No matter who these people were, if they thought to show off their strength by defeating these recruits and crisscross the plateau without fear, then they were gravely mistaken.
He would let them know what it meant to be a true overlord of the plateau!
Rumble! Following Dayan Pugyal's order, a change immediately occurred in the remaining twenty thousand Tibetan cavalry. As if anticipating something, the recruits swiftly retreated to the sides.
Behind them, a storm of energy was rapidly advancing in a cloud of dust. In the blink of an eye, a force of around seven thousand soldiers, all of muscular and doughty constitution, rode out.
Unlike the other Tibetan recruits, who wore semi-finished suits of armor or even just a few pieces, these soldiers were equipped with the full suit of regular plate armor.
But in terms of quality, the dark red armor these soldiers wore was even better than those worn by regular soldiers. None of the other recruits received this sort of treatment.
Their most unique trait, however, was on their foreheads. In the center of each of their foreheads, right between the eyebrows, was a white symbol the size of a thumb.
The seven thousand red-armored soldiers seethed with killing intent as they galloped toward Dayan Pugyal.
'Qinghai'!
In Tibetan1, the word 'Qinghai' had been written on the chests of the red-armored soldiers.
The Qinghai Soldiers!
This was the strongest force in the Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp, the troops that Dayan Mangban had desired in his letter.
The Qinghai Soldiers were different from the White Braves, and different from all the other soldiers of Ü-Tsang. They were not elites chosen from the Four Royal Lineages, but soldiers selected from the area around the Qinghai.
The Qinghai had always been one of the sources of the Ü-Tsang Empire's best soldiers. The soldiers there were particularly strong and gifted, on a completely different level of cultivation and martial arts. They were much faster and achieved far more than ordinary soldiers.
The soldiers of Qinghai had always served as the source for all of Ü-Tsang's elite cavalry and guards for its generals.
And the 'Qinghai Soldiers' were even more special, because they were the best of the best of the soldiers from Qinghai. The number of soldiers in total that came from Qinghai was already very small, and seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers was already the limit.
It was only by distinguishing himself through his decades of training recruits that Dayan Pugyal had been selected by the Tsenpo to train these seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers.
Dayan Pugyal treated them with great care. Although they were still in training, he had fully equipped them with everything a normal soldier should have.
Soldiers were trained for a thousand days to be used in a single moment, and for these seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers, that moment was now.
"All soldiers, hear my order! Follow me and kill the Tang."
Dayan Pugyal led the charge, leaping toward Wang Chong's forces.
Meanwhile, Wang Chong's forces were still sweeping through the Tibetans and throwing them into disarray. The Tibetans were constantly attempting to regroup and launch a counterattack, but all their efforts were futile. Wang Chong's Cutting Formation gave no chance for the Tibetans to regroup, instantly scattering any attempts.
Wushang Village was the source of the Great Tang's strongest soldiers. All the Wushang were far stronger than ordinary soldiers, and the vast majority of them were near the Profound Martial realm. Coupled with the buffs of the Wushang Halo and the Halo of Dusk Stallion, the Wushang Cavalry were heads and shoulders above these Tibetan soldiers.
Even the Tibetan regular army would find it difficult to hold the line, much less these recruits who were still in training.
Rumble! Group after group of Tibetans fell. Buzz! As the Wushang Cavalry continued to beat down their foes, they suddenly felt something strange.
Wang Chong immediately turned his head. To his left, the Tibetan general on his striking red horse was charging toward him in a cloud of dust. Behind him were thousands of Tibetan cavalry wearing dark red armor, roaring and charging with a heaven-crushing momentum.
These red-armored Tibetans were particularly striking amidst the regular black-armored Tibetans.
The Qinghai Soldiers!
Upon seeing the white symbols on their foreheads, Wang Chong immediately recognized them. Unlike the White Braves, Wang Chong had seen the Qinghai Soldiers. The range of their activities had included both Qixi and Longxi, and though he had only gotten a brief glimpse, they had left an extremely deep impression.
Although these Qinghai Soldiers were not those mighty soldiers that had been tempered and baptized in the fires of war, they were clearly showing the signs.
Ü-Tsang had three elite fighting forces. Each one was capable of doing incredible damage, and on the battlefield, each was capable of deciding victory or defeat.
The Qinghai Soldiers had been active over such a large area that in the waning days of the Great Tang, they had dealt immense damage to the Great Tang. But he had reincarnated, and while the renowned Wushang Cavalry had reappeared, the Qinghai Soldiers were still in their nascent stage.
Since he had the chance, Wang Chong would not permit the Qinghai Soldiers to wreak havoc across the world and harm the Great Tang.
"Ten thousand streams return to the source!"
The moment he saw the Qinghai Soldiers, Wang Chong immediately gave the order. His fifty groups of one hundred that had been madly weaving and assaulting the Tibetan soldiers suddenly began to gather together. In but a second, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry had somehow formed up while still charging at high speeds.
"Kill!"
"Charge!"
The warhorses galloped toward each other, the clash coming much faster than expected. There was a heaven-shaking boom as these two elite cavalry forces rammed into each other like enormous beasts.
Boom!
As the two forces clashed, a massive white Halo of Thorns, different from any other kind of halo, burst out from under Wang Chong's feet with a metal clatter and expanded like a hurricane to cover the entire battlefield.
Unlike his other halo, this milky-white Halo of Thorns did not attach itself to his own soldiers, but to the Tibetans.
There was a flash of light as milky-white halos appeared at the feet of all the Tibetan soldiers. With the appearance of these thousands of halos, all the Tibetans, including the Qinghai Soldiers, experienced a rapid plunge in strength.
"Not good!"
Dayan Pugyal was stunned by this sight. His determined Qinghai Soldiers had paled as well, their composure and confidence instantly evaporating.
A single stone could cause a thousand ripples, and this massive shock caused a slight turmoil amongst the seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers. A few Qinghai Soldiers, noticing the change in their bodies, instinctively slowed, but the cavalry behind them maintained their high speed, producing a contradiction.
Horses whinnied and neighed as hundreds of Qinghai Soldiers crashed into each other. Under the force of inertia, the soldiers were thrown from their mounts and to the ground, amidst galloping hooves of charging horses.
But this was only the beginning. The Wushang Cavalry bellowed, their orderly formation immovable as a mountain and as aggressive as fire as it cleaved into the Qinghai Soldiers.
Rumble!
There were no fancy techniques and no retreat. A Wushang cavalryman fiercely crashed into a Qinghai Soldier, and though this was flesh against flesh, it sounded like a mountain toppling. Bang! The red-armored Qinghai Soldier was thrown into the sky.
The Qinghai Soldiers originally could have fought a battle with Wang Chong's Wushang Cavalry, but with the Bane of the Battlefield weakening all of them by several tiers, they were now simply no match.
Thudthudthud!
The Wushang Cavalry continued to surge forward, and the crashes, clattering, whinnies, and screams mixed together into an unending cacop
hony. In this clash, the future-renowned Qinghai Soldiers instantly crumbled, their muscular highland steeds falling as they were routed.
"Bastard!"
The most shocked and furious of all at this moment was Dayan Pugyal. The Qinghai Soldiers were the strongest force in the Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp, in all of Tsongkha, and they were to be one of Ü-Tsang's strongest forces in the future.
Their strength was far higher than the normal soldier.
He had never expected that not even the Qinghai Soldiers could stop these Tang. When had a normal army of the Great Tang become so formidable?
"Just who are you all?"
His furious bellows shaking the heavens, Dayan Pugyal flourished his scimitar and began charging to the head of the Wushang Cavalry formation. Rumble! A bright wave of energy instantly began to explode from his body.
This wave of energy rapidly expanded, spreading to cover an area with a radius of several hundred zhang.
Neigh!
"Ah!"
Horses whinnied and people screamed. In a radius of one hundred zhang, the Wushang Cavalry were sent flying for ten-some zhang before crashing to the ground.
Buzz!
Wang Chong's face flickered as he sensed the wave of energy. Turning his head, Wang Chong immediately saw that stalwart Tibetan general riding a red warhorse, his gaze chilling, his face determined. He appeared like an invincible demon god of the underworld, barring his army's path.
______________
1. In Tibetan, the name for Qinghai Lake is apparently 'Tso Ngonpo', or 'Teal Sea'.
Chapter 755: Zhangzhung Wiped Out!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The general's intervention had instantly altered the course of this battle. Wang Chong's Wushang Cavalry had initially been charging through the Tibetans as if cleaving through bamboo, but this Tibetan general had put a stop to that, immediately dealing them a setback. Not only that, the Tibetan cavalry were clearly beginning to rally, gathering behind him to form a new line of battle.
"Hmph, Dayan Pugyal!"
Wang Chong's gaze chilled, his gaze passing over that red highland steed as he instantly recognized the general. If everything was as expected, then the highest commander of Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp should be 'Dayan Pugyal'.
Like Dayan Mangban, he came from Ü-Tsang's renowned Dayan Clan.
If one said that Dayan Mangban was Ü-Tsang's Asura, a 'mad dog' or 'venomous snake' to be used against the surrounding countries, then Dayan Pugyal was Ü-Tsang's 'source of vitality'.
In Dayan Pugyal's decades presiding over Zhangzhung, he had trained countless soldiers for the Ü-Tsang Empire. Batch after batch of herdsmen, ordinary Tibetans, and tribal warriors entered this camp and were trained by Dayan Pugyal into the fierce and valiant Tibetan cavalry that made all the surrounding countries tremble in fear.
It was precisely the existence of Dayan Pugyal that allowed a madman like Dayan Mangban to crazily pursue his conquests without fear of consequence.
Dayan Pugyal had been managing this training camp for a very long time. Based on the information Wang Chong had in hand, this general had begun to preside over Zhangzhung in the era of Great Tang War God Wang Zhongsi, even before Geshu Han had made his name.
Many of the soldiers that Wang Zhongsi had battled against in Longxi had been trained by this man.
In Ü-Tsang, these two cousins, Dayan Mangban and Dayan Pugyal, were often called the 'Two Heroes of Dayan'. Although Dayan Pugyal rarely headed to the front lines or took part in battle, he was no less of a threat than Dayan Mangban. From a certain perspective, he was an even greater threat.
"Since I've run into you, then… I might as well just kill you!"
Wang Chong's pupils constricted and his eyes instantly began to explode with killing intent.
Dayan Pugyal was extremely powerful. From his attack just now, although he was not as formidable as Dayan Mangban, he was at least at the Saint Martial realm, stronger than Wang Chong. At any other time, Wang Chong was truly not necessarily a match for him, but now that he had his five thousand formidable Wushang Cavalry, everything was different.
"Cutting Formation!"
With Wang Chong's order, the Wushang Cavalry elegantly scattered, once more dividing into the fifty hundred-man groups. Each of these groups was like a chain that ripped into the Tibetan army.
Their adjustment was so fast, their strength so formidable, and their cooperation so superb that even Dayan Pugyal couldn't help but widen his eyes. He had been training the soldiers of the plateau for decades and had seen all levels of soldiers. But not even the strongest of the soldiers he had trained could be so well-trained as this, working with such superb cooperation and discipline… This level of soldier was not something any normal commander or military camp could produce.
If he had not seen it for himself, he would have found it very difficult to imagine that there was an even more capable trainer of soldiers than him, and this person would be a Tang, from a people who did not emphasize cavalry!
But it took only a moment for Dayan Pugyal to regain his composure.
"Die for me!"
With a chilling gaze, Dayan Pugyal waved his scimitar in Wang Chong's direction. He could already see that this seventeen-year-old youth was the commander of this strange group of Tang cavalry. If he could just kill him, the Tang would naturally collapse and the crisis would be averted.
Neigh!
His warhorse neighed as Dayan Pugyal became one with it, lunging forward like a celestial dragon toward Wang Chong.
"Hmph!"
On the other side, Wang Chong looked on with cold eyes and sneered. Slap! Patting his warhorse, he turned around and also became one with it, blurring into a straight line as he charged toward Dayan Pugyal.
"Kiiill!"
A cry shook the heavens, Wang Chong pointing his sword at Dayan Pugyal as he gave the final order to charge.
Rumble!
Neigh!
The two commanding generals were travelling at such high speeds that the distance between them instantly shrank to nothing. There was a massive boom as the two figures leapt into the air and clashed.
At the moment of collision, Wang Chong's body suddenly flashed, the radiance spreading out from Wang Chong's feet and attaching itself to Dayan Pugyal.
Dayan Pugyal's strength immediately dropped. Even someone as determined, composed, and steady as Dayan Pugyal couldn't help but pale at this moment.
The Martial General Halo! In this clash, Wang Chong had chosen without hesitation to unleash the powerful halo he had obtained from the Stone of Destiny.
Rumble!
The earth quaked and the heavens shuddered. As countless soldiers watched, a dazzling light, like a sun descending upon the mortal world, exploded from the point of collision, rapidly expanding outward.
Whoosh! A fierce wind and intense Stellar Energy ripped through the area like a hurricane. All the soldiers in this area, whether they were ordinary Tibetans, Wushang Cavalry, or Qinghai Soldiers, were sent flying.
"Run!"
"Danger!"
In front of these two commanders, the clash of the two strongest experts on the field, all the soldiers fearfully began to flee. Dayan Pugyal was an expert at Tier 3 or 4 of the Saint Martial realm, but even all his years in Tsongkha, this was the first time his soldiers were seeing his power.
As for the Great Tang youth…
Although no one knew where he had come from, that he could go toe-to-toe with Dayan Pugyal was proof enough of his strength. As everyone was fleeing, they all heard an intense cry.
Neeeigh!
A scarlet figure suddenly shot into the sky like a ray of light. Before anyone could react, this figure fiercely slashed at Dayan Pugyal.
Boom! This was a blow from Li Siye that mustered all his power, and even Dayan Pugyal was visibly shocked. Li Siye was strong himself, and he had also borrowed the charging power of a Ferghana horse. At this moment,
even someone of Dayan Pugyal's strength found it difficult to cope with both Wang Chong and Li Siye.
Buzz! Dayan Pugyal's Stellar Energy barrier instantly dimmed. But this was only the beginning. More neighing could be heard from all around as the five thousand Wushang Cavalry fighting with the Tibetan army suddenly began to turn around.
The fifty groups of cavalry shot like lightning bolts toward Dayan Pugyal. By the time Dayan Pugyal, Wang Chong, and Li Siye landed, all the Wushang Cavalry had arrived.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, the Wushang Cavalry charged at Dayan Pugyal.
At this moment, Dayan Pugyal's face was contorted in fear. He wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. When Wang Chong had given the order for his five thousand cavalry to scatter, he had already set their objective as Dayan Pugyal.
Boomboomboom!
Thousands of warhorses flew by him as their riders slashed at Dayan Pugyal. "Aaah!" There was a miserable scream as Dayan Pugyal's Stellar Energy barrier wavered like a candle in the wind. In the blink of an eye, he had dropped from Tier 3 or 4 of the Saint Martial realm to Tier 1 or 2, and then to Tier 8 of the Imperial Martial realm, and then Tier 6…
Boom! A Wootz Steel sword taller than a man stabbed through Dayan Pugyal's body in a single thrust.
And during the entire process, Wang Chong had been using the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art to constantly hold Dayan Pugyal down!
In the end, there was a massive thud as Dayan Pugyal fell backward, his eyes wide open and his arms spread wide. More than half of the Stellar Energy within him flowed into Wang Chong's body.
Dayan Pugyal's body sent dust flying into the air as it crashed down and became motionless. Against the charge of thousands of Profound Martial cavalry and the suppression of Wang Chong and Li Siye, even an elite general like Dayan Pugyal, a Saint Martial expert, had failed to hold on and met his end.
"Let's go!" Wang Chong called out to Li Siye, only glancing at Dayan Pugyal's corpse for a moment before mounting Dayan Pugyal's red highland steed.
Wang Chong's Turkic warhorse had been pulverized just moments ago in that clash of Stellar Energy. Although the high-quality warhorse of the Turkic steppe had a physique that could match the best Arabian horse, it couldn't be compared to the divine steed Dayan Pugyal had received from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple. It was clear that it was not strong enough to endure a clash of supreme experts.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 502
