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

The entourage stood before the pass, their imposing and solemn bearing as they quietly awaited the opening of the gates of Heishan Pass, ready for Zhao Daxuan to emerge from the city to receive the imperial decree.

The arrival of this group immediately attracted the attention of the refugees around the pass. Although they dared not approach to investigate, they all stopped to watch from a distance.

After waiting for a while, there was still no movement inside the Black Mountain Pass. Eunuch Gao lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down from the carriage.

Looking at the harsh environment around the Black Mountain Pass and the ragged refugees not far away, Eunuch Gao couldn't help but frown.

"This godforsaken place is awful. Where's Zhao Daxuan?"

"I've arrived with His Majesty's imperial decree, and not only does he not come out of the city to greet me, but he still won't come out even though I'm already at the city gates!"

Eunuch Gao was furious. Although the imperial edict had been issued and Zhao Daxuan was about to be granted the title of Marquis of Wangbei and the position of General Zhenbei, he would also have his military power revoked and be sent to the capital to report for duty.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Zhao Daxuan was nothing more than a grasshopper in autumn; once he relinquished his military power, he would have no chance of ever rising again.

Therefore, from the bottom of his heart, Eunuch Gao looked down on Zhao Daxuan, and his attitude towards him was naturally not as polite as his attitude towards Yue Zhenyuan.

The accompanying eunuch quickly stepped forward with a smile, "Eunuch Gao, please calm down. This Zhao Daxuan is just a brute who doesn't know any manners. Please don't take it to heart."

Eunuch Gao snorted coldly, "It's not enough to just say he doesn't know manners. We represent His Majesty. How dare a border general be so arrogant? He clearly doesn't respect us or His Majesty."

"Go over there, a few men, smash the city gates and tell Zhao Daxuan to get out here and receive the imperial decree. If he's even a moment late, I'll impeach him for the death penalty of disrespecting the emperor."

"I can't believe it," said Grandpa Gao in his hoarse voice, his face full of disgust.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding guards immediately nodded in agreement and charged forward, brandishing their swords and smashing the gate with the backs of their blades.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

"Open the door! Open the door quickly! We have come by imperial decree. Tell Zhao Daxuan to open the door immediately and receive the imperial edict!"

Shouts and pounding on the door echoed in the empty pass, but the city gate remained tightly shut, and only the soldiers on duty on the city wall coldly watched them.

The soldiers had already received instructions, so they ignored their urging.

Seeing that the Black Mountain Pass had no reaction whatsoever, Eunuch Gao was so angry that he jumped up and down, pointing at the soldiers on the city gate and cursing them.

"You peasants, how dare you treat an angel so disrespectfully! When I return to the capital, I'll have His Majesty skin you alive!"

After cursing for a while until his voice was hoarse, Eunuch Gao had several eunuchs beside him continue cursing. They cursed for a full half hour before the city gate finally creaked open.

Eunuch Gao perked up, stood up, slightly raised his chin, and looked contemptuously toward the city gate, preparing to teach Zhao Daxuan a lesson when he arrived.

However, what emerged from the pass was not a respectful welcoming party, but rather squads of elite soldiers fully armed and wielding long swords.

The soldiers, clad in gleaming armor and with their long swords drawn, marched out of the pass in perfect unison, exuding a chilling aura of menace. Finally, they formed neat ranks on either side of the imperial envoy's procession.

The angry shouts of the eunuchs stopped abruptly, their faces turning pale instantly. They shrank back and hid behind Eunuch Gao.

Grandpa Gao's expression also darkened slightly, and his eyes became more serious.

After all the soldiers had lined up, Zhao Daxuan, wearing a fish-scale armor that was slightly dusty, slowly walked out of the pass.

He had just finished his patrol mission for the day and returned to the pass. In fact, he had already received news from the soldiers that the imperial envoy's team had arrived, but he deliberately kept them waiting, so he only arrived now.

Zhao Daxuan, followed by Li Erlong, Li Changming and other generals, and surrounded by thousands of soldiers, stopped a few steps in front of Eunuch Gao.

A chilling aura suddenly swept over him, and Eunuch Gao subconsciously took a half step back, swallowed hard, and felt his throat tighten.

Zhao Daxuan's eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and he said in a calm tone, "You have come from afar, but I have been busy with military affairs and have not been able to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

"You...you..." Eunuch Gao recognized Zhao Daxuan and stammered, "Zhao Daxuan, how dare you lead an army to welcome the angels? Are you planning a rebellion?"

"You flatter me, sir," Zhao Daxuan said with a faint smile. "This place is a border region frequently ravaged by war, with Tartar scouts appearing frequently. For your safety, sir, I led a group of soldiers out of the city to greet you."

"If Your Excellency finds this inappropriate, then I will have them leave. However, if Your Excellency is captured by the Tartars, I will not bear the responsibility."

As he spoke, Zhao Daxuan revealed a meaningful expression.

Seeing this, Eunuch Gao couldn't help but shudder. Looking at Zhao Daxuan's expression and the group of soldiers eyeing him menacingly, all sorts of wild guesses popped into his mind.

Did Zhao Daxuan find out something? Would he send soldiers disguised as Tartars to kidnap them? Or would he just kill them outside the city?

Swallowing hard again, Eunuch Gao shrank his neck, chuckled dryly, and said, "Lord Zhao is joking. It was a misunderstanding on my part."

At this moment, Eunuch Gao dared not put on airs anymore and quickly took the bright yellow imperial edict from the little eunuch beside him.

He cleared his throat and announced loudly, "The imperial edict has arrived! Everyone kneel down to receive it!"

As soon as Eunuch Gao finished speaking, the accompanying eunuchs and guards knelt down. Li Erlong and the others exchanged glances and slowly knelt down on one knee as well.

The thousands of soldiers and refugees who had gathered around also knelt down.

For a moment, only Zhao Daxuan remained standing motionless before the entire pass.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Gao's face immediately darkened, and he couldn't help but shout, "Lord Zhao, why aren't you kneeling down? Do you intend to defy the imperial decree?"

Zhao Daxuan reached out and pressed the sword at his waist, his voice loud and clear, reaching the ears of everyone around him.

"My lord, I am a military officer stationed at the border, and I am always ready to respond to any unforeseen circumstances. I can accept His Majesty's decree, but I truly cannot kneel before him."

"Insolence!" Eunuch Gao shouted sternly, "You dare disobey His Majesty's decree? This is a heinous crime of treason!"

"Eunuch Gao, if I kneel down, the Tartar scouts will shoot arrows at you, and I won't be able to protect you."

The eunuch Gao froze, his face turning ashen. Zhao Daxuan's blatant threat showed that he was not taken seriously at all.

But this tactic did work on him. He was also afraid that Zhao Daxuan would have a mental breakdown and let the soldiers fire arrows, in which case he would be the one to suffer.

So, Eunuch Gao could only grit his teeth, swallow his anger, unfold the imperial edict, and read it aloud in a shrill voice.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Zhao Daxuan, Commandant of the Wangbei Camp in Zhenbei City, has rendered meritorious service in guarding the border, severely defeating the Tartars, and recovering lost territory. He is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Zhenbei, and the additional rank of General of Zhenbei. He is also bestowed with one hundred taels of gold and one hundred bolts of brocade. All his officers and soldiers are also to be rewarded. This is the imperial decree!"

As soon as Eunuch Gao finished speaking, thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd, and the soldiers shouted excitedly, "Long live His Majesty! General, you are mighty!"

The refugees' eyes lit up, their faces filled with excitement, and they kept chanting, "Your Majesty is wise! General is mighty!"

Only Zhao Daxuan and a few core military officers remained calm, because they knew that the main event was yet to come, so they simply watched Eunuch Gao quietly.

As Eunuch Gao looked at the cheering crowd, his expression grew increasingly grim. Only when the cheers subsided did he take a deep breath, suddenly raise his voice, and read the last sentence of the imperial edict.

"Furthermore, considering the Marquis of Zhenbei's meritorious service, he is hereby summoned to immediately relinquish military command at Heishan Pass and accompany me to the capital to report on my duties, meet the Emperor, and receive my reward. This must not be delayed!"