Chapter 562: 562

Chapter 562: The Battle Begins!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Dalun Ruozan’s words only made Wang Yan furrow his brow . But behind him, Wang Chong couldn’t help but shiver .

This Dalun Ruozan is quite crafty! At this stage, there’s no more room for the Great Tang, Mengshe Zhao, and Ü-Tsang to back out . Someone like him has to understand this point . It doesn’t matter to him if Father or Xianyu Zhongtong agree to his proposal . His goal is to stir confusion and lower the morale of the army!

Wang Chong swept over the troops with his eyes . Just as expected, a few subtle changes were taking place in the once-united morale of the army . Although their resolve could not be described as weakening, and they certainly wouldn’t actually surrender, there was no doubt that their morale had fallen from its exuberant heights .

The minds of men are a delicate thing . No matter the situation, as long as there’s the smallest sliver of hope, one won’t give it up, even if they know this sliver of hope doesn’t actually exist . This is how the subconscious works . This is the instinctive response .

Wang Chong mentally sighed .

The superior person would use words to move the human heart, but the intelligent person didn’t care if one was moved . They would achieve their goals regardless . This was Wang Chong’s first time seeing this Great Minister of the Ngari Royal Lineage .

But in this single meeting, Wang Chong immediately realized that Dalun Ruozan was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined .

A heavy sword has no edge, and great skill lies in simplicity! A person like Dalun Ruozan has a certain aim with his every move . A few simple words were enough to deal a blow to the army’s morale! If this person doesn’t die, he’ll be a major problem for the Great Tang! Wang Chong quietly said to himself .

His father’s personality was not suitable to fight with a mouth like Dalun Ruozan’s . Wang Chong’s eyes quickly turned to Xianyu Zhongtong .

“Milord…”

Wang Chong suddenly took a few steps forward and began to whisper .

“Hahaha, since ancient times, the defeated general has always surrendered to the victorious general . I’ve never heard of the victorious general surrendering to the defeated general . Ü-Tsang has always claimed that its cavalry is invincible as it vies to dominate the world . But even in an advantageous situation, Ü-Tsang was not only no match for us, it even lost fifty thousand soldiers . How could this army be one worth surrendering to? Dalun Ruozan, don’t you think you’ve overestimated yourself too much?

“Yesterday was fifty thousand . How many do you think you will lose today?”

Xianyu Zhongtong’s roaring laughter echoed through the heavens .

“Bastard!”

Dalun Ruozan said nothing, but Jiaosiluo, Fengjiayi, and Longqinba turned purple with rage . Xianyu Zhongtong’s words clearly referred to their defeats from last night .

“Don’t worry about him . He’s intentionally trying to enrage you . Look around,” Dalun Ruozan sternly warned .

This note of caution caused them all to momentarily slow . Subconsciously, they looked around and saw that the morale of their troops had clearly been affected .

“This…”

For a moment, they were all speechless .

It was clear that this had been a type of psychological attack .

“Hmph!”

Dalun Ruozan coldly snorted and quickly raised his head to look back at the summit .

“Xianyu Zhongtong, good or bad, you’re still the grand Protector-General of the Annan Protectorate . When did you start acting as a spokesperson for someone else? You should just have that boy Wang Chong behind you come on out!”

Wang Chong and Xianyu Zhongtong both felt their hearts grow cold . Dalun Ruozan had an extremely sharp sense . With just a glance, he had noticed the truth .

“Hmph, Dalun Ruozan, the both of us should stop playing around with these word tricks . Do you still want to rely on your lips to settle a battle? If you have the capability, you should just prove it on the battlefield . “

There was no need for Wang Chong to offer words this time as Xianyu Zhongtong shot back with a cold retort .

Upon hearing this, Dalun Ruozan looked away and began to walk back into the rear .

“Since this is the case, I’ll grant your wish!”

……

“How is it?”

In a place a few steps away, Huoshu Huicang and Geluofeng swiftly paced up to meet Dalun Ruozan .

“That brat is harder to deal with than I had imagined, and more cautious as well . For someone like Xianyu Zhongtong to be so obedient was truly beyond my expectations . In such a short amount of time, it seems that child has managed to take complete control over the army . Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong even seem willing to assist him as his aides . This is truly foul news . “

Dalun Ruozan creased his brow as he spoke .

His original intention had been to see Wang Chong and see if his conjectures were true . He hadn’t expected Wang Chong to not come out at all, but Dalun Ruozan could do nothing about that .

Although he already knew Wang Chong’s identity, without seeing him, he wouldn’t be able to sound him out and determine what sort of person Wang Chong was .

“All of you have to be careful . This child is going to be very troublesome . “

“Might Great Minister be overestimating him too much?”

Geluofeng frowned . He could admit that Wang Chong might be different from normal teenagers . After all, a normal teenager would never be able to give the Tibetan cavalry such a thorough beating .

But even the most formidable teenager was still a teenager . Even if he had some legacy or military text, he was still a teenager . Geluofeng felt like Dalun Ruozan was placing him on too high of a pedestal .

“Hmph, I actually hope I’ve overestimated him . But as for what he’s really like, we’ll find out soon . “

Dalun Ruozan left with a flick of his sleeve .

I don’t believe that you can keep hiding forever…

Dalun Ruozan quickly vanished into the crowd . The matter behind him no longer had anything to do with him . It was now time for generals like Huoshu Huicang and Duan Gequan to step onto the stage .

……

“A moment ago, why didn’t you show yourself?”

At almost the same time, on the summit, Xianyu Zhongtong turned to look confusedly at Wang Chong . Dalun Ruozan had mentioned by name that he wanted to see Wang Chong, yet Wang Chong had elected to remain hidden .

Although Xianyu Zhongtong didn’t think there was a need for Wang Chong to see Dalun Ruozan, he still felt like Wang Chong had been intentionally hiding behind him .

Even from Xianyu Zhongtong’s standpoint, this didn’t seem necessary .

“No!”

In a place where the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army couldn’t see, Wang Chong shook his head, caution on his face .

“Dalun Ruozan is an extremely formidable individual . Although it’s not obvious from his appearance, his every move has a deeper meaning . Dalun Ruozan knows this entire army like the back of his hand, including Father and Lord Protector-General, so he can target all of you based on your personalities .

“The Art of War said it well: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated . In this entire army, the only person that Dalun Ruozan doesn’t understand is me . The less he knows about me, the more cautious he will be and the less recklessly he’ll act . This way, the only person you’ll have to deal with is Huoshu Huicang . But if he also knows me like the back of his hand, things will be completely different… Don’t forget, Ü-Tsang’s Ngari Royal Lineage has always paired one civil and one military official, one minister and one general, and they’ve always helped each other succeed . They’re like two walls pressing up against our Great Tang .

“When dealing with someone like this, it’s not possible to be overly cautious,” Wang Chong said with an incredibly wary expression .

Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong might not be able to see it, but Wang Chong was well aware that in this battle, Dalun Ruozan presented a far greater threat than Huoshu Huicang or Duan Gequan .

Any underestimation of this Ü-Tsang Great Minister would only be a detriment to oneself .

“Father, Lord Xianyu, the Tibetans and the Mengshe Zhao soldiers are about to attack . I leave the rest up to you two,” Wang Chong said .

“Mm!”

As Wang Chong brought up this matter, both Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong began to focus . Although Dalun Ruozan had attempted a psychological attack with his advice to surrender, he was not their actual opponent .

The lives of one hundred thousand soldiers and nearly one million civilians were tied to this battle .

“I’m going down first!”

With a flick of his cape, Xianyu Zhongtong descended the mountain .

Although his strategy and tactics were not suitable for him to be a commander-in-chief, he was also over-qualified to be a general . Moreover, the metal slabs Wang Chong had used to set up the defense made it seem like city walls lining a mountain . This was precisely the terrain that Xianyu Zhongtong was skilled in defending .

And in terms of understanding of the Annan Protectorate army, no one could compare to Xianyu Zhongtong . In the battle of Erhai, if Xianyu Zhongtong hadn’t had to leave the city he was defending, stripping himself of his expertise to launch an attack on a terrain not at all suitable to his skillset, Geluofeng might not have been able to inflict such grievous losses .

By leaving, Xianyu Zhongtong was clearly expressing his stance: he was truly leaving the empire’s southwest to Wang Chong .

With Xianyu Zhongtong gone, only Wang Yan and his son were left on the summit .

“Chong-er, although I didn’t hope for you to appear here, our Wang Clan is still a clan of ministers and generals . Whether one is a minister or general, our duty is to devote ourselves to the Empire, to the Great Tang! Since you have talent in the art of war, don’t waste it . Your father believes in you!”

Wang Yan turned and faced Wang Chong as he spoke . His eyes were suffused with complex emotions, but even more anticipation .

At this stage of the southwestern war, everyone was looking forward to Wang Chong’s performance . At the very least, both Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong had already lost to him .

“Yes, Father!”

Wang Chong clenched his fists, his heart deeply moved .

He had once dreamed about fighting alongside his father, but those had been dreams that could never be fulfilled . Although his father had always encouraged him to join the army, his strict personality forbade his son from joining him on the front lines .

Given his father’s nature, for him to say such words and be so certain of him was already quite decent .

Wang Yan quickly took his leave .

Like Xianyu Zhongtong, Wang Yan had also gone to command the army . In the one hundred thousand Tang soldiers, besides the sixty-thousand-some Annan Protectorate army soldiers, the rest were the troops that Wang Yan had commanded and the reinforcements sent by the Imperial Court .

Although Wang Yan didn’t understand the Annan Protectorate army, in commanding these soldiers, not even Xianyu Zhongtong could compare to him .

There was probably no one in the world except Wang Chong who could get these two elite defensive generals to wholeheartedly submit themselves .

Bwoooom!

The mournful horns accompanied the beating of drums rising from the enemy camp . The earth quaked as the dense ranks of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army began to move like some primordial beast .

A powerful killing intent rose from the void and quickly shrouded the entire battlefield .

“Zhang Shouzhi, get ready! The final step!”

At the same time, on the summit, Wang Chong swung down his right hand and gave his final order .

Crsssh!

“Pour!”

……

On the summit, the hundreds of craftsmen and sword smiths began to open large metal boxes . With a rustle, countless metal caltrops rolled out of the boxes, filling a region around twenty zhang wide along the mountain .

These caltrops were covered in sharp points, the longest measuring several feet; the shortest, five or six inches . These caltrops of various sizes formed a thick carpet as they poured down the mountain, filling out the last gap in the summit’s defenses .

The battle had finally begun .