Chapter 783 - Fierce Battle!
Chapter 783: Fierce Battle!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Neigh!
Winds roared and horses cried. Warhorse crashed against warhorse, scimitar clashed against sword, Stellar Energy rammed against Stellar Energy, halo collided against halo…
All these sounds mixed and intertwined as the entire battlefield fell into chaos.
The use of warhorses became clear now. All the White Braves used the most valiant of the plateau’s highland steeds, each of them of stalwart physique, with extremely tough flesh and bulging muscles, the cream of the crop.
If they were going against ordinary warhorses, the White Braves would only need a single collision to crack the bones and shatter the muscles of their opponents’ horses, but the Wushang Cavalry were riding powerful warhorses of their own. These were the finest steeds of the Turkic steppe, capable of going toe-to-toe with the Arabian warhorses.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In this collision of warhorses, Dayan Mangban’s specially-selected highland steeds actually failed to gain any advantage over Wang Chong’s Turkic warhorses.
“Kill!”
“Kill these Tang!”
“No one can tread on our plateau like this, and no one can humiliate our general like this! Kill them all!”
The Tibetan White Braves crazily howled, their scimitars whistling as they sliced through the air. They had a glorious history on the plateau, having vanquished countless foreign armies, broken the walls of capital after capital, killed renowned general after general, and made innumerable soldiers tremble in fear.
This was the glorious record of the White Braves, a record they were all proud of!
In the Western Regions, no one could stop them, and there was nothing they could not break. This was a conviction that all the White Braves held.
But now, these guardians of the royal capital, the strongest force of cavalry on the plateau, finally understood that there existed on this world another force that was equal to them.
Like them, these people were also a most elite force of cavalry.
Bang!
The air vibrated and sparks flew. A scimitar, boosted by the energy from the charge, slashed at the foe opposite, but then there was a flash of light. This scimitar that could usually cleave everything it encountered had been blocked by a slender sword.
This sword did not seem very hardy, nor was it very large, but its silver-white edge transmitted an inconceivable energy. It had easily blocked the White Brave’s determined scimitar strike, and the sword itself didn’t even waver, seeming to be rooted in the air.
“How could this be! When did those people from Wushang City get so powerful?”
This White Brave with a scar on his forehead trembled in shock. He had participated in the night raid on the City of Steel, and had even been one of those who had scaled the walls to join Dayan Mangban in the assault.
At that time, not even two or three guards of the City of Steel working together had been their match. In the end, the guards had still needed the might of the ballistae to suppress them. In addition, they had been attacking the city then, so they had been unable to show their full strength.
He found it impossible to believe that on this open terrain, where they could use their maximum strength, these weakling Tang would be able to fight them head-to-head.
“Hmph, idiot, did you really think that there was no one in the Great Tang who could stand up to you?” said a sneering voice. Before the scarred White Brave could react, a cavalry boot expanded in his field of vision. A kick rose from beneath his opponent’s horse, and with one strike, this White Brave was sent flying from his highland steed.
“Impossible!”
The White Brave crashed onto the ground, rolling a few times before leaping back to his feet, his heart still stunned by what had just occurred. As one of the finest horsemen of Ü-Tsang, one who had participated in the extermination of many a small country, this White Brave was extremely experienced, but never had he encountered someone who fought like this.
That kick from the horse’s underbelly was so bizarre and impossible to defend against. He had never imagined an attack from this angle. Even those elite Turks who excelled in these kinds of battles would never use such a method of attack.
This was a horseman of the Central Plains, yet he was so agile and dexterous, his horsemanship even better than a Turk’s!
“I’m too lazy to deal with you. Just know that you found the wrong person when you ran into Lord Marquis!”
The Wushang on the horse sneered before taking off. These Tibetans were far too conceited. They couldn’t even tell the difference between Tang, couldn’t even see that they were fighting a whole new set of people.
The Wushang Cavalry had a rigid strategy. In battle, they could only worry about charging, and they certainly couldn’t stop or go back to chase someone down.
The dismounted Tibetans would be left for the Wushang Cavalry behind them to deal with.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The two armies continued to clash. As countless people watched on, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry displayed their formidable horsemanship on the world’s stage for the first time. The underbelly, the neck, even the hindquarters—the Wushang Cavalry’s angles of attack were bizarre and crafty to the extreme. They could attack from every possible angle and position.
There were even some Wushang Cavalry who shot past the underbelly of a White Brave mount and attacked from the rear, kicking the White Braves from their horses.
To the Wushang Cavalry, who had grown up amongst lofty peaks and steep cliffs, these seemingly inconceivable movements were as easy as flipping their hand over.
……
The distant Qixi Protectorate army and Tibetan army were both stupefied by this sight.
“Heavens, where did Wang Chong find these people! Our Great Tang actually has cavalry who are even better riders than the Turks! If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I would have never believed it!”
“This can’t be that cavalry force that we saw before! Not even two months! Just how did he do it?”
“This is nothing more than a miracle! One of these cavalry could go against two, no! Can at least fight against three or four of our Qixi Protectorate army warriors, maybe even more!”
The officers of the Qixi Protectorate army, including Heba Ye, were flabbergasted by this battle. And though Fumeng Lingcha said nothing, his eyes were a constantly changing mixture of emotions that no one could interpret.
……
The rear of the Tibetan army was quiet.
“General!” A Tibetan officer turned to Dusong Mangpoje with deep concern in his eyes.
This sort of Great Tang army was definitely no blessing for Ü-Tsang.
“I know…”
Dusong Mangpoje narrowed his eyes. His voice was flat and indifferent, but everyone could feel the killing intent erupting from his narrowed eyes.
Regardless of how Dayan Mangban’s battle turned out, this Young Marquis of the Great Tang and the five thousand cavalry he led would all have to die!
“Ready!”
Dusong Mangpoje suddenly raised an arm.
A smile appeared on the Tibetan officer next to him, and he quickly took off.
Meanwhile, the battle in front had already reached a fever pitch.
The Wushang Cavalry had performed far better than expected. White Brave after White Brave was dismounted, the cavalry howling by in clouds of dust, ignoring the fallen White Braves. Meanwhile, another wave of Wushang Cavalry was coming in a deafening clattering of metal.
Clang!
Swords rang out as the second wave of Wushang Cavalry appeared in the terrified eyes of the White Braves. Exuding chilling rays of light, the swords thundered down on the necks of dismounted White Braves. Even the thickest of Tibetan plate armor was useless in areas that it did not cover.
The toughest flesh was still incapable of blocking a sharp sword.
“Aaaaah!”
Just when these dismounted White Braves had prepared themselves for death, bang! A thin white shroud of light covered their necks, blocking the lethal blow.
The strike that contained the combined power of man and horse sent these White Braves flying, but it was not able to behead them.
“!!!”
This event left all the Wushang Cavalry dumbstruck.
“How could this be?!”
A human’s flesh could block a sharp sword? This strike delivered while at full gallop was an attack that not even they could block, but these White Braves had done it, and it appeared like their injuries weren’t very serious.
This was not a situation that should have appeared in an ordinary battle.
And what was that white layer of light on the necks of those White Braves?
The Wushang Cavalry had no explanation for what had occurred. At least eighty percent of those White Braves who had been able to resist their full-strength attacks had done so because of that white layer of light.
“Hahaha…”
A White Brave began to laugh as he got to his feet. His panicked face was now excited and fearless.
“It’s the Great Bon Ritual!”
A white ‘卍’ appeared on his neck, this symbol filled with a unique strength. Kaclack! The energy in the symbol spread throughout his body, causing his muscles to bulge, his bones to strengthen, and his energy to instantly receive a powerful boost.
Bang!
The White Brave punched out and struck a horse of a Wushang Cavalry that had been leaping overhead, sending both horse and rider flying ten-some zhang.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Similar scenes were occurring elsewhere, the White Braves swelling in strength and throwing back the nearby Wushang Cavalry.
The battlefield situation was instantly reversed.