"Lord Protector-General, what happened at the battle of Erhai?"
Wang Chong finally voiced the question that concerned him the most. He was sure that Xianyu Zhongtong would have never said such words if he had not experienced that most miserable and unforgettable experience.
Xianyu Zhongtong's eyes twitched, his face twisting in his reluctance to think back.
"Duan Gequan has never been one to rashly move out. He's always staring at you, watching, seeking out your weaknesses, until he can deliver the fatal blow at the crucial moment."
A bloody light emerged in Xianyu Zhongtong's eyes. The battle of Erhai would always be the greatest defeat of his life, the deepest disgrace, the nightmare that he would never be able to forget.
Even when Wang Chong asked, he was still unwilling to recall those things.
The banner flapped in the wind, and as Wang Chong looked at that protector-general who was bound to be cursed by the world, he saw the pain, hatred, and shame in his eyes, and felt deeply moved.
Wang Chong's understanding of Xianyu Zhongtong had always come from the mouths of others, from the gossip about him on the streets of the capital. Besides this, Wang Chong knew nothing else of him.
For the first time, Wang Chong was understanding the world deep within the mind of this 'criminal of the Great Tang'.
"I understand."
Wang Chong earnestly nodded.
"I'll have to trouble Milord with Duan Gequan. In addition, Wang Chong has another matter that he would like to discuss with Lord Protector-General."
"Oh?"
Slightly moved, Xianyu Zhongtong finally showed a sliver of surprise.
No one knew what they discussed, only that Xianyu Zhongtong left very late.
"Young Master, rest at ease. If that situation really does occur, Xianyu will pay any price to hold him down."
Xianyu Zhongtong had an incredibly serious expression on his face.
"Then I'll have to trouble Lord Protector-General," Wang Chong said as he sent him off.
Once Xianyu Zhongtong left, the summit returned to silence. Wang Chong stood alone beneath the banner, his mind unsettled. The state of the battle meant that what he could do was extremely limited.
No one knew how this battle would end up, not Huoshu Huicang, Dalun Ruozan, Wang Chong, or Xianyu Zhongtong. But Wang Chong did know that the outcome of this battle would soon be decided.
"I wonder how Dalun Ruozan is doing?"
Wang Chong suddenly thought about his opponent down below. Although his situation was poor, Wang Chong knew that Dalun Ruozan's situation was certainly not much better.
……
Dalun Ruozan's situation truly was very poor.
"Reporting! Another twenty soldiers fell ill from the climate and were sent to Mengshe Zhao's military physicians."
A Tibetan messenger kneeled on the ground, his head lowered. More than seven such messengers were lined up in the tent.
Another Tibetan messenger finally couldn't help but say, "Great Minister, the food of Mengshe Zhao is not suitable for us. The soldiers are all suffering diarrhea. Great Minister must think of a way to resolve the food problem."
"I know. You're all dismissed."
Dalun Ruozan waved his hand, in a foul mood.
A voice came from behind him. "We can't last for too long. We nomads still can't adapt to their food." The god-like figure of Huoshu Huicang was standing like an unmoving statue behind Dalun Ruozan.
Dalun Ruozan gave a long sigh.
Huoshu Huicang was right, and how could he not know of it?
The entire Tibetan army was currently eating the food of Mengshe Zhao. The problem of hunger was temporarily addressed, but the entire army was suffering diarrhea.
A few of the soldiers had such fierce bouts of diarrhea that they even fainted.
This was the result of Tibetan stomachs failing to adapt to Mengshe Zhao food.
And for the Tibetans, the ultimate result was a swift plunge in the fighting power of the army. If this continued, in five to seven days, the Tibetan army would lose the ability to threaten the Annan Protectorate army.
"We no longer have any other method. This is our last resort. Right now, this war is about who can last the longest, who will fall first. We cannot retreat now, nor do we have the ability to.
"If we can't occupy the southwest, the heavy price we have paid will be for nothing," Dalun Ruozan harshly declared.
Chapter 618: The Decisive Battle! Water Source on the Mountain!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Although there was nothing in front of him, Dalun Ruozan felt that a pair of eyes had been watching him all this time.
This was an invisible contest, and no matter what, Dalun Ruozan would not permit himself to lose, much less to a seventeen-year-old boy.
"But can you really be confident that we can outlast them?" Huoshu Huicang asked, as sharp as ever.
Dalun Ruozan instantly fell quiet.
This was a race, and in this race, neither he nor Wang Chong held any sort of advantage. Thus, neither side naturally had any confidence to declare that they could last until the end.
"No matter what, we can never lose. Definitely not!"
Dalun Ruozan clenched his fists.
Alas, if only I had a little more time.
Dalun Ruozan looked up at the roof of tent, leaving these words unspoken.
Flapflap!
Suddenly, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang heard the flapping of wings and a thump. It seemed like someone had left something on the tent.
It took only a few moments for a black pigeon to slide down from the top of the tent and enter.
"Mm?"
Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang looked at each other, the surprise evident in both their eyes. This was no ordinary carrier pigeon. If he remembered correctly, they had received a pigeon like this not too long ago.
For a second to arrive so soon was not a normal sign.
"I'll go and take a look."
After a few moments of silence, Huoshu Huicang strode past Dalun Ruozan and untied the message from the leg of the black pigeon. As he glanced over the letter, he began to frown, his expression turning stranger and stranger.
"What's wrong?"
"Congratulations! The thing you anticipated has occurred!"
Huoshu Huicang flicked his finger and sent the letter into Dalun Ruozan's hand. Flabbergasted, Dalun Ruozan looked down at the letter, and his expression instantly changed.
"Wonderful!"
Dalun Ruozan couldn't help but shout at this news, completely elated.
"Time is now on our side."
Dalun Ruozan's creased brow instantly relaxed, the heavy clouds clearing away.
Wang Zhongsi's appearance had shaken the entire plateau. The entire Ü-Tsang Empire once more felt an unprecedented threat, with even the Tsenpo feeling a deep unease, finding it hard to eat or sleep.
After all, Wang Zhongsi was one of the few people to have succeeded in invading the plateau. He had even almost managed to occupy the capital. The Tsenpo feared Wang Zhongsi even more than he feared the plague now spreading across the plateau.
The black pigeon had only brought a single piece of news: in order to deal with Wang Zhongsi, the Tsenpo had even transferred the forces of the Lhasa Royal Lineage, the Yatse Royal Lineage, and a portion of the capital's guards to Longxi to reinforce King of Generals We Tadra Khonglo.
It had to be stated that the Tsenpo had always remained above the four royal lineages and rarely involved himself in wars between the empire and other countries. His actions clearly conveyed how deeply the Tsenpo feared Wang Zhongsi.
This was a surprising harvest to Dalun Ruozan. There was no doubt that he had won even more time.
"Hahaha, pass on my order. After another two days, we'll start looking for a day to do battle!"
Dalun Ruozan's laughter resounded over the tent, and this newest order was quickly spread across the entire Mengshe�
��Ü-Tsang army.
"Let's go, Huoshu Huicang! Let us eat the rice of Erhai."
Dalun Ruozan roared with laughter, his entire face suffused with a ruddy glow as he walked out of the tent.
……
"The situation doesn't look good! The Tibetans are starting fires to cook rice!"
On the mountain, several generals of the Annan Protectorate army had gathered, and Lin Wushou was looking down the mountain, his brow deeply furrowed.
The Tibetans and Mengshe Zhao were sending scouts every day to keep watch on the mountain, so why wouldn't the Annan Protectorate army keep a close watch on them?
The number of cooking fires in the Tibetan camp was at least ten times as many as it had been the last few days.
"The Tibetans are eating the food of Mengshe Zhao," Lin Wushou said with a gloomy expression.
It was no secret that the Tibetan food supply had been cut off and that they were now eating the food provided by Mengshe Zhao. But the situation this time was completely different.
The sudden increase in the number of cooking fires indicated that the Tibetans had completely accepted the food of Mengshe Zhao.
A people that lived on horseback had truly managed to stomach the food of an agricultural society.
Luo Ji, standing to one side, said with a face fraught with concern, "If this is the case, we're in trouble. The Tibetans can use Mengshe Zhao food to relieve their food problems, but we don't have any way to deal with our water problem, guaranteeing our loss."
"We must relay this matter to Young Master."
Zhao Hong turned to look at Old Eagle."
"Old Eagle, you have the best relationship with Young Master. You should inform him."
"There's no need!"
Old Eagle calmly stood on the summit, unmoving in the gentle breeze.
"Young Master knew of this long ago, so there's no need for me to go and tell him. In addition, Young Master has enough problems to deal with. In the future, there's no need to bother him about such things."
The sixty thousand soldiers, the entire southwest, and even the Imperial Court had entrusted their hopes to Wang Chong.
Old Eagle spent every day at Wang Chong's side, so only he understood how much pressure Wang Chong was enduring. Old Eagle truly wished that he could bear some of this pressure for Wang Chong, but his abilities were too lacking.
In the end, his Young Master was only seventeen years old!
The other generals immediately fell silent at Old Eagle's words. Luo Ji, Lin Wushou, and Zhao Hong all began to look up the mountain. They could all faintly make out the back of that figure sitting cross-legged on the ground.
……
Water, water… Is there really nothing to be done?
Wang Chong sat alone, his mind abuzz with activity.
He had long ago noticed the movements of Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang, but the Tibetan supply problems were not so easily addressed. Inability to adapt to the climate and a difference in food culture could not be solved by Dalun Ruozan making his stance clear.
But Dalun Ruozan was undoubtedly using his movements to express his resolve. At the very least, there was no problem with lasting for several more days.
But Wang Chong did not have such a luxury.
The Annan Protectorate army was completely out of water, and the warhorses could not continue to be slaughtered. Otherwise, once the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army came attacking again, the Great Tang's defeat would be certain.
The Great Tang was currently surrounded by enemies and was on the verge of collapse.
Water, water—there must be a way.
Wang Chong sat in bitter thought, recalling all the memories he had regarding water from his last life. But his efforts were fruitless.
Mountains!
When Wang Chong chose to encamp his army on this terrain, he foresaw that water would be an irresolvable problem.
As time slowly passed, Wang Chong's mind continued to be blank.
That the war had lasted to this stage had already surpassed his expectations, but no matter what, he still couldn't lose.
Whoosh!
The sound of a rolling stone suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
"Careful!"
Wang Chong raised his head and saw that there was some sort of turmoil in the distance. Some warhorse had accidently kicked against a rock, causing it to roll down the mountain and toward a spearman.
Buzz!
As Wang Chong followed that boulder with his eyes, he suddenly had an idea.
"That's right! Hahaha, how could I forget!"
Wang Chong instantly began to laugh in excitement.
"I've thought of a way! Dalun Ruozan, you've lost for sure."
……
Thump!
A longsword swung down, after which there was a crack. A piece of a stone had been cut away, leaving behind a smooth surface, but no one could see anything special about this. The crowd of people looked in confusion at the one who had given this order, Wang Chong.
"Young Master, what are we searching for?" a general asked.
An hour ago, Wang Chong had issued this rather strange order, but he had never explained the reason.
"There's no need to concern yourself. Just do as I say."
Wang Chong turned and left with the flick of a sleeve.
Thump!
A second, third, fourth place… Wang Chong brought people from place to place across the mountain to excavate and dig, but no one knew what Wang Chong's goal was. Even Old Eagle's head was in the fog.
Only Wang Chong knew what he was looking for: a source of water!
All mountains had the ability to store and preserve some water. This would be a shallow layer of water on the surface layer. Seeping out of the rocks, this water could serve as a direct source.
Although there wasn't much of this water, it was still extremely precious to the Annan Protectorate army. The tiniest water source was enough to alter the circumstances of the Annan Protectorate army and raise morale.
Wang Chong and Dalun Ruozan were both in extremely foul situations. Although Dalun Ruozan had managed to use Mengshe Zhao food to serve as a replacement, this only treated the symptom. It was an expedient measure that wouldn't be able to last for long.
Wang Chong was well aware that this was an invisible race. The one who reached their breaking point first would be the first to fall!
"Again!"
Wang Chong turned and left with the flick of a sleeve.
Once, twice, thrice… although he failed time and time again, never finding the shallow layer of water that he hoped to find, Wang Chong was not at all discouraged. The surface layer of any mountain should possess this shallow layer of water. It was just a question of quantity and the different courses the water would take depending on where it gathered.
In Wang Chong's memories, even a place like the Western Regions had 'karez' wells used to capture the water flowing off the mountains, so there was no reason for this tall mountain in the southwest to not have such a thing.
More importantly, a massive downpour had occurred not too long ago, so fierce that it was impossible to tell friend from foe. In such a short time, it was simply unreasonable for this mountain to not have preserved any of this water.
Even if this mountain couldn't hold water very well, there was no reason for the water to flow away so quickly.
No matter what, this place definitely has water!
Wang Chong clenched his fists, his eyes shining. No one on the mountain knew what he was doing, and many of them looked at him doubtfully. Yet Wang Chong was confident that he could find a source of water.
Chapter 619: The Decisive Battle! A Forced Choice!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Thump!
With another massive boom, after countless tries and failures which had covered the entire mountain in the marks of excavation, the sword finally struck true. Clear and cold water began to gush out from the b
reak in the stone.
As this water splashed in the air and sprinkled the bodies of the soldiers, all of them were struck dumb. Even the messenger who was wielding the Wootz Steel sword was frozen in the act of holding the sword high, water drenching his body as he stood dumbstruck.
"Water! It's water! It's actually water!"
"Young Master actually managed to dig water out from a mountain!"
……
Luo Ji, Lin Wushou, Zhao Hong, and Old Eagle were dumbfounded as well. Meanwhile, the surrounding soldiers couldn't contain their excitement, and began to shout and jump. Everyone knew that the young master had issued a strange order to dig around the mountain.
But it had never occurred to any of them that this had to do with water. Not even Old Eagle had thought of this possibility.
For water to be found beneath the dry, thick, and near-lifeless rocks of this mountain was essentially a miracle to these people.
Boom!
In an instant, the surrounding soldiers lunged forward and began to take up the water gushing out from the crack and slurp it up, trembling as they drank.
The Great Tang's water supply had run out several days ago!
And before that, all of them had experienced a long period of rationing. Every person had their daily water consumption measured in drops. And the water used to cook their rice was almost nil.
As early as a few days ago, the rice being cooked was half raw for the simple reason of lack of water.
In these circumstances, they had all been dizzy from hunger, their mouths and tongues dry. More importantly, the lack of water had caused all of them to feel extremely weak and tired.
No one could imagine the feeling when a person who had been thirsty for so long suddenly came upon a source of fresh water.
This sort of feeling could make one go crazy.
"What are you standing around for? There are so many soldiers—you think this is enough?" Wang Chong said, standing on the mountain.
The messenger stared blankly before seeming to wake from his stupor. "Yes, Young Master!" He quickly ran off to follow Wang Chong, a joyous look on his face. Sixty thousand soldiers naturally could not be supplied by this one spring of water. While waving the sword, he had no idea of the importance of his mission. If he had known, he would have been much more diligent.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 388
