I am indeed no match for him at all! Looking at Wang Chong's profile, Xu Gan sighed deeply. To think that he had mocked the other party for being of humble birth when they had first met. Recalling the matter now, he only felt deeply ashamed of his actions.
The two incidents, one with the Iron Cloak Highwaymen, and the other being this, had unknowingly shaped Xu Gan's mindset, and he made an extremely important decision in his life.
Just that, at this instant, no one other than Xu Gan was aware of it.
On the other hand, Huang Yongtu was also staring at Wang Chong contemplatively. However, no one other than himself could tell what he was thinking of.
In contrast, Bai Siling's face was filled with delight and perhaps even pride as she watched Wang Chong analyze the situation easily.
"... Should the Tibetans choose to leave the mountain and venture into flatter grounds, they will suffer a huge reduction in their fighting prowess. At the same time, they can't discount the possibility of it being a trap. If their numbers were reduced below three hundred, they would be unable to form the Halo of Fortress. Without the protection from that halo, they would be as good as dead considering how deep they are in the territory of a hostile state. That is the main reason why they dared not make any rash movements. It's not that they don't know how to seize the opportunity, but that they didn't dare to seize it!" Wang Chong explained calmly, a confident gleam in his eyes.
By demystifying the seemingly infallible Tibetan army with his words, they became nothing more than ordinary soldiers.
Sometimes, it was the lack of understanding that led one blow something way out of proportion, leading to their irrational fear or respect of it.
But in Wang Chong's eyes, they were nothing more than a Tibetan army. They were indeed strong, but they were far from being qualified to be labeled with the word "infallible".
Hearing Wang Chong's words, like a proud phoenix being reduced to ashes, Zhao Yatong's heart fell to the bottom of the abyss, and she lost the usual confidence she commanded. At this point, even Bai Siling couldn't stand watching her anymore.
"Enough, what's the point of saying so much? This isn't Yatong's fault! After all, we are just recruits from the training camp, not the commanders of this operation. How could we have known so much? Yatong, you should just ignore him. That's just the way he is," Bai Siling berated Wang Chong as she swiftly consoled her good friend.
Even in Longwei Training Camp, Zhao Yatong could be considered the cream of the crop. After all, her title as the Spear of Crimson Flames didn't come from nowhere. But nevertheless, she had met her nemesis this time around.
The confidence and pride that she had built up over the years had been shattered into nothing.
"Well... Siling is right. This is a mistake from the commanding officer. As a recruit from the training camp taking part in the operation, you are not involved in the decision-making process of the operation, so you can't be blamed for the loss," Wang Chong conceded.
Even though Bai Siling was saying those words to comfort her good friend, there was indeed some truth in her words.
And the reason why he chose to speak of all of this wasn't to shatter Zhao Yatong's confidence, either. Rather, he intended to point out the reality of the situation they were in to everyone, so that they could understand what had to be done for the third mission.
It was never his intention to traumatize Zhao Yatong.
And even though Zhao Yatong knew that Wang Chong was mostly saying those words to console her, she still felt a little better after that, and a slight tinge of redness returned to her face.
"Alright, let's report to the commanding officer for now," Wang Chong said.
---
Walking into the resting point, Wang Chong and the others took out their tokens to verify their identities. Soon, a tall and massive military officer appeared before them.
This man was dressed in black armor, and he had a rough but authoritative disposition. The emblem of a huge silver star surrounded by seven smaller stars on his left chest revealed his identity.
He was an officer from the Big Dipper Army, and a commandant at that! Even though he wasn't a particularly high-ranking commandant, it was still a formidable position.
This was especially true given that the commandants of the Big Dipper Army were granted extraordinary privileges.
The Big Dipper Army commandant read through the letter from the Bureau of Military Personnel that Wang Chong submitted to him before glancing at the four men before him. It was a casual glance, but it seemed to peer deep into their souls. "Are you all the students who defeated the Iron Cloak Highwaymen?"
"Yes, lord!" Xu Gan responded.
The usually vocal Wang Chong seemed extraordinarily quiet at this moment. His lips were tightly pressed together, refusing to utter a single word.
"Not bad! The fact that you could defeat the Iron Cloak Highwaymen proves testimony to your prowess. However, the fact that you were surrounded by them in the first place goes to show that you are still lacking in your situational awareness. Keeping a lookout for enemies is one of the most basic functions of a platoon. This goes to show that you still have a long ways to go!" The Big Dipper Army commandant started out with praise, but his following words left Xu Gan's heart tightening in anxiety.
"You are right, we will take note of that in the future!" Xu Gan quickly responded.
The Big Dipper Army commandant continued assessing the four men before him nonchalantly. When his glance was sweeping across Wang Chong, it seemed to linger for an instant.
Gedeng, Wang Chong's heart skipped a beat. But soon, the Big Dipper Army commandant turned his gaze back to Xu Gan. He continued asking a few more questions related to the Iron Cloak Highwaymen, and Xu Gan answered them respectfully.
"That's all, you are dismissed. After leaving the resting point, you should see Lieutenant Zou at the left fence. You will be under his command for the operation." The Big Dipper Army commandant waved his hands, dismissing the group.
"Yes, lord!" Xu Gan replied, heaving a deep sigh of relief on the inside.
"The operation will start three days from now. Make sure to obey the commands you receive. Anyone who dares to defy commands or leave on their own accord will be dealt with according to the military law!" the Big Dipper Army commandant warned them sternly after passing the letter from the Bureau of Military Personnel back to them.
How could they dare to speak back to him? They hurriedly nodded and left the area swiftly.
After leaving the resting point, Bai Siling suddenly turned to Wang Chong and asked, "Hey, what's going on? Why were you so silent just now?"
Wang Chong was oddly quiet and humble in this resting point, and this peculiarity left her perplexed.
"I have some history with the Big Dipper Army." Wang Chong said bitterly.
"You had a conflict with them?" Bai Siling asked in shock.
Eventually, it was Xu Gan who replied Bai Siling's query. "There's no need to ask any further. They did have some conflicts in the past, and it would only make things difficult for us if he had spoken up just now."
He turned to her and whispered some things into her ear, and Bai Siling's eyes gradually widened as she came to a realization.
"Geshu Han!..." Wang Chong nodded to affirm their conjecture. The reason why he hadn't revealed his identity to Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and Bai Siling wasn't to make fun of them.
Rather, due to the regional commanders incident, Wang Chong had offended quite a lot of people, and one of them was the commander of Longxi's Big Dipper Army, Geshu Han.
Geshu Han was one of the great generals who had supported beheading Wang Chong, and Longxi, one of the regions the Silk Road was on, was Geshu Han's territory.
It was in view of this grudge that Wang Chong chose to conceal his identity. Otherwise, given Geshu Han's identity, he could have easily tampered with the mission and caused it to end in failure.
It was one thing if this had been just an average mission, but the Halo of
Dusk Stallion was at stake here. Wang Chong could not afford to fail!
Thus, before successfully completing this mission, he wished to minimize any risk that could compromise his mission.
"I see!" After learning of the truth behind the matter, Bai Siling fell silent.
As the saying went, "When under the roof of another, one has little choice but to lower one's head." As influential as the Wang Clan was, its influence couldn't possibly exceed Geshu Han's in Longxi.
---
After leaving the resting point, the group reported to Lieutenant Zou. After which, Bai Siling volunteered to take over the responsibility of resupplying the group.
After receiving another forty cavalrymen from Lieutenant Zou, the group finally returned to its original formation of eighty. Following which, the resting point fell silent.
Everyone was preparing for the great battle three days later!
Chapter 367: The Tibetan Cavalrymen at the Top of the Mountain
Chapter 367: The Tibetan Cavalrymen at the Top of the Mountain
From a tall mountain peak, an ocean of mist could be seen cascading down from the top, growing fainter and fainter until they dissipate entirely.
At this moment, two armored military officers with sabers slotted by their waists were gazing upon this majestic sight. Their arms were bare, and their faces were strikingly red, indicating their ethnicity.
They were Tibetan soldiers.
It was a chilly dawn paired with a light breeze, and the tree leaves seemed to pale slightly in the face of the cold. The duo was standing against the wind at such a high altitude, but they seemed to be unfazed by the cold.
"... This should be the twenty-seventh day, right?" a Tibetan military officer with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes reminiscent of an eagle stared at the ground beneath the mountain as he asked this question.
"Un. Great Tang has truly grown weak," the second military officer replied. His voice carried a slightly disdainful and aggressive edge.
Despite the shorter stature of the Tibetans, they were known to be particularly ferocious.
It was not without reason that Great Tang had been unable to conquer Ü-Tsang despite years of war. Their territory being located at a higher attitude did play a significant role in that, but so did the Tibetans' aggressiveness and valor.
"... On our way here, there was nothing that could really stand in our path or threaten us. The great general ordered us to infiltrate the depths of the Central Plains to test out Great Tang, but from the looks of it, other than Geshu Han's Big Dipper Army, there's nothing for us to fear,” the second military officer added contemptuously.
For so many years, the Tibetans had viewed Great Tang as their mortal enemy, and the greatest threat to them. Who knew that while Ü-Tsang had been experimenting with new things and progressing ahead, Great Tang had been celebrating their peace and slowly degenerating into decadence, losing the strength they had once possessed.
Despite being merely three hundred strong, they were able to infiltrate so far into the other party's nation. Given such, how could they feel the slightest respect for the enemy?
"Un. In order to test out Great Tang, the Great Minister has sent out two teams. One of them is us, while the other one consists of our First Prince and Lord Dusong Mangpoje. Our mission is to gauge the strength of Great Tang, while the First Prince is tasked with infiltrating the depths of the capital. We should be roughly done with our mission by now, so we should be able to return soon. I wonder how things are going on the First Prince's side," the first officer remarked.
"Heh, with Lord Dusong Mangpoje by his side, what could possibly go wrong?" the second officer replied.
"That's true," the first officer chuckled. Dusong Mangpoje was one of "eagles" of the highlands, a great general of the empire. While his standing was still beneath Great General We Tadra Khonglo, there was little doubt that he was a pillar of the capital.
With him there, there was no problem they couldn't surmount.
"Our scouts have just returned, and it seems like yet another army has gathered at Great Tang's resting point. After we slaughter this bunch, we'll depart for the highlands immediately!" the second military officer said, and the duo gazed at the bottom of the mountain with savagery and excitement reflected in their eyes.
Hu!
A wind blew, and the trees behind the duo shook. For a moment, amidst the lush forest, many pairs of callous eyes and towering highlands steeds could be vaguely seen.
But as the wind passed, everything disappeared into the shadows. Even the two Tibetan officers had disappeared from sight.
All traces of the Tibetans had disappeared. Except for a handful of soldiers, no one in the Central Plains could have ever imagined that there would be a Tibetan army camping on a mountain deep within its territories.
------
Inside the resting point, Wang Chong asked, "How was it? Did you get any news?"
He had been trying to remain inconspicuous as far as he could within this period of time, so he allocated the job of gathering intelligence to the others.
"Yes, I managed to get something out from the others. There are around twenty recruits in this resting point, and the Big Dipper Army's commandant has come with an army of four hundred on top of that. Also, it seems like the military logistics team has brought in a bunch of heavy tower shields that are roughly seven chi long. I managed to find an opportunity to break one of the crates, and I found the mark of the Big Dipper Seven Stars on them.
"These are probably supplies belonging to the Big Dipper Army, and the commandant brought them here for the purpose of dealing with the Tibetan cavalrymen," Zhao Yatong reported with a serious expression.
As one of the earlier arrivals at this resting point, she was a familiar face, allowing her to move around without incurring anyone's suspicion. Thus, the job of gathering intelligence fell on her shoulders.
"Four hundred tower shields... They are probably going to adopt the formation which the Big Dipper Army usually uses to deal with the Tibetans. To think of this move, the commandant isn't too bad himself. At the very least, he's smarter than the previous commander who died in battle. But even though using tower shields to deal with the Tibetans is a good idea, it's a pity that he isn't Geshu Han!" Wang Chong muttered to himself as he shook his head.
Geshu Han was a highly respected general whose name had traveled far beyond Longxi to reach even the capital. As the famous saying went, "In the night beneath the Big Dipper Stars, Geshu Han visits with his saber". This saying originated not from the Big Dipper Army, but the civilians of Longxi. From this, it was apparent how popular Geshu Han was within Longxi.
As such, the soldiers in Longxi were deeply influenced by him.
This was also the reason why Wang Chong chose to maintain a low profile here.
Without a doubt, the Big Dipper Army commandant within the resting point was also one of those who respected Geshu Han deeply. The formation which the commandant would likely use, erecting tower shields at the bottom of the slope and making use of them to block the charging cavalrymen, was a tactic which Geshu Han had adopted in his earlier years to deal with the Tibetans.
However, Geshu Han would only use this tactic if he encountered the Tibetans in an unfavorable steep terrain, but found himself with no choice but to engage them. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, he would avoid fighting with the Tibetans under such terrain.
The Big Dipper Army commandant had tried to adopt Geshu Han's military stratagem, but it was a pity that he had barely scraped the surface.
Seeing this, Wang Chong couldn't help but sigh deeply.
Staring at Wang Chong and noticing his peculiar expression, Zhao Yatong asked anxiously, "What do we do now?"
As the famous Spear of Crimson Blaze in the capital, she did have the rights to be proud, and very few people could catch her eye. But this time, she was truly traumatized by Wang Chong's words, losing the usual confidence she commanded.
On the matter
regarding the Tibetans, she felt inclined to believe Wang Chong, especially after listening to his insights on the matter. Her instincts told her that Wang Chong was likely to be right on this matter.
"There's no need to worry about this, even mistakes have their own merits. Even though those tower shields are unlikely to stop the Tibetan cavalrymen, it does offer favorable conditions for me to better carry out my plan. Have you found those men that I asked you to yet?" Wang Chong asked.
Adding up the troops of Bai Siling, Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, Zhao Yatong, and him, they only had a hundred cavalrymen on their side. With this number, it was impossible for to deal with three hundred Tibetan cavalrymen. If Wang Chong wanted to carry out his plan, he would need more people.
Only with more manpower could he ensure a lower death toll at the end of the battle.
After all, the Tibetan cavalrymen were nothing like the Iron Cloak Highwaymen. Their charge would be far more fearsome than what they had faced earlier.
That was why Wang Chong could chose to engage the Iron Cloak Highwaymen despite being heavily outnumbered. But this time, his side had far more soldiers than his enemies.
With such a clear advantage, he would have to be a fool not to exploit it!
"I do know quite a few people at this gathering point, so I should be able to get their assistance on this matter. However, unlike the previous commanders, the current one is from the Big Dipper Army. He has already sent out a clear warning that everyone has to follow their deployment clearly, and anyone who fails to do so will be dealt with by military law.
"The Big Dipper Army is well-known for their strictness, so it is inevitable the other recruits would be hesitant on this issue," Zhao Yatong sighed.
With her reputation in the capital, it shouldn't be too hard for her to rally the other recruits together on this matter. However, Longxi was the home base of the Big Dipper Army, and the consequences of disobeying military commands here could prove to be severe.
"You don't need to worry about that. If that commandant really wishes to pursue that matter, I'll take responsibility," Wang Chong chuckled lightly, thinking little of the matter.
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