荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

“Bastard!”

The assembled Tibetan and Turkic generals watching from the hill paled, the fires of rage glowing in their eyes. When Wang Chong unleashed his second halo, all of them felt like they had been duped, been playthings in the palm of Wang Chong’s hand.

“Dalun Ruozan, I suddenly understand why you want to kill him!”

Standing beneath the fluttering golden wolf banner, Duwu Sili had a sinister gaze, his entire body seething with a killing intent that soared to the skies, causing even the air around him to twist and contort. Even though these had just been two long-distance exchanges, with no true clash having taken place, the Celestial Wolf Great General was now dead set on killing Wang Chong.

“If this sort of person remains alive, they will be a source of endless disasters for both Ü-Tsang and the Turks!”

Only extraordinary people could earn the regard of Duwu Sili. With his incredible insight, he had identified Agudu Lan as a potential Brigadier General and personally raised him to that level. Likewise, Wang Chong had not even reached the Brigadier General level yet, but Duwu Sili had already branded his image in his mind.

“Shamask, take command of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry. Prepare to move out and kill the Tang!” Duwu Sili suddenly ordered.

For a few moments, it was quiet, and then a hoarse and chilly voice came from behind him.

“Yes, Milord.”

Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang immediately turned their heads, only then realizing that a Turkic general wearing the silver armor of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry had appeared behind Duwu Sili. He was slender, and his body exuded no energy whatsoever, making him practically unnoticeable amidst the Celestial Wolf Cavalry.

If Duwu Sili had not said anything, no one would have ever noticed him.

Brigadier General!

A look of slight apprehension appeared in the eyes of Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang as this thought flashed through their minds. To hide one’s energy in front of a group of Great Generals was no easy task. Just this alone was proof enough of this person’s impressive capabilities.

Not only that, Shamask had an extremely sinister aura. One could tell at a glance that he was extremely dangerous and hard to deal with.

“All soldiers, listen up! Milord has given his order! Prepare to set out!”

Shamask ignored these gazes, mounting a Turkic steed equipped in that barbed armor of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry. His eyes exploded with an intense light, and the moment he mounted the horse, the entire world seemed to overturn. His inconspicuous and ever-changing energy instantly became as powerful and violent as a storm.

Neeeigh!

The thousands of Celestial Wolf Cavalry began to tremble and cry out from atop the hills. These elite warhorses had been trained and raised through a special method. They no longer seemed like warhorses, but like real wolves.

“Get ready!”

At almost the same time, Dalun Ruozan turned to Huoshu Huicang.

“Tell Huoba Sangye to go as well!”

“There’s no need! I’m already ready!”

Dalun Ruozan had barely spoken when a burly man wearing black-red armor slowly trotted over on his horse. His eyes were like bronze bells, his skin slightly tanned, and two red ribbons embroidered with gold fluttered from his shoulders.

These ribbons were the symbol for the highest commander of the Mutri Great Cavalry!

This was Huoba Sangye, chief guard of the Ü-Tsang Empire’s royal capital, the leader of the Mutri Great Cavalry, and also Dalun Ruozan’s earliest supporter. He had been one of the primary drivers behind this long-distance expedition to Talas. Without his support, without the addition of his seven thousand valiant Mutri Great Cavalry, Dalun Ruozan would have found himself powerless to realize his plans.

As chief guard of the royal capital and the leader of the crucial Mutri Great Cavalry, Huoba Sangye’s most important duty was protecting the Tsenpo. The generations of chief guards had all been devotedly loyal, never leaving the capital without the Tsenpo’s order.

But Huoba Sangye was shirking his duty, abandoning his post without the Tsenpo’s order, and even bringing with him the Mutri Great Cavalry. Such a thing had never happened before in the history of Ü-Tsang, and according to the laws and precedent, he deserved the death penalty.

“Dalun Ruozan, no matter how this battle turns out, I only have a single request. Do not attempt to stop me from fighting with those Wushang Cavalry!”

Huoba Sangye’s eyes were bright, his expression cold. His eyes cared not for the battle overall, but remained forever fixed on just one person.

“Of course!”

Dalun Ruozan immediately nodded.

“That was our agreement in the first place,” Huoba Sangye sternly reminded. Other than assisting Dalun Ruozan in defeating the Great Tang and salvaging Ü-Tsang’s reputation, he had another, more important, reason for risking the death penalty by leaving the royal capital and taking the Mutri Great Cavalry with him to Talas. He had to defeat an enemy.

The Great Tang’s Wushang Cavalry!

Ü-Tsang had dominated the world through its cavalry, and its Echelon Formation was known in every corner of the land. The plateau was a land of cavalry, and at the apex of this cavalry were the Three Cavalry Kings: the White Braves, the Qinghai, and the Mutri.

These were the most powerful forces of cavalry in all of Ü-Tsang!

However, in the battle at Zhangzhung Training Camp, eight thousand Qinghai Soldiers had died to Wang Chong’s Wushang Cavalry. At the battle of the triangular gap, Dayan Mangban and his five thousand White Braves had also been wiped out. Of the three supreme forces of cavalry in Ü-Tsang, only the Mutri Great Cavalry remained.

Never in the history of Ü-Tsang had two of its best cavalry forces been wiped out by a single opponent, and their foe had been the Great Tang, a country that had never been famed for its cavalry. This matter made all the Tibetan cavalry of the plateau feel greatly humiliated, and the Mutri Great Cavalry were no exception!

For this reason, Huoba Sangye had defied the Tsenpo’s decree and led his seven thousand Mutri Great Cavalry out of the royal capital to the distant battlefield of Talas.

The Mutri Great Cavalry had a history spanning more than three centuries and were publicly acknowledged as the strongest existence in the entire Ü-Tsang Empire. Whether it was for the empire or for the honor and pride of all Tibetan cavalry, the Mutri Great Cavalry had to defeat the Great Tang’s Wushang Cavalry so that all the world could see, so that they could prove themselves!

To fulfill this goal, Huoba Sangye had given Dalun Ruozan his full support. He had even used his network to borrow many soldiers from the other royal lineages for Dalun Ruozan’s expedition.

“Ready!”

Huoba Sangye flourished his sword, a scarlet weapon conferred by the fifth-generation Tsenpo. It pointed beyond the hills, blazing with the light of the morning sun. Rumble!

The earth quaked and dust churned. With Huoba Sangye’s order, the motionless ranks of the Mutri Great Cavalry began to move, and an intimidating aura exploded from their bodies, a scorching wave of heat that caused the grass growing on the hills to wither.

Boom!

The seven thousand Mutri Great Cavalry rode out of the rising sun, floodwaters surging over the tops of the hills, the thundering of their hooves drowning out all noise on the eastern side of the battlefield. The seven thousand Mutri Great Cavalry were fast, but Shamask’s eight thousand Celestial Wolf Cavalry were even faster. By the time the Mutri Great Cavalry were charging down the hills, the Celestial Wolf Cavalry were already kicking up a cloud of dust on the battlefield.

At this moment, all the world seemed to lose color at their approach.

“Milord! Look over there!”

Meanwhile, in the middle of the Tang army, Kong Zi-an seemed to sense something and turned his head, his eyes filling with shock as he saw the approaching Celestial Wolf Cavalry. The armor, momentum, and strength of the Celestial Wolf Cavalry were completely different from any other force of Turkic cavalry, and Kong Zi-an felt like he was about to fight against an extremely formidable foe.

“And over there! Ü-Tsang has moved as well!”

Another one of the Wushang officers called out, pointing in another direction. Everyone turned to look and saw that behind the Celestial Wolf Cavalry, a force of cavalry wearing armor of gold and red was charging up from a different angle.

These two supreme forces of cavalry, one in front and one behind, were intending to pincer the Tang between them.

An intense sense of danger immediately swept through the crowd. These were two of the strongest forces of cavalry on the continent, standing at the very peak of power. One alone would be hard enough to deal with, much less two.

Li Siye on his Ferghana steed stood amidst his soldiers, his mind seething with countless thoughts.

Both the Celestial Wolf Cavalry and the Mutri Great Cavalry were long-established names consisting of some of the best cavalry in the world. Their fighting power could not be compared to that of other cavalry and their combined numbers were also far greater than those of the Wushang Cavalry. Advance or retreat, attack or defend—Li Siye had to make his choice as quickly as possible.

“Milord! What do we do?” Kong Zi-an worriedly said.

The two approaching cavalry exerted an incredible pressure on each of the men, one that none of them had felt in any other battle.

Li Siye said nothing, his eyes scanning the battlefield. The battle was still ongoing, and shouts and crashes were still filling his ears, bloody gleams of light flickering in and out of his eyes. The two cavalry forces still had some distance to cover, and there was still time to withdraw.

But when Li Siye spotted Sun Zhiming, Zhuang Zhengping, Chi Weisi, and the others still fighting hard against the Turks and Tibetans, he immediately made his decision.

“We have nowhere to retreat! All soldiers, prepare for battle!”

Li Siye held aloft his massive Wootz Steel sword, allowing the sun to reflect off its edge. He exploded with an energy so vast and powerful that the world itself seemed to move!

Boom!

After a moment of silence, the earth began to tremble, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry going from stillness to lightning-fast speeds. This time, however, their targets were the Celestial Wolf Cavalry and the Mutri Great Cavalry behind them.

At this moment, even though they had long been prepared for such a sight, Shamask and Huoba Sangye still had to look with apprehension at the intimidating aura of the five thousand Wushang Cavalry.