Chapter 759: The Strength of an Entire Country! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Who could have imagined that a little red wildflower that grew all across the plateau was actually able to help a warrior increase their lung capacity and the vitality and adaptability of their cells, allowing one to live on the plateau like the Tibetans?
But the only person who knew of this method at the moment was Wang Chong.
If the Tibetans were to know of this, they would definitely do their utmost to eradicate the roseroot, and it wasn't like such a thing hadn't happened before. This was why Wang Chong was attempting to keep it a secret, even have Yang Hongchang work through the Arabs to buy them.
With profit, there would be drive. Although no one was trading in roseroot right now, once Yang Hongchang began to buy it in large quantities, a large quantity would begin to appear in the market.
And it would definitely be the Tibetans who would be collecting and selling the roseroot. Not even if one beat them to death would they ever imagine that Wang Chong was buying these things so that he could deal with them.
Everything else is ready. The only thing lacking is the east wind1! It's about time to move on to the next part of the plan!
Wang Chong put down his tea cup, his right index finger lightly knocking against the table as a profound light flashed in his eyes.
”Zhang Que!” Wang Chong shouted out the door.
”Lord Marquis, this lowly person is here!”
A small and thin figure quickly strode in with a rock eagle perched on his shoulder. He had apparently been waiting outside the reception hall for a long time.
”Do you still remember the plan I spoke to you about before? Take your eagle team and go check things out. I need to know of any sign of activity in that place as soon as possible, especially if any Tibetans show up there,” Wang Chong said.
”Understood! Lord Marquis, be at ease! This lowly one will definitely fulfill his mission.”
Zhang Que was itching to go, his face brimming with excitement. After giving a bow, Zhang Que took off. Wang Chong was regarding him with more and more importance, and gentlemen were willing to die for their bosom friends. Thus, Zhang Que was more proactive toward a mission from Wang Chong than any other person.
……
Time slowly passed, and the entire City of Steel once more fell into peace and quiet. A few short conflicts occurred on the Ü-Tsang border with Qixi, but after that, everything returned to its usual serenity.
In the northwest region, everyone was keeping their eye on Ü-Tsang, Qixi, and Wushang, but meanwhile, in the northeast corner of the plateau, the place closest to Wushang upon descending the plateau, several figures had appeared and were silently measuring up the area.
”Team Leader, is this the place Lord Marquis asked us to survey?”
A member of the eagle team looked up at the plateau. Frankly speaking, there was nothing here besides steep cliffs. They couldn't even see any Tibetan cavalry.
”Mm.” Zhang Que nodded.
”But what's so special about this place? I can't even see any Tibetan cavalry, so what are we here to look at?” another member of the eagle team asked.
”Hey.”
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Que finally turned his head and glared at his companion.
”In the entire world, there's not a single person who dares to doubt Lord Marquis like this. The last people who did this were Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan, and you saw how they ended up. Not long ago, there was also Dayan Mangban, but in the end, Lord Marquis killed his cousin Dayan Pugyal and even destroyed Zhangzhung Training Camp.
”In the entire northwest of the empire, even one of the Lord Marquis's farts would probably cause the empire's Protector-Generals and Great Generals, as well as the Tibetan Great Generals, to research its meaning for half a day. No one can keep up with Lord Marquis's train of thought. At the very least, I would not dare to question Lord Marquis's decisions.”
Zhang Que's words embarrassed the team member behind him, who immediately shut up.
A somewhat more quick-witted eagle team member nudged Zhang Que's arm and fawningly said, ”Team Leader, you're the closest to Lord Marquis, almost like brothers with him. What have we come here to do?”
Whether it was in the Great Tang's capital or in the empire's northwest, everyone knew of the Young Marquis's incredible intelligence and extremely farsighted plans.
While his actions seemed very ordinary at first, future events would prove that they all had clear goals, and were decisions made after long and careful thought.
It was such that within the City of Steel, many people would speculate on what the Lord Marquis would do next on their breaks.
”This…”
Zhang Que immediately began to hesitate.
”Team Leader, just tell us.”
”Right, hurry and tell us.”
Seeing the situation, the other members of the eagle team quickly began to urge him on.
”This–whatever. This is just my speculation, so you better not tell anyone else.”
Zhang Que hesitated for a long time, but he was ultimately unable to resist the exhortations.
”Carefully look at this area. Doesn't it seem like a large triangle? When Lord Marquis fights a battle, he never makes a meaningless decision. If you dispatch some people to the top of that triangle, they'll be in an easily defensible position. The Tibetans can attack us through here at any time, and if they can't beat us, they'll just retreat, but we'll find it very hard to attack them up there. This is the steep cliffs all of you are talking about.”
Zhang Que was no chick. He had spent many years at Old Eagle's side and listened to many of the stories about Wang Chong. He understood many things about the battlefield, and after joining Wang Chong on an expedition, he had an even greater understanding of military affairs.