Chapter 97: Tidings of Victory from the First Battle at the Border, and the Heroine’s Stratagem Bears Fruit

In the enemy ruler’s tent, the atmosphere was so stifling it seemed to choke the air from one’s lungs.

Shattered porcelain lay scattered across the ground, reflecting the ruler’s twisted expression.

His chest rose and fell violently, like a beast on the verge of eruption.

“Send the order at once! Advance ahead of schedule! I will flatten the frontier of Great Zhou!” His roar echoed through the tent, brimming with a murderous chill.

Advisor Wang’s face turned deathly pale.

At the frontier, a murderous stillness hung over the land.

The enemy army surged forward like a tidal wave, a vast black mass that seemed intent on devouring everything in its path.

Banners whipped furiously in the wind, and the war drums thundered like rolling lightning.

The soldiers of Great Zhou gripped their weapons and stood ready, every face etched with a determination to die rather than retreat.

“Kill!”

At General Yang’s furious cry, he charged first into the enemy ranks.

The long blade in his hand flashed with cold light, and each sweep claimed several lives.

Enemy soldiers fell like sheaves of grain, their blood staining the earth red.

The soldiers of Great Zhou burned with high morale, following in General Yang’s wake and fighting with reckless valor.

War cries, the clang of steel, and shrieks of agony intertwined into a tragic symphony of battle.

The enemy clearly had not expected such a sudden and ferocious assault.

They had imagined that they could win easily through schemes and tricks, never dreaming that the army of Great Zhou would prove so tenacious.

For a moment, their formation fell into confusion.

“Hold the line! Hold it!” the enemy commander shouted himself hoarse, trying to reorganize the attack.

But the assault of Great Zhou was like an unstoppable avalanche, sweeping everything before it.

Just then, a line of horsemen appeared on the distant horizon.

“Report! General, a force has been spotted to the southwest!” a messenger cried as he came running up, his voice urgent.

General Yang whirled around, his eyes sharp as fire. “What banner do they carry?”

“Great Zhou! It is the Lin banner!” The messenger’s voice trembled with excitement.

A gleam flashed in General Yang’s eyes. He recognized that banner. It was the emblem of the newly crowned imperial champion, Lin Shiya.

A smile of exhilaration tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Sure enough, dust rose thickly in the southwest as an elite cavalry unit struck like a keen blade, driving hard into the enemy flank.

Horses neighed, iron hooves pounded, and war cries shook heaven and earth.

Lin Shiya wore silver armor and held a long spear, leading the charge with irresistible force.

Her gaze was cold and cutting, like a sword drawn from its scabbard, aimed straight at the enemy’s vital point.

The appearance of this hidden force utterly shattered the enemy’s formation.

They had already been thrown into disarray by the relentless assault of Great Zhou, and now panic seized them completely.

Enemy soldiers fled in all directions, scattering like headless flies.

“Impossible! How could an army have suddenly appeared there?” The enemy ruler stared at the chaotic battlefield before him, his face dark with fury. He could not understand where this force had come from; his plan had been perfect in every detail.

“My lord, this is no time to worry about that. We must retreat at once!” Advisor Wang’s terrified voice sounded at his ear.

“Retreat? No!” the ruler roared, though his voice clearly lacked conviction. Clenching his fists, he stared unwillingly at the crumbling remnants of his army.

The army of Great Zhou was in high spirits and pressed forward to pursue their victory.

They shattered the enemy formation completely, reducing them to utter rout, stripping them of helmets and armor as they fled.

Blood dyed the yellow sand, and severed limbs lay strewn everywhere, painting a scene of brutal carnage.

In the first battle at the frontier, the army of Great Zhou won a sweeping victory.

The triumphant report soon reached the capital, shaking the entire court, which burst into cheers and jubilation.

The common people ran through the streets telling one another the news, beating gongs and drums to celebrate this hard-won victory.

Yet amid the rejoicing, a discordant voice emerged.

“This... this was only a minor victory. Our Great Zhou spent so much grain and so many troops that the loss outweighs the gain.” Minister He, head of the War Ministry, said with a troubled expression, his voice harsh amid the cheers.

He wiped the sweat from his brow and went on, “Besides, war drains the people and empties the treasury. Better... better to seek peace talks at once.”

On the throne dais, the officials exchanged glances, and the earlier joy was dulled by his words.

Some began whispering among themselves, and the dispute between the war party and the peace party flared up once more, instantly tightening the atmosphere of the court.

Standing in the grand hall, Lin Shiya looked at the arguing ministers and did not immediately rebut Minister He.

Instead, she slowly turned her head and looked at Murong Fu among the crowd, her gaze deep and unreadable, as though conveying some hidden message.

A faint smile touched Murong Fu’s lips.

In the imperial audience hall, the noise of celebration gradually subsided, leaving behind a heavy silence.

Lin Shiya ignored Minister He’s pessimism. Instead, she drew a scroll from her sleeve and slowly unrolled it.

Upon it were densely recorded figures, from grain consumption to weapon losses, and even the amount of fodder used by each horse.

The curious ministers craned their necks to glimpse its contents.

“Minister He,” Lin Shiya said, her voice clear and unwavering as it echoed through the hall, “you say this battle brought more loss than gain. May I ask what figures you used to reach such a conclusion?” Her slender finger pointed to the scroll. “This is a detailed analysis I compiled from frontline reports and military supply records. It clearly lists every expenditure of the campaign, along with a comparison of losses on both sides. Please, sir, examine it.”

Minister He took the scroll, and his expression gradually soured.

He had merely intended to use this opportunity to suppress the war party, never imagining that Lin Shiya had already prepared for him.

The figures on the report were clear and indisputable, proving beyond argument both the victory of the campaign and the immense benefits of continuing the war.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. His lips trembled, yet not a single word came out.

The war party, meanwhile, was greatly heartened and lavished praise on Lin Shiya for her farsighted strategy.

General Yang was especially flushed with excitement. He said loudly, “Minister Lin is wise and righteous, and her command is masterful. This humble general stands in admiration!” The other officials echoed him at once, filled with admiration for Lin Shiya’s rigor and wisdom.

The storm in the imperial hall briefly abated, and the joy of the victory once again filled the air.

Yet far away, thousands of miles from the capital, new shadows were quietly gathering at the frontier.

Inside the enemy camp, Advisor Wang wore a gloomy expression as he racked his brain for a plan.

The first defeat at the hands of Great Zhou had left him utterly humiliated.

Clenching his teeth, he muttered, “Since we cannot win on the battlefield, then we will tear them apart from within!”

A few days later, rumors began spreading through the frontier garrison. They claimed the court was miserly and would not reward the soldiers properly. Some even said the court planned to abandon the frontier altogether and let the enemy invade at will.

Like a plague, the rumors spread rapidly, and the soldiers’ morale began to waver.

General Yang and Deputy General Li were frantic. They inspected the camp everywhere, trying to steady the men’s spirits, but with little effect.

Groups of soldiers gathered in hushed knots, whispering among themselves, their faces full of unease and suspicion.

“General, this cannot go on!” Deputy General Li said anxiously, clenching his fist so hard the veins stood out on the back of his hand. “Morale is crumbling. If the enemy attacks again, the consequences will be unimaginable!”

General Yang frowned deeply, staring at the rolling mountains in the distance, his heart weighed down with worry.

“Could it be... that we are truly about to fail at the very last moment?” he murmured.

At that instant, a soldier hurried over, breathless and pale. “Report! General, in the distance... in the distance...”

“What about the distance? Speak!” General Yang barked.

The soldier swallowed hard, his voice shaking. “There is... a force appearing in the distance. They... they are carrying...”

“They are carrying... carrying the Lin banner!” Before the soldier had finished, General Yang and Deputy General Li were already rushing out of the tent.

Far away, dust billowed upward as a cavalry unit sped toward them. The bright Lin banner snapped in the wind like a lighthouse of hope, illuminating the confusion in the soldiers’ hearts.

Lin Shiya rode at the forefront on a tall warhorse, clad in silver armor, her bearing heroic and commanding.

Her gaze was resolute, like a blade of ice in winter, sweeping across every soldier’s face.

Behind her came row upon row of wagons laden with supplies, filled with grain, clothing, and weapons, all radiating a comforting sense of security.

“Soldiers!” Lin Shiya’s clear voice echoed across the open camp. “The court has not forgotten your blood and sacrifice! These are rewards personally granted by His Majesty, to honor your hard work!”

The soldiers looked at the opened crates of silver, the new cotton garments, and the sharp weapons. Their hearts, once clouded by rumors, were now completely melted by Lin Shiya’s sincerity.

“Minister Lin, you are truly our savior!” another soldier said, clenching his fist as he bowed deeply to her.

Lin Shiya smiled faintly. Once again, Advisor Wang’s scheme had been effortlessly dismantled by her.

Yet when she looked out toward the distant horizon, a trace of unease stirred in her heart.

She could not shake the feeling that the enemy’s withdrawal had been too smooth, and that something far greater must be hidden behind it.

Inside the enemy camp, the ruler sat in the seat of honor, his face as dark as storm clouds. A strange medicinal scent lingered in the air.

Several figures in black cloaks knelt upon the ground, their bodies swallowed by shadow so that their features could not be seen.

“How is your training progressing?” the ruler asked in a low, hoarse voice, as if speaking from the depths of hell.

One of the black-clad figures raised his head, revealing a pair of crimson eyes. His voice was equally rasping, carrying an eerie chill. “Reporting to my lord, we have already seen initial results. In a few more days, they will be ready for the battlefield.”

“Good...” A cruel smile curved the ruler’s lips. “Then I should like to see how the army of Great Zhou will withstand my secret weapon this time!”

The wind stirred the curtain of the tent, making it snap softly. The ruler lifted his head and looked into the distance through the narrow gap in the fabric.

Outside the tent, two black-clad men spoke in low voices.

“What exactly do you think my lord is planning this time?” one asked, touching the scarred skin of his face.

The other gave a low laugh. “Hush. Ask no questions. Whatever my lord tells us to do, we do it. If we spoil his plan, you and I will be dead beyond recovery.”