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

The sound of digging outside the north wall grew closer.

Just a wall away, shovels scraped across the frozen ground, making a rustling sound.

Zhou Tie lay prone against the wall, his ear pressed against the brick, his face growing increasingly grim.

"More than three or five."

"At least twenty people, and a battering ram."

The northern barbarians did not dig tunnels to enter the city.

They were eyeing the anti-image box at the foot of the wall.

The military officers brought by Yan Heng were still cleaning the seal clay, while He Wenbai squatted beside them, trying to decipher the two rusty characters. Han Wenshan had already walked over, followed by more than forty personal guards.

"The defense map involves all the secrets of the fortress."

"I will take over the box."

As soon as he finished speaking, more than forty of his personal guards pressed forward.

Lu Shuangyi blocked the attack with her sword.

"We just uncovered a fake imperial guard, and Vice General Han still dares to touch the box?"

Han Wenshan looked at her coldly.

"The northern barbarians are just outside the wall. Are you really going to fight me for a mere box?"

A muffled thud suddenly came from outside the wall.

The entire north wall shook.

Plaster fell from the cracks in the bricks, and the exposed corner of the iron box vibrated as well.

Zhou Tie said urgently, "If they hit it a dozen more times, the wall will collapse!"

Yan Heng wanted to suggest verifying the seal first.

Chen Mu's voice came from behind.

"Don't bother with the test."

Everyone turned around.

Chen Mu wore an old cotton-padded coat, with thick bandages wrapped around his shoulders, and leaned on a wooden pole taken from a stretcher. Lin Qinghe stood beside him, her face so cold it could freeze.

"Who told you to come down?"

"Myself."

"The wound has reopened, and I won't stitch it up a third time."

Chen Mu looked down at the blood seeping from his shoulder.

"Then let's not let it crack."

Lin Qinghe was so angry that she wanted to kick him, but in the end she just tied a wider strip of cloth around his chest and made a tight knot.

Chen Mu gasped in pain, but his eyes remained fixed on the base of the wall.

"Drag the box out."

Yan Heng frowned: "The sealing mud hasn't been tested yet."

"The wall has collapsed; the Northern Barbarians will inspect it for you."

Chen Mu inserted the wooden pole into the frozen soil under the corner of the box.

"Cooking team, get started!"

Old Chai, Er Gou, and seven or eight soldiers immediately rushed forward. Some grabbed iron hooks, some inserted wooden wedges, and others carried over the old crossbow strings that had been used to tow the train.

Han Wenshan said in a deep voice, "As I said, the boxes will be taken over by the personal guards."

Chen Mu didn't even look up.

"If your people dare to reach out, I'll chop off their hands first."

A sudden silence fell over the area under the north wall.

Behind Han Wenshan, a military captain had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Chen Mu raised his eyes.

"The card around Liu Sheng's neck is still warm."

"You want me to see yours too?"

The captain's hand froze.

Behind him, more than a dozen people instinctively touched their chests.

This action was faster than any confession.

Old Chai saw it and immediately started cursing.

"A nest of living dead!"

The imperial guards were thrown into chaos.

Han Wenshan roared, "Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be executed!"

Chen Mu grabbed the old crossbow string and pulled it backward with Er Gou.

"Pull up the suitcase!"

The cooks used dozens of hands to exert force simultaneously.

The crossbow string dug into his palm, and chunks of frozen earth crumbled. The iron box, heavy as a coffin, initially remained motionless, then suddenly slid half a foot outwards.

The battering hammer fell again from outside the wall.

boom!

The soil behind the box suddenly broke through.

A northern barbarian scimitar emerged from the darkness, aiming straight for Er Gou's abdomen.

Chen Mu slammed the wooden pole down.

The back of the blade struck the edge of the brick, sparks flying. The man inside the cave had his wrist deformed from the impact, and before he could even scream, Zhou Tie's short spear had already been thrust into the cave entrance.

Blood flowed down the frozen soil.

"They've made it through!"

As soon as Zhou Tiegang finished shouting, another thick cowhide shield emerged from the cave entrance.

Two northern barbarian engineers behind the shield struggled to squeeze in. They had wooden planks under their feet and logs supporting their heads, clearly knowing there was an old tunnel under this section of the wall.

Chen Mu grabbed Er Gou.

"A ash pot!"

Er Gou turned and ran.

A moment later, four people carried in an iron pot filled with stove ash, salt brine, and charcoal fragments. Old Chai scooped up half a ladle and poured it into the hole.

Screams erupted immediately.

Salt seeped into his eyes, stove ash blocked his mouth and nose, and the leather shield couldn't even turn around in the narrow hole.

"Splash it again!"

After the two pots were poured in, chaos erupted inside the cave.

Chen Mu threw down the wooden pole, grabbed Zhou Tie's short spear, and knelt down by the cave.

The first northern barbarian engineer, his face covered, barged in.

Chen Mu did not stab the chest.

The short spear pierced through the shield and went straight through the back of the knee. As the man fell, he stepped on the back of the neck, pressing him into the mud.

The second person tried to retreat, but was blocked by the people behind them.

Zhou Tie led his men forward, wielding the backs of knives, wooden sticks, and iron hooks into the cave. A dozen or so Northern Barbarian engineers were squeezed into the narrow passage, unable to move forward or backward, while those behind them, unaware of what was happening, continued to push and shove desperately.

Old Chai grinned.

"Give them a push?"

Chen Mu shook his head.

"Fire can burn down walls."

He looked up at the round logs supporting the hole above his head.

"Draw wood."

The cooks were the best at dismantling stoves, and they knew exactly which piece of wood would cause the entire frame to collapse if pulled out.

The iron hook was attached to the main support wood, and the old crossbow string was looped around the winch.

Er Gou led his men in a fierce strangulation.

The log was slowly pulled out of the hole.

Finally, someone outside the wall noticed and desperately tried to pull back. The two sides were locked in a tug-of-war through a hole, the crossbow strings taut and whirring.

Chen Mu picked up an axe and chopped three times at the exposed wooden tenon.

Click!

The main support beam broke.

The narrow passage collapsed with a deafening roar.

A muffled groan came from outside the wall, followed by a sudden, large crater appearing in the snow a dozen paces away. Three barbarian engineers climbed out of the crater, but before they could even stand properly, arrows from the city wall had already pinned them back down.

The north wall was saved.

Five prisoners were captured alive on the other side of the city, and four cowhide digging shields, seventeen fine iron pickaxes, and a bundle of linen strips depicting the foundation of Blackstone Fortress were seized.

Zhou Tie unfolded the burlap, glanced at it, and then cursed.

It clearly shows which section of the wall is thick, which section is thin, and where old waterways were buried.

Chen Mu did not allow anyone to argue around Butu.

"Distribute their pickaxes first."

"Dig a pit every ten steps along the north wall. If you hear a noise outside, pour mortar and remove wood as before."

"A cowhide shield was nailed to the base of the wall to block broken bricks."

The confiscated items were used on the spot.

The soldiers scattered, clutching their fine iron pickaxes, their panic lessened by half.

Only then did Chen Mu turn to the iron box.

The box has been completely pulled out.

There are three seals on the clay seal. One has long been scraped off, one is the old seal of the Red Iron Treasury, and the last one is actually the private seal of the Han family.

Han Wenshan's personal guards took another half step back.

Chen Mu walked up to Liu Sheng, who was being held down, and took the old Nancang Nanku key token from his waist.

The bronze plate fits perfectly into the hidden groove on the side of the iron box.

With a gentle twist.

The lid popped open.

There is no complete defense map inside.

There was only a layer of shredded sheepskin and more than thirty new military tags.

The name was already engraved on the top plaque, but a corner of the old name was still left on the back.

Han Zhao saw this through the crowd and his face turned completely pale.

"These are for the Imperial Guards."

Chen Mu picked up a piece and looked at the forty-odd people behind Han Wenshan.

"No need to investigate for three years."

"Check now."

He pointed with his hand.

"Han's personal guards, remove your military tags, lay down your swords, and disarm yourselves."

Han Wenshan shouted sternly, "You dare to seize my personal guards?"

Chen Mu smashed the new card at his feet.

"The northern barbarians have already reached under the wall, and you're still trying to intimidate me with a bunch of fake dead?"

"I don't just steal people."

"I want all of their swords, armor, and horses."

The captain of the personal guard drew his sword half an inch.

Lu Shuangyi's blade was already pressing against the back of his hand.

The guards of Blackstone Fortress also gathered around.

They had just used stove ash to block the northern barbarian tunnels, their bodies covered in mud, but they held the captured iron pickaxes in their hands. The cooks, the city gate guards, the military officers, and even the wounded Er Gou were all blocking the way.

The forty-odd people that Han Wenshan brought suddenly realized that they were the ones who were surrounded.

The first guard removed the plaque.

The second one is to untie the waist knife.

The iron plate and knife clattered on the snow.

Soon, forty-seven military tags, forty-seven knives, and forty-seven sets of half-body iron armor were piled up against the wall.

The last one who hadn't removed his armor was an old guard with a scar on his face.

He didn't draw his sword, but instead gripped the iron plaque on his chest tightly.

"This card is mine."

Chen Mu looked at him.

"Real name?"

The old guard's lips moved a few times.

"He Dashan".

"What's on the card?"

"Sun Bao".

Suddenly, someone squeezed out from the crowd.

He was a guard on the north wall who had lost two fingers.

"Sun Bao is my brother!"

He lunged forward to grab the plaque, but the old guard instinctively protected him. The two collided in the snow, and the guard with the severed finger began headbutting his breastplate like a madman.

"My brother died on Qingshipo five years ago!"

"We haven't even received the remains!"

"What gives you the right to use his name?"

The old guard took two blows and then suddenly released his grip.

The metal plate was torn off and landed between the two people.

"I don't want to hang up."

His voice was hoarse.

"The Han family said they would kill me as a deserter if I didn't change my nameplate. I used Sun Bao's name to collect my pay, giving 30% to Liang Qi, 20% to the team leader, and only the rest could be sent home."

The soldier with the severed finger still wanted to fight.

Chen Mu reached out to stop him.

"His armor came off first."

"The men will stay behind to guard the north wall."

"Once we defeat the northern barbarians, the two of you can clear things up yourselves."

The old guard raised his head.

"You still want me to guard the wall?"

"Would you kill the Northern Barbarians?"

"meeting."

"Then go kill them."

Chen Mu picked up Sun Bao's card and stuffed it into the hand of the soldier with the severed finger.

"This piece is yours for now."

The guard grasped his brother's token, tears welling up in his eyes. He didn't attack He Dashan again, but instead used his severed finger to hold the token tightly before turning and walking towards the north wall.

He Dashan took off his armor and followed.

He took a few steps, then stopped.

"There is a hidden door in the west wall of the stable."

"The Han family's best horses, crossbows, and lamp oil are all inside."

Han Wenshan suddenly looked at him.

He Dashan did not back down this time.

"I died once for the Han family."

That's enough.

Chen Mu gave the best suit of armor to Shi Tou.

"Put them on."

He then threw another knife to Er Gou.

"The gap is smaller than yours."

Er Gou caught the knife, and his eyes lit up.

Han Wenshan stared at the pile of armor that had been separated, his face as cold as the frozen ground outside the wall.

Chen Mu didn't look at him again.

"The rest of the imperial guards should follow suit."

"Who will defend the city tonight, and who will wear armor?"

In the distance, in the stable, Han's warhorses neighed in fright.

The sound traveled across half of Blackstone Castle.

Chen Mu heard it.

"Bring the horse here as well."