Chapter 633: Coda! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
In his decades presiding over the southwest, Dalun Ruozan had never lost to Zhangchou Jianqiong, nor had he ever lost to Mengshe Zhao and Geluofeng. But in the end, he had lost to a teenager from the Great Tang.
The achievements he had built up over the decades had only ended up fueling that youth's rise.
To Dalun Ruozan, this loss was completely unacceptable.
”No, there's still a chance. There must be a chance…”
Dalun Ruozan desperately clenched his fists.
Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang had still not lost. Although Geluofeng had already fallen, they still had the soldiers. Their combined numbers far exceeded the Great Tang's.
As long as he could gather together the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army… No, the Mengshe Zhao army was impossible to gather. Without Geluofeng, the army from top to bottom had lost the will to fight.
But Ü-Tsang still had a chance!
As long as the Tibetan cavalry could gather together and restabilize, at the same time luring the Annan Protectorate army from the summit, the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army still had a chance. There was still a hope of defeating the Annan Protectorate army.
Cavalry below ten thousand was insufficient, but invincible above ten thousand.
The Tibetans definitely had more than ten thousand cavalry! Gathered together, as long as they weren't fighting on the mountain, they still had a battle in them.
”All soldiers of Ü-Tsang, heed the signal and gather.
”Blow the horns!”
Dalun Ruozan fiercely rode his horse forward as he attempted to constrain the crumbling army. As people of the plateau, the Tibetans were a fierce and pugnacious people, and much more disciplined than the people of Mengshe Zhao.
In a few short moments, Dalun Ruozan had gathered a large number of fleeing Tibetan cavalry at his side.
But just when Dalun Ruozan wanted to lead his troops in a counterattack, his dreams were utterly shattered.
”Kill!”
A roar came from the rear and the earth trembled. Dalun Ruozan turned his head and saw a sight that he would never forget, one that made his blood run cold.
Far in the distance, a vast and dense army was rushing toward this place. And he could clearly make out the dragon banner of the Great Tang flying within this army.
Great Tang reinforcements!
As this thought flashed through his head, Dalun Ruozan felt his blood almost freeze. After all this time, the Great Tang reinforcements had finally arrived.
”It's over!”
All his hopes instantly turned to dust. On the summit, the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army was falling apart, the Annan Protectorate army in pursuit. At the base of the mountain, he could see reinforcements approaching from the distance.
With enemies approaching from both the inside and the outside, although he felt an extreme reluctance, Dalun Ruozan still knew that the matter was settled. Even if he wanted to rally the troops and continue the battle, it was too late.
”Withdraw! Withdraw!”
Dalun Ruozan mentally sighed as he finally gave the order to withdraw.
In this battle, he had truly lost!
Ü-Tsang had also lost!
For the first time, he had been dealt a crushing defeat in the Great Tang's southwest, experiencing the greatest loss he had ever known.
Rumble! As the army collapsed, Dalun Ruozan's order removed the last sliver of hope for Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang. In the war of the southwest, the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang side no longer had any chance to reverse the situation.
Gallop!
All the Tibetan cavalry followed Dalun Ruozan, taking advantage of the chaos to ride off into the distance. The Annan Protectorate army and Li Siye's nearly one thousand Wootz Steel cavalry followed closely behind.
The Tibetans did not dare to turn their heads or dare to try and defeat the Great Tang reinforcements approaching from the distance.
After many days of eating Mengshe Zhao rice, these warriors of the plateau had become extremely weak. No longer were they those fierce and brave warriors!
”Obey Great Minister's orders! Retreat!”
The army continued to collapse, and countless Tibetan soldiers fled in panic, wails and screams rising behind them. With the battle settled, everyone had lost their initial bravery.
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……
A string of messages rang out in Wang Chong's mind. At this stage of the battle, Wang Chong no longer need to issue any commands. None of the enemies on the battlefield, including the Tibetans, had any will to fight.
All the Tang had to do was pursue.
Countless Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers were falling. Wang Chong's tactic of using his cavalry to divide the army had been incredibly effective. Although the enemy was trying to flee, at least half of the army had not been able to effectively flee because of the chaos in front of them.
In the end, they were only stalks of wheat to be reaped!
The entire battlefield was covered in corpses, rivers of blood fertilizing the earth. One could see the bodies of Skyquaking Giants, Erhai elephants, warhorses, soldiers, and all sorts of shattered weapons and armor.
But at this moment, Wang Chong reined in his horse at the middle of the mountain, his attention on the distant reinforcements.
”Elder Ye, Elder Zhao, Elder Hu, Su Hanshan, Huang Qian-er…”
Wang Chong was stunned.
Although the army was incredibly majestic in its vastness, Wang Chong could tell at a glance that it was no proper army. Other than the dragon banners representing the Great Tang, Wang Chong could also see banners representing various clans. He even spotted the banner of Kunwu Training Camp's Deflecting Blade Manor.
Su Hanshan, Huang Qian-er, Sun Zhiming, Chen Burang, Xu Gan, Fang Xuanling, Zhao Yatong, Bai Siling, Youngster Wei… all of these familiar faces could be spotted at the head of the army. Wang Chong even spotted an additional familiar face…
”Little Sister?!!!”