side, remembered Zhao Daxuan's performance at the archery range earlier, and looked at Zhao Daxuan with a face full of surprise and uncertainty.

Zhao Daxuan ignored everyone's words and simply sat quietly at the head of the table, waiting for a reply from Zhang Xiaoshan.