Chapter 47: The Precious Saber Slays the Welding Bandit

After just a moment, Zhao Mang walked in.

He immediately felt that the atmosphere inside the military tent was extremely strange, with the majority of the people casting hostile glances at him.

Among them, a burly general with prominent cheekbones stared at him viciously, his eyes brimming with intense malice.

Zhao Mang could not comprehend why this military officer, whom he had never met before, was acting this way.

In the entire tent, only three people seemed relatively amiable toward him: Zhang Chao sitting right in the center, and the two he was more familiar with, Liu Can and Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Mang felt somewhat speechless. His purpose for coming today was very simple: to trade for some rations and fodder at the border army camp to resolve the pressing crisis at Dunzi Peak.

He never expected to encounter such a situation. The people in this military tent seemed completely uninterested in his hundred Tibetan bandit heads; they were all preoccupied with other matters.

Zhao Mang raised his eyes slightly to look at Zhang Chao in the center.

Seeing this man for the first time, Zhao Mang felt he seemed upright.

He thought to himself that this man ought to be a good person!

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Zhang Chao spoke up and asked, "Are you that platoon leader who has repeatedly slain Tibetan bandits?"

Zhao Mang thought this question was somewhat redundant, but he still answered patiently, "It was a joint effort by this subordinate and a number of soldiers!"

Upon hearing this reply, Zhang Chao immediately lost his previous enthusiasm. Compared to Li Shihwu's achievements, Zhao Mang's accomplishments clearly felt somewhat exaggerated. If it came to leading troops, he probably had some strength, but in single combat—even a talented young man like Li Shihwu had failed to defeat Garm Dunmu, so Zhang Chao could not say for sure about Zhao Mang.

Immediately afterward, Zhang Chao said indifferently, "Since that is the case, go collect your reward from the military farming commissioner after this battle!"

With that, Zhang Chao turned back to his desk, having lost all interest in Zhao Mang.

Yet at this very moment, shouting came from outside the main army, and a soldier rushed in to report, "General, those Tibetan bandits are swaggering and shouting outside again, saying that if we don't send someone out to fight, they will mobilize their entire army and directly attack our border camp!"

Zhang Chao frowned.

Seeing this situation, the faction led by Military Farming Commissioner Li Huai'an successively spoke up:

"General, why don't we send someone to negotiate peace and give them some provisions to help them get through the winter?"

"Let's minimize trouble so everyone can have a good New Year."

"Exactly, exactly! There is no need to provoke that mad dog! Right now we are in the stage of conserving our strength and storing up our energy; if we rashly engage the Tibetan army in battle, the gains might not outweigh the losses!"

Listening to the shameless rhetoric uttered by this appeasement faction...

The expressions of everyone varied.

Zhao Wuji stared at the food on his desk without saying a word.

Hearing their conversation, Zhao Mang also frowned slightly.

He thought that Li Huai'an and his cohort were utterly spineless; before the battle had even begun, they were already starting internal struggles, bearing no resemblance to a military force at all.

Liu Can, on the other hand, had reached the limit of his patience. He pointed at Li Huai'an and cursed, "You spineless cowards! The rations of the people of Shacheng were meant for you to kill the enemy on the battlefield, not for you to engage in petty evasions like this!"

Just as Liu Can finished speaking, Zhao Mang thought to himself that since these people were useless, he would take action himself. He could not stand these faces that bullied the weak and feared the strong.

Was the commoners' money not money? Were the commoners' lives not lives? These high-and-mighty people constantly provoked Zhao Mang's anger.

He possessed extreme confidence in his own strength.

Looking at this group of superiors who only knew how to bully their own people, he ultimately could no longer tolerate it.

In a solemn voice, he declared, "It is merely a Tibetan bandit; the General need not worry so! In just a moment, I will go cut off his head and present it to the General!"

With that, Zhao Mang turned to leave the camp and measure himself against the so-called Tibetan bandit leader.

Before his departure, Liu Can suddenly called out, "Brave warrior, wait! Take my broadsword with you so you don't suffer a disadvantage in mounted combat!"

Saying this, he stood up, picked up the seven-foot-long execution saber beside him, and walked over to Zhao Mang, solemnly placing it into his hands.

"Garm Dunmu possesses some brute strength, wields a heavy hammer, and is arrogant. Little brother, you should use agility and clever techniques to counter him."

Zhao Mang felt grateful for Liu Can's meticulous reminder. As expected of his uncle, he at least had his best interests at heart.

Zhao Mang took the broadsword, bowed, and said, "Please stay your steps, Commander. Watch me go and return shortly!"

Having said this, Zhao Mang quickly left the military tent, mounted his horse, and rode off.

Watching Zhao Mang dashing swiftly toward the battlefield, the people in the tent began to voice their doubts one after another:

"A mere platoon leader, yet he dares to make such grandiose boasts!"

"Truly ignorant of the depths of heaven and earth!"

"Indeed, look at how young he is and he has no famous battle achievements. Even a battalion commander as formidable as Li Shihwu was defeated by Garm Dunmu; what virtue or ability does a mere platoon leader have?"

"We shouldn't place our hopes on him. We ought to make plans for ourselves early on."

Li Huai'an said unceremoniously, "This fellow is merely seeking fame and reputation. We had better prepare for our retreat as soon as possible!"

Zhao Wuji could no longer stand by and retorted, "You truly are a pack of timid rats, only whispering behind people's backs without an ounce of shame left."

"This is a military camp! Not a government office for you lot to bicker in!"

"And as for you, Li Huai'an! You have repeatedly tripped up this young brother over trivial matters, let that pass, but now that a major crisis is at hand, you still act this way?"

"Could it be that you are a spy sent by the Tibetan bandits?"

Zhao Wuji's retort resounded through the military tent, and a portion of the people cast suspicious glances at Li Huai'an.

Those generals who had once been constrained by Li Huai'an also began to chime in.

The atmosphere in the military tent descended into chaos once more.

Zhang Chao, sitting at the head, felt anger rise within him and shouted sternly, "Can't you all keep the peace! Such endless bickering!"

"You haven't the slightest appearance of preparing for battle before the troops!"

"It was one thing when the Tibetan bandit army wasn't attacking, but now that a formidable enemy is upon us, if you keep squabbling, don't blame me if military law shows no mercy!"

Zhang Chao's words still carried some weight; otherwise, Dunhuang would not have remained a peaceful sanctuary.

Outside the main camp at this moment, Zhao Mang urged his horse forward and shouted loudly, "Are you that Tibetan bandit Garm Dunmu?"

Garm Dunmu squinted his eyes to look at the young warrior who had ridden out from the camp.

With a look of utter disdain, he said, "Another wet-behind-the-ears kid. Is it possible that the border army has no men left?"

"They keep sending out little soldiers to block blows. What difference is this practice from a woman without balls?"

Zhao Mang could not understand a single word of what the opposing Tibetan bandit was blabbering about.

Figuring it was nothing good anyway, he raised the broadsword in his hand and shouted, "You talk too damn much!"

He dug his heels hard into the horse's flanks, causing the steed beneath him to feel the pain and instantly break into a gallop.

Seeing this, Garm Dunmu did not hesitate either.

He raised the heavy hammer in his hand and charged forward as well.

The very moment the two clashed, the broadsword in Zhao Mang's hand swept swiftly toward Garm Dunmu's neck.

Without a trace of hesitation, the speed was blindingly fast.

Wielding the heavy seven-foot broadsword as if it weighed nothing at all, Zhao Mang spun it so rapidly it hummed like a fierce gale.

Garm Dunmu felt a shock in his heart; this kid's skill was far more formidable than the previous ones.

He hurriedly reacted, instinctively raising the heavy hammer in his hand to block in front of him.

The instant their weapons collided, the force—though seemingly as light as a tree branch—delivered no sense of lightness to his hands.

The astonishing impact sent numbness shooting through the web of his thumb and forefinger.

His entire body was pressed down against the horse's back, rendering him completely unable to exert any strength.