Chapter 927: Generals Gather, Strategic Deliberations (I)
Tranted by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Lord Marquis, you were looking for me.”
Zhang Shouzhi bowed in front of Wang Chong. In thesest two days of fighting, no one had been working harder than Zhang Shouzhi. As the highest-ranked architect in Ts, as well as the best architect in the Great Tang, Zhang Shouzhi had been personally involved in the construction of all the fortifications, whether it was the two steel defense lines or the hundreds of catapults lining the walls of Ts.
From the southwest to the northwest, Zhang Shouzhi was ying ever more important roles. One could say that even though he knew not one bit of martial arts, his importance in Qixi was second only to Wang Chong’s.
“This is for you. Use it to strengthen and modify the two defense lines.”
Wang Chong handed over a diagram paper as he spoke. This was a new diagram that he had made after the battle concluded, based on the current situation and how the three enemy factions had fought. No one besides Wang Chong, Zhang Shouzhi, and several of his core disciples were able to understand these diagrams.
“Be at ease. Leave this matter to me.”
Zhang Shouzhi nced at the diagram and gave a nod. Military matters were of utmost urgency, as they were tied to the lives of more than one hundred thousand soldiers. Zhang Shouzhi did not dare to dy and quickly left with the diagram.
Once Zhang Shouzhi left, Wang Chong continued to issue orders. “Li Siye, I leave this area up to you. Strengthen the guard and keep a close watch on the movements of the Tibetans, Western Turks, and Arabs. If you notice anything, inform me immediately.”
“This general will carry out this order!” Li Siye sternly replied.
“Xu Keyi, Chen Bin! Hasten the repairs on the ballistae! They need to be ready for battle at any time!”
“Yes, Lord Marquis!” the two loudly affirmed.
Once everything was taken care of, Wang Chong walked through the gates of Ts, entering the city. The city itself was heavily patrolled and guarded. The city had everything a city ought to have, with markets and lounges, as well as military strongholds. All of them were constructed fromrge stones, and although the city was not as prosperous as those of the Great Tang, it had a grandeur all of its own. From theyout of the city, one could see the former prosperity of this economic and military nexus of the Silk Road.
“Lord Protector-General, this way. General Wang and the others are already waiting inside!”
A waiting officer of the Anxi Protectorate army went up to wee Wang Chong.
Wang Chong nodded. “Lead the way.”
After passing through various corridors and verandas, Wang Chong entered the reception hall of the residence that had belonged to the former lord of Ts. Here, he saw the armored Gao Xianzhi, nked by Cheng Qianli and Xi Yuanqing. Wang Chong’s father Wang Yan, as well as his big brother Wang Fu, were also present, as were the newly appointed Karluk Chief Guli and the leader of the Ferghanans.
The moment Wang Chong arrived, he became the center of attention.
Gao Xianzhi had just been discussing something with the generals, but when he saw Wang Chong, he immediately made his way around the model of Ts in front of him to wee Wang Chong. “Haha, Wang Chong, you’ve arrived. We were just discussing strategies. You were the only person wecked!” There was a smile on his face, and he seemed very rxed. While the other generals showed little reaction, a brown-bearded and burly man next to Cheng Qianli was bbergasted.
Gao Xianzhi had a proud personality and was known as the Anxi War God in the Western Regions. All the leaders and chiefs of the region had to lower their heads when meeting Gao Xianzhi. In his ten-some years of service with Gao Xianzhi, he had never seen him be so courteous to anyone. No! This was no longer just simple courtesy.
That someone of Gao Xianzhi’s status was willing to go out and personally wee this youth meant that his status and importance were equal to Gao Xianzhi’s and that Gao Xianzhi regarded him as a peer.
“I’ve kept all of you waiting!”
Wang Chong bowed to Gao Xianzhi, paying little notice to that general’s reaction. After exchanging a few courtesies, he strode to the model in the center of the hall and began to carefully examine it.
The model waspletely different from the one Wang Chong had in Qixi. It was far more detailed andplete.
Making a model was a fundamental skill for a general. At times, one could use a model to judge a general’s abilities.
The battlefield model of the Anxi Protectorate army is detailed in all aspects. From the general topography of the hills and valleys to the smallest crevices and fissures on the battlefield, all of it is here. From this aspect, one can see that Gao Xianzhi truly deserves his title as Wall of the Great Tang Empire and Anxi War God! Wang Chong marveled to himself as he looked at the model.
“Milord, my respects.”
As Wang Chong was inspecting the model, someone whispered into his ear. This was a rough and vigorous voice, thickly ented. Wang Chong could immediately tell that it belonged to a Hu. Turning his head, Wang Chong saw a Hu with a rough-hewn face and a particrly striking brown beard. Wang Chong said nothing, only made a questioning expression with his face.
“This one is the Ferghananmander, Banahan, paying respects to Protector-General! In the future, if Lord Protector-General has the time, I hope that Lord Protector-General can pay a visit to our Ferghana. Banahan1 will definitely wee Lord Protector-General with open arms!”
Banahan gave a slight bow, extreme respect disyed on his face.
So it’s him!
Wang Chong hadn’t cared at the start, but when he heard ‘Ferghana’ being mentioned, a hint of surprise shed through his eyes. With the precedent of Wanhe Peiluo and the Karluks, the Ferghanans appeared even more like loyal allies of the Great Tang. In the history of the Great Tang, allies like Banahan and the Ferghanans were quite rare, devotedly loyal to the Great Tang to the very end, in both good times and bad.
Even after the defeat at Ts, their loyalty had not wavered.
In the Western Regions, where the culture of the Central ins could find little purchase and where the loyalties of the kingdoms were ever-fickle, such allies were extremely rare and precious.
Wang Chong’s mood immediately improved.
“Khagan is too polite!”
Wang Chong faintly smiled, and then he had a sudden idea.
“At our first meeting, this one just so happens to have a gift for Khagan.”
“Oh?”
Banahan had originally intended to exchange a few simple courtesies, but Wang Chong’s words immediately garnered his interest.
“I hear that Khagan knows the Great Fire Crow Art, a secret technique of the royal court. For various reasons, like the passage of time and the internal strife in the court, this technique is notplete, and Khagan finds it very difficult to progress any further. This one has a certain mantra that might be able to assist Khagan in filling the gap in the Great Fire Crow Art and advancing to a higher level,” Wang Chong said with a smile.
“Can I treat Lord Protector-General’s words as the truth?”
Banahan’s eyes went wide, his face glowing with joy at this unbelievable news.
“There was something like this?”
Not even Gao Xianzhi could stop himself from butting in at this point.
Wang Chong silently smiled in reply. The loyalty of the Ferghanans was beyond doubt, but as the chief of the Ferghanans, Banahan was actually not very well known for his strength in the Western Regions, with Wanhe Peiluo standing head and shoulders above him. This was undoubtedly one of Banahan’s regrets. Wang Chong had perused a few records regarding the matter, so he knew that the crucial problemy in the legendary Great Fire Wuming Art of Ferghana.
A famous internal conflict within the Ferghanan royal household had caused this profound art to be damaged, limiting the aplishments of the future Ferghanan Khagans. This problem persisted until the future cmity, where the gathering of all martial arts and the coboration of many intellects finally filled the gap.
Wang Chong only remembered this because the current Ferghanan Khagan, Banahan, was standing before him.
“We’ll know if it’s true once we try it out,” Wang Chong said.
Calling a guard to bring over ink, brush, and paper, Wang Chong quickly set about writing out the mantra toplement the Great Fire Crow Art. Banahan took it and put it away as if it was the most precious of treasures.
After this minor interlude, everyone turned their attention back to the model.
“Although we’ve won over thest two days, we still can’t put down our guard.”
The first to speak was Cheng Qianli. As Vice Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate army, Cheng Qianli wielded a great deal of authority on the battlefield.
“Dalun Ruozan still hasn’t retreated, and Abu Muslim still has his main fighting force. Most importantly, he still hasn’t entered the battle himself. We don’t know how many moves he still has in reserve, nor do we know how many reserve soldiers he has left.”
The mention of reserve soldiers caused the mood in the reception hall to turn grim. They all knew that the Arabs were fierce fighters, and Ts itself was too close to their territory, meaning that they could call in more troops from the rear at any time. The Arabs had been recruiting soldiers this entire time, which was why even though the Arabs had been fighting with the Anxi Protectorate army for two months, their numbers had only increased, not decreased.
By the time Wang Chong arrived at Ts, the Arabs had gathered a force of more than three hundred thousand soldiers outside the city.
The reception hall was quiet. In the end, Wang Chong’s father Wang Yan broke the silence.
“Although the Arabs are riding on a fierce momentum and the battlefield is closer to theirnds, war has never been purely about numbers. We have to look at their overall strength, including their training, teamwork, strategy and tactics, as well as their logistics. If we consider these aspects, I don’t believe that there’s need for everyone to be too worried. The current task at hand is to discuss our countermeasures against the alliance of the Tibetans, Western Turks, and Arabs.”
“My opinion is the same as Father’s. Abu Muslim is still amassing troops. If he is not decisively defeated, this war will nevere to an end!”
Wang Chong’s big brother Wang Fu voiced his agreement.
“Abu Muslim is not very easy to deal with. I’ve fought with him for two months, so I have some understanding of how he works. He’s fond of constantly probing the enemy and thenunching stronger and more forceful waves of attacks until the willpower of his enemy is broken. And even if his opponent is not defeated, he will use his continuous assaults to slowly grasp their weaknesses before personally entering the fray. With one lethal strike, he will finally finish off his foe!” Gao Xianzhi exined, his expression grave and vignt.
“In addition, the Arabs worship battle, and no matter how many losses they suffer, they will never retreat until Abu Muslim gives the order. To the Arabs, as long as they can defeat their enemy and conquer the opposing country, the price paid doesn’t matter. In this way, they arepletely different from any other foe the Great Tang has faced.”
Cheng Qianli and Xi Yuanqing both nodded in agreement. They had both personally experienced the power of the Arabs.
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1. The author is quitezy here with his names. The kingdom of Ferghana is known by several names in Chinese histories. One of these is 费尔干纳, which is a transliteration of ‘Ferghana’. Another one of these is 拔那汗, or ‘Banahan’, which is how the Tang referred to the kingdom of Ferghana. The author has been using 拔那汗 to refer to Ferghana, but here, he names the leader of the Ferghanans 费尔干纳, which in English would trante to ‘the Ferghananmander, Ferghana’. As such, I have elected to switch them around and call themander ‘Banahan’.?