In the distant southwest.
A lake more than eighty li long and more than ten li wide lay between the Tang dynasty and Mengshe Zhao. The turbulent waters of the lake were connected to the sea, so it was called the Erhai.
There was no one in the southwest who did not know of the Erhai.
All the merchants passing through the Tea Horse Road would pass through this place. This was a peaceful lake, a sea of peace. But now, it was brimming with the stench of death.
Caw!
The crows spread their wings and flew across Erhai Lake in flocks, landing on a vast plain beside Erhai Lake.
There, countless corpses lay on the ground, their faces pale and facedown. These corpses belonged to the Tang dynasty, to Mengshe Zhao, to Ouzan, but even more belonged to the Tang dynasty.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and the earth had long ago been dyed red. Crows swooped down from the sky and landed on these corpses, their long beaks pecking at the eyes and flesh of these corpses.
If one looked down from the sky, one would see tens of thousands of crows gathered here, pecking at the corpses, forming a dreadful and mournful feast of crows!
This was the battlefield of the war of the southwest!
Broken spears, broken halberds, and tattered banners crisscrossed together, forming the final scene of this war. Although a long time had passed, from a certain perspective, this war was far from over.
"You're saying that this city was built by a child?"
On this bloody battlefield, Dalun Ruozan, dressed in a snow-white robe, squinted his deep eyes as he gazed at that pitch-black and majestic city of steel in the distance, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Prime Minister is correct. Our spies in the Tang capital have already found out that this city was built by the youngest grandson of the Tang dynasty's Prime Minister, Wang Jiuling! It only took him a little more than half a year to finish building this city. "
A short distance away, a middle-aged bearded man who looked bold and ambitious said with his hands behind his back.
This middle-aged man was wearing an embroidered dragon robe. His body was tall and sturdy, and his every movement exuded a strong aura of nobility. Even though he was standing beside famous generals of Ouzan like Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang, he was not inferior in any way.
Looking at the entire Mengshe Zhao Empire, only the Emperor of Mengshe Zhao could reach this level. He was known as the most powerful "Gelofeng" in the present age.
Dalun Ruozan did not speak, but there was a strange look in his eyes.
Three hundred thousand Mengshe Zhao soldiers, together with more than two hundred thousand Ouzan Ngari Royal Lineage's armored cavalry, logically speaking, the one hundred and eighty thousand Tang dynasty elites would not be able to escape even if they grew wings.
But the truth of the matter was that this unremarkable city that had appeared out of thin air on the shores of Erhai, which at first seemed to be in the midst of construction, had ultimately become a crucial factor in this war.
The remaining eighty thousand soldiers were not a lot, but they were not a small number either. Under normal circumstances, the combined strength of the two sides should have been able to easily wipe them out.
But the reality was that, by relying on this sturdy city, the eighty thousand soldiers had not only withstood the attack, but had also maintained their good condition.
The current awkward situation was that the gate to the southwest of the Tang dynasty had been opened, and the five hundred thousand soldiers could kill their way in.
But because of the city on the plains of Erhai and the eighty thousand soldiers in the city, the five hundred thousand Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao armies could not go up or down!
This tiny city of Lion City was like a wedge hammered into the Tang dynasty's southwest, into the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan.
Although their numbers were far inferior to those of Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao, the Tang dynasty still had a formidable advantage in weaponry, crossbows, master archers, and other than cavalry, the Tang soldiers still held an absolute advantage.
If not for their absolute advantage in military strength, Mengshe Zhao would never have dared to challenge the one hundred and eighty thousand elites of the Tang dynasty!
If the two sides split up, the eighty thousand soldiers might be able to take advantage of the situation.
After all, the eighty thousand soldiers still had a fighting chance, could still influence the course of the battle!
"I was careless in this matter. When this city was being built, I also received news of it, but I never paid it much attention. I didn't expect that not only was this city built for military purposes, it was also stocked with enough food for an army of eighty thousand! It seems that this city had been prepared for a long time. "
Gelofeng said, a strange expression on her face.
One was the emperor of Mengshe Zhao, the other was the Prime Minister of the Ngari Royal Lineage of the Ouzan Empire, but now, they were being ganged up on by a child from the capital of the Tang dynasty, several thousand li away.
Even more difficult to accept was that this was clearly the child's own actions, having nothing to do with the Tang dynasty's Imperial Court.
Otherwise, the 180,000 soldiers of the Annan Protectorate wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat and wouldn't have been mobilized.
"If that child is really as you say, then he definitely can't be underestimated. When I return, I will have the Tsenpo conduct a special investigation and find out why he built a city here. I'm worried that this child might one day threaten Mengshe Zhao and our Ouzan. "
Dalun Ruozan said. He didn't know who the Wang Chong that Gelofeng spoke of was, nor had he ever met him.
But as a wise general and strategist, Dalun Ruozan instinctively disliked this sort of variable, and he disliked things that couldn't be controlled.
There was no question that this city on the Erhai plains and the distant Wang Chong in the capital were both completely beyond his control.
"However, it's too naive of you to think that you can stop us with just a single city. Your Revered Majesty, how are your preparations for the matter I spoke of? "
Dalun Ruozan grinned as he turned to Gelofeng.
Although it was rather troublesome, to think that a single city could stop him was too simple.
"Haha, don't worry about that. I've already mobilized all the laborers, porters, and farmers in Mengshe Zhao to cut down the trees around Mengshe Zhao's Erhai. In another ten-some days, we should be able to make a large number of scaling ladders. When the time comes, the army will attack the city, and the Tang army will surely suffer a crushing defeat. "
Gelofeng's eyes were bright as he stroked his beard and heartily laughed.
"Hmph, good! Then I'll wait for your good news! We'll let them live for a little longer. Huoshu Huizang, seal the city with the army. Don't let the Tang soldiers in the city escape. The Tang Dynasty has no soldiers to use. As long as we exterminate the Tang soldiers in Lion City, the gates of the southwest will be wide open. The armies of our Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao will be able to sweep across the plains without any obstacles. "
With a wave of his sleeve, Dalun Ruozan suddenly turned to a massive sand table in front of him.
With a shake of his finger, Dalun Ruozan thrust a flagpole into the sand table that represented Lion City. With a twist, 'Lion City' was pulverized.
Laughing, Dalun Ruozan turned and left the tent.
Behind him, about four to five miles away from Erhai Lake, was a stretch of lush and green forest that stretched on endlessly. The treetops in the forest were shaking, and the sound of cracking could be heard without an end.
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