Chapter 57: Taking Sides Invites Heaven's Wrath

When Li Shiwu mentioned three thousand cavalrymen, Zhao Mang had actually already guessed it.

The three thousand soldiers he spoke of were precisely the three thousand Tibetan troops who had attacked his encampment at Dunzi Peak.

He had clearly slaughtered every single one of those three thousand Tibetan soldiers, yet Li Shiwu claimed that it was those very three thousand troops slipping away from his sector that had caused his defeat.

This was a blatant frame-up.

Zhao Mang never expected that they would resort to such a clumsy and low-handed trick repeatedly against the same person.

To be honest, they were truly brainless.

Fortunately, he had not abandoned Dunzi Peak back then; otherwise, he really would have fallen victim to their schemes.

Li Shiwu, who was spinning lies, had no idea that those three thousand Tibetan cavalrymen had long since been wiped out by Zhao Mang.

Li Shiwu himself had led three thousand men against two thousand and still lost.

Zhao Mang had only six hundred soldiers and a dilapidated encampment.

How could he possibly have defeated three thousand Tibetan cavalrymen?

With this thought, Li Shiwu immediately retorted, "Where did they come from? Naturally, they came from Dunzi Peak!"

"If you hadn't failed to hold Dunzi Peak and keep those three thousand cavalrymen in check, and if you hadn't failed to signal with the beacon fires, how could I, with my dignified three thousand infantrymen, possibly have failed to defeat those two thousand Tibetan cavalrymen!"

The men standing behind Li Huai'an immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Our frontier troops are not like those useless garrison soldiers who crumble so easily."

"How could three thousand possibly lose to two thousand?"

Hearing this, Zhao Mang immediately asked, "You fought three thousand against two thousand? May I ask what formation you used?"

"And where did the battle take place?"

"From the frontier garrison camp all the way to Shacheng is entirely flat terrain with no unique geography whatsoever. On what grounds do you believe that three thousand frontier infantrymen, without utilizing any terrain or military strategy, could defeat two thousand Tibetan cavalrymen?"

"Could it be that you think the infantry of the frontier army can compare to the northern Mo-dao bladesmen?"

Zhao Mang's questions left the officers and men, who had still been harboring doubts about him, deep in thought.

What Zhao Mang said made complete sense, and they knew their own subordinates best.

Although their soldiers were fiercer and more formidable than ordinary garrison troops, they still could not compare to the Mo-dao battalions of the Yinshan Protectorate.

Even if it were themselves fighting without any strategic maneuvers, unless their numbers were at least double that of the Tibetan cavalry, they would have no chance of winning whatsoever.

Li Shiwu's breath hitched upon hearing Zhao Mang's questioning, and he stood there dumbfounded.

He had never considered such details before. It was not as though he had never framed others in the past; he had always succeeded effortlessly in bringing people down, and being cross-examined like this was a first for him.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Li Shiwu finally collected himself. He rubbed his nose and replied in a voice even quieter than before, "What tactics I used to engage the Tibetan bandits are my military secrets. Did you really think you could learn them from me?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mang let out a cold laugh. "Learn from you? I, Zhao Mang, would disdain to learn the tactics of a defeated general!"

Zhao Mang's words instantly ignited Li Shiwu's already simmering shame and anger.

Li Shiwu's face flushed red, his brows knitted tightly together. He took a few strides forward until he stood right in front of Zhao Mang, swinging a punch directly at Zhao Mang's chest.

He muttered continuously, "A deserter who abandoned his post! I am going to demand justice for my three thousand soldiers!"

How could Zhao Mang allow himself to be captured without a fight? With a fierce surge of strength in both hands, he easily snapped the ropes that bound him.

He grabbed the fist Li Shiwu threw at him, spun around, and delivered a backhand slap across his face.

Instantly, blood began to ooze from the corner of Li Shiwu's mouth.

"Not only are you a defeated general, but you are also a petty villain with a venomous tongue, accusing me of dereliction of duty and letting three thousand Tibetan cavalrymen roam free to pillage?"

"Do you have any evidence?"

Li Shiwu had not expected Zhao Mang to break free from his bonds so effortlessly, seizing him in a grip from which he was completely unable to escape.

He could only cast a pathetic, pleading look toward Li Huai'an, seeking help.

At that moment, Zhang Chao, seated at the head of the tent, could no longer bear to watch and interjected with a question, "Since neither of you has evidence, let this matter rest here. Zhao Mang, you left your post without permission, but considering your meritorious service in devising a strategy, your merits and faults cancel each other out!"

"Li Shiwu, losing three thousand infantrymen is understandable under the circumstances, so I will not pursue the matter further, but I hope you will not be so rash next time!"

Hearing Zhang Chao's verdict, the officers present collectively breathed sighs of relief.

Liu Can laughed out loud. In truth, he had been somewhat worried as well; after all, Zhao Mang had conceived the plan and acted as the vanguard that day, and indeed had not remained stationed at Dunzi Peak. Where those three thousand split Tibetan troops had ultimately gone remained unclear to him, leaving him with lingering doubts.

However, since Zhang Chao had now made his decision and everyone could remain unscathed, that was naturally the best outcome.

Everyone thought this was a fortunate resolution, but Zhao Mang did not see it that way at all.

How could he possibly let Li Shiwu off with such an opportunity?

When he came here today, his original intention was to eliminate Li Shiwu, this persistent fool, once and for all.

He was absolutely not going to give up now.

Zhao Mang immediately raised his voice and shouted, "General Zhang, Li Shiwu may have no evidence, but I do!"

"I beg General Zhang to give me a chance, and likewise give everyone here a chance. If such a vile and treacherous battalion commander is let off so easily, who knows how many more generals and soldiers he will ruin in the future!"

Hearing this, the gathered men cast reproachful glances at Zhao Mang.

The matter had already been settled—everyone was at peace, all was well—yet this brat insisted on stirring up trouble.

He truly lacked all sense of propriety.

"Everything was settled peacefully, so why must you bring up evidence?"

"We are all in the same military camp, why make things so unpleasant?"

They had all heard of Zhao Mang's reputation; rumor had it that he had literally torn apart one of Li Huai'an's military advisors right inside the main camp.

They certainly did not wish to witness such a spectacle inside Zhang Chao's command tent.

The moment Liu Can heard that Zhao Mang possessed evidence, he crossed his arms over his chest. Standing straight, his eagle-like eyes locked onto Li Huai'an seated across from him.

From the bottom of his heart, he trusted Zhao Mang, so he kept his gaze fixed on Li Huai'an, ready to disregard all courtesy the moment Li Huai'an dared to utter a word in Li Shiwu's defense.

Hearing this, Zhang Chao cast aside his amiable expression and turned entirely stern.

He had long wished to purge the useless officers under Li Huai'an's command.

Zhao Mang's actions presented him with the greatest opportunity heaven could offer.

Zhang Chao commanded, "Since you have evidence, why haven't you presented it yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mang immediately shouted, "Xiao Han! Bring in the heads of those three thousand Tibetan bandits!"

Zhao Mang's words stunned the officers present beyond measure.

One by one, they cast suspicious and incredulous gazes toward Zhao Mang.

Three thousand?

The heads of Tibetan bandits?

They were all familiar Chinese characters, but strung together like this, they simply could not make sense of it.

Even if someone were to execute innocent civilians to falsely claim military merit, it would be impossible to accumulate so many heads in such a short span of time.

Moreover, it would have been impossible for no one else to know about such an event.

Even Liu Can, who had maintained a stern expression, was astonished by the number.

Ever since he had joined the frontier army, he had been driven back step by step by the Tibetan forces, until they were finally cornered and holed up in Shacheng of Shazhou, barely managing to maintain an unconquered stalemate.

They had never fought such a massive victory, with the closest exception being the strategy Zhao Mang had devised for him recently.

Yet compared to Zhao Mang's three thousand Tibetan heads, that previous achievement was practically negligible.

He asked eagerly, "Nephew Zhao! To think you possess such capability—I only regret not having known you sooner!"