Chapter 87: Day by Day (II)

“Enough!”
Chide Zuan’s beard trembled with anger as he immediately interrupted their argument.
“One of you is the prime minister of Tubo, and the other is this king’s governor. Yet you still don’t understand the importance of working together to assist the ruler. Won’t your behavior embarrass the soldiers?”
“I am guilty.”
Nangxie Dazan was terrified and knelt down, repeatedly pleading for forgiveness.
Although Esang was unwilling, he dared not offend the king directly and also knelt down, saying, “It was my recklessness!”
Chide Zuan sighed and waved his hand. “Enough. With military matters pressing now, you should focus more on state affairs and put aside your personal concerns for now.”
Both men blushed with shame after their true feelings were exposed by the king. “I just… I merely…”
“Alright. From now on, we must work together and look forward!”
Chide Zuan paused briefly before pointing at the mountain pass in the distance. “Once we cross that ridge, we’ll reach Bulun Post. Once there, we won’t have to worry about ambushes by the Tang invaders anymore.”
“The king is wise!”
They replied in unison.
“Have the messengers sent for reinforcements?”
“Your Majesty, I’ve already sent three groups of messengers, totaling twenty riders. They should reach Chiling soon.”
Esang pushed aside Nangxie Dazan and hurriedly replied.
“Hmm.”
Chide Zuan nodded in satisfaction, gazing into the distance. “The day the main army arrives to reinforce us will be the day the Tang invaders are destroyed!”
“Captain, the Tubo barbarians are coming!”
A Tang soldier from the Zhenwu Camp ran up from the stone path in the distance, gasping for breath.
“Speak slowly. Have they already entered?”
Wang Xiaochun tried to stay calm and spoke slowly.
“Yes, they’ve all fallen into the trap!”
“Good. Tell everyone to get ready and start hunting them!”
Wang Xiaochun clenched his fists, his eyes filled with cold determination.
All the Tubo people had entered the small hill. Although Esang had sent many scouts in advance, it was impossible to search every nook and cranny. Wang Xiaochun had already ordered his soldiers to hide behind dry grass. With the sky just beginning to brighten, it wasn’t surprising that the Tubo scouts failed to spot the hidden Tang troops.
“Once they reach the white line, push that boulder down!”
“Understood!”
Everyone, including Wang Xiaochun, held their breath, waiting for that moment. Only now did they understand why they had always looked eastward as children for no reason.
That was the direction of Chang’an, the direction of the Great Tang, the direction where the sun rose!
Lieutenant Li had said that where the sun rises lies the Great Tang!

Any clouds that attempt to cover the sun will be dispersed, and any barbarians who try to provoke the Tang Dynasty will be exterminated!
Lieutenant Li once said that wherever the sun and moon shine and rivers flow, all are subjects of the Tang Dynasty. What a pride—it is a pride only the Tang people deserve!
“Get ready.”
Wang Xiaochun felt his blood boiling, his veins throbbing, as an energy current surged through his body. At the young man’s command, dozens of Tang soldiers rushed toward the giant rock. The rock was several zhang tall, jagged and grotesque in shape. One Tang soldier inserted the shaft of his spear under the rock, prodded it slightly, then nodded at Wang Xiaochun.
“Push!”
Dozens of Tang soldiers shouted in unison as they pushed the rock. With the help of the spear shafts, the rock began to move.
“One, two, three—push harder!”
“One, two, three—hold on tight!”
“One, two, three—push harder…”
The same chants they used when working hard for the Tibetan herders now carried a completely different meaning. Before, they were mere slaves, oppressed and insignificant; now, they were brave warriors fighting against fate, unyielding fighters!
“One, two—push!”
The spear shafts shifted the rock, and with the combined effort of the soldiers, the rock finally rolled down the hill with a roar.
The Tibetan soldiers on the mountain path, thinking about the hot soup at Bulun Post, suddenly heard a rumbling noise from the hillside.
“Huh?”
The soldiers instinctively looked up at the hillside and were instantly terrified.
“Rock! A rock!”
“The mountain god is angry! The mountain god is angry!”
The soldiers at the front frantically rushed back to the rear, scattering the once-organized formation.
“Woo, woo-woo, woo…”
The loud sound of military horns echoed through the valley, and the Tang soldiers hidden among the dead trees emerged, drawing bows and arrows, aiming at the foreigners below.
Fate was indeed interesting—just over ten days ago, they were slaves who could be beaten and scolded at will, but now they had become warriors who controlled their own destiny and defended their homeland!
“It’s Tang invaders! There are Tang invaders in ambush on the hill!”
The Tibetan soldiers realized they had fallen into an ambush, not that the mountain god was angry.
“Don’t push! Don’t push! Those who violate military orders will be executed on the spot!”
Etsang drew his curved sword from his waist and waved it fiercely in the air.
These Tang invaders deserved death. He had promised the Zanpu this would happen, yet here they were!
“Reverse the order—front becomes back, back becomes front!”
Etsang was furious but had no choice but to order a retreat.

The pass had already been blocked by the Tang forces; staying here would only result in total annihilation by them!
“The commander orders: the front of the army becomes the back, and the back becomes the front! All troops, retreat!”
“The commander orders: all troops, retreat!”
The messengers repeated the orders over and over, fearing that someone might not hear them.
In fact, there was no need for Esang to give orders—out of instinct, the Tibetan soldiers were already pushing their way toward the central army, and this order merely served to better align with their morale.
From a distance, the dense crowd of soldiers in the valley moved like caterpillars, ugly yet practical. In the face of the desire to survive, any strict military discipline seemed hypocritical. Faced with the threat of death, even the most ordinary means became precious.
“Don’t panic! Keep formation!”
The commanders waved their whips, striking the soldiers harshly while shouting orders. Chaos was the worst thing that could happen during an ambush; once morale collapsed, the entire army would suffer catastrophic losses!
Inside the imperial carriage, Chide Tsugzan also sensed this obvious change. He straightened his hunched back slightly and narrowed his eyes to look toward the plains.
The green plains were covered with Tang flags, fluttering loudly in the strong wind.
Tang flags were everywhere—everywhere one looked, there were Tang banners. Truly, the sun rose everywhere, and everything belonged to the Tang!