"Lord Xu Gan is wise. This method is indeed feasible."
Zhang Lin bowed respectfully. He had no objections to Xu Gan's opinion. Even though the members of Longwei Training Camp had zero experience on the battlefield, they weren't newbies.
Clearly, this method was feasible as well.
Xu Gan nodded proudly. Then, he suddenly caught sight of Wang Chong and sneered coldly.
"Hmph, there's no need for you to follow us. You can wait at the back lest you drag us down. "
"Sure."
On the back of the steed, Wang Chong nodded nonchalantly. His nonchalant attitude left Xu Gan gnashing his teeth in hatred. If he could, he would have given the other party a good beating.
But in the end, he held himself back.
As long as Wang Chong didn't make any mistakes, he couldn't find fault with him for no good reason. The consequences of such a mistake in the midst of the training would be severe.
"You'd better do so!"
Xu Gan glared at Wang Chong hatefully before beckoning the others.
"Let's go!"
Under Zhang Xuan's command, Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and Bai Siling led twenty cavalrymen each, and for a total of sixty cavalrymen, they set off for the west.
"Lord Xu, why didn't you resist? The road to the west is not as simple as he thinks. If it were that easy, we would have wiped them out a long time ago. Why would we need to do this now? "
Galloping sounds sounded behind them, and a ten-man squad leader from Wang Chong suddenly rode up to them. Looking in the direction that Xu Gan and the others had left in, he glared at them indignantly.
Wang Chong came from a military clan, and it was one of the most respected of them all. Weren't these people being too brazen before Wang Chong?
"Hehe, it's fine. Let them do as they please. "
Wang Chong waved his hands. Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and the others thought that they were useless at the moment, so if they were to reveal their identity now, it would only weaken the reputation of the Wang Clan and make others think that the Wang Clan only knew how to bully others.
Once they suffered and hit a wall, they would naturally understand.
It wouldn't be too late for them to reveal themselves after revealing their capabilities.
"Right, have you participated in such a mission before?"
Wang Chong suddenly turned around and asked.
"Yes!"
Ma Song nodded and did not deny it.
"Most of our brothers were transferred from other places. I've only participated a few times in the past. "
"Oh?"
Wang Chong was a little surprised. Even Commandant Zhang couldn't see through it. However, Ma Song seemed to be more knowledgeable.
"Then do you know what's going on?"
Wang Chong asked.
Ma Song shook his head, then nodded.
"I don't know what happened before. I only know what happened in the past few months. On the road leading to the Anxi Protectorate Manor, the imperial army would regularly encircle and suppress the bandits and brigands. However, they were usually separated by a long time. However, things have been very different recently. About a month ago, many bandits and horse bandits suddenly appeared on this road. Furthermore, they were extremely active, and it seemed very different. "
Ma Song said.
"Oh?"
Wang Chong's eyebrows twitched, and he seemed to be deep in thought.
"On the road to the west, it should be normal for bandits and horse bandits to appear at certain times, right?"
"I'm not too sure either. However, around half a month ago, we caught a group of bandits and captured their leader. Based on what they said, someone seemed to have invited them to form a clique and gather in the forest. The remuneration they offered was extremely generous. That person was masked, and he seemed to be highly skilled in martial arts. We weren't able to discern his background.
"However, according to that person, that person is extremely short. He doesn't seem like the Hu of the Western Regions, nor does he seem like a Han. Instead, he exudes the scent of horse milk, reminiscent of the scent of the people from Ouzan in the west. "
"Ouzan? Ouzan is still quite a distance away from this road. Furthermore, they rarely leave the highlands, so they aren't familiar with the Central Plains. It's unlikely that they would come here. "
Wang Chong said.
Wang Chong had some understanding of the Ouzan. In truth, the Ouzan were slightly shorter than the Han. However, due to their worship of heaven's burial, the Ouzan had a ferocious nature. Their greatest trait was the scimitars they carried on their bodies, and when paired with the charge of their steeds, it was extremely effective.
In a battle against the Ouzan, when they charged down from the highlands like a tidal wave, it was extremely difficult to stop them.
Even the sturdiest of fortresses might not be able to stop the charge of the Ouzan.
However, the Ouzan had an innate attachment to their highlands, and they viewed the environment of the highlands as superior to any other environment.
In the eyes of the Han, the environment of the highlands was extremely harsh.
Most of the time, the Ouzan would return to the highlands after conquering the cities and conquering the lands. Thus, in the Tang dynasty of the Central Plains, there were Hu, Abbasid Caliphate, Sindhi, Goguryeo, and the Six Zhao of Erhai. However, there were very few Ouzan.
This was also one of the reasons why Wang Chong felt that it was unlikely for the Ouzan to appear here.
"I don't know either. However, those were indeed the words of the chief of the fort back then. Later on, the people from the Bureau of Military Personnel appeared and took him away. I don't know what happened after that. "
Ma Song said.
There were many soldiers on the western expedition to suppress the bandits, and Ma Song was just an insignificant soldier among them. It was already commendable for him to know so much.
After all, it wasn't often that he went on missions.
"I understand."
Wang Chong nodded. He didn't say anything else, but his mind began to work.
"The Ouzan … A month ago …"
Wang Chong's mind was in turmoil. He vaguely recalled hearing that an envoy from the Ouzan had arrived at the Tang dynasty.
However, envoys were common in all countries, so it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
"It's a pity that there aren't any carrier pigeons here. Otherwise, I could look into it and see if this matter is really related to the Ouzan."
Wang Chong sighed.
Other than followers, messenger pigeons were not allowed to be brought into the mission. In other words, all of those who participated in the mission were currently uncontactable.
Even the instructors in the training camps weren't aware of the situation, needless to say, the others.
"Jya!"
Wang Chong urged his steed forward, and the group swiftly followed behind.
…
By nightfall, they were already two hundred li away from the capital, and they were already within the borders of the Tang dynasty. Beneath a massive pine tree, Xu Gan led a group of twenty men, ready to set off.
They had only discovered a small group of bandits this time around, and they didn't seem to be too strong.
Xu Gan was itching to make a move, and he was prepared to make a move.
Even though he was from a prestigious clan, this was the first time Xu Gan was involved in a real battle, not to mention that he was leading a group of twenty elites under his command.
Thus, Xu Gan decided to make a move personally.
"Don't move around recklessly, just stay here. I'll deal with them myself. Especially you, I don't want you to foil my plans! "
Xu Gan turned around and pointed a finger at Wang Chong, who was standing on the dark road a dozen zhang away.
"Brother Xu, I'll be staying here today. I won't be going anywhere! "
Wang Chong replied with a smile. His temper was unbelievably good.
Xu Gan's punch landed on empty air, and he felt extremely displeased. He had tried his best to infuriate Wang Chong, but the latter didn't fall for it at all.
Like a mouse trying to pull a tortoise, Xu Gan had no idea where to start.
But the more Wang Chong behaved this way, the more displeased Xu Gan felt.
"Hmph, wait for my good news!"
Xu Gan turned around and led the twenty cavalrymen into the forest. Like a slithering snake, they made their way toward the bandit den.
Xu Gan's cavalrymen were agile, and they moved in a uniform formation, completely unaffected by the trees and thorns. Even Wang Chong couldn't help but commend them upon seeing this.
It would take at most an hour to travel from the main road to the bandit den. Given Xu Gan's capability, they would be able to slaughter their way back and forth a few times.
Seeing that they had disappeared, Wang Chong closed his eyes and remained motionless.
"Hua!"
In just an incense's time, a blazing flame suddenly burst forth from a mountain in the distance, and screams of agony echoed.
"Soldiers! Run for your lives! — — "
The screams of agony and fear were exceptionally loud in the dark of the night. Even from afar, everyone could hear them clearly.
Amidst the blazing flames, the neighing of warhorses could be heard, and one could vaguely see the silhouettes of imperial soldiers leaping into the air, as well as bandits fleeing in all directions.
"Xu Gan has failed!"
Looking at the distant mountain peak, Huang Yongtu and Bai Siling's complexion turned awful. Even if they hadn't seen it yet, it was clear that Xu Gan's plan had failed.
Those bandits might be weaker than the soldiers, but once they decided to escape, their martial arts wouldn't be of much use at all.
What was worse was that according to Lieutenant Zhang Lin, even though the bandits and highwaymen had their own territories, they were extremely well-coordinated when it came to matters concerning the soldiers.
If one or two bandits were to escape, news of the group's success would swiftly reach the other bandits and highwaymen. This was also the reason why they couldn't allow a single bandit to escape.
But from the looks of it now, their operation wouldn't be as smooth as before.
In the shadow of the trees, Wang Chong watched the blazing flames and the screams on the mountain peak with a nonchalant smile.
"You knew that he would fail?"
A voice suddenly sounded by Wang Chong's ear, making him leap in fright. Turning around, Wang Chong saw a beautiful and fair face.
In the darkness, Bai Siling stared at Wang Chong with a bizarre expression.
Wang Chong was truly shocked. He had heard the voice earlier, but he thought that it was one of his subordinates. He didn't expect it to be Bai Siling.
Along the way, the three of them had looked down on him, not interacting with him at all.
As for this Bai Siling, this was the first time Wang Chong was interacting with her.
"Senior, what are you talking about? I don't understand what you are saying at all. "
Wang Chong shook his head with a smile, feigning ignorance.
"Is that so?"
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