The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Of the Five Tiger Generals, he was essentially the only one left. The rest of the generals were tribal generals like Ciren Xiangxiong and Tumi Sangzha. However, not even Tumi Sangzha dared to lightly provoke Longqinba.

  As the leader of the Five Tiger Generals, Longqinba was an extremely vicious existence.

  "This being the case, there must be something about this place. That brat must have some sort of plan," Ciren Xiangxiong suddenly said.

  It would be strange if there wasn't anything strange going on in this conspicuous river of thorns.

  "Tumi Sangzha, can you use your halo to transform these thorns into metal men and clear them up?" Dalun Ruozan suddenly said, a profound look in his eyes.

  "It's possible, but it won't be very easy."

  A troubled look appeared in Tumi Sangzha's eyes.

  "Whether big or small, almost all of these metal thorns have been affixed with toughening inscriptions. Given all the metal thorns, the number of metal men I can make with my ability is extremely limited and would consume a massive amount of Stellar Energy. And if we use the metal men to clear these up, the metal men won't be harmed by the thorns, but their activity would make a noise that would alarm the Tang on the mountain.

  "In addition, there are too many of these metal thorns. What I can do here is extremely limited," Tumi Sangzha sincerely said, a vague sense of weakness on his face.

  Chapter 598: The Decisive Battle! Mutual Night Raids!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Metal-element cultivators were not invincible. While battling with Luo Ji, Lin Wushou, and Chen Guanshun, Tumi Sangzha had consumed a great deal of Stellar Energy. In addition, summoning the metal giant itself had consumed Stellar Energy.

  His abilities were completely insufficient for creating enough metal men to clear these hundreds of thousands of metal thorns. Even summoning one hundred metal men would not be sufficient for this arduous mission.

  Dalun Ruozan quietly looked toward the summit, countless thoughts flashing through his eyes. Although nothing could be seen in the pitch-black darkness, Dalun Ruozan felt like he could see that figure standing unmoving on the summit, scheming about something.

  In all his years managing the Ngari Royal Lineage, in the ten-some years exchanging blows with Zhangchou Jianqiong, Dalun Ruozan had never encountered anyone so opaque and unfathomable.

  It felt like his opponent was scheming and strategizing at every moment.

  This made Dalun Ruozan feel like he was seeing an illusion, like he was looking at himself.

  "Truly a powerful foe!" Dalun Ruozan muttered to himself, then fell quiet once more. After a while, he turned to Longqinba.

  "Is everything ready?"

  "Replying to Great Minister, everything is ready! Five thousand warhorses have had their feet wrapped with the cloth provided by Mengshe Zhao," Longqinba sternly replied.

  "Very good. Then let us begin," Dalun Ruozan firmly ordered, his gaze turning cold. War had never been restricted to the daytime. The night could also be home to a fierce battle, but without the light of daytime, the defensive capabilities of the Annan Protectorate army would assuredly be greatly restricted.

  Dalun Ruozan had specifically chosen this late hour, when people were at their drowsiest, to conduct a raid.

  Boom!

  The moment Dalun Ruozan gave his order, a massive boom suddenly came from the southwest. Fire blazed into the sky while the din of fighting filled the air. In the distance, he could faintly see that a group of soldiers was engaging in wanton slaughter in that area.

  "Reporting!"

  At almost the same time, a warhorse galloped up, a Tibetan messenger covered in dust quickly riding over.

  "Great Minister, the Mengshe Zhao camp has been attacked. The Tang raided the camp in the middle of the night!"

  This report left all the gathered generals with the most astonished of expressions. While they were thinking about raiding the Tang camp, the Tang had raided the Mengshe Zhao camp first.

  "What's going on? Were the Mengshe Zhao completely unprepared?" Dalun Ruozan said, a tinge of anger in his voice.

  Geluofeng was also a powerhouse of the southwest. Others might make such mistakes, but how could he make such an error?

  "No, the Tang soldiers were wearing our Tibetan armor!" the messenger hastily replied.

  With these words, Longqinba, Tumi Sangzha, Ciren Xiangxiong, and even Dalun Ruozan paled, their faces twisting into nasty grimaces.

  "Damn it!"

  Longqinba clenched his fists, causing them to crack.

  This had not been his first exchange with Wang Chong, so he didn't need to think very much to know that this was Wang Chong's plan. He could put aside that bastard raiding the camp, but he even dared to disguise his troops as Tibetans.

  Mengshe Zhao must have mistaken their identities, allowing Wang Chong's infiltration to succeed.

  Boom!

  While the gathered generals were still shocked at the raid against the Mengshe Zhao army, there was a thunderous boom, flames licking toward the sky as the skies were once more filled with the sound of fighting. This time, however, the sound did not come from the Mengshe Zhao camp but from the mountain behind them.

  "Kill! Capture the Tibetans!"

  "Don't let them run!"

  "Young Master already knew their plans. They're delusional if they think they can raid our camp!"

  ……

  As they listened to the voices from the mountain, Dalun Ruozan and the generals all grimaced.

  "We fell into the trap!"

  All of them looked at Dalun Ruozan, none of them saying a word.

  ……

  "Hahaha, Young Master, these fellows really did fall into the trap!"

  On the summit, the crowd looked at the two blazing fires, one on the mountain and one down below, and heartily laughed.

  "The advantage became the disadvantage, and expertise became a shortcoming. If Dalun Ruozan wants to use the camp raiding techniques that he learned from the Central Plains against the Great Tang, then I can only say that he found the wrong person."

  Wang Chong looked down the mountain and smiled.

  Although he couldn't see anything, Wang Chong was sure that Dalun Ruozan had a most amazing expression on his face at this moment.

  Ü-Tsang didn't have any art of war, and though the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple was a crouching tiger, a hidden dragon, it was still a land barren of military arts. The Central Plains had always been a land of strategists, and in the face of the culture of military strategy that had been cultivated in the Central Plains for millennia, even the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple was barely worth mentioning.

  Wang Chong inwardly laughed.

  It was no secret to Wang Chong that Dalun Ruozan liked to raid camps at night, conducting hit-and-run assaults. At a time like this, it was already quite good to even think about the idea of raiding a camp.

  Alas, he had encountered Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong had merely defended against this possibility. He hadn't expected Dalun Ruozan to really walk into the trap and send people on a raid.

  "How is it?" Wang Chong asked.

  "According to Young Master's orders, we hid ballistae beforehand in ambush. We've killed the majority of them, and only around one thousand were able to escape," a general reported.

  "That's enough; let the rest of them leave. In addition, pass down my order to gather up the armor of those Tibetans and Mengshe Zhao soldiers who died during the day. Although we've already used this move, as long as the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army is still here, we can keep using the move."

  "Yes, Young Master!"

  A messenger quickly left with this order.

  During the day, sixty to seventy thousand soldiers had died on the mountain. In this era, many armies would choose to either bury these bodies, push them off the mountain, or throw them somewhere else. But to Wang Chong, these bodies were still useful.

  Although the Anna
n Protectorate army was forced into passive defense during the day, the nighttime was completely different. Given Wang Chong's personality, he would never just sit down and wait for death. This was the only and best chance for the Tang to attack.

  As long as Ü-Tsang was still allied with Mengshe Zhao, Wang Chong would continue to disguise his troops as Tibetans and attack Mengshe Zhao or disguise his troops as Mengshe Zhao soldiers and attack Tibetans.

  "Call General Chen's group back!" Wang Chong said as he looked down at the fiery glow below.

  "In addition, tell them to come back around from the Tibetan side and raid the Tibetan camp before coming back. Tell them that they absolutely can't stop and fight at any place."

  "Yes, Young Master!"

  ……

  Raiding a camp had to be done when the enemy was not on their guard, and that period would only last for a moment, so one had to seize the opportunity. In addition, one had to continuously charge forward, not staying in any place for too long.

  Hit-and-run attacks meant that one gave a single hit and immediately ran, never remaining in place for long. Otherwise, it would become a proper battle.

  "HAHAHA…."

  As Luo Ji and Chen Guanshun led the Tang soldiers back, it was possible to hear their roaring laughter from the distance, their delight and pleasure clear in their voices. Disguising as Tibetans to attack Mengshe Zhao, as Mengshe Zhao to attack Tibetans… Only someone like Wang Chong could think of such a thing.

  "Milord, this plan was too wonderful."

  "The Tibetans and Mengshe Zhao soldiers are probably about to explode with rage!"

  "Dalun Ruozan has been completely suppressed by Young Master this time."

  "With Young Master here, what does our Annan Protectorate army have to fear?"

  "That's right! What Geluofeng, what Duan Gequan, what Huoshu Huicang or Dalun Ruozan? Are they even worth mentioning in front of Young Master?"

  ……

  In the flickering light of the torches, one could see that the faces of these soldiers were red with excitement. A mountain had been weighing down on all these soldiers during the southwest war, each day making it difficult for them to draw breath, but things were different now that Wang Chong was here.

  Not only could he leave legendary figures of the southwest like Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan standing helpless at the door, he could even launch an attack in the middle of the night and make complete fools out of them.

  It's enough that all the generals are confident.

  Wang Chong lightly chuckled. He could tell that this victory had caused their confidence to swell, raising the morale of the entire army with it.

  This was one of the reasons Wang Chong had had them go on the raid.

  However, although he was happy to hear their first words, Wang Chong couldn't help but frown at the last few words.

  "'Know yourself and know your enemies, and you will never be defeated.' Huoshu Huicang doesn't know me, so he would have never expected that I would choose this moment to launch a raid on his camp, causing him to fall into the trap. But this sort of thing can only happen once, not twice. Generals, none of you should get careless. Neither Huoshu Huicang nor Dalun Ruozan is easy to deal with."

  Although he was very happy to hear his soldiers boast about him, if they began to underestimate Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan, that would be a big problem. Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan had won their reputation through deeds, not flattery.

  Even the Tiger of the Empire, Zhangchou Jianqiong, had been unable to overcome them. How could such people be that easy to deal with?

  Even though he had won victory after victory, Wang Chong never dared to look down on them.

  It wasn't because he was afraid of them, but because Wang Chong knew that Huoshu Huicang, Dalun Ruozan, Geluofeng, and Duan Gequan had not begun to move because they believed that the time was not right for them to move.

  When that moment arrived, the true decisive battle would begin!

  No one, not the Great Tang, not Mengshe Zhao or Ü-Tsang, had anywhere to retreat to. And the casualties from that battle would be nothing like they were now.

  "Yes, Young Master!"

  When they heard Wang Chong's words, the soldiers immediately responded, respect on their faces.

  "The rest of the night should be fine. Everyone, go back and rest. Remember to stay on guard!"

  "Yes!"

  ……

  The night's ruckus finally settled down. Just as Wang Chong had expected, neither Dalun Ruozan nor Geluofeng made any attempts to fight or counterattack. Wang Chong's plans had been effective. This method of disguising as Tibetan or Mengshe Zhao soldiers was incredibly difficult to defend against, and until they did find an effective method for dealing with it, neither party would dare to rashly launch an attack in the middle of the night.

  Chapter 599: The Decisive Battle! Wang Chong's Difficulties!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  "Great Minister, when exactly will we begin the general offensive?"

  In the Tibetan commander tent, Geluofeng, Duan Gequan, Fengjiayi, Duan Yangyan, and all the Tibetan generals had gathered.

  "We must wait a little longer. The time isn't right yet," Dalun Ruozan firmly replied.

  A hint of anger appeared in the eyes of the Mengshe Zhao generals, but none of them dared to say anything.

  Although both sides of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang alliance had equal stature, everyone knew that the commander-in-chief of this battle was not anyone from Mengshe Zhao, but Ü-Tsang's Great Minister Dalun Ruozan.

  All the offensive plans were formulated by Dalun Ruozan.

  "Has Great Minister still not found out the extent of that brat's resources?" Geluofeng asked, a frown on his face.

  The boy of the Wang Clan had revealed an art of war completely different from what the other generals knew. Geluofeng had no objections if Dalun Ruozan wanted to sound the boy out. He was a ruthless and ambitious character, one who did not lack for daring. Once he agreed, he had essentially handed his authority over the battlefield to Dalun Ruozan, as well as the right to choose when the general offensive would begin.

  Since he had already made the promise, Geluofeng would cleave to it and would never rashly intervene.

  But in this probe, lasting from day to night, Mengshe Zhao had lost too many soldiers. The raid tonight had particularly infuriated everyone and was the reason they had all appeared here.

  No one had expected that the Tang would dare to conduct raids in their current state. This was nothing but naked humiliation.

  But if Dalun Ruozan had not gained any information despite the heavy price that they had paid, had still not found out anything about that boy, then Geluofeng found all this somewhat difficult to accept.

  "I'm about done, but it's still lacking a little something," Dalun Ruozan lightly said, glancing at Geluofeng and smiling.

  "Your Majesty, I know that you find all this difficult to endure, but think about it carefully. On the banks of the Erhai, your Whitestone Corps easily defeated the Annan Protectorate army. If this were still that Annan Protectorate army, then the forces Your Majesty dispatched yesterday should have been enough. Tibetan intervention should not have been necessary to defeat the Tang. But was that what really happened?"

  Geluofeng and the Mengshe Zhao generals replied with silence.

  Although it had just been a probe, the Mengshe Zhao army had still launched a vigorous offensive. Neither the Whitestone Corps nor the White Elephant Corps had held anything back. One could say that Mengshe Zhao had used the same level of forces that it had used in the battle of Erhai.

  But the result was the exact opposite of what had been expected.

  Dalun Ruozan was right on at least one point. Even Geluofeng had to admit that the Annan Protectorate army under Wang Chong was a completely new army.

  "But Great Minister, when can we launch the attack?" Geluofeng patiently asked. "The Great Tang currently can't find an
y troops, but if we continue to delay, the advantage will no longer be on our side."

  Mengshe Zhao had been able to defeat the Tang on the shores of the Erhai primarily by relying on their numbers. Three-hundred-thousand-some Mengshe Zhao soldiers, a mobilization of all the forces that could possibly be mustered, had battled against the 180,000 elites of the Annan Protectorate army who had left the protection of their fortifications and entered the plains, allowing Mengshe Zhao to win.

  And now that Mengshe Zhao had allied with Ü-Tsang, Geluofeng still felt that their greatest advantage was in numbers. It was precisely because the two armies combined had the absolute advantage in numbers, an army of four to five hundred thousand soldiers, that he felt such certitude in dealing with the not even one hundred thousand soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army.

  One did not abandon the nearby to request aid from the distant, and these constant probes only served to wear away at their manpower, a voluntary abandonment of their advantage. The Annan Protectorate army should have been dealt with by a single surge, relying on sheer numbers to completely annihilate the Tang.

  This was the best plan.

  No matter what methods their opponent had, they would all be useless in the face of sheer numbers.

  "Your Majesty, I know how many soldiers you lost last night and that your heart is brimming with anger. However, now is not the time to be angry. The opponent we are facing is far more formidable than we imagined."

  Dalun Ruozan decided to hide nothing from Geluofeng.

  "The art of war relies on confusing the false for real, the real for false. Although Zhangchou Jianqiong is praised as a Tiger of the Empire, even he would not have been able to force us into this state…"

  "Zhangchou Jianqiong is a cunning fox. If it were him, he would have never left the city. If he had left the city, then with our manpower, we would have united the southwest long ago."

  Geluofeng cut straight to the point.

  Zhangchou Jianqiong would never have allowed himself to be pushed into this sort of extremely passive and disadvantaged state. Given his personality, he would never even give his foes the opportunity.

  If Zhangchou Jianqiong still reigned over the southwest, Geluofeng would not have had the sliver of a chance. It wasn't because Zhangchou Jianqiong would be able to hold the line, but because Zhangchou Jianqiong would never have given Geluofeng the chance to strike.