Chapter 581: The Decisive Battle! Dalun Ruozan"s Counterattack!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Young Master, we"ve won!"
On the summit, Chen Shusun watched on in excitement as the remnants of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army madly fled down the mountain in complete disorder, his joy difficult to suppress. This was no small battle. Now that the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army had withdrawn, they had left behind a mountain piled with the corpses of their brothers, and shattered weapons strewn across the slope.
The banners of the Whitestone Corps were scattered everywhere, standing askew in piles of corpses!
This cruel scene was the greatest symbol of the Great Tang"s victory!
One hundred thousand soldiers of the Great Tang had contended against one hundred and ten thousand soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army, and forty thousand Tang soldiers had not even partic.i.p.ated!
In the end, however, more than seventy thousand, close to eighty thousand, soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army had died on this mountain. The Whitestone Corps that had been such an enormous problem on the Erhai plain and had killed so many Tang soldiers was now almost completely crippled. Even Duan Wuzong had been left severely wounded. To the soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army, this was a victory beyond their wildest dreams.
And in this battle, the Great Tang"s losses didn"t even reach ten thousand!
To the soldiers who had experienced the cruel battle by the Erhai, this was simply unimaginable!
On the summit, the eyes of w.a.n.g Chong"s guards were glimmering as they looked toward w.a.n.g Chong with respect. Although w.a.n.g Chong was only a teenager, his body still extremely thin and frail, this youth"s voice was unprecedentedly majestic, as steady and firm as a mountain.
"Reporting! The old general has sent a message that arrogance is a cardinal sin on the battlefield! He hopes that Milord can continue to remain modest and calm!"
"Reporting, the Lord Protector-General has sent a message. Young Master"s achievements are obvious to all. Lord Protector-General will report everything to the Imperial Court and highly recommend Young Master!"
……
Two messengers with signal banners flying from their backs arrived on the summit, expressing the will of the two highest commanders of the southwest. Hearing these words, w.a.n.g Chong subconsciously turned to the dense and unmoving ranks of the nearby army.
Although the mountain was packed with soldiers, w.a.n.g Chong had recognized at a glance the backs of his father w.a.n.g Yan and the Annan Protector-General Xianyu Zhongtong.
The two were respectively to the east and the west, their backs facing him.
Although he could not see the looks on their faces, and neither of them had even shot a glance in his direction, w.a.n.g Chong could feel that the pair had been paying attention to him all this time.
"Father…"
As w.a.n.g Chong gazed at the stalwart figure of his father, as firm as a mountain, he felt a warmth in his heart.
His father rarely praised him, as it was not in his nature to say such things. The words of the messenger also did not contain a single hint of praise. But w.a.n.g Chong knew deep in his heart that given his father"s personality, this was already incredible praise.
There was no doubt that his father had also seen the good points of his son.
From those few words, w.a.n.g Chong had felt his father"s deep support!
"Young Master, look over there; what"s that?"
Suddenly, a flabbergasted voice rang out by his ear, breaking his stupor. w.a.n.g Chong turned his head, and though he couldn"t see anything clearly, he could hear a roar as if thousands of people were shouting at once.
Looking down from the summit, w.a.n.g Chong could see that countless porters, peasants and laborers were busy working on something in the middle of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army.
They"re people from Mengshe Zhao!
This thought flashed through w.a.n.g Chong"s mind. The Tibetans needed to travel long distances to reach this place. Moreover, the Tibetans raised livestock for a living and mostly consisted of shepherds. Only Mengshe Zhao could gather so many porters, peasants, and laborers.
"Milord, what are they doing?"
On the summit, Luo Ji and the Black Dragon Bandit elites also walked out, looking down the mountain with perplexed looks. The distance and the cover of the army meant that it was hard to see what was going on from the summit.
w.a.n.g Chong silently stared down the mountain at the source of the ruckus, countless thoughts working through his mind.
"Siege weapons!"
A glimpse of half a wooden log instantly made a thought occur to w.a.n.g Chong.
"What?!"
Chen Shusun"s expression flickered at w.a.n.g Chong"s words. Siege weapons? Didn"t the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army use those at Lion City? But siege weapons were large and heavy, making them difficult to carry over long distances. Many armies constructed them from local materials and abandoned them once they were done using them.
But he couldn"t see any large siege weapons in the surrounding area, much less any trees that could serve as material. Where exactly did these siege weapons come from?
Dalun Ruozan truly is formidable!
w.a.n.g Chong was not as puzzled as Chen Shusun, as it took only a moment"s time for him to understand. Modular design was a skill that came from that other world, and it was the principle that had guided w.a.n.g Chong in creating these metal walls on the mountain.
Each of these walls was actually constructed from smaller metal pieces.
It was clear that Dalun Ruozan did not have as great of an understanding of this concept, and siege weapons were a much less complicated concept, but it was clear that he and w.a.n.g Chong were thinking along the same lines.
The Great Tang had dominated the world through their valiant infantry and positional defense, and Xianyu Zhongtong himself was even more an expert in defending city walls. Dalun Ruozan, following the principle "know yourself and know your enemies, and you will never be defeated", had clearly already antic.i.p.ated that he might encounter a problem like this at Lion City, leading him to have these siege weapons dismantled and transported here to be rea.s.sembled.
There was no question that the current situation just happened to coincide with his plans. The metal walls that w.a.n.g Chong had transported to this place had made this mountain into a fortress that surpa.s.sed Lion City.
At the very least, Lion City had not been so tall and steep, and the Tibetan cavalry would not have been so greatly hindered if they were charging into the city.
He"s truly a powerful foe! w.a.n.g Chong said to himself. If the commander today had been Xianyu Zhongtong, the Annan Protectorate army would have been doomed. Unfortunately, Dalun Ruozan was facing w.a.n.g Chong.
"Pa.s.s on my order! All troops should get ready!" w.a.n.g Chong ordered with a wave of his sleeve.
"Yes, your subordinate will go!"
The order began to quickly work its way down from the summit.
Dalun Ruozan, let me see who"s the more formidable one! My friend, let me see how you"ll break my walls.
Hwoom!
The fierce winds gusted. At some point, dark clouds had blanketed the sky, right over the mountain where the Annan Protectorate army resided. As a storm seemed ready to set in, the Great Tang army was quiet as a grave.
Across from them, deep within the enemy army, the sounds of construction seemed to have gotten even louder. A stifling mood had settled in.
Although a phase of the battle had ended, the oppressive and tense mood that followed was simply suffocating!
Boom!
After what seemed like mere seconds and like countless years, a light flashed within the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army. A ma.s.sive ball of fire like a rising sun rose out of the enemy ranks, growing larger as it howled through the air and quickly flew to the mountain where w.a.n.g Chong"s forces were garrisoned.
"Ah!"
Cries of surprise rose from the mountain, as all the Tang soldiers were momentarily stunned.