The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Wang Chong raised his hand, and the forty cavalrymen began galloping into the distance.

  ---

  "Bastards!" Seeing how the scout he had just dispatched being brutally killed before everyone's eyes, Iron Cloak Li's face turned livid.

  "Send another man!" Waving his hands, Iron Cloak Li ordered for another man to follow Wang Chong's group.

  Di da da, the second highwayman had learned from the lesson of the first, proceeding warily around the bend for fear of any traps. But barely after getting around the bend, peng! Another arrow appeared and pinned his head to a tree as well.

  But this time, the arrow came from the forest instead.

  "The second one!" With a bow in hand, Bai Siling leaped back onto her steed and rushed back to the group.

  While the others had retreated with Wang Chong to a distance away, Bai Siling remained in the surrounding area and hid behind a tree in the forest.

  The highwayman was too concerned with what that could be in front of him, and he neglected his rear, thus falling prey to an arrow as well.

  "Damn it!" Hearing the loud snap from the releasing of a bowstring and the erratic clopping of a steed, Iron Cloak Li cursed furiously.

  "Send more men over!" With a livid face, Iron Cloak Li raised his hand and ordered more scouts to be sent after Wang Chong. But this time, he was wiser than before. He sent three highwaymen at once, two to scout the forests on both sides, while the last one pursued them on the main road.

  This way, they could avoid being ambushed by the enemy.

  But nevertheless, things didn't go to plan.

  What the three highwaymen met with was four Great Tang cavalrymen and Bai Siling. Facing five True Martial realm experts, they were wiped out in a matter of moments.

  This placed Iron Cloak Li in a difficult position.

  Not only did they fail to obtain any useful intelligence on the enemy, they had even lost six of their brothers for nothing. Furthermore, these were veteran members who had been with him for years.

  Silence loomed in the area.

  "Zhou An, do you have any ideas in mind?" Iron Cloak Li asked, turning to the military advisor beside him.

  The military advisor had been silent all this time. The young commander on the enemy's side was truly a difficult adversary for him. The other party's commands were completely unpredictable to him, making it difficult for him to plan ahead.

  Zhou An knew that the enemy was up to something, and it would be dangerous to let them be. But yet, they had found themselves in a position where they were unable to procure the intelligence needed to make arrangements to deal with the other party's ploy.

  If they couldn't predict the enemy's next move, they would be placed in a vulnerable situation.

  For one, if Wang Chong hadn't gotten too far, it was possible for him to launch a sudden attack. If they were to cover the hooves of the horses with cloth to muffle the clopping noise, it would be difficult for Zhou An and the others to estimate how far away they were.

  Zhou An pondered for a moment before replying,"Chief, I don't think quantity is the key here. The other party has clearly prepared themselves well to deal with any number of people we send at them. Unless we send an army of at least two hundred at them, our men would likely just fall in their hands.

  "Since that's the case, it'll be preferable for us to dispatch some of our stronger and nimbler brothers, and equip them with steel shields of some form."

  As bandits and highwaymen, they didn't have shields like the military. Nevertheless, it shouldn't be difficult for them to gather a few steel pieces to serve as a simple shield.

  Zhou An's instructions were swiftly relayed down the chain.

  Soon, after losing yet another three of their brothers, Iron Cloak Li and Zhou An finally received the news they wanted.

  "Reporting to the chief, they are currently stationed in the forest around three hundred zhang away!"

  (~1100m)

  "Understood. Continue scouting their movements and provide me updates every incense's time."

  (~15 minutes)

  "Yes, chief!"

  After the highwayman scout left the area, Iron Cloak Li turned his gaze to Zhou An and frowned questioningly.

  "I don't know what they are up to either, but there is a chance that they might just be trying to confuse us with unpredictable actions." Zhou An knew what Iron Cloak Li was thinking, and he shook his head in response.

  He had rarely encountered opponents or situations as baffling as this. If the other party wasn't a recruit of the training camps, he would have really tried to convince the chief to bring that young man over to their side.

  "But regardless of what they are up to, it'll suffice as long as they remain in this area. Eventually, they will find themselves cornered like rats," Zhou An added confidently as he stroked his beard calmly.

  ------

  "There isn't much time left for us. The next few hours will determine our fate, as well as Xu Gan's and Huang Yongtu's. Thus, I hope that each of you will listen attentively to what I am about to say now." At the same time, at a distance of three hundred zhang away, Wang Chong had gathered his men together to issue his commands.

  On this rare occasion, Wang Chong's usually composed and collected demeanor was replaced with grave austerity. Under his influence, the soldiers also displayed an unprecedented solemnity as well.

  "The vanguard will be put under Ma Song's command to confuse them, while the others will be following me," Wang Chong said deeply.

  "Yes, lord!"

  Of the forty Great Tang cavalrymen, the twenty that were from Wang Chong's group from the very start had already undergone Wang Chong's training and reorganization, but those from Bai Siling's group hadn't.

  In the ensuing time, Wang Chong divided Bai Siling's group into four sections as well, and selected Ten-Man Squad Leaders and Five-Man Squad Leaders among them as well.

  With the battle looming right before them, time was a luxury. Fortunately, the group of twenty were able to complete the training swiftly. Due to the several operations they had been on with Wang Chong the previous few times, as well as the clashes with the Iron Cloak Highwaymen, it didn't take long for them to familiarize themselves with Wang Chong's commands.

  An hour later, the group of twenty finally managed to reach Wang Chong's expectations.

  After completing the training, Wang Chong gathered the forty cavalrymen once more and said, "What I'll be saying now will be of vital importance, so you must make sure to pay heed. This will determine whether we will be the ones killing or the ones killed. I believe none of you should be willing to die at the hands of mere bandits.

  "I have a simple formation here that'll prove to be vital in the battle. You must make sure to pay careful attention to the details, we only have an incense's time..."

  Initially, Bai Siling was still able to comprehend the gist of what Wang Chong was up to. By reorganizing the group, the troops could be divided into more effective units to be mobilized in battle.

  However, what he was doing at the very moment was a mystery to her. The directions and movements he was teaching the cavalrymen were completely foreign to her.

  Honestly speaking, Wang Chong had brought out many things that were beyond Bai Siling's imagination. Despite her frequent interactions with the commanders of the military due to her clan's ties, she had never seen anything like this before.

  Who in the world is this fellow? Bai Siling grew even more curious of Wang Chong's identity. He had displayed far too many extraordinary feats.

  Nevertheless, knowing that this wasn't the time to be bothered with such issues, Bai Siling suppressed the urges in her heart and turned her attention back to Wang Chong's explanations.

  But deep within, she had already made up her mind to uncover all of the secrets surrounding Wang Chong regardless of the means, should she get out of here alive.

  Soon, the sky began to darken once more.

  Billowing smoke rose from the forest as Wang
Chong's group started to prepare their meals while the others tidied up their equipment.

  Food for forty men was by no means, a small amount. As such, the smoke lingering in the area was exceptionally thick, shrouding everyone's figure.

  At the same moment, at around seven hundred zhang away from where the meals were being prepared…

  Kacha! With a resounding crunch, a horse’s hoof suddenly emerged from a dense area of shrubs filled with thorns.

  Chapter 351: Falling Prey!

  Chapter 351: Falling Prey!

  "Looks like we have arrived just in time," a full-bearded Turk said, as he emerged silently from the thorny shrubs.

  "Hah, they even dare to start campfires to prepare their meals, they must think that they are on a picnic!" Another highwayman with a sturdy figure appeared from the thorny shrubs as well. Despite his unusually squarish face, his other facial features indicated that he was a true-blue Han.

  "Indeed, when have the plans of our military advisor gone awry before? Hehehe, it was indeed a wise decision to have us make a long detour around the mountain to block their escape path while the main force attacked them. This way, we can instill panic among their troops while ensuring that none of them get away at the same time! However, I have an even better idea in mind." A cruel smile crept onto the lips of the Turk man as he gazed at the billowing smoke beneath them.

  "Perhaps, we can make use of their unwariness at this very instant to launch a sudden assault. No matter how formidable they might be, they can't have expected us to appear from nowhere. As long as we can kill half of the troops before they can reorganize their forces, those remaining won't pose a threat at all."

  "Hu Lang, are you insane?" Hearing those words, the Han highwayman widened his eyes in astonishment. "Are you trying to alter our military advisor's plans?"

  "Chang Dao, you have never been to the northern borders before, so you have never seen how vicious wolves hunt. After locating their prey, they would conceal themselves behind trees, boulders, and bushes before slowly creeping up on them. And just when the prey's guard is down, they will suddenly appear from behind and launch a sudden attack. With this hunting technique, rarely have any prey which those wolves set their eyes upon escaped from them.

  "There are only forty of them, and at least half of them aren't on their steeds and don't have their weapons with them at the moment. This is the ideal moment to strike, we won't get any better opportunity than this. If the Turkish army ever encountered such a situation on the plains, they would never let such a chance slip past their fingers!

  "If the military advisor was here, he would surely agree with this decision as well." Hu Lang reasoned as he licked his lips savagely. Appallingly, his long scarlet tongue was able to reach up to the tip of his nose.

  The Han highwayman fell into deep contemplation.

  After a long internal struggle, the Han highwayman replied, "I still think that we should seek our military advisor's opinion on this matter before making any actions."

  He had a deep respect for the military advisor, and this led to an instinctive reluctance to alter the latter's plans.

  "I can understand why you wish to seek our military advisor's approval on this matter. He is indeed a very smart man, and I have a deep respect for him as well. But time is not in our favor, they won't be spending the entire night eating. By the time we receive a reply from him, the time would have already passed. Or do you intend to gallop down the shorter path to report this matter to our military advisor?

  "But if you do so, there is a high chance that we might be noticed by the enemy. If so, all of our efforts will be wasted," Hu Lang said with narrowed eyes.

  The Turks who ruled the grasslands weren't as cultured as the Han, but they had sharp instincts for anything that had to do with warfare.

  And in truth, within the Iron Cloak Highwaymen, Hu Lang was also one of the rare few who had a strong intuition regarding the tides of battle, and even Chief Iron Cloak Li was filled with praise for him.

  In fact, due to his ferocity, valor, and grasp of battle, he was highly respected amongst the brothers. In some sense, Hu Lang could also be considered as the third-in-command of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen, ranking just beneath the Chief Iron Cloak Li and military advisor Zhou An.

  It was also due to Hu Lang's outstanding battle sense that he was chosen to be the leader of this operation to flank the Great Tang cavalrymen from behind.

  "Chang Dao, there are only two options at the moment. The first, we circumvent to the enemy's flank and wait for the signal from our frontlines to strike together. This plan is indeed less risky, it is almost certain that we will be able to destroy all of those cavalrymen. However, our opponents won't be as unprepared as they are now. Many of our brothers on the frontlines will die in their charge.

  "Consider why the military advisor went through the trouble of commanding us to take a huge detour just so that we could flank them from behind, wasting so much time and effort. It only goes to show that our opponents aren't easy targets.

  "The second, we can launch the attack right now while they are unprepared and slaughter them clean. To prevent any of them from escaping, I will dispatch a thirty men platoon to block the path behind. At the same time, you can send the signal to our military advisor in the midst of our assault so that they can send reinforcements over immediately. This way, we will have cover even if our plan eventually fails. I think that this is the best option we have at hand.

  "Through this option, we can minimize the blood shed by our brothers. But of course, this will mean going against the military advisor's commands. There, I have already laid everything out clearly for you. Make your decision!" Hu Lang turned to the Han highwayman beside him and gazed at him patiently.

  It was a standard practice in the Iron Cloak Highwaymen to assign two men as the leaders of a platoon, and the rules dictated that the two men would have to come to a consensus before the platoon could take any actions.

  The Han highwayman contemplated for a long moment as the thoughts of obeying the military advisor's commands and grasping the ideal assault window clashed inside his head. Eventually, he gritted his teeth tightly together and gave his verdict, "Let's do as you have suggested."

  Even though this would place him under suspicion of insubordination, there was one thing Hu Lang said that was true. The Great Tang cavalrymen were indeed at their most vulnerable state at this moment.

  If they were to launch an attack right now, leveraging the benefits from a downward charge, they would indeed be able to minimize casualties.

  "Hehehe. Chang Dao, you have made a wise decision!" Hu Lang chuckled, seemingly having expected Chang Dao to make this choice. Pulling on the reins of his steed, he retreated back into the thorny shrubs.

  "Brothers, prepare yourselves..."

  Behind the thorny shrubs, many strapping highwaymen sat upon powerful steeds. Savagery painted their faces, and their auras revealed their incredible might. Beneath the hooves of their steeds were the circles of True Martial halos.

  ---

  "Kill them!"

  The earth rumbled and the forests shook beneath the furious galloping of the steeds. Eighty True Martial realm Iron Cloak highwaymen had surged down from the top of the mountain to charge down upon their foes.

  The steep slope had allowed them to bring out the greatest potential speed of their steeds. In just thirty zhang, they had already achieved an incredible momentum in their charge.

  Hong long long, a huge cloud of dust rose into the air.

  Fifty zhang... seventy zhang...

  In just a few moments, the highwaymen had already covered half of the distance to the Great Tang cavalrymen's camp, and they were still building up speed. With the speed they were moving, it was likely that the cavalrymen wouldn't be able to react to the assault in time.

  "Brothers, destroy them!"

  "The military advisor has told me that they have several million gold taels on them!"

  "Don't let any of t
hem escape!"

  "Annihilate them!"...

  A huge gale blew beneath the charging highwaymen, sending fallen leaves and shredded grass up into the clouds. The highwaymen screamed their war cries excitedly as anticipation for the great battle they would have built up in their veins.

  Since Wang Chong was able to utilize the effectiveness of a downward charge to maximize the fighting prowess of the Great Tang cavalrymen, the highwaymen could do the same as well!

  Eventually, as their speed reached the limit, they could easily kick away huge boulders that stood in their way, needless to say those bodies of flesh and blood at the bottom of the mountain.

  From the very start, the highwaymen were at a decisive advantage in this battle.

  ------

  "Report! We have discovered the enemy is preparing their meal in the woods." At this moment, at a considerable distance away, a broad-shouldered highwayman scout cut through the crowd to report the intelligence he had gathered to military advisor Zhou An.

  "Report! Lord Hu Lang and Lord Chang Dao have sent news that they intend to exploit the enemy's current vulnerability to destroy them, and they hope to gain the military advisor's cooperation!" At this moment, another highwayman leaped down from his steed and swiftly rushed up to Iron Cloak Li and Zhou An.

  The two pieces of intelligence had arrived nearly at the same time.

  "What?" Hearing the news, Zhou An's face immediately warped in shock.

  That was not the command he had passed. But before he could even react, he suddenly heard deafening war cries and a stampede in the distance, and he froze.

  Too fast! Everything happened way too fast!

  Furthermore, the entire matter seemed to be spiraling out of his control.

  "Zhou An, what now?" Iron Cloak Li was also stunned. He was aware of Zhou An's plan, and the current event wasn't part of it.

  Hu Lang and Chang Dao were acting of their own accord.

  But nevertheless, Hu Lang and Chang Dao had been his subordinates for many years, so he believed that they must have their own reasons for doing so.