The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “No rush.”

  Wang Chong chuckled and stopped Li Siye. It didn’t matter what ideas Gudu Li had, and showing off this sort of move was truly meaningless against Wang Chong. In no rush, Wang Chong turned to the Hu generals behind Gudu Li.

  “Gudu Li is guilty of the unforgivable crime of plotting rebellion. What of all of you? Do you want to join him?”

  Buzz!

  The Hu generals all felt stifled as Wang Chong’s eyes swept over them. A person’s reputation was like a tree’s shadow. Although Wang Chong was still young, his reputation in the Western Regions was as high as the noon sun. At the battle of the triangular gap, he had even managed to kill tens of thousands of Tibetans, including Dayan Mangban, and even made a Great General like Dusong Mangpoje flee in defeat.

  The death of the Black Wolf Yabgu had pushed Wang Chong’s reputation to even greater heights.

  In Qixi, Wang Chong’s reputation was no different from that of the god of death. Although they might have all said that they were not afraid, the truth was anything but. But when they looked at Gudu Li, the resolve in their eyes slowly hardened.

  “Foul brat, don’t try and sow discord. When did we say anything about rebellion?”

  “I advise you to quickly leave. The seat of Qixi Protector-General isn’t that easy to sit upon!”

  “It looks to me like you’re the one plotting rebellion! If you don’t leave soon, we might have to get a little callous!”

  The generals angrily glared at Wang Chong, none of them showing any signs of backing down.

  “Hahaha, see? All your efforts are in vain!”

  Gudu Li looked at Wang Chong with a smug and arrogant look on his face.

  “I will count to six! If you haven’t retreated by then, I will immediately give the order to attack. When the time comes, you will have yourself to blame for the results!”

  The primary fighting force of the Qixi Protectorate was the Hu. If the Qixi Protectorate army experienced severe casualties after he gave the order to attack, Wang Chong might end up being dismissed from the post right after being appointed. If Wang Chong did not counter, then his own soldiers would experience many casualties and he would be bound to lose this battle.

  Anyone who did not have the approval of the Hu commanders would only have the appearance of a tiger, but would otherwise have no power. This was the greatest source of Gudu Li’s confidence.

  “One!”

  Gudu Li raised a finger, a self-satisfied smile on his face.

  “Two!”

  “Three!”

  Gudu Li raised finger after finger, speaking each number with brimming self-confidence that his victory over Wang Chong was certain. Who cared if he was the Young Marquis? Who cared if he was the Son of Heaven’s disciple? In the Qixi Protectorate, only Gudu Li’s words mattered.

  “There’s no need for all that.”

  Wang Chong slowly trotted his horse forward, a smirk on his face.

  “I can answer you right now. Gudu Li, you are already dead!”

  The word ‘dead’ was like thunder booming in everyone’s ears, and Gudu Li instantly paled, a stifling feeling suddenly weighing down on his heart. But the most terrifying thing of all was what happened next. Up until now, Wang Chong had always had a faint smile on his lips, but at this moment, his expression turned incomparably cold and callous. At the same time, he raised his right hand and then fiercely swung it down.

  “Attack!”

  That icy voice rang in everyone’s ears, followed by the neighing of horses. The five thousand unmoving and restrained Wushang Cavalry suddenly exploded with a storm of energy. In that moment, the world itself seemed to be tearing apart!

  This bastard! He would dare!

  Gudu Li was ghastly pale as this thought flitted through his mind. If the twenty thousand Hu cavalry of Qixi suffered grievous losses due to internal strife, Wang Chong would probably not even last the night as Qixi Protector-General. The order would almost immediately be given for his demotion and imprisonment. It was precisely because Gudu Li knew this that he dared to so brazenly defy the Imperial Court.

  But he had never expected that Wang Chong would be even more brazen. He didn’t even need to think to give the order to attack.

  With his greatest source of confidence lost, Gudu Li would be no different from anyone else. He equally felt panic and unease.

  Bastard! You will regret this!

  As this thought flashed through Gudu Li’s mind, he immediately issued the only order he could possibly give.

  “Attack!”

  Rumble! The neighing of warhorses filled the air as sabers, swords, and halberds were aimed at the opposing Wushang Cavalry. But these well-disciplined Qixi cavalry famed throughout the Western Regions were facing the most terrifying opponent they had ever faced. Clangclangclang! A dazzling halo emerged from beneath the hooves of the leading Wushang cavalryman, followed by a second, and a third. With astonishing speed, all five thousand Wushang Cavalry had unleashed their halos.

  “Charge!”

  The cavalry surged forward. By the time the twenty thousand Qixi cavalry had aimed their weapons, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry had closed the gap to thirty-some zhang.

  So fast!

  Gudu Li and his Hu generals immediately began to panic. They knew that the Wushang Cavalry of the City of Steel were extremely formidable, elites amongst elites, but none of them had been at the battle of the triangular gap. None of them knew that there existed such a terrifying force of cavalry in this world that could reach charging speed in less than a second!

  While the twenty thousand Qixi cavalry were still at zero, the Wushang Cavalry were rapidly accelerating. Amidst these dazzling halos, the Wushang Cavalry seemed like a divine weapon that had descended from the heavens.

  Rumble!

  Time seemed to stop, and then there was a massive explosion as the Wushang Cavalry stabbed into the Qixi army like a sharp knife. Neeeigh! The Qixi soldiers immediately fell into chaos as they and their horses were flung into the air like they were made of paper.

  Not a single one of the Qixi cavalry were able to take a single blow!

  “Bastard, kill him! Kill them all!”

  Gudu Li’s furious voice rang out over the army, and he was grinding his teeth so hard that they were on the verge of breaking. Wang Chong and his five thousand Wushang Cavalry were too crazy and too arrogant. The regulations of the court and the laws of the army seemed to have no power over them. These bastards were even more arrogant and domineering than he was.

  “Kill then! Kill as many as you want! You madman, I’d like to see how you handle the aftermath!”

  The other Hu generals at Gudu Li’s side were also anxious, issuing order after order, causing the thousands of Qixi cavalry to charge in from all sides. But none of them were able to halt the advance of the Wushang Cavalry. Rumble! The Wushang Cavalry charged straight through like they were smashing through weeds. In a few seconds, they had completely rammed through the totality of Gudu Li’s army.

  But in the midst of this fierce battle, even Gudu Li failed to notice that despite the chaos as the Qixi cavalry were cut down like wheat, the majority of them were only heavily injured, with the number of actual deaths being extremely limited.

  And if one looked even more carefully, one would see that a faint and flickering light had wrapped around all the Wushang Cavalry. It was not the Wushang Cavalry that had knocked the Qixi cavalry away, but this unique shroud of light.

  The Impregnable Fortress Formation!

  This was the greatest defensive formation of the Ten Great Battle Formations from the era of calamity, and a formation that Wang Chong had specially prepared for Gudu Li. This formation was ranked much higher than the Ten Charges Ten Victories Formation, but it was much more difficult and time-consuming to train in, and it required several objects to work with it. However, Wang Chong didn’t need his forces to attain the highest level in the Impregnable Fortress Formation to deal with Gudu Li and his Hu
rebels. With the strength of the Wushang Cavalry, just the most basic level would be more than enough.

  Chapter 845 - Gudu Li, Die!

  Chapter 845: Gudu Li, Die!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Bangbangbang! Countless sabers, swords, and halberds came in from all sides, but they were either knocked away by the white layer of light over the Wushang Cavalry or dodged. Some of the Wushang Cavalry even reached out and pulled their opponents right off their horses.

  In terms of skill on horseback, there was almost no one who could surpass the Wushang Cavalry.

  Rumble!

  There was an earthshaking boom as the orderly army that Gudu Li had gathered was broken through, not even lasting four seconds. Fumeng Lingcha had put these Qixi cavalry through the most rigorous training and tempered them in the flames of battle.

  In the view of Gudu Li and the other Hu generals, these twenty thousand cavalry were the strongest steel wall of Qixi, more than enough to deal with Wang Chong.

  But none of them had expected to see that rather than steel, this wall was apparently made of paper, instantly torn through by Wang Chong’s five thousand men! Through absolute strength, Wang Chong had utterly crushed the thousands of Qixi cavalry.

  Neigh!

  All was in turmoil, with screams and neighs filling the air, the stark difference in strength causing all twenty thousand soldiers of the Qixi army to panic.

  “Damn it!!”

  “Get out of the way! Those Han bastards are charging over!”

  “How could this be! Ah! It’s too frightening! Get out of the way!”

  The five thousand Wushang Cavalry were absolute victors, delivering a massive shock that bored into the souls of all the Qixi soldiers. For the first time, this Hu army that believed itself to be invincible in Qixi experienced an earthquake of a blow!

  Their rout was as swift as a landslide!

  With just a single charge, Wang Chong’s men had punched through the center of Gudu Li’s army, causing it to fall to pieces.

  “Damndamndamn!”

  Gudu Li’s eyes had turned red at this sight.

  “Don’t be afraid! Kill them! Charge together, get up there, kill them all…”

  Gudu Li shouted with all his might, his entire body in panic. In Qixi, the strongest people were the Hu soldiers. They had defeated the Tibetans and the Western Turks. These were true soldiers of steel, veterans of one hundred battles!

  Gudu Li didn’t believe that a mighty army like this could be so easily defeated.

  He was still struggling at death’s edge, still attempting to rally the army and use his advantage in numbers to crush Wang Chong and the Wushang Cavalry. But at this moment, amidst the din of battle, Gudu Li suddenly heard the galloping of a horse.

  A powerful energy was surging toward him like a wave, sweeping through his army. With no warning whatsoever, he suddenly felt an intense danger.

  His heart shivered, and he immediately pulled out his sword. But Gudu Li’s reaction was still too slow. The moment he pulled out his sword, there was a cold flash of light, and a blood-red horse rose into the air, its giant of a rider slashing down with a sword larger than a man.

  Even the sun in the sky seemed to dim as that massive sword exploded with a searing and dazzling light. With an unstoppable momentum that could shatter momentums, it crashed down upon Gudu Li.

  Rumble!

  There was a massive boom. Gudu Li only had enough time to gather all the Stellar Energy in his body into his sword and bring the sword up to block. And then, time seemed to stop and the sounds of battle seemed to fade away.

  In this moment of stopped time, countless gazes gathered on Gudu Li, flabbergasted, confused, or incredulous.

  In the center of the battlefield, the future Invincible Great General Li Siye sat upon his Ferghana steed, his expression cold and aloof, his massive Wootz Steel sword aimed downward. Kneeling beneath his sword was the leader of the Qixi rebels, Gudu Li. His hands were both raised, his sword held aloft, his entire body seemingly frozen in place.

  Clang!

  The first to shatter was that well-tempered sword in Gudu Li’s hand, and then a line of blood began to travel down from his forehead, an invisible thread dividing his body into two. His eyes wide open in disbelief, Gudu Li fell apart, the halves of his body thudding to the left and the right.

  Boom! Dust plumed into the air as a stream of Sword Qi shot out of the earth and into the sky, leaving behind a fissure six to seven zhang long behind Gudu Li’s corpse.

  The Sword Qi that Li Siye had sent into the earth had only just now exploded with its true strength.

  “One who dares to gather troops for a mutiny is so punished!”

  Sitting upon his horse, his sword pointed at Gudu Li’s corpse, Li Siye exuded mighty waves of icy-cold killing intent, his grim and callous voice echoing over the Qixi Protectorate.

  Bang!

  At the start, with Gudu Li still maintaining morale, there had still been some Hu who had been willing to fight to the death, even though the Wushang Cavalry had punched completely through the army. But now, their leader had fallen, and the last thread of hope that the Hu cavalry had clung to was cut.

  “Kneel and surrender. Or else, die!”

  Wang Chong’s voice rang in their ears, frigid and devoid of emotion.

  Whoosh!

  The Qixi cavalry immediately began to throw down their weapons and kneel trembling on the ground. The one or two at the start soon became a vast sea of kneeling soldiers. Gudu Li was dead, and these cavalry from the City of Steel were simply too powerful, not something that mere humans could fight against.

  “What are you doing! Have you forgotten who harmed the Protector-General?”

  “Bastards! He’s a Han! Get up, everyone get up!”

  Two Hu generals were both stunned and furious at this sight and immediately began to curse. But with two swift thrusts, both of these Hu generals found swords running through their bodies.

  “Rebels and traitors, not even death can redeem your crimes.”

  Huang Botian stepped on the body of a Hu general, a scornful look on his face as he slowly pulled out his sword. Huang Botian was a native of Wushang Village and had a very simple mind. He had long ago found himself disgusted by the disobedience of this lot. If not for the fact that Wang Chong had not given the order, he would have disposed of them much earlier.

  “Bastard!! Wang Chong, you’re dead for sure! I don’t believe that you would dare to kill all of us—” another Hu general bellowed, but before he could finish, a spear had stabbed through his throat and nailed him to the earth. Even in death, his eyes were still wide open in disbelief that he had been killed without a second thought.

  This bastard! Is he not worried about the Imperial Court’s investigation…

  This was the last thought of his life.

  With the deaths of these generals, the remaining generals began to flee, losing all resolve to fight against Wang Chong.

  Only now did they realize that they had deeply underestimated this Han youth. His blows struck with the force of ten thousand jun, but vicious and decisive. Their confidence and tricks had been meaningless against him.

  “Take another step and die!”

  Wang Chong trotted his horse forward, a faint smile returned to his lips. His voice was neither loud nor soft, nor was there any hint of anger within it, but in the ears of those Hu generals, it was like a peal of thunder. Those fleeing Hu generals instantly came to a quivering halt, the blood draining from their faces.

  Even though there was no one there to obstruct their path, their feet seemed to be nailed to the ground. A massive fear had seized them, stopping them from taking even half a step, and the last remnants of their courage were dashed to pieces.

  Only the fiercest and most courageous of the Hu would dare to gather soldiers for a mutiny. These people were a fearless lot, but Wang Chong had managed to instill a deep fear within them. Alth
ough the Young Marquis of the City of Steel had the face of a seventeen-year-old, he was a most terrifying devil in their eyes.

  Wang Chong’s iron hand had utterly pulverized their resolve.

  Gallop!

  The horse hooves seemed to be thundering atop their hearts. All the Hu cavalry lowered their heads in fear, not even daring to look. If they had no impression of Wang Chong in the past, one could now be certain that Wang Chong now loomed as an invincible god in their hearts.

  “Kneel!”

  Wang Chong rode his horse through the battlefield as though he was taking a leisurely ride, his eyes scanning the battlefield. With this simple order, those Hu generals on the edge of the battlefield who had tried to flee immediately got down on their knees.

  With the kneeling of these Hu commanders, the rebellion they had instigated also came to an end.

  Wang Chong paused at Li Siye’s side and ordered, “Li Siye, you take care of the rest!”

  “Yes, Lord Marquis.”

  Li Siye nodded, and his body immediately exploded with a domineering aura that dealt a deep shock to the Hu commanders. Li Siye had a background in the army, and before he had begun to serve Wang Chong, he had already gained a great deal of experience in Beiting. Although he was still no good at administration, he had no problem reorganizing soldiers.

  Wang Chong nodded and continued forward.

  This battle had been resolved without his even needing to lift a finger. This was absolute power! At this stage, there were many things that no longer needed his personal interference. Li Siye, Huang Botian, Xu Keyi, and the others could settle it all.

  Chapter 846 - Consolidating Qixi! (I)

  Chapter 846: Consolidating Qixi! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Li Siye, upon receiving the order, immediately began to reorganize the Qixi army. The army valued speed and decisiveness, and whether in the last life or this, the Invincible Great General had always conscientiously carried out his duty. Besides that, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry armed to the teeth had thoroughly cowed the Hu soldiers.