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

Zhao Hong did not immediately hand over the military merit list.

The south gate was still burning, the number of barbarian corpses hadn't been counted yet, and Lu Shuangyi hadn't confronted him at the city gate. Chen Mu simply clutched the black wolf dominoes in his hand, clinging to his last breath until dawn.

The fire at the south gate was extinguished just before dawn.

The tunnel was filled with cigarette ash and the smell of burning.

The mixture of mutton fat, stove ash, and snow water was sticky and heavy when stepped on.

The officers at Blackstone Fortress pinched their noses as they tallied the spoils of war, their faces growing paler with each count.

Thirty-seven.

This is the number that Nanmen managed to retain last night.

One Black Wolf Guard.

There is one person inside the south gate.

Two of the gatekeepers were killed.

One of the Lu family's personal guards died.

The south gate was not breached.

This is the result of last night's battle.

Chen Mu sat at the foot of the city wall, his back against the stone wall.

Lin Qinghe knelt in front of him, tending to his wounds.

She is the granddaughter of Old Man Lin, the military doctor of Black Stone Fortress.

Despite his young age, his hands are very steady.

But when she cut open the blood-stained cloth on Chen Mu's chest, her eyes still reddened.

"If this wound bursts open twice more, even a miracle worker couldn't stitch it back up."

Chen Mu closed his eyes.

"If it can't be sewn back up, then sew two fewer stitches."

Lin Qinghe looked up and glared at him.

"You're still laughing?"

Chen Mu did not laugh.

He was just in so much pain that his lips trembled slightly.

Lin Qinghe washed the knife with strong liquor and then pierced the flesh with a needle and thread.

The moment the needle pierced his shoulder, Chen Mu's shoulder trembled slightly.

But he didn't say anything.

Lin Qinghe saw it and paused for a moment.

She saw many wounded soldiers in the military camp.

Some people could shout so loudly that the whole camp could hear them even if they were only grazed by an arrow.

Despite his severe injuries, Chen Mu didn't utter a single groan.

She whispered, "If it hurts, just scream."

Chen Mu said, "Will yelling lessen the pain?"

Lin Qinghe bit her lip.

"cannot."

"That will save you some effort."

Lin Qinghe lowered her head and continued sewing.

The needle and thread fell one by one.

The wounded soldiers nearby felt their scalps tingle, but Chen Mu himself felt as if his body hadn't been stitched up.

Su Wan stood not far away, holding a bowl of medicine in her hands.

She had been standing there for a long time.

She arrived the moment Lin Qinghe cut open Chen Mu's blood-stained clothes.

She originally intended to hand over the medicine.

Seeing Lin Qinghe kneeling in front of Chen Mu, and seeing that Chen Mu didn't drive her away, Su Wan felt as if her feet were nailed to the snow.

She had given Chen Mu medicine before.

But last night, she stood beside Zhao Chenglie, adorned with his military achievements.

Now, she doesn't even have the right to get close to him.

Lin Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief after finishing the last stitch.

She used a clean strip of cloth to bandage Chen Mu's wound.

Just as she was about to tie it, Chen Mu suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Lin Qinghe was taken aback.

Su Wan also froze.

Chen Mu opened his eyes.

"Don't tie it to death."

Lin Qinghe blushed slightly and said in a low voice, "I know, the wound needs to breathe."

Chen Mu said, "No."

"We'll be going to the Hall of Military Merit later."

Lin Qinghe's expression changed instantly.

"Are you crazy?"

Chen Mu stood up, supporting himself with his gun.

"The bodies from last night will be cold."

"People's hearts can grow cold."

"If you don't record your military achievements while they're still fresh, someone else will take them away."

He said this in a low voice.

But Su Wan heard it clearly.

The medicine bowl in her hand trembled slightly.

The medicine was spilled on the snow, and a little steam rose from it.

Chen Mu then noticed her.

The two were a few steps apart.

The wind blew through the middle.

Su Wan's eyes reddened.

"Chen Mu, I..."

Chen Mu interrupted her.

"Give the medicine to the wounded soldiers."

Su Wan's face turned pale.

"This is for you."

"I don't need it."

"Your injury..."

"Dr. Lin has already treated it."

Su Wan looked at Lin Qinghe.

Lin Qinghe was also looking at her.

The two women's eyes met in mid-air.

A woman, wearing a red dress she hadn't had time to change out of the night before, was pale-faced and holding medicine in her hands.

A man was kneeling in the snow, his sleeves soaked in blood, holding the needle he had used to stitch up Chen Mu's wound.

Su Wan suddenly felt ridiculous.

She brought over a bowl of medicine, as if that could cover up what happened last night.

Chen Mu didn't look at her again, picked up the black wolf dominoes, and walked towards the Hall of Military Merit.

Lu Shuangyi was already there waiting for him.

The Hall of Military Merits was not originally called the Hall of Military Merits.

It was simply the place where the Blackstone Castle clerk handled documents.

But this morning, a new wooden sign was hung at the door.

Military Merit Review Department.

These five characters were written by Lu Shuangyi herself.

Zhao Hong stood inside the hall, his face ashen.

Zhao Chenglie was also there.

He was locked up in the drill ground last night and was unable to go to the south gate.

But the fire at the South Gate burned all night, and everyone knew that Chen Mu had made another contribution.

Even more deadly was that it was the Black Wolf Guard who died.

The Black Wolf Guard's dominoes were already laid out on the table.

No one can shirk responsibility.

When Zhao Chenglie saw Chen Mu enter, his eyes turned red.

He hated Chen Mu.

They were even more afraid of Chen Mu.

Before one case of stealing credit was even resolved, Chen Mu had already claimed a second credit.

If this continues, everyone in Blackrock Fortress will be watching Chen Mu.

It will be difficult for the Zhao family to suppress him again.

The registrar lowered his head, holding the military merit book in his hand, and hesitated to put pen to paper.

Lu Shuangyi sat at the head of the table.

"read."

The registrar wiped his sweat.

"Last night, the South Gate was attacked. Chen Mu, a lowly soldier from the cookhouse, was carrying the personal guard order of Lieutenant General Lu and led five of Lu's personal guards to defend the South Gate."

Zhao Hong immediately said, "He is only temporarily holding the order; he cannot be considered to be leading troops."

Lu Shuangyi glanced at him.

Zhao Hong shut up.

The clerk continued reading:

"Thirty-seven barbarian soldiers were killed."

"Capture one inside man."

"Slay one Black Wolf Guard."

"Keep the South Gate intact."

"This achievement..."

He stopped.

Lu Shuangyi asked, "Why don't you read it?"

The registrar glanced at Zhao Hong, then at Lu Shuangyi, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"According to the old customs of the border army, this merit should be recorded as a major merit."

The hall was completely silent.

great merit.

This is no small feat.

It's not about cooperating with others.

It is a truly great achievement that can lead to promotion, rewards, and inclusion in the official record.

Zhao Hong finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"General Lu, the trial of Chen Mu's case yesterday, where he stole credit, is still ongoing. Isn't it a bit too hasty to award him another major merit today?"

Lu Shuangyi said, "The barbarians also arrived in a great hurry last night."

Zhao Hong was cornered and his face turned pale.

Zhao Chenglie gritted his teeth and said, "The reason the South Gate can be defended is because the Zhao family's guards are well-trained."

Chen Mu chuckled.

Everyone looked at him.

Chen Mu walked to the table and placed the black wolf dominoes next to the military merit book.

"General Zhao is right."

"The fact that the south gate was able to be defended is truly thanks to the Zhao family."

Zhao Chenglie was taken aback.

Zhao Hong was also stunned.

Chen Mu then took out the short knife from his pocket.

The hilt of the knife is engraved with the Zhao family's secret mark.

"Thanks to the Zhao family, they burned half of the door bolt."

"Thanks to the Zhao family's guards, two gatekeepers were killed."

"Thanks to the Zhao family's secret mark, the barbarians knew that someone was there to meet them at the south gate."

The hall fell into a deathly silence.

Zhao Hong suddenly stood up.

"Chen Mu!"

Chen Mu looked up at him.

"Why is Commander Zhao in such a hurry?"

"I haven't even said that you ordered this."

Zhao Hong's face was frighteningly gloomy.

Zhao Chenglie retorted angrily, "What can a single knife prove? The Zhao family has many personal guards; what's so strange about losing a knife?"

Chen Mu nodded.

"That's why I brought people along too."

Zhou Tie walked in from outside the door.

He was dragging the young accomplice from last night along with him.

The boy's jaw was dislocated, his shoulders were wrapped in cloth, and his face was deathly pale.

But he's still alive.

Chen Mu walked up to him and squatted down.

"Last night I asked you, who let you open the door?"

"You didn't say."

"You don't need to say it now."

He reached out and pulled a thin rope from the boy's neck.

A small bronze plaque was hanging on the rope.

On the back of the bronze plaque are two characters engraved.

The Zhao residence.

The color finally faded from Zhao Hong's face.

Zhao Chenglie also froze.

Chen Mu placed the bronze plaque on the table.

"The informant inside the south gate is someone kept by the Zhao family in their private residence."

"The Black Wolf Guards were let in by the Zhao family."

"Last night, Wugu was able to find Su Wan's residence, thanks to a map provided by the Zhao family."

He turned to look at Zhao Chenglie.

"Young General Zhao."

"You stole my credit because you knew Wugu would come."

"You weren't going to rescue anyone last night at all."

"You're going to take credit."

Zhao Chenglie's lips trembled.

"You're talking nonsense..."

Chen Mu stood up.

"Whether it's bullshit or not, we'll find out by investigating the Zhao family's private residence."

Zhao Hong was so angry that he laughed instead.

"You lowly pawn, trying to investigate my Zhao family?"

Chen Mu looked at Lu Shuangyi.

Lu Shuangyi did not speak immediately.

She looked at the black wolf dominoes, short knife, bronze plaque, and military merit book on the table.

A moment later, she stood up.

"Zhou Tie".

"exist."

"Select twenty guards."

"Investigate the Zhao residence."

Zhao Hong's expression changed drastically.

"Lu Shuangyi, how dare you!"

Lu Shuangyi walked up to him.

She is much younger than Zhao Hong.

But when she stood there, Zhao Hong was forced to take a half step back.

"I don't just dare to investigate."

"If it is discovered that they have colluded with the enemy."

Her voice was as cold as a knife.

"I dare to slaughter your entire family."

Zhao Hong froze.

Chen Mu did not look at Zhao Hong.

He only looked at the military merit register.

The registrar's hands were still trembling.

Chen Mu tapped the table.

"remember."

The registrar looked up.

Chen Mu said, word by word:

"The credit for the victory at the South Gate last night should not be attributed to me alone."

"The seventeen cooks who died at the hands of Wugudu should also be remembered."

The registrar was stunned.

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

Chen Mu said in a low voice, "I led them to burn the grain carts outside the city."

"I killed all the black bones."

"But without them drawing away the barbarian cavalry, I wouldn't have been able to reach Wugudu."

"Without them lighting the fire, the grain carts wouldn't have caught fire."

"If they hadn't died in the ditch, Su Wan wouldn't have come back."

Su Wan stood at the door, and upon hearing this, tears immediately streamed down her face.

Chen Mu did not turn around.

"Their bodies may die, but their contributions cannot."

The registrar opened his mouth.

"But they're just the cooks..."

Chen Mu suddenly looked up.

"Aren't the cooks human beings?"

An old cook outside the door suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly reddening.

Another wounded soldier guarding the south gate whispered, "If they hadn't burned the grain last night, Black Stone Fortress would have been in chaos long ago."

The registrar trembled with fright.

Chen Mu's voice was very low, but it was clear to everyone in the Military Merit Hall.

"A lowly soldier on the frontier has a worthless life."

"But military merits should not be cheapened."

"Whoever risked their life for it should have it credited to them."

Lu Shuangyi looked at him.

For the first time, her gaze wasn't scrutinizing.

It's about being serious.

After a long time, she said:

"remember."

The registrar finally put down his pen.

The pen tip glides across the paper.

Chen Mu.

He performed a great service at the South Gate.

One Black Wolf Guard.

Thirty-seven barbarian soldiers.

In addition, the cook battalion lost seventeen soldiers in battle, but assisted in burning enemy supplies and beheading Wugudu. According to regulations, they were posthumously awarded minor merits and their families were rewarded with silver hair.

As the last word fell, Chen Mu closed his eyes briefly.

Something seemed to sink heavily into his mind.

It's not his.

It belongs to the original owner.

They were also the seventeen cooks from the same camp who died in the snow gully.

Suddenly, a suppressed sob came from outside the door.

Several veteran cooks knelt in the snow, their foreheads pressed to the ground.

They didn't dare go inside.

But they heard it.

Someone choked up and shouted:

"Thank you, Corporal Chen."

Chen Mu opened his eyes.

Corporal.

These two words came from the snow.

It's very light.

But it was louder than all the celebratory drums of last night.

Lu Shuangyi looked at Chen Mu.

"From today onwards, you are officially appointed as the temporary squad leader."

"Join my personal guard."

"There's no need for him to play until he's fully recovered."

Chen Mu was about to speak.

Lu Shuangyi coldly replied, "This is a military order."

Chen Mu could only shut up.

Su Wan stood at the door, her face as white as snow.

She finally realized that Chen Mu wasn't incapable of earning military merits.

She had never seen his military achievements before.

All she saw was his poverty.

I saw that he was from the cookhouse.

He saw that his mother was seriously ill.

They saw Zhao Chenglie's identity and the Zhao family's social standing.

But now, Chen Mu is standing in the Hall of Military Merit.

Lu Shuangyi personally invited him to join the Imperial Guard Camp.

The cooks knelt outside the door and called him Sergeant Chen.

She wasn't even qualified to hand over the medicine.

Just then, Zhou Tie strode in from outside the door.

His face was very somber.

"Commander Lu."

"The Zhao residence is now empty."

Zhao Hong's eyes flashed.

Zhou Tie continued:

"But in the cellar in the backyard, they found a batch of barbarian arrows, three sets of Black Wolf Guard leather armor, and a letter that hadn't been completely burned."

Lu Shuangyi asked, "What does the letter say?"

Zhou Tie glanced at Zhao Hong.

"The letter said..."

"If the south gate doesn't open tonight, the Black Tiger Camp will come to pick us up at noon tomorrow."

The expressions on everyone's faces changed.

Black Tiger Camp.

They are not barbarians.

They were soldiers from the border army.

The tattered letter ended with four characters: "Fragmented" and "Capture the Person".

Chen Mu slowly raised his head.

Zhao Hong suddenly laughed.

There was no trace of panic in that smile; instead, it was as if he had finally waited for something.

"Lu Shuangyi".

"You can investigate my Zhao family, that's fine."

"But Han Zhao from the Black Tiger Camp is here. Can you still protect this lowly soldier?"

Chen Mu looked at him.

This was the first time I realized that there was someone behind the Zhao family.

This person, however, was not dressed as a barbarian.

It is armor of the border army of Daliang.

Lu Shuangyi gripped the hilt of the knife, her voice turning cold.

"Pass on the order."

"Seal off the fortress."

"No one is allowed to leave the fort before the Black Tiger Battalion enters the fortress."

Chen Mu looked down at the name that had just been written on the military merit list.

We've won the first victory.

The second merit was also recorded.

But he knew.

The person who truly wants the credit hasn't shown up yet.

The person who would truly kill him had only just begun his journey.

The name written in the military merit book today may be wiped out tomorrow.