If this continued, he would be able to force the entire Annan Protectorate army into a dead corner and wipe it out without the loss of a single soldier.
In the central army tent of the Mengshe Zhao army, a general looking up at the summit suddenly noted, "Your Majesty, General Duan's White Elephant Corps has proved useful."
From the start of this operation until now, all the Mengshe Zhao soldiers had been watching that thin figure on the summit.
Everyone had been waiting for his response.
They could even guarantee that the Tibetans were watching as well.
But the truth was that the mountain was quiet and showing no sign of reaction whatsoever. There was no doubt that they were truly at a loss for what to do this time.
On the other side, a mustachioed and scar-faced Mengshe Zhao general spoke. "We've grasped their weak point this time. No matter how formidable the Qilin son of the Wang Clan is in the art of war, no matter how young he is or much talent he has, he can't possibly have any plan this time."
As they looked at the summit, everyone appeared much more relaxed.
"At times, one has to be capable of enduring," Geluofeng lightly said. As the King of Mengshe Zhao, though he wasn't much for personally overseeing the front lines, Geluofeng surpassed the most outstanding of battlefield commanders, both in insight and bearing.
"Not retreating is sometimes retreating and retreating is sometimes advancing. The Annan Protectorate army's strength is in its position. By relying on the mountainous terrain and the steel walls on the mountain, they managed to force back our one hundred thousand soldiers, inflicting grievous casualties on them. But if we aren't in so much of a rush, they naturally have no opportunities to exploit."
"Your Majesty's divine wisdom!"
The surrounding generals bowed.
If they still had any doubts about Geluofeng's plans before, the results before them had completely washed them away.
"Send down my order. Tell Duan Yangyan to maintain the current pace. By no means can he take any risks. Otherwise, everything will be on his head!" Geluofeng said.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The messenger quickly left with the order.
……
"Rather interesting."
On the other end, Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan were also watching the tug of war taking place.
"It appears that Geluofeng's White Elephant Corps is even more effective than our siege weapons."
Huoshu Huicang's figure was like that of an imposing mountain, and his face was devoid of emotion.
Dalun Ruozan smiled in response, lightly waving his feather fan.
"It was about time he contributed a little."
"Does that child really have no way to deal with it?" Huoshu Huicang replied.
"It seems like the Mengshe Zhao White Elephant Corps truly is useful. But before the dust settles, nothing can be known for sure."
The white feather fan paused for a few moments as Dalun Ruozan fell into thought.
"However, this is also a good chance for us. Send down an order to have Longqinba get his army ready. Once the situation starts looking off, immediately move out! …If we can finish off the Annan Protectorate army in these next few days, it will be of great benefit to us. It was about time that the war for the southwest came to an end."
Huoshu Huicang nodded in agreement. As long as the consequences of Dalun Ruozan's opinions were not too severe, Huoshu Huicang normally never interfered.
Rumble! Longqinba quickly set off with his army, mixing into the White Elephant Corps so it could move out at any time. If Wang Chong dared to have the Annan Protectorate army leave the mountain, the only thing waiting for them would be a painful strike from the Tibetan army.
Boom!
Dust plumed into the sky. Another wall had been hooked by countless chains and dragged down and away by those white-armored behemoths.
And this was already the second layer of steel walls.
Chapter 595: The Decisive Battle! The Elephant's Weak Point!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boomboomboom!
The sounds of toppling walls continued to come from the mountain as the situation grew worse and worse.
"Young Master, give the order!"
On the summit, everyone was waiting for Wang Chong.
"If this continues, the only thing awaiting us will be death."
Lin Wushou and all the other generals were looking at Wang Chong, and though he couldn't see the looks of his father or Xianyu Zhongtong, Wang Chong knew that they were waiting for him as well.
This was a familiar feeling. For a moment, Wang Chong felt like he had returned to the past, back to the bitter and desperate war against the foreign invaders.
"Young Master, give the order. Compared to passively waiting for execution, watching as they slowly tear down the walls, it would be better if our brothers charged down and fought to the death!" a general said in agitation.
Even Luo Ji seemed to be ready to act.
In the current situation, it seemed like it wouldn't be long before the Mengshe Zhao army picked the mountain clean of steel walls. And at the end, they would still have to face the elephants of Mengshe Zhao.
But at that time, the morale of the army would be in a completely different state.
Luo Ji finally couldn't help but say, "Young Master, no matter what, we can't let Mengshe Zhao continue.
"Moreover, we don't have any better methods."
It was clear that he was more inclined toward Lin Wushou's proposition of launching a strike.
The only people who remained silent on the summit were Old Eagle and Chen Shusun.
"Young Master, the righteous do not grasp for wealth and the kind do not command soldiers!"
At some point, Chen Guanshun had also appeared on the summit.
In the Annan Protectorate army, his rank was higher than that of Luo Ji and Lin Wushou, almost reaching Xianyu Zhongtong's level. The moment Chen Guanshun spoke, the situation underwent a total transformation. Although he had only intoned a simple saying, he had clearly conveyed his stance as well as the stance of the other generals.
Wang Chong possessed Zhangchou Jianqiong's token, which was tantamount to holding the highest authority in the Annan Protectorate army. Moreover, the only person who had the right to object, Xianyu Zhongtong, had handed over the reins of power, meaning that no one else could object.
But Chen Guanshun and the others had waited for too long for Wang Chong's order to attack. Wang Chong had even issued an order that any sort of attack was forbidden. In their view, this was clearly because Wang Chong was too young and still had a little of that youthful naivete that feared too many deaths.
But the battlefield was cruel, and Wang Chong's conduct was clearly a mistake. No matter how much one cherished Wang Chong or admired him for his strategic abilities and his desire to preserve the army, Chen Guanshun felt like he needed to urge Wang Chong to make a decision.
As long as the strategic objective could be achieved, an appropriate sacrifice was completely acceptable.
"There's no need!"
Before Chen Guanshun could say any more, Wang Chong's eyes flashed as he immediately waved his hand to cut off any further advice.
"The situation has still not reached that point!"
A deathly stillness settled in as everyone looked at Wang Chong in shock. It was clear that Wang Chong's action had been beyond their expectations.
Wang Chong paid no attention to the stares of the people behind him, but strode past the banner and looked down below. The elephants trumpeted as they continued to work.
The Annan Protectorate army was like a lonesome island in the sea of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army.
But at this sight, Wang Chong's eyes only became brighter and more determined.
Everything has its weakness, and Geluofeng's White Elephant Corps that he spent so much time training is no different.
In a s
plit second, countless thoughts worked through his mind. However, his mind was not in this world, but that other world.
The elephants that Geluofeng had trained were very rare in this world, with the likes of Old Eagle and Chen Shusun either having never seen or rarely seen them, always describing them as 'massive beasts'. But in that other world, such beasts were very normal.
Yet those elephants were not so large.
More thoughts began to pour in, and the more Wang Chong thought, the clearer his recollections became. Elephants and humans normally kept a mutual distance from each other, each of them leaving each other to their own areas and rarely interacting.
But this did not mean that elephants had never attacked people. Many such stories had been recorded in the annals of history.
Wang Chong remembered clearly that these people had used 'spring thunder' to chase away these elephants, and this so-called spring thunder was really a kind of explosive made with gunpowder.
"In other words, the ears of an elephant are very sensitive to sound, especially large sounds."
As Wang Chong muttered to himself, his eyes suddenly shone with a bright light.
These massive elephants were still elephants, and though this world didn't have too great an understanding of elephants, if his judgment was correct, he might need to create any sort of 'spring thunder'. After all, in this world of martial arts, there was an even better object to use.
A smile emerged on Wang Chong's lips.
"General Zhao!" Wang Chong suddenly said.
"This general is here!"
Under the flabbergasted gazes of the gathered generals, General Zhao Hong, commander of all the master archer squares, strode forward with clasped hands.
"If I told you that I had a method of moving the shields covering the eyes of the elephants, how much of a chance would you have of killing an elephant?" Wang Chong asked.
"How could this be possible!" Zhao Hong said, momentarily losing control of himself. Behind him, the other Annan Protectorate army generals were also stunned.
The eyes were essentially the only weak point of these elephants, but since any average person could think of this, the Mengshe Zhao soldiers could think of it as well. For this reason, they had put up defenders at almost every possible angle of attack.
Although Wang Chong had the vantage of the summit, no one understood how Wang Chong could be so sure that he could move the guards around the white-armored elephants.
"Just tell me. Can you do it?" Wang Chong coldly said.
"It can be done!"
Zhao Hong's heart shivered as he hurriedly lowered his head. "Your subordinates has several archers who are completely capable of accurately striking an elephant's eyes… if Young Master can truly move the shields?"
Wang Chong nodded with satisfaction and asked, "How many of such master archers do you have in this army?"
"Your subordinate has around fifty such people!" Zhao Hong replied.
The Great Tang was different from the Goguryeo Empire and nomadic peoples like the Eastern and Western Turks, as their armies did not contain so many elite master archers or Condor Snipers, nor did they rely on such skilled archers to dominate the world. But their armies still had quite a significant number of such top-notch experts.
The problem was that the battle of Erhai had resulted in the death of many of these master archers, leaving few of them left.
"Call all of those people over and give them the best arrows!" Wang Chong firmly ordered.
"This general will carry out the order!"
Zhao Hong quickly left.
Once Zhao Hong left, Wang Chong's gaze turned to Chen Guanshun.
"General Chen, gather the strongest generals in the army. In a while, I'll need their help," Wang Chong said.
Chen Guanshun's eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty. Those elephants were covered in extremely thick armor that was completely capable of blocking the attacks of master archers, something that they had already tested. Chen Guanshun didn't understand how Wang Chong could be so certain that he would even have Zhao Hong gather master archers.
"There's no problem. This subordinate will go now."
Although he was inwardly doubtful, Chen Guanshun displayed no hesitation, almost immediately leaving the moment Wang Chong finished speaking.
Zhao Hong and Chen Guanshun both worked very quickly.
Fifty-seven fully-equipped master archers, their quivers brimming with arrows, appeared before Wang Chong. Meanwhile, Chen Guanshun had brought six or seven of the strongest generals in the Annan Protectorate army to Wang Chong's side.
All of these people gave off a vast stormy aura. It was obvious that they were nearly on par with Chen Guanshun.
"What are these fellows up to?"
The activity on the summit had quickly attracted the notice of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army. The summit could currently be described as the focus of all the soldiers. The smallest movement on the summit was a cause for concern.
"General, do you want our brothers to increase the defenses?" a guard mounted on an Erhai steed cautiously asked.
"Hmph, it's just a bluff!"
Duan Yangyan snorted, viewing the movement on the summit with contempt. No matter what Wang Chong was thinking, since his previous attempts had failed, there was even less chance that his future attempts would succeed.
"The White Elephant Corps was established by this general. When first creating it, I hypothesized all the attacks it might encounter and incorporated these thoughts when forging the elephant armor. I don't believe that this brat can deal with my elephants!"
Duan Yangyan turned his nose up at the summit.
But though Duan Yangyan spoke with contempt, his ensuing actions revealed a completely different attitude.
"However, what you say is reasonable. Send down an order. Have our brothers tighten up the defenses. Not a single mistake can be allowed."
"Yes, your subordinate will go."
……
"Young Master, will this really be useful?"
On the summit, everyone was dumbfounded.
Wang Chong's words had been too surprising, too inconceivable. These massive beasts, these powerful creatures, would have such a weak point? It was utterly absurd.
Moreover, Erhai was distant from the Central Plains.
These massive beasts that lived in the primordial forests were unknown even to the neighboring Annan Protectorate army. Wang Chong had never left the capital, much less gone to Erhai, so how did he know of them?
Before Chen Guanshun could say anything, the several Annan Protectorate army generals behind him spoke up first. "Is Young Master joking? Moreover, might I ask Young Master where he learned this information from?"
They had only come because they had heard that Wang Chong had a way to deal with the White Elephant Corps. It had to be known that given their rank, even Xianyu Zhongtong couldn't order them around as he pleased.
Yet when they heard Wang Chong's order, all of them immediately came.
But Wang Chong's words truly sounded like a joke.
Roar an elephant to death?
What sort of joke was that? The strength of these massive beasts rivaled a Profound Martial expert, and Wang Chong claimed that they could be roared to death? How could this not be a joke?
Chapter 596: The Decisive Battle! The Plan to Break Elephants!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Haha, although a roar won't be enough to kill them, this method is truly enough to destroy Mengshe Zhao's White Elephant Corps."
Wang Chong held his hands behind his back, smiling as he spoke. He turned to Zhao Hong behind him and asked, "General Zhao, is everything ready?"
"All that is needed is Young Master's order."
Zhao Hong took an arrow from his back and nocked it to his bow. At the same time, swishswishswish! The master archers behind him also took arrows from their quivers and nocked them to their bows.
"General
Chen!"
Wang Chong's gaze turned back to Chen Guanshun and the top-notch Annan generals. His expression was harsh, forbidding the smallest retort.
"Yes, Young Master!"
At this moment, these generals quickly chose the path of obedience.
Wang Chong was no noble scion prone to putting on airs. Even though he held Zhangchou Jianqiong's token, Wang Chong had never treated himself like some Protector-General. However, after interacting with Wang Chong for a time, the gathered generals had gradually come to understand that Wang Chong was never someone to lightly make a decision, but once he made a decision, he allowed no objections.
In an instant, everyone's gazes turned to slowly look down the mountain.
Crash! Dust rose from the impacts of wall after wall being pulled down. Wang Chong's gaze flitted across the field, quickly locking onto the figures of several elephants that were currently approaching.
"Begin!"
Wang Chong's eyes shone with a cold light as he suddenly swung down the arm that he held high in the air. Responding to this signal, the six or seven Annan Protectorate army generals immediately acted as one.
Roaaaarr!
A burst of furious roars like a peal of spring thunder blasted over the battlefield, intent on sundering the earth and splitting mountains. These top-notch generals had gathered the energy in their dantians into a massive sound that was aimed at the several elephants to the east. The might of their simultaneous roars was truly impossible to imagine.
Rumble!
Fierce gales swept over the land in a furious storm, blowing the dust and gravel ten-some zhang into the air. The Mengshe Zhao soldiers were so frightened that they began to slowly retreat. But the most surprising sight was taking place behind them.
Biaaaah!
With no warning whatsoever, those massive beasts with enough strength to easily pull walls weighing six or seven thousand jin suddenly reared up in fright and began to cry out in alarm.
Twangtwangtwang!
Bowstrings vibrated. Right when these elephants suddenly reared away from the protective range of the shields, arrow after arrow plunged into their eyes. A few of these arrows even completely vanished, sinking deep into the skulls of these elephants.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 435
