Chapter 1058 (1/2)

Published

at 21st of July 2019 10:15:04 AM

Chapter 1058: 1058

Chanyu stepped out of his golden yurt and looked around . His dark and handsome face was covered with a satisfied smile because of the resoluteness of his warriors as well as the coming victory after so many years .

According to him, the Northern Battlefront Army's lack of cavalrymen would never be a match to his cavalry of the Golden Tribe . The previous battles were dragging on because the Northern Battlefront Army was unexpectedly persevering and their armament and senior cultivators were extremely powerful . But more importantly it was because the cavalrymen of Golden Tribe did not pull all their effort . They were merely testing and exhausting their enemies .

When the infantry confronted the cavalry, despite their innate advantages, the cavalry was psychologically superior . If the infantry wanted to stop the cavalry, they had to pay a lot more both physically and mentally .

Previously, the cavalry of the Golden Tribe was exhausting the Tang infantry, taking down their enemy's morale while elevating their own . They had acquired full confidence for the coming victory . It would be a decisive battle today .

The cavalry of Golden Tribe would definitely make their full attack, not leaving any chances for the enemies . They would go for revenge after hundreds of years of humiliation, and crush the Northern Battlefront Army and the Tang people .

It was a risky plan, yet according to Chanyu, it was a bound-to-win battle . As a result of the testing previously, he was very certain that the Tang people did not have any other backups . Therefore they had every reason to launch a frontal attack .

The day finally broke and the light was about to prevail . Morning glow fell on the gra.s.sland as well as Changyu's face, which made him seem more resolute and powerful .

He stared at the fields in the south and the indistinct Tang barracks from a distance . He could almost see the cavalry of the Golden Tribe pouring onto them and quake the earth in a short while . Then the Tang army would launch their weapons like they have done previously, throwing rocks and shooting spears . The sharp spears would be chilling and the blades of the cultivators from the Central Plains would be s.h.i.+ning . The arrays would stir the Qi of Heaven and Earth . But eventually, they would all be crushed by his cavalry .

General Bule came and looked at the wisest and most widely respected Chanyu in the history of the gra.s.sland . He said with a trembling voice, ”Today, Your Highness will be the king of the world . ”

Chanyu smiled no more and stayed calm . He was calm because he knew they would win . He looked over the Tang army toward somewhere further south . The national master had told him that it was where Chang'an was located .

The gentle but awe-inspiring emperor had died six years ago but his daughter was still alive . Chanyu planned silently that when they occupied Chang'an he would kill that woman by himself and f.u.c.k her dead body .

A Da also came to the golden yurt . He did not take a bath . The blood stains on his clothes were stinky and attracted many mosquitoes and flies .

The n.o.bles took a glance at the young former slave who had become the most powerful warrior in the Gold Tribe . They could not hide their disgust and dread, and stayed as far as they could from him .

A Da was wounded in the battle previously . In order to remember the failure he did not wash off the blood stain . He was trying to remember what he should learn from the enemies instead of clinging onto the humiliation .

He took disguise in the cavalry of Golden Tribe that day and broke through the trenches and spears of the Tang army . His plan was to hide among the dead bodies of his fellow warriors and seek for an opportunity to a.s.sa.s.sinate Hua Ying, the chief commander of the vanguard of Northern Battlefront Army .

A Da had always wanted to kill Hua Ying . At the beginning it was merely a revenge to Ning Que's b.l.o.o.d.y slaughter in Chang'an earlier on . But he could not succeed after a long while which had led him to the suffering from poisoning . Therefore he planned for a risky a.s.sa.s.sination this time . But again he failed . Because from the beginning, or more precisely ever since he moved toward the Tang army among the cavalrymen, some person had saw through his plan .

Hua Ying never showed up . Instead there came an iron hammer and an array .

A Da was attacked unexpectedly and wounded right away . But he was after all the most powerful warrior in the Golden Tribe Royal Court . So he managed to break out of the intensive encirclement of Tang and returned to the Golden Tribe, extremely miserably .

He disregarded the wounds and paid a visit to the national master that night . Then he realized who those people were .

The one who saw through his plan was Fan Yue, Mr . Fourth of the Academy . The one who swayed the iron hammer was the most courageous Mr . Sixth of the Academy . While the woman who mastered arrays to the zenith was Mrs . Seventh of the Academy .

The three masters from the Academy were all at Seethrough . They were outstanding in the cultivation world but should be nothing for A Da . He could have easily defeated ten of them . However he was seriously wounded and confused .

He pondered for a whole night . Instead of getting enraged he managed to calm himself down . It was his first direct confrontation with the academy in the battlefield and he had learnt a lot . He could not help showing more respect for the Academy, yet more resolute than ever in taking them down .

That was why he could have stayed undisturbed when looking at the Tang army under the morning glow, despite the disgust and dread of the n.o.bles . It was because the Golden Tribe would definitely win the battle and even would not need him to partic.i.p.ate .

Chanyu and A Da shared the same confidence in the coming victory . Therefore they were very calm . But the rest of the warriors of the gra.s.sland seemed fanatic . They stared at the Tang army with the eyes of the wolves .

As long as they could defeat the Tang, the Golden Tribe Royal Court would reign over the entire world . In the new chapter they would occupy the most wealthy cities in the Central Plains, wear the best silk clothes, embracing the most beautiful women, indulge in the strongest liquor, drink from the clearest brooks and eat the finest steamed buns .

These must be the bestows of their Tengri . It would be an insult to Tengri if they could not take the triumph .

. . .

. . .

Chanyu, A Da and their numerous cavalrymen in the Golden Tribe were all looking at the Tang army to their south .

In Tang's barracks, Hua Ying and his soldiers were also looking to the north . Further south in the temporary General's Mansion, Xu Chi was also looking to the north, to the hungry wolves in the morning glow and breeze .

People sensed the danger .

The previous battles of over ten days were already brutal . The cavalrymen of the Golden Tribe attacked pretty hard, and the Northern Battlefront Army defended even harder . Therefore they could only break even . But today it would not be the same .

The Golden Tribe was going to fight desperately today . Chanyu and his people were ready to bet the luck of the entire tribe in the coming battle .

Hua Ying's face was ghastly pale .

Through the telescope, he could see clearly what they were doing in the Golden Tribe Royal Court . He saw that the gra.s.sland barbarians were feeding their horses, and providing them with water and salt . And he could even see the mutton boiled in their pots .

As a veteran Tang general, he knew exactly the customs of the gra.s.sland cavalrymen . In no more than two hours the well-fed warhorses would carry the barbarians like hungry wolves to devour them .

It was their ritual on the gra.s.sland . It was also the reason why he looked ghastly pale . Chanyu and his gra.s.sland cavalrymen did not even care about being seen by the Tang army now, which meant they had already planned for the timing of the battle today and were officially announcing it to the Tang army .

How confident they were, and how humiliating it was to the Tang army!

If it was ten years ago, Hua Ying would have sent his cavalrymen to raid them as soon as he saw this . They would have obtained what they wanted before the enemy could even react .

But now he could no longer do that . Because he did not have enough warhorses . It was no longer possible for him to send out the cavalrymen in sequence and groups like he used to do in their full glory .

If only…

That same problem, that same wish came into Hua Ying's mind again . If only Tang could have a real cavalry at this point, if only they had enough warhorses, could Chanyu ever dare to be so arrogant? Absolutely no . It would be the doomsday of the Golden Tribe Royal Court if only…

But that was just his wish . If wishes equaled the reality, how could there be so much pain in the human world? His wish could never come true . Therefore the Golden Tribe Royal Court was not doomed today . That was why Chanyu and his gra.s.sland cavalrymen could be so rampant and aggressive . That was also why the Northern Battlefront Army was so helpless . He could almost see their miserable ending and sense the despair in it .

Not like Hua Ying, the ordinary soldiers in the Northern Battlefront Amy was resolute and calm . They did not know the secrets or the prediction the generals had made on the sand table . They had no idea and did not care about the chance of victory . They would fight fearlessly like always no matter what .

Looking around at the Tang soldiers who were preparing quietly for the battle, Situ Yilan tried to conceal her sadness and raised her head again in high spirits, in order not to jeopardize the morale the slightest .

She noticed that a Tang soldier was still standing by the pot while all the others had finished their breakfast quickly and started sharpening their weapons . He was holding a big bowl in the left hand and a wooden spoon in the right, indulging in the taste of the vegetable porridge, and murmuring cheerfully upon chewing on the pork in it .

”What's your name?” Situ Yilan came to him and asked .

He was not an elder soldier . But she could tell that he was already a veteran through his callused hands and indifferent look .

The Tang soldier turned to her, paused for a while, put aside the bowl with porridge and saluted to her . He replied, ”General, I'm w.a.n.g Wu from the Fourth Chihou Squad of the Vanguard Brigade . ”

”w.a.n.g Wu? That's a neat name . ” Situ Yian continued, ”But it seems you are not a neat person . Don't you know everyone else is already back to their barracks and preparing for the battle? Why are you still here?”

w.a.n.g Wu showed enough respect but he was not afraid of her . He answered sincerely yet mockingly, ”Chihou Squads will not join the battle for a while . Furthermore there will be at least two hours before those barbarians' attack . Why the hurry? There were quite some pork in the porridge today . It would be a shame if we cannot finish it . ”

Situ Yilan slightly raised her eyebrows and commented, ”Indeed a veteran . ”

w.a.n.g Wu used the wooden spoon to scratch on his neck and grinned . ”I'm flattered . ”

Situ Yilan said, ”It seems you've got a good appet.i.te this morning . I wish everyone else could be like you and have enough confidence in the battle today . Or…” Upon those words she suddenly stopped .

w.a.n.g Wu's weary smile disappear too . He stared at her and said indifferently, ”Or what, General? Or may there be some miracles? You know that's not gonna happen . ”

Situ Yilan looked cold . She stared into his eyes and asked after a pause, ”What are you trying to say?”

”There is quite some pork in the porridge today, and even more vegetables… Although we've been fed very well in the Northern Battlefront Army, it is still far above average . It's too good to keep me from doubting . ”

w.a.n.g Wu did not fear her and continued calmly, ”Or perhaps it is our last meal . Therefore the General wanted to give us the best . ”

Situ Yilan asked again in cold voice, ”What the h.e.l.l are you trying to say?”

w.a.n.g Wu pointed at the Tang soldiers in the nearby barracks who were preparing for the battle quietly, and continued, ”I know we are definitely losing the battle today . Many of us know it . We just never mentioned it . ”

Situ Yilan was silent for a long while .

w.a.n.g Wu said further, ”If you think I'm jeopardizing the morale, you could sentence me right away . ”

Situ Yilan replied, ”I'm more interested in why you've told me this . ”

w.a.n.g Wu said, ”Because I want to tell General Xu, the imperial court at the Academy… I'm not reconciled . I won't take the failure . And I can't understand why the Northern Battlefront Army would end like this . ”

Situ Yilan lowered her voice and said, ”To defend the country is the duty of every Tang soldier . What are you not reconciled for?”

”My point is why did General Xu send us here outside Guhe? Why do we have to fight our last battle here? I'm never afraid of death . But I don't like it that he is sending us to die for nothing . ” w.a.n.g Wu got enraged all of a sudden and throw the wooden spoon back into the pot . He yelled at Situ Yilan, ”The Xiangwan Plain was ceded by the imperial court . The battle was decided by the general . Why do we have to die for absolutely nothing? Even if you generals want us to die defending the country, shouldn't we die for a victory?”

Situ Yilan stopped her guards from pulling out the sabers and paused for a long while . Because she did not have an answer for this angry veteran either . Indeed, the imperial court sent the Tang army here to defend the country and they spared nothing executing the order, with their blood and lives . But they should at least let them have some chance of winning . Otherwise how could they die with content?

”So what do you want? What do you want me to do?” she stared at w.a.n.g Wu and asked sincerely .

w.a.n.g Wu was not expecting such an answer . After a long pause, he said nothing further, smiled bitterly and turned to walk toward their barracks .

Situ Yilan gazed at his figure but did not ask further questions . Because she knew pretty well what the young veteran would want . It was also what she was longing for, what the Northern Battlefront Army or even the entire Tang was longing for .

w.a.n.g Wu came back to his barrack, and stared blankly at the half bag of dried gra.s.s outside the tent .

He was one of the Chihou Squad, the very few in the Northern Battlefront Army who had horses . But his horse died two years ago in Wei and he never had another horse ever since .

A Chihou without his horse was no better than a dog . w.a.n.g Wu could not help from thinking like that throughout the two years . He felt that he was indeed no better than a dog . Because even a dog could bark . What could he do?

w.a.n.g Wu kicked away the bag of dried gra.s.s and went to wash his face . But upon staring at the pale and frowning face reflected in the water bucket, he found his sensations dreadful .

He inhaled deeply and completely dispelled the despair and anger down his heart . Then he pulled out the saber that he brought from Wei and started to give instructions to his subordinates in preparation for the coming battle .

A Chihou without his horse… was still a Tang soldier . He would fight till the last even if there was no hope .

He looked through the morning glow toward the yurts of the Golden Tribe in the north, and recalled the City of Wei all of a sudden . When the City of Wei was wiped out by the cavalry of Golden Tribe, he was one of the very few who survived . He returned to the Northern Battlefront Army and reclaimed his ident.i.ty . He was a.s.signed a horse but lost it again shortly . Just like they used to have the City of Wei but lost it later .

w.a.n.g Wu often recalled the days when they used to go hunting with the general, killed countless gangsters and claimed their fortunes . But those days were gone forever .

Under his indifferent and lazy disguise, his heart was constantly inflamed and poisoned by anger and hatred . He had always dreamed about defeating the gra.s.sland barbarians with his fellow soldiers and reclaim the City of Wei some day . But it seemed pretty hopeless .

According to the current situation, there might never be such a day . He was longing for a warhorse, the best warhorse . He wanted to ride on his horse and charge to the enemies . If only he could have a warhorse and so could his fellow soldiers, they would definitely win .

This idea had been haunting him constantly . He was almost driven crazy upon the sight of the countless horses in the Gold Tribe Royal Court . At this moment he would surrender whatever he had, even his life to anyone who could give him a horse . He was even willing to wash the feet of those stinky gra.s.sland barbarians for a horse, as long as he could kill them after that .

If anyone could give him a horse, he would like to slave for that person . But unfortunately, there were no ifs .

w.a.n.g Wu was about to wash his face then get ready for the most brutal battle thought a thousand of years . It would be a series of battles that would take countless lives . The Northern Battlefront Army would probably lose . And all the Tang soldiers would die for their country . He wanted his face and teeth to be clean when he died .

The next moment, he felt some dizziness because the water rippled in the basin . The reflection of his eyes and eyebrows were distorted and seemed funny instead of depressed .

People from the Golden Tribe Royal Court also sensed the quake . Tens of thousands of gra.s.sland cavalrymen were preparing tensely for the battle and feeding their horses . But suddenly those well-trained warhorses became extremely restless . Some were shaking their heads like crazy instead of eating and drinking . Some others looked toward somewhere afar being scared . They kept kicking their forelegs, as if they could only cheat themselves and kill the fear by doing so .

The fields started quaking from the City of Wei to the meadow outside Guhe . The wheels of the carriages in both sides were creaking . Some soldiers could not even stand properly on the ground .

A Da jumped onto the top of a carriage and squinted toward where the quake came from . He had the best eyesight hence was the first to be stunned upon seeing what was happening . What he saw was incredible and he could no longer stay arrogant and solemn .

More and more people saw the source of the quaking . w.a.n.g Wu raised his eyebrows high as well as the corners of his lips . His hands trembled and the wet towel fell into the basin and splashed some water .

The same like him, everyone from the Chihou Squad and the Northern Battlefront Army further away all felt the quake . They looked toward the northwest . Everyone was stunned, confused and silenced . But there was more excitement and expectation .

The gra.s.sland was clear and fresh under the morning sun . There was no wind or dust . People could see clearly that a huge dark ma.s.s of clouds was coming toward them from the northwestern horizon . The clouds seemed to be moving slowly only because of its huge size . They were actually moving fast .

The dark clouds dashed a dozen miles swiftly and came to the edge of the fields outside Guhe . Now people could see clearly that it was rather a ma.s.s of dense dust instead of clouds . And it was caused by horse hooves . Countless wild horses were roaring toward them!

The morning sun flushed the sky and shed warm light into the dust, as if it was the rosy morning glow pulled down to the earth . The das.h.i.+ng horses seemed flaming and charming!

No one could tell how many horses there were in the morning glow . And no one would bother to figure out how many horses could have created such an earth-shaking scene .

They just knew that an incredibly huge crowd of wild horses just appeared from nowhere . And the wild horses . . were coming to the Tang army! The silence on the gra.s.sland made the clip-clops even more distinct . It pounded on everyone's ears and heart like thunders .

Every soldier in the Tang's Vanguard Brigade stopped their preparations . No matter how harsh their disciplines were they could no longer move their eyes away from the morning glow and the countless wild horses das.h.i.+ng toward them .