Chapter 613: The Decisive Battle! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The news from the plateau traveled much faster than expected.
Dalun Ruozan was ruminating over a model in the tent when a Tibetan officer entered and kneeled on the ground.
”Great Minister, the quartermaster has sent word that all of our cow and sheep meat has been consumed.”
”What's going on? Do you need to report such a minor trifle to me?”
Dalun Ruozan turned his head and frowned, a look of displeasure on his face.
”If our food stores are exhausted, why don't you have the Tie'A tribe in the rear send up more?”
”Reporting to Great Minister: the people of the Tie'A tribe have not driven any cows or sheep to our area for more than half a month now.”
”Oh?”
Dalun Ruozan finally turned completely around, a somewhat confused look on his face.
”Then the Luosili Tribe?”
The Tibetan logistics network had never been given to only one tribe. At the same time, twenty to thirty tribes, and at times even a hundred tribes, would be working to supply food to the army.
”The people of the Luosili tribe have also not appeared for ten-some days now.”
”Then the Daka, the Lalan, the Feiqi?”
Dalun Ruozan listed off the names of several tribes.
”Eight or nine days ago, we lost communication with them.”
Dalun Ruozan furrowed his brow, a sense of unease growing in his heart. This was not the first war between Ü-Tsang and the Great Tang, but this sort of logistical problem had never occurred before.
All the tribes of Ü-Tsang should have understood what food meant for any army, and delivering food to the soldiers was the mission of every tribe. Thus, unlike the Great Tang, the Tibetans never had any shortage of supplies.
One tribe failing to promptly deliver food was strange enough, and all of these tribes failing to appear meant that there was definitely a problem.
”Send someone to the rear and investigate what's going on!”
Dalun Ruozan's heart began to rapidly beat, an ill foreboding taking root in his mind.
Dalun Ruozan didn't need to wait long. An hour later, a panicked messenger charged into the tent.
”Reporting! Great Minister, we just received news from the plateau. A unit of Great Tang soldiers charged up to the plateau and began to wreak havoc and spread the plague. All the tribes on the plateau have suffered severe losses, and the number of sheep and cattle that have been lost is innumerable!”
The messenger kneeled on the ground, his head almost pressed against the floor, not daring to meet Dalun Ruozan's gaze. Massive beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead and plopping to the ground.
”What?!!”
Dalun Ruozan's body shuddered. Seizing the messenger, he began to shake him back and forth.
”What nonsense are you saying? How could such a thing be possible?”
”Great Minister, it's true! A Yege tribesman fleeing the plateau told me. I confirmed the fact from him three times. It's absolutely true!”
The kneeling messenger had a pale face, but his voice was extremely firm, each word clearly pronounced.
”Those people invaded the plateau more than half a month ago, and they even dispatched people to seal off the road to the plateau, allowing no news to come out. All the tribesmen that wanted to inform us died on the mountain paths. He only barely managed to escape.”
”More than half a month ago?”
Dalun Ruozan's heart sank. Wasn't that when Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong were still besieged in Lion City with the Annan Protectorate army?
Wang Chong!!
In a flash, Dalun Ruozan thought of that young figure standing on the summit. If both Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong were besieged in Lion City, then the only person left who could pull off such a feat was Wang Chong.
Dalun Ruozan's heart was ice-cold.
”He found our weakness!”
More than half a month ago, Dalun Ruozan had only thoughts for the Annan Protectorate army within Lion City. The reinforcements being led down by Li Zhengyi from the north had already been scattered to the winds by Huoshu Huicang's sudden assault.
The roads to the south were guarded by layers of Tibetan cavalry. Dalun Ruozan never could have imagined that Wang Chong would succeed in breaking through the Tibetan defensive lines, much less send a unit of soldiers to kill their way up to the plateau.
As Dalun Ruozan felt his body chill, all he could think of was Wang Chong's final words to him.
'He who laughs last, laughs best!'
As more and more details were revealed, Dalun Ruozan grew ever paler, his visage uglier and uglier. The situation on the plateau was much worse than he had imagined.
The sheep plague! Dalun Ruozan had never thought that Wang Chong would use this sort of method against him. This was not a strategy targeted at people, but at the cattle and sheep of the plateau.
No one on the plateau would die to this sort of sheep plague, but Dalun Ruozan would have much preferred for Wang Chong to target his army instead.
The people of the plateau had to eat cow or sheep meat for every meal, and even their highland steeds were fed this meat. And unlike the Great Tang of the Central Plains, the cows and sheep of Ü-Tsang were raised together in massive flocks, one tribe possessing hundreds of thousands, even up to a million animals.
Once a plague broke out, a disaster of unthinkable proportions was bound to follow.