“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, than those who got close to Zhang would obviously receive lots of benefits such as high government positions and wealth.
But once they were reunited with him, these feelings blossomed and intensified by dozens of times.