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

Zhang Xiaoshan frowned and said in a deep voice, "The city guards who were on duty at the city gate when you entered Zhenbei City were also my men."

"After I finished questioning you, someone came to report to me immediately, which is how I found out about this. Is there a problem?"

Zhao Daxuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, then put on a smile.

He said sheepishly, "I see. We just went through a big battle and had a conflict with the Black Armor Camp. I was being too sensitive."

Upon hearing that Zhao Daxuan had actually clashed with the Black Armor Army, Zhang Xiaoshan showed a surprised expression.

He quickly pressed for details, asking, "What happened? The Black Armor Army holds an extraordinary position among the garrison of Zhenbei City. Their commander is notoriously arrogant and domineering. You mustn't provoke them."

He then pulled Zhao Daxuan up, beckoned to the other centurions and others, and walked towards the chairs behind them, talking as they went.

"Come, come, sit down first, and tell me properly. The rest of you, don't stand, sit down too."

After pressing Zhao Daxuan into the first seat on his left, Zhang Xiaoshan then walked to the head seat and sat down.

The others also took their seats, and Zhao Daxuan then began to recount the conflict that had just occurred with the Black Armor Camp outside the city gate.

"My lord, we traveled all day and only reached a short distance from the city gate when Wang Liefeng, the captain of the Black Armor Camp, led a hundred cavalrymen to block our path, and then..."

After Zhao Daxuan finished explaining what had just happened, he handed the letter in his pocket to Zhang Xiaoshan. Zhang Xiaoshan took it, glanced at it, and frowned, his face becoming serious.

"Gao Yuan certainly deserved to die, but Wang Liefeng's actions are also highly suspicious. Moreover, killing such an important witness before even going to trial is simply outrageous!"

"Hmph! I'll report this to the captain immediately; this matter will not be let off so easily!"

Then, a hint of worry appeared on his face as he looked at Zhao Daxuan and said, "Zhao Daxuan, don't worry, I'll handle this matter. But you should be more careful in the future, as I'm worried that the Black Armor Camp might cause you trouble again."

Zhao Daxuan nodded seriously upon hearing this and said, "Thank you for the reminder, sir. I will be careful. However, if those Black Armor Camp people dare to cause trouble, I will make them suffer even more."

Zhang Xiaoshan then clapped his hands, pointed at Zhao Daxuan, and burst into laughter.

"You've got some nerve, kid. Everyone else is avoiding the Black Armor Camp like the plague, and you actually want to make them suffer. Fine! If anything goes wrong, I'll back you up!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan grinned, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "With Lord Zhang's words, I feel even more confident. Then I thank Lord Zhang in advance!"

Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hand dismissively and said, "We're all family, why be so polite? If I don't even protect my own people, what's the point of being a captain? I might as well go home and farm!"

After saying that, he added with a curious look, "By the way, tell me again how you managed to take down the bandits in the Liangshan Mountains? This really surprised me."

Zhao Daxuan nodded, and was about to speak when Li Erlong, sitting next to him, smiled and said, "Commander! I was involved in this whole matter, so let me tell you."

Zhang Xiaoshan readily agreed, smiling as he nodded at Li Erlong, and said with a smile, "Alright, Erlong, you've always been eloquent, so tell me the whole story."

Li Erlong nodded, cleared his throat with two light coughs, and then began to recount the events of yesterday in detail.

He had already explained it once last night, so choosing again now would be a piece of cake.

"Yesterday, Gao Yuan arranged for Deng Rong to lead the vanguard, with no retreat allowed! Deng Rong immediately sent Lord Zhao to scout ahead, and then..."

"With a swift three-arrow volley, Lord Zhang unleashed his arrows, and the charging bandits fell wave after wave like wheat being harvested..."

As Li Erlong recounted his story with great emotion, Zhang Xiaoshan's expression became increasingly interesting. He frequently glanced sideways, looking at Zhao Daxuan with amazement.

It took almost half an hour for Li Erlong to finish recounting what had happened the day before.

Zhang Xiaoshan clapped his hands in amazement, clicking his tongue in praise, looking at Zhao Daxuan with disbelief, as if he were looking at some rare treasure.

"Excellent, excellent! I never expected to have such a talent under my command. You have rendered such a great service this time. From now on, you will surely have a place in the Zhenbei Army!"

After saying this, his expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "Zhao Daxuan, listen to my order: You have rendered meritorious service in this bandit suppression, and I am now promoting you to centurion, to command the original troops under Gao Yuan. I hope you will continue your efforts and not let me down!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan's face lit up with joy. He stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you for your promotion, sir. I will certainly live up to your expectations."

The others all had an expression of "it should be this way" when Zhao Daxuan was promoted, showing no surprise whatsoever.

Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "Zhao Daxuan, you made a pledge before, and I promised you that as long as you kill more than a hundred enemies, I will reward you. Promoting you to centurion is already the limit of my ability."

"But this time you have performed such a great service that not only will your past mistakes be forgiven, but I will also personally report your achievements to the general."

After a pause, Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Zhao Daxuan with a mocking expression and said with a smile, "I heard that you recently took away two beauties from the General. This time, I will make sure you get something too."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan chuckled awkwardly and said, "Lord Zhang, I was just lucky. But I really do like the Liu sisters very much, so I would like to ask you if I could be allowed to go home every day instead of spending the night in the military camp!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room immediately wore knowing expressions.

Zhang Xiaoshan chuckled and pointed at Zhao Daxuan with his finger: "You little rascal, be careful you don't fall into a trap and never get out. Alright, I approve, and I'll even let you rest tomorrow to spend some time with your beauty. You can rejoin the team the day after tomorrow!"

Zhao Daxuan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and rose again to bow, repeatedly expressing his gratitude: "Thank you very much, Lord Zhang! This humble servant thanks you!"

Zhang Xiaoshan waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, it's getting late. You should all go back now. I still need to report what happened to the Captain."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan and the others rose to take their leave and left the tent.

Standing outside the tent, the other centurions bowed to Zhao Daxuan and said, "Congratulations on your promotion to centurion, Lord Zhao. We look forward to your continued support. Your abilities are evident to all."

Zhao Daxuan smiled slightly and returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "Not at all, you flatter me. Let's all look out for each other in the future!"

After everyone had left, Li Erlong bid farewell to Zhao Daxuan, saying, "Sir, I look forward to serving under you in the future. I won't take up any more of your time now."

Zhao Daxuan smiled and nodded, saying, "From now on, we're brothers. You won't be treated badly if you follow me!"

After saying that, he turned and strode away. At this moment, he was eager to go home and share his gains with Li Shishi and her sister.