"Arrow Formation, charge!"
Wang Chong waved his sword and gave another order to charge. Ordinary cavalry after a battle like this would have been in chaos and would have been incapable of forming up so quickly.
But it took only a few seconds for the five thousand Wushang Cavalry to carry out Wang Chong's order, immediately assuming the 'Arrow Formation'. Boom! In a single charge, the Tibetan cavalry that had just reformed were immediately scattered again.
"Aaaaah!"
Screams filled the air, as did the sounds of warhorses crashing against each other, neighing, and the clashing of weapons, all of it forming a discordant symphony. Even when Dayan Pugyal was there, the Tibetan army had still been incapable of stopping the Wushang Cavalry charge, and now that Dayan Pugyal was dead, the remaining Tibetans had lost the buff of his halo and were even less of a match.
The battle on the steppe had instantly turned into a one-sided massacre!
Chapter 756: Dayan Mangban's Rage!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Buzz!
Wang Chong sat on his horse, watching as the Tibetans crumbled and fled. He quickly looked away, closing his eyes to cultivate.
The blood energy within him was roiling. He had absorbed at least half of Dayan Pugyal's Stellar Energy, and this was Saint Martial Stellar Energy, so he would need seven to eight minutes to fully absorb it and make it his own.
The energy of the Saint Martial realm truly is formidable. Even just being able to kill a Saint Martial realm expert like Dayan Pugyal makes this raid worth it.
As Wang Chong closed his eyes, his mind was at work.
Dayan Pugyal had still been too careless. He had been overconfident in his martial arts but had no understanding of who he was facing. In that era of the great calamity in which many martial arts were mixed together to a high degree, there were far too many methods to deal with powerful commanders on the battlefield.
The 'Cutting Formation' was one of these.
Using the strength of five thousand Wushang Cavalry to bring Dayan Pugyal's Stellar Energy to its lowest and then killing him in a single stroke was a classic example of using the Cutting Formation to kill a powerful foe.
If it had been one of Wang Chong's future opponents, they would naturally know how to use their forces to stop the Cutting Formation, but Dayan Pugyal had had no awareness of this, much less even paid attention to what the Wushang Cavalry were doing. For him to end up dead wasn't surprising at all.
……
"Ah!"
"Don't kill me!"
"I'm willing to surrender!"
Panicked and fearful cries in Tibetan could be heard, but only Wang Chong could understand what they were saying.
Screams filled the air and the stench of blood grew thicker and thicker…
Wang Chong remained unmoving, his eyes closed as he pushed the Halo of Dusk Stallion to its limit. His heart was utterly unaffected by those screams.
These Tibetan recruits of Zhangzhung would eventually become the fiercest and most savage warriors of the plateau, nightmares for the surrounding countries, including the Great Tang.
If his heart was soft now, then in the future, thousands of Great Tang civilians would become ghosts under their iron hooves, so Wang Chong felt no pity.
The galloping of horses and the shouts of soldiers fighting and chasing were interspersed by gusts of wind blowing across the steppe. All throughout, Wang Chong remained where he was. Gradually, the sounds of fighting began to grow softer and softer until they became inaudible.
"Reporting!"
A galloping horse approached, its rider dismounting and kneeling before Wang Chong.
"Lord Marquis, the battle is over. All the Tibetans have been wiped out, with only a few managing to scatter and escape. Lord Xu has already brought some soldiers to pursue them. Does Lord Marquis wish to send more?"
"There's no need!"
Wang Chong waved his hand and opened his eyes.
"Give the signal for withdrawal. Tell General Li and the others to gather the army and get ready to leave."
Dayan Pugyal had been killed and his goal had been achieved. The remaining Tibetan warriors who had fled would only serve as the ideal heralds for his exploits.
This was not the first time the Great Tang had ascended to the Tibetan Plateau, and it would not be the last. Dayan Pugyal and his twenty thousand recruits of Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp would serve as the best warning for the Ü-Tsang Empire. In the future, they would understand that any sort of aggression toward the Great Tang would be biting off more than they could chew, and would only invite the frenzied vengeance of the Great Tang.
"Yes!"
Receiving his orders, the rider quickly mounted his warhorse and left. A few moments later, a horn blared and the five thousand Wushang Cavalry swiftly gathered together. Behind them, stretching into the distance, mountains of corpses and streams of blood fertilized the earth. The corpses of Tibetans and highland steeds could be seen everywhere amidst fallen scimitars and broken black war banners.
Thick smoke and the light of fire could be seen in the distance: the blazing Zhangzhung Training Camp. In a single day, this massive training camp of great fame had become nothing.
"Hyah!"
After one last glance, Wang Chong waved his hand and brought his soldiers away from the Tibetan Plateau, leaving on the path they had arrived on.
The grass on the plateau swayed in the wind, with the corpses and the thick stench of blood serving as the only remaining witnesses to this battle.
Around six hours after Wang Chong's forces had left, the earth began to quake under a stampede of hooves as a large army approached.
"Aaaaah!"
The ruins of Zhangzhung Training Camp, the thousands of dead recruits, and the bodies of the seven thousand red-armored Qinghai Soldiers made the leading Tibetan general raise his head to the heavens and bellow in fury.
Flapflap!
Soon after, thousands of messenger birds took off into the air, flying in every direction. The news of the death of Dayan Pugyal and the destruction of Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp soon spread to the entire plateau, stunning the empire.
"What?!"
The distant royal capital of Ü-Tsang experienced a massive earthquake. Bang! In the incense-shrouded palace, the Tsenpo slapped his desk and stood up.
"Impossible! I don't believe that such a thing could happen! What are Dusong Mangpoje and Huoshu Huicang doing? Several thousand Tang soldiers couldn't possibly kill twenty-seven thousand recruits, and there were even seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers. So many Tang, such a large target, can't possibly have gone unnoticed! Just how did they manage to get by our defenses?"
The Tsenpo's rage was on full display, his entire body trembling from shock. He could accept the loss of the ordinary recruits, but the seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers and Dayan Pugyal were the essence of the empire, the condensed sweat and blood of Ü-Tsang. The Tsenpo found it impossible to accept that they had been wiped out in a single day without any sort of warning.
"Have you found out anything about those Tang?" the Ü-Tsang Imperial Great Minister Dalon Trinling asked. In comparison to the enraged Tsenpo, he had a much more composed expression, but the trembling of his fingers betrayed his agitation.
The shock Dalon Trinling felt at this news was no less than anyone else's, but he was a very calm and steady person who rarely displayed his emotions on his face. However, there was no doubt that the destruction of Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp was a massive blow to the empire.
The Tibetan Plateau soared into the clouds, distancing it from the surrounding countries. It was land gifted by the heavens to the Tibetan people. It had been many years since the Tang had fought their way onto the plateau, and many more since so many Tibetans had died upon it.
It had been more than thirty years since the previous incident.
Even more unacceptable was that still no one knew how the Tang
cavalry had managed to avoid the many layers of defense and get so deep into the interior.
"Replying to Great Minister, we've already finished the investigation. According to the survivors from Zhangzhung Training Camp, the attackers numbered around five thousand. Although they didn't have many soldiers, they were extremely powerful."
"Five thousand people?"
Dalon Trinling's face flickered in surprise.
Zhangzhung Training Camp had more than twenty thousand Tibetan cavalry. If the Tang had come with a similar-sized force, then a defeat was somewhat understandable, but if it was only five thousand, then the result was far too incredible.
"Yes. We've asked many survivors and they all gave the same answer. The enemy force was far smaller than ours," reported the general of the force that was first to arrive at Tsongkha. "In addition, we found a letter in Zhangzhung Training Camp. It was hanging from the black war banner of the camp."
"Bring it up!" Dalon Trinling said.
The general quickly stepped forward and respectfully offered the letter with both hands.
Dalon Trinling opened the letter and began to read it. It was written in Han, not Tibetan.
But this naturally wasn't a problem for Dalon Trinling.
'To the people of Ü-Tsang: Those who commit crimes against the Central Plains will be punished, no matter how far away they are. This is how it was in ancient times, and the present is no different. In the battle of Qixi, five thousand Tang were killed and General Pulan slain in battle, and as they say, to not reciprocate would be rude. Today, I stepped onto the plateau and sent a large gift that I hope all of you will happily accept!
'Young Marquis of the Great Tang, Wang Chong'!
When he saw the signature at the end, Dalon Trinling's eyes narrowed and his complexion paled.
He had suspected all sorts of possibilities, like a long-distance raid by Geshu Han or some exceptional force sent by Fumeng Lingcha, but he had never expected to see this name.
Wang Chong!
In Ü-Tsang, more people were paying attention to this name than were focusing on Geshu Han or Fumeng Lingcha, and yet Dalon Trinling had never predicted that he would be the perpetrator!
The war of the southwest had concluded not too long ago and the plague was still troubling the plateau, yet this name had appeared once more on the plateau, and had even succeeded in cutting down one of the Ü-Tsang Empire's most prestigious recruit training centers.
"Bastard!"
Dalon Trinling clenched his fist, his face ashen as killing intent swelled up in his heart.
……
The incident at Tsongkha's Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp was made known throughout all of Ü-Tsang. The distant northern border had received the same news as the royal capital.
This enormous incident brought about the same massive shock as it had in the capital. No! Not only shock, but an extreme anger as well.
"Wang Chong!!!"
As this bellow shook the heavens, a frightening and destructive wave of energy instantly blew apart a black tent.
"General!!"
The surrounding White Braves backed away in fear. After hearing of the death of Dayan Pugyal and the destruction of Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp, all of them knew that their general was currently at his angriest, most frightening, and most dangerous state. After all, the two had shared the surname of 'Dayan' and had come from the Dayan Clan.
"Wang Chong!! I won't let you get away!"
Dayan Mangban stood in the ruins of his tent, his eyes red and seething with a killing intent so intense that the air itself seemed to contort. The air around the tent seemed to blur, and while it was possible to see a black figure standing in the air, it was impossible to clearly make out Dayan Mangban's face.
Chapter 757: After Action Report!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The Tsenpo's letter had already reached Dayan Mangban's hands. It was simply the very same letter that Wang Chong had left at Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp, without any additional commentary. 'Five thousand Tang were killed and General Pulan slain'. Others might not understand the meaning of Wang Chong's words, but Dayan Mangban did.
Wasn't the person Wang Chong was referring to in the letter him?
By just giving him the letter, the Tsenpo's meaning was loud and clear. This matter had started because of him, so he was responsible for solving it.
"Wang Chong, I'll definitely make you and that Great Tang of yours regret this!"
Dayan Mangban clutched Wang Chong's letter, his teeth clenched and madness in his eyes. Zhangzhung Training Camp had been destroyed, Dayan Pugyal killed, seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers still in training killed… Even Dayan Mangban's heart was bleeding.
He was particularly grief-stricken by the seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers. If they had completed their training, they would have become an elite Tibetan force on par with his White Braves, but Wang Chong had killed all of them, not letting a single one escape. This had stunned all of Ü-Tsang and was the true reason for Dayan Mangban's madness.
He had only killed one Pulan He and five thousand Qixi soldiers, but Wang Chong had destroyed Zhangzhung Training Camp, killing Dayan Pugyal, seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers, and twenty thousand additional recruits… Such vengeance had completely surpassed his expectations.
Even though Dayan Mangban was often called the Asura of the Battlefield, even though he was a veteran of countless battles, he still found this result difficult to bear.
While he had dealt a heavy wound to the Qixi Protectorate army, Wang Chong had heavily wounded an entire empire!
"Wang Chong, I will kill you. I will definitely kill you!" Dayan Mangban swore through clenched teeth, an indescribable madness and impulsiveness surging through him.
"Pass on my order! Gather the army and prepare to attack the City of Steel!"
"But, Milord, the City of Steel's walls are both tall and sturdy. As cavalry, we do not have enough siege weapons, nor are we suited for attacking a city. In addition… in the last assault, we provoked Qixi Protector-General Fumeng Lingcha. He is currently putting all his strength into defending the Qixi border, and I'm afraid that our strength won't be enough to bypass them."
"So what? If Fumeng Lingcha dares to stop me, then we'll attack Fumeng Lingcha! No matter what, I will have the Great Tang pay the price!!"
Dayan Mangban's voice was a furious bellow by this point.
Fumeng Lingcha was an Imperial Great General of the Great Tang, an existence who stood at the same level as Dusong Mangpoje, and might even be a little stronger in terms of pure strength. Not even Dusong Mangpoje dared to recklessly exchange blows with him, much less a Brigadier General like Dayan Mangban. But Dayan Mangban no longer cared about such things.
Who cared if it was Fumeng Lingcha? If he wanted to kill, he would kill!!
Gallop! A few moments later, Dayan Mangban had mounted his warhorse and rumbled off toward Qixi with his forces.
……
At the same time, in the distant Big Dipper City of Longxi…
"Reporting! Lord Protector-General, there's strange activity on the plateau. We've discovered that the Tibetan armies are moving strangely!" A horseman hurried into Big Dipper City, bearing news that immediately stirred a turmoil within.
"What are the Tibetans up to? The previous battle just concluded. Are they already looking to start a new one?"
The Big Dipper Army had stood sentinel on the Longxi border for many years, in a constant standoff with the Tibetans, so it was extremely sensitive to the movements on the plateau. These strange movements meant only one thing to the Big Dipper Army: another war was about to begin!
The Big Dipper Army didn't fear war. The only thing that infuriated them was that they had just forced back the Tibetans not too long ago, and now they were coming back again. Did the ambition of the Tibetans have no end?
"Milord, let's ready the army and prepare to welcome them!"
"The Tib
etans can never learn. This time, we have to give them a savage lesson!"
The Big Dipper Army generals were all infuriated by this news.
"Wait a moment. Don't rashly make conclusions before everything is fully investigated," Geshu Han said with furrowed brow.
Although the movements of the Tibetans instinctively made one think that a new war was about to start, as Longxi Great General, Geshu Han sensed that something wasn't right. Although the Tibetans were a combative people, they would usually only mobilize if they were confident. This time, their Great General We Tadra Khonglo had already withdrawn and no longer had any decisive advantage, and their other Great Generals would fare no better against Geshu Han, so the Tibetans shouldn't have been so impulsive.
"Scout, find out more!" Geshu Han said.
"Yes!"
The scout rider quickly left with his order.
Around an hour later, a new piece of news entered the city, leaving everyone stupefied.
The Ü-Tsang Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp had been destroyed, twenty-seven thousand recruits killed, including the seven thousand elite Qinghai Soldiers, and their commanding general Dayan Pugyal slain in battle, leaving corpses carpeting the ground. It had already been confirmed that it was five thousand Tang that had attacked the camp, and the Tibetans were currently investigating just how the five thousand Tang had managed to get up the plateau!
Let alone the veteran generals of the Big Dipper Army, even Geshu Han was dumbstruck by this news.
As the garrisoned army of Longxi, the Big Dipper Army had a far greater understanding of Ü-Tsang than any of the other armies. Thus, it was deeply aware of the significance of Tsongkha's Zhangzhung Recruit Training Camp to Ü-Tsang. There had even been many times when Geshu Han had wanted to launch a raid and destroy Zhangzhung Training Camp, but the large distance and the size of the necessary force made it easy to be discovered and have his retreat cut off… This and various other reasons had forced him to give up on the idea.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 503