"Chase! — — "
The army chased after the Ouzan. After chasing for another ten-some li and killing several thousand Ouzan soldiers, they finally stopped. The torrential rain limited their vision, and coupled with the fact that the Ouzan were focused on escaping, even Wang Chong could not completely wipe them out.
However, the outcome of this battle had already exceeded everyone's expectations.
Forty thousand Annam Protectorate soldiers against seventy thousand Ouzan cavalry had only paid a price of five or six thousand, but they had managed to wipe out fifty thousand Ouzan cavalry. This sort of ten to one victory was absolutely beyond everyone's expectations.
The morale of the Annam Protectorate was currently high, and their desire for battle was at its peak.
"Young Master, what should we do next?"
Several dozen li away from the mountain, the generals stopped and looked at Wang Chong through the heavy rain, their eyes brimming with respect.
Wang Chong had neither an official nor a noble title, and he wasn't a member of the Annam Protectorate.
For such a person to take command of the army as soon as he arrived was simply unthinkable. After all, given Wang Chong's age, there was probably no one in the army younger than him. Many of the generals were old enough to be his father, not to mention that ninety percent of the Annam Protectorate generals had never even seen him before.
But at this time, no one cared about this.
The battle between the army and Fengjiayi and Jiao Serro had not just begun. Previously, they had been completely suppressed. All the changes and twists in this battle had begun when this youth had ascended the mountain and taken command of the army. It could be said that without this youth, many of these people would have died on that mountain behind them.
Heroes did not come from birth. At this time, no one cared about Wang Chong's age or whether or not he had an official title.
This youth possessed an astonishing ability to command and art that far surpassed all those present. If there was one person who could lead everyone out of their current predicament, it would be this young man in front of them. In comparison, it was no longer important whether he was Wang Yan's youngest son or whether he had the token of The King of Song.
— — This was the consensus of all the Annam Protectorate personnel present.
"For now, there's no need to worry about Jiao Serro and Fengjiayi. Our top priority is to find Lord Xianyu Zhongtong and meet up with them as quickly as possible."
Wang Chong said without hesitation.
He had thought about this a long time ago. The Annam Protectorate, his father, and his eldest brother, Wang Fu, led more than eighty thousand men. The forty thousand men behind him were only a part of it. If they didn't find Xianyu Zhongtong and the others, they would definitely die if they ran into Huoshu Huizang.
"But we don't even know where they are!"
Chen Shusun rode up from the rear, his expression grave. His armor had been soaked by the rain and had turned a greenish-gray color.
"In addition, our initial goal was to break out of the encirclement and leave, doing our best to preserve everyone's lives. If we turn back now, the risk is not small. Without the protection of the mountains, the terrain is disadvantageous. If we run into Ouzan's men on flat ground, we'll probably die. In addition, Huoshu Huizang and Ouzan's armies are catching up. If we turn back to find Lord Xianyu and the others, we'll be delayed and run into Ouzan's men. At that time, not only will we not be able to save anyone, our entire army will be wiped out! — — This is not Lion City. From the moment we left Lion City, we no longer have any cities or natural defenses to rely on. "
His words immediately caused everyone to fall silent.
"That's right. From the moment we left Lion City, there was no turning back. In addition, since Fengjiayi and the others have found us, Huoshu Huizang and Gelofeng probably know where we are as well. It's only a matter of time before the army catches up. The longer we delay here, the more danger the army will be in! "
Another officer of the Annan Protectorate army said.
"The Annam Protectorate cannot be allowed to be buried here. If our army is wiped out, the Annan Protectorate will truly exist only in name!"
The other Annam Protectorate commanders agreed.
"In truth, before we even began this operation, everyone had already understood what was going to happen. This time, the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army has already gathered its momentum and is unstoppable. It's simply not something we can resist. It's simply impossible for everyone to escape unscathed. Some people are fated to not be able to escape. Everything will depend on their own luck. This is the case for us, and it is the same for everyone else. Lord Xianyu should also understand this principle. Whether they can escape or not will depend on themselves. "
Another officer of the Annan Protectorate army rode forward and stepped forward.
What followed was a long period of silence.
The pitter-patter of the rain resounded in everyone's ears as the bean-sized droplets pattered against the armor. Wang Chong said nothing, his gaze sweeping over the officers of the southwest, his brow slowly creasing.
I didn't think that Xianyu Zhongtong would lose the support of the people in the Annam Protectorate so quickly. With Zhangchou Jianqiong entering the capital and Xianyu Zhongtong rushing to take the position, he might not have been defeated, but after the defeat in the southwest and the deaths of more than one hundred thousand elite soldiers on the Erhai plains, there are probably many people who are dissatisfied with him! It's just that they haven't said it out loud yet.
Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
He had never been too clear about the circumstances of the Annam Protectorate's invasion, but now that he thought about it, there had probably been quite a few voices of dissatisfaction with him, and there had even been quite a few who were dissatisfied with Zhangchou Jianqiong's choice of him. The defeat at Erhai had caused Xianyu Zhongtong to lose the support of the people.
The opposition of so many people this time was only a way to vent their dissatisfaction.
The army hasn't even gotten out of its predicament, but the generals in the Annam Protectorate are already in so much conflict. This is definitely not a good thing!
Wang Chong mentally sighed.
He finally understood why a large portion of the Annam Protectorate's soldiers had followed his big brother and father, and not Xianyu Zhongtong. In all fairness, Xianyu Zhongtong had to bear a great deal of responsibility for the battle of the Erhai plains, but that was only because Xianyu Zhongtong's talent was not enough for the position of Protector-General.
Zhangchou Jianqiong's selfishness had led to this result. But if one put aside this point, Xianyu Zhongtong was actually an excellent general. In the upheaval of the southwest, he had not committed treason, nor had he ever had such thoughts. His lack of ability had led him to such a high position, and this was the final result.
Thus, Wang Chong actually didn't have any ill will toward him.
[Welcome to my WeChat account and Weibo. Just search for Huangfu Qi. There are many things that can't be found in novels.]
"Buzz!"
As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Wang Chong quickly had an idea. His right hand reached into his bosom and took out something. It was not the dazzling token of The King of Song, but a pitch-black object.
"Ah! This is … Lord Protector-General's token! "
The generals were initially confused by Wang Chong's actions, but when they saw the black tiger-headed token that Wang Chong had raised in the air, all of them trembled and hurriedly bowed. Several of the generals who had opposed the most ferociously jumped off their horses and got down on one knee.
"I didn't think that Young Master would have Lord Protector-General's token. Does Lord have any orders?"
The generals lowered their heads, their respect tinged with panic and unease.
Not even Wang Chong's The King of Song's token could produce such an effect.
Zhangchou Jianqiong had been Protector-General of the southwest for several decades, ruling with an iron fist. He was known as the Tiger of the Southwest. With him present, not even Mengshe Zhao or Ü-Tsang dared to act recklessly, all of them feeling extremely apprehensive. Gelofeng and Dalun Ruozan had only started this war after Zhangchou Jianqiong had been transferred to the capital.
One could easily imagine Zhangchou Jianqiong's prestige in the southwest.
Zhangchou Jianqiong regarded the southwest as his personal territory, and one could see this from the scene before them. He had been the Minister of War for many years, and he had been the Minister of War for many months, but the generals of the southwest still addressed him as' Protector-General ', not' Lord Minister '.
It seems like asking Zhangchou Jianqiong for his personal token was the right decision.
Seeing this sight, Wang Chong couldn't help but sigh.
Xianyu Zhongtong had already lost the support of the people, and the resentment of the generals was too deep. To put it another way, the southwest was essentially a group of dragons without a leader. Not even the The King of Song's token could force them to submit. But Zhangchou Jianqiong's token … this was the only way to resolve this conflict and have the generals of the southwest listen to his orders.
"Seeing the token is like seeing the person. Lord Zhangchou has told all of you this before."
Wang Chong calmly said. Not even he realized that a faint pressure was slowly emanating from his body.
"Before leaving for the southwest, I discussed it in detail with Lord Zhangchou. His Lordship has said that from the moment I arrive, I will have full authority to handle everything in the southwest in his stead. Thus, anyone who dares to disobey will be executed first and reported later, and he will have full authority to deal with them. Understood? "
Wang Chong's voice was steady and dignified. At this moment, there was no trace of the childishness of a youth. Not even the veteran generals of the army could compare to him.
"Yes!"
"Since Young Master has Lord Protector-General's token, we will naturally follow Young Master's orders!"
… …
Everyone lowered their heads, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
"Young Master …"
On the side, Chen Shusun stared in a daze at this sight.
The King of Song's token, Zhangchou Jianqiong's token …
Ordinary people would not be able to obtain either of these two extremely important tokens, but Wang Chong had both of them. Chen Shusun had always believed that Wang Chong had acted on his own and run off to the southwest. But now, even he couldn't see the scene in front of him clearly. His young master seemed to be hiding more secrets than he had imagined.
"There's no need to follow orders. I just want to tell all of you one thing. The terrain of the southwest is flat, with few mountains and many hills. Do you really think that we can escape faster than Ouzan's cavalry? From the very start, escaping the southwest and safely retreating was never a possibility. We have no choice but to resist. "
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