Border Soldier: My fiancée snatched credit and broke off the engagement, so I promptly became a marq

The military trial court was located in the drill ground.

Not inside the house.

Chen Mu demanded that it be displayed in front of the military merit list.

The reason is simple.

The door can be closed inside the house.

The rankings can't hide everyone's eyes.

Three long tables were quickly set up.

On the left side of the table were the military merit register, the cookhouse death list, and three genuine copies of the register from Black Pine Ridge.

On the right side of the table are the Black Tiger Camp Night Soldier Copper Talisman, the Side Valley Messenger Blood Cloth, the Korean Character Waist Talisman, and the Counterfeit Fire Seal Wax Sheet.

In the center are the fragmented letter found in the Zhao residence, the Zhao family's secret mark dagger, and the copper plaque indicating an inside contact at the south gate.

As soon as the items were laid out, the noise in the drill ground subsided.

Evidence doesn't insult people.

But it's more serious than insults.

When Zhao Hong was brought in, his face was already ashen.

Zhao Chenglie stood on the other side, his shoulder injury still not healed, but his eyes were fixed on the Zhao family's secret mark short knife in the middle.

He used to think that the Zhao family was a powerful backer.

Now that short knife is like a nail, pinning him to the list as well.

Lu Shuangyi sat in the main seat.

She wasn't wearing a cloak, only silver armor.

The knife was placed on the table.

Han Zhao did not sit down.

He stood to the side, as if reminding everyone that the Black Tiger Camp was still outside the fortress.

Chen Mu did not sit down.

Lin Qinghe stood behind him, the medicine box at his feet. She noticed Chen Mu's fingers trembling slightly, so she placed a pill in his palm.

Chen Mu did not turn around, but simply held the medicine in his mouth.

Lu Shuangyi saw it.

Her gaze lingered for a moment, then shifted away.

"Trial of the Zhao family's case of colluding with the enemy and stealing credit."

The registrar's voice was strained, but he still read it aloud.

The first incident involved Wugudu faking the kidnapping of Su Wan, and Zhao Chenglie faking a rescue.

The second task is to burn the bolt inside the south gate.

The third item is the barbarian leather armor and fragments of a letter hidden in the cellar of the Zhao residence.

With each story he read, Zhao Hong's face would twitch.

He finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"These are all Chen Mu's side of the story!"

Chen Mu remained silent.

Zhou Tie waved.

Two guards dragged Zhao Liang up.

Zhao Liang was Zhao Chenglie's personal bodyguard.

He didn't die.

When he was dragged up, his shoes were still covered in wet mud from the dungeon. His hair was disheveled, his face was pale, and there were two deep marks on his wrists.

Zhou Tie pressed him down in front of the table, not letting him kneel too far away.

Chen Mu wanted everyone to see his face clearly.

Especially Su Wan.

Especially Zhao Chenglie.

He didn't die.

But he couldn't speak.

His mouth was stuffed with a thick cloth, his eyes were filled with terror, and his hands were tied in front of him.

Su Wan's face turned pale the moment she saw him.

She recognized the face.

When Zhao Chenglie "rescued" her that night, it was Zhao Liang who led the horse.

When Zhao Liang saw Su Wan, he shrank back.

Zhao Hong said urgently, "What kind of testimony can a lowly slave provide?"

Chen Mu looked at Zhao Chenglie.

"He's yours."

Zhao Chenglie's lips moved slightly.

Han Zhao looked at him coldly.

Zhao Hong also looked at him.

Two gazes, one to the left and one to the right, like two knives.

Zhao Chenglie closed his eyes.

His fingernails dug into his palm.

Previously, he only needed to stand behind Zhao Hong.

Whatever the father says goes.

Han Zhao said to do it, and so did he.

Not anymore.

Chen Mu laid out all the accounts; even if he didn't choose one, it would still be written down.

Chen Mu said, "Zhao Chenglie."

"Choose your own account."

The drill ground was so quiet you could hear the wind.

Zhao Chenglie looked up, his eyes slightly red.

"Zhao Liang is my personal guard."

Zhao Hong angrily shouted, "Cheng Lie!"

Zhao Chenglie did not look at him.

"He did indeed leave the camp ahead of schedule that night."

Su Wan's fingers trembled.

The clerk's pen stopped.

Chen Mu asked, "Where to?"

Zhao Chenglie gritted his teeth.

"The back gate of the Zhao residence."

"Get the picture."

Zhao Liang trembled when he heard those two words.

Chen Mu placed a piece of charcoal next to his bound hands.

"Write."

Zhao Liang dared not move.

Han Zhao's gaze pressed down on his back, and Zhao Hong's breathing became heavier.

Chen Mu didn't urge him, but simply had Zhou Tie place the Zhao family's secret-marked short knife in front of Zhao Liang.

The engravings on the hilt are visible.

Zhao Liang glanced at it and finally broke down.

He used his bound fingers to hold the charcoal and wrote two crooked characters on the wooden table.

The Zhao residence.

Su Wan closed her eyes.

She had lost even the last bit of self-deception.

Zhao Hong suddenly stood up, but Zhou Tie pressed him back down.

Han Zhao's eyes turned cold.

Once Zhao Chenglie started talking, he couldn't stop.

"All I knew was that I had to act out a rescue scene."

"I thought Wugu would just snatch people away, not actually take them with them."

"If I chase after them and bring back a barbarian's head, I will be credited with a victory."

His voice became hoarse as he said this.

"I didn't expect him to actually take Su Wan away."

Su Wan stood at the back of the crowd, her face gradually turning pale.

The wind slipped in through her sleeve, and her burned hand throbbed with pain.

But she didn't lower her head.

She looked at Zhao Chenglie, at the young general who had once made her believe he could lead her away from the impoverished days of the cookhouse.

It turns out she wasn't rescued.

She was bait that was laid out for her.

Chen Mu jumped into the pile of dead bodies as bait.

Zhao Chenglie stood on the celebration platform to commemorate his achievements.

She didn't cry.

He simply tucked his burned hand into his sleeve.

She used to want Zhao Chenglie to give her dignity.

Now, this facade has been publicly torn down, revealing nothing but rotten mud inside.

Chen Mu said, "Just because you didn't think of it doesn't mean you didn't do it."

Zhao Chenglie lowered his head.

"I know."

"That's why I admit it."

Zhao Hong hissed, "You're insane! You're going to ruin the Zhao family!"

Zhao Chenglie suddenly smiled.

That smile was ugly.

"The Zhao family killed me long ago."

"Father, you want me to take credit, to marry Su Wan, and to stand on the high platform."

"But now Han Zhao is to be escorted. If I go with you, I'll be the first one to die on the road to Bailang Pass."

He looked up at Chen Mu.

"At least in his account, the mistakes I made were mistakes, and the merits I made were merits."

"In your camp, I am merely a young general of the Zhao family who can be easily discarded."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hong's expression completely changed.

Han Zhao also fell silent.

Chen Mu did not praise Zhao Chenglie.

He simply said to the registrar, "Record it."

"Zhao Chenglie admitted to participating in the fake Falun Gong rescue bureau and provided Zhao Liang with the diagrams, pending verification."

"Furthermore, the attack by the general protecting the north wall has been recorded in the merits and demerits section."

Merits and Demerits are divided into two volumes.

As these four words were spoken, many soldiers in the training ground looked up.

What they feared most in the past was scoundrels.

If the higher-ups say "this person is guilty," all his past merits can be erased. If they say "this person has merits," his past mistakes can be covered up. In the end, it's always the lowly soldier without any backing who suffers.

But now Chen Mu separates merit from crime.

Zhao Chenglie is guilty and should be tried.

I also remember Zhao Chenglie blocking the north wall.

This is not favoritism.

This is more believable than showing favoritism.

Even a few of Zhao family guards who had been hiding behind the crowd slowly raised their heads. For the first time, they felt that if the investigation were conducted in this manner, they might not necessarily have to sink with Zhao Hong.

Su Wan understood as well.

The dignity she once craved was something written for her by others. Now, Chen Mu's account lays bare the truths she once dared not face. Zhao Chenglie was neither reduced to a worthless figure nor whitewashed as a good person.

Wrong is wrong.

Merit is merit.

That's why there's nowhere for people to escape.

They understood.

Chen Mu is not trying to whitewash Zhao Chenglie.

He simply separated merit from demerit.

A crime deserving death will not be forgiven simply because of meritorious service.

The merits that should be recorded will not be taken away because of a crime.

This is the account they want.

Han Zhao suddenly spoke.

"That sounds nice."

He took another document from his pocket.

"Lu Shuangyi privately set up military interrogations and allowed squad leaders to disrupt border defenses."

"If the Commander-in-Chief holds you accountable, who among you will take responsibility?"

He slammed the document on the table.

"There is one more order."

"Lu Shuangyi, temporarily relieve yourself of your command of the Black Stone Fortress."

The drill ground fell silent.

The men from the Fire Station instinctively looked at Lu Shuangyi.

Lu Shuangyi's face remained expressionless.

Only the hand resting on the knife had its knuckles slightly tightened.

Chen Mu glanced at the new order.

Then he laughed.

"Captain Han."

"How many usable orders are you carrying on you exactly?"

This sentence, though not heavy, was like lifting half of the corner of the second order.

The way people around him looked at him changed.

The first order came quickly, which could be attributed to the fact that White Wolf Pass had made prior arrangements.

The second decree also came at just the right time, which is hard to explain.

Zhao Hong's newly risen hope gradually dimmed again.

Zhao Chenglie looked at the decree and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

If Lu Shuangyi is also removed from power today, then everyone in the military trial will fall back into Han Zhao's hands.

Including him.

Zhao Chenglie suddenly realized that his confession just now was not only about betraying the Zhao family. It was also the only time he spoke according to his own will.

If Lu Shuangyi is arrested and Chen Mu is taken away, his self-defense measures, which he had just written down, will soon become new charges.

So he didn't back down.

He stood in front of the Zhao family's personal guards, for the first time not looking at his father's expression.