Wang Chong could not suppress the fiery light of anger in his eyes.
"Master, Village Chief, I'm going to go and meet him!"
Wang Chong suddenly mounted his horse and galloped toward Fumeng Lingcha's direction.
"Let's also go and take a look!"
Behind him, the elders glanced at each other and followed.
In the distance, the Wushang Cavalry and Qixi Protectorate army had already met, the soldiers in a stalemate. When Wang Chong arrived, all the soldiers retreated to the sides; even the soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army subconsciously lowered their heads and yielded the path to Wang Chong.
As their eyes flitted past Wang Chong, none of them could hide their shame.
Chapter 796: An Intangible Clash with Fumeng Lingcha!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Qixi Protectorate army had acted very improperly in the battle. Even though they were supposed to defend Qixi, they had not carried out their duty. When they should have attacked, they hadn't, and when the battle was over, they had swooped in to take the credit. This was not how a true soldier should have acted.
Now that the actual person had appeared, they naturally felt ashamed.
The moment Wang Chong appeared, time seemed to stop, everything going still. All eyes focused on Wang Chong, and even that divine and despotic figure in the center suddenly stopped, one hand gripping his saber, his eyes shining with bright light as he stood unmoving.
That severe and tyrannical gaze coldly and emotionlessly stared at Wang Chong.
"Wang Chong, you have done well in assisting the Qixi Protectorate army in attacking Ü-Tsang. I will definitely report your achievements to the Imperial Court!"
Fumeng Lingcha got ahead of Wang Chong, immediately speaking in a bold and righteous tone. If someone had arrived at this moment, this attitude would have convinced them that it was Fumeng Lingcha and his Qixi army that had fought a fierce battle with the Tibetans, not Wang Chong and the Wushang Cavalry.
"For Lord Protector-General's enormous achievements, Wang Chong might send Milord a gift as well. A few days ago, Wang Chong was gifted a divine turtle from the Western Regions. Wang Chong will gift it to Milord."
Wang Chong looked down from the White-hoofed Shadow, his eyes full of derision.
"Impudent!"
Wang Chong's words immediately triggered a storm of rebuke. Turtles could stretch out and retract into their shells, and Wang Chong was clearly accusing Fumeng Lingcha and the Qixi Protectorate army of acting like a turtle, only reaching out of their shells when the danger had passed.
Fumeng Lingcha said nothing, but his eyes were spitting flame. Wang Chong was of far lower status, and for him to so coldly ridicule him like this was impudent to the extreme.
"Wang Chong…"
Fumeng Lingcha's expression chilled, but just as he began to speak, his eyes suddenly flitted past Wang Chong and onto the two figures walking up from behind him. His pupils constricted as if he had been poked, and all his anger dissipated, replaced by an indescribable sense of danger that started at his feet and spread to his entire body.
Fumeng Lingcha's entire body went tight, and he felt like there was a knife at his back.
It's them!
Fumeng Lingcha immediately recognized this pair. When Dusong Mangpoje entered the steel fortress, Fumeng Lingcha had sensed the sudden emergence of two powerful and terrifying auras. Even from such a long distance, he had been able to tell how dangerous and frightening they were.
It was precisely because he had sensed them that Fumeng Lingcha realized that the situation had changed and immediately ordered his Qixi Protectorate army to enter the battle.
I didn't think that this brat would have such formidable figures at his side. Just how many more secrets does he have?
A deep apprehension appeared in Fumeng Lingcha's eyes as those two figures ambled over.
Hmph, there's always a higher mountain, Wang Chong inwardly sneered. This fellow Fumeng Lingcha sees a gap and tries to stick in a needle. He only knows how to bully the weak. It seems like there are times where I have to show off a little power.
His perceptive gaze had instantly noticed the changes in Fumeng Lingcha's complexion. It had truly been the wise course of action to invite his master and the Wushang Village Chief for this operation, as it now seemed like Fumeng Lingcha was finally acting a bit more cautious.
"Wang Chong, what is the meaning of this! Do you really think that you can act impudently in front of me after inviting a few formidable individuals over? Let me tell you, in Qixi, only Fumeng Lingcha's words matter! Wang Chong, do you dare rebel in front of me?" Fumeng Lingcha icily said.
"Twenty years ago, if a puny foreigner dared to speak like this in front of me, I would have killed them with a single blow of my saber!"
The Demonic Emperor Old Man's icy voice came from behind Wang Chong. His gaze was filled with contempt, his manner threatening. Even when facing a Great General like Fumeng Lingcha, he made no effort to hide his power.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man was a supreme figure of the martial arts world who had stirred countless storms of blood and killed countless supreme experts. Many people trembled in fear at the slightest mention of his name. A Saint Martial realm Fumeng Lingcha was nothing in his eyes.
"Impudent!"
Fumeng Lingcha was fuming, and even at his most patient, he would have never accepted such words.
"Disciple! Do you need me to kill him? Just nod, and Martial Uncle Fang and I will go and kill him right now! That Dusong Mangpoje was able to run rather fast and we weren't able to kill him, but this foreigner is nothing at all! I can kill him with a snap of my fingers."
The Demonic Emperor Old Man spoke, his eyes as sharp as swords as they settled on Fumeng Lingcha's neck, his killing intent exposed for everyone to see. In his eyes, Fumeng Lingcha was not some Imperial Great General who could awe the world, not the mighty Qixi Protector-General, but a chicken or duck.
Next to him, the Wushang Village Chief didn't nod, but he didn't shake his head either.
He had seen the efforts Wang Chong had made to deal with Ü-Tsang, and he had also seen that while Fumeng Lingcha and the Qixi Protectorate army had not appeared when they were needed, they did appear after the battle to take the credit. It was truly too shameless.
"Bastard! I can't believe my ears!"
Fumeng Lingcha's face was red and his body was trembling. For the mighty Qixi Protector-General, an Imperial Great General, to be so publicly humiliated in front of his soldiers was a blatant disregard for his status.
Fumeng Lingcha's eyes were awash with killing intent, and his fingers instantly began to tighten their grip on his saber.
But then a gaze even colder than Fumeng Lingcha's locked onto him, and he instantly suppressed his anger in fear.
Fumeng Lingcha had fought against Dusong Mangpoje more than once, and he knew that their strengths were on a similar level. If even Dusong Mangpoje had to flee this pair like he had encountered some vile god, then Fumeng Lingcha was well aware that he was no match for them.
"Wang Chong, are you planning to attack me?"
Fumeng Lingcha pushed down his anger and looked up at the mounted Wang Chong.
"Haha, Lord Protector-General, where did this idea come from? This was just a joke. If Lord Protector-General wishes to take credit for this matter, I have nothing to say. But there is one word of advice that I have for Lord Protector-General. Some things are too hot to handle. Lord Protector-General should think carefully before grabbing them!"
With these words, Wang Chong turned his horse around, riding back to the distant steel fortress.
"Master! Let's go!"
After exchanging a few words with Fumeng Lingcha, the party quickly left.
It's still not time to move against him! Wang Chong told himself.He still has his status as Qixi Protector-General, after all. However, I really have to think of a way to get him away from Qixi!
……
The battle was quickly brought to an end, with the Tibetans utterly crushed. All of them had fled like ants in every direction, presenting somewhat of a challenge for the pursuers.
Wang Chong didn't have many soldiers in the first place, and further scattering them would be extremely dangerous if another army appeared.
"Pass on my order! All soldiers, retreat! Cease the pursuit!"
Wang Chong quickly gave the order, and the Wushang Cavalry quickly gathered together.
But the Qixi Protectorate army remained mobilized.
"Lord Marquis, this is absurd! The people of the Qixi Protectorate have no shame! We fought with our lives on the line, and they just sat back and took the credit for free!"
"That's right! The Qixi Protectorate army's camps were just nearby, and yet they refused to come out. Just this alone is enough for Lord Marquis to rebuke them."
"It's too excessive! Are they treating us like we don't exist?"
Behind the steel walls, the soldiers had gathered together and were currently aiming angry looks at the distant Qixi Protectorate army.
The Qixi Protectorate soldiers had acted like they didn't exist, boldly and confidently snatching the credit for themselves. Some of the Qixi soldiers had even run their horses in front to block their path, even going so far as to intentionally ram the horses into each other. Their methods were truly lowly and despicable.
Dogs could bite humans, but humans couldn't bite dogs. The several thousand Wushang Cavalry could hack away as they pleased at the Tibetans without blinking an eye, but they could do nothing against other Great Tang soldiers.
"Haha, it's just a minor itch. Don't worry about it; let them take it! Fumeng Lingcha might treat this as some incredible feat, but for us, this is only a minor accomplishment made to set the foundation. In comparison to our feats in the future, this battle isn't even worth mentioning." Wang Chong waved his hand unconcernedly. "Besides, it's not as easy as Fumeng Lingcha thinks to steal credit!"
"Reporting! Lord Marquis, the soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army are pushing their way into the fortress."
A scout suddenly rode in, leaving a trail of dust behind him as he rushed to the gathered officers.
Buzz!
These words instantly grabbed everyone's attention.
"Lord Marquis, the fortress only has craftsmen and no Tibetans. What are they up to?"
"These bastards, are they after our steel fortress? We built it and they steal it? That's simply too shameless!"
"They would dare!"
Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, and the other officers looked to Wang Chong. With the Tibetans retreating, the fortress on the triangular gap now had incredible strategic significance.
Given Fumeng Lingcha's conduct, if one allowed him to take an inch by allowing him to rush in at the end of the battle to claim the credit for himself, then he would take a foot and snatch that steel fortress that they had paid such an enormous price to build.
"Lord Marquis, would they really do this?" Xu Keyi worriedly asked Wang Chong.
"Certainly not!"
Wang Chong was rather calm, immediately casting aside the worries of his officers.
"Fumeng Lingcha definitely thought about taking this fortress. After all, this fort could be a base for the Qixi Protectorate army and make their operations much easier. However, the most he would ever do is think about it. He would never actually realize his thoughts. A mighty Great General could never be so senile."
"Ah?!"
The officers glanced at each other, stunned by this judgment.
Chapter 797: The Western Regions Quake!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Haha, as of now, only we can build these steel fortresses, with the city in Wushang being the greatest proof. These modular cities have our distinctive brand, and Fumeng Lingcha would never be such a fool that he would try and take them. Even if he had a mind to, not a single one of the many ministers in the court would believe that Fumeng Lingcha and his Qixi Protectorate army had constructed this fortress."
Wang Chong smiled as he looked at the confused expressions on the faces of his subordinates.
"Moreover, the fortress was damaged after the battle. Without our help, Fumeng Lingcha would never be able to repair it. In addition, only we understand how to operate the many mechanisms of the fortress and understand what sort of maintenance needs to be done. Fumeng Lingcha is a smart man. Even if he wants to snatch it from us, it wouldn't be now. By sending people into the fortress right now, Fumeng Lingcha probably has other plans… Speak—what's going on?"
These last words were aimed at the scout who had given the report.
The scout didn't dare to be slow, quickly explaining the situation. It turned out that when Wang Chong was gathering the army, around twenty people from the Qixi Protectorate army had snuck their way. The movements of these people were rather strange. They did nothing except look around as if searching for something.
The strangest thing of all was that these weren't ordinary scouts. Although they had removed their emblematic armor, experienced scouts could tell at a glance that these were army officers.
"Very well, you're dismissed. As for the Qixi Protectorate army officers in the fortress… Cheng Sanyuan, bring some soldiers with you and drive them out. Although I'm not a person who would quibble over every small thing, the Qixi Protectorate army is acting far too arrogantly here," Wang Chong said.
"Yes, Lord Marquis!"
Cheng Sanyuan quickly gathered forty-some Wushang Cavalry and went to carry out the order. The teamwork of the Wushang and the power of their formations meant that if these Qixi soldiers still refused to leave, they would only be looking for trouble.
There was a trotting of hooves and a whispered voice at Wang Chong's ear. "Lord Marquis, Fumeng Lingcha's people couldn't be looking for Dayan Mangban's corpse, could they…?" Li Siye, riding his Ferghana steed, stood like a guardian god at Wang Chong's side. As he watched Cheng Sanyuan's group leave, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.
"Mm."
Wang Chong didn't turn his head, only giving a subtle nod, his expression turning serious.
"Fumeng Lingcha probably didn't know at the start, but he should have captured a few Tibetans by now and realized what happened to Dayan Mangban. On the battlefield, there are far too many eyes and mouths. When I was dealing with Dayan Mangban, probably no small number of Tibetans who had charged witnessed him being captured by Elder Fang and Elder Du… There's nothing that can be done about that."
"But as long as Fumeng Lingcha can't get his hands on Dayan Mangban's corpse, he'll find it very difficult to snatch the credit for this hard-fought battle from Lord Marquis," Li Siye whispered as he trotted his horse another few steps forward.
"Haha, this is why I was never afraid that Fumeng Lingcha would take the credit for these deeds. There are some things that you can't take credit for just because you want to. Dayan Mangban arose from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, was a Tibetan Brigadier General, the Asura War God of Ü-Tsang, and he had quite the accomplished record in the Western Regions. As long as we have Dayan Mangban's body, Fumeng Lingcha will find it very difficult to claim the credit for this battle."
Wang Chong broke into a grin. It wasn't that he was an incredibly tolerant and open-minded person that could allow Fumeng Lingcha to take any credit he pleased, but that Fumeng Lingcha had never been able to take the credit away in the first place.
Dayan Mangban was one of the commanders of the Tibetan side of this battle. Presumably, when Fumeng Lingcha saw Wang Chong come out empty-handed, he thought that Dayan Mangban had escaped. After all, if a Brigadier General put all their mind into escaping, their chances were rather high.
However, Wang Chong had stepped onto the plateau already ready to deal with Dayan Mangban, so how could he have allowed him to escape?
"Let's go! If all goes as expected, Fumeng Lingcha should be paying us a vi
sit very soon."
Wang Chong gave the order, and shortly afterward, all the Wushang Cavalry entered the fortress. Not long after Wang Chong entered, the ten-some Qixi officers who had infiltrated the fortress were driven out.
"What are you doing! We're from the Qixi Protectorate army!"
"Do you really think this is your territory! You dare touch us! This is rebellion!"
"Arrogant! Release me!"
All the people from the Qixi Protectorate army had their arms tied around their backs and were being pushed out of the city. Although they were being forced to walk forward, they continued to curse, their words growing more and more profane.
"We're still at war with Ü-Tsang. Tell them that if they don't just shut their mouths, we'll handle them like they were deserters. As a marquis of the Imperial Court, it shouldn't be a problem for me to deal with a few deserters for Protector-General Fumeng Lingcha," Wang Chong indifferently said as he looked down from the wall at the expelled Qixi officers. This message was quickly passed on, and those officers immediately fell quiet, their entire bodies trembling and their lips tightly pursed in fear.
"Lord Marquis, Fumeng Lingcha is coming over," Cheng Sanyuan warned.
A burst of wind blew over the walls as Wang Chong turned to look. In the distance, a stalwart man wielding a large saber more than seven feet long was riding a mighty steed toward the steel fortress, his appearance like a god descended to the mortal realm.
"Hmph, have the gate closed."
Wang Chong waved his right hand and coldly laughed.
"Yes, Lord Marquis!"
A messenger went to pass on the order, and quickly, gears began to grind as the two large gates of the miniature city of steel on the triangular gap slowly closed.
With a massive boom, Fumeng Lingcha was shut out from the fortress. His eyes widening, he brought his horse to a stop.
"This bastard!"
Fumeng Lingcha immediately noticed Wang Chong on the wall, and anger began to pool in the depths of his eyes.
"Milord! This brat is challenging us," a deputy said indignantly.
All of Qixi was under the beck and call of the Qixi Protectorate headquarters, and as Qixi Protector-General, Fumeng Lingcha was the undisputed commander of the region. For Wang Chong to close the gate in front of him was an absolute affront to his dignity.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 526
