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

Just as Zhao Daxuan and his entourage were riding towards the south city wall, General Yue Zhenyuan arrived ahead of them with his men.

Yue Zhenyuan rode his horse to the foot of the city wall, reined in his horse, jumped down, and strode up the wall.

Behind him followed a group of captains, who couldn't help but admire Yue Zhenyuan's agility despite his graying temples.

"General Yue is indeed in good health! He rode all the way from the North Gate without stopping, and didn't even pant."

Yue Zhenyuan, who was walking ahead, chuckled lightly, "If I didn't even have this much strength, how could I possibly hold down the fort in Zhenbei City?"

Just as the group reached the city wall, Zhang Xiaoshan arrived after hearing the news. Upon seeing Yue Zhenyuan and the others, he quickly bowed.

"Captain Zhang Xiaoshan greets the General and all the esteemed officials!"

Yue Zhenyuan nodded slightly, walked past Zhang Xiaoshan, and came to the edge of the city wall. He looked around, but did not see any Tartars.

"Didn't they say that besides the north gate, Tartar cavalry also appeared here? Where are they?"

Yue Zhenyuan frowned and looked at Zhang Xiaoshan.

"Reporting to the general, the Tartar cavalry have been driven away!" Zhang Xiaoshan replied with a smile.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Zhenyuan and the other captains did not show any joy on their faces; instead, they frowned.

Chu Hanchuan, standing to the side, looked at Zhang Xiaoshan with a sullen face and questioned him in an icy voice.

"You sent men out of the city? Didn't I say that no one was allowed to leave the city to fight without authorization?"

Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, sir, you've misunderstood. It wasn't me who went out of the city and drove away the Tartars; it was the new recruits under Commandant Zhao Daxuan of the Wangbei Camp who drove them away!"

Chu Hanchuan paused upon hearing this. Now that Zhao Daxuan had not only formed his own army, but also only needed to report to the general, he could naturally decide his own battle plans without having to obey their orders.

But after his eyes darted around a few times, Chu Hanchuan suddenly smiled and bowed to Yue Zhenyuan to offer his congratulations.

"Congratulations, General Yue! A great victory in your first battle! You've crushed the Tartars' morale! Fortunately, Commandant Zhao is stationed outside the city!"

"Alas, otherwise the refugees outside the South Gate would have been slaughtered at will by the Tartar cavalry, just like those outside the North Gate."

Upon hearing Chu Hanchuan's first words, Yue Zhenyuan's smile hadn't fully blossomed before it was swallowed back by Chu Hanchuan's second sentence.

When they arrived at the north gate, the guards did not come out of the city; they simply stood on the city wall and watched helplessly as the refugees outside the city were slaughtered at will by the Tartar cavalry coming from the north.

Blood flowed like a river outside the north gate in an instant, and cries of agony filled the air.

It wasn't until all two thousand Black Armored Cavalrymen mobilized that the five hundred Tartar cavalrymen outside the city were forced to retreat.

He had originally thought that the South Gate was probably similar to the North Gate, which is why he hurriedly led his men toward the South Gate after forcing back the Tartar cavalry.

But I didn’t expect that Zhao Daxuan’s few hundred men could drive away five hundred Tartar cavalrymen. He is indeed quite capable.

Someone reported to Zhao Daxuan last night that he had recruited two hundred new cavalrymen yesterday.

"General, since Commander Zhao's strength is so outstanding, why not have the Wangbei Camp guard the area outside the city? I think you wouldn't want to see the civilians outside the city slaughtered by the Tartar cavalry again!"

"Having Commandant Zhao guard the area outside the city will not only protect the refugees outside, but also allow us inside the city to coordinate an attack from within—a win-win situation!"

Chu Hanchuan earnestly suggested to Yue Zhenyuan. Upon hearing this, the other captains beside him exchanged glances, all seeing the apprehension in each other's eyes.

So all the captains nodded in agreement.

"Yes, General. Since Commander Zhao is so capable, guarding the city is not too dangerous for them. Let them give it a try."

Hearing the suggestions from those around him, Yue Zhenyuan did not immediately agree, but instead looked thoughtful.

Just then, everyone heard shouts coming from below the city.

"We are from the Wangbei Camp. The Tartars have been driven away by us. Open the gate immediately!"

Yue Zhenyuan listened intently and indeed heard the shouts from below the city. He then looked at Zhang Xiaoshan, who was waiting to the side.

"Go see if Zhao Daxuan has returned. If so, have him come up to see me."

Zhang Xiaoshan nodded. "Yes, General! I'll go take a look right away!"

He then quickly walked to the city wall and peeked out.

Li Erlong looked at the people on the city gate and shouted several times before someone poked their head out.

"Is that Commander Zhao of the Wangbei Camp below the city?" Zhang Xiaoshan asked, poking his head out.

"It's me, Brother Zhang!"

When Zhao Daxuan saw Zhang Xiaoshan peek out, he smiled and responded loudly.

Zhang Xiaoshan narrowed his eyes and recognized Zhao Daxuan as the person below the city. He shouted, "Hurry up and come into the city! The general is waiting for you on the city wall."

Zhao Daxuan was taken aback when he heard this. He hadn't expected that the general would also come to the South Gate. So he looked at Li Erlong and the others beside him.

"I'll go up first, then I'll have them open the door and let you in."

Having said that, he dismounted, lightly touched the ground with his feet, and flashed past, leaving only an afterimage before appearing at the foot of the city wall.

With a leap, he lightly touched the city wall with his toes and, relying on the skill of "Wall Climbing," he quickly scaled the wall in a few leaps.

Zhang Xiaoshan turned his head stiffly to look at Zhao Daxuan, who had come down from the city wall to his side in just a few breaths.

He had heard rumors from people below the city wall a few days ago that Zhao Daxuan could climb the city wall barehanded. At first, he didn't believe it, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn't help but believe it.

"Brother Zhang, my men are still outside the city. Please have someone open the city gates and let them in."

After regaining his footing, Zhao Daxuan smiled and looked at Zhang Xiaoshan.

"Da... Da Xuan, I told you to wait until the city gates opened before coming up inside, but I didn't expect you to jump up here so quickly," Zhang Xiaoshan said with a wry smile.

Then he shook his head again, "Alright, alright, you're capable. I'll send someone to open the city gates and let your men in."

After arranging for someone to open the city gate, Zhang Xiaoshan pulled Zhao Daxuan toward where Yue Zhenyuan and the others were.

"Daxuan, the general and the others were just talking about you, and here you are! What a coincidence!"

"Oh? What did you say about me?" Zhao Daxuan looked at Zhang Xiaoshan curiously.

Before Zhang Xiaoshan could answer, several people approached from the front; it was Yue Zhenyuan leading a few captains.

"Greetings, General!" Zhao Daxuan quickly bowed.

Yue Zhenyuan smiled and nodded. "Commander Zhao, I heard you've achieved another victory today, driving away hundreds of cavalry. What are the specifics of your achievement?"

"Reporting to the general, this time we brought back a total of 186 Tartar heads. The remaining ten or so were smashed into mincemeat by the barricades and could not be brought back."

Zhao Daxuan answered casually, but the number 186 made the eyes of all the captains twitch.

They were quick-witted and already knew that Zhao Daxuan had recruited two hundred new soldiers, but they had never heard of two hundred new soldiers achieving such a feat.

"Your two hundred new recruits achieved such a record?" Yue Zhenyuan asked, voicing the question that had been on the minds of the other captains.

"General, there are not only two hundred new recruits, but also fifty of my original veterans, and the mechanical barricades also played a role."

Zhao Daxuan's answer slightly disappointed Yue Zhenyuan, but he was mostly relieved. If such a record was achieved by only two hundred new recruits, it would be too extraordinary.

Overall, he was very satisfied, which brought him to a conclusion after considering his previous thoughts.