"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean. There will come a day when the mountain spring runs out, but how long will it last? Ten days? A month? Or even longer? What if it happens to be ten days, or perhaps a month? "
Dalun Ruozan calmly said, but the trembling in his voice was so obvious that even the messenger next to him could sense it.
Gelofeng fell silent.
What a frightening young man!
Raising her head and gazing at the gurgling water flowing down the mountain, Gelofeng suddenly understood. This was a sort of show off, but it was also a silent pressure. And it had to be said that Wang Chong had truly succeeded.
He could take the risk, but Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao could not afford to wait.
"Prime Minister is correct. We can't afford to wait!"
Duan Gequan's voice came from the side, setting the tone for this matter.
Bwoooom! — —
The yak horn resounded through the sky. After three days, thick smoke once more erupted from the base of the mountain. The armies of Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan once more began to move.
The dark clouds of war clamored over the earth!
This was another battle between the Tang Dynasty and Mengshe – Ü-Tsang, and it was also foreordained to be the last. This time, neither side could retreat. This was destined to be a battle to the death, a battle that would be fought to the last soldier, to the last drop of blood … a decisive battle!
… …
Bongbongbong!
High up on the mountain, a deafening sound of war drums suddenly rang out, followed by two, three, four … The dense sounds of the war drums gradually spread over the entire mountain like raindrops, reaching hundreds of miles away.
The dark clouds of war once more rose into the sky.
The remaining sixty thousand soldiers of the Tang Dynasty in the southwest once more began to work like a massive war machine.
At this stage in the war of the southwest, both the Annam Protectorate and the armies of Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan were showing deep exhaustion. The strength of both sides was far from what it had been at the start.
The Tang dynasty had a period of experience when the water source burst.
Ouzan, on the other hand, was plagued by a lack of food and diarrhea.
But even so, the tension between the two sides was much stronger than the first day. Whether it was Ouzan, Mengshe Zhao, or the Tang dynasty, both sides deeply understood that this confrontation between the three countries in the southwest was about to reach its end.
There would be no more probing and decisive battles. This would be the most important battle between the three sides! Back! One! Fight!
"Wang gongzi, before the battle begins, may I ask you a question?"
In front of the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang army, two ornate golden carriages stood side by side. In one carriage stood Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang, while in the other carriage stood Gelofeng and Duan Gequan.
Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang were slightly in front, while Gelofeng and Duan Gequan were slightly behind!
Compared to at the start, Dalun Ruozan had lowered his feather fan. He was no longer as relaxed as he had been on the first day. Instead, he seemed a little more sincere and calm. At this stage of the battle, both sides had used all their methods and abilities. Dalun Ruozan had nothing to say.
Wang Chong was a qualified opponent!
Moreover, it was a formidable opponent who could stand on equal footing with him and was not inferior in the slightest!
In his heart, Dalun Ruozan had already disregarded his age, treating him as an existence on the same level as himself!
"Prime Minister, please speak!"
On top of the mountain, Wang Chong stood calmly in front of the flagpole. On his left and right were his father Wang Yan, Xianyu Zhongtong, and other generals of the Tang dynasty.
In the final battle, all the commanders and upper echelon generals of the Tang Dynasty stood together, facing off against the Mengshe – Ü-Tsang commanders across the void.
At this stage of the battle, everyone had a kind of awareness in their hearts.
A conversation like this would be the last one between them!
"At the age of seventeen, I don't have the same level of attainment in the art of war as Young Master. All kinds of decisiveness, breadth of mind, boldness, foresight … are not things that a person of this age should have. Dalun Ruozan believed that he was familiar with the classics, all the classics of the Central Plains, there was not one that he did not know, there was not one that he did not know, there was not one that he did not know, in this aspect, very few people could match him. But Young Master's art of war, Dalun Ruozan has never seen it. "
"Before the decisive battle, young master, can you not be stingy and tell me where you learned these military strategies from?"
Dalun Ruozan looked up at the mountain, his voice resounding.
Wang Chong's appearance had been like a comet streaking across the sky, changing the entire situation of the southwest, dragging out a battle that should have been certain victory for Ouzan and Mengshe Zhao into this state.
And the art of war he had used was even more enigmatic. The insight and insight he had displayed in the art of war were simply unparalleled, making him even more enigmatic.
Just what sort of person could raise such a disciple? Just where did this art of war come from? … …
For all these reasons, Wang Chong's origins and the art of war had always been like a dense fog in Dalun Ruozan's mind. And it had lasted from the start of the war to the very end.
Dalun Ruozan had not been hoping for an answer, but he had not expected the result to be so unexpected.
"Let me answer this question for you."
A thunderous voice came from the side. It was not Wang Chong, but Xianyu Zhongtong.
"Dalun Ruozan, you are Ouzan's minister and also a veteran general of the southwest. You should have heard of this name, right?"
"What?"
Dalun Ruozan's heart sank. Countless gazes followed him to look at Xianyu Zhongtong on the summit.
"So Jung-son of the Tang Dynasty! That person is Young Master Wang's true master! "
"Boom!"
So Jung-son's name was like a thunderclap crashing down on everyone's heads. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, and Gelofeng, the three heavyweights of the southwest, all paled. Even Duan Gequan paled, his body trembling.
"This is impossible!"
Dalun Ruozan's eyes went wide as he looked at the summit in disbelief. This news had far surpassed the attention he had paid to the war in the southwest.
So Jung-son was a nightmarish existence on the Ouzan Plateau. Dalun Ruozan had even heard of this name when he was still a child.
If Wang Zhongsi could be said to be the War God of the Tang Dynasty, an existence that everyone on the Ouzan Plateau feared, an existence that even the Tsenpo could not eat or sleep in peace from, then So Jung-son was an even more frightening demon king of the Central Plains!
The terrifying legends of So Jung-son had been passed down through the generations of Ouzan generals. As time passed, their fear of him deepened.
He was the source of the deepest nightmarish mark left on the Ouzan Plateau. His story could even be traced back to the Tsenpo of several generations ago.
This was an existence that made everyone pale at the mention of his name. Just the mention of his name was enough to make one feel uneasy.
"So Jung-son died decades ago, so where did this disciple come from?"
Dalun Ruozan instinctively refused to believe that Xianyu Zhongtong was lying.
"That's right! I spent almost ten years in the capital of the Tang Dynasty, and I heard that the Su Residence has long since gone extinct. So Jung-son has no descendants, and the gate hasn't been opened for decades. Even the ministers of the court say that So Jung-son is dead, so where did this So Jung-son come from? "
A voice came from the side. The one who found this news the most unbelievable was Fengjiayi. He had been a hostage in the capital since he was a child, so he knew all the secrets of the capital.
Now that Wang Chong said that he was War God So Jung-son's successor, how could Fengjiayi possibly believe him?
"Hahaha, Dalun Ruozan, I've already told you the answer you wanted to know. As for whether you believe it or not, that's up to you. But there's one thing I can tell you. The capital has already confirmed that Old Senior Su is still alive. "
Xianyu Zhongtong heartily laughed.
He had presided over the southwest for a long time, so how could he not know that the Ouzan people feared So Jung-son? How could he let go of this chance to strike a blow to the morale of the Ouzan people?
"… Moreover, Dalun Ruozan, who else do you think besides So Jung-son Old Senior Su could raise a student like Young Master Wang, and who else could be worthy of being his master?"
The base of the mountain was deathly still. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, Gelofeng, and Duan Gequan were all silent.
That's right!
Wang Chong was only seventeen, but his grasp of the art of war was already on par with Dalun Ruozan's, perhaps even superior. No ordinary person could become his master.
But So Jung-son just so happened to be one of them. If one said that Wang Chong's master was So Jung-son, then everything could be explained.
"Young Master Wang comes from a prestigious clan, and Dalun Ruozan admires you. But I have something that I wonder if Young Master is willing to listen to? "
Dalun Ruozan took two steps forward and continued.
"Prime Minister, if you have something to say, please say it directly."
Wang Chong faintly smiled.
At this point in the battle, both sides had used up all their trump cards. No matter what schemes Dalun Ruozan had up his sleeves, they were all useless at this point.
"Young Master is quite talented. Even Dalun Ruozan is far inferior to you in the art of war. What's even rarer is that you're still so young. It's a pity that you're too vicious. I heard that the Tang dynasty ruled the country with benevolence and filial piety, and Confucianism advocated etiquette. Young Master, for doing such a thing, aren't you afraid of retribution in the future? "
At the last sentence, Dalun Ruozan's pupils constricted, and his eyes shone with extreme hatred. When the two countries were at war, Wang Chong had actually taken a roundabout route and sent an army to invade the plateau to spread the plague.
The current Ngari Royal Lineage was like hell, with corpses, plagues, and deserted tribes everywhere. An unprecedented war was spreading on the plateau.
What was even more terrifying was that the plague was still spreading, and no one knew when it would end.
Even Dalun Ruozan was secretly alarmed by Wang Chong's viciousness and ruthlessness, as well as his decisiveness and boldness. And this massive loss made Dalun Ruozan clench his teeth, his hatred seeping into his bones. To have persisted until now before speaking up was already a display of self-restraint.
Upon hearing these words, Wang Chong actually smiled.
"Righteousness does not wield wealth, benevolence does not command troops."
This was all Wang Chong said.
"As long as we can win this war, what does it matter if we suffer the retribution that Prime Minister speaks of?"
The civil officials did not love wealth, and the generals did not care about death. Dalun Ruozan had still underestimated him. If it was for safety, for comfort, for reputation, he would never have used up all his wealth to travel thousands of li and participate in this war in the southwest where he was doomed to be outnumbered.
When he left the capital, he had never thought that he would be able to return alive. What meaning did Dalun Ruozan in speaking to him about righteousness, the Confucian school, and retribution mean to Wang Chong?
A general had to uphold the country and serve its people. If one cherished one's reputation, how could one be considered a general?
The fierce winds whipped up the banner. Wang Chong stood at the base of the banner, his expression clear and devoid of fear. At this moment, even Dalun Ruozan was taken aback.
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