Chapter 899: Open Scheme! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Haha, good words! Whether it’s the Turks, the Tibetans, or the Arabs, when has the Great Tang feared any of the countries on its borders? Lord Protector-General, whatever you plan on doing, I will do everything as you say, so do whatever you wish. I will do my utmost to cooperate!” Gao Xianzhi declared, his eyes twinkling. In this seventeen-year-old youth, he could sense that passion that he had lost long ago.
Who cared about the Tibetans? Who cared about the Arabs?
In the past, hadn't he relied on himself, rushing to and fro across the Western Regions, impulsive and aggressive, in the end gaining the favor of the Sage Emperor and becoming Anxi Protector-General and Western Regions War God?
”Haha, okay!”
Wang Chong felt his confidence swell at these words. Perhaps in terms of elite powerhouses, the Great Tang could not compare to the Arabs, Tibetans, and Turks, but one War Saint from another timeline and one Anxi War God was quite impressive. And when had the Great Tang ever conquered its enemies with overwhelming numbers?
Moreover, in the art of war, it was said that while direct methods could be used to begin the fighting, indirect and unconventional methods would be needed to win the battle. On the battlefield, one could not always rely on 'surprise soldiers' to win. A proper commander, whether on level ground or outnumbered, would have to rely on an outstanding ability to command to utterly crush their opponent in a direct confrontation.
This sort of battle had no tricks. It was the ultimate manifestation of strategic and military skill!
This was a true clash of commanders!
Wang Chong turned to the distant Turko-Tibetan army and indifferently asked, ”Zhang Que, have you been able to find out the total number of enemies?”
”Replying to Lord Marquis: we don't have enough rock eagles to contend with the Tibetan vulture army and were unable to get close, so we could only get a rough estimate. The Tibetans have seventy-thousand-some people while the Turks have forty-thousand-some. All of their soldiers are elites!”
Zhang Que's young voice came from behind the four Tang commanders. He was kneeling respectfully on the ground, his rock eagle Little Sha perched on his shoulder.
The Tibetans had brought a vast number of vultures with them, their flocks blocking out the sun and casting a dreadful shadow. Coupled with the Arabian Empire's hunting falcons, the Great Tang's aerial surveillance was now under incredible pressure. Only by relying on master archers on the ground to intimidate enemy birds were the rock eagles able to obtain a little space to maneuver.
Just this forty-thousand estimate for the Turkic army had required Little Sha to personally fly into the skies on a risky surveillance mission.
”Seventy-thousand-some Tibetans and forty-thousand-some Turks, making for an army of around one hundred and twenty thousand. That's good enough! Since the Tibetans and Western Turks aren't willing to attack for now, we'll force them to attack!”
Amidst the fierce winds, Wang Chong held his hands behind his back and gazed at the distant hills. His entire body naturally exuded an intimidating aura, the identity of the supreme War Saint of the Central Plains melding with his current identity as Qixi Protector-General. The current Wang Chong carried none of the immaturity of a seventeen-year-old youth. This was a commander with a domineering gaze and foundation that stretched deep into the earth. Wang Yan and Gao Xianzhi could not help but widen their eyes in astonishment.
”Senior Zhang, begin!” Wang Chong said without turning his head.
”Zhang Shouzhi begins now!”
Zhang Shouzhi and the foremen quickly boarded carriages and set off.
Bang!
There was a massive boom as the two defensive lines suddenly seemed to gain a life of their own, beginning to rapidly extend. Boomboomboom! Under the machine-like laboring of the craftsmen, one massive steel wall after another was erected on the earth.
The black smoke surging into the skies and this sudden construction activity immediately attracted the attention of both the Arabs and the Tibetans.
”What are these Tang doing? Don't they already have two defense lines? Do they have some sort of scheme?”
At the top of a hill, Dusong Mangpoje couldn't help but arch a brow at this sight. Although he had only one experience with Wang Chong's steel fortresses, these steel walls had left an indelible impression on this Ü-Tsang Imperial Great General. After all, Dusong Mangpoje had suffered the greatest defeat of his life before them.
Those steel defense lines made Dusong Mangpoje instinctively wary, casting a shadow on his heart.
Dalun Ruozan said nothing, but his eyebrows slowly began to crease.
”He plans to completely cut us off from Abu Muslim,” Dalun Ruozan finally said, his eyes narrowing.
He was probably the only person in the world who could understand Wang Chong's thought process. Though he had lost in the war of the southwest, he had pushed Wang Chong to the very end of his limits. And in those several months in the royal capital's prison, he had reviewed, analyzed, and researched that battle multiple times.
Dalun Ruozan well understood that Wang Chong would never do anything without meaning. His every action was for the purpose of some particular goal.