Chapter 1002 - n Army Approaches the Western Turkic Camp!
Chapter 1002: An Army Approaches the Western Turkic Camp!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
The scout revealed everything he had seen in the Western Turkic camp.
The entire reception hall was so quiet as he spoke that one could hear a pin drop. Wang Chong never did anything without a purpose, and no one dared to interrupt him at a time like this.
“Let me ask you this. When you were delivering the letter, how did the Western Turks react? And how did they react after you sent the letter?” Wang Chong asked.
“This… When I first arrived, the entire Western Turkic camp was extremely vigilant. The moment I appeared on the perimeter, someone came to stop me. This was no different from if I had probed the camp of any other faction, but around two hours after I delivered the letter, a large group of cavalry charged out of the camp and drove me away. It was a completely different attitude from before.”
Wang Chong’s brow shot up at these words, but he made no other comment.
“I understand. You are dismissed.”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!”
The scout quickly departed, and the room fell even more quiet. Everyone looked to Wang Chong in anticipation.
“Lord Marquis, what have you discovered?” Xue Qianjun cautiously asked.
“Right now, we can confirm that Chen Bin is still alive and that he is in the Western Turks’ camp.”
Wang Chong’s gaze swept over the officers as he said those long-anticipated words.
Whoosh!
Everyone instantly exhaled in relief. Their hearts which had been high-strung with tension could finally be set back down.
“Wonderful!”
“If Chen Bin is okay, this is a blessing in the middle of a disaster!”
“Now we just need to find a way to rescue Chen Bin. Lord Marquis, what do you think we should do?”
The officers excitedly turned to Wang Chong. Although none of them understood how Wang Chong could conclude that Chen Bin was still alive and safe, none of them doubted his conclusion.
“Everyone, sit.”
Wang Chong spread apart his hands and gestured to the officers. Even though he had confirmed that Chen Bin was still alive, Wang Chong was far less relaxed than his subordinates imagined.
“This matter is not that simple. Chen Bin might be alive, but Duwu Sili is clearly indicating that he doesn’t want to negotiate with us. If my guess is right, he’s probably thinking of ways to buy more time in the hopes that Chen Bin will give him the answer he wants. Chen Bin is probably not faring very well right now.”
Wang Chong’s eyes flickered with worry.
The joyful officers instantly had a bucket of cold water dumped onto them, their moods sinking. The battlefield was an extremely cruel and callous place where all methods were acceptable. The armies of each faction had their own set of torture and interrogation techniques to extract information from their enemies.
If Duwu Sili wanted the secret of formation phenomena, he would definitely be torturing Chen Bin at this moment, a fact which made everyone’s hearts frantic with worry.
The silent Xi Yuanqing finally stepped forward and spoke. “Lord Marquis, the Lord Protector-General told me to tell you that if it was needed, we could send people to work with Lord Marquis and sneak into the Turkic camp to save Chen Bin.
“As long as the method is appropriate, success is completely possible. In short, no matter what, we can’t let the secret of formation phenomena fall into the hands of the Western Turks.”
“Lord Marquis, let me go.” Li Siye also spoke, his voice as loud as a bell. “The Wushang Cavalry under my command should have a good chance of saving Chen Bin.”
“Lord Marquis, me too!”
“I as well!”
Li Siye’s words triggered a chain of volunteers.
“There’s no need!”
Wang Chong shook his head, rejecting all their proposals. He then turned his head to Xi Yuanqing.
“General Xi, I appreciate your kindness, but we should think about our plans a little longer. Duwu Sili is no weakling. Since he’s been scheming for so long, he’s definitely made ample preparations. Moreover, we still don’t understand what Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje are doing. Carelessly sending troops might lead to us walking into a trap. In the end, we might end up being too clever for our own good.”
“Lord Marquis, I know that you care deeply for your subordinates and do not want to sacrifice any more people, but if Duwu Sili does obtain the secret of formation phenomena, the effects will not be something that just the ten-some of us here will be able to mitigate,” Xi Yuanqing seriously said. The righteous did not grasp for wealth and the kind did not command soldiers. Commanders would occasionally have to make sacrifices.
“Haha, General Xi, you misunderstand.”
To Xi Yuanqing’s surprise, Wang Chong chuckled in response.
“Chen Bin must be saved, but not through this method. I’ve already thought everything over. Chen Bin will not divulge the secret, and the more Duwu Sili can’t get what he wants, the more intent he will be on keeping Chen Bin alive. But if we attempt to sneak into the camp to save Chen Bin, we might force Duwu Sili’s hand and put Chen Bin in even more danger. This would be at cross-purposes with our actual goal.”
“Ah!”
Even Xi Yuanqing found himself surprised by this response, momentarily unable to respond.
“Be at ease. In a while, once Duwu Sili can’t get what he wants, he’ll come looking for me on his own.”
Wang Chong rapped a finger against the table, an assured tone in his voice.
After sending off Xi Yuanqing, leaving only the officers of the Qixi Protectorate army in the room, Wang Chong turned serious. He had appeared self-assured before Xi Yuanqing, but only he knew just how worried he really was.
Wang Chong suddenly raised his head and ordered, “Li Siye, get ready. Chen Bin can’t wait. Gather all the Wushang Cavalry and follow me to meet Duwu Sili!”
Li Siye was at first stunned, but he swiftly lowered his head and assented. “Yes, Lord Marquis!”
Rumble! A few moments later, the Wushang Cavalry had gathered and set off for the Western Turkic camp sixty li away under the cover of darkness.
……
Wang Chong’s judgment was correct, and Chen Bin’s present situation was truly perilous. Although Duwu Sili would never kill him, Duwu Sili wouldn’t mind using torture to get the secret of formation phenomena, as long as it was not to the point of death.
“Bastard!”
A few hours later, Duwu Sili flicked the blood off his wrists and strode out of his tent, his mouth spitting curses.
“Does he really think I won’t dare to kill him? If you still won’t speak, I’ll kill and capture another person. I can ask them for the secret of formation phenomena just the same.”
Duwu Sili’s eyes glowed with anger.
As a supreme Great General of the Western Turks, Duwu Sili rarely found a foe he could not deal with. He had even defeated An Sishun, much less any others. But this Tang called Chen Bin had received all manner of torture, yet had still refused to divulge the secret he desired.
Duwu Sili was furious, but also defeated. Duwu Sili found it impossible to understand how some nameless soldier could be so stubborn, refusing to speak his secrets despite all the torture being inflicted upon him.
Duwu Sili called over the emaciated shaman, his voice one of barely suppressed anger.
“Treat him. Make sure that not a single wound remains. At sunrise, I need him to be perfectly unharmed so that the interrogation can continue.”
“Yes, Milord,” the shaman lightly replied, neither nodding nor shaking his head as he silently walked into the tent.
As Duwu Sili walked out of the tent, laughter came from within, bursting with ridicule and the resolve to die.
“Haha, Duwu Sili, come! No matter how much torture you inflict, if I say a single word, I wouldn’t be fit to be a Han, much less a subordinate of Lord Marquis! Let me tell you, obtaining the secret of formation phenomena is just wishful thinking!”
“Bastard!”
Duwu Sili’s eyes turned vicious, and his fists creaked and cracked. A surge of killing intent appeared in his eyes for a brief moment, but in the end, Duwu Sili restrained himself. His muscular and steely fists finally relaxed.
I’ll let it go a little longer before killing you!
With this thought, Duwu Sili took his leave.
“Great General, it’s bad!”
As Duwu Sili began to leave the tent, a cloud of dust and the sound of horse hooves began to approach him. Before his warhorse had even come to a full stop, the rider jumped down and rushed to kneel before Duwu Sili.
“The scouts on the front lines have sent a report that a large force of enemy soldiers is rapidly approaching. We estimate their numbers to be five thousand, and they seem very much like the Great Tang’s Wushang Cavalry. The scouts are currently working on getting a more detailed report. General Hulangye has sent word asking for Great General to please make a decision!”
“What?!”
Duwu Sili immediately grimaced at these words. After sending a letter, Wang Chong was now leading an army. Duwu Sili had not expected his foe’s reaction to be so fast. And he was making such a ruckus for just a single subordinate.
“Pass on my order. Gather the army and have them stand ready for combat! In addition, call the Celestial Wolf Cavalry and have them follow me!” Duwu Sili sternly commanded.
In a flash, the Western Turkic camp became harsh and stern, all the soldiers readying to face a powerful foe.
The Wushang Cavalry!
They might not have known of this name two days ago, but now, all of them knew the name of this supreme fighting force. This was a strength that was even able to defeat the Celestial Wolf Cavalry and the Tibetan Mutri Great Cavalry.
Although no one voiced these words out loud, they had all privately begun to wonder if this force was the strongest force of cavalry in the continent.
Whoosh!
As the golden wolf banner at the front of the Turkic camp blew in the wind, a fully-armored Duwu Sili rode forth on his mighty Turkic steed. Around and behind him were the Celestial Wolf Cavalry wearing their savage armor, and farther behind were the intimidating ranks of elite Turkic cavalry.
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