Chapter 562: The Battle Begins! (2/2)
Dalun Ruozan quickly vanished into the crowd. The matter behind him no longer had anything to do with him. It was now time for generals like Huoshu Huicang and Duan Gequan to step onto the stage.
……
”A moment ago, why didn't you show yourself?”
At almost the same time, on the summit, Xianyu Zhongtong turned to look confusedly at Wang Chong. Dalun Ruozan had mentioned by name that he wanted to see Wang Chong, yet Wang Chong had elected to remain hidden.
Although Xianyu Zhongtong didn't think there was a need for Wang Chong to see Dalun Ruozan, he still felt like Wang Chong had been intentionally hiding behind him.
Even from Xianyu Zhongtong's standpoint, this didn't seem necessary.
”No!”
In a place where the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army couldn't see, Wang Chong shook his head, caution on his face.
”Dalun Ruozan is an extremely formidable individual. Although it's not obvious from his appearance, his every move has a deeper meaning. Dalun Ruozan knows this entire army like the back of his hand, including Father and Lord Protector-General, so he can target all of you based on your personalities.
”The Art of War said it well: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. In this entire army, the only person that Dalun Ruozan doesn't understand is me. The less he knows about me, the more cautious he will be and the less recklessly he'll act. This way, the only person you'll have to deal with is Huoshu Huicang. But if he also knows me like the back of his hand, things will be completely different… Don't forget, Ü-Tsang's Ngari Royal Lineage has always paired one civil and one military official, one minister and one general, and they've always helped each other succeed. They're like two walls pressing up against our Great Tang.
”When dealing with someone like this, it's not possible to be overly cautious,” Wang Chong said with an incredibly wary expression.
Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong might not be able to see it, but Wang Chong was well aware that in this battle, Dalun Ruozan presented a far greater threat than Huoshu Huicang or Duan Gequan.
Any underestimation of this Ü-Tsang Great Minister would only be a detriment to oneself.
”Father, Lord Xianyu, the Tibetans and the Mengshe Zhao soldiers are about to attack. I leave the rest up to you two,” Wang Chong said.
”Mm!”
As Wang Chong brought up this matter, both Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong began to focus. Although Dalun Ruozan had attempted a psychological attack with his advice to surrender, he was not their actual opponent.
The lives of one hundred thousand soldiers and nearly one million civilians were tied to this battle.
”I'm going down first!”
With a flick of his cape, Xianyu Zhongtong descended the mountain.
Although his strategy and tactics were not suitable for him to be a commander-in-chief, he was also over-qualified to be a general. Moreover, the metal slabs Wang Chong had used to set up the defense made it seem like city walls lining a mountain. This was precisely the terrain that Xianyu Zhongtong was skilled in defending.
And in terms of understanding of the Annan Protectorate army, no one could compare to Xianyu Zhongtong. In the battle of Erhai, if Xianyu Zhongtong hadn't had to leave the city he was defending, stripping himself of his expertise to launch an attack on a terrain not at all suitable to his skillset, Geluofeng might not have been able to inflict such grievous losses.
By leaving, Xianyu Zhongtong was clearly expressing his stance: he was truly leaving the empire's southwest to Wang Chong.
With Xianyu Zhongtong gone, only Wang Yan and his son were left on the summit.
”Chong-er, although I didn't hope for you to appear here, our Wang Clan is still a clan of ministers and generals. Whether one is a minister or general, our duty is to devote ourselves to the Empire, to the Great Tang! Since you have talent in the art of war, don't waste it. Your father believes in you!”
Wang Yan turned and faced Wang Chong as he spoke. His eyes were suffused with complex emotions, but even more anticipation.
At this stage of the southwestern war, everyone was looking forward to Wang Chong's performance. At the very least, both Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong had already lost to him.
”Yes, Father!”
Wang Chong clenched his fists, his heart deeply moved.
He had once dreamed about fighting alongside his father, but those had been dreams that could never be fulfilled. Although his father had always encouraged him to join the army, his strict personality forbade his son from joining him on the front lines.
Given his father's nature, for him to say such words and be so certain of him was already quite decent.
Wang Yan quickly took his leave.
Like Xianyu Zhongtong, Wang Yan had also gone to command the army. In the one hundred thousand Tang soldiers, besides the sixty-thousand-some Annan Protectorate army soldiers, the rest were the troops that Wang Yan had commanded and the reinforcements sent by the Imperial Court.
Although Wang Yan didn't understand the Annan Protectorate army, in commanding these soldiers, not even Xianyu Zhongtong could compare to him.
There was probably no one in the world except Wang Chong who could get these two elite defensive generals to wholeheartedly submit themselves.
Bwoooom!
The mournful horns accompanied the beating of drums rising from the enemy camp. The earth quaked as the dense ranks of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army began to move like some primordial beast.
A powerful killing intent rose from the void and quickly shrouded the entire battlefield.
”Zhang Shouzhi, get ready! The final step!”
At the same time, on the summit, Wang Chong swung down his right hand and gave his final order.
Crsssh!
”Pour!”
……
On the summit, the hundreds of craftsmen and sword smiths began to open large metal boxes. With a rustle, countless metal caltrops rolled out of the boxes, filling a region around twenty zhang wide along the mountain.
These caltrops were covered in sharp points, the longest measuring several feet; the shortest, five or six inches. These caltrops of various sizes formed a thick carpet as they poured down the mountain, filling out the last gap in the summit's defenses.
The battle had finally begun.