Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Dayan Mangban, we meet again. Did you get my gift?"
w.a.n.g Chong slowly trotted his horse forward, smirking.
Buzz!
At these words, Dayan Mangban"s complexion instantly turned dark, a fierce anger emerging in his eyes. He naturally knew what w.a.n.g Chong was talking about. The "gift" w.a.n.g Chong spoke of was undoubtedly the twenty-seven thousand soldiers of Zhangzhung Training Camp and the Dayan Clan"s Dayan Pugyal.
"There"s no need to worry. You"ll quickly be receiving my "gift" as well."
Dayan Mangban rode his horse forward, coldly staring at w.a.n.g Chong, a savage glow in his eyes.
"Hahaha, then I look forward to it."
w.a.n.g Chong heartily chuckled. He wasn"t worried that Dayan Mangban would strike, but rather that he wouldn"t. After all, he still had the "Threat to Qixi" mission to complete. Just his words and Dayan Mangban"s personality ensured that Dayan Mangban would not lightly choose to retreat.
"Oh, by the way, Dayan Mangban, besides you, I"ve also prepared a gift for the Ü-Tsang Empire. Do you see that fortress behind me? In the future, these fortresses will extend all the way into the interior of the plateau, right up to the Tsenpo"s royal capital. I"ve always respected His Majesty the Tsenpo, so I plan to build this sort of fortress outside the royal capital to express my respect!"
"Impudent!"
At these words, Dayan Mangban"s eyes grew even colder, even more br.i.m.m.i.n.g with rage. Even Dusong Mangpoje at the rear of the army had to slightly frown at these words. w.a.n.g Chong was clearly making a naked threat, and unlike his conflict with Dayan Mangban, this was a threat aimed straight at the Tsenpo of the Ü-Tsang Empire.
In the Ü-Tsang Empire, the Tsenpo held supreme status as a manifestation of a G.o.d. Any Tibetan commander would find it impossible to bear w.a.n.g Chong"s words.
"Brat, you"re seeking death!"
Dayan Mangban closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. No one had ever dared to act so brashly in front of him before. In the past, his opponents would all be trembling in fear, and even Pulan He"s face before his death had been stricken with fear, his entire body trembling.
Dayan Mangban had never experienced such a challenging foe.
"…All recklessness has a price to pay. I will definitely crush your corpse under the hooves of my horse, lop off your head, and then display it on the edge of the plateau so that all Tang know what will happen to those who challenge me."
"Hahaha, I"m different from you. Killing you is just a part of the process, not the goal. In the future, I will eradicate all the forces the Ü-Tsang Empire has bordering Qixi, completely resolving any threats to it. Not only that, I will thrust the banner of the Great Tang into the heart of Ü-Tsang, toppling it over so as to show everyone what happens to enemies of the Great Tang."
w.a.n.g Chong gave a roar of laughter.
Buzz!
In the rear of the army, Dusong Mangpoje, who had originally been putting all his attention on Fumeng Lingcha, couldn"t help but deeply frown at w.a.n.g Chong"s words.
And the distant Fumeng Lingcha also couldn"t help but frown.
"Milord…"
Several of the Qixi scouts by Fumeng Lingcha"s side seemed to brighten up and subconsciously glance at Fumeng Lingcha. Although w.a.n.g Chong was their opponent, even they, as soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army, couldn"t help but admire him for these words.
"Everyone, shut up!" Fumeng Lingcha harshly rebuked, his face gloomy. He naturally knew what these subordinates were thinking, but this only served to stimulate his jealousy and killing intent.
No matter what, this brat can"t be allowed to survive.
Fumeng Lingcha clenched his fists, causing his knuckles to crack.
The more outstanding w.a.n.g Chong was, the greater a threat he posed to the Hu. He could not be allowed to live.
But Fumeng Lingcha had no idea that there was a person at this time who wanted to kill w.a.n.g Chong even more.
If Dayan Mangban was just angry at the start, by now, he was on the verge of going insane.
"w.a.n.g Chong, if you wanted to provoke me, then you"ve succeeded. I"ve changed my mind now. I won"t let you easily die. You care a lot about Qixi, right? I will kill each and every soldier of Qixi and make the Great Tang"s Qixi Protectorate nothing more than a part of history." Dayan Mangban smiled savagely.
"Let"s go!"
Dayan Mangban almost immediately turned his horse around and left. Behind him, the White Braves followed, the hooves of their horses clopping against the ground as they galloped off.
"Xu Keyi, tell all troops to get ready. A major battle will soon be upon us."
w.a.n.g Chong narrowed his eyes as he watched Dayan Mangban leave.
"Yes, Lord Marquis!"
Xu Keyi turned and left with the order.
"Li Siye, there"s no going back. We must kill Dayan Mangban!" w.a.n.g Chong said, continuing to look forward.
"Lord Marquis, this general will do everything possible to carry out this order," Li Siye sternly replied.
w.a.n.g Chong nodded and continued to silently look in the direction Dayan Mangban had left. Dayan Mangban was a madman, and once he locked onto a target, he would madly attack it.
In the past, this was precisely how the Qixi Protectorate"s armies had been exhausted, and it was this trait that resulted in the mission "The Threat to Qixi".
Dayan Mangban"s final words before leaving had stirred many thoughts in w.a.n.g Chong. w.a.n.g Chong"s greatest concern right now was that his own actions had led to a far earlier onset of Dayan Mangban"s madness.
There was no retreat now. If he wanted to avert Dayan Mangban"s crazed actions and prevent the Qixi Protectorate from walking the same path to destruction, he had to exterminate Dayan Mangban here.
"Hyah!"
w.a.n.g Chong urged his horse on, turning it around and riding back to his army.
……
On the other side, around two thousand zhang away, Dayan Mangban returned to his own army, and countless gazes began to focus on him, all of them waiting in the somber atmosphere for Dayan Mangban to give the order.
"Milord, shall we attack?" a Tibetan general said, a vicious and murderous light in his eyes.
"Do not rus.h.!.+ Without my order, no one is allowed to recklessly act."
To the surprise of his generals, Dayan Mangban waved his hand and rejected the proposal. His gaze was cold, and his emotionless eyes were still fixed on the silvery-white walls of the fortress.
"General…"
The surrounding officers were all dumbstruck. Dayan Mangban had just returned with a frightening grimace, so everyone believed that he would immediately give the order to attack. Instead, he had made the exact opposite decision.
Dayan Mangban said nothing, gave no explanation. His expression was cold and calm, making it impossible for anyone to tell what he was thinking.
At this moment, the only people who could remain composed and at ease were those White Brave officers who had followed Dayan Mangban through his many campaigns.
"That brat was intentionally trying to provoke Milord, but this will only lead to his destruction!"
The White Brave officers followed Dayan Mangban"s gaze. All of them had heard that conversation loud and clear. That Young Marquis had been intentionally provoking their commander, and truthfully, he had succeeded. But if he believed that angering their commander would let him succeed, then he was gravely mistaken.
"Mad" did not mean "impulsive", and it certainly didn"t mean "stupid", at least not in their commander"s case.
These White Brave officers had followed Dayan Mangban through many campaigns, so they were extremely familiar with his personality. The angrier and crazier he was, the calmer and more rational he would be. This was how their commander could become "Imperial Brigadier General" and "Asura of the Plateau", not "Madman of the Plateau".
"Zeren, have you finished preparing the things I asked of you?" Dayan Mangban suddenly said, his eyes still fixed on those walls, his voice frigid.
A Tibetan officer in his early thirties, whose face bore that characteristic flush of the plateau, bowed and said in Tibetan, "Replying to Milord: it"s all ready. The several dozen tribes around the northern border have received Milord"s orders and left several hours ago. They should arrive soon."
"Very good. Wait for my order," Dayan Mangban said.
"Yes, Milord," Zeren said.
All was quiet, and an invisible tension was slowly strengthening, pulling the atmosphere tighter and tighter. At this moment, everyone was waiting for Dayan Mangban"s order.
"Brat, you"ll definitely regret your actions. Only death will be able to purify the idiocy in your body!"
Dayan Mangban"s complexion was ashen, but his eyes glimmered with madness.
Dayan Mangban was extremely clear on what w.a.n.g Chong was doing and why he was doing it. Only a fool like Buluhu would charge heedlessly into that array of steel walls. The strongest formation of the Tibetan cavalry was the Echelon Formation, and no empire understood this formation more than the Ü-Tsang Empire.
If the formation fell into chaos, then what might would it have to speak of?
And those steel walls…
Dayan Mangban had not forgotten that in the southwest, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang had lost to these steel walls. If w.a.n.g Chong thought that provoking Dayan Mangban would make him heedlessly charge in, then he was truly looking down on him.
He definitely would attack, but not in the way w.a.n.g Chong imagined.
……
"Lord Marquis, they still haven"t attacked!"
In the triangular gap, Li Siye was observing the Tibetan army.
"Mm."
w.a.n.g Chong nodded, his brow slightly furrowed and his face solemn.
"This Dayan Mangban is even harder to deal with than we imagined. I originally thought that given the momentum he had come with and his advantage in numbers, he would quickly give the order to attack. It seems like… I"ve underestimated him."
When Dayan Mangban had left, his eyes had been frightening and spitting rage. Even a blind man could notice that. Yet after all this time, the Tibetan warhorses were still neighing and whinnying, but they still showed no signs of attacking.
No wonder he"s the "Threat to Qixi". It"s no easy task to kill him off, w.a.n.g Chong quietly said to himself.