The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Boom!

  The fireball smashed into the ground several zhang behind Wang Chong, sending out a rain of fire and gravel. And where Wang Chong had originally been standing was a massive scorched hole with black smoke billowing out.

  Arabian Kerosene!

  A powerful barrier of steely Stellar Energy shrouded Wang Chong, blocking the explosive rain of fire and debris. Wang Chong quickly retracted the Stellar Energy and walked out. As he examined the scorched ground and the still-burning hole, his expression turned grave.

  Arabian Kerosene was a product of the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu in the far west. According to Wang Chong's memories, this product should still have been a small-scale industry that had still not been completely developed.

  Not even the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu should have had much of it.

  Ü-Tsang was based on the Tibetan Plateau, with Sindhu separating it from the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu. Logically speaking, this product should not have appeared in the Tibetan army. The situation before him could only mean one thing…

  Ü-Tsang was already collaborating with the Abbasid Caliphate!

  Although the two were far from reaching the level of alliance shared between Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao, there was no doubt that the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu had given the Tibetans a little support.

  The Abbasid Caliphate's desire for the Central Plains might have started far earlier than I imagined!

  As Wang Chong stared at the hole, his mind was abuzz with thought.

  It would actually be a long time before the Abbasid Caliphate truly broke out in conflict with the Central Plains. Wang Chong recalled that the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu had not shown much ambition toward the Great Tang until after the relationship between Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing of the Anxi Protectorate soured.

  And Arabian Kerosene also wouldn't become a strategic asset until far in the future.

  But right now, things had clearly changed.

  Right now, there are only two possibilities. The first possibility is that my appearance caused this change out of line with history to occur. The other possibility is that Ü-Tsang had already begun to interact with and collude with the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu much earlier than I thought, and this Arabian Kerosene had been sent to Ü-Tsang a long time ago.

  It was just that Xianyu Zhongtong and the Annan Protectorate army weren't worthy enough for the Tibetans to take out their siege weapons, as they were simply wiped out on the Erhai plain. As a result, the Great Tang never knew that the Tibetans had this kerosene.

  Wang Chong's mind was in a state of turmoil.

  The southwest war had already undergone a massive transformation due to his interference. At the very least, he had never heard about the southwestern war lasting this long or the Annan Protectorate army being so fierce as to require the Tibetans to use siege weaponry.

  But regardless of what the truth was, there was one thing that was certain: the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu were supporting Ü-Tsang. The Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu definitely did not harbor any good intentions for the Great Tang.

  Boomboomboom!

  Massive objects in the rear of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army were constantly being loaded and constantly flinging massive fireballs, which streaked like lightning bolts to smash into the mountain.

  As these fireballs continued to explode over the mountain, flames began to spread. In a few moments, the entire mountain had become a sea of fire.

  The corpses of horse and soldier alike were set ablaze.

  Such was the immensity of this fire that even the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang soldiers at the base of the mountain could feel the heat.

  "Hahaha! The Tang are already completely suppressed!"

  The Mengshe Zhao generals began to laugh, their expressions much more relaxed. The previous phase of the battle had left all of them struggling to breathe.

  Although it was Duan Wuzong's Whitestone Corps that had taken part in the battle and not their own armies, the teeth would feel cold if the lips died, and the hunting dogs would be cooked once the rabbits were hunted. The Whitestone Corps was one of Mengshe Zhao's elite corps. If even it was beaten so badly, with not even thirty percent of its original force remaining, one could easily imagine the pressure placed on the remaining commanders.

  "The strength of these fireballs is truly superb. It wasn't in vain that we mobilized so many peasants, laborers and porters to construct so many catapults!"

  All the Mengshe Zhao generals watched on in excitement as the mountain blazed.

  The kerosene had been provided by the Tibetans, and Dalun Ruozan had proposed that so many siege weapons be constructed. Dalun Ruozan had even made alterations to the schematics.

  But the actual operation, the fireballs, and the construction of the siege weapons… the Tibetans, with their half-nomadic, half-farming lifestyle, would never have been able to do such a thing.

  Without the cooperation of Mengshe Zhao, even Dalun Ruozan, the wisest of the Ngari Royal Lineage, an existence that even Zhangchou Jianqiong was wary of, would have been powerless to carry out his plans.

  Moreover, the fortifications the Tang had constructed on the mountain were targeted at Tibetan cavalry. As for Mengshe Zhao, which relied primarily on infantry, such objects had little effect.

  "Don't get too happy just yet! These fireballs are only suppressing them. It's still too early to talk about victory!" Geluofeng suddenly said. His gaze was fixed on the mountain, his brow deeply furrowed.

  Fiery light illuminated the sky and the blazing mountain was the very image of hell. The Tang seemed completely suppressed, with none of their soldiers to be seen, yet Geluofeng was far from relaxed.

  This boy is even harder to deal with than I imagined! Geluofeng said to himself.

  He could see far more than most. Although explosions were covering that mountain, transforming it into a sea of fire sprinkled with the occasional dying scream, upon careful consideration, the number of Tang dying to these fireball attacks was far fewer than expected.

  The actual killing power was inconceivably low!

  After all the energy Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao had consumed to construct these more than one hundred siege weapons, such few deaths was absolutely impossible to imagine.

  Geluofeng's gaze flitted over the mountain, quickly falling on those scale-like metal walls scattered across its surface.

  Each of these metal walls was several zhang high and weighed several thousand jin.

  These thousands of metal walls formed a sturdy defense and fortress for the Annan Protectorate army, allowing one hundred thousand to contend against five hundred thousand. Duan Wuzong's one hundred thousand Whitestone Corps soldiers had charged up the mountain and come back with less than thirty thousand, and their own commander severely wounded.

  Just yesterday, in the pouring rain, this place had been bare. A single day's delay had resulted in the seemingly miraculous appearance of the metal walls…

  This was simply inconceivable!

  Chapter 583: The Decisive Battle! Tumi Sangzha!

  Chapter 583: The Decisive Battle! Tumi Sangzha!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Lion City, the strange military strategies, the metal walls on the mountain… Geluofeng had no idea how many more secrets this Great Tang youth was hiding, how many more mysterious objects he had on his person.

  I've heard that Wang Jiuling was a pillar of the Great Tang, that as long as Jiuling did not fall, neither would the Great Tang. I didn't want to believe it before, but it now seems that if I want to deal with the Great Tang, I first have to exterminate the Wang line!

  Geluofeng closed his eyes for a moment as an irrepressible killing intent surged through his mind.

  Once, on a visit to the capital, he had had the chance to meet Duke Jiu. He had been a man of mediocre appearance, nothing more. And he had been far too kind, his style of doing things com
pletely different from his own.

  Afterward, he no longer paid this Duke Jiu much mind!

  Geluofeng had never expected that so many years later, his son and grandson would become the stumbling blocks in his conquest of the Great Tang's southwest, one of those stumbling blocks that he could not ignore!

  "Father, let me lead some soldiers up. Right now is the best chance to deal with the Tang!"

  A voice at his ear roused Geluofeng from his thoughts.

  Fengjiayi was seated on a white steed, his eyes filled with loathing as he stared at the summit.

  As the Crown Prince of Mengshe Zhao, Fengjiayi had always had a very far-reaching gaze. Only figures like Huoshu Huicang, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Gao Xianzhi, Geshu Han, Zhang Shougui, and Wang Zhongsi were worth his gaze.

  Fengjiayi had never imagined that he would have to regard a mere teenager, someone younger than him, with the same level of respect, and this fellow was still a complete nobody.

  But Wang Chong had succeeded in this feat.

  "You want to avenge Jiaosiluo?"

  Geluofeng's eyes widened. Although he showed no emotion on this surface, there was a deep displeasure in his heart. Jiaosiluo was a Tibetan. No matter how close Fengjiayi felt to him, this fact could not be altered.

  If someone should avenge Jiaosiluo, it should be a Tibetan, not the Crown Prince of Mengshe Zhao.

  This was the complete opposite order!

  If Fengjiayi was willing to risk the lives of the people of Mengshe Zhao for the sake of some foreign general, then Geluofeng would truly have to ponder the candidate to inherit the throne of Mengshe Zhao!

  Fengjiayi froze a moment before sternly replying, "Yes, Royal Father! But it is not the entire reason!"

  "Oh?"

  Geluofeng's brow visibly relaxed.

  "Royal Father, my friendship with Jiaosiluo was a private one, and I can still tell the difference between the public and private. If Jiaosiluo had died elsewhere or for other reasons, even if your child wanted to help, he would go alone.

  "But our Mengshe Zhao is fighting with the Great Tang, and Jiaosiluo died on the mountain when he was helping us attack the Great Tang. His death was not a private affair, but for the public good!

  "Since Jiaosiluo died for the public good, it is my duty as Fengjiayi to avenge him!"

  The moment Fengjiayi finished speaking, both Geluofeng and Duan Gequan instantly began to view their crown prince in a different way.

  "Correct. That you can think on this level means that you have not let down your father's regard. However, it is not our turn yet. The first clash had just been a probe, but we almost ended up paying with the entire Whitestone Corps. Right now, it's the turn of Huoshu Huicang and his Tibetan army!

  "It's not that I don't want to let you avenge Jiaosiluo, but it's not your turn yet! We'll have many chances to work with the Tibetans in the future. You need to learn the gaze of the superior man, one that can see much farther and much higher," Geluofeng said.

  "Your Highness Crown Prince, even if you want to help, your appearing now would only be overreaching and make the Tibetans believe that we're looking down on them. This will only be a detriment to our partnership," Duan Gequan added from behind.

  He acted like a nonexistent person, always standing in Geluofeng's shadow.

  "Just look at the Tibetans and you will understand."

  Fengjiayi turned his head and saw in the blustering wind that a valiant Tibetan general, a single-handed saber at his waist, had just finished bowing to Huoshu Huicang and was now walking away.

  Although this person was even shorter than the people of Mengshe Zhao, the energy he exuded was as fierce as wind and fire, as vast as the mountains and seas, forming a stark contrast with his height.

  It's him!

  A thought suddenly occurred to Fengjiayi.

  In this war, Huoshu Huicang's subordinate generals had either been killed or injured. Of the Five Tiger Generals, only the strongest, Longqinba, was left. But this did not mean that he was lacking soldiers who could carry out his orders.

  The people of the Tibetan Plateau were completely different from those of Mengshe Zhao or the Central Plains. That their empire was divided into four large regions controlled by the four Royal Lineages was already strange enough, but even stranger was the foundation of their society.

  When not in war, Ü-Tsang was actually divided into various tribes. Each tribe worked separately from the others, and each one had a chief. In normal times, they did not accept the administration of the government.

  But during large-scale wars in which the Ü-Tsang Empire battled with other empires, they would receive the summons and come from all over to form a massive army.

  If the Great Tang or Mengshe Zhao attempted to employ this method, then the morale of their army would be so terrible that they wouldn't be able to harbor any hopes of the army putting up a fight.

  But Ü-Tsang was different. The Tibetans were a plucky people who found honor in fierce battles, surpassing even the Turks in this aspect.

  The Turks had fierce personalities, but the Tibetans worshiped the fierce and yearned for war. The two were on completely different levels.

  But they were both powerful fighting forces.

  Thus, when the Tibetans used this method, the fighting power of their armies was not in the least bit affected, and they could fight on the same level as other armies.

  Moreover, although the Tibetan tribes were normally scattered across the empire, their lifestyles were not too different from the lifestyles of soldiers. From birth, every one of them would begin military training, cultivating the military martial arts system passed down by the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.

  Thus, even though they had this strange tribal system, the Tibetans were by no means a weak fighting force.

  But it was solely this problem of tribes that prevented Huoshu Huicang, the Great General of the Ngari Royal Lineage, from controlling all the generals of the Ngari Royal Lineage. The subordinates available to him to carry out missions were usually just the Five Tiger Generals.

  But Ü-Tsang actually had many fierce generals.

  That general called Tumi Sangzha was one of them.

  Chapter 584: The Decisive Battle! The King of Black Iron!

  Chapter 584: The Decisive Battle! The King of Black Iron!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  In terms of pure strength, Tumi Sangzha couldn't compare to Longqinba, but he was not one bit inferior to Jiaosiluo, and in terms of valor, he even surpassed Jiaosiluo.

  Fengjiayi had once attempted to interact with him, but this person didn't even respond, making it very hard to communicate with him.

  Jiaosiluo once said that although Huoshu Huicang might not be able to control many people, as the Ngari Royal Lineage's Great General, he has the right to choose subordinates… The Five Tiger Generals were the people he had chosen, so as long as they remained, Huoshu Huicang had no right to choose any new subordinates.

  But now that most of the Five Tiger Generals have either died or been injured in battle, he must have chosen this Tumi Sangzha! Fengjiayi said to himself.

  Clang!

  While Fengjiayi was attempting to guess at Tumi Sangzha's strength, the person in question was sitting erect on his horse, the clanging of metal rising from his dantian. With this sound, a massive black Halo of Thorns began to spread to his soldiers.

  This was not the Halo of Fortress that the Tibetans specialized in, but a powerful, purely offensive halo!

  Immediately afterward, Tumi Sangzha stretched out his arms behind him and slowly unsheathed two curved scimitars.

  "Attack!"

  Rumble! Warhorses charged forward, Tumi Sangzha immediately taking the lead. Thousands of Tibetan cavalry howled and followed like a tide of black steel. Under the cover of the rain of massive fireballs, they thundered toward the mountain.

  "Kiiiill!"

  Behind him, the Tibetan cavalry swiftly began to take
formation: one echelon, two echelons, three echelons… hundreds of echelons, aimed at the gaps between the steel walls, charged toward the summit.

  This time, there were no Mengshe Zhao soldiers on the mountain, no Tang shieldmen holding the line, nothing to stop the hooves of the Tibetan mounts.

  "The victor is king while the loser is plundered! Those who retreat will die!"

  Tumi Sangzha's killing intent soared to the heavens as he led his forces charging toward the mountain.

  "Kiiiill!"

  "Kiiiill!"

  "Kiiiill!"

  ……

  Under the thick rain of fireballs and the sea of fire enveloping the mountain, the Annan Protectorate army was so suppressed that it couldn't even raise a head. At this moment, the army led by Tumi Sangzha was a knife fiercely thrust into the Tang.

  Although Wang Chong had nearly one hundred thousand soldiers on the mountain, none of them were capable of showing their power at this time.

  Let's see how the Tang deal with this!

  Geluofeng, Duan Gequan, Fengjiayi, Huoshu Huicang, Longqinba, and all the other generals of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army were watching the mountain. The first probe had concluded, so it was now time for the real battle to begin.

  Although the Annan Protectorate army was commanded by Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong, everyone knew by now that the true threat to the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army came solely from that youth standing on the summit.

  "Aim all the fireballs at the middle of the mountain. Divide the front from the rear so that the Tang can't send any troops.

  "Kill all the Tang troops from the middle of the mountain and down, and then deal with the army at the summit!

  "I wonder, what will that boy do next?"

  ……

  In the rear of the army, where the large siege weapons towered over the earth, Dalun Ruozan stood, his gaze focused on the distant Wang Chong. He had already discussed all the offensive plans with Huoshu Huicang last night.

  One wave of attacks after another, like the ceaseless tide, would persist until no more Tang soldiers remained. Only when the last of their foes in the southwest were wiped out would it stop.