"Has Dusong Mangpoje lost his mind?! Useless thing, wasting the chance I gave him. He only sent two-thousand-some soldiers to attack the city! "
"And that Dayan Mangpoje, I thought he was some sort of character on the steppe, but … he's really trash!"
"Is there really no one else on the Ouzan Plateau besides We Tadra Khonglo and Dalon Trinling?"
… …
In the protector-general's hall, Fomonlința had not slept the entire night. Ever since his meeting with Wang Chong, his spies had been in the vicinity of the City of Steel day and night. Nothing that happened there could escape his notice. Thus, the moment Dayan Mangpoje was defeated, Fomonlința immediately received the news.
But at this moment, the veins on Fomonlința's forehead were bulging like earthworms, his face red with rage, and his hands were constantly trembling in disappointment and rage. 'Colluding' with a foreign power was like inviting a wolf into the house. If this matter were reported to the Imperial Court, the risk he had taken would be unimaginable.
But even after taking such a massive risk, his foe had still failed. One could easily imagine the rage in Fomonlința's heart.
Wushang was right in front of him, but to Fomonlința, it was like a fish bone stuck in his throat.
"Reporting!"
Before the first wave had even settled, a panicked voice came from outside the door. "Milord, it's bad! The Nü-Vanquishing Camp has been attacked. More than five thousand of our soldiers have been killed, and General Pulan has been killed! "
"What?"
In shock, Fomonlința stood up from his seat.
There was only one General Pulan in the Qixi Protectorate, and that was Pulan He, who he viewed as his left and right arm. Just like him, he was also a Hu.
Pulan He was a very skilled martial artist, and he had fought alongside Fomonlința in the Western Regions for many years. He was extremely experienced, and in his battles with Ouzan, he had made many great contributions. He could be said to be one of the people that Fomonlința relied on the most.
"Impossible! Are you sure you're not mistaken? "
Fomonlința's first reaction was that it was impossible.
"Report!"
As soon as Fomonlința finished speaking, another panicked voice came from outside the hall, accompanied by the hurried sound of horse hooves.
"There's an urgent report from the Conquering Crow army. They've been attacked and General Pulan has been killed!"
Before his voice faded away, a gust of wind blew in from outside the door. In the gust of wind, a dusty lieutenant rushed into the hall and knelt on the ground.
On this lieutenant's back was a dark red arrow of command that was dripping with blood. This was an arrow of command that would only appear when something important happened in the army.
Weng, when he saw this arrow, Fomonlința's body trembled, and he finally couldn't help but let out a deafening roar.
"Dusong Mangpoje! — — "
This furious roar was like a clap of thunder that resounded over all of Qixi.
…
The City of Steel was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
"Marquis! We've already investigated. Just yesterday, one of our caravans was attacked on the way to Wushang. We sent some guards to investigate, but because the caravan was unharmed and the goods were undamaged, we didn't pay much attention to it and didn't report it to our superiors. "
Wang Chong was seated in a newly constructed residence, several officers in front of him.
One of these officers was tall and thin, and he was carefully flipping through a diary.
"Have you found the people escorting the steel caravan?"
Wang Chong raised his eyes and asked.
"Replying to Marquis, it hasn't been long, and the incident happened yesterday. They're still in the city, planning to leave tomorrow morning. I've already called them over, and they're waiting outside the gate."
Chen Bin said.
Wang Chong nodded, and several panic-stricken caravan members quickly walked in. After some careful questioning, everything was as they had expected.
The people who had attacked them were all masked, with only their eyes showing. The caravan members had believed that they were bandits and highwaymen, but because there had been no casualties and no damage to the goods, they hadn't paid much attention to them.
At the time, fearing that their reputation would be affected, they had even taken the initiative to persuade the guards to suppress the matter.
But now that something like this had happened, they were clearly very uneasy.
"As expected!"
Wang Chong slightly closed his eyes, his body leaning back against the back of the red sandalwood chair, the index finger of his right hand unconsciously tapping against the armrest.
These people were inexperienced, so they were oblivious to the situation. However, Wang Chong had participated in the extermination of bandits before, and he knew that bandits and highwaymen lived on the edge of a blade. These people were straightforward, and they were true fugitives. To them, raiding and robbing was just like eating or drinking. It was a completely daily occurrence.
Thus, when these bandits and highwaymen truly took action, they wouldn't do anything superfluous. They would cover themselves completely, leaving only their eyes exposed.
It was obvious that Ouzan's men were doing this to conceal their identities.
Dayan Mangpoje, he's truly difficult to deal with!
Wang Chong unconsciously tapped his fingers as he thought to himself.
Even as an enemy, Wang Chong couldn't help but admire Dayan Mangpoje's ability to think of such a plan to sneak into the city. Truly, this was the only flaw in the City of Steel.
Wushang was barren and desolate, and all its steel came from the capital and the various provinces and cities of the Tang dynasty. The distance was long, and the transportation routes were long. This made the entire transportation process full of variables.
Dayan Mangpoje had clearly used this point.
"For Ouzan's men to discover this early in their assault on the city isn't a bad thing, but a good thing. Pass on my order. In the future, all goods entering the City of Steel must be opened and inspected. In addition, as long as they occur, even if they aren't in the vicinity of the City of Steel, they must all be recorded! "
Wang Chong said.
"Yes, Marquis!"
Everyone bowed.
"Reporting!"
Just at this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside the door. A soldier from the army hurriedly walked in. In an instant, the room fell silent. Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of the sound.
"Marquis, there's an urgent report from the front. The Qixi Protectorate's camp on the Ouzan border has been attacked. More than five thousand soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army have been killed, including General Pulan He!"
These words were earth-shattering, and everyone's faces were covered in shock.
"Was it Dusong Mangpoje?"
A general at Wang Chong's side said.
"No, it was Dayan Mangpoje!"
The soldier who passed the order said.
"！！！"
Like a stone stirring a thousand ripples, everyone appeared incredulous, and even Wang Chong frowned.
Dayan Mangpoje had just failed in his assault on the City of Steel, and after losing two to three hundred soldiers to Wang Chong, he had actually turned around and attacked the Qixi Protectorate's camp. No one had expected this.
"Can you confirm it?"
Wang Chong gripped the armrests of his chair and slowly stood up.
"Marquis, it's absolutely true! The news should have already reached Qixi and the Imperial Court by now. "
The kneeling soldier respectfully said.
"So it was like this!"
Wang Chong raised his head and closed his eyes, a look of deep confusion on his face.
This was yet another event that had never occurred in Wang Chong's memories. If he had not appeared in Wushang, Dayan Mangpoje would not have mounted a thousand-li cavalry to deal with him.
If he had not failed in his assault on the city and returned in defeat, Dayan Mangpoje would not have vented his anger by attacking the Qixi Protectorate, and Pulan He would not have died in battle.
All of these events were closely linked.
"Marquis, this is a good chance!"
A voice came from the side. Cheng Sanyuan's eyes were bright as he suddenly interjected,
"Fomonlința let Ouzan's men in, which led to today's incident. We can use this point to report it to the Imperial Court and deal with Fomonlința."
As soon as Cheng Sanyuan finished speaking, everyone in the room reacted.
"That's right. Fomonlința even led his army in the City of Steel to threaten Marquis. This time, Marquis can turn the tables and deal with him."
"Let's see how he'll explain this to the Imperial Court."
"Five or six thousand casualties is no trifling matter. Fomonlința probably never imagined that he would have such a day. This is called trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it."
"Marquis, we can't let him go this time."
… …
Everyone began to speak.
They could already imagine the pressure Fomonlința was facing after committing such a grave mistake.
"Enough!"
Wang Chong raised a hand and shouted.
Wang Chong's words instantly plunged the room into a deathly stillness. Everyone lowered their heads, their expressions respectful.
There was only one voice in the City of Steel: Wang Chong. When Wang Chong made a decision, there would be no second voice.
"This matter cannot topple Fomonlința."
Wang Chong said.
Although he had no good impression of Fomonlința and had even been threatened not long ago, at this moment, Wang Chong could not muster a shred of excitement or joy.
Although the five-thousand-some soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate had been subordinates of Fomonlința, they were still soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. From this point of view, the losses of the Qixi Army were also losses of the Tang Dynasty.
Thus, Wang Chong could not muster a shred of joy.
But this matter only strengthened Wang Chong's belief that Fomonlința was no longer suitable for the position of Qixi Protector-General. If he hadn't sacrificed his personal interests to allow Dayan Mangpoje in, this sort of thing would never have happened.
Wang Chong was sure that when the Qixi Protectorate had allowed Dayan Mangpoje in, it had never imagined that Dayan Mangpoje would bite back.
Pulan He's death in battle was inextricably linked to this.
As a powerful Protector-General, this sort of situation could not be allowed.
As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Wang Chong quickly regained his composure.
"… But letting him off like this is letting him off too easily. As long as he remains in this position, who knows how many more people will die? I will report this matter to the Imperial Court. No matter what, he is no longer suitable for the position of Qixi Protector-General. "
The room instantly exploded with cheers at Wang Chong's words. Fomonlința's reputation was too great, his status too high. Last time, when he had mobilized his forces to threaten Wang Chong, he had left everyone gasping for breath.
Now, he could finally teach him a lesson.
"Marquis is wise. Fomonlința truly is not suitable for the position of Qixi Protector-General."
"Dayan Mangpoje and his two-thousand-some men attacked our City of Steel with all their might, using schemes and deceptions, even bringing battering rams and Metal element warriors. In the end, not only did they return in defeat, they even allowed Marquis to kill more than two hundred of them. Fomonlința had so many men, but Dayan Mangpoje killed more than five thousand of them. It's obvious at a glance who is superior and who is inferior. "
"To think that Fomonlința still has the face to flaunt and threaten Marquis."
"In my view, Marquis is the best candidate for Protector-General!"
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
