Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Dayan Mangban, we meet again. Did you get my gift?"
Wang Chong slowly trotted his horse forward, smirking.
Buzz!
At these words, Dayan Mangbanâs complexion instantly turned dark, a fierce anger emerging in his eyes. He naturally knew what Wang Chong was talking about. The âgiftâ Wang Chong spoke of was undoubtedly the twenty-seven thousand soldiers of Zhangzhung Training Camp and the Dayan Clanâs Dayan Pugyal.
"Thereâs no need to worry. Youâll quickly be receiving my âgiftâ as well."
Dayan Mangban rode his horse forward, coldly staring at Wang Chong, a savage glow in his eyes.
"Hahaha, then I look forward to it."
Wang Chong heartily chuckled. He wasnât worried that Dayan Mangban would strike, but rather that he wouldnât. After all, he still had the âThreat to Qixiâ mission to complete. Just his words and Dayan Mangbanâs personality ensured that Dayan Mangban would not lightly choose to retreat.
"Oh, by the way, Dayan Mangban, besides you, Iâve also prepared a gift for the Ă-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 Tsenpoâs royal capital. Iâve 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 Mangbanâs eyes grew even colder, even more brimming with rage. Even Dusong Mangpoje at the rear of the army had to slightly frown at these words. Wang 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 Ă-Tsang Empire.
In the Ă-Tsang Empire, the Tsenpo held supreme status as a manifestation of a god. Any Tibetan commander would find it impossible to bear Wang Chongâs words.
"Brat, youâre 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 Heâs 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, Iâm 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 Ă-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 Ă-Tsang, toppling it over so as to show everyone what happens to enemies of the Great Tang."
Wang 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, couldnât help but deeply frown at Wang Chongâs words.
And the distant Fumeng Lingcha also couldnât help but frown.
"Milord..."
Several of the Qixi scouts by Fumeng Lingchaâs side seemed to brighten up and subconsciously glance at Fumeng Lingcha. Although Wang Chong was their opponent, even they, as soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army, couldnât 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 canât be allowed to survive.
Fumeng Lingcha clenched his fists, causing his knuckles to crack.
The more outstanding Wang 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 Wang Chong even more.
If Dayan Mangban was just angry at the start, by now, he was on the verge of going insane.
"Wang Chong, if you wanted to provoke me, then youâve succeeded. Iâve changed my mind now. I wonât let you easily die. You care a lot about Qixi, right? I will kill each and every soldier of Qixi and make the Great Tangâs Qixi Protectorate nothing more than a part of history." Dayan Mangban smiled savagely.
"Letâs 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."
Wang Chong narrowed his eyes as he watched Dayan Mangban leave.
"Yes, Lord Marquis!"
Xu Keyi turned and left with the order.
"Li Siye, thereâs no going back. We must kill Dayan Mangban!" Wang Chong said, continuing to look forward.
"Lord Marquis, this general will do everything possible to carry out this order," Li Siye sternly replied.
Wang 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 Protectorateâs armies had been exhausted, and it was this trait that resulted in the mission âThe Threat to Qixiâ.
Dayan Mangbanâs final words before leaving had stirred many thoughts in Wang Chong. Wang Chongâs greatest concern right now was that his own actions had led to a far earlier onset of Dayan Mangbanâs madness.
There was no retreat now. If he wanted to avert Dayan Mangbanâs crazed actions and prevent the Qixi Protectorate from walking the same path to destruction, he had to exterminate Dayan Mangban here.
"Hyah!"
Wang 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 rush! 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 Mangbanâs 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.
âMadâ did not mean âimpulsiveâ, and it certainly didnât mean âstupidâ, at least not in their commanderâs 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 âImperial Brigadier Generalâ and âAsura of the Plateauâ, not âMadman of the Plateauâ.
"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: itâs all ready. The several dozen tribes around the northern border have received Milordâs 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 Mangbanâs order.
"Brat, youâll definitely regret your actions. Only death will be able to purify the idiocy in your body!"
Dayan Mangbanâs complexion was ashen, but his eyes glimmered with madness.
Dayan Mangban was extremely clear on what Wang 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 Ă-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 Wang 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 Wang Chong imagined.
......
"Lord Marquis, they still havenât attacked!"
In the triangular gap, Li Siye was observing the Tibetan army.
"Mm."
Wang 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... Iâve 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 heâs the âThreat to Qixiâ. Itâs no easy task to kill him off, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.