Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The two incidents added together would become more than a simple problem of proper conduct. The Imperial Court would begin to wonder if Fumeng Lingcha was incompetent, and if the w.a.n.g Clan and King Song exploited this issue, his position as Qixi Protector-General would be at risk.
When that time came, not even he would be able to say anything to defend himself.
And besides that, the person who had come just had to be the one who had killed his subordinates, Dayan Mangban. Although Heba Ye and the others had not said anything, Fumeng Lingcha could sense that everyone was expecting him to move out and avenge Pulan He and the other soldiers of Qixi.
If he did nothing, he would lose the faith of his soldiers, with the worst-case scenario being rebellion and desertion.
"Pa.s.s on my order! Mobilize the army and have them march here as quickly as possible. But entering the battle without my authorization is out of the question, as are any other actions. Violators will be executed!" Fumeng Lingcha said.
"Yes!"
Elated, Heba Ye took off.
On the side, Fumeng Lingcha mentally sneered, and as he turned to glance in w.a.n.g Chong"s direction, his eyes shone with a cold light. He didn"t care what that brat had calculated, but if he really thought that Fumeng Lingcha would help him, then he was gravely mistaken.
Dayan Mangban had to be killed, and the Qixi Protectorate army could not just sit on the sidelines and watch. However, he would only enter the battle once w.a.n.g Chong and his five thousand cavalry had been wiped out.
At the very least, he would not strike until w.a.n.g Chong was killed in battle.
If w.a.n.g Chong thought that by occupying this triangular gap and luring over a Tibetan Great General and Brigadier General, he could borrow Fumeng Lingcha"s strength, then he was far too naive.
He would strike, but definitely not in the way that brat imagined!
……
"Milord, Fumeng Lingcha really did show up!"
Meanwhile, in the rear of the vast Tibetan army, several figures exuding storms of energy were also looking in Fumeng Lingcha"s direction.
This region was covered in the scouting birds of Ü-Tsang: gyrfalcons, rock eagles, vultures… It was simply impossible to hide anything from their eyes.
"Continue to watch him. As long as Fumeng Lingcha doesn"t hastily interfere, it"s enough."
Dusong Mangpoje stroked his mustache, his expression indifferent and confident, as if he had planned for everything.
"In addition, keep an eye on the movements of the Qixi Protectorate army… Tell General Dayan Mangban that I will deal with Fumeng Lingcha."
"Yes, Milord!"
The messengers quickly set off with their orders.
……
Putting aside Fumeng Lingcha and Dusong Mangpoje for the moment, in the front, Dayan Mangban was leading an army of tens of thousands, including his five thousand White Braves, toward the triangular gap in the northeast. With Dusong Mangpoje behind him, Dayan Mangban had no need to worry about Fumeng Lingcha.
The only person in his eyes was w.a.n.g Chong.
"b.a.s.t.a.r.d! d.a.m.ned thing!"
Dayan Mangban clenched his teeth, killing intent was.h.i.+ng over his heart. This immature Great Tang youth had used the corpses of twenty thousand recruits, seven thousand Qinghai Soldiers, and General Dayan Pugyal to avenge his killing of Qixi General Pulan He and his five thousand soldiers. After that, he had advanced onto the plateau, building a fortress and brashly eliminating the forces stationed on the edge of the plateau. The speed of his operations and frequency were simply absurd.
Dayan Mangban had always viewed himself as extremely proactive, his leaders.h.i.+p as sufficiently crazy, but he had never imagined that there was someone even crazier.
"Once I shatter your army, I"ll definitely tear your corpse to shreds to vent my fury!"
Dayan Mangban"s forehead creased as madness surged through his mind. Dayan Mangban was well aware that this naked challenge of w.a.n.g Chong"s was intended for him.
"Halt!"
At a distance of around two thousand zhang, Dayan Mangban raised his right palm and gave the order for the army to stop. The vast army suddenly came to a stop, forming a straight line.
"Zeren, Luosang, Deji, follow me!"
Dayan Mangban waved his hand, and several White Brave officers along with ten-some White Brave elites kicked up dust and rode toward the triangular gap, toward those steel walls s.h.i.+ning like silver scales. Behind these walls, that ma.s.sive steel fortress loomed, still under construction.
Upon seeing this, Dayan Mangban"s face darkened, twisting into a grimace. He naturally hadn"t forgotten that night a.s.sault on the city. Even though he had personally led two-thousand-some White Braves to attack that ma.s.sive City of Steel, his abilities had still fallen short.
From the start to the end of that battle, those firm gates had remained closed.
It was clear that w.a.n.g Chong intended to play the same trick, moving everything up to the plateau. Just the thought of this stoked the flames of rage in Dayan Mangban"s heart.
"Interesting—the guest of honor is coming!" As he looked down from the high city walls at Dayan Mangban and his ten-some elites riding toward him in a cloud of dust, w.a.n.g Chong"s lips curled into a smile.
"Let"s go together and take a look."
Going down the wall, w.a.n.g Chong mounted the White-hoofed Shadow and led his subordinates to the front of his army.
In this tense atmosphere, the movements of both commanders instantly attracted everyone"s attention.
Hooves thundered across the earth as the two parties drew close. At a distance of around one hundred zhang from w.a.n.g Chong"s forces, Dayan Mangban and his party of ten-some White Brave elites came to a stop, their horses stomping at the ground while snorting.
Dayan Mangban sat like a lofty mountain on a snow-white steed with blood-red hooves, gifted to him by the Great Snow Mountain. His cold gaze was as sharp as a sword as it scanned the defenses w.a.n.g Chong had laid out in front of the triangular gap, carefully taking in every steel wall, every opening. No detail could escape his eyes as he attempted to find the best area to break through.
In this entire process, Dayan Mangban did not make a single noise, but he exuded an invisible pressure that chilled everyone to the bone.
"Lord Marquis, this is Dayan Mangban?" Suddenly, a vigorous voice came from w.a.n.g Chong"s forces. While Dayan Mangban had been taking stock of w.a.n.g Chong, another mountain of a figure was taking his measure. At the front of the five thousand Wushang Cavalry, Li Siye and w.a.n.g Chong stood side by side, their gazes cold and stern.
During Dayan Mangban"s raid on Wushang, Li Siye had not been at the City of Steel, but in Wushang Village training the recruits. It was for this reason that upon his return, he had felt a deep sense of guilt and self-criticism. For w.a.n.g Chong"s bodyguard and closest follower, to be missing at such a crucial moment was a ma.s.sive dereliction of duty.
Fortunately, w.a.n.g Chong had been able to rely on his abilities to escape the lethal strike and frighten away Dayan Mangban. Otherwise, if something more serious had happened, Li Siye would probably never be able to forgive himself.
The best method to compensate for this mistake was killing Dayan Mangban and cutting off his head.
"Haha, yes, that"s him." w.a.n.g Chong smiled and nodded.
In the time between their meetings, Dayan Mangban"s aura had grown even more vigorous. It seemed like he had made some substantial progress in his martial arts. Alas, no matter how much progress he had made, his death was certain today!
"Li Siye, don"t get careless," w.a.n.g Chong indifferently said as he looked into the distance. "Dayan Mangban is a Tibetan Brigadier General, second only to individuals like Fumeng Lingcha and Dusong Mangpoje. Take a look. Even though the Qixi Protectorate army is so close by, he doesn"t care. In addition, his plans are bold and imaginative, and he doesn"t operate according to common sense. Although he suffered a setback at Wushang, he wasn"t dejected at all by his failure. On the contrary, before going back, he turned around and attacked the Qixi Protectorate army, killing Pulan He. In summary, this fellow is extremely difficult to deal with. You must be careful."
"This subordinate understands," Li Siye grunted, but his face showed no emotion. His eyes were fixed on Dayan Mangban.
The atmosphere was deathly still, the two commanders silently standing across from each other.
"Interesting!"
Seeing that Dayan Mangban was doing nothing, neither advancing nor retreating, only sitting there on his horse with that gloomy expression, w.a.n.g Chong inwardly smiled and lightly urged his horse forward. As he rode out from the opening in the steel walls, he instantly grabbed the attention of everyone present.
Even the distant Fumeng Lingcha couldn"t help but look over.
"Milord, this boy is quite bold," someone softly whispered by Fumeng Lingcha"s side. "Isn"t he afraid that Dayan Mangban will suddenly explode forward and try to kill him? After all, Dayan Mangban is a Brigadier General!"
Fumeng Lingcha creased his brow in thought for a few moments. "It"s not that he"s not afraid, but that he believes that Dayan Mangban won"t do anything!"
Although he hoped that w.a.n.g Chong"s judgment was wrong and wished to see Dayan Mangban ride forward and kill w.a.n.g Chong, Fumeng Lingcha was well aware that eight or nine times out of ten, w.a.n.g Chong"s judgment was correct. It wasn"t because Dayan Mangban was a benevolent soul, but because this scion of the w.a.n.g Clan had many clever tricks up his sleeve and was much more difficult to deal with than most.
If it were so easy, then Dayan Mangban would have succeeded on his first try!
Fumeng Lingcha clenched his teeth and coldly declared, "Keep a close watch! Tell Heba Ye that the moment the brat is killed, the army will move out, fight for a while, and then immediately retreat. When the time comes, we can not only cast off all the blame, we can even submit a memorial pus.h.i.+ng all the blame to that boy and the w.a.n.g Clan backing him."
"Yes!"
A subordinate immediately left with the order.
Fumeng Lingcha nodded at this before turning back around to continue his observations.
He truly didn"t care if Dayan Mangban chose this moment to strike or not, because w.a.n.g Chong"s fate was already decided. With his meager force, Dayan Mangban and Dusong Mangpoje would be more than enough to ensure his death. Fumeng Lingcha simply couldn"t imagine how w.a.n.g Chong could possibly emerge alive from this situation.
"Enjoy it while you can. A price must be paid for the rashness of youth."
A cold light glimmered in Fumeng Lingcha"s eyes, and then they regained their calm.