Chapter 63 The Re-engagement Strike

Early the next morning, in Zhao Ang's camp, warhorses neighed and soldiers were busy inspecting their equipment.

Yang Mu strode into the main tent, his expression slightly solemn. "Your Highness, scouts report that last night the barbarian Iron Flame Army regrouped. About three thousand strong, they are now approaching our camp."

Zhao Ang was leisurely sitting in the main seat, sipping tea. Upon hearing this, a playful smile flashed across his eyes.

"Oh? That Wulan girl couldn't hold back for long, could she? It seems my goodwill from last night ended up acting as a whip to provoke her."

Zhang Shan laughed heartily from the side. "Your Highness, do you think Wulan is a fool? We just annihilated her main force, yet she still dares to show her face. Is she tired of living?"

Zhao Ang waved his hand, his smile carrying a profound meaning.

"Zhang Shan, do not underestimate Wulan. Her counter-attack, though seemingly reckless, is actually an attempt to use the last breath of the Iron Flame Army to salvage their barbarian pride."

He slowly set down his teacup and looked up at the map.

"However... since she refuses to yield, I, Zhao Ang, shall play along with her. I'll let her know that the blades of the Northern Frontier are not meant for casual testing."

Wulan deployed the Iron Flame Army in a valley. She stood at the forefront, holding a long spear, her gaze as sharp as a blade, her red armor shining brilliantly against the snow.

"Zhao Ang, I want to see if you can still remain so arrogant!" Wulan muttered under her breath, gritting her teeth.

She had long since laid an ambush, with two hundred archers hidden on each side of the valley. The moment Zhao Ang's Black Tiger Army entered the valley, they would be met with a rain of arrows, while her main force would launch a frontal decisive battle.

Even knowing she was at a tactical disadvantage, Wulan chose to make a last stand—

Even if she fell in battle, she wanted Zhao Ang to understand just how unyielding the bones of the Iron Flame Army truly were!

In the early morning of the Northern Frontier, the biting cold wind still howled, and snowflakes drifted down from the sky, blanketing the rugged terrain of the valley.

The cliffs on both sides of the valley were steep, resembling two giant sabers descending from the heavens. Between this natural barrier, Wulan's Iron Flame Army was tensely making final preparations for defense.

Wulan stood at the vanguard, her gaze sharp as a knife, quietly staring at the deep valley path ahead, seemingly waiting for a chance to turn the tables.

She had not slept a single peaceful moment. Ever since she recalled the surviving soldiers last night and made this resolute decision, her eyes held only the enemy, only revenge, and only the final dignity of the Iron Flame Army.

"Hide the archers in the forests on both sides. Act upon the sound of the horn, and do not expose yourselves until the very last moment," Wulan turned around, her fierce gaze sweeping over her deputy generals as she spoke in a low, chilling voice. "Set up chevaux-de-frise and caltrops at the front, and deploy a squad of death-defying warriors to cover. Ensure that Zhao Ang's Black Tiger Army never returns!"

A deputy general hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "General, our forces are insufficient and supplies are scarce. If we lose this battle, the Iron Flame Army will truly be shattered beyond recovery."

Wulan turned back, her gaze as sharp as an eagle's. "If our forces are insufficient, we make up for it with tactics! Zhao Ang is arrogant and conceited; he will surely fall for the trap. This battle is not about victory or defeat, but to make him understand—the Iron Flame Army is not something to be trampled upon at will!"

With that, she raised her spear and pointed toward the distant valley mouth, her determination as unyielding as iron. "Go tell the brothers, the barbarians have never feared death! Today, even if we die, we will make the Black Tiger Army pay the price!"

Meanwhile, in another camp outside the valley, the Black Tiger Army stood arrayed in formation.

Zhao Ang sat on horseback, clad in silver armor with a long saber at his waist. His gaze swept lazily toward the valley entrance, though a razor-sharp intent flickered deep within his eyes.

"This Wulan certainly has quite a stubborn streak."

There was a hint of mockery in Zhao Ang's tone, his smile casual yet chilling.

Yang Mu rode closer and lowered his voice. "Your Highness, scouts ahead report that the valley is heavily ambushed. Wulan has clearly prepared for a fight to the death."

Zhao Ang chuckled coldly and waved a hand. "The girl Wulan hasn't disappointed me after all. I thought she would choose to run; I never expected she'd turn back to fight me. Does she truly believe these paltry ambushes can stop my Black Tiger Army?"

He looked into the distance and pointed. "Zhang Shan, take three hundred light cavalry and stage a performance at the valley entrance. Make Wulan think we've taken the bait."

Zhang Shan immediately cupped his fists in acknowledgment. "Rest assured, Your Highness, I'll make sure they get a good show of our acting skills!"

The corners of Zhao Ang's lips curled upward as he turned to Yang Mu. "Uncle Yang, take five hundred archers to ambush both sides of the valley. The moment Wulan's archers expose themselves, wipe them out completely."

Yang Mu nodded gravely. "Rest assured, Your Highness, these barbarians' archers won't amount to anything."

Zhao Ang nodded, took one last look at the map, and spoke with a chilling tone, "After today, the name of the Iron Flame Army shall vanish completely from the Northern Frontier."

Shortly after, Zhang Shan's three hundred light cavalry rushed into the valley like arrows released from a bowstring. The Iron Flame Army's archers, concealed within the dense forests of the cliffs on both sides, kept their eyes locked on the invading force.

"General, they have charged in!" an archer reported excitedly to Wulan.

Wulan narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "Not yet. Let them penetrate deeper before we loose our arrows together."

Zhang Shan galloped wildly on horseback, occasionally feigning panic as he looked back to signal, putting on a convincing act of poor scouting and anxious retreat.

All of this fell into Wulan's sight.

"They've fallen for it indeed!" Wulan sneered, waving her hand to give the order. "Release arrows!"

A sharp horn blast echoed through the valley. Wulan's archers instantly revealed themselves, drawing their bowstrings to the limit as a torrential rain of arrows descended upon the light cavalry in the valley.

Zhang Shan, well-prepared, led the light cavalry in a swift retreat, evading the fatal range of the arrow volley.

At that exact moment, the Black Tiger Army archers hidden behind the cliffs on both sides suddenly emerged, sending precise arrows back in a counter-attack against Wulan's archers.

"General! The enemy is ambushing us from the rear!" a deputy general cried out in alarm.

Wulan looked back to see the mountain forests filled with the sounds of battle as her archers were being eliminated one by one by the Black Tiger Army.

Her expression shifted slightly. She immediately drew her spear, gritting her teeth as she shouted, "Do not panic! Hold the frontal barrier formation and defend to the death!"

Zhao Ang slowly rode his horse into the valley, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield ahead as a cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Wulan, it seems you still haven't learned how to play chess."

With a wave of his hand, the Black Tiger Army cavalry poured into the valley like a tidal wave, charging straight at Wulan's main formation.

Though the Iron Flame Army fought desperately, once they lost their archers and terrain advantage, they quickly fell into rout. Wulan personally led her elite guards into battle, her spear whirling as she cut down several men, resembling a snow wolf driven to a desperate corner.

However, the onslaught of the Black Tiger Army was like an avalanche, pressing down on her forces with suffocating pressure.

In the end, Wulan was personally unhorsed by Zhao Ang, forced to her knees upon the snow.

Wulan knelt in the snow, her spear planted aslant in the ground, her trembling hands gripped desperately tight.