Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

The northern border, Iron Horse Pass.

The sky and earth were one color, a vast expanse of white stretching to the horizon.

A fierce battle had just ended; the tattered flags hung limply, and blood seeped into the frozen soil, freezing into dark red ice.

Wang Hu emerged from the military medical tent, his face ashen, clutching his bandaged left arm.

Zhao Da and Qian Wu had just come down from the battlefield, each with one arm around the back of Wang Hu's neck.

Qian Wu lowered his voice: "If it weren't for Brother Pei blocking it for you just now, you would have lost your arm from that knife."

Wang Hu's lips moved, but he turned his face away and remained silent.

Zhao Da grabbed his arm and said, "Why don't you go and thank them? They saved your life."

"Who needs his help!"

Wang Hu suddenly swung away, his raised voice drawing the attention of several wounded soldiers around him.

"I can do it myself!"

"Hey! You're so ungrateful!"

Qian Wu and Zhao Da stared at each other.

Ever since Pei San saved them, the two of them had followed Pei San's lead. Knowing that Wang Hu and Pei San had a falling out, they tried to mediate and make peace, since they were soldiers from the same battalion after all.

Unexpectedly, Wang Hu was completely unyielding.

As the three were arguing, Pei Yaojun walked by carrying a heavy string of wooden plaques.

He never cared what people thought of him, whether they thanked him or cursed him.

A charcoal brazier was still burning inside the tent. Captain Zhan Yuan was checking the roster when he heard footsteps, looked up, and saw who it was.

"You're back? How was your day?"

Pei Yaojun walked to the table and slammed the bundle of things he was carrying onto it.

A whole pile of them, all wooden signs.

They were about the same size and similar in shape, and each piece had a name engraved on it.

Those are soldiers' identification tags; each soldier has two, one hung in the camp and the other carried close to their body.

They would take it with them when they went to war, and if they returned alive, they would hang their own piece back up.

If one dies on the battlefield, that piece of armor will never be returned and will be taken by the enemy as proof of military merit.

Zhan Yuan fiddled with the wooden plaques, counting them carefully, his eyes growing brighter with each count.

"One hundred and fifty-six pieces. At this rate, General Shentu will probably promote you to military advisor soon."

Pei Yaojun has recently gained momentum in the Burning Wind Army and can be considered the most prominent figure.

After General Shentu arrived at Tiema Pass, he was promoted to captain in no time, thanks to his courage and martial arts skills.

Every time he came down from the battlefield, he carried a full set of wooden plaques, having killed countless enemies and earned widespread fame.

Even the fierce Northern Di enemy army was terrified of him and dared not easily confront him.

Pei Yaojun raised his hand and wiped the blood off his face. The blood had already frozen into ice shards, and as soon as he wiped it, it fell off in a flurry of flakes.

He didn't care at all, and just waited for Zhan Yuan to finish counting the news he would bring from the capital to him.

Most of the soldiers in the camp would send letters home, telling their families about the situation on the frontier.

He alone almost never sent out messages, focusing solely on receiving all sorts of news from the capital.

Those letters would all be inspected by Zhan Yuan. They were not ordinary family letters, but mostly news about court affairs and rumors in the capital.

Zhan Yuan handed him the envelope, and Pei Yaojun was about to open it when shouts from soldiers came from outside the tent.

"Captain Pei! General Shentu requests your presence at his camp!"

Military matters cannot be delayed. Pei Yaojun casually tucked the letter into his pocket and turned to head towards General Shentu's tent.

Inside the tent, Shentu stood in front of the sand table. When he saw him enter, he waved to him.

The two reviewed the day's battle situation on the sand table, from the oversights in the formation to the timing of the cavalry's charge, each point hitting the nail on the head.

It was already midnight when he finished speaking, and General Shentu patted him on the shoulder.

"The Northern Di people are fierce, but you are even fiercer than them. You truly deserve my trust."

Pei Yaojun lowered his head, "General, you flatter me."

"This is not an overstatement. Your military achievements are outstanding and your courage is exceptional. I intend to recommend you to the imperial court and promote you to the position of military advisor. What are your thoughts?"

Pei Yaojun immediately bowed and accepted the order.

"It's late, go back and get some rest."

Pei Yaojun rose to take his leave, and as he was about to walk out of the tent, he heard Shen Tu's voice behind him.

You dropped something.

Pei Yaojun lowered his head, and the letter from the capital slipped from his arms and fell to the ground.

He quickly picked it up, opened it, and walked out.

But after he read the contents of the letter, he turned around, dropped the letter, and ran outside.

Pei Yaojun rushed to the stable, tore open the fence, and untied a black-maned horse.

"Pei San!"

Seeing that things were going badly, Shentu quickly caught up and asked gravely, "Where are you going?"

"Back to the capital!" Pei Yaojun mounted his horse, the reins causing the horse to neigh.

"Nonsense!" Shen Tu grabbed the reins. "You are a military commander; leaving without orders is punishable by death!"

"But my father and brothers are imprisoned, and my entire family has been wiped out! I have no choice but to go back!" Pei Yaojun's eyes were bloodshot, and every word he spoke was filled with bloodlust.

Shen Tu didn't loosen his grip: "What can you do if you go back now? Break me out of prison or throw your life away?"

He picked up the discarded letter and asked, "Are you a member of the Pei family, the Duke of Yu?"

With things having come to this point, Pei Yaojun could only nod.

His eyes were filled with anxiety and grief; nothing was more urgent than the imprisonment of his entire family.

"From the capital to Tiemaguan, it's a thousand miles. The news will take at least half a month to reach here. What can you do if you rush back now?"

Pei Yaojun turned his head away. He understood the reasoning, but his mind was in turmoil, and he couldn't hear a single word.

Shen Tu held the reins, "The imperial court is not like the border; the waters there are very murky."

"What can a military general like you do if you go back? You'd better fight well, accumulate military merits, and when you return to the capital, I will personally recommend you to the Emperor."

"I can't wait! Every day we delay increases the risk to their lives!"

"If you can't wait, go to battle!"

Shen Tu shouted sternly, showing no sign of backing down.

"The Northern Barbarians have not retreated. As a general, you have abandoned your post, which is desertion! If you want to return to the capital as soon as possible, drive the Northern Barbarians back! The faster you defeat them, the sooner you can return!"

Pei Yaojun looked bewildered.

"Pei San! Listen to me, no matter who sits on the dragon throne, Great Wei is still Great Wei. What we are guarding is the land beneath our feet, and what we are protecting is the people behind us."

"If the borders fall, the Great Wei will collapse, and the Northern Barbarians will invade and plunder. Who will be able to protect our homes and families?"

Pei Yaojun hesitated, "I..."

Just then, Zhan Yuan rushed over, his face deathly pale.

"General, the Northern Barbarians have attacked the grain depot!"

Shentu was stunned. "What? The location of the granary is a military secret. How did they know?"

Before he could finish speaking, another messenger rushed over.

"Report—The eastern watchtower has been attacked!"

"Report—The northwest gate of the city is under attack!"

Shen Tu's expression changed drastically. The granary, watchtower, and city gate were attacked simultaneously. The location was precise, and the timing was cunning. There must be a traitor in the army.

Pei Yaojun was stopped by Shen Tu. He was homesick and had nowhere to vent his anger and anxiety.

Upon hearing that the Northern Di people were attacking, he immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"General, this humble general requests permission to lead the vanguard battalion to the city gate to provide reinforcements and annihilate the Northern Barbarian villains!"

Shentu nodded. "Alright, I grant you permission to lead the team. Be careful and make sure you return safely!"

"This subordinate obeys!"

…………