"Kill him!"
Both Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan stared with cold eyes at the fallen figure of Longqinba. This fierce general of Ü-Tsang was the head of the Five Tiger Generals. If they could kill him, they could definitely deal a massive blow to the morale of the Tibetan army.
As mud and water went flying, these two commanders of the Great Tang's southwest launched a fatal strike at the head of the Five Tiger Generals.
"Protect Milord!"
"We can't let the Tang harm Milord!"
In an instant, all the Tibetan officers became extremely worried and led the surrounding soldiers in a mad and reckless charge against Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan. Mooo! In the air, the images of yaks began to appear, mixed with the images of the strange beasts from the legends of the plateau.
Stellar Energy covered the heavens, rumbling toward Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong like countless dragons.
Boom! Boom!
In an instant, two majestic barriers of Stellar Energy rapidly expanded in the depths of the crowd. So domineering were these energies that they instantly shattered all the oncoming streams of Stellar Energy into pieces.
Not only that, these two powerful Stellar Energies joined together and swept away everything. These madly charging Tibetan officers and the soldiers they led were sent flying like ragdolls.
"Aaaaah!"
Screams rang out through the air. Even the brave and fierce Tibetans were no match for the two highest-ranked commanders of the Great Tang's southwest. With their obstructions blown away, these two generals plowed forward unhindered toward Longqinba.
"Huoshu Huicang isn't here, making this the best chance to kill Longqinba. Brother Gengzhi, attack with all you have. Don't give him a chance!"
Xianyu Zhongtong's furious roar resounded through the skies.
In Lion City, Longqinba had been a monstrous threat. This Tiger General raised by the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple was incredibly powerful and possessed all kinds of techniques. In terms of one-on-one combat, no one in the Tang army except for Xianyu Zhongtong or Wang Yan was a match for him, and the Tang army had never been able to do anything about him.
But now, Longqinba was alone, giving the Tang the best chance to kill him.
Despite his astonishing strength, he would still die if he tried to fight the combined assault of Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong.
"Milord, move!"
As Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan struck with their lethal blows, a figure suddenly jumped out. Bang! Before anyone could see what was happening, Longqinba was pushed away.
In that split second, a Tibetan officer had charged forward and pushed Longqinba aside.
Longqinba reacted quickly, his palm quickly grabbing hold of a highland steed. With a flip of his body, he had mounted the horse.
“Hyah!”
Without even looking behind him, Longqinba urged the horse through the crowd and was instantly far away.
If it were only one of Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan, he would dare to exchange a few blows. But he was injured, and his death was certain if he tarried. Only Great General Huoshu Huicang could block the simultaneous strikes of that pair.
"Xianyu Zhongtong, Wang Yan! You won't be able to escape the southwest! I'll definitely tear both of you into pieces!"
Longqinba's enraged bellow traveled across the distance, but he continued to retreat at full speed. Meanwhile, the other Tibetan cavalry cast away any thoughts of survival and began to charge at the pair.
"Protect Milord!"
"Stop them!"
Wang Yan ordered his own forces to respond. Compared to one-on-one combat, he was more skilled in army-on-army.
"Damn it!"
As Xianyu Zhongtong watched Longqinba escape and use the Tibetans to cover his retreat, his face twisted into a terrible grimace. His hand stabbed like steel chisels into the body of that Tibetan officer and smashed it against the rocky outcrop. Boundless Stellar Energy flowed into the body of the officer, shattering his meridians and organs, snuffing out his life.
"An excellent chance, completely wasted!" Xianyu Zhongtong moaned with great reluctance.
An influential general of Ü-Tsang like Longqinba was normally together with other fierce generals like Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan. If he hadn't been in such a rush to pursue the Annan Protectorate army, the Tang would have never had this sort of opportunity.
With this chance missed, a future one would be even harder to create.
"No! I have to kill him!"
Xianyu Zhongtong hardened his heart, but just when he was preparing to pursue and deal with Longqinba once and for all, the situation suddenly changed.
"Raaaaaah!"
The roar of a dragon soared up from the distance. This sound contained an endless might, creating a pillar of air that extended to the heavens through the rainstorm. With the pillar as the center, massive ripples began to spread out over the air.
All the rain began to glisten and ripple, constantly being jolted outward.
"Huoshu Huicang!"
Xianyu Zhongtong's expression sank as his heart quavered. In all of the southwest, only Huoshu Huicang could possess such vigorous energy and have a voice that could move the air and open a path between heaven and earth.
"He's coming! Just like Chong-er anticipated, he's very fast!"
Wang Yan had been commanding the troops to scatter the Tibetans, but had at some point walked over.
"Huoshu Huicang is currently making his way here, as is the rest of the army! It's inadvisable for us to stay here much longer. Once we scatter these soldiers a little more and use them to hinder our pursuers, our mission will basically be complete!"
Wang Yan glanced up at the sky as he spoke.
The originally gloomy sky was now completely dark. This breakout from Lion City had consumed a great deal of time, and now that this fierce battle had done the same, it was very late at night. But though it was nighttime, the rain had still not lessened.
The dark night and the pouring rain had given the Tang the best circumstances for their breakout.
The Tibetans had already lost them a few times when they were pursuing them during the day, and now that the darkness greatly hindered their vision, it would be even more difficult for the Tibetans to find the tracks of the Annan Protectorate army. It didn't even matter that all of them were mounted. This breakout attempt had been a complete success.
This was the analysis that Wang Chong had given to Wang Yan.
"There's nothing that can be done! Although I also want to have a life-or-death fight with Huoshu Huicang, Young Master Chong is correct. Now is not the time for our decisive battle!" Xianyu Zhongtong said as he looked fiercely into the distance, his eyes bloodshot. Although he was unwilling, he still turned his horse around and left with Wang Yan.
"Everyone, hear my order! Quickly retreat!"
Although Xianyu Zhongtong wanted to kill Longqinba, he actually wanted to kill Huoshu Huicang even more. In the Great Tang's southwest, this Ü-Tsang Great General had always been the Annan Protectorate army's greatest foe.
With Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan holding the rear, the Tang forces quickly disappeared into the stormy night.
"Where are they?"
Right after Xianyu Zhongtong's forces left, another stalwart figure, his aura as mighty as a mountain, appeared on the battlefield. Clang! A scimitar of refined iron dropped from the figure's right hand and into the ground, sending mud flying.
A Tibetan officer bowed and replied, "Reporting to Milord, they have already gone!" His entire body trembled in fear.
"Who injured you?"
Huoshu Huicang turned his head to Longqinba. His face was dark and emotionless, but the thick streams of Stellar Energy flowing around his body had manifested into seething flames. Of the Five Elements, Huoshu Huicang was a supreme expert of the most tyrannical and fierce fire element.
The flames on his body allowed one to see very far through the darkness.
"Reporting to General, it
was Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan!" Longqinba replied fearfully, lowering his head. Although the Tibetans were renowned for their valor and Longqinba could remain fearless even before powerful foreign enemies like Xianyu Zhongtong or Wang Yan, he felt a most profound dread before Great General Huoshu Huicang, or perhaps one could call it respect.
Huoshu Huicang had made his name far earlier than Longqinba!
Many years ago, his reputation had already been known throughout the upper reaches of the Ngari Royal Lineage. He was a true military general, born through battle!
"Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan? Hmph, it seems that we've truly met an opponent this time! Even those two are listening to his orders!"
A frigid light gleamed in Huoshu Huicang's eyes as he looked in the direction in which Xianyu Zhongtong's forces had left.
"Ah!"
Longqinba was stupefied, looking in confusion at Huoshu Huicang with no idea of what the Great General was saying.
"Hmph, planning to lure the tiger from the mountain, bringing me away from the center of the army and then using an ambush to stop your pursuit and kill you in a single stroke… You don't think that Xianyu Zhongtong or Wang Yan could have come up with this idea, did you?" Huoshu Huicang sneered.
He was forced to admit that he had made an error in judgment. His opponent was far smarter than he had imagined, even managing to take into account his own movements.
Moreover, the breakout of an army was no easy task, especially when it involved almost one hundred thousand soldiers. Huoshu Huicang had originally believed that he would make it in time regardless of what happened, but the enemy army had been extremely organized. The breakout, the defense, the counterattack… everything had gone smoothly, and there had been not a single sign of disorder throughout that massive undertaking.
And that army of tens of thousands had descended the mountain and left with such speed.
Not even Huoshu Huicang could have accomplished this feat in such a short amount of time and left with such speed. Such a thing existed only in theory.
His opponent's ability to command an army was almost miraculous, inconceivable!
Huoshu Huicang had lived on this world for many years, but this was his first time seeing a commander of this caliber! However, the more outstanding his opponent was in strategy and tactics, the more brilliant and transcendent, the greater and more vigorous Huoshu Huicang's killing intent was.
Chapter 549: Planning! A Long-Distance Clash!
Chapter 549: Planning! A Long-Distance Clash!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"This!!"
Longqinba was dumbfounded for a few moments. He had only been focused on killing the enemy, so his mind had truly not thought in this direction.
It was true. The Ü-Tsang Empire had fought for so long against the Great Tang in the southwest that both sides were exceptionally familiar with the generals on the opposite side. Although Xianyu Zhongtong couldn't be described as mediocre or incompetent, he was also no adaptable schemer. Rather, he was the model of a general who could defend cities.
As for Wang Yan, Longqinba had heard of his name before and personally experienced his style in Lion City.
Although this general was skilled in both attack and defense, he was still a Great Tang general who was better on the defense than the offense!
Neither of this pair could have thought of this plan to swing back around and ambush the enemy.
"Then, Milord, what should we do now? They definitely haven't gone far. Why don't we chase after them?" Longqinba asked, a fierce killing intent in his heart.
A momentary lack of vigilance had almost ended with him dead at the hands of Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan. No matter who the conductor behind the curtains was, that they were able to come up with such a plan filled Longqinba with the ardent desire to tear them to pieces.
"There's no need!"
But before Longqinba could think about how to find that hidden Tang commander, he was dumbstruck by the reply.
"Given how things are, just let them go!"
"But, Milord, how can we just let them go?"
Longqinba's eyes flew open as he looked with surprise at Great General Huoshu Huicang. The Great General had always been hailed for his courage, so for him to let the Tang go despite them having not run very far away had truly surpassed Longqinba's expectations. This was not the Great General's usual style.
More importantly, Longqinba was extremely unwilling to accept this!
"It's late and raining hard. Where would you go and find them? In addition, in this weather, the might of cavalry is completely nullified. If my guess is correct, that Tang commander loves this sort of plan, so if we pursue, he'll definitely have laid even more traps for us. It's so dark that we won't be able to see them, and if there are any ambushes, we'll only be adding to our losses.
"Furthermore, they've already launched surprise attacks against us by disguising themselves as our troops. In this dark night, they could attack at any time… Do you know how to defend against that?"
With these final words, Huoshu Huicang brought up the most important point.
The Tang commander opposing them was skilled in schemes, a superb strategist and tactician. They were far above Xianyu Zhongtong, Wang Yan, and the other southwestern generals, with even himself falling prey to their schemes. More importantly, even Huoshu Huicang had to admit that this method of disguising as the other side and constantly launching sneak attacks was incredibly difficult to defend against. Even he was hard-pressed to think of any good ideas.
This was an army of one hundred thousand, not ten or twenty thousand. His opponents disguised were simply impossible to distinguish from his own troops.
This was truly a most vexing strategy.
"This, but…" Longqinba stammered out. He had originally thought that one large-scale offensive would settle things, so this conclusion had caught him by surprise. But Longqinba had to admit that he had almost died back there, and in the darkness of the night, it would probably be even easier to ambush him.
Moreover, the opponent actually knew how to speak a little Tibetan!
Wasn't it supposed to be that the people of the Great Tang didn't know how to speak Tibetan?
"Aye!"
Flinging out his right hand, Longqinba sent out a tyrannical stream of Stellar Energy smashing into the ground, blowing a pit around a zhang deep in the ground!
It was clear that Longqinba could only helplessly accept Huoshu Huicang's order.
"Be at ease. I never said anything about letting them go!"
Huoshu Huicang's eyes stared into the darkness, exuding a cold light.
"The storm will end and the night will pass. Once the day returns and the rain ceases, not even that Tang commander's wondrous abilities will be able to do anything. A strategy he can use now might not be a strategy he can use later. Don't forget, we have the three hundred thousand soldiers of our ally, Mengshe Zhao. We'll have plenty of time to link up with the Mengshe Zhao army and deal with the Tang. And besides, this was originally a war between the Great Tang and Mengshe Zhao, so it should be their turn to put forth a little strength… This is also the Great Minister's intention!"
The Great Minister that Huoshu Huicang spoke of was naturally Dalun Ruozan.
In all of the Ngari Royal Lineage, the only one who could order around Huoshu Huicang, who could keep this valorous general on a tight leash, was the Ngari Great Minister. Longqinba hadn't expected this to be on the Great Minister's orders.
"Don't be so reluctant. If we can pay the smallest price for the greatest harvest, why shouldn't we? Don't forget, the goal of we warriors of Ü-Tsang is not merely the southwest, not merely the Annan Protectorate. An even greater war waits for us! We cannot lose too much on a single battlefield," Huoshu Huicang indifferently said.
"Yes, Milord!"
Longqinba still felt a little unwilling, but when he heard those last words, he immediately bowed, a deep veneration i
n his heart. The southwest was only a corner of the Great Tang, and the great war that Huoshu Huicang spoke of naturally wasn't this place, but the war between Ü-Tsang and the Great Tang.
This was no secret between the high-ranking officers of the Tibetan Plateau.
A centipede could die, but it would never fall over.
From the moment the Tsenpo decided to attack the Great Tang, the war between Ü-Tsang and the Great Tang had begun. This war in the southwest was merely the prologue to an even greater war. Although the Great Tang was on the decline and was no longer what it once was, it still possessed a massive, resplendent, and intimidating army.
The Annan Protectorate was only one of the Great Tang's protectorates.
Even though the Ü-Tsang Empire had already made its decision, all of its officers were still treating the war with extreme caution.
"A day early or a day late, we'll still end up killing them! Let them struggle on death's door for a little longer!"
With these final words, Huoshu Huicang turned his horse around and immediately returned.
This undertaking could be described as a massive failure. The results achieved by an army of one hundred thousand had been completely different from expected. And this was not because the Tibetans were incompetent or Xianyu Zhongtong and the Annan generals were too strong, but because of the strategies and tactics utilized by the Tang.
No one had expected this outcome.
And the casualties were also rather large!
Moreover, Huoshu Huicang had vaguely noticed something from this battle that only he could handle. In comparison, chasing down Xianyu Zhongtong and the rest wasn't that urgent.
After all, it was only a single day. They couldn't flee the southwest in such a short time.
Huoshu Huicang quickly vanished into the darkness. Behind him, the Tibetan army slowly began to move in the exact opposite direction of the one in which Wang Chong's forces had vanished.
The battle through the rain had come to an unexpected end.
Yet the air over the southwest remained fraught with tension, and even managed to grow even tenser.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 376
