Chapter 258: Collapse!
"Brothers, charge!"
"Don't waste too much time with them. Remember, our goal is King Sosurim. No matter what, we mustn't allow him to escape!"
...
Just as Wang Chong was in the midst of contemplation, he suddenly heard a loud bellow by his ears. Following which, the galloping of horses echoed in the air. Before Wang Chong could stop them, Ma Yinlong, Solitary Wolf, Steel Arms, and Old Eagle charged forward on their steeds with reddened eyes, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.
Wang Chong intended to have them enter the battlefield a little later, but the four of them simply couldn't remain seated when their mortal enemy was right before them. After some thought, he decided to allow them to go.
Having stifled themselves for more than a dozen years, it would be a wonder if they would hold themselves back.
In the distance, the battle was slowly closing onto the monastery.
Boom! At that moment, the ground trembled. Suddenly, Wang Chong could perceive an overwhelmingly powerful aura gushing out from the direction of the monastery.
Peculiarities occurred wherever the invisible aura touched. One after another, the ground beneath the Goguryeon assassins' feets suddenly lit up, and a mysterious thorn-shaped halo suddenly appeared. Then, the second one, and finally, the third one!
The monastery shook for a total of three times, and three brilliant halos lit up beneath the assassins.
"General! There are official Goguryeon commanders in the monastery!"
Seeing the halos lighting up the darkness, the crowd at the hill was shocked. Even Wang Chong couldn't help but blink in short.
If one were to train a war halo up to a certain point, one would be able to affix it to one's subordinates. This was the greatest trait of a war halo.
This was also where the name came from.
However, only those whose cultivations have reached an impressive level would be able to do so.
And this kind of commander, regardless whether it was in Goguryeo, Great Tang, Ü-Tsang, or Abbasid Caliphate, were all viewed highly. No empire would be willing to sacrifice them so easily.
If a commander of this tier were to die here, it would be a significant loss to Goguryeo.
"The Goguryeons sure have put their all into this matter!"
Wang Chong sneered coldly. Without a doubt, this was the work of those leaders whom Old Eagle scouted in the monastery.
Considering how the Goguryeons had even brought out commanders of this tier, they were clearly determined to succeed in this operation.
Indeed, compared to a direct battle on the battlefield, this kind of operations reap greater results for a smaller investment.
Boom!
As soon as the three Goguryeon heads released their war halo to cover all of the Goguryeons, the Imperial Army head commander of the operation drove his steed forward, and with a slight jolt, he activated his war halo as well, and a blinding light covered all of the Imperial Army guards in an instant.
"Charge! ——"
In the distance, a frenzied gale blew ceaselessly, and innumerable cries shook the heavens. Halos clashed with halos and Stellar Energy collided with Stellar Energy... As the soldiers of the two factions clashed against one another, the battle swiftly intensified.
On the surface, Great Tang seemed to be in the absolute advantage, but the Goguryeons were retaliating vigorously as well. The anticipated swift breach of their defenses didn't happen. They managed to make use of the complicated terrain and the dense forest to their advantage.
Furthermore, these Goguryeons were swift, dexterous, and fierce. Their vicious 'Three Saber School' fighting technique allowed them to stand their ground, thus causing the battle to make little progress.
"Hmph, they are still holding on despite being in such a situation?"
Wang Chong sneered coldly. The Goguryeons were truly an obstinate bunch. No matter what desperate kind of situation they were put under, they would still fight on relentlessly so as to return the favor to their enemies.
It didn't matter whether it was a one-to-one duel or a group fight such as this.
However, if the Goguryeons really thought that they could stand against so many people with just their thousand elites and this terrain, they were being way too hopeful.
Weng!
Wang Chong abruptly lifted his leg and stomped down. Hong long long, the world shook. In an instant, an invisible ripple spread out across the mountain range with Wang Chong at its center.
Just that this time, the effects of the ripple were not directed at the Imperial Army but the opposing Goguryeons. Wherever the ripple passes, the Goguryeons in the area would find the halo beneath their feet suddenly vanishing.
This abrupt change shook the entire army.
It wasn't easy for the Goguryeons to reorganize themselves and put up a defensive line, but this abrupt change caused them to descend into chaos instantly. Without the support of the halo, the Goguryeons immediately suffered heavy casualties.
Not too far away, noticing the changes in the battlefield, the austere Imperial Army general turned his face over for the first time and gazed deeply into Wang Chong in astonishment.
However, Wang Chong didn't have the attention to bother with him at the moment. At this moment, a familiar voice sounded in his head once more.
【Congratulations to user for killing 721 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 722 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 723 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
...
【Congratulations to user for killing 834 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 835 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 836 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
...
A huge bunch of notices bombarded Wang Chong, and the Bane of the Battlefield halo within him grew significantly within a very short period of time.
"You are being too naive if you think that you can stand against an army of the Imperial Army's tier that easily in Great Tang's territory!"
Wang Chong sneered.
As long as he was present, the Goguryeons' hopes of holding their ground with their elites would never come to be. He would never give them such an opportunity.
"Miyasame Ayaka, tell them to make preparations. We'll be joining the battlefield very soon!"
Wang Chong said.
"Yes, gongzi!"
Receiving the orders, Miyasame Ayaka turned around and left. Wang Chong didn't wield much authority in this battlefield; the bulk of the authority was with the Imperial Army general.
However, through utilizing King Song's token, he still managed to gain command over a small group of Imperial Army. While Wang Chong wasn't a military officer, he was confident that there were very few in the entire world who could grasp the flow of a battle in a war as well as him.
"Offense for defense, advance for retreat; these Goguryeons sure are smart. They know that if they were to flee now, their deaths would only come faster. By then, none of them would be able to get away. Thus, they formed a defensive line first to stand their ground first before finding a way to break through the encirclement forcefully later on... It's a good plan, but too bad it isn't feasible!"
Wang Chong sneered.
There were indeed many formidable figures within this group of Goguryeons. Despite the abrupt attack, they were able to reorganize their troops swiftly to withstand the onslaught. After which, they could focus their forces on a single point to breach the encirclement and escape. Given their fighting prowess as elites of their empire, that was indeed the best course of action.
However, given that Wang Chong was here, they were doomed to fail.
He would never give them such a chance. To pit their military strategies against his? They would only be humiliated.
"Gongzi, I've finished gathering the men!"
A voice sounded behind him. Miyasame Ayaka kneeled on the floor with a lowered head. Behind her were around a hundred valiant Imperial Army cavalrymen. Riding on their steeds, they gradually appeared on the hill.
They were all well-built, and they exuded an extraordinarily powerful aura boasting superior strength that would allow them to challenge a hundred men simultaneously. They were all elites specially chosen by Wang Chong from the Imperial Army.
"Prepare yourself! Arrow Vanguard Formation!"
Wang Chong grabbed the steed beside him and leaped onto it. Then, he drew his sword and pointed with forward with a sharp gaze.
Somehow, the Imperial Army suddenly felt awe while looking at Wang Chong's back. Initially, when they heard they were to come under him, they were fearful that he might blindly command them.
But Wang Chong's current majestic disposition had dispelled the doubts they harbored in their minds. At this moment, he felt like a veteran general who had been put through hundreds of battles.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Wang Chong gazed into the distance without moving at all. After an unknown period of time, just when everyone was thinking that the sword in Wang Chong's hand would never cut down, the long-awaited order finally arrived.
"Charge! ——"
Like ferocious tigers, the hundred cavalry charged forward amidst deafening calls from their steeds. They surrounded Wang Chong, Miyasame Ayaka, and the others, and they advanced furiously as though an arrow shot out from this very hill.
Hong long long!
The ground trembled as the scenery flashed by their sides and their wind roared by their ears.
The galloping and neighing of the horse, the blazing sparks in the distance, and the cold gleam of the weapons... In that instant, Wang Chong felt his heart beating wildly.
His consciousness drifted to a faraway time-space continuum, and he felt a jolt in the depths of his soul—the battlefield was summoning him.
The battlefield, this was where he belonged!
Weng!
As though some kind of miracle, an opening suddenly appeared within the formation of the Goguryeons. Hong long! In the next instant, the hundred cavalry that Wang Chong led stabbed deep into the opening and tore it into a gaping hole.
The immense might from the charge of the cavalry sent the Goguryeon assassins flying one after another.
"Kill them! ——"
A deafening war cry resounded in the heaven, and in just a split instant, the defense line of the Goguryeons was cut into two halves. In an instant, they descended into chaos.
"Bastard!"
The faces of the few Goguryeons head standing at the roof of the monastery darkened. Wang Chong's charge had rendered their previous efforts completely useless.
Their faces turned cold, and the intent to wipe out this group of cavalry sprouted within them. However, the ferocious army of Great Tang came pouring in at this instant, and they found themselves preoccupied.
This time, they had to join the battle themselves as well.
"Prepare yourselves, we'll be going in once more!"
After charging past the hordes of Goguryeon troops, Wang Chong's elite cavalry came to a halt at another hill and gazed coldly down at the Goguryeons.
From Wang Chong's point of view, he could see the Goguryeons slowly reining in their formation to rebuild their defense line.
However, this didn't make a difference to him at all. He could already see it; one more charge and they would be completely defeated.
War is something very different from assassination!
From the moment that the situation turned into a war battle, the Goguryeons were already caught in his tempo.
"Prepare yourself, the second charge!"
Hong long, when Wang Chong led the hundred elite cavalry through the Goguryeon formation once more, the army of thousand Goguryeon elites finally collapsed. They found themselves unable to form a proper defense line anymore.
It broke down into a situation where they had their hands full with just preserving their lives.