A muscular Great Tang scout rode over, his waist bent in a slight bow. His sudden voice immediately shattered the previous calm.
Wang Chong was sitting cross-legged at a high vantage point, adjusting his energy. Behind, Old Eagle and Li Siye were standing guard like warrior attendants.
Wang Chong's eyelashes fluttered as he slowly opened his eyes.
How fast! Wang Chong said to himself.
The Tibetans truly did have some experts among them. Although they weren't at Huoshu Huicang's level, merely from the speed at which they had dispatched scouts and found them, Wang Chong could tell that he was facing a rather decent commander.
As for what level, that would depend on how they reacted next. Different reactions would indicate different levels.
As the War Saint of the Great Tang, he could determine his opponent's level from many minor details.
"Continue watching!" Wang Chong ordered with a wave of his hand.
"Yes, Milord!"
The scout bowed from his horse and then quickly went to continue his mission.
"…As long as we continue south, we'll meet more and more people like this!" Old Eagle's familiar voice sighed emotionally at his ear. Old Eagle was watching that military scout, an absentminded look in his eyes.
Quickly and cleanly investigating the enemy's movements, extremely quick-witted, coming and going like the wind—these were qualities that those clan experts could never have.
Not even those experts and assassins that Wang Chong had hired in the capital would have been able to do it.
The scouts from the military were of a completely different sort.
The truly experienced scouts would be able to use the landscape to hide themselves while keeping watch on the enemy. There were some scouts that not even his eagles would have been able to discover.
Only scouts could deal with scouts!
And to deal with a richly experienced scout, one needed a similarly experienced opponent!
Before he could speak, a vigorous voice came from his right. "A soldier in the army has to strictly follow their orders and rigorously execute their mission. He's just abiding his duties, nothing more." Li Siye was unmoved by Old Eagle's sighs of praise.
He was from the army, from the Beiting area, where foreigners were as numerous as the hairs on a bull. To scout out the enemy and discover their forces while hiding oneself was a basic ability.
There were many scouts of this level in Beiting.
It had to be pointed out that hiding oneself on the grassy plains was no easy task. Although Old Eagle had worked in the Bureau of Punishments, he had never been on the battlefield.
This sort of emotional sigh was expressing shock at the trivial.
Wang Chong couldn't help but smile at their discussion. These two were skilled in different domains, and it was rather normal to feel this sort of amazement.
But there was one thing that Wang Chong was certain of: the number of regular infantry and cavalry at Wang Chong's command was growing larger and larger.
As he continued to clean up the scattered Tibetan cavalry on the northern border, he also brought more and more Great Tang soldiers under his banner. At present, Wang Chong had gathered six or seven hundred infantry and cavalry formerly of Li Zhengyi's army.
And he was also collecting more and more supplies.
Right now, Wang Chong had ten-some heavy ballistae!
Each of these heavy ballistae was priceless. Every year, the Great Tang relied on precisely these ballistae to demoralize the foreign countries and dominate the world.
These heavy ballistae had contributed no small part to the Great Tang's current reputation!
Ignoring the bickering of the pair, Wang Chong stood up and began walking.
"Young Master!"
Li Siye and Old Eagle tensed up and hurried after him.
A hundred zhang behind the vantage point was a hive of activity.
The one thousand clan experts that Wang Chong had recruited were currently training with the six or seven hundred Great Tang soldiers.
The clan experts had enough strength, but they lacked military discipline and the ability to fight cohesively with their comrades.
Wang Chong had trained them previously, but it still hadn't been enough.
But now, with the 'catfish effect1' brought with the arrival of these actual soldiers, this one-thousand-man army equipped with Wootz Steel swords was quickly becoming a cohesive unit.
The aura of an 'army' was quickly beginning to form on their bodies. No longer were they just a simple group of one thousand experts.
The difference was like that of night and day.
Utilizing these actual soldiers, Wang Chong was currently in the midst of getting his hands on an elite troop of one thousand men.
"Li Siye, when Zhao Jingdian is done, it'll be your turn. You'll be responsible for the second phase of training!" Wang Chong said.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Li Siye lowered his head and gave a respectful bow, after which he turned and began to stride toward the drilling troops.
Such a thing would have been impossible to imagine with the brash Li Siye that had first appeared at Deflecting Blade Manor. There was no doubt that Wang Chong had already obtained his respect.
Wang Chong was currently using all sorts of methods to raise this army, including Zhao Jingdian's talent for the art of war and Li Siye's powerful strength and soldier's aura.
As for what lay ahead on the road south, only Wang Chong truly knew. To alter the course of the southwest war would require a perfect mastery!
Time flew by, and two hours later, when Wang Chong was still in the middle of training his army…
"Reporting! Enemy army up ahead!"
"Reporting! Enemy army is less than fifty li from our position!"
"Reporting! It's the Tibetans! They are advancing toward us at full speed!"
……
In just a few short moments, several military scouts galloped out of the forest, jumped onto the ground, and kneeled as they gave their reports.
Like some mysterious power had swept through the void, the entire world instantly fell silent, all the men and horses quieting down.
Everyone was looking toward Wang Chong, and the atmosphere had instantly grown tense.
It was too fast!
That army had been far faster than any of them had imagined!
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1. The catfish effect is when a strong competitor causes the weak to improve.
Chapter 497: Decision! Strike First!
Chapter 497: Decision! Strike First!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"It's an expert this time!"
Wang Chong had originally been squatting on the ground, but upon hearing the reports, he slowly began to stand, a harsh light flitting through his eyes. He had already been informed of this enemy army.
The range of scouts was very broad.
A standard military scout could cover a large area. They were often at least a hundred li away from the center of the army, and the farther they were, the better.
They were the eyes and ears of the army, its mouthpiece.
Wang Chong was certain that this Tibetan army had been several hundred li away at the start, but in just two hours, they had suddenly been able to advance until they were not even fifty li away.
This was not something an average commander could do.
There was no doubt in his mind that the Tibetans he was facing were a very proactive and aggressive army!
Cavalry charges had always emphasized adaptability and the element of surprise.
A commander that specialized in leading cavalry would not be an ordinary one.
"Let's go and take a look!"
Wang Chong mounted his horse and left a trail of dust behind him as he galloped toward the Tibetan army.
On the peak of the nearest hill, Wang Chong, Old Eagle, and Li Siye immediately saw the dens
e and imposing ranks of the Ü-Tsang army.
The army was like a black belt, stretching endlessly to the horizon. But it was motionless, not a single one of its over one thousand soldiers making a single noise.
This sight caused Old Eagle and Li Siye to raise their brows.
"This army is more than one thousand!"
"At least three thousand! Why did the scouts say that it was only one thousand?"
……
Both Li Siye and Old Eagle had rather unsightly complexions. The might of heavy cavalry far surpasssed that of infantry. Three thousand Tibetan cavalry was enough to fight with three or four times their number.
This also meant that the Tibetan force was already enough to deal with an army of ten thousand soldiers, a number that their own couldn't even reach.
More importantly, Tibetans were much stronger in numbers.
One thousand Tibetan heavy cavalry could form a middle-level Halo of Fortress, massively buffing their defense.
Three thousand Tibetan cavalry…
This level of Halo of Fortress was enough to put enormous pressure on a Great Tang army. Without an effective means of dealing with it, such an army was certain to deal their forces a heavy blow.
"Young Master?"
At this moment, even Old Eagle and Li Siye could only look to Wang Chong. Although they had been his constant companions, Wang Chong alone had commanded this force.
"Don't get anxious yet. Things aren't that simple!" Wang Chong indifferently said. "Can't you see that their forces have stopped there and haven't come over?"
The two were astonished, and then they realized that this really was the case.
"Sixty li is enough distance for them to push their speed to its limit, an effect no less inferior to if they were charging down from the Tibetan Plateau. If this were a plain, they would have already charged over," Wang Chong calmly said.
At his level, there was very little that could move him.
"What do you mean?"
Li Siye scratched his head, a confused look on his face. He wouldn't be afraid no matter how many enemies were charging toward him, but he really wasn't that proficient at strategy and calculation.
"Look over there, isn't that a forest!"
Wang Chong's words seemed to stir the pair from a dream.
Li Siye and Old Eagle instantly understood. The southwest was a lowland made up of small hills.
It wasn't very flat. More importantly, a lush forest lay between their training area and the Tibetan army.
The trees here grew close together, so it was obvious that any cavalry charge would be greatly limited. It was even very possible that a cavalry charge would have to come to a complete halt.
This was the reason the Tibetans had suddenly stopped their advance.
"I have to hand it to Li Zhengyi!"
Wang Chong felt quite emotional as he looked at this forest. The geography of the southwest was complicated. Although a large portion of it was inhabited, quite a significant part of it was still untamed.
After all, this place was still not as rich and populated as the empire's interior.
In Li Zhengyi's advance, he had used the official roads, but he had also avoided cities and villages.
It had partially been to avoid disturbing the populace, but it had also led the Tibetan army away from the populated areas and kept the civilians from being caught in the crossfire.
In normal circumstances, the Tibetans would have never given up on a chance to loot and plunder, but the guides provided by Geluofeng had limited their opportunities to do so.
Meanwhile, the establishment of Lion City had allowed the 80,000 elites to survive.
Huoshu Huicang was eager to assail his enemies, so after defeating Li Zhengyi, he led the majority of his army back to Erhai, thus minimizing the damage caused to the populace.
But Wang Chong knew that all this was temporary. Once Lion City fell and Huoshu Huicang cleaned up the rest of the Annan Protectorate army, the entire southwest would become a living hell.
Temporary peace did not mean eternal safety.
Huoshu Huicang and the Tibetan army had only temporarily drawn back their fangs. The Sword of Damocles1 was still hanging over the southwest.
"Gather the army and prepare to move out!"
Wang Chong's eyes flashed as he waved his arm, catching Old Eagle and Li Siye completely off guard with this sudden order.
"Milord!"
"Young Master!"
The pair were stunned. Their foe was right in front of them, and the forest was the best wall, but now, Wang Chong was giving up this excellent position to strike first.
"Milord, in these circumstances, I do not recommend attacking. The Tibetans are all regular soldiers, while we only have reserve troops. We're no match for them in a frontal assault. In addition, a large part of our forces is infantry," Li Siye respectfully advised.
Having served in Beiting, Li Siye was well aware of the power of cavalry. Although Wang Chong had hired several thousand experts and put them on horses, those couldn't be considered cavalry. They were infantry at most.
The horses were just their means of transportation.
This ad-hoc army might be enough in an infantry battle, but it was totally insufficient against the Ü-Tsang cavalry, which used charges as their main method of attack.
The only troops that could play any role in this battle were the one thousand clan experts that Wang Chong had recruited!
"Li Siye, you still don't get it? It's not that I want to engage in a frontal assault, but we have no other choice. Have you forgotten about the Annan Protectorate army? If we can't even defeat these three thousand Tibetan cavalry, how can we deal with the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the combined Ü-Tsang–Mengshe Zhao army?"
Wang Chong spoke with a tone that sounded like he completely understood everything.
Old Eagle and Li Siye shivered, unable to retort. Wang Chong had led this army not to save the 60,000 soldiers of Li Zhengyi's army, but to rescue the 80,000 elites in Lion City.
So their opponent was the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that made up the joint army of Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang.
Compared to that vast army, they were a drop of water in the ocean, an ant trying to shake a tree.
Wang Chong had never brought this point up with the army before, but he had hidden nothing from his close aides!
"I understand," Li Siye slowly said, seemingly coming to a decision.
______________
1.The Sword of Damocles refers to a story about a Greek king known as Dionysius who had a pandering courtier known as Damocles. Damocles had always praised Dionysius for the great fame and fortune the king enjoyed, and Dionysius one day offered Damocles to opportunity to sit on the throne and enjoy these luxuries. Damocles readily accepted, but he realized to his horror that the king had set up a sword to hang over the throne, held up by only a single horsehair, symbolizing the danger that came from holding a position of authority.
Chapter 498: The Call of War!
Chapter 498: The Call of War!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Rumble!
The earth shook as Wang Chong led his army of one thousand clan experts, six or seven hundred regular Tang army soldiers, and several thousand hired experts. As they emerged out of the forest, the distant Tibetan cavalrymen were dumbfounded.
"What's going on here? The Tang actually came out on their own!"
In the distance, Dengba was flabbergasted, not daring to believe his own eyes.
The Tibetans had no infantry; they relied completely on cavalry to contend with the Great Tang. As a result, although the Tibetans did not have as many soldiers as the Great Tang, they still presented a great danger.
For a mixture of Tang infantry and cavalry to go against a regular force of three thousand Tibetan cavalry, had they gone crazy?
"Hahaha, Dengba, do you see it! You've overestimated those Tang men! It seems th
at they only managed to wipe out our comrades by relying purely on luck and numbers! But even this sort of luck has its limits!"
That muscular and tall Tibetan commander gave a hearty laugh.
He had originally still been a little cautious. After all, this group of Tang soldiers truly did seem a little different from the rest.
But it now appeared that he had been overthinking things.
"Carry out my order. Activate the Yak Halos and have the entire army charge! I want to crush these Tang soldiers into paste to vent my rage and avenge the deceased soldiers of our empire!"
The Tibetan commander clenched his fists, his eyes glowing with a vicious light while a sort of feeling began to boil up inside his body. It was the call of war.
"These scoundrels… are dead for sure!"
The warhorses neighed as that stalwart Tibetan commander led the charge, leaping out from the ranks. Behind him, more than three thousand Tibetan regular cavalry began their charge.
One echelon, two echelons, three echelons… in the end, thirty echelons began to surge toward Wang Chong's army like mighty waves.
The air over their heads grew hazy, as if some invisible hand was twisting. In a few moments, a massive, white, vaulted, and mobile fortress had appeared over the heads of the Tibetan cavalry.
The moment this white fortress manifested, the Tibetans began to exude a crushing weight. But their speed… was not affected in the slightest!
With a clattering of metal, Halos of Thorns began to shoot out from the bodies of the Tibetan cavalry, theses thousands of Halos of Thorns forming into a giant halo formation that accompanied the Tibetans in their charge.
Crash! Waves of energy began to gush out from behind them. In these brief moments, the Tibetans had reached a terrifying speed and were dragging a massive white wave of energy behind them.
"It's here!"
Some distance from the Ü-Tsang army, Wang Chong's eyes flashed. Even from this distance, he could feel the oceanic might of the Tibetans, but Wang Chong remained utterly unmoved.
These three thousand Tibetans were a test for his army. If it could not deal with only three thousand, then it would not be able to deal with the Ü-Tsang–Mengshe Zhao army, nor would it be able to influence this important war.
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