The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  "Hmph, I'll give you some more time then!" Iron Cloak Li clenched his fists tightly and suppressed his impulses.

  Zhou An was a close aide of his, and he had always trusted him deeply. But the losses they had suffered this time were simply too huge. Even if they were to win this battle, this stain on his reputation might pose a threat to the legitimacy of his leadership in the future.

  A light wind blew, and silence continued to linger in the surroundings.

  An incredibly tense atmosphere loomed in the area. Everyone was assessing one another warily, and it seemed as if a huge battle could break out at any moment soon.

  At this moment, Iron Cloak Li had already dispatched all of the True Martial realm experts by his side into the battle. He couldn't tolerate any more losses.

  Unknowingly, everyone's attention became centered on Wang Chong, thus giving Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's group the chance to catch a breather from the battle.

  Coo coo!

  At this point, something occurred. Before everyone's eyes, a white object suddenly appeared, and a white dove abruptly swooped down from the sky.

  In that instant, the atmosphere suddenly turned peculiar.

  Peng!

  Before the dove could land, a steel arrow suddenly pierced through the dove's body. Backtracking the trajectory of the arrow, a highwayman could be seen lowering his bow.

  "It's a letter from the royal court!" Upon seeing the golden band on the dove's right leg, Lieutenant Zhang Lin's face immediately tensed. He swiftly flicked his horse whip out to grab the carcass of the dove and pulled it back to his side.

  "Lieutenant Zhang, what is written on it?"

  "Is the royal court sending in reinforcements for us?"

  Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu turned to Lieutenant Zhang with anxious expressions. Wang and Bai Siling also turned their eyes over as well.

  It had been many days since they had received any news from the royal court.

  Zhang Lin retrieved the gilded bamboo container from the dove's legs and carefully took out a note from within. He opened it and read it.

  "It's the second mission from the royal court." After reading the content of the note, a bitter smile emerged on Zhang Lin.

  "Ah?" Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were stunned. They were receiving their second mission at such a time?

  "Lieutenant Zhang, what is the mission?" Xu Gan asked anxiously. When he saw Zhang Lin's expression after reading the letter, he suddenly had an ominous premonition.

  "You should take a look yourself." Zhang Lin passed the note over to Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, and swiftly, complex emotions rippled on their faces as well.

  A few simple lines were written on the letter, "For the second mission, the Sixth Unit will be tasked with eradicating Iron Cloak Li and his band."

  "What kind of joke is this?" Huang Yongtu roared furiously as he crumpled the note in his hand and tossed it on the floor. "Are they intending to kill us by assigning us with such a mission at this time? Look at the innumerable bandits and highwaymen around us, do they think that we can deal with so many people with our small group? Not to mention, Iron Cloak Li is a powerful expert whom even Lieutenant Li does not rival!

  "What kind of mission is this?"

  "Huang Yongtu, watch your words! Are you trying to discredit the royal court?" Xu Gan warned him with a sharp voice.

  "The hell, I am already in such a desperate situation, do you think that I care about that nonsense?" Huang Yongtu roared as his face warped in fury.

  Who knew how much longer they could hold on? They were still safe at the moment, but they were still knee-deep in danger. There was still a possibility that they could be reduced to pieces in the next moment.

  Being kept on the brink of death was even more frightening than death itself!

  "Lord, calm down," Zhang Lin said with a bitter smile. "The royal court is likely to be unaware that we are surrounded by the Iron Cloak Highwaymen at the moment. Besides, given the long distance between where we are and the capital, there is no way they could have known that the Iron Cloak Highwaymen has grown to be seven hundred men strong."

  Peng!

  Frustrated, Huang Yongtu smashed his fist into a nearby tree trunk, and blood flowed from his fist. While Zhang Lin's words were likely to be the truth, it did little to alleviate the negativity he was feeling.

  "At the current moment, our greatest hope lies with the remaining two lords. It's fortunate that they aren't surrounded by the enemy forces yet. Furthermore, the other lord seems to be adept in military tactics, as well. He has a good grasp of timing and formations, so there's a chance that he might get us out of this desperate situation," Zhang Lin said as his gaze fell on Wang Chong.

  It had been some time since he became the commander-in-charge of these eighty cavalrymen. There was no change in the members nor the steeds; just the change in the commander had made a world's difference in the strength and disposition of the soldiers.

  This was the positive influence that a competent commander would bring to his team!

  To be honest, Zhang Lin didn't think much of his life. While it would be regretful for him to die here at the hands of bandits and highwaymen, he understood a day like this might come when he became a soldier.

  On the other hand, he could see the great potential that the young lord before him possessed. With such wits and charisma, if he could be tempered by numerous battlefields, he would eventually grow to become an outstanding general who could shield Great Tang under his wings.

  This kind of talent was something Great Tang needed!

  If his death was inevitable, the least he hoped for was for the young lord to escape from here alive, by hook or by crook!

  Chapter 349: Suspicions!

  Chapter 349: Suspicions!

  "Lieutenant Zhang, what was written on the arrow that Siling shot over just now?" Xu Gan suddenly asked.

  Bai Siling had shot an arrow with a white cloth on it previously. Other than a few pills wrapped within it, there seemed to be some words written on the cloth itself as well.

  But after distributing the pills to the injured personnel, Zhang Lin spoke not a word about the contents of the message.

  "This... sigh. Actually, the note was written by the young lord over there. He emphasized for me not to show anyone the note, and that I should only show it to you after we successfully escape from here. Written on it is an escape plan, and it’s probably our only chance at survival," Zhang Lin replied with a bitter smile.

  "Oh? Even we are disallowed from looking at it?" Xu Gan asked in astonishment.

  "Un," Zhang Lin nodded.

  Xu Gan fell silent. A moment later, a thought suddenly came to his mind, and he subconsciously turned to look at Huang Yongtu. The only reason he could think of why Wang Chong would want to hide the plan from them was that he distrusted Huang Yongtu. He didn't think that Huang Yongtu was a reliable man.

  "Bastard!" Huang Yongtu had heard Xu Gan and Zhang Lin's words loud and clear, and almost at the same moment as Xu Gan, he came to the same conclusion as well. Veins popped up by his temples as rage blazed in his heart at the realization.

  "What does that bastard mean by this? Does he not trust me?" Huang Yongtu's face flushed in anger. They were already in a desperate situation, and yet Wang Chong was indicating that he wasn’t trustworthy. This put him in a very embarrassing situation.

  The wise Zhang Lin and Xu Gan chose to turn their heads to the side and ignore his words.

  In the end, it was a fact that Huang Yongtu had been trying to provoke Wang Chong the entire way, so it was understandable for the latter to not trust him.

  ------

  "Lord, what do we do now?" Ma Song asked Wang Chong back on the main road. His words captured everyone's attention as they pricked up their ears to hear what the latter had to say.

  It had been a while since they had descended into a temporary stalemate. Letting things continue on like this wasn't a solution; they wouldn't be able to save Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu just
by waiting around.

  "If only we can send word out..." a Ten-Man Squad Commander in the group offered.

  "It's no use. We are at least three to four days away from the closest guard post at the moment. By the time reinforcements arrived, it would already be too late," Bai Siling replied, pointing out the impossibility in the Ten-Man Squad Commander's thoughts.

  "Siling is right, we can only depend on ourselves to save them. The reason why they shot the dove sent by the royal court as soon as they caught sight of it was to prevent us from getting word out. Even if we wanted to seek reinforcements, they wouldn't give us the opportunity to do so," Wang Chong added with a frown.

  In order to prevent the recruits from tapping into their connections to solicit external help in their trial, communication means were severely limited for the mission.

  After the communication tools on Lieutenant Zhang Lin were destroyed while he was in the middle of getting word out, the group was left without any means of contacting others.

  Furthermore, as the western Silk Road trailed through the mountainous region, it was extremely remote. Other than traveling merchants, rarely would one see anyone else here.

  If not for the long distance to the capital, there wouldn't be so many bandits and highwaymen in the region.

  In other words, the only ones who could save Xu Gan and the others at the moment were the 42 of them!

  "... Furthermore, compared to this, there's something else that I am more worried about." Wang Chong said grimly.

  "What is it?" Those words immediately caused gazes to center on Wang Chong.

  "Did you notice something?" Bai Siling asked nervously.

  The current Wang Chong was the cornerstone of the group. If even he was feeling unconfident, less would have to be said about the others.

  "Siling, why do you think Iron Cloak Li hasn't moved yet?" Wang Chong suddenly asked.

  "What?" Bai Siling was taken aback. She was caught off guard by Wang Chong's abrupt question, and for a moment, she found herself being unable to catch up with his train of thought.

  "With the current stalemate, even though we are unable to save Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, the Iron Cloak Highwaymen are unable to do anything about us, either. We can stand here calmly because we can keep a huge chunk of their forces in check with just our presence itself, and allow Xu Gan and the others a breather. But why is Iron Cloak Li allowing this stalemate to continue?

  "With their strength, they could most definitely take down Xu Gan and the others. They would have to pay a price for it, but it's indubitably within their means. The fact they haven't done so can only mean that they are using them to keep us in check, as well. After all, if they were to die, we would surely retreat immediately.

  "But since we are already standing here, why isn't he making a move?"

  With his back against Bai Siling, his gaze pierced through the large group of bandits and highwaymen to peer at their chief and military advisor.

  To be able to bring so many highwaymen and bandits under his control, Iron Cloak Li must be quite a formidable man.

  And considering how the bandits and highwaymen were effectively maneuvered to deal with Wang Chong's charge previously, and even retaliate, little had to be said about the military advisor's capabilities, as well.

  Facing such opponents, Wang Chong would never belittle them.

  "You mean that..." Hearing Wang Chong's words, Bai Siling frowned as a possibility surfaced in her mind.

  "Say it, let's see if our thoughts coincide!" Wang Chong said gravely.

  "The reason why they aren't making a move is because they are waiting for an opportunity, one that could corner and crush us?" Bai Siling asked uncertainly.

  "Un," Wang Chong nodded heavily, affirming her thoughts.

  "That's what I'm thinking as well. The Iron Cloak Highwaymen are simply too calm given the current situation. There is little doubt that the military advisor is making some arrangements behind our backs."

  "What do we do then?" Realizing that danger was slowly crawling up on them, Bai Siling asked anxiously as her face paled.

  Five hundred bandits and highwaymen were already a difficult adversary for them to deal with. If the enemy were still preparing something on top of that, it would put them in an even more disadvantageous situation. Putting aside saving Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, they might even end up losing their lives here too!

  "Their arrangements should be roughly completed by this point. It's likely too late for us to retreat." Wang Chong said.

  A huge gale blew past, but ghastly silence floated among the cavalrymen. The tense atmosphere seemed to be crushing down on their shoulders.

  It was impressive for them to force the bandits and highwaymen to this point despite the huge disparity in their forces. However, this didn't mean that they had overcome the crisis before them yet.

  As formidable as forty Great Tang cavalrymen were, it would be hard for them to fight against a force of five hundred at once, especially since there were quite a handful of True Martial realm experts amidst them.

  At this moment, they were at a decisive disadvantage.

  Furthermore, according to what Li Cangqi had said previously, Iron Cloak Li was at least a True Martial realm 5-dan expert. On top of that, he was adept in a powerful secret art known as the "Iron Cloak Technique". If he were to participate in the battle as well, they would be in far more danger than before.

  Seated on top of his White-hoofed Shadow, many thoughts flashed across Wang Chong's mind.

  Knowing that Wang Chong was rummaging through his mind for a solution, Bai Siling knew that it would be unwise to bother him. Thus, she could only forcefully suppress the anxiety gnawing at her heart.

  Time slowly ticked away. Eventually, Bai Siling reached the end of her tolerance and asked, "Have you got anything yet?"

  "There's indeed a way to overcome our current crisis."

  "What is it?" Bai Siling immediately asked.

  Wang Chong chuckled in response as he turned his gaze back to Iron Cloak Li and Zhou An once more.

  "Before that, there are some preparations we have to make, as well." Wang Chong waved his hands, and the forty Great Tang cavalrymen immediately turned around and galloped off around the bend, disappearing from sight.

  ---

  "What are they doing?" Noticing Wang Chong's abrupt actions, Iron Cloak Li frowned in bewilderment. "Could they have noticed our plans?"

  With his steely might, Iron Cloak Li had dominated the west road for many years. Be it merchants or soldiers, he had always killed those who crossed him without hesitation. But this time, Iron Cloak Li couldn't help but feel stifled regardless of what he did.

  The reason was simple; these forty people posed too large of a threat to him.

  "That is unlikely. I have already instructed them to make a detour around the mountain so that they would remain completely out of sight. Besides, they are already here. Even if they were to notice something, they won't be able to bring themselves to leave that easily. My gut feeling tells me that they are just backing away temporarily, and to a nearby location at that," Zhou An replied contemplatively.

  "Men, send a scout to check on the situation!" Iron Cloak Li pondered for a moment before issuing a command.

  "Yes, lord!" A bandit bowed deeply and left the area.

  ------

  "Damn it, those fellows can't be abandoning us because of the danger, right?!" Huang Yongtu bellowed anxiously on the slope, after seeing Wang Chong and Bai Siling's group disappearing around the corner.

  With his life hinging on Wang Chong's actions, he couldn't help but be worried when he saw the latter leaving so decisively.

  Born and raised in a noble clan, Huang Yongtu had never been exposed to such a dangerous situation before. Had he known that he could face such grave danger in the mission, he would have never participated in it, even risking the censure of his clan or the training camp.

  Chapter 350: The Other Hand of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen
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br />   Chapter 350: The Other Hand of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen

  "Don't worry. If lord had no intentions of saving us from the start, he wouldn't have come to engage the bandits and highwaymen," Zhang Lin consoled him.

  Hearing those words, Huang Yongtu's awful complexion alleviated slightly.

  Jya!

  At that moment, the loud neighing of a war steed sounded. Huang Yongtu turned his glance over, only to see a ferocious-looking member of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen galloping along the main road, in the direction of Wang Chong and the others had retreated to.

  Peng!

  But in the next instant, a sound reminiscent of the releasing of a bowstring echoed, and a massive steel arrow suddenly appeared from the bend, headed for the highwayman's head.

  The arrow pierced the highwayman's skull with immense strength, sending him flying from his steed and eventually pinning him to a huge tree.

  "AHH!"

  Shocked exclamations and gasps sounded from the crowd. Everyone was stunned by the sudden arrow. No one had expected Wang Chong to make some arrangements even in the face of their retreat.

  The speed, strength, and timing of the arrow were also spectacular, leaving the highwayman with no opportunity to react at all. He was dead before he could even realize what was going on.

  "To think that it would go exactly as you have said!" At that moment, around fifty zhang away from the bend, Bai Siling put down her arrow and smiled to Wang Chong beside her excitedly.

  "You have done well!" Wang Chong complimented her with a smile as well.

  Bai Siling didn't specialize in archery, but her skill in that field was indeed incredible.

  "Alright, let's go now. With this arrow, we should have instilled a little bit of hesitation in them. They shouldn't dare to send scouts for us fearlessly anymore. Moreover, every man of theirs killed represents a higher chance of victory for us!" Wang Chong exclaimed.

  There were simply too many highwaymen and bandits gathered here, making it impossible to crush them in a frontal battle swiftly. Thus, they could only try to thin their forces with every opportunity he could before launching the decisive strike.