At present, every second of time was precious. Wang Chong had particularly emphasized this while commanding this army.
If it were not important, he wouldn't have the army stop.
In just a moment, Li Siye, Zhao Jingdian, Luo Tong, and everyone else placed their focus on that white-robed soldier.
Only Old Eagle seemed to understand. He looked forward with a calm expression, no surprise in his eyes.
Chapter 491: Encounter!
Chapter 491: Encounter!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"The item?" Wang Chong asked calmly, arching his eyebrows.
"In the forest."
"Bring it over."
……
Rumble! Under the flabbergasted gazes of the army, another horseman galloped out of the forest, carrying a heavy bag.
The item inside the bag had clear-cut angles. From its shape, it was clearly a square box of some sort, measuring one foot on all sides.
The horseman from the local garrison handled this box with extreme care, taking the greatest pains to not allow this box to leave his sight.
"Jingdian, I'll entrust this box to you. Remember, until you receive my order, nothing can happen to it. Don't let anyone approach it, and don't open the bag to look inside!" Wang Chong cautioned.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Zhao Jingdian nodded and replied without hesitation. As long as it was Wang Chong's order, he would immediately comply, rarely refusing or questioning.
Zhao Jingdian quickly galloped forward and took the bag from the horsemen of the local garrison, placing it securely on the back of his horse.
After handing over that bag, the horseman from the local garrison gave a long sigh, as if he had been relieved of a great burden.
"What's inside?"
A rough and vigorous came from the side as Li Siye stared curiously at the box on Zhao Jingdian's horse.
There were few of Wang Chong's affairs that he didn't know about, but this bag happened to be one of them.
It was obvious that Wang Chong had planned for this while he was in the capital.
And Wang Chong's cautious attitude was truly rather mystifying to him.
"You'll know when the time comes. Jingdian, head to the rear. Maintain a distance of at least six zhang from the rest of the army," Wang Chong ordered, waving his hand.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Zhao Jingdian quickly left.
"Move out!"
With this order, the army set off once more.
……
Time flew by, and five days later, Wang Chong's nonstop advance had finally brought him to the empire's southwest. The air here was filled with nervous tension and danger.
"Hurry! Run! Run!"
"Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao are about to attack!"
"The Imperial Court has already lost. No one is left to protect us."
"Children, husband, hurry!"
……
Panicked civilians packed the road, fleeing with their families to the north.
It was no longer a secret that the 180,000 Annan Protectorate elites had lost. Some merchants had learned of the news early on and fled the southwest.
And once people began to flee, nothing could be kept secret.
Although the situation on the southern end of the southwest territory had still not been made clear, the people bordering the north were clearly already beginning to flee.
"This situation… isn't good!"
Upon seeing these fleeing civilians, Wang Chong raised his head and gave a long sigh.
"Wei Anfang, stay here. I'll give you a hundred people. Have people stand guard on the main roads to the south. Your first priority should be guiding these people to safety and your second should be getting rid of any bandits or troublemakers," Wang Chong said.
In every generation, the hearts of the people were of paramount importance. While the defeat in the southwest played a large part, this panicked tide of refugees would have a massive impact on the people of the Great Tang, who had lived in peace for centuries.
In all its history, the Great Tang had never experienced this sort of mood of unease and anxiety, where a crisis seemed ready to break out at any moment. All Wang Chong could do was attempt to shrink the impact of this as much as he could.
Wei Anfang bowed and said, "Yes, Young Master. Leave this task to me."
His assignment had never been to fight on the battlefield. The mission Wang Chong had given him was to work with Xu Qiqin in the back lines and manage the supply line.
By leaving him here, Wang Chong would also reduce the effect the war had on the morale of the people.
One hundred hired experts were quickly dispatched. Although they weren't regular soldiers, the standardized armor they wore was enough to keep order.
Leaving behind Wei Anfang and one hundred hired experts, the army set off for the southern border.
Dark clouds thickly carpeted the skies of the southwest, and the further south they went, the thicker the smell of war in the air became. There were no more traveling merchants, no more endless trains of carts and carriages. Even plumes of smoke from houses were few and far between. A bleak and somber air had blanketed the world.
Creee!
A sharp cry resounded through the sky, grabbing the attention of the army.
Wang Chong raised his head and saw a massive eagle in the sky. It was weaving through the air, drawing all sorts of shapes. It alternated between fast and slow and would occasionally cry out as if following some sort of pattern.
"Old Eagle?" Wang Chong asked without turning his head.
These eagles and birds were all trained by Old Eagle, and only he knew the meaning of these signs.
"There is a large number of enemies in front of us…"
Old Eagle's expression was even graver than Wang Chong's. The speed at which his birds flew represented the gravity of the situation while the number of circles they flew represented the distance.
The eagle he had trained had already made seven or eight circles, and it still hadn't finished.
Old Eagle looked up at that gigantic eagle in the sky and translated the 'eagle language'. "The enemies closest to us are about one hundred li from us. As for their numbers, three hundred… but there's also a significant number of enemies nearby.
"In addition, there are also people from our side!"
Buzz!
These final words caused Wang Chong's heart to tighten and the surrounding atmosphere to tense up.
In all their days of rapid advance, this was the first time these soldiers were going to confront the enemy. Many of these people had fought alone before, but as for battles… this would be a first-time experience.
A battle between soldiers and a fight between warriors were two completely different things!
Even the most formidable expert would be crushed to paste under the charge of cavalry, dead to the trampling of hooves or at the sharp end of a spear.
On the battlefield, one person's valor was extremely insignificant!
Like a lightning bolt through his mind, Wang Chong immediately realized something. It's Li Zhengyi's reinforcement army!
There was still a long distance between his current location and Erhai on the borders of the Great Tang and Mengshe Zhao. It was impossible for any of Xianyu Zhongtong's 180,000 elites to appear here.
The only possibility was the army led by Li Zhengyi that had been ambushed midway.
"All troops, heed my orders. Prepare for combat!"
Wang Chong unsheathed his Wootz Steel sword. The sword pointed toward the sky, exuding its cold light, and the army immediately sobered up.
Warhorses neighed and dust stirred. The entire army began to swiftly proceed toward those enemies one hundred li away…
Chapter 492: The First Battle! Sweep Away Everything! (I)
Chapter 492: The First Battle! Sweep Away Everything! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edi
ted by: Michyrr
"It seems like this will be our final stop…"
"What final stop? That damn Mengshe Zhao. We helped them so much, even helped them unite the Six Zhao, and now they've betrayed us! Not only did they attack our city, they even joined with Ü-Tsang. If they weren't guiding the Tibetans, how could the Tibetans possibly know this place so well?"
"It's too late to say anything now. We've already lost. However, one day, Mengshe Zhao will pay for this betrayal!"
"Don't speak such demoralizing words! The fate of warriors is to die on the battlefield. No matter what, even if we die, we have to bring down a few of them with us!"
"That's right! Even if we die, we can't let them look down on us Great Tang warriors!"
……
Ten-some Great Tang soldiers, a mixture of cavalry and infantry, were encamped on a low hill. Their armor was in tatters, their bodies covered in wounds and the traces of battle.
Their boots and their horses were covered in mud. It appeared like they had been on a very long trek.
However, no matter how far they trekked, they could never outrun the Ü-Tsang heavy cavalry.
A hundred-some Tibetans had gathered across from them, forming a distant standoff, though they seemed ready to attack at any moment.
Although a Tibetan might be inferior to a Tang in one-on-one combat, when Tibetans gathered together, they could form an initial-level Halo of Fortress.
These hundred-some Tibetans wore shining armor and were calm and composed. In excellent condition, these men were clearly the pursuers.
The Tibetans were famed throughout the world for their ferocity. With their thick armor, they would often dare to charge against enemies that far outnumbered them.
The only reason they hadn't attacked yet was their apprehension of that ballista the ten-some Great Tang soldiers had set up at the top of the hill.
The thick armor used by the Tibetans might not be fine works of art, but through sheer thickness, they could block the majority of arrows.
Ballistae were one of the few projectile weapons the Great Tang possessed that could pierce straight through the armor of the Tibetans.
Once the number of Tibetans dropped below one hundred, the initial-level Halo of Fortress would collapse. This was what they feared, even though the accuracy of ballistae was rather poor.
"Wululamu, kawuduluo…"
Several Tibetan soldiers around the hill pointed at the Great Tang soldiers and laughed. Their eyes were filled with ridicule, looking upon them like they were already dead.
Suddenly, a figure on a horse rode to the front of the Ü-Tsang cavalry and translated the Tibetan into somewhat strangely accented Tang tongue. "Haha, the Tibetan says that none of you will be able to escape. Not even the Great Tang elites of the Annan Protectorate were a match for them, much less reserve soldiers like you. Quickly, put down your weapons. Perhaps your life might still be spared!"
The armor this person wore was somewhat similar to the Great Tang's, but also rather different. His appearance was also very similar to those of the Central Plains, though his face was a little flatter.
Only the people of Mengshe Zhao, to the south of Erhai, were so similar to the people of the Central Plains.
Geluofeng had assisted in the ambush of the Great Tang reinforcements by dispatching many of his officers to join the Ü-Tsang army to guide them, instruct them, and offer advice. Otherwise, the Tibetans' lack of familiarity with the southwest would have made it very difficult to intercept Li Zhengyi.
"Hahaha, put down our weapons and surrender? Do you think that we're three-year-old children? The Great Tang only has heroes who die in battle, not kneeling cowards. If you want our lives, come and get them yourselves!"
On the hill, a Great Tang ten-man commander, his black armor covered in blood, pointed at the Mengshe Zhao officer and laughed.
"What is he saying?" a cold-eyed Tibetan asked in his own language. The Mengshe Zhao officer hurriedly translated.
"Hmph, he's seeking his own death! Since they want to die, I'll help them out! Bring those things up!"
With this order, there was a rumble as majestic white auras began to burst out from the bodies of the Tibetan horsemen. In the blink of an eye, the roars of yaks could be heard all around.
One, two, three… In a clattering of metal, more than a hundred Yak Halos appeared under the feet of the Tibetan cavalry, fusing with their steeds.
And the overlapping resonance of more than one hundred Yak Halos caused lights to shift. After a few moments, the flickering image of a fortress appeared in the air, enveloping all of the Tibetan horsemen within.
Although this 'fortress' was indistinct, its appearance caused the energy of these hundred-some Tibetan cavalry to instantly rise. This powerful aura immediately suppressed those routed soldiers on the top of the hill.
"Kill!"
Unsheathing their greenish-black scimitars, five or six Tibetan captains led the charge, with the rest following behind. In just a few moments, the Tibetan cavalry had built up an earthshaking momentum.
"Careful!"
On the top of the hill, the Tang soldiers paled in the face of the Tibetan charge. These soldiers were all from the inland garrisons and rarely traded blows with the foreign countries. Most of them had only been responsible for keeping order in the prefectures.
But their time in the southwest had allowed them to richly experience the terrifying power of the Tibetans.
The Tibetans already outnumbered them, and now the power of their armor and Halo of Fortress was completely capable of crushing them.
"Get ready!"
With this order, a grinding came from the top of the hill. Three carriage-sized ballistae were pushed forward and aimed downhill at the charging Tibetans.
Greenish-black arrows, as thick as a child's arm and more than one zhang long, were placed in the mechanisms. The arrows were covered in blood-red inscriptions, making them exude a callous aura of extreme danger.
These inscriptions were all for the purpose of piercing through armor, and these ballista bolts were covered in them.
Buzz! At the same time, four warriors at each ballista pressed their hands down and began to pour Stellar Energy inside. In a flash, the ballistae began to glow.
The three ballistae instantly became extremely dangerous!
On the intense battlefield, the ballista was every soldier's nightmare. The denser the ranks of the opposing army, the more powerful a ballista was.
The Tibetans instantly felt threatened by the movements on the top of the hill. With a chorus of neighs, the tidy ranks of the hundred-some cavalry scattered.
Ten-some cavalry charged out from the rear, each of their riders wielding aloft the body of a Great Tang horseman on the tips of their spears.
The ten-some Great Tang corpses were lined up, the armor on their bodies forming a wall that protected the hundred-some Tibetan cavalry behind them.
At this sight, the soldiers on the hilltop instantly paled.
"Shameless!"
No one had expected the Tibetans to employ this sort of strategy. They had lost many comrades in the last few days of combat, but none of them had thought that the Tibetans would then use the bodies of their comrades as a shield while attacking them.
Who wouldn't hesitate when seeing the bodies of the brothers that they had fought side by side with?
"Hahaha, kiiiill!"
The Tibetan cavalry roared with laughter as they charged under the cover of the corpses. With the barrier of the corpses and their armor, the ballistae of the Great Tang were far less threatening.
The situation had suddenly reversed, putting the Great Tang soldiers at a serious disadvantage.
Chapter 493: The First Battle! Sweep Away Everything! (II)
Chapter 493: The First Battle! Sweep Away Everything! (II)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The ten-man commander leading the motley group of Great Tang soldiers har
dened his heart and suddenly ordered, "Let's go! While the green hills last, there's still wood to burn! We first have to survive, and then we can avenge our slain brothers in the future!"
Rumble!
The moment he spoke, the earth quaked. Behind them, to the southwest and the southeast, more Tibetan cavalry suddenly appeared, forming an encirclement with the original group of a hundred-some Tibetan cavalry and charging toward the hill.
All this had occurred too suddenly, and everyone on the hill paled. They had dared to enter a standoff with the Tibetans because they had a path that they could retreat down at any time.
But they had not realized that these Tibetans had been drawing their attention while sending their comrades around the back to cut off their retreat.
"Hahaha, just die. After letting you escape for two days, did you think we would keep letting you? Today, all of you will die here!"
At the back of the cavalry, that Mengshe Zhao officer roared with laughter.
These Tang men were dead for sure!
They had been so slow to act so as to make these Tang soldiers let down their guard and buy time. They had already communicated with the other groups of Tibetan soldiers and were just waiting for them to come and complete the encirclement.
Gallop!
Warhorses rumbled forward, leaving trails of dust behind. Three hundred to four hundred Tibetan cavalry arrogantly shouted as they wielded their scimitars and charged toward the hill in their center.
Their eyes were sinister and ruthless, all of them set on letting no Tang soldier escape alive.
"It's over!"
In a flash, all the Tang soldiers on the hill were filled with despair.
It had already been hard to deal with one hundred Tibetan cavalry, and now their numbers had tripled.
"Brothers, we fight to the death!"
The leader of the Tang soldiers drew his sword and raised it high. Since there was no chance of survival, they might as well fight to the death!
As seconds flashed by, as the Tibetan cavalry got closer and closer and all the Great Tang soldiers were ready to fight to the death, the ground suddenly began to shake, the earth fiercely trembling like it was a giant wooden board.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 340
