Regardless of whether they were the ten-man squad leaders or the ordinary soldiers, every single one of them possessed a cultivation higher than him, reaching True Martial realm.
Twenty veterans of the Tang dynasty were all True Martial realm experts!
This was the difference between regular soldiers and ordinary soldiers. Other than those who were currently undergoing training, most of those who could join the regular army of the Tang dynasty were at True Martial realm.
On the other hand, these veterans had served in the military for ten years or even longer, and they were the elites of the elites. As such, there was no need for him to worry about their fighting prowess.
"What kind of nonsense is this!"
"Does he think that he's fighting a war? Twenty men isn't a lot in the first place, and to think that they would be so scattered! "
"Leave it to him. That fellow doesn't seem to know anything at all. There's no way he'll be able to complete this mission. Let's just leave him at the rear later on so that he doesn't drag us down. "
"Un. It seems like those twenty men have followed the wrong person. What a waste! "
...
While Wang Chong was training, the trio had also finished reorganizing their troops. At the same time, they began paying close attention to the situation on Wang Chong's side.
As they were separated by a small hill, the trio could only see the troops above their shoulders. Wang Chong's four echelons were mixed together, and in the eyes of the others, it was a complete mess. There was no order to speak of at all, and they couldn't help but look down on them.
On top of that, Wang Chong was from the Kunwu Training Camp, which was a place where commoners gathered. Thus, the trio couldn't be bothered with Wang Chong anymore.
"Get ready, we'll be setting off soon. If he doesn't come over by then, there's no need for us to wait for him. We'll just have to leave by ourselves then. "
As Xu Gan spoke, he turned his steed around and headed back to his cavalry unit. Even though it was only twenty men, this was the first time Xu Gan was leading an army into battle. He couldn't help but feel an urge to give it a try.
On the other hand, Wang Chong didn't allow Xu Gan to have his way.
After practicing a few more times and practicing a few offensive formations, Wang Chong finally ended the drill. Leading the group of twenty cavalrymen who had undergone a complete transformation on the outside, they began making their way toward Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and the others, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.
"Are you satisfied?"
Huang Yongtu raised his eyelids and looked at Wang Chong with a mocking smile.
"Yes."
Wang Chong gave a magnanimous smile, not bothering to bicker with him. With a wave of his right hand, the twenty soldiers immediately returned to their original formation, standing next to the other lines of cavalry.
"Hmph!"
When the three of them saw this, they snorted and turned their heads away.
Wang Chong smirked and didn't mind. He stood alone at the front of the line.
Hualala!
In the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, a hawk commonly seen in the army with golden hooks and sharp claws fell from the sky like a sharp arrow.
Zhang Lin, the captain of this operation, hurriedly rode forward and raised his hands to catch the massive eagle. Then, he deftly removed a bamboo tube from the eagle and opened it. After taking a look at its contents, he quickly galloped over and passed it with both hands.
"The royal court has ordered us to set off immediately for the mission. This is the map of the operation and the requirements. "
The mission was divided into different parts, and each person was responsible for a different mission. The officials of the Chamberlain of Dependencies were responsible for selecting the gathering point from the hundred or so gathering points, while low-ranking captains like Zhang Lin were responsible for commanding the troops and gathering them together.
The details of the mission were issued by the Bureau of Military Personnel, but even the Bureau of Military Personnel had no idea who would be carrying out the mission.
Everyone was responsible for their own tasks, and this ensured that the mission was carried out safely. Everyone played their part, and at the same time, this ensured that the mission would be carried out without any malfeasance.
"The first part of the mission is to clear out the bandits and highwaymen along the way. Don't let a single one of them escape. Once more than six of your subordinates die, you will have to withdraw from the mission immediately, and the mission will be considered a failure! "
Looking at the contents of the 'news', a deep frown slowly formed on Xu Gan's forehead. He passed the letter over to Huang Yongtu, who passed it over to Bai Siling, and finally to Wang Chong.
The Silk Road was an extremely long and narrow road. It would take several months for one to reach the Western Regions, and most of the places along the way were uninhabited. They were either deserts, mountains, or barren plains …
On such a long journey, it was simply too convenient for one to spy on others, rob them, and so on.
And it just so happened that the Hu people and Hu merchants on the Silk Road were all extremely wealthy, and the things they bought and sold were not ordinary: pearls, agate, precious stones, spices, gold, and even charming Persian dancers.
All of these were simply too attractive. Just by robbing a few of them, one would be able to strike it rich.
As such, the Silk Road to the west was filled with bandits and highwaymen. Even though the imperial army had been cracking down on them, they were still unable to stop them.
Even though they knew that the consequences would be dire, there were still quite a number of bandits and highwaymen who were willing to take them down.
Most of the Hu merchants from the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu were either wealthy or noble, and they had many experts by their side. It wasn't an easy task to take them down.
But even so, it didn't stop the 'passion' of the bandits. These bandits and highwaymen were really like chives. Every year, a wave of them would be harvested, and another wave would be harvested.
It would have been one thing if that was all.
The situation on the Silk Road was extremely complicated. At the start, there were only a few Han bandits and highwaymen, but as time went by, the situation gradually changed. Some of the Hu, Arabs, and Charax Spasinu who were skilled in martial arts also realized the immense profits to be made from the Silk Road, and after being robbed once, they decided to join the bandits as well.
On top of that, there were many times when the Hu, Arabs, and Han would mingle together, and the bandits would be filled with all sorts of people.
The Hu and Arabs would provide intelligence, and the Han and Hu would move together to rob others. As time went by, the bandits on the Silk Road grew larger and larger, and the targets of their robberies also changed.
At the start, the bandits on the Silk Road still targeted the Hu merchants, Hu, and Arabs. But as time went on, they started robbing everyone who passed through their territory. As long as there was a profit to be made, the Hu and Han would work together to rob the bandits.
Later on, when the situation reached its most outrageous point, there was a time when a bandit or highwayman actually plundered the troops of the imperial court.
Because of that incident, the imperial court was enraged, and they began to pay more attention to the matter. Thus, they began to carry out regular sweeps …
The situation was extremely complicated, and Wang Chong had heard a little about it back then. He had met some merchants who had been robbed, and they had all complained about the bandits and highwaymen, so he was extremely familiar with the situation.
It seemed like he was participating in one of the regular sweeps conducted by the imperial court.
"It's no wonder the Chamberlain of Dependencies would be dispatched, as well as eighty veteran soldiers."
Wang Chong recalled the officials from the Chamberlain of Dependencies in the northwest corner of the capital, and he fell into deep thought.
In Wang Chong's memories, the Silk Road was a passageway for Hu merchants, and it was under the jurisdiction of the Chamberlain of Dependencies.
As for the regular sweeps of the bandits and highwaymen of the Silk Road, the Chamberlain of Dependencies had always been in the charge of the Chamberlain of Dependencies.
Wiping out the bandits and highwaymen of the Silk Road wasn't a difficult task. No matter how strong the bandits and highwaymen were, they couldn't possibly be stronger than the regular army, not to mention, eighty veteran soldiers.
However, the requirements mentioned that no fish could escape the net during the operation. During the course of the mission, each subordinate could not die more than six people. This was the real problem.
Those who were able to travel along the Silk Road were no ordinary people. Most of them had interacted with the imperial army and had their own philosophy of survival and techniques.
Some of the bandits were even equipped with military crossbows, and some of them numbered in the hundreds or even close to a thousand.
In this kind of encirclement, it was very difficult to guarantee that there would be no casualties.
These two conditions meant that this operation was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.
"Commandant Zhang, it's understandable if the Imperial Court doesn't want to act. But wouldn't it be a little difficult to prevent a single bandit or horse bandit from escaping? The mountain range was so deep and wide, so it was normal for one or two of them to escape. Isn't this request a little too high? "
Xu Gan said with an awful complexion.
"Hehe, my lord, this matter is actually very easy to understand."
Zhang San explained with a smile,
"These bandits and highwaymen are no different from weeds. As long as one or two of them manage to escape, they will be able to build another stronghold in the future. This is how most of the bandits and highwaymen on the road to the west came about.
"If we want to intimidate these bandits and highwaymen, we have to eliminate all of them. Only then can we instill fear into the hearts of those who come after us. Otherwise, this operation will be meaningless. It will only lead to more and more bandits and highwaymen. "
Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and Bai Siling glanced at one another. The complexity of the Silk Road had far exceeded their expectations.
Only Wang Chong wasn't too surprised, having expected this.
"However, there's no need to worry. Most of the bandits and highwaymen on the road are just disbanded troops, and their fighting prowess is negligible. Before the imperial army, they won't pose a threat to us. So, there's no need for you to worry too much. All you have to do is to find them and prevent them from escaping. "
Zhang San added with a smile.
"Hu!"
Hearing this explanation, Xu Gan and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
"That gave me a fright! So that's the case. That's simple, we just have to wait until late at night before making our move. Even though the bandits and highwaymen are scattered throughout the day, they will surely return to their hideout at night. Furthermore, the night is also the time when the bandits and highwaymen are exhausted. If we make our move at that time, we will surely be able to catch them off guard. Furthermore, we can also prevent them from escaping. "
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