Chapter 598: The Decisive Battle! Mutual Night Raids! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Metal-element cultivators were not invincible. While battling with Luo Ji, Lin Wushou, and Chen Guanshun, Tumi Sangzha had consumed a great deal of Stellar Energy. In addition, summoning the metal giant itself had consumed Stellar Energy.
His abilities were completely insufficient for creating enough metal men to clear these hundreds of thousands of metal thorns. Even summoning one hundred metal men would not be sufficient for this arduous mission.
Dalun Ruozan quietly looked toward the summit, countless thoughts flashing through his eyes. Although nothing could be seen in the pitch-black darkness, Dalun Ruozan felt like he could see that figure standing unmoving on the summit, scheming about something.
In all his years managing the Ngari Royal Lineage, in the ten-some years exchanging blows with Zhangchou Jianqiong, Dalun Ruozan had never encountered anyone so opaque and unfathomable.
It felt like his opponent was scheming and strategizing at every moment.
This made Dalun Ruozan feel like he was seeing an illusion, like he was looking at himself.
”Truly a powerful foe!” Dalun Ruozan muttered to himself, then fell quiet once more. After a while, he turned to Longqinba.
”Is everything ready?”
”Replying to Great Minister, everything is ready! Five thousand warhorses have had their feet wrapped with the cloth provided by Mengshe Zhao,” Longqinba sternly replied.
”Very good. Then let us begin,” Dalun Ruozan firmly ordered, his gaze turning cold. War had never been restricted to the daytime. The night could also be home to a fierce battle, but without the light of daytime, the defensive capabilities of the Annan Protectorate army would assuredly be greatly restricted.
Dalun Ruozan had specifically chosen this late hour, when people were at their drowsiest, to conduct a raid.
Boom!
The moment Dalun Ruozan gave his order, a massive boom suddenly came from the southwest. Fire blazed into the sky while the din of fighting filled the air. In the distance, he could faintly see that a group of soldiers was engaging in wanton slaughter in that area.
”Reporting!”
At almost the same time, a warhorse galloped up, a Tibetan messenger covered in dust quickly riding over.
”Great Minister, the Mengshe Zhao camp has been attacked. The Tang raided the camp in the middle of the night!”
This report left all the gathered generals with the most astonished of expressions. While they were thinking about raiding the Tang camp, the Tang had raided the Mengshe Zhao camp first.
”What's going on? Were the Mengshe Zhao completely unprepared?” Dalun Ruozan said, a tinge of anger in his voice.
Geluofeng was also a powerhouse of the southwest. Others might make such mistakes, but how could he make such an error?
”No, the Tang soldiers were wearing our Tibetan armor!” the messenger hastily replied.
With these words, Longqinba, Tumi Sangzha, Ciren Xiangxiong, and even Dalun Ruozan paled, their faces twisting into nasty grimaces.
”Damn it!”
Longqinba clenched his fists, causing them to crack.
This had not been his first exchange with Wang Chong, so he didn't need to think very much to know that this was Wang Chong's plan. He could put aside that bastard raiding the camp, but he even dared to disguise his troops as Tibetans.
Mengshe Zhao must have mistaken their identities, allowing Wang Chong's infiltration to succeed.
Boom!
While the gathered generals were still shocked at the raid against the Mengshe Zhao army, there was a thunderous boom, flames licking toward the sky as the skies were once more filled with the sound of fighting. This time, however, the sound did not come from the Mengshe Zhao camp but from the mountain behind them.
”Kill! Capture the Tibetans!”
”Don't let them run!”
”Young Master already knew their plans. They're delusional if they think they can raid our camp!”
……
As they listened to the voices from the mountain, Dalun Ruozan and the generals all grimaced.
”We fell into the trap!”
All of them looked at Dalun Ruozan, none of them saying a word.
……
”Hahaha, Young Master, these fellows really did fall into the trap!”
On the summit, the crowd looked at the two blazing fires, one on the mountain and one down below, and heartily laughed.
”The advantage became the disadvantage, and expertise became a shortcoming. If Dalun Ruozan wants to use the camp raiding techniques that he learned from the Central Plains against the Great Tang, then I can only say that he found the wrong person.”
Wang Chong looked down the mountain and smiled.
Although he couldn't see anything, Wang Chong was sure that Dalun Ruozan had a most amazing expression on his face at this moment.
Ü-Tsang didn't have any art of war, and though the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple was a crouching tiger, a hidden dragon, it was still a land barren of military arts. The Central Plains had always been a land of strategists, and in the face of the culture of military strategy that had been cultivated in the Central Plains for millennia, even the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple was barely worth mentioning.
Wang Chong inwardly laughed.