Chapter 550: The Capital! The Unfathomable Mind of the Emperor! (1/2)
Chapter 550: The Capital! The Unfathomable Mind of the Emperor!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Let's go!”
Wang Chong, standing beside two large trees, waved his hand. Splash! This single action caused a massive transformation. In this deserted area in which only Wang Chong, Xu Shiping, and Xu Andun seemed to be standing, countless figures began to emerge from the ground. In just a few moments, thousands of soldiers had crawled out from the ground, either holding weapons or wiping the mud from their bodies.
And farther in the distance, even more of the Annan Protectorate army emerged from the scattered hills.
Huoshu Huicang's judgment had been correct. Wang Chong really had prepared a large trap for him to charge into, a trap that involved forty to fifty thousand soldiers. These forces, coupled with the returning cavalry and the reserve troops, were truly enough to have Huoshu Huicang drink his fill.
But now, none of it could be used.
”Pass on my order. There's no need to worry about the Tibetans behind us. All troops should march at full speed. We only have one day. After today, Huoshu Huicang will rejoin with the Mengshe Zhao army, and their combined forces will definitely march at full speed to catch up with us. This period of time is our only chance. No matter what, we have to reach that place within this time.
”If we can't reach it, then the only thing awaiting all of us will be death. That place is our only chance to live!”
Wang Chong surveyed the officers gradually gathering around him, his voice grave.
The pursuit of Huoshu Huicang and the Tibetan army had temporarily come to an end, but for Wang Chong, this battle was far from over. This time, however, his opponent was no longer Huoshu Huicang's armored cavalry, but the Annan Protectorate army itself.
Escaping from Lion City and successfully breaking out only meant gaining a chance to struggle on death's door. Under the resplendent success of the two parts of the Annan Protectorate army rejoining were far too many dangers. Without the protection of Lion City, without the protection of the dark night, with no once-in-a-decade storm, no natural barriers, the Great Tang army was no match for the Mengshe-Ü-Tsang army.
More importantly, there were no more provisions in the southwest!
Neigh!
Warhorses neighed as the Tang army, under the cover of the rain, swiftly traveled to the northeast…
For the first time in this war, the southwest finally welcomed a peaceful night, the last peaceful night!
……
Rumble!
A dazzling bolt of lightning wriggled across the dark clouds hanging over the capital like a snake. Unlike the storm shrouding the southwest, the clouds over the capital only had lightning and thunder, with no rain. This sort of storm was known amongst the common people as 'empty lightning'.
This sort of weather had persisted over the capital for several days now.
The dangers in the southwest, the imminent fall of the front lines, and the intense battles taking place in Longxi, Anbei, Andong, and Anxi had made the atmosphere tense and nervous. Not since the founding of the dynasty had such a situation ever occurred.
”Eunuch Gao, I was wondering if you could assist me in passing on a message to His Majesty. Just say that this lowly minister has a request!”
Deep within the Imperial Palace, in the forbidden grounds, a man with a square face and large ears, dressed in the silk robes of an imperial eunuch, stood in front of a set of jade steps. His complexion was smooth and amiable, his body plump, making him appear much like the Sakyamuni Buddha descended to earth. In front of him, a civil minister and a leader of the Imperial Army were kneeling on the ground.
”Eunuch Gao, I would trouble you to pass a message to the Sage Emperor. The southwest is in critical danger! Our two hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army are willing to go to the southwest!
”Danger besets us from every side, and there are no troops that we can use for the moment. Mobilizing the Imperial Army is the best method. Sir Eunuch, an appropriate method exists for everything!”
One of the kneeling figures struck his head to the floor: the Commander of the Imperial Army, Zhao Fengchen.
The war in the southwest had persisted for some time now. The several thousand clan experts and hired warriors that Wang Chong had led to the south had vanished like foam on the waves, leaving not a single ripple behind. In the view of many people, his end was obvious. To the war in the southwest, several thousand soldiers was like a cup of water to a burning cart.
Without a sufficiently large army, trying to deal with the five hundred thousand soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army was like trying to beat a rock with an egg. Thus, many people had known how Wang Chong's forces would end up from the very beginning. Although they admired his courage, this was not a wise decision. In the end, one could only rely on the Imperial Court's army.
The silk-robed eunuch smiled and replied, ”Hahaha, Commander Zhao, please, do not speak such confused words. If the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army go south, who will protect the capital? What if the foreign cavalry launch a surprise attack? Do you want the Sage Emperor to be surrounded by enemies? Although the Sage Emperor possesses wondrous abilities and is not worried about such things, will we, as ministers, still have the face to continue living?”
In the inner grounds of the Imperial Court, the only person who had the surname Gao and was treated with such respect by a civil minister and the commander of the Imperial Army could only be the Sage Emperor's trusted aide, the Director of the Inner Court, Gao Lishi—Eunuch Gao. In the inner court, whether young or old, eunuch or maid, if they had the surname Gao, they would have to change their surname.
Thus, only one person in the inner grounds of the palace could be respectfully addressed as 'Eunuch Gao'.