by Tony Tran
“That means that he’s around here somewhere…” General Hei Ang said as his gaze scanned the surrounding area.
“No need to look.” Zhang’s voice reached General Hei Ang’s ears as the sound of arrows piercing through the air could be heard. Before long the sky is blotted out as thousands of arrows rained downward onto the area where General Hei Ang and his men were clustered.
As blood-curdling cries could be heard, many of the high-ranking officers of the Dark Legion were skewed through by countless arrows while they desperately tried to protect themselves but to no avail since there were simply too many arrows. Also, these arrows were tipped with Lightning Eater Scales, allowing them to pierce through the armor that the officers of the Dark Legion wore as if it were made of tofu.
Moments later, Tang Hong, Tang Wei, Tang Shiang and all of the other people present in the provincial lord mansion’s garden watched in shock as the rain of arrows ended. General Hei Ang was barely alive as his body had dozens of arrows stuck to it while all of his men were all dead but still standing upright, shielding their leader.
“Come out you coward! Come and face me! Enough of your tricks! Damned prince of Aurora!” General Hei Ang roared despite the horrid state his body was in.
Instead of a verbal reply, General Hei Ang was gifted with another volley of arrows. By the time, the volley of arrows ceased General Hei Ang was on his last leg and stumbled onto the ground and there was not a single inch of earth near him that was visible. Though heavily injured General Hei Ang still showed slight signs of life, so, it was obvious that he was at least a level six or seven warriors to have survived the onslaught of arrows.
“I'm ready to face you now.” Zhang said as he and Ai walked into the garden.
Judging from what General Hei Ang had been screaming, it was obvious to everyone present that Zhang was not Lee Ming but Zhou Zhang.
“It seems you all have a bit of trouble on your hands.” Zhang said with a polite smile.
“Seize him! Capture the prince of Aurora!” General Song Ren commanded.
“If I were you I wouldn’t do that because you have bigger problems at hand. Let’s say you do manage to capture me, what then? How will you explain to the rest of the Dark Legion that their general and all of the high-ranking officers in their army was wiped out while no one on your side suffered even a scratch? There is also the fact that it’s more than likely that all of those who know who I am in the Dark Legion had met their end here, so, if I simply tell them that you teamed up with Aurora and killed our general then tried to frame me, who do you think they'll believe? Lee Ming, who helped saved dozens of people from a strange disease, who had been traveling and befriending hundreds of people within the legion or you folks here?” Zhang said calmly.
“No matter what is done I believe that your all sort of in a tough situation right now.” Ai said as she walked up beside Zhang.
Considering that General Hei Ang’s life could end at any moment under Zhang’s discretion, while all of the high ranking officers of the Dark Legion were slaughtered, and by the fact that Zhang’s men were mixed into the Dark Legion still, even if he was captured by the forces of the Red Thorn Army he could definitely make the situation unfavorable for them.
All he had to do was allow for his men to spread rumors about the Red Thorn Province allying with Aurora and with their general and commanders gone, the Dark Legion, like a dragon without a head, would be easily manipulated into attacking the Red Thorn Army.
“If you would lend me your ears for just a bit.” Zhang said as dozens of soldiers filed into the gardens with swords and spears ready for battle.
“Father let him speak, if he wanted to kill everyone here I have no doubt in my mind that he could have easily done so.” Tang Wei said to his father.
“A few words won’t hurt anyone and he did, after all, save your life.” Tang Shiang’s mother spoke.
“Speak…” Tang Hong said with a sigh.
“Simply put as things are now the only option you have that wouldn’t lead to the destruction of this province is to work with me. If you follow my plans, then we will be able to disarm and incapacitate the Dark Legion. After the armies of Aurora arrive and have swept southward, I’ll even reward you for helping me.” Zhang said with a confident smile.
“How about doubling the size of this province? Or maybe triple?” Ai suggested.
“Tri-tri-triple?” A few of the government officials stuttered. If one considered the size of the entire Warring States Region then a plot of land three times larger than the current Red Thorn Province was not much, however for the government officials of such a small province simply imagining the land that is available for them to govern tripling was something unimaginable.
After tens of minutes of utter silence, a pact was formed between Zhang and Tang Hong. Since Zhang’s option was perhaps the safest, Tang Hong decided to secretly ally the Red Thorn Province with Aurora. When the possible benefits that Zhang offered were paired with the danger that he could present to them, there wasn’t really much of a choice to begin with.
Zhang could have simply unleashed hell on earth in Red Thorn City and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but that was not the person he was and he felt that it would only serve to frighten the populace and prevent other provinces from surrendering to him in the future.
With their pact in motion, Zhang had Tang Hong lock up General Hei Ang and then send a convoy of supplies to the Dark Legion. These supplies, of course, would be laced with various drugs and would cause the soldiers of the Dark Legion to lose their ability to resist after consumed.
Once the Dark Legion’s soldiers were left without even the strength to tussle a chicken, the soldiers of the Red Thorn Army would march in and capture them all.
Chapter 63: Meat!
“Quickly transport all of these supplies to the central barracks!” A soldier clad in the standard red armor of the Red Thorn Army said as he led a trail of wagons through the city. Wagons brimming with sacks of grains stacked one on top of the other, dried rations, barrels filled with water and wine, and dozens of other various things could be seen as far as the eye could see.
All of the supplies on these wagons, of course, were being delivered to the Dark Legion under the orders of Lord Tang Hong. Since new of General Hei Ang’s capture and the death of the various high ranking officers of the Dark, Legion were suppressed, once the supplies arrived at the central barracks they were very much welcomed and quickly accepted.
Since the Dark Legion had lost a large portion of its supplies due to the fire that had occupied during Tang Pan’s rebellion they were filled with glee the moment the Red Thorn Army arrived with such a huge caravan of wagons.
“I thank you in place of General Hei Ang for the hospitality your lord has shown us.” A captain within the Dark Legion said as he had his men store away the supplies brought to them.
“No need for thanks, we simply doing our duty as fellow members of the Southern Alliance. Our lord also had us bring a freshly a few hundred freshly slaughtered pigs and cows that he says are a sign of his personal thanks to the soldiers of the Dark Legion for helping us defeating those traitors.” A captain within the Red Thorn Army said with a smile.
“I’ll make sure to have everyone gets a bit of Lord Tang Hong’s gift.” Replied the captain within the Dark Legion.
Once the supplies were unloaded and given to the Dark Legion, the Red Thorn Army made their way toward the provincial lord’s mansion while the members of the Dark Legion began to store away their new supplies.
Since regular soldiers rarely had the chance to eat fresh meat, since meat did not have a very long shelf life and would often go bad when an army is moving from place to place, the slaughtered pigs and cows were quickly processed and used to cook dinner for everyone apart of the Dark Legion.
As the day went on and meals were served, everyone drools with anticipation as they heard that tonight’s meal would be comprised mostly of fresh meat.
Counting down the hours of the day before dinner time, the soldiers could not contain themselves when it came time to file into the mess hall. Before the meals were even served, everyone’s imaginations ran.
“No more beef jerky! No more pork jerky! No more chicken jerky! No more jerky! No more bread! No more plain rice with soy sauce!” The soldiers of the Dark Legion chanted as slabs of grilled meat were brought before them.
Like hungry beasts they devoured all that was given to them, leaving only bones and cartilage in their wake. But soon enough everyone would regret their gluttonous appetite as all of their stomachs began to rumble.
“Out of my way!” A soldier roared as he rushed out of the mess hall and sped toward one of the many outhouses located not too far outside.
In no time at all dozens more men charged outside and laid claim to their own outhouse before the rest of the men were able to. Before anyone realized it, every single person in the Dark Legion was assembled into lines leading to an outhouse.
“Damn it! I can’t hold it any longer! Someone give me a bucket or something!” One soldier cried as he gave up on trying to wait for a stall and resorted to relieving himself in a bucket.
Unknown to them, all of the meat given to them by the Red Thorn Army had been laced with super laxatives that would cause them to experience what could only be called hell for hours.
“Oh god, this is the fifth time already! Why must this happen to me!?” A soldier cried as he limped back in line to use the outhouse.
Of course, he was not alone because as hours passed on, every member of the Dark Legion would soon find themselves without enough energy to even stand.
“Tie them all up!” A voice could be faintly heard by some of the soldiers of the Dark Legion who were laying on the floor as if they were lifeless corpses.
“Wha-what are you doing here?” A few of the soldiers who had a bit more strength than the others managed to say as countless soldiers in red armor rushed into the barracks and began tying people up.
Without even the strength to stand, let alone resist, all of the soldiers of the Dark Legion were quickly rounded up and separated into small groups that would be dispersed to various places throughout Red Thorn City so, they could be easily watched over. Many were left in the barracks that became a makeshift prison, while others were sent to various households belonging to government officials, some were even sent to the Eastern and Western forts for safe keeping.
Overall the mighty Dark Legion had been successfully split apart and even if some were able to by some stroke of luck manage to escape, they would not pose any threat to the Red Thorn Army.
In the meantime, while the Red Thorn Army was out capturing and splitting apart the Dark Legion, back at the provincial lord’s mansion’s garden, a banquet was taking place. The bodies of the dead officers of the Dark Legion were cleared out while General Hei Ang was given some medical treatment and placed in a holding cell and the garden had been cleaned and restored to its former glory by the mansion’s staff.
Broken floor tiles, dead plants, spilled food and demolished tables were all replaced while dancers, musicians, and singers resumed their performance so, there was little to no sign of any fighting having taken place within the garden.
“I look forward to working together with you again in the future, Lord Tang Hong.” Zhang said with a smile as he offered a toast to Tang Hong.
Sitting right next to Zhang was Ai, who was not no longer dressed as a man but could be seen in a tight-fitting dress that showed off her alluring figure.
“I hope our cooperation will last for a very long time also your highness.” Lord Tang Hong said as he returned Zhang’s toast. As things, as now, he could only hope that their cooperation lasted because if it did not then the Red Thorn Province would certainly be crushed between the forces of Aurora and the forces of the Southern Alliance.
“To think we were played in such a manner…” Tang Wei whispered to his brother, Tang Shiang.
“I know, here I thought that he was into men… I should have figured that fellow was actually a woman… No man could have looked like she did.” Tang Shiang said as he looked at Ai.
Besides the Tang brothers, their father, and Zhang, no one else dared to talk due to the heavy atmosphere that was present. As things were, today could very well mark the day that begun the Red Thorn Province’s descent into destruction or the day it ascended to greatness.
Most if not all of the government officials and generals present were torn between trying to get close to Zhang or distancing themselves from him since the future was still up in the air. If the forces of Aurora succeeded in capturing the southern regions, then those who got close to Zhang would obviously receive lots of benefits such as high government positions and wealth.
However, if the forces of Aurora failed, then those who closed up to Zhang would more than likely be put to death for openly betraying and opposing the Southern Alliance.
Since their decisions could go either way, no way dared to act rashly, thus evoking an awkward silence in the garden that was luckily masked by the singing and music played by the performers on stage.
“Hey brother, when do you think the other sisters will arrive?” Ai asked in a whisper as the atmosphere made her rather bored.
“Last I received news of them, they were unleashing mayhem in the Rainbow Rock Province and judging from the pace that news travels I’m guessing they’ll be here in a few weeks.” Zhang said with a smile as he used his chopsticks to put some food into Ai’s bowl of rice.
While everyone else was too frightened to even breathe, Zhang and Ai began to feed each other despite the hundreds of eyes present. It had been a very long time since they could act like a couple in the open so, now that they could, there was no need to hold back.
“Those two remind me of us when we were younger.” Tang Wei’s mother laughed as she joked with her husband who had been somewhat tense.
As time passed and Zhang and Ai began to appear more like just any other couple and once everyone had their fair share of alcohol, the atmosphere was able to take a slight turn for the better. Soon enough a few brave souls who were able to come to the conclusion that they should try to gain Zhang’s favor began to approach the table where Zhang and Ai sat.
Although not every general and government official was able to figure out whether they should try to get close to Zhang or not, the banquet ended without anything going astray.
For the next few days, Zhang and Ai would often receive visits from various people hoping to bridge connections with them, but for the most part, the two of them either spent their time going sightseeing or within their room.
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In a flash, a month had gone by like a breeze before a messenger rode into Red Thorn City with urgent news.
Upon rushing into the provincial lord’s mansion, the messenger reported that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under the banner of Aurora were but hours away from the city.
Roughly eight hours later when the sun was at its peak, countless flags and soldiers could be seen marching toward Red Thorn city from the horizon.
“Sis, are you sure he’s?” Lingqi asked Ling as they rode toward Red Thorn City.
“I’m certain.” Ling said as she looked at the String of Fate that was wrapped around her finger.
“All forces, double our pace! Once we close in on the city you are to wipe out the enemy and save your prince!” Yuying commanded.
After her army’s marching speed increased exponentially and when they arrived in front of the city did Yuying realize something was amiss. The city’s walls had many missing sections while there were no soldiers or people in sight.
“Prepare in case of enemy ambush! All forces enter the city!” Yuying commanded. Generally, she would have sent scouts into the city beforehand to see the situation inside, but this time, Yuying was filled with the anticipation of reuniting with her husband
so, she chooses to move forward without waiting.
With swords drawn and shields raised up high, the soldiers of Aurora made their way passed what used to be large sections of wall and entered what seemed to be an empty city.
“Welcome!!!!!!” Loud cheers could be heard as countless civilians stormed out from their homes and filed into the streets.
Before anything could go amiss, Zhang and Ai could be spotted walking down the center of the city’s main street with silly smiles on their faces.
“Welcome to my city.” Zhang said with a smile as Yuying, Ling and Lingqi hopped off their mounts and sped toward him. Of course, despite how fast they running, they were running, the beauties were no match for a certain furry four-legged beast that pounced onto Zhang and covered his face in saliva.
“Little White!” Ai yelled as she pulled the furry liger that looked like a kitten off Zhang and cuddled it.
