Chapter 536: Argument! Zhangchou Jianqiongs Token! (1/2)
Chapter 536: Argument! Zhangchou Jianqiong's Token!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”After them!”
The Tang army closely pursued the fleeing Tibetans. Only after chasing them for ten-some li and killing several thousand more Tibetans did the Tang army finally give up the chase. Vision was limited in this downpour, and the Tibetans were running with all their might, so not even Wang Chong could completely wipe them out.
But the results of this battle had still completely surpassed everyone's expectations.
Forty-thousand-some soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army had fought against a force of seventy thousand primarily made of Tibetan cavalry, yet for the price of only five to six thousand soldiers, they had eliminated more than fifty thousand cavalry. This ten-to-one ratio in casualties was something that no one had expected to see.
The morale of the Annan Protectorate army was high, and they were all eager to fight.
”Young Master, what should we do next?”
In a place ten-some li from the mountain range, the generals stopped and began to looked through the pouring rain at Wang Chong, respect in their eyes.
Wang Chong was no noble or official, nor was he a soldier of the Annan Protectorate army.
For such a person to take command of an army was unthinkable. After all, Wang Chong was probably the youngest person in the entire army, with many of the generals even being old enough to be his father. And this wasn't even considering the fact that around ninety percent of the Annan Protectorate army's officer core had never seen him before.
But no one would quarrel about his command now.
These officers had been fighting Fengjiayi and Jiaosiluo for quite some time, and they had always been on the losing side. Things only began to change when this youth ascended to the summit and took the reins of the army. One could say that without this youth, many of the people present would have died on that mountain behind them.
Heroism did not consider one's background. By now, nobody paid any attention to Wang Chong's age or his lack of rank or title.
This youth possessed a talent for command that far surpassed any of the other people present. If there was one person that could lead them all out of their current predicament, it would have to be this youth. This quality was far more important than the fact that he was Wang Yan's youngest son or that he carried King Song's token.
This was the consensus shared by all the soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army present.
”We don't need to worry about Jiaosiluo and Fengjiayi for the moment. The urgent task should be to find Lord Xianyu Zhongtong and join up with him as quickly as possible,” Wang Chong firmly said.
He had come to this conclusion some time ago. The soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army led by his father and big brother were only forty thousand, only a part of the initial eighty thousand. If they did not find Xianyu Zhongtong as quickly as possible and combine with the army he commanded, they would be doomed if they ran into Huoshu Huicang.
”But we don't even know where they are!”
At this point, Chen Shusun rode over from the rear, his expression solemn. As the rain washed down his armor, it came away with a greenish-gray tinge.
”In addition, our initial objective was to break out and leave, doing the utmost to preserve everyone's lives. If we turn around, we'll be taking a large risk. Without the protection of this mountain range, we'll be at the geographic disadvantage, and the Tibetans will just run us down over the plains. Besides, Huoshu Huicang and the bulk of the Tibetan army are hurrying over to this area. If we go back to find Lord Xianyu, the delay might mean that we run into the Tibetan army, and I don't think any of us will be able to come away from that alive. And the entire army will be wiped out with us! This isn't Lion City anymore! From the moment we left Lion City, we stopped having any walls or natural barriers to rely on.”
These words instantly caused the other generals to fall into deep thought.
Another Annan Protectorate army officer voiced his agreement. ”That's right—from the moment we left Lion City, we no longer had a way to go back. Since Fengjiayi has already found us, Huoshu Huicang and Geluofeng probably already know where we are and their armies are probably headed for us right now. Each moment we tarry here increase the danger that we're in!”
”The Annan Protectorate army definitely can't be buried here. If the army is wiped, the Annan Protectorate will exist only in name!” another officer agreed.
Another commander rode his horse forward and said, ”In truth, before we attempted the breakout, everyone already understood. The combined army of Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang is sweeping away everything before it, and it's not something any of us can stop. It's wishful thinking to hope that everyone can retreat. There are some people who simply won't be able to escape, everything depending on one's own luck. That's how it is for us and everyone else. I'm sure Lord Xianyu understands this principle as well. Everyone will have to depend on themselves to see if they can escape.”
What followed was a long silence.
The only sound was that of raindrops plinking against armor. Wang Chong said nothing, but as his gaze swept over the surrounding generals of the southwest, his brow slowly furrowed.
I didn't think that Xianyu Zhongtong would lose the confidence of the Annan Protectorate army so quickly, Wang Chong quietly said to himself. When Zhangchou Jianqiong entered the capital, Xianyu Zhongtong was hurriedly promoted. Perhaps it would have been fine if he had some merit to make up for his defeats, but after the defeat in the southwest and the loss of more than one hundred thousand elites on the Erhai plains, there are probably many people unhappy with him! They're just not saying it right now, that's all.
He had never clearly understood what had happened with the Annan Protectorate army's mobilization, but now that he thought about it, there had probably been many dissatisfied voices in the army, and perhaps quite a few who objected to Zhangchou Jianqiong's choice for promotion. The loss at Erhai had caused Xianyu Zhongtong to completely lose the hearts of his soldiers.
Many people were stepping up to oppose Wang Chong's decision now only because they wanted to vent their discontent.