Jiaosiluo, this bastard, actually lost almost fifty thousand soldiers in a single battle. Not even I would dare to make such a serious mistake. Given Great General's temper, he might get a layer of his flesh flayed off. And he still dared to return this morning! Longqinba thought to himself.
Rumble! As if to respond to Longqinba's thoughts, a boom came from a distant tent. A burly figure blasted a hole through the canvas as he was sent almost one hundred zhang high, eliciting cries of alarm as he smashed back into the ground.
The thud as he crashed back down made everyone quail in fear, and those close by could even feel the ground tremble from the impact. But after a few moments, Jiaosiluo heedlessly crawled out of the debris and charged back into the tent.
It was like he was not the one who had just been sent flying.
"General, Great Minister, your subordinate truly met a formidable opponent this time…"
Jiaosiluo's pleas could be heard from very far away.
Longqinba's heart shivered. Pretending not to listen, he quickly made some distance.
Now that the decisive battle with the Annan Protectorate army was approaching, it was far more important for him to think about how to wash away his shame rather than worry about Jiaosiluo's encounters.
……
While Longqinba was resolving himself and striding away, things were just getting started in that large tent.
This massive tent was currently packed with people. Besides the two leaders from the Ngari Royal Lineage, Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan, there was also the King of Mengshe Zhao, Geluofeng, and its Great General Duan Gequan.
When Jiaosiluo came back with the news of his massive defeat, much less Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan, even Geluofeng and Duan Gequan were stunned.
The fighting power of cavalry exceeded that of infantry, and the Tibetan cavalry were famed across the world, with few being their match. One could even say that though the Mengshe Zhao army was the larger of the two armies, the true fighting force was still the more than two hundred thousand cavalry brought by the Tibetans.
Ever since the war had started, the Tibetans had proved their strength by suffering very few casualties. Thus, one could easily imagine the shock delivered by the news of Jiaosiluo's devastating loss.
Of the almost eighty thousand Tibetan cavalry, only around twenty thousand had returned. There was no doubt that this was a grievous defeat. This was the first such loss the Tibetans had suffered in this war.
"Great Minister, General, this matter truly was not our fault! Our brothers did all they could, but we were simply no match. All of us couldn't even get close to their front lines, no matter which direction we approached from. Our brothers all participated in the previous battles and easily toppled over the Annan Protectorate soldiers, despite how formidable they were. But for some reason, these fellows were simply too strong this time…"
Jiaosiluo was far from the only one kneeling in the tent. His fellow officers were present as well. One of the generals had just started speaking but was soon interrupted by Huoshu Huicang's enraged bellow.
"Silence!"
"Milord, I…"
Before that Tibetan commander could say any more, a scorching energy struck his body, sending him flying out of the tent before he could finish.
"At this stage, a loss is a loss. And you still dare to argue!"
Huoshu Huicang's complexion was ashen and seething with anger.
"Milord!"
In the tent, the officers lowered their heads in fear. The culture of Ü-Tsang was completely different from that of the Central Plains, and Huoshu Huicang was certainly no gentle Confucian general.
Nothing good would come from continued argument.
"Great General, although these are your own Tibetans, please forgive this one for speaking out. This one has interacted with General Jiaosiluo and has always admired his courage. Perhaps the Great Tang has somehow produced a large number of reinforcements that we don't know about?"
In this oppressive air, the King of Mengshe Zhao, Geluofeng, finally spoke up from a corner of the tent.
Although this was Huoshu Huicang's commander tent, it had by now become the tent in which the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army discussed its plans. There was already no backing out in this war against the Great Tang.
Given the Great Tang's past behavior, there would certainly be a large-scale revenge in the future.
Ü-Tsang, their ally, suddenly experiencing a great number of casualties was something that Mengshe Zhao also had to regard with utmost importance.
"Impossible!"
Before Geluofeng could say any more, Huoshu Huicang interrupted him.
"The place closest to us is Longyou. Geshu Han's Big Dipper Army is extremely strong and is the army with the highest chance of reinforcing this area. But right now, the King of Generals, We Tadra Khonglo, and Dusong Mangpoje are holding down Longyou, and no matter how formidable Geshu Han is, he can't leave. And besides Geshu Han, where else can one find useable troops in the interior of the Central Plains?"
Although he gave off a rough and barbaric appearance, Huoshu Huicang had not climbed up to become Great General of the Ngari Royal Lineage and competed with Zhangchou Jianqiong for so many years solely by his martial might.
"It's hard to say. The dynasties of the Central Plains have extremely deep reserves. They might have some secret trick that we don't know about," a cold and hard voice suddenly suggested. "And it was dark and stormy at the time, and visibility wasn't good. Perhaps a large Tang reinforcement army came that Jiaosiluo didn't notice."
"Impossible. We were on the summit at the time, and the attacks were primarily coming from the summit," one of the generals under Jiaosiluo suddenly argued. "We definitely didn't misjudge."
"You still dare to mouth off!" Huoshu Huicang instantly bellowed. The hierarchy of Ü-Tsang was even stricter than that of the Central Plains. Since he had already given the order, no one was allowed to disobey, especially in front of Geluofeng's party.
"Great General, your blame is misplaced."
Fengjiayi was standing close to a wall of the tent. Three times, as he watched Huoshu Huicang batter Jiaosiluo's officers, he had hesitated to speak out. Given that his father was present and Huoshu Huicang was disciplining his own subordinates, Fengjiayi normally had no right to speak on this occasion.
But Fengjiayi had also been a participant in that battle, and amongst the Tibetan generals, Fengjiayi was closest to Jiaosiluo. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come along in pursuit of Wang Yan's army.
Now that he was watching Jiaosiluo and his officers being punished, with Jiaosiluo even being heavily injured, Fengjiayi finally had to stand up and say something.
"The Great Tang truly didn't have any reinforcement army. The true cause of our defeat was an extremely cunning Tang youth who disguised himself as Wang Fu! I was there at the time, so I can confirm to everyone that Jiaosiluo's words were absolutely correct!"
Fengjiayi spoke these words with absolute resolve, and these words caused the expressions of Huoshu Huicang, Dalun Ruozan, Geluofeng, and Duan Gequan to shift.
"Yi-er, what are you saying?!" Geluofeng said, his face pale.
Chapter 556: The Attention of Mengshe and ü-Tsang! The Enemy Targeted by All!
Chapter 556: The Attention of Mengshe and Ü-Tsang! The Enemy Targeted by All!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"What youth? Your Highness Crown Prince, what are you saying?"
A voice came from the side, its tone grave. In this entire tent, only one other person on Mengshe Zhao's side could butt into this conversation: Mengshe Zhao's sole Great General, Duan Gequan.
Although Mengshe Zhao's strength was far inferior to the Great Tang and Ü-Tsang, it had relied purely on this Great General, who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Geshu Han, Huoshu Huicang, and Zhangchou Jianqiong, to squeeze itself into the ranks alongside the other countries.
And this wasn't considering the fac
t that the King of Mengshe Zhao, Geluofeng, was himself a most powerful expert.
This was also one of the reasons for the vigorous ambitions of Mengshe Zhao, why it wanted to break away from the Great Tang and push it aside to become the hegemon of the southwest.
"In all of the southwest, only Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan can actually qualify as commanding generals. Where did this youth come from?"
"Great General, it truly was a youth of ten-some years old. He was wearing a golden suit of armor and pretending to be Wang Fu, which allowed both Jiaosiluo and me to easily notice him. We had already surrounded the army led by Wang Yan and Wang Fu, and they were at the end of their rope. I don't know where that brat learned his strategy from, but after he appeared, the Annan Protectorate army seemed to become a completely different one. It became extremely incisive and difficult to deal with! Our vanguard troops were almost about to pierce through their formations, but nobody expected them to be trapped and suffer ten thousand casualties!
"Jiaosiluo and I both noticed this sight and attempted to assassinate that youth. But even though that brat was an insignificant weakling, he was unexpectedly so cunning and slippery that neither I nor Jiaosiluo managed to kill him!" Fengjiayi argued.
Although Great General Duan Gequan wasn't well known on the Central Plains, his reputation was indisputable within Mengshe Zhao. Geluofeng and Fengjiayi both treated him with utmost respect, and even Ü-Tsang Great General Huoshu Huicang was extremely wary around him.
In all of Mengshe Zhao, Huoshu Huicang paid respects only to King Geluofeng and Great General Duan Gequan.
Jiaosiluo's groveling figure finally spoke at this point. "Great General, Great Minister, Crown Prince Fengjiayi's words are true. An extremely formidable youth really did appear amongst the Tang forces. Our cavalry charged with so much power, but he somehow managed to throw our army into chaos, our own soldiers blocking each other and unable to reach the Tang. Although I don't want to admit it, that youth's strategy and tactics were far better than ours."
His head was tightly pressed against the ground, and he didn't dare to move.
Upon hearing Jiaosiluo's words, Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan instantly fell silent. Jiaosiluo was a Tibetan general, and the Tibetans had always been proud of their valor.
It wasn't that they would never lower their heads, but that they would only lower their heads to their own, to Tibetans that were stronger and of a higher rank than they were. But they would never bow to outsiders.
Tibetans would never lightly submit to outsiders, and certainly not Tibetan generals.
Yet now, in front of so many people, Jiaosiluo, one of the Five Tiger Generals, had admitted that he was inferior. This was no easy feat. This could only mean that that fellow truly was very strong.
And only someone far stronger than Jiaosiluo could compel him to say such words.
On the other side, Geluofeng and Duan Gequan also fell silent.
Fengjiayi's words were only a single account, but Jiaosiluo's statement now indicated that they were the truth. Some young and mysterious master of strategy had suddenly appeared in the Annan Protectorate army.
For a moment, the entire tent was quiet, the leaders of both sides unable to speak.
"Jiaosiluo, let me ask you: you said that you saw this youth. What did this youth look like?" Huoshu Huicang suddenly said, a strange light in his eyes. From the pensive look on his face, he seemed to have realized something.
"This…"
Jiaosiluo hesitated for a few moments before describing Wang Chong's appearance.
"Someone, bring over all the commanders who were stationed in the northeast region when the Tang attempted their breakout!" Huoshu Huicang suddenly ordered.
With this order, Huoshu Huicang instantly became the center of attention, with Fengjiayi and Jiaosiluo in particular appearing rather stunned. Huoshu Huicang had never been one to waste words.
His sudden actions had a goal, a reason.
"Great General, have you realized something?" Geluofeng asked Huoshu Huicang. If he remembered correctly, the army that Huoshu Huicang had led had been first routed in the northeast, which was where Xianyu Zhongtong's forces had made their breakout attempt.
"I don't dare say that I've realized something. I only have a vague idea," Huoshu Huicang sternly replied.
……
After a few moments, the officers who were in charge of keeping watch and attacking Xianyu Zhongtong's army in the northeast filed into the tent.
"In the encirclement of Xianyu Zhongtong's Annan Protectorate army, you were all in charge of the northeast region, correct?"
"Yes, Milord!" the officers all replied.
"Describe all the Tang commanders that you observed. Disregard Xianyu Zhongtong and his generals. Only describe the unfamiliar Tang commanders!"
Huoshu Huicang's words caused a round of strange looks from the crowd.
"Great General, do you suspect that the person who defeated you last night was the same as the person who defeated us? It was all the masterwork of that brat?"
Fengjiayi blinked as he spoke.
"If it is… we'll find out once we ask," Huoshu Huicang replied.
The final conclusion arrived faster than expected. After a month of besieging Lion City, the Tibetan commanders were very familiar with the commanders of the Annan Protectorate army.
And the observation abilities of commanders were far better than those of ordinary soldiers.
It only took a little while for a description matching Jiaosiluo's to emerge from the mouths of these commanders.
One only had to imagine that this was a young and tender youth mixed in with a bunch of richly-experienced veteran generals, and he was ordering soldiers around like he owned the place. It would be hard to not notice such a person.
"How is this possible?"
With the answer obtained, everyone had most wondrous expressions, particularly Fengjiayi and Jiaosiluo. The groveling Jiaosiluo couldn't help but fiercely raise up his head from the ground, and both of them were twitching.
"This is impossible!"
They had only arrived this morning and had been disciplined from the moment of their arrival. With regards to the events of last night, they only knew that Great General Huoshu Huicang's operation had failed and that Xianyu Zhongtong had managed to escape.
But they had not expected that the same youth had defeated both them and the Great General!
"How could this fellow be that formidable? Perhaps you made a mistake? He couldn't possibly have defeated the Great General."
While Huoshu Huicang was speaking with his subordinates, Fengjiayi had been unwilling to butt in, but he could no longer hold himself. Although Huoshu Huicang couldn't compare to the King of Generals We Tadra Khonglo or to the Great Tang's Wang Zhongsi or Zhang Shougui, he wasn't far off from such characters.
And this was not a simple question of sufficient martial strength.
No one could become an Imperial Great General solely with martial power. Wisdom and courage were both the most basic of requirements. The same army of cavalry would be very different under Huoshu Huicang's hands when compared to Jiaosiluo's.
Cavalry led by Huoshu Huicang could overrun the infantry formations of Zhangchou Jianqiong. If even he had been defeated by that youth, then that youth had an outrageous grasp of strategy and tactics.
No one in all of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army could possibly defeat him.
"It can't be considered a defeat. He simply used the plan of luring the tiger from the mountain," Huoshu Huicang indifferently said, his expression calm.
If he had not been lured away, Xianyu Zhongtong would have never been able to break out so easily. However, even so, his adversary's abilities were still quite astonishing.
At the very least, if he had not promptly appeared, the head of the Five Tiger Generals, Longqinba, would already be dead.
For such a formidable figure to appear on the southwest battlefield was ill news for the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang
army. Even Geluofeng and Duan Gequan had furrowed their brows in concern.
"Such a formidable character has appeared in the Great Tang, and one still so young! This is definitely foul news for our Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang!"
Geluofeng was the first to show the concern on his face. In the southwest war, Mengshe Zhao had already staked the fate of the country, leaving itself no path of retreat. The war had reached a state where no further variables could be allowed.
"I know all of the renowned generals, Great Generals, fierce generals, and up-and-coming generals of the Great Tang like the back of my hand. I even had files for each of them set up in my imperial palace. Someone who can reach this level in the art of war is definitely no mediocre person, but why have I never heard about anyone like this in the Great Tang?
"For someone like this to appear in the southwest is no blessing for us. All I want to know is, where exactly did this youth come from?"
"Your Majesty, is there any need to swell the resolve of your foes while extinguishing your own side's momentum? General Huoshu Huicang has already said that the opponent only used the strategy of luring the tiger from the mountain. Since he used this method, he definitely believed that he was no match for the Great General. Otherwise, why seek from the distance what is close at hand, seek the clumsy while the skilled are nearby?"
A voice came in from the side. Compared to his king, Great General Duan Gequan's attitude was more cool-headed and objective. As the sole Great General of Mengshe Zhao, Duan Gequan would never underestimate his opponent while no thorough investigation had been completed, but he would also not blindly overestimate them and damage the morale of his own forces.
"Great General is correct. The Annan Protectorate army is mostly infantry with only a little cavalry. No matter what, they can't escape. Royal Father, Great General, Great Minister, based on my and Jiaosiluo's personal experiences, this youth will definitely be a great foe for our Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang in the future. At such a young age, he is already so formidable. If he is allowed to further mature, he will become a mortal affliction.
"Thus, no matter what, we can't let him escape!"
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 412
