The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 333 The Battle Between Ruler and Minister (Part 1)

The night sky over the western continent is clear and clean.

Under the twinkling stars, the mountains fade into the plains, and the river flows into the vast wilderness.

On the beach, a large group of Tibetan youths, having finished playing polo, are roasting meat over a fire.

A large number of horses and camels were grazing on the reverse slope.

For some reason, the camels hesitated. Several slaves went to appease them, but the herd became even more restless, looking left and right, running around like stallions that had caught the scent of a female, or perhaps sniffing something.

"Damn Ninggeng! Drag him away and behead him!" A young, red-faced Tibetan man dressed in gold and silver threw stones and cursed loudly.

Several guards drew their swords and went up to the pond to arrest the man.

Once gone, they never returned. After eating two cups of tea and meat, there was still no sound from outside the pond.

On the fading yellow grassland under the twilight, besides the restless livestock, there was only the howling night wind and the tides of the azure sea.

"We've been struck by lightning!" The red-faced Tibetan stood up and looked around, then shouted at the guards standing watch not far away, "Where are they?!"

Before he could finish speaking, he rubbed his eyes, his voice suddenly becoming panicked: "Where is he?"

The group of young men and women put down their utensils and looked around. Some of the more clever ones had already trotted towards the horse farm.

"Ah!!" The flames suddenly blazed brightly, illuminating half the sky. Piercing, shrill screams rose and fell, carried far away by the wind from behind the embankment.

"Buhao! The enemy is here to provoke us!" A Tibetan woman, her face ashen, rushed towards the horse farm.

"Thump thump thump thump..." Thunderous hoofbeats rang out, and the cattle, sheep, and camels placed outside the embankment suddenly seemed to be under a spell, rushing madly down the embankment towards the sea in large numbers.

Have you ever traveled there? Have you ever seen a Mongolian circus? It's the same formation, exactly the same.

"Ouch!" Now look what happened, many servants were knocked away and trampled on the spot.

"Damn it, I don't know which family attacked us while we were eating!" The red-faced Tibetan cursed, dodging the herd of livestock in fear. "It must be the Baili tribe, launching a sneak attack, I'll fuck them!"

He flicked his fingers, ran to the horse farm, and was about to mount his horse when a statue suddenly appeared on the top of the pond.

A wild, untrimmed horse, draped in yellow, with a wild boar hide vest. A quiver, bow, sword, whip, and water pouch hang from its belly. On horseback stands a knight with a red headband, blue robes, black iron armor, and a blood-red lance. This knight stands there, looking down upon him.

"Thump thump thump thump..." The heart-pounding sound of horses' hooves filled the air.

One rider, two riders, three riders...

Hundreds and thousands of knights gathered in a line, a dark mass, holding torches.

Amidst the laughter and jeers, several loud voices lazily shouted, "Stop running! While you were eating meat, your old enemies, the Baili tribe and the Lindui tribe, as well as your guards, slaves, and herdsmen outside, have all been taken care of by us!"

"Tang...Tang people?" The red-faced Tibetan collapsed to the ground, urinating in his pants.

To the east, beneath a bare, rugged mountain ridge, several officers stood on their horses, whispering amongst themselves as they looked down the mountain. On either side of them, a dense mass of infantrymen tumbled and crawled down the mountain like a mudslide.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Arrows filled the sky, and screams echoed from the grass.

The beastly human population was shot and fled in terror.

"Tang people! I'll fight you to the death!" Seeing that he couldn't escape, the red-faced Tibetan spurred his horse and, with his guards, drew his swords to meet the enemy: "Charge with me!"

But their strength is far too poor.

Seven or eight riders rushed down the hillside like lightning. In just one round, before he could even touch his opponent, he was stabbed through the heart.

it hurts………

The guards were also covered in blood.

Those who were swept off their horses but did not die merely knelt and kowtowed, crying out, "Yes, yeah! Yes, yeah!"

The other surviving Tibetan youths huddled together for warmth and led their guards and slaves in a breakout to the west.

However, the attacking Tang army was very cunning and had already sent a detachment to the area.

"Kill!" The soldiers surrounded the enemy from three sides.

The Tibetan youths scattered in all directions, and several frightened women even spurred their horses into the sea, shouting, "The Tang people are all scoundrels and lustful devils!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" A volley of arrows flew out from the passing cavalrymen, who didn't even look back before putting away their bows and leaving.

On the beach, Tibetan women leaned forward and fell into the sea.

Bloodstains and strands of hair floated on the surging sea, and then the scene vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Bring it to you!!"

Bend down gently and grab my hand quickly!
With a swift grab, a fleeing Tibetan woman was pulled onto the horse and sat down on it.

"Hahaha!" The samurai, sword in his mouth, slapped the woman twice across the face, then began rubbing her chest and stripping off her clothes while the woman, who was seeing stars, was on the back of his hand.

"Get out of the way! This treasure is mine, and I killed this man!" The chaotic army swept across the grassland.

Before the enemy was even finished off, they were already throwing their fists at each other, fighting over valuables and children: "Generals, commanders, and great generals, leave me a wife alive! I've already taken a few cold ones, this is getting boring!"

"A bunch of scoundrels!" the officers cursed through gritted teeth, whipping and striking these killing machines with the backs of their swords as they tried to maintain discipline: "Form ranks! Form ranks!"

"Fuck you!" A stone flew out of nowhere and hit the officer on the head.

"Who fired that?!" The officer, adjusting his helmet, looked around.

The Tibetan men and women who were fleeing westward along the coast looked back and breathed a sigh of relief.

so far so good.

call.

They were indeed genuine Tang soldiers.

The danger of plunder is worse than that of bandits!
The group ran back to their encampment tents, and just as they crawled inside to gather their armor and organize a counterattack, a constant clattering sound filled their ears.

"Roar, one, two, three! Go!" The roof was ripped off, and several spearheads were placed overhead, stabbing wildly back and forth.

Wool, cowhide, tree branches, dust, and chicken feathers were scattered all over the ground.

"Tang'er is here too?!" A desperate sob rang out.

"What?"

"If those bastards can sweep through Guanzhong, why can't I?"

"puff!"

"Shut up! Chop it all down! Burn it all down!"

Spears were thrust wildly around the shed, and several Tibetan youths, unable to dodge, were pierced to pieces.

"Boom!" The torch was gently tossed inside, and a raging fire erupted.

The cavalry galloped in the distance.

The tent area was filled with soldiers crouching in the grass, on the rooftops, and running around.

Further away, deafening shouts of battle, curses, and laughter rapidly approached, and a steady stream of fresh troops arrived.

The area was in complete chaos. The Tibetans were terrified by the attacks and were forced to run up the mountain.

The slaves wailed and knelt everywhere, bowing their heads and begging for mercy.

Amidst the clanging and clashing of blows, bits of meat splattered into the noses, mouths, eyes, and hair of the soldiers gathered around. Steel blades slashed wildly, leaving behind another pool of bright red minced meat.

"Kill!" The army surged forward once more.

With both hands gripping the handles, the steel blades were held upright against their faces, and the spears were all pointed forward: "Roar! Roar! Roar!"

"Heavens!" The remaining thousand or so Tibetan souls were terrified and scattered like birds and beasts.

They ran towards the sea. They ran towards the beach.

Hiking.

He was playing dead.

.........

"I've been waiting for you for a long time!!" On the grassy slope, in the bushes, a man with a turban suddenly jumped up and slashed a Tibetan nobleman who was climbing the slope to escape with his life.

The nobleman screamed and fell backward.

"Don't be afraid!" The warrior rushed forward, reached out and gently caught him in his arms: "I am the royal army, I will act swiftly! I will never torture anyone."

"Zhu Dai killed one, one what?"

Is it Jie'er?

"Unrecognizable, but judging by his appearance, he's ranked as a tenth-level general."

"Damn it, we've been hiding for ages, and that Zhu guy stole our kill." Several soldiers pointed and grumbled, looking annoyed. They glanced back at Zhu Dai a few times, then rushed down the hillside and joined the main force in the chase.

"Om Mani Padme Hum..." Zhu Dai made a hand gesture, stroked the nobleman's forehead, and slashed down with his sword.

The nobleman died.

Zhu Dai, holding the severed head, sat on the grassy bank, overlooking the raging sea under the night sky, the tent area ablaze with flames, and the grassland filled with the stench of fish.

It's so beautiful.

The proud heads of the Tibetans were firmly pressed into the water by the iron fist of the Holy Tang Dynasty!
"Brilliant! Watch you kill the thieves like wolves pouncing on lambs." The battle to destroy the enemy was over, and apart from pursuing the remaining enemy, everyone had begun cleaning up the battlefield.

The officer walked up the hillside, looked at the head in Zhu Dai's arms, and clapped his hands in admiration.

"Commander Tan, you flatter me." Zhu Dai stood up, crossed his hands, and laughed, "Sneaking into someone's position is not very martial."

"These bastards are weak and cowardly. Trying to fight them head-on is futile; we have to be careful." This so-called "Captain Tan," who was really just a squad leader, shook his head. "Let's go. Another clan destroyed today, three thousand beheaded. The An family is finished. They think they can escape from Qin Prefecture? Hmph."

"My men!" He called to his subordinates to assemble, preparing to leave. "Sigh, the war has turned out like this, just like when they were suppressing bandits in Guanzhong. Is this what I came here for? Look at the Tibetans' state, even if the local militias of the four prefectures of the capital were to march west, they could take them down!"

"Chief Tan, what kind of clan is the An family?" Zhu Dai followed, carrying a spear.

"I don't know what kind of tribe it is." Captain Tan waved his hand: "It was originally a small Tibetan tribe that occupied the Tianshui area. During Jingfu's westward expedition, they were frightened away by the sage."

"Then how did we find it?" Zhu Dai was completely confused. He just felt that he rushed wherever his superior pointed, without even knowing who the enemy was.

"You idiot, Commander Zhao is from Tianshui!" Captain Tan cursed as he turned around, flicking a reed. "Commander Zhao knows them very well. I've heard there's also the Da Shi tribe, Xiao Shi tribe, Yan Kan Gu tribe, Yan Miao E tribe, Yan Jia tribe, Shu Wei tribe, Cai Fu tribe... a whole bunch of them, it's enough to make your head hurt. Sigh, what do we care? Just kill them."

Zhu Dai laughed upon hearing this and nodded, saying, "This is actually a good job. It's simple, pays well, and it's not easy to lose your life."

"You?" Tan Dutou rolled his eyes: "It's simple, but running around is tiring."

He counted on his fingers: "Let me count, how many Tibetan tribes have we destroyed? One, two... nine! We ran all the way from Shancheng to the Western Sea without taking a break."

"Captain, I don't understand, where did all these titles come from?" Zhu Dai thought for a moment, and also felt it was like swatting field mice: "With so many, when will the Emperor ever finish sweeping them away? Does the Captain even know how many titles there are?"

"What do I know!" Chief Tan chuckled. "If not a thousand, then at least eight hundred. In the Western Sea region, there are probably not that many. Most are from powerful clans, or the military leaders and remnants of the Zanpu. Now, from Jiuqu to Dafeichuan, the Western Sea, the Qilian Mountains, and Xizhou, there are Tibetans entrenched. The Sage's target this time, I heard from above, is these areas in front of the Qilian Mountains."

"Damn it." Zhu Dai was also furious when he heard this: "I'm afraid it won't be a year or two before we can return in triumph."

"That's not the case," Captain Tan said easily. "Commander Zhao led the main force to Shenwei City in Haibei. It's said that the Tibetans on the north bank of Huanhu Lake have united more than 100,000 troops to destroy the Sage. As long as they dare to form an alliance and engage in open battle, we can wipe them out quickly."

"alright."

"Go and rest, we'll set off again early tomorrow morning." The two talked as they walked back to a secluded valley at the foot of Dafei Ridge.

Tibetan men and women stood kneeling in the night, trembling; they were all captured along the way.

The victorious squads immediately returned, carrying bloodied heads and the women they had captured, swaggering around in triumph.

The captain of this force originally intended to kill them all, but Zhao Fu conveyed the decree of the Holy Emperor Yuanhuang—to spare some men, as they would be of great use later, so he had no choice but to give up.

The imperial court also sent several civil officials to this area to guide the work with the prisoners.

The reason why they were so ruthless towards the An family, who lived by the sea, was simple: the An family had a grudge against the Zhao family when they lived in Tianshui, and a member of the family had even harassed a young girl named Zhao Ruxin who had not yet entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting.

Therefore, Zhao Fu ordered all the generals to arrest the An family and deliver them properly!
Inside the camp, singing and dancing had already begun.

Zhu Dai had no interest in having fun and went straight to sleep.

…………

"Hurry up!" The iron cavalry galloped forward, whips lashing down.

The large contingents of Tangut, Tuyuhun, and Tibetan tribal troops were beaten with sticks, urged on, and cursed as they advanced, but they only lowered their heads and quickened their pace.

"Drive, drive!"

In late autumn, the Jiuqu Plain was a vast expanse of golden yellow, a time of pleasantly mild weather. Horses hooves kicked up clouds of dust as they trod the ground. From above, these plumes of dust stretched towards Jiuqu City.

On the towering mountains on both sides of the river, there were small figures, many Tibetans with rosy cheeks, who were secretly watching the army and observing its momentum.

Every now and then, roving soldiers would crack their whips and shout, gesturing wildly: "Pull him out of the ditch between the east fingers of the Vermilion Bird flag on the right outer row!"

Golden, clear sunlight streamed down from the sky, bathing the world in a warm glow.

What a great day for violent fighting!

But Wu Xiong, clinging to the horse's neck and galloping with all his might, felt no comfort. He simply clung tightly to the horse's back, moving forward, forward.

Behind him, several warriors protected Li Zhengyang, whose horsemanship was not very good, taking turns carrying him on their backs, each of them looking annoyed.

The Imperial Concubine has truly lost his mind!

Such a young child, and they're being sent to the military to cause trouble.

Not only did they cause suffering to the children, they also tied our hands and feet.

After several days of actual marching, Li Zhengyang was extremely weak and exhausted, looking like a walking corpse, as if he could die at any moment.

Throughout the journey, Wu Xiong truly fulfilled his responsibilities as a master, treating Li Zhengyang as his own son.

He'd fought his way through so many years—the Chao Army, the Jin Army, the Bian Army, the Han Army, the Qi Army, the Shence Army, the Dangxiang… and now the Tibetans—he'd practically fought them all. He'd never seen a powerful figure gain such prestige in the military. It was like he was handing his life over to the King of Hell, who would say, "You decide what to do with it!"

The imperial concubine poet? The poet just eats it directly.

But now Wu Xiong didn't even look at them or turn his head; his blood-red eyes were fixed on the unfamiliar surroundings.

The main force! The main force! Where exactly is the main force of Nine-Bend City?!
After searching for three days, we didn't find a single human hair!

"General! General!" A shout suddenly came from behind: "King Liang is dying, he's not breathing!"

"Huh?" Wu Xiong suddenly pulled on the horse's neck and jerked it back.

When he turned around, he saw several warriors had dismounted and were untying their harnesses.

Li Zhengyang lay limply on the barren, hardened yellow earth, barely breathing.

"Li Zhengyang! A member of the Li family!" Wu Xiong leaped on his horse and pounced, snatching Li Zhengyang and pinching his philtrum several times: "What happened? What happened!"

King Liang slowly awoke, his eyes narrowed to slits: "Nothing much, just my vision is blurry and my intestines are churning. Why is this different from when you usually take me to practice horsemanship at the training ground? Am I going to die? Where am I?"

"Why is the dog barking!" Wu Xiong hugged him, untied the water gourd and fed him: "Marching into battle is not the same as a horse show."

He cursed a couple of times, then waved his hand and ordered, "Take a break, and let the horses have some dry rations."

“This man can’t hold on any longer.” With that, he found a blanket, tied it around his back, made it into a swaddle shape at his chest, stuffed Li Zhengyang inside, and tied it to his body: “Wu Xiong, Wu Xiong, is this your fate? Don’t move, you’ll sleep on me from now on.”

“Stinky…” King Liang was drowsy, his small hand resting on his chainmail.

(End of this chapter)