Chapter 59 Playing Along with the Scheme

Zhao Ang smiled and patted Zhang Shan’s shoulder, though his gaze grew somewhat deeper. He looked up at the rolling mountain range in the distance, a piercing and chilling gleam flashing across his eyes.

Three days later, the Black Tiger Army arrived at Black Rock Valley.

The terrain on both sides of Black Rock Valley was steep and perilous, and the valley mouth was narrow, allowing only two horses to walk abreast. A biting cold wind swept through the valley, and deep snow piled up, creating an eerily silent atmosphere.

Zhao Ang reined in his mount, stopping his horse at the entrance of the valley. He looked up to survey the world ahead, which seemed as though it had been sealed by ice and snow. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "What a splendid place to kill people and bury bones."

Yang Mu and Zhang Shan immediately stepped forward. Yang Mu spoke in a low voice, "Your Highness, the valley entrance is so quiet; I fear there is an ambush."

Zhang Shan drew his saber, scanning his surroundings vigilantly. "Those barbarians are likely lying in wait on the mountains. The moment we step inside, a rain of arrows will come down upon us."

Unflustered, Zhao Ang dismounted, adjusted his robes, and then smiled. "What is there to fear? It is just a rain of arrows. I, Zhao Ang, do not even fear the wind and snow of the northern frontier; could I possibly be afraid of a few broken arrows?"

With that, he waved his hand behind him. "Zhang Shan, take your men and lead the vanguard. Uncle Yang, take three hundred archers and lie in wait on both sides of the valley entrance. Do not make a move until you receive my command."

Hearing this, Zhang Shan grinned broadly and said, "Understood, Your Highness. We are about to serve the barbarians a taste of a bitter fruit."

Zhao Ang said no more. As he adjusted the scabbard at his waist, he walked leisurely into the valley. The soldiers of the Black Tiger Army followed closely behind him, their formation orderly, the cold glare of their sabers and spears piercing through the stern stillness of the ice and snow.

Scarcely had they entered Black Rock Valley when the surrounding snow suddenly shook violently, and a piercing horn sounded from the mountain. Following closely, countless barbarian warriors rushed down from the cliffs on both sides, drawing their bowstrings as arrows rained down like a storm!

"It's an ambush!" Zhang Shan shouted immediately.

Zhao Ang looked up at the sky-darkening rain of arrows, yet not a trace of panic marred his face. A mocking smile even touched the corners of his mouth. "They're here."

At the exact instant before the arrow rain was about to descend, Zhao Ang drew the long saber from his waist. With a flash of cold light, he delivered a fierce slash! The force behind it was so great that it actually sliced clean through the incoming volleys of arrows.

Simultaneously, he issued an order: "Release arrows!"

The archers of the Black Tiger Army, who had long been lying in wait on both sides of the valley entrance, revealed themselves in unison. Pulling their longbows to their full span, they sent their arrows whistling through the air, returning fire toward the barbarian ambush positions on the cliffs above. Caught completely off guard, the barbarians were struck by the indiscriminate volley, and cries of agony echoed continuously.

"Charge in! The target—the Black Rock Valley encampment!" At Zhao Ang's command, Zhang Shan immediately led the vanguard of the Black Tiger Army rushing deep into the valley.

Yang Mu led another troop to suppress the barbarian ambush on both sides. Amidst the flashing lights of swords and sabers, the barbarian formation quickly shattered and scattered.

Deep within Black Rock Valley, a crude barbarian encampment was burning fiercely, billowing thick smoke into the air. Inside the camp, hundreds of captured commoners huddled together in the corners, every single one of them emaciated and terror-stricken.

"Save us! My lord, save us!" Upon seeing the arrival of the Black Tiger Army, the commoners let out faint cries for help.

Zhao Ang dismounted and strode swiftly toward the commoners. He swept his gaze across them, his expression carrying a heavy weight. "Is everyone unharmed?"

An elderly man stood up tremblingly, his eyes brimming with tears. "My lord, I beg you to save us! These barbarians captured us here, forcing us to do hard labor every day, and at the slightest disobedience, they would... they would kill!"

Hearing this, the smile on Zhao Ang’s face vanished completely, his gaze turning fierce and glacial. He slowly drew his long saber, turned to look at the barbarian captives pinned to the ground, and spoke in a low, chilling tone, "These people’s lives cannot be spared."

Zhang Shan immediately stepped forward and dispatched the barbarian warriors with his blade. Afterward, Zhao Ang called out to Yang Mu, "Arrange for men to escort the commoners out of the valley and back to the camp. Ensure their safety at all costs."

Yang Mu nodded and accepted the order.

...

The Black Tiger Army returned in triumph. With every dispatches of victory sent from the frontier, Zhao Ang’s grand reputation spread all the way back to the capital.

In the first battle—the Black Rock Valley ambush—Zhao Ang deployed a counter-strategy and rescued hundreds of commoners; in the second battle—the burning of the barbarian supply route—he completely severed the enemy's logistical reinforcements; in the third battle—the decisive valley battle—the Black Tiger Army achieved victory with fewer numbers, slaying the enemy general Aburu in a single stroke...

Within the span of a mere month, the Black Tiger Army captured city after city, and the barbarian forces retreated significantly. The stalemate at the border shifted into total suppression, and throughout the imperial court, everyone rejoiced.

Inside the Estate of the State Protector, lanterns blazed brightly.

The State Protector stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the center of the hall, his brows tightly knitted.

He ought to have felt elated over Zhao Ang’s achievements; after all, this "young imperial son-in-law" had been pushed onto the battlefield by his own hand.

Yet, the current reports of victory left his heart a tangled mess of complex emotions, even quietly giving rise to a trace of panic.

"My lord, why are you not happy?" a trusted aide probed in a hushed voice from the side. "Though this brat Zhao Ang is unlikable, the war situation is currently entirely favorable. Won't you also be able to claim a share of the credit in the imperial court?"

The State Protector let out a cold snort, his gaze gloomy. "Credit? A victory at the frontier is naturally a good thing, but Zhao Ang’s name has now spread across the entire court and countryside. Do you truly believe Emperor Jing will ever truly set his mind at ease regarding this scion of the Zhao family?"

Uncomprehending, the aide asked in a low voice, "My lord, isn't this precisely an opportunity to use Emperor Jing's hand to suppress the Zhao family once more?"

The State Protector slowly sat down, his fingers tapping lightly against the tabletop, his tone freezing.

"Suppress the Zhao family? You are mistaken. What I worry about is not the present, but the future. That brat Zhao Ang, though he appears carefree and dissolute on the surface, is more difficult to deal with in his bones than his grandfather. With the Black Tiger Army in his hands and having established such dazzling military merits, if he returns to the capital in the future, how do you think he will deal with me?"

Hearing this, the aide’s expression shifted drastically. "My lord, you are worried that... Zhao Ang will seek revenge?"

A cold gleam flashed across the State Protector’s eyes, his tone stern and harsh.

"Emperor Jing wished to use a borrowed knife to kill him, so why could I not go along with the current? Regrettably, that knife failed to kill him; instead, it allowed him to rage like a storm and thrive in the northern frontier. That fellow is wildly ambitious. If he returns, not only my Estate of the State Protector, but the entire structure of the imperial court will likely be thrown into chaos by him."

A sudden realization dawned on the aide, who asked in a low voice, "Does my lord have a countermeasure?"

The State Protector did not answer immediately. He stood up, walked over to the window, and looked up at the cold moon in the night sky, his gaze as deep and sharp as a blade.

"Countermeasure... He is currently far away in the northern frontier, holding only the Black Tiger Army. I would like to see whether he can manage to stay alive and return."

Meanwhile, Emperor Jing sat within the Hall of Mental Cultivation, quietly gazing at a freshly delivered battle report.

His gaze swept from the first line of the report to the very last. His brows furrowed slightly, a complex emotion flashing through his eyes.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Ang's campaign in the northern frontier this time has been one victory after another. It is truly deeply gratifying."

A minister standing within the hall spoke respectfully, a note of flattery in his tone. "The Black Tiger Army is cutting through the enemy like bamboo, leaving the frontier with no worries for the future. Your Majesty sending Zhao Ang on this expedition was truly a brilliant decision!"