Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Chapter 1268 – Surviving Is My Fortune, Death Is My Life
Wang Ben’s forces surged on the top of the hill, totally crushing the first wave of enemies that managed to climb up.
The true test had just begun.
“Stop!”
With the order given, the charging cavalry soldiers tightly pulled on their ropes, which wrapped tightly around their horses. Even then, it took them a few minutes before the entire army could come to a stop.
“Backline becomes the frontline, continue to charge!”
The peak of the hill was really narrow and steep, making it tough for the cavalry to make huge turns to change directions. They could only use such primitive methods, which inevitably wasted some time.
Furthermore, such actions meant that they would have to gather momentum from scratch.
By the time the army managed to turn around, an already formed up Ashoka Dynasty army was waiting for them. They were closely packed along the peak of the hill, and one could not see the end of them.
On the sides of the hill were closely packed archers gathered on the slopes.
“Charge!”
Wang Ben’s forces had no choice. They had to charge backward through that path because that was the only way down the hill.
Making use of this time, the cavalry shook off the flesh, head, and body parts hanging on their spears. After they shook their spear tips, blood splattered, and a cold glimmer shone once more.
This was all that the soldiers could do. They did not even have the time to adjust their armor that had loosened and gotten out of position. Their legs tapped their war horses as they started charging once more.
They charged as they adjusted themselves to find the optimal attacking spot.
They focused all their energy into the spear in their hands. Anyone that they pierced would have no chances of surviving. An invincible momentum had gathered the tip of the spear and would only stop after it saw blood.
“Kill!”
The Qin soldiers hollered in unison, letting out breaths of foul air as they all accumulated their energies and auras.
The Ashoka Dynasty army ahead of them only felt a mountain-like aura bearing down on them. Moreover, the pressure contained a rumbling killing intent; it was like they were stuck in a blood ocean as they felt suffocated and found it difficult to breathe.
After just a month of killing, this Qin army had managed to gather up the spirit of an iron army, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
The Ashoka Dynasty soldiers nervously adjusted their shields that were placed on the ground. Their blade wielding right hands were dripping with sweat as they stared directly forward. Their current nervousness could not be described in words.
“Hold it! Hold it!”
Luckily, the generals were still calm and kept on pacifying and settling down the army.
“Get ready!”
The general raised his hand. Right now, he could vaguely smell the nose-piercing stench of the breaths of the warhorses as well as the sour smell from the green grass being trampled.
“Fire!”
The general swung his hand forward in a powerful manner as an arrow rain that covered the sky was shot out.
As long as one was made up of flesh and blood, they could not be invincible before an arrow rain. Either the soldiers or the war horses of the high-speed charging Wang Ben troops were shot, falling down and unable to rise up.
At this point, no matter how skilled in reading the cavalry were, they could not make any evasive movements. Furthermore, if they tried to dodge, they might knock into the cavalry to their sides, so it was simply too dangerous.
Hence, they could only expressionlessly disregard the cries of the war horses and disregard the call for help from their friends. They did not stop at all, directly galloping past them.
The battlefield was heartless.
They could only brave the arrow rain and continue the charge.
In a short while, Wang Ben’s troops had charged to the front of the enemy. Facing the rows of shields as well as the long spears poking out from within the gaps, the cavalry soldiers did not even blink.
The war horses crashed into the enemy, and the spears in the hands of the soldiers either stabbed or pierced out to kill the enemy.
The two wings of enemy soldiers were pushed by people around them as they rolled down the hill, knocking right into the archers crouching on the slopes. This gave rise to even more chaos, and curses filled the air.
When the Ashoka Dynasty army commander saw that, his expression became really awkward and embarrassed. In hindsight, getting the archers to hide on the slopes was such a stupid idea.
“Let the archers withdraw and send the sword shield soldiers!” the commander decisively ordered.
“Yes!”
The archers withdrew like a flood as the sword shield soldiers hollered energetically and charged up. The two sides brushed past one another, and the sword shield soldiers could not help but mock the archers, making the faces of the archers flush red.
While the Ashoka Dynasty army was switching soldiers, Wang Ben’s forces had already charged across. As the hill top was narrow, either the infantry were knocked aside by the cavalry or the cavalry were mercilessly slaughtered by the infantry.
There was no third possibility.
The two sides were like two granola bars crashing into one another, wearing down each other and becoming shorter and shorter. Now, the side that was able to last till the end would be the victor.
The goal of Wang Ben’s troops was obvious to them. They just wanted to charge out to their starting point. Regardless of the price, this goal would not change.
The price was a steep one.
Although they had killed many enemy troops, only 50 thousand of them were left by the time the army managed to charge back to their starting point. Even Wang Ben’s deputy general had died in battle.
Luckily, they won.
Looking back at the mountain of corpses, the ocean of blood, and the chaotic scenes on the slopes and foot of the mountain, Wang Ben nodded his head in satisfaction before decisively ordering, “Withdraw!”
The remaining troops whizzed past from the other side of the hill, disappearing from the sights of the enemy.
…
Wang Ben’s forces retreated just as the Ashoka Dynasty army had started to clear up the mess.
Although they had not calculated the casualties, looking at the corpses scattered all around, the commander’s face was really dark. The corpses on the mountain path even blocked the road.
With his experience, he knew that at least 100 thousand troops had been lost.
Apart from losses in term of soldiers, a large amount of grain and resources had been scattered on the ground, mixing with blood and dirt during all the chaos; these items could not be used anymore.
The commander wanted to cry but no tears came out. He ordered viciously, “Find the tracks of the enemy. If I do not kill them, I will have no face to see the king.”
“Yes!” the surviving Ashoka Dynasty troops were similarly furious.
…
In truth, the Ashoka Dynasty army did not even need to search for them. During the following week, Wang Ben ordered the army to disrupt the enemy’s grain line, sending large and small groups to disturb them.
Large battles would start basically every day.
The Ashoka Dynasty army was unhappy and infuriated, but they were helpless against such tactics. Tibet was mountainous; it had many ridges and hills and rarely had any open paths. There was just that one grain transport path, and they could not hide even if they wanted to.
Furthermore, as they were in charge of transporting grain, their formation was unavoidably stretched long. Facing the disturbances of Wang Ben’s army, the Ashoka Dynasty army could not react in a timely manner. Their front and back forces could not assist one another.
Every time after they managed to form up with much difficulty, the enemy troops would have already fled.
After a week, not only did the Ashoka Dynasty army lose close to 50 thousand troops, but the grain that they were transporting also suffered heavy losses.
The commander realized that if this continued, they would be crushed by the enemy.
…
10th month, 21st day.
Due to the aims of the disturbance basically being achieved, Wang Ben decided to launch the final assault today before heading back to the Tang-Tibet ancient path.
After a week of battles, they had lost 10 thousand more men, and the remaining ones were exhausted.
Another mountain path, another sneak attack.
The last sneak attack proceed in an unusually smooth manner. The Ashoka Dynasty army was in turmoil and did not have the ability to fight back, running all around and resisting without any discipline.
However, this made Wang Ben feel uneasy.
“Commander, something is not right.” the newly appointed deputy said.
“It is a little weird.”
Wang Ben was really decisive and ordered, “Immediately withdraw!”
“Yes, general!”
The deputy general was about to spread down the order. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
From the path that they had come from, many enemy troops suddenly charge out, blocking their path of escape.
It seems like the Ashoka Dynasty army commander had set up an ‘Empty city plan,’ gathering up the army in advance behind the grain transporting troops to adapt to the situation.
When the Qin army arrived, the Ashoka Dynasty army swiftly moved to cut off their path of retreat.
“We have fallen for their trap!”
Wang Ben’s eyes froze up. For the first time, he held the enemy general in some regard. That was because the sneak attacks in the past week had gone too smoothly, which had made him subconsciously lower his guard.
That was not it. At this moment, killing shouts spread out from behind the grain transport force. The troops gathered on the backlines had also charged over, forming a front and back pincer.
“Commander, we have been surrounded!” the deputy general was a little worried.
Wang Ben was really calm and revealed a smile as he said, “Hey, we are troops of a dead country. Shouldn’t we follow his majesty to death? Why are we afraid of dying?”
Even now, Wang Ben could not accept the death of Qin Shihuang.
When they heard his words, the surrounding Qin soldiers agreed in silence. Their hearts and deepest emotions were touched.
“Brothers, follow me to charge out. It’s my fortune if I survive; it’s my destiny to die!”
“It’s my fortune if I survive, it’s my destiny to die!”
The blood of the Qin army soldiers boiled as a stunning determination to fight to the death exploded out.
The remaining Qin soldiers were like undead men.
“Kill!”
Wang Ben was the first to turn around his horse, charging in the direction they had come from.
That image was unusually majestic.
The Qin soldiers all silently turned around, following their commander. A massive slaughter would soon begin.
