Wang Chong turned his head, his lips curling into a faint smile at Bai Siling's furious appearance. After spending a while with Bai Siling, he was beginning to find her worried and angry appearance rather cute.
Bai Siling froze for a moment, and just when she was about to ask just what this plan was, she was interrupted by the galloping of hooves. A horseman was riding in from the north, stirring a large cloud of dust. From the distance, he could be heard shouting, "News!"
After passing through the city gate, the rider quickly dismounted and made his way up to the city wall, where he clasped his fists and got down on one knee in front of Wang Chong.
"Lord Marquis, this subordinate has finished the investigation according to your orders and has come back to report!"
"How was it?" Wang Chong said, clasping his hands behind him.
"Reporting to Lord Marquis! We've investigated the Qixi Protectorate headquarters. Everything there is proceeding normally, and the Lord Protector-General has not made any strange movements," the kneeling rider said.
Then what of the border between Qixi and Ü-Tsang?" Wang Chong asked.
"Reporting to Lord Marquis: other brothers went to investigate. Everything appeared normal, but…"
The rider hesitated, his eyes occasionally glancing at Bai Siling.
"It's fine. You can speak plainly. She's one of our own," Wang Chong said.
In the military, it was a rule that intelligence reports could not be lightly told to those outside the army. In her long dress, Bai Siling clearly did not seem like someone from the army, so the rider had been somewhat apprehensive.
"Yes, Lord Marquis! We made a careful inspection and realized that on the border between Qixi and the Tibetan Plateau, the defenses on the east are as normal, but the defenses on the western lines have clearly become much sparser, with fewer troops stationed there," the kneeling rider said with lowered head.
Wang Chong raised his head and muttered, "The defenses on the western line… isn't that exactly where our City of Steel is? Fumeng Lingcha is trying to divert the floodwaters, borrow another's knife to commit murder!"
These words left the rider and Bai Siling trembling in shock, especially Bai Siling. She had been at Wang Chong's side this entire time, but she still had no idea what countermeasures Wang Chong had made.
"Wang Chong, do you mean that Fumeng Lingcha wants to use Ü-Tsang to deal with you?" Bai Siling blurted out.
When Bai Siling said these words, her body was ice-cold and her hands and feet were trembling in panic.
The grandiose Qixi Protector-General of the Great Tang was actually planning to invite the Tibetans into the border to deal with Wang Chong. This could be considered treason, and if this news were to get out, it would unleash a storm that would shake the entire court.
"It's not that he wants to, but this is his only method. Although Qixi has many strong soldiers, those are soldiers of the Great Tang. If he were to use the soldiers of Qixi to deal with me, he would be digging his own grave. The risk would be far too great, and His Majesty would never spare him. Fumeng Lingcha has been in the army for many years and is a meticulous planner. He would never leave behind such a massive flaw. Thus, allowing the Tibetans in and borrowing them to kill me is the only solution," Wang Chong lightly said, his gaze sharp and perceptive.
Fumeng Lingcha might have come with a fierce momentum, but Wang Chong knew that the cards available to him were actually rather limited.
"Withdraw!" Wang Chong quickly turned back to the rider.
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
The rider immediately left down the stairs.
"Sanyuan, has the person that Old Eagle sent arrived?" Wang Chong suddenly said.
"Reporting to Lord Marquis: he arrived an hour ago and is currently awaiting Lord Marquis's summons," came a voice from behind him.
Wang Chong nodded and headed down the walls.
Within the City of Steel was a newly-constructed building of upturned eaves and arches. It was here that Wang Chong met the disciple Old Eagle had dispatched. This was a youth of fourteen or fifteen with a rather ordinary appearance and rough skin. He was the sort of person that would immediately be forgotten in a crowd.
On his shoulder was an eagle around one foot long, with a sharp beak of gold and claws like hooks. This kind of eagle was a smaller species, and its gaze wasn't very sharp. Its eyes seemed rather turbid, giving it a rather dumb appearance.
"Paying respects to Lord Marquis!" Upon seeing Wang Chong, the youth quickly kneeled on the floor and bowed.
"You are Old Eagle's disciple?"
Wang Chong slightly creased his brow.
He rarely interfered in Old Eagle's concerns. While he was building the city in Wushang, countless birds had been observing him from the air, so Wang Chong had requested Old Eagle to send someone over. Old Eagle had quickly responded, saying that he would be sending a disciple that he was rather proud of. But Wang Chong had not expected that Old Eagle's disciple would be a teenager, and given how unimpressive the eagle on his shoulder was, Wang Chong truly found it hard not to feel discouraged.
But he had been with Old Eagle for so long that Wang Chong was confident that Old Eagle would never put in the bare minimum effort for such an important matter like this. There had to be some sort of explanation.
"Yes, Lord Marquis. This lowly person is an orphan that Master picked up in the capital. Afterward, I remained in Master's residence, learning how to train birds. During the southwest incident, Master did not let me go with him, so Lord Marquis has never met me before. That's right, I have a letter here from Master. Lord Marquis will understand everything after reading it."
The youth took a letter from his bosom and offered it with both hands.
Chapter 729: Cavalry Attack!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wang Chong skeptically took the letter and began to read it.
Although his brow was creased at the start, it slowly began to relax, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. Eventually, he put down the letter and gave the youth an extremely odd look.
In the letter, Old Eagle had given a detailed introduction of his disciple, bursting with praise for this unimpressive youth and even claiming that the boy could carry on his legacy and would be of great help to Wang Chong in Wushang.
Old Eagle had particularly mentioned that those who trained birds were completely different from what ordinary people imagined. This was especially the case for those people who gathered intelligence. The more ordinary one was, the less likely they were to attract anyone's notice.
In this aspect, Old Eagle's disciple was a perfect fit.
"Your master said that the eagle on your shoulder is completely different from ordinary eagles. It's a new breed recently produced from your master's hidden chamber and specializes in hunting and killing other birds. Can you give a demonstration?" Wang Chong said.
He was truly rather curious. Old Eagle had always bought his birds from bird sellers and then used a special method to train them into the best and most outstanding hunting birds.
But now things were different. Old Eagle had opened up a hidden chamber where he bred birds through his own special methods to develop unique and specific traits.
Such a thing had never happened before.
"Yes, Lord Marquis!" the youth responded, and stood up. As his head turned to the eagle on his shoulder, his eyes flashed with an astonishing light. In that moment, he appeared like a sword leaving its sheath, a sight so unforgettable that even Wang Chong found himself a little moved.
"Little Sha, strike!"
The youth patted the eagle's back and suddenly gave a sharp whistle. In an instant, the turbid-eyed and dispirited old eagle shook its feathers, and its gaze became incredibly sharp and intimidating.
Wang Chong had seen many birds, including the rock eagles of the Western Regions, the gyrfalcons of Goguryeo, and the Turkic hawk-eagles, but none of them had such an intimidating gaze, shar
per even than a sword.
Creee!
An almost metallic whistle could be heard as the eagle shot into the air like a lightning bolt. Boom! A hole appeared on the opposite wall. The sandalwood boards threaded with metal had been punched through and left shattered and broken. Countless claw marks had been left on them, each of them several inches deep as if the owner of these claws had cut through the boards as easily as tofu.
Creeee! There was another sharp cry as the eagle returned, shattering yet another wall as it flew back into the room and onto the boy's shoulder. As it drew back its metallic wings and drooped its eyes, the eagle returned to its turbid-eyed and dispirited self.
It was like nothing had happened. Only the shattered wood, the holes in the walls, and the deep claw marks served as evidence for what had happened.
"Not bad!" Wang Chong praised, his eyes bright. He finally understood why Old Eagle had dispatched this disciple and this bird.
"You may go now! I need you to watch the movements on the Qixi and Ü-Tsang border. This is the map. In addition, I've written out your instructions here."
As Wang Chong spoke, he took out a prepared map as well as a silk bag and handed them over.
"Yes, Lord Marquis!" the youth affirmed, and took both items before quickly leaving.
……
Time slowly passed, and night fell.
The winds howled across the vast plains, traveling from the Tibetan Plateau into the skies. The night grew late and the starlight dimmed. This was the moment when everyone tended to fall asleep, when they were at their drowsiest.
Gallop! Suddenly, the earth began to tremble as the sound of galloping hooves came out of the starry night. While almost inaudible at first, it quickly became a thunderous rumbling.
In the dim starlight, one could see thousands of cavalry, wave after wave sweeping forward. These cavalry were fully armed and armored, all of them quiet. They were like demon gods walking through the underworld, and the air was so oppressive as to be stifling.
"We're here!"
A harsh shout could be heard. At the very front of the cavalry was a pure-white steed with four hooves of blood. The Tibetan general on its back raised an arm, his body exuding vast waves of energy that caused the space in a radius of several dozen zhang around him to twist and contort.
His eyes looked forward, his expression cold.
"Ahead of us are the lands of the Great Tang. The people from the Qixi Protectorate have already withdrawn, so now is the time for us to move. Does everyone understand tonight's mission?"
"Yes!" all of the soldiers replied in frightening unison.
"Remember, kill Wang Chong and destroy the City of Steel, and tonight will be the night we wash away our Ü-Tsang's shame!"
The Tibetan general unsheathed his scimitar and howled, immediately taking the lead as he plunged down the plateau.
Neigh!
Thousands of highland steeds neighed as they flooded down the plateau, leaving behind thick clouds of dust. They galloped toward the City of Steel with an unstoppable momentum.
……
In the City of Steel, the light of thousands of furnaces blazed, making the sky as bright as day. Amongst the furnaces, tens of thousands of workmen were busying themselves on the walls.
This place was currently the busiest and most active place in all the Western Regions.
"Careful of the crane!"
"Teams eight and nine, remember to align the modules. Don't leave behind any gaps!"
"Workmen stand aside! Prepare to pour the solder!"
Countless craftsmen directed the work on the walls, issuing order after order. Now that a new batch of wall modules and steel had arrived, the City of Steel had once more become a hive of activity.
……
"Squads two and three, check on squad four. They went out on patrol, but why haven't they come back yet?"
While all the craftsmen were laboring, the people patrolling around the City of Steel also had no time to rest.
Ever since Fumeng Lingcha had come with his army, the City of Steel had been under heavy guard both day and night, with the range of patrols being expanded even farther.
Right now, if anyone got within ten kilometers of the city, the City of Steel would be warned and could prepare itself.
Outside the city, in the light of the furnaces, the cavalry captain in charge of patrols said, "Milord, squad four was led by Zhang Xiao. He's very strong and has always been cautious. They should be fine." They were all elites who had survived the war of the southwest and had extensive battle experience. They were more than well-equipped to deal with a situation like this.
But before the cavalry captain could finish speaking, a scream came out of the night.
"Ah! Careful, enemy!"
This voice was like a boulder crashing down, instantly sending waves of turmoil through the City of Steel. The tens of thousands of craftsmen working on the walls suddenly stopped and nervously turned in the direction of the scream. The atmosphere was deathly still.
It had always been peaceful and quiet around the City of Steel. Such a situation had never happened before. The most worrying thing was that though no one could see anything or tell what was going on, they could all hear that only someone on the verge of death could scream like that.
"Careful!"
"Everyone, get ready!"
The first to react were Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan. The two were in contact with the patrol squads night and day, and they could instantly recognize that this was the voice of fourth squad captain Zhang Xiao.
Zhang Xiao was definitely no weakling. No one knew what his squad had encountered, but one thing was certain: it had been ambushed.
Rumble! Following Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan's orders, the guards around the City of Steel began to gather. In a short while, they had taken up their orderly formations, exuding a dense killing intent of a heavily guarded fortress.
After surviving the war of the southwest, the cavalry under Wang Chong were far superior to ordinary cavalry, both in training and in strength.
Buzz!
While Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan were gathering the guards of the City of Steel, the workmen outside the city sensed the tension of the air and hurriedly fled into the city.
"What's happened?"
In a flash of white light, Bai Siling and Zhao Yatong mounted the walls. At the same time, another erect figure appeared beside them in a gust of wind.
"Lord Marquis!"
Upon seeing this figure, the surrounding people lowered their heads and bowed.
"That was Zhang Xiao's voice."
Wang Chong looked into the distance, his expression grim and his brow furrowed. He could remember everyone who had fought together with him, and all those he had brought to the City of Steel had extraordinary strength.
A guard on the wall lowered his head and reported, "Yes, Lord Marquis. As was routine, today was Zhang Xiao's turn to patrol the north, but he has yet to return. Lords Cheng and Su were preparing to send additional squads to check on him when the incident occurred."
Wang Chong said nothing, but his brow furrowed even tighter. It was quiet in the distance. After that wretched scream, there had been no other noise.
Wang Chong suddenly had a very bad feeling.
Zhang Xiao had taken part in the war of the southwest with him, and he was very experienced, his strength and training even more unquestionable. Wang Chong found it very difficult to imagine what sort of situation his squad could have encountered that could instantly wipe it out, without even a single person able to escape.
The strangest thing of all was that standing on the wall, Wang Chong could not hear a single thing in the darkness.
There were only two explanations for this situation. The first was that everyone in the City of Steel had a problem with their ears. The second was that the opponent who had come this time was far stronger than he had imagined.
The City of Steel was still, everyone staring in the dire
ction of the scream.
Thumpthumpthump!
Time slowly passed, and after some time, a sound could be heard. It was similar to that of galloping hooves, but also completely different. Moreover, it was far too soft a sound.
The atmosphere instantly grew tenser, with even the sounds of breathing growing smaller.
Creee!
When everyone was silently and nervously waiting, a shrill cry could be heard. It was a very sharp sound, one that none of them had ever heard before.
When he heard this sound, Wang Chong's complexion instantly turned solemn. He seemed to remember something, but in the short time available, he found it difficult to completely understand it.
"Look over there!" someone on the walls nervously shouted, pointing into the distance.
Chapter 730: The White Braves!
The shout had attracted everyone's attention. Through the dim starlight, the people on the walls could clearly see something approaching from the distance, getting closer and closer… Slowly, those blurred shadows became clearer and clearer, becoming the figures of numerous cavalry.
"Enemy!"
"Prepare for battle!"
……
Several dozen zhang from the walls, Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan stood at the front of their soldiers, their pupils constricting. Without hesitation, they pulled out their swords.
Clangclangclang!
At the same time, their hundreds of soldiers followed suit. There were no shouted signals or thundering drums and flapping banners, only countless sabers and swords glimmering in the cold starlight.
Forged in iron and blood, this army was now extremely disciplined and cohesive. This was definitely one of the most elite cavalry forces in this area.
"Kill!"
In the distance, that army that had traveled under the cover of darkness finally removed the veil. Urged on by that cry, thousands of soldiers pulled out their scimitars and began to howl, their shouts shaking the heavens and seemingly intent on tearing the skies apart.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 487