Chapter 1002: An Army Approaches the Western Turkic Camp! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Yes, Lord Marquis!”
The scout revealed everything he had seen in the Western Turkic camp.
The entire reception hall was so quiet as he spoke that one could hear a pin drop. Wang Chong never did anything without a purpose, and no one dared to interrupt him at a time like this.
”Let me ask you this. When you were delivering the letter, how did the Western Turks react? And how did they react after you sent the letter?” Wang Chong asked.
”This… When I first arrived, the entire Western Turkic camp was extremely vigilant. The moment I appeared on the perimeter, someone came to stop me. This was no different from if I had probed the camp of any other faction, but around two hours after I delivered the letter, a large group of cavalry charged out of the camp and drove me away. It was a completely different attitude from before.”
Wang Chong's brow shot up at these words, but he made no other comment.
”I understand. You are dismissed.”
”Yes, Lord Marquis!”
The scout quickly departed, and the room fell even more quiet. Everyone looked to Wang Chong in anticipation.
”Lord Marquis, what have you discovered?” Xue Qianjun cautiously asked.
”Right now, we can confirm that Chen Bin is still alive and that he is in the Western Turks' camp.”
Wang Chong's gaze swept over the officers as he said those long-anticipated words.
Whoosh!
Everyone instantly exhaled in relief. Their hearts which had been high-strung with tension could finally be set back down.
”Wonderful!”
”If Chen Bin is okay, this is a blessing in the middle of a disaster!”
”Now we just need to find a way to rescue Chen Bin. Lord Marquis, what do you think we should do?”
The officers excitedly turned to Wang Chong. Although none of them understood how Wang Chong could conclude that Chen Bin was still alive and safe, none of them doubted his conclusion.
”Everyone, sit.”
Wang Chong spread apart his hands and gestured to the officers. Even though he had confirmed that Chen Bin was still alive, Wang Chong was far less relaxed than his subordinates imagined.
”This matter is not that simple. Chen Bin might be alive, but Duwu Sili is clearly indicating that he doesn't want to negotiate with us. If my guess is right, he's probably thinking of ways to buy more time in the hopes that Chen Bin will give him the answer he wants. Chen Bin is probably not faring very well right now.”
Wang Chong's eyes flickered with worry.
The joyful officers instantly had a bucket of cold water dumped onto them, their moods sinking. The battlefield was an extremely cruel and callous place where all methods were acceptable. The armies of each faction had their own set of torture and interrogation techniques to extract information from their enemies.
If Duwu Sili wanted the secret of formation phenomena, he would definitely be torturing Chen Bin at this moment, a fact which made everyone's hearts frantic with worry.
The silent Xi Yuanqing finally stepped forward and spoke. ”Lord Marquis, the Lord Protector-General told me to tell you that if it was needed, we could send people to work with Lord Marquis and sneak into the Turkic camp to save Chen Bin.
”As long as the method is appropriate, success is completely possible. In short, no matter what, we can't let the secret of formation phenomena fall into the hands of the Western Turks.”
”Lord Marquis, let me go.” Li Siye also spoke, his voice as loud as a bell. ”The Wushang Cavalry under my command should have a good chance of saving Chen Bin.”
”Lord Marquis, me too!”
”I as well!”
Li Siye's words triggered a chain of volunteers.
”There's no need!”
Wang Chong shook his head, rejecting all their proposals. He then turned his head to Xi Yuanqing.
”General Xi, I appreciate your kindness, but we should think about our plans a little longer. Duwu Sili is no weakling. Since he's been scheming for so long, he's definitely made ample preparations. Moreover, we still don't understand what Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje are doing. Carelessly sending troops might lead to us walking into a trap. In the end, we might end up being too clever for our own good.”
”Lord Marquis, I know that you care deeply for your subordinates and do not want to sacrifice any more people, but if Duwu Sili does obtain the secret of formation phenomena, the effects will not be something that just the ten-some of us here will be able to mitigate,” Xi Yuanqing seriously said. The righteous did not grasp for wealth and the kind did not command soldiers. Commanders would occasionally have to make sacrifices.
”Haha, General Xi, you misunderstand.”
To Xi Yuanqing's surprise, Wang Chong chuckled in response.