But in truth, Wang Chong's sudden request for experts had felt all too sudden for both Duke Liu and his son Li Bing.
"Bing-er, the Wang Clan is no normal clan, and Wang Chong is a golden-scaled fish, not bound to the confines of the lake. No matter what he plans to do, since we've received his letter, send a few people to go and see what he wants. And besides, this is a good chance to form a relationship with the Wang Clan. Just remember, that Su Hanshan… do your utmost to avoid meeting him!"
"Yes, your child understands and will do this now."
Li Bing lowered his head and then left.
……
"What does that Qilin son of the Wang Clan want?"
If Duke Liu was said to be caught by surprise, one could say that Duke Su found it somewhat hard to understand why he was now holding a letter from Wang Chong.
"If I remember correctly, didn't His Highness King Song recently repress the Court of Judicial Review and Chamberlain of Dependencies to get Wang Chong released? At this time, what is he up to, asking to borrow guards from me?"
Duke Su was over forty, and his bearded face gave off a rather dignified aura.
Before Duke Su could continue, Su Bai immediately began to shout. "Father, ignore him! That Wang Chong is nobody good. Last time, he inflicted a terrible humiliation on us, and now he's asking to borrow guards? Ignore him. Bastard! He's definitely up to no good. “，，？！”
"And also, Father, did you forget? I almost ended up dying in prison because of him!"
Duke Su suddenly turned around and berated his son. "Bastard! I didn't even mention you yet! Speak! Did you make trouble for me yet again?"
"Father, I'm innocent! I haven't done anything!"
Su Bai's plea of innocence was true. He had just been messing around in a tea house when his father's guards tied him up and brought him back.
In truth, Su Bai had been frightened half to death by the fact that Wang Chong had sent a letter to the Duke Su Residence, and was even more shocked than his father.
"You've done nothing? Then why did he send a letter to our Duke Su Residence? Evil son, remember this for me. We can disregard any other person in the capital, but for Wang Chong, no matter how much of a grudge you hold against him, you had better keep far, far away," Duke Su harshly scolded.
"Why? Didn't that brat need King Song's help? Otherwise, given his crime, he was dead for sure!" Su Bai angrily replied.
"Hmph, you also know that the trouble he caused would have ended in death. Then why don't you think about why he's not dead? Who are Zhang Shougui and An Sishun? One is Andong Protector-General and other is the Beiting Vice Protector-General, and both are Great Generals of the empire. You couldn't even afford to provoke one, much less both of them.
"Perhaps other people might stay quiet if King Song released Wang Chong, but do you think Zhang Shougui and An Sishun would be cowed? Although an Imperial Great General might be inferior in status to an Imperial Prince of the Great Tang, they also don't have much to fear. So why didn't they say anything?"
"They…"
Su Bai's mouth was open, but he couldn't find a retort.
It was true. Other people might stay quiet, but why didn't Zhang Shougui or An Sishun say anything about King Song releasing Wang Chong?
Other people might fear King Song, but why would they?
If his father hadn't mentioned it, Su Bai would have never contemplated this question.
Su Bai looked at his father and uncertainly said, "Father, your meaning is…"
"Hmph, if this wasn't His Majesty's will, do you think Zhang Shougui and An Sishun would just leave the matter at that? Even the massive ruckus caused by the Regional Commanders incident wasn't able to do anything against him, and all he did this time was kill a few of Zhang Shougui's and An Sishun's subordinates. Did you really think anything would happen to him?
"Zhang Shougui has always been praised as a quick-witted person. If he didn't perceive His Majesty's will, he wouldn't have taken this matter lying down. As for An Sishun, he might be a Hu and not have a lot going on in his head, but he is devotedly loyal to His Majesty. Did you think that he ended up as Vice Protector-General of Beiting by luck? He might not know what other people are up to, but he clearly understands His Majesty's intentions.
"An Sishun must have received a message from His Majesty. This was why King Song was able to so smoothly ensure Wang Chong's release," Duke Su indifferently said.
There was no way he would have let Wang Chong go so easily, but as a longtime servant of the court, he had gained the ability to see where the political currents were flowing.
One needed this sort of sharp sense to remain in political circles.
"This, this…"
Su Bai was dumbstruck, his eyes wide open and mouth agape. He only knew that King Song had saved Wang Chong, but nothing about what was going on behind the curtains.
The internal politics of the court were far more complex than he had imagined.
"Go with a few people and see what he wants first…" Duke Su said with a wave of his hand.
Similar events were taking place at around the same time all over the capital. It wasn't merely clans Wang Chong had good relationships with like the Bai Clan or the Xu Clan, but also places like the Duke Su Residence, which the Wang Clan had few interactions with. Even great clans that had no connection with the Wang Clan had received an invitation.
Other than the Yao Clan and King Qi, these rivals of the Wang Clan, all the great clans of the capital received this invitation.
Wang Chong's letters began to move the entire capital.
No one knew what Wang Chong wanted, but there was no question that the letters Wang Chong wrote on his carriage home were stirring up the entire capital.
Chapter 477: Simulating the Southwest!
Chapter 477: Simulating the Southwest!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Zhao Jingdian, Wei Anfang, Xu Qiqin, and Huang Qian-er arrived at the Wang Clan Residence at a very late hour. The residence was brightly lit, and Wang Chong invited these people into his study before shutting the door.
No one else knew what they discussed, only that once Zhao Jingdian, Wei Anfang, the usually uninterested Xu Qiqin, and Huang Qian-er left Wang Chong's study, they all had very unsightly expressions.
The four were completely out of sorts, every one of them dazed and absentminded, unresponsive to the calls of the Wang Clan guards. They did not stay the night, leaving right after the meeting.
But the lanterns in Wang Chong's study were not extinguished.
After the four left, the silhouette on the window of Wang Chong at his desk remained while the scratching of his brush could be heard. But the door was shut, so nobody knew what Wang Chong was actually doing inside.
……
"…Lion City was finished a long time ago, and a massive amount of food was stored within. That is the last chance to save Xianyu Zhongtong and the Annan Protectorate army!"
In the study, Wang Chong looked at his desk under the flickering lantern light, an incredibly grave expression on his face.
On Wang Chong's table was a miniature topographic model of the southwest. All the canyons, mountain ranges, rivers, plains, cities, and forests were displayed here in breathtaking detail.
Wang Chong had borrowed the necessary information from the Bureau of Military Personnel quite some time ago and then hired artisans to make this model. In the Great Tang, all information involving geography, including models of military defenses, were classified secrets, and keeping them for oneself was a major crime.
But Wang Chong had never cared. He had kept this model in his study the entire time.
The defeat of the Annan Protectorate army in the southwest was already set in stone. The past could not be changed, but that did not mean that everything was hopeless.
"If there are no surprises and everything goes as it did in the past, Xianyu Zhongtong and Geluofeng should have fought on t
his plain!"
Wang Chong stared at the model, countless thoughts flickering through his head. He looked nothing like a young and inexperienced teenager.
Without knowing, Wang Chong had once more become the experienced Grand Marshal of the Great Tang, leading a powerful army and deciding victory or defeat with a forceful jab of his finger!
Whoosh!
Wang Chong took out a small flag and thrust it into the Erhai plains. As someone praised by the entire world as 'War Saint', Wang Chong had experienced thousands of battles, big and small. Not even he could remember exactly how many.
Even a completely clueless layman would become a decent commander if they managed to survive through thousands of battles, and this was Wang Chong!
As long as Geluofeng wasn't an imbecile, as long as Duan Gequan was still a commander, they would definitely have chosen the Erhai plains for their decisive battle.
And only the Erhai plains could hold so many soldiers!
The Great Tang and Mengshe Zhao of his past life hadn't chosen that place to fight for no reason. And as long as Xianyu Zhongtong wasn't a complete idiot, as long as he was still an ordinary person, after the defeat, he would definitely be able to see that place!
Wang Chong took out a small red flag and placed it on Lion City, positioned behind the Erhai plains. Wang Chong had still not been to Lion City, had no idea what this city he had spent millions of taels of gold on even looked like.
But given Zhang Shouzhi's abilities, Wang Chong was sure that the city he had built, that massive city near the Erhai plains, was a most remarkable existence.
Even from a distance of several hundred li, one would definitely be able to see that city seemingly forged from steel, 'Lion City'!
This Lion City had been constructed for Wang Chong, and it had also been constructed for those 180,000 Great Tang warriors. It was their only hope.
In his last life, those 180,000 soldiers had no place to retreat to after the battle at Erhai, and there was no way infantry could outrun cavalry. As a result, those 180,000 elites were completely annihilated.
Other than Xianyu Zhongtong, who barely managed to escape, the rest were utterly wiped out!
But Wang Chong's Lion City had now become the only hope for survival for these 180,000 elites. Wang Chong could almost guarantee that the remaining 80,000 Great Tang soldiers only existed because they had escaped into Lion City.
Otherwise, the army would have already been wiped out and the Stone of Destiny would have already killed Wang Chong for failing the mission.
But Wang Chong was well aware that one Lion City was not enough to alter the fate of those 80,000 soldiers and the disposition of forces in the southwest.
There was no city in the world that could not be broken, and Lion City was no exception.
The 300,000 or more Mengshe Zhao soldiers that Geluofeng had practically emptied his country to raise and the 200,000 or more soldiers of Ü-Tsang's Ngari Royal Lineage constituted a force that could break down any city.
Lion City couldn't last for too long!
Wang Chong had expended a massive amount of resources on Lion City only to give the 80,000 Great Tang soldiers some space to breathe, to offer them a temporary moment of reprieve.
But this reprieve would not last for too long.
Moreover, even if Lion City were unbreakable, it still wouldn't be able to last for too long. 'Food is god for the people.' Even though Wang Chong had prepared a massive number of rations in the city, this amount was absolutely insufficient for these 80,000 Great Tang soldiers who needed to step onto the battlefield at any moment.
'Before the troops and horses can be mobilized, rations and fodder must be prepared.' Without sufficient food, a great army would crumple without even the need to attack!
In order to save the 80,000 remaining Great Tang soldiers and alter the course of the war in the southwest, he had to act before the rations were completely exhausted.
There was not much time left for Wang Chong!
Wang Chong's gaze flitted over the model, taking measure of the southwest's geography.
300,000 Mengshe Zhao soldiers and 200,000 Ngari Ü-Tsang soldiers were not something a mere 80,000 soldiers could fight against.
Even with the tens of thousands of soldiers under his father and Li Zhengyi, it still wouldn't be enough.
But Wang Chong had no other choice. In addition, while difficult, it wasn't impossible for the few to defeat the many, at least for Wang Chong.
With proper use of geography and suitable strategies, such a thing was completely possible.
'All warfare is based on deception.' In this world, no one understood the meaning of this phrase more than Wang Chong.
(TN: This quote is a proverb from Sun Tzu's Art of War.)
Wang Chong was searching for the proper geography.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
One small flag after another was thrust into the model. Hills, forests, riverbanks, mountains… these places that Wang Chong thrust the flags into were projected onto his mind.
The model was empty, devoid of activity. But in Wang Chong's mind, a massive army was surging through it.
The Mengshe Zhao army, the Ü-Tsang army, and the Great Tang army besieged in Lion City… all of these soldiers began to fight in his mind as if they were alive.
This was Wang Chong's first time using his mental energy to simulate the changes in the war of the southwest.
'Military strength relies on simulation.' This was a skill that every commander needed. But the most formidable commander could only simulate tens of thousands of soldiers, perhaps a bit more than a hundred thousand. No one had ever done what Wang Chong was doing, simulating in his mind a war involving 700,000 soldiers.
Moreover, this war involved famous and powerful generals like Geluofeng, Fengjiayi, Duan Gequan, Dalun Ruozan, and Huoshu Huicang!
The styles of renowned generals were difficult to grasp. If someone were to see what Wang Chong was doing at this moment, they would definitely be flabbergasted.
Because if one wanted to predict the actions of generals on the level of Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang, one had to have an extremely deep understanding of them. In addition, one had to completely surpass them in terms of strategy.
Only by fulfilling these two conditions could one smoothly simulate this war!
Yet this was precisely what Wang Chong was doing!
The future had already changed. 80,000 survivors was already a massive difference from his last life. To Wang Chong, what happened next was no longer in the bounds of fate. He could only rely on himself!
Chapter 478: Old Eagle's Worries!
Chapter 478: Old Eagle's Worries!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wang Chong's mind was constantly simulating, and the positions of the little red flags were constantly fluctuating, being plucked out and thrust back into the model.
At the end, everything in his mind was decided, and the number of little red flags on the model had been greatly reduced. Only seven or eight were left.
Of the 80,000 soldiers, half is infantry and the other half cavalry. They also have a square of master archers! They won't be able to escape the Ü-Tsang warhorses, so if they have to fight, the decisive battle will be here! Wang Chong mentally said to himself as he thrust out his finger and drew a circle on the model. Although there seemed to be nothing around there, Wang Chong knew that this would be the site of the truly decisive battle. The fate of those 80,000 soldiers and the fate of the Great Tang itself would be decided within the bounds of that circle.
After taking into account all the factors—distance, speed, rations—that place would be the final hope for the Annan Protectorate army!
When one has done all one can, the rest is up to the heavens! For the rest, it'll just depend on luck! Wang Chong said to himself, a great burden relieved from his mind.
'One misstep leads to many more.' This was a basic understanding needed before
making any attempts to predict a foe's movements in a war.
Dealing with famous generals like Huoshu Huicang and Duan Gequan, predicting in advance the location of the decisive battle, luring them over, making preparations… such a feat was simply unimaginable for an average person.
But for Wang Chong, dealing with a stronger opponent wasn't a problem at all.
Although the reincarnation had lowered his cultivation level, it had not stripped him of his strategic intuition and attainments.
Time slowly passed as Wang Chong's brush flew at tremendous speeds, piling high a stack of diagrams on his desk. The complexities of war far exceeded the bounds of a simple simulation.
Wang Chong had to prepare for everything, developing a response for every circumstance.
After some time, Wang Chong's pale-faced figure finally opened the door to his study and walked out.
"Old Eagle, send a person to each of these three locations. Have them conduct a thorough investigation and then draw a detailed topographic map to give to me!" In his hand were several maps.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Old Eagle took the maps, his eyes filled with worry at the sight of the black circles around Wang Chong's eyes.
"Have you gotten in touch with the sword shops of the capital about buying their next three months of production and asking them to help us forge items?" Wang Chong said.
Adding on the time he had spent in the cell, Wang Chong had not gotten any proper rest in a long time. But even so, Wang Chong did not feel one bit tired. On the contrary, his eyes were bright and his face seemed to be brimming with energy.
Old Eagle lowered his head and earnestly answered, "Replying to Young Master, I've already sent out the residence's guards, but it's still early. It hasn't been very long since Young Master was released. Although we've communicated with no small number of sword shops and smiths, they still haven't expressed any stance. We'll probably need to wait a little longer to hear any response."
Although he had been at Wang Chong's side all this time, he had also been carrying out all the orders Wang Chong had given him.
But unlike normal people, even though Old Eagle himself didn't move, his carrier pigeons and various birds of prey had never stopped moving.
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