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

After settling Su Qingyuan and the other three women, Zhao Daxuan headed to the council hall.

As Zhao Daxuan walked along the road, passing soldiers stopped and saluted him, their eyes filled with admiration.

Zhao Daxuan has been making a lot of moves lately. A few days ago, he captured two captains in one night, took nearly two thousand rebel soldiers prisoner, and also took control of eight thousand city guards.

Zhao Daxuan's strength increased several times overnight, and those soldiers who followed him earliest in the Black Mountain Pass naturally felt honored.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Brothers, you've worked hard."

Zhao Daxuan grinned and waved as he walked, only stopping when he reached the council hall.

Rubbing his slightly sore cheeks, Zhao Daxuan ordered the soldiers at the entrance of the council hall, "Go and fetch the centurions."

After speaking, he strode into the council hall. As soon as he sat down, a soldier brought him a cup of tea, which Zhao Daxuan drank in one gulp.

After annihilating the two Tartar tribes, they still managed to acquire a considerable amount of supplies, including tea and wine.

Zhao Daxuan also shared the supplies he had previously looted from the Tartar army's logistics camp.

Therefore, recently everyone in the camp has been given a cup of tea every day, not to mention the treatment given to someone of Zhao Daxuan's rank.

After a few cups of tea, Li Erlong, Zhao Fubao, and Li Changming arrived at the council hall, and even Qin Lide came.

As soon as Li Erlong sat down, he picked up a cup of steaming hot tea, tilted his head back and drank it down. After gulping down a few mouthfuls, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"It's so comfortable. Life has been getting better and better ever since I started following you, Master."

Li Erlong grinned.

Zhao Fubao nodded. He and Li Erlong were the ones who had followed Zhao Daxuan the longest, so they naturally had deep feelings about it.

Zhao Daxuan chuckled to himself. They were so happy over just a few cups of tea. If they were to live a life of luxury every day, they would be ecstatic.

Zhao Daxuan laughed and said, "This is nothing, the best days are yet to come."

"Alright, I called you here today because there are two things I want to tell you."

Upon hearing that Zhao Daxuan was about to get down to business, Li Erlong and the others put away their smiles, sat up straight, and listened attentively.

"The first thing I did when I went to Zhenbei City was to report the gold mine matter to General Yue in detail, and I received General Yue's support."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present showed joy. With Yue Zhenyuan's support, the gold mine was practically secured.

"Secondly, I have also presented the General with the evidence of Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan's crimes. It is irrefutable. The General will report it to the court, and once the court's dismissal order arrives, it will be the day of their death."

Li Erlong grinned and clapped his hands, "Good! That felt so good!"

The others also had smiles on their faces. It seemed that Zhao Daxuan's trip to Zhenbei City had gone exceptionally smoothly, with good news coming one after another.

"Sir, is there any more?"

Zhao Daxuan nodded and said, "Yes, I've reached an agreement with Bailianfang. They will be sending people over soon to set up a branch outside Heishan Pass."

"From now on, we will cooperate with our Black Mountain Iron Mine. In the near future, every one of our brothers in Wangbei Camp will have a suit of armor made of fifty-fold steel."

Li Erlong and the others gasped. Compared to the previous two pieces of news, they were more surprised and delighted by this news, since it truly benefited their brothers.

"My lord, is this true?" Li Erlong asked excitedly.

"Would I tease you?"

"Hehehe, Your Excellency is mighty."

Qin Lide poured cold water on this, saying, "Don't have too high expectations. It will probably take several months before there are any actual results. During this time, the Tartars will probably have attacked several times already."

Upon hearing this, everyone calmed down a bit.

Zhao Daxuan smiled and said, "Old Qin is right, the key is to plan ahead."

Li Erlong nodded and asked with a smile, "My lord, is there any other news?"

The others also looked at Zhao Daxuan with expectant expressions.

Zhao Daxuan looked around, nodded slightly, and said with a complicated expression, "There's another piece of news, which is mixed."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this. What kind of news could be half good and half bad?

Everyone immediately fell silent, looking at Zhao Daxuan and waiting for him to continue.

"The imperial procession that came to issue the imperial edict of reward should have arrived in Zhenbei City today."

"His Majesty has personally appointed me as the Marquis of Wangbei and General Zhenbei, in addition to one hundred taels of gold, one thousand acres of fertile land, and one hundred bolts of brocade..."

"hiss--!!"

Everyone gasped in shock, feeling a chill run down their spines.

"This...this..."

The crowd looked at each other in disbelief, unable to even finish their sentences.

Zhao Daxuan, seeing their expressions, had already anticipated this. He smiled and shook his head, continuing, "But the Emperor also demands that I immediately relinquish military power at Black Mountain Pass and return to the court to report on my duties."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water in the dead of winter.

The smile on Li Erlong's face froze, looking utterly ridiculous.

After a long while, everyone finally came to their senses.

Qin Lide was unusually angry. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and shouted, "Sir, you can't go! There's definitely something wrong with this!"

"If I'm not mistaken, those officials in the imperial court are definitely waiting for you in the capital to deliver your head!"

Li Erlong and the others also showed anger, nodding in agreement, saying, "Sir, Elder Qin is right, you absolutely must not go."

Zhao Fubao also said, "Sir, we can't do without you at Black Mountain Pass. In just a few days, the pass blocked by the rocks will be cleared."

Zhao Daxuan reached out and pressed down, saying in a deep voice, "Don't worry, everyone. We are now at Black Mountain Pass, the most remote battlefield, where the situation can change in an instant."

"Just like Fu Bao just said, the passage will be opened up in a few days. These few days could be ten days, five days, or even tomorrow."

Zhao Daxuan wore a meaningful expression and continued, "When the official road is opened and the Tartar army attacks, how can I, Zhao Daxuan, as the commander of Heishan Pass, escape?"

The expressions on Zhao Fubao and the others' faces were priceless.

Qin Lide clapped his hands in admiration, "Brilliant! When a general is in the field, he may disobey the king's orders."

Zhao Daxuan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the north of the city, saying, "This is all thanks to the general's guidance."

Then Zhao Daxuan looked at Zhao Fubao and said, "Fubao, make the arrangements. I estimate that the imperial army will reach Heishan Pass in two to four or five days."

"The Tartars will also make a move in the next few days, do you understand?"

Zhao Fubao nodded seriously and said, "Understood! I will make the arrangements in a moment. According to the intelligence I have, the Tartars have suddenly increased the number of people sent to clear the pass, and the pass will be cleared in two days at the latest."

Zhao Daxuan nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, everyone just needs to keep that in mind."