The Human Emperor
chapter-776

Chapter 776: Major Victory!

“Dayan Mangban, come! Let’s put it all in this single clash!”

Wang Chong rode his White-hoofed Shadow forward, heartily laughing as he charged through the battlefield. With a swish of his Wootz Steel sword, a Tibetan was instantly beheaded. With a slash, a scimitar was broken and a Tibetan and his mount cleaved in two. To an expert on Wang Chong’s level, of the Imperial Martial realm, a Wootz Steel weapon could ascend to a whole new level of power.

But Wang Chong’s gaze was always focused on the distant Dayan Mangban.

Dayan Mangban was hailed as the ‘Asura God’ of the Ü-Tsang Empire. While appearing rough and crude, he was actually a very meticulous man who always came prepared. In order to deal with Wang Chong, he had found yaks to form his vanguard and barley flour to shroud the battlefield. Alas, his cleverness had gotten the better of him.

Dayan Mangban had no idea that using barley flour to form a fog could very easily create a ‘dust explosion’. When the concentration of barley flour in the air reached a certain level, when bits of barley flour were floating everywhere, the situation was a perfect recipe for disaster. A tiny flame would be enough to create a heaven-shaking boom.

To Wang Chong, this was common sense, but the people of this world clearly had no knowledge of this principle.

And Wang Chong’s plan had succeeded. As for its effect…

Everyone could see it!

“Bastard!”

Dayan Mangban clenched his fists, the veins on the back of his hand bulging out and his teeth grinding against each other. Madness, anger, and an irrepressible killing intent… these emotions exploded out of his eyes. If looks could kill, Wang Chong would have been killed a thousand times over.

“I will definitely kill you, definitely kill you…”

Dayan Mangban’s gaze was locked onto Wang Chong, and he had the impulse to heedlessly charge forward, relying on his Saint Martial realm cultivation to end Wang Chong with a single thrust of his spear. But the memories from the City of Steel were still fresh, and he knew that though Wang Chong was weaker than him, he had many tricks, like joint attacks and rotational tactics, that would give pause to even a Saint Martial expert.

Wang Chong didn’t have just two-hundred-some experts this time, but five-thousand-some elites, an even more impressive force. Meanwhile, Dayan Mangban’s army was in complete panic after that unprecedented explosion, its morale completely drained and completely unable to contend against Wang Chong’s army.

“Withdraw!”

Although he was extremely unwilling, Dayan Mangban still clenched his teeth and issued the order to retreat. Rumble! Like a landslide, the already demoralized Tibetan army immediately fell to pieces when Dayan Mangban sounded the retreat.

“Pursue!”

The Tang were invigorated by this sight. Rumble! The Halo of Dusk Stallion descended, immediately buffing the army. The five thousand Wushang Cavalry pressed forward in pursuit. “Aaaah!” Miserable screams filled the air as the Wushang Cavalry mowed the fleeing Tibetans down.

Five thousand, seven thousand, eight thousand… ten thousand!

When five thousand Wushang Cavalry charged in formation, they displayed a killing efficiency never before seen in this world. The dense ranks of the Tibetan cavalry were scattered in a single wave, and while some Tibetans attempted to group up and cover the retreat, they were swiftly crushed.

“Hurry!”

Dayan Mangban’s fierce shout resounded over the battlefield. Against Wang Chong’s five thousand Wushang Cavalry in charging formation, not even a Saint Martial expert like him dared to stick around, much less others. Anyone who dared to stop was essentially committing suicide, and they wouldn’t even be able to delay Wang Chong’s forces, much less stop them.

Bwoooom!

When the Tibetan army was in the greatest danger, a horn blared across the battlefield. This horn was a little different from previous ones. It was even louder and imbued with a grandeur, righteousness, and dignity. At the same time, the earth began to rumble as something began to head toward the rear of the Tibetan army.

“Stop!”

Wang Chong was leading the charge from the front, and when he heard that unusual horn, he immediately raised his right hand and ordered the halt, a wary expression on his face. The earth trembled and the grass rustled as a black tide surged out from behind Dayan Mangban’s collapsing army. Yet another army of the Ü-Tsang Empire had emerged.

From a distance, Wang Chong could clearly make out the tall black battle standard emblazoned with the white eagle, together with the image of a vast snowy mountain.

“It’s Dusong Mangpoje!”

Wang Chong’s heart chilled as he immediately recognized the war banner. In all of the plateau, there was only one person that Wang Chong recalled used the image of a white eagle as his war banner: the Eagle of the Plateau, Dusong Mangpoje!

“Withdraw!”

Wang Chong waved his right hand down, immediately ordering a retreat.

Dusong Mangpoje was a Great General of the Ü-Tsang Empire, even stronger than Dayan Mangban. Although Wang Chong was not surprised at his appearance, this moment was not the time for their final clash.

Rumble! As soon as he gave the order, Wang Chong turned his horse around. Behind him, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry halted their pursuit and immediately began to gallop back to the steel fortress in the triangular gap.

“This brat! He’s got quite the fast reaction!”

In the distance, Dusong Mangpoje saw this retreat and half-closed his eyes. If Wang Chong had dared to pursue, he wouldn’t have minded killing him with a single blow.

But Wang Chong had been extremely sensitive. Before Dusong Mangpoje had even arrived, he had ordered his army to retreat, and not even Dusong Mangpoje could do anything about that.

“It seems that it’s not the time to kill him yet. I have to wait a little longer,” Dusong Mangpoje muttered.

This was not his first meeting with Wang Chong. That had been in the capital of the Great Tang, where Dusong Mangpoje had used the ‘Civet Cat for Crown Prince’ plan¹, having one of his formidable subordinates take the place of the First Prince so that he could kill many experts in the capital of the Great Tang.

In the end, however, Wang Chong had exposed this plan and even revealed Dusong Mangpoje’s identity. He was pursued by Great Tang experts all the way back to Ü-Tsang and was almost forced into remaining in the Central Plains.

The experience had left a very deep impression on Dusong Mangpoje.

But the youth from the Great Tang capital had been even more formidable than he had imagined. Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan had been defeated in the southwest, the heroic Dayan Pugyal of the Dayan Clan had been slain at Zhangzhung, and even Dayan Mangban had lost to him.

That intelligent youth from the Great Tang’s capital was rapidly maturing into a threat for the Ü-Tsang Empire, a lurking menace.

But even though his heart was seething with murderous intent, he had to be patient. With an Imperial Great General of the Great Tang like Fumeng Lingcha present, Dusong Mangpoje had to control himself.

“Fumeng Lingcha, what are you up to? Do you want me to kill him or not?”

Dusong Mangpoje aimed one final and profound glance at Fumeng Lingcha before returning his focus to the battlefield.

“Give the signal for withdrawal.”

The army was currently in chaos. If they wanted to remove that barrier the Great Tang had set up along the triangular gap, they first had to reorganize.

……

As the Tibetan army gave the signal for withdrawal, the first battle came to an end. In the distance, the Qixi Protectorate army was stupefied.

“This boy is far too formidable!”

“Did he plan on that explosion? If so, then that’s just too shocking!”

“Dayan Mangban is definitely kicking himself now. This boy is far harder to deal with than he thought, a real opponent for him.”

The twists and turns of this battle had caught all the Qixi soldiers by surprise, and all the officers were stunned by the result.

These were fierce generals of the Qixi Protectorate army, frontline veterans with abundant battlefield experience, who had experienced all sorts of tribulations.

But even these proud Qixi generals had to admit that if they were in Wang Chong’s position, it would have been impossible to survive Dayan Mangban’s frenzied assaults.

“Everyone, shut up!”

Hearing his generals make such tactless comments infuriated Fumeng Lingcha. Had these bastards forgotten who their enemy was? They would dare praise Wang Chong in a place like this!

“Do all of you have nothing to do? All of you, go and inspect the troops! Make sure they’re ready to enter the battle at any moment!”

“Yes!”

The generals shuddered, hurriedly lowering their heads and taking off.

……

“Hahaha…”

While the other two sides were feeling suppressed, in the triangular gap, behind the silvery-white walls of steel, the soldiers were exultant and full of energy.

The eight-thousand-some craftsmen in the steel fortress had also poked their heads over the walls and were excitedly cheering.

“Lord Marquis!”

“Lord Marquis!”

“Lord Marquis!”

The cheers echoed through the skies, and Fumeng Lingcha, Dayan Mangban, and the Tibetans could only grimace.

“Lord Marquis, how did you manage to do that? Why did that white fog suddenly explode?”

After the battle, Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, and the other officers had gathered around Wang Chong, all of them peering at him curiously.

The most interesting thing about this battle was that massive explosion that had shattered the Tibetan army. Even now, after the battle, that sight still felt like a miracle, and all of them could hardly believe it had happened.

They all knew that Wang Chong had to have something to do with it, but no one knew how.

“Don’t ask anymore. I’ll naturally tell you all in the future, but the battle has only come to a temporary halt and is far from over. The Tibetans definitely won’t give up so easily,” Wang Chong said.

“Yes!”

Seeing that Wang Chong was serious, the officers dispelled their curiosity and lowered their heads.

“Li Siye, dispatch the scouts and take stock of the losses,” Wang Chong said.

“This subordinate will send them now.”

Li Siye selected a few people, and several scouts quickly shot out from behind the walls.

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^{1.See chapter 417 for further details on this incident as well as for an explanation on ‘Civet Cat for Crown Prince’.↩}