The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  These were the words, written in Tibetan, on the top of the map.

  This detailed map thoroughly outlined all the various factions around the Western Regions. Such a map was essentially priceless, and not even Wang Chong had a comparable map. He had used several maps in an attempt to create one, but all he had been able to get was a general model of the area around Talas, as he was unable to gather much information on the rest of the region.

  But it wasn’t just Talas on this map of Dalun Ruozan’s. Even the Arabian Empire was present on this map, similarly in astonishing detail. There was also that secret path next to Suiye.

  If Wang Chong were to see this map, he would assuredly be stunned.

  Because such a map was exactly what he so ardently desired!

  This map of the continent was the result of the Ü-Tsang Empire battling for hundreds of years with the various powers of the Western Regions. Unlike the Great Tang, the Western Regions had always been within the bounds of the Ü-Tsang Empire’s power, which served as an impetus to create this map.

  Across the entire world, this was the only such detailed map of the continent!

  “Talas!”

  Dalun Ruozan lowered his head, his wise and bright eyes immediately locking onto that prominent symbol upon the map.

  “Fifty-three li is exactly the limit of Tang patrols. The Great Tang eagle team should be showing up about now. It’s about time. Begin!”

  “Yes, Great Minister!”

  Dalun Ruozan had barely spoken when a voice came from the shadows behind him. Thundering hooves rang out in the air as a heavily-armored general rode off. It wasn’t possible to make out his face in the light of the torches as he vanished toward the rear of the army.

  In the darkness, Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje exchanged glances. They noticed the confusion in each other’s eyes, but neither of them asked any questions.

  Time slowly passed, and then the silence was shattered by the clattering of metal from the rear of the army. The darkness made it impossible to see anything clearly, but objects seemed to be flying out of metal baskets in twos and threes. The sound lasted for a very long time and was accompanied by fierce gusts of wind.

  No one understood what was happening, and even Huoshu Huicang, Dalun Ruozan’s closest confidant, had a confused look on his face.

  Although Dalun Ruozan executed the vast majority of his plans through Huoshu Huicang, some remained a mystery. In his months in the prison, Dalun Ruozan had met many people, and not even Huoshu Huicang knew what had been discussed or ordered in those conversations.

  Caw!

  At the height of their confusion, all the soldiers suddenly heard sounds like those of crying infants from the sky. This abnormal noise, a cross between crying and shouting, gave all of them a fright.

  One of the Tibetan soldiers looked up at the sky and shouted, “Look, look over there!”

  Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje both turned their heads skyward. In the sky hung a full moon, dispelling the surrounding darkness. The moment the pair looked up, they clearly saw a massive silhouette unfurl a pair of wings and fly past the moon.

  Even though it was rather far, that unique flying stance and those wings were enough for the pair to immediately recognize what it was.

  Vultures!

  These were the vultures that could be found all over the Tibetan Plateau. During a Tibetan sky burial, the Tibetans did not bury or burn the bodies of the dead, instead feeding these corpses to the fierce vultures of the plateau, regarding this as an extremely high honor. But though these vultures were extremely commonplace on the plateau, they were very rare to the west of the Cong Mountains.

  Both Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were amazed to see this vulture fly past the moon, but this amazement was swiftly superseded by an extreme shock.

  Cawcaw!

  More and more vulture cries came out of the darkness, as the passing of the first vulture was quickly followed by the beating of many wings in the darkness. As Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and the thousands of Tibetan cavalry watched, a flock of vultures flew past like a dark cloud, blocking out the moon.

  In a flash, the world seemed to dim, and the countless soldiers were plunged into darkness.

  And then silence, absolute silence!

  None of the soldiers could speak as they stared in astonishment at the vultures. Even Imperial Great Generals Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were dumbfounded. The Ü-Tsang Empire had never placed much importance on military birds, devoting most of its resources to training cavalry.

  The pair had never imagined that while still in prison, Dalun Ruozan had managed to train such a large force of vultures in secret.

  “One must learn from their mistakes. Did none of you notice anything in the battle of the triangular gap? Teams of birds are growing more and more important in this era. At the very least… that person has been using them in ever more important roles. If we can’t defeat him, then we can at least imitate him,” Dalun Ruozan indifferently said, his calm voice ringing in the darkness.

  “Let’s go.”

  Dalun Ruozan urged his horse onward, riding out from between the other two.

  “Move out!”

  With Dalun Ruozan’s order, the thousands of Tibetan cavalry galloped off, protected by the vast flock of vultures. Several li went by in mere moments.

  Creee!

  In the distance, a patrolling rock eagle was drawing a massive arc in the sky. It had seen the vast flood of steel on the horizon and was just about to turn back. Suddenly, caw! A strange cry could be heard in the sky, and before the rock eagle could return to relay any information, countless vultures rained a barrage of attacks down upon it.

  With a shrill cry, the rock eagle was torn into shreds, black feathers drifting down from the sky.

  “Let’s go!”

  A Tibetan officer, his eyes bright, waved his hand, not even glancing at the carnage above, and thousands of Tibetan cavalry immediately traveled through the area being patrolled by the rock eagle. In the air, the flock of vultures continued to fly forward like a flowing black ribbon.

  Creee! Several li away, they encountered the second line of defense, two rock eagles flying back and forth. The vulture flock struck, tearing this line of defense into shreds. And then there was a third, a fourth… In the span of ten-some li, the vultures ran into seven or eight lines of Great Tang defense.

  Each line of defense consisted of only one or two birds. Although they weren’t numerous, each rock eagle was flying just high enough that they could clearly make out any activity on the ground and estimate the number of soldiers approaching.

  Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje had originally felt that they held the advantage in coming unnoticed by the Tang. But these successive lines of defense had caused their hearts to slowly sink.

  As if sensing what they were thinking, Dalun Ruozan began to speak, his voice serene and calming. “Have you finally noticed? This is his style, cautious to the smallest detail so that you don’t have a single opportunity to exploit. The slightest sign of contempt, and he’ll immediately discover you. In fighting against him, we have to go with all our power and not show any signs of carelessness.”

  “He’s too careful. With this kind of defense, we’ll find it very hard to get through without being noticed,” Huoshu Huicang worriedly said.

  “Yes, he’s laid down far too many defense lines,” Dusong Mangpoje agreed, a similar concern in his eyes.

  It was very hard to believe that this fellow they were trying to deal with had merely been a youth with a weak grasp of martial arts in the war of the southwest. In this war, they seemed to be dealing with an entirely different person. Even though they had not even seen this youth, this scrupulous distribution of surveillance birds had caused even a Great General like Huoshu Huicang to feel an invisible pressure.

  The Tang were far too powerful!

  It was oft said that the Great Tang had lost itself in the decades of peace and prosperity, its
people slackening and its fighting power waning, but even when Ü-Tsang had the most powerful army it had ever had, it suffered defeat after defeat to the Great Tang, and these were in situations where the Tibetans had the absolute advantage in numbers.

  The forces of Ü-Tsang had been pushed to the limit, and that person’s existence made every Tibetan, even those on the plateau, fraught with worry and unable to sleep.

  This was why everyone had mobilized for this battle.

  “Don’t worry so much. Humans are bound to have flaws, and even he is no exception,” Dalun Ruozan indifferently said. “…In addition, I’ve already understood exactly how he is distributing his birds.”

  Buzz!

  At these words, Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje trembled, their fierce eyes brimming with shock as they pulled on the reins of their horses.

  Dalun Ruozan merely smiled and elegantly pulled out the map to give it another look.

  Chapter 892 - An Invisible Clash of Scouts!

  Chapter 892: An Invisible Clash of Scouts!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Buzz!

  With a wave of his sleeve, Dalun Ruozan sent out a wave of Stellar Energy, causing the map of the continent to float in the air. He placed a palm over the map and began to move his fingers, allowing the starlight to fall on the map through the space between his fingers.

  Light and shadow began to shift on the map, and suddenly, countless points of light appeared upon it. These points of light were arranged according to some sort of pattern, floating over mountains, hills, and flatlands, all in the direction of Talas.

  Dusong Mangpoje and the surrounding Tibetan generals were all astonished, with only Huoshu Huicang remaining unperturbed.

  Dalun Ruozan was no expert of the Great General level. The Great Ministers of the empire spent most of their time on administrative manners, so most of them did not have a very high level of martial arts. But this did not mean that they were poor martial artists. Dalun Ruozan had exquisite control over Stellar Energy, not one bit inferior to Huoshu Huicang’s.

  “Do all of you see it? This is where the Tang have placed their defenses. Take the vulture force and eliminate them!” Dalun Ruozan calmly ordered, his voice suffused with a formidable confidence.

  “Yes, Great Minister.”

  The six Tibetan officers responded with respectful tones and then began to carefully examine the points of light on the map, after which they set off. Caw! The air resounded with those startling cries as the flock of vultures followed.

  Dusong Mangpoje slightly frowned as he stared at those points of light, a tinge of doubt in his eyes.

  “Let’s go! This isn’t your first time working together with the Great Minister. You’ll understand in the future!”

  A large palm patted him on the shoulder as Huoshu Huicang gave Dusong Mangpoje a grin and then rode off. Dusong Mangpoje turned his head in a daze and realized that Dalun Ruozan had already put away the map and ridden away.

  He’s truly hard to predict!

  Dusong Mangpoje looked up at the sky and sighed, a sense of relief washing over his mind.

  The Dalun Ruozan that had emerged from prison was erratic and unconventional, his actions impossible to fathom. Dusong Mangpoje had never worked with this sort of Dalun Ruozan before, but he understood that this was a blessing, not a curse, for the Ü-Tsang Empire.

  As for whether Dalun Ruozan’s clever determinations were wrong or right, he would soon find out.

  Caw!

  The vultures flew through the night sky like ghosts while the Tibetan officers on the ground faithfully carried out Dalun Ruozan’s plan. The flocks of vultures assaulted those points that had been marked on the map, and with shrill cry after cry, rock eagles plunged to the earth, their feathers slowly drifting down behind them.

  Before these rock eagles even had a chance to flee, they were beset by the vultures and swiftly eliminated.

  One, two, three, four…

  The vultures opened up the path in the sky, allowing the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry on the ground to rapidly advance toward Talas.

  Forty li, thirty-seven li, thirty li, twenty-five li…

  The Tibetan army was getting closer and closer to Talas, with Dalun Ruozan’s plan proving effective in keeping the Tang from noticing its approach. Most shocking of all was that Dalun Ruozan’s judgment had been perfect. He had predicted every single point of the Tang defense.

  Even Dusong Mangpoje could tell that Dalun Ruozan had found their weakness, accurately determining where the Tang had positioned their surveillance birds.

  If this continues, we really might be able to launch a night raid on the Tang without them having a single chance to react, Dusong Mangpoje quietly said to himself.

  In all his years battling with the Great Tang, Dusong Mangpoje had never had a plan proceed so smoothly. This time, he could be sure that the Tang would not have any time to react. Only twenty-five li remained and the Tibetans had still not been noticed—a truly impressive feat.

  “There’s just an hour left. We have plenty of time before daybreak. We just need to advance another ten li undetected to catch them completely unawares!”

  Dalun Ruozan sat upon his Tibetan steed, his eyes twinkling as he looked to the east and mentally calculated. Daybreak was getting closer and closer, but the Tibetans still had a chance. The period closest to daybreak was precisely when people were most liable to let down their guard. If they could avoid detection by the Tang scouts and launch a raid at that time, they could deal a serious wound to the Tang.

  “Pass on my order. All soldiers should dismount and wrap the hooves of their horses. In addition, leave behind the supply wagons and advance at full speed!”

  Dalun Ruozan waved his hand and gave the order.

  “Yes! Great Minister!”

  A few moments later, the army was off once more, traveling at even faster speeds than before.

  Twenty-four li!

  Twenty-three li!

  A flock of vultures lunged forward, wiping out the five or six rock eagles patrolling in the skies, and the scouts on the ground didn’t even have a chance to send back any messages before being killed by the hundreds of Tibetan scouts. Twenty-two li, twenty-one li… The Tang defenses were growing more and more concentrated, and more and more scouts were present, but they were all wiped out under Dalun Ruozan’s thunderous momentum.

  At this moment, all the Tibetan cavalry, and even Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje, had nervous expressions on their faces. Even Dalun Ruozan had nothing more to say, his body pressing closer to the back of his horse, his rigid body and focused eyes displaying his extreme tension.

  Twenty li, eighteen li…

  Only a few li were left. As long as they could remain undiscovered for just a little longer, the Tibetans could launch a successful surprise attack.

  “Faster!”

  A nervous voice came out of the darkness. A group of rock eagles appeared in the sky, and a Tibetan general on the ground almost immediately gave the signal. The rock eagles in the sky seemed more vigilant than the previous rock eagles, and with a shrill cry, this group of five eagles immediately scattered.

  In a flash, all the people on the ground felt their hearts leap to their throats, anxiety almost exploding out of their eyes.

  Caw! The vultures quickly shot toward the fleeing rock eagles, and a battle began. According to the Great Minister’s plans, this was the last Tang defense line for the next ten li. As long as they could break through this line, the Tibetans could get within fifteen li of Talas.

  If they could silently get into this range, they could launch a perfect raid on the Tang.

  Buzz!

  All the Tibetan officers looked nervously up at the sky.

  “They won’t be able to escape!”

  Dalun Ruozan calmly looked up at the sky, his body exuding a formidable self-confidence. He had spent ages preparing for today. He had personally formulated al
l the tactics used by these vultures and was confident that these rock eagles would have no chance to escape. As for the Tang scouts on the ground, he had already sent soldiers to get rid of them.

  He had ordered Huoshu Huicang to train these elite scouts while he was still in prison, and he been supported in this project by generals from all the Royal Lineages. Each of these scouts was hand-picked and trained in hunting down and eliminating Tang scouts, each of them able to fight against ten times their number.

  There had been no signals from the Tang forces, signifying that his force of scouts had succeeded in their task.

  “One, two, three, four… five!” Dalun Ruozan counted off as he looked up at the skies. As if his words were magical, a rock eagle would plunge down with each number he counted. With the number ‘five’, an arrow shot into the air. Dusong Mangpoje, mounted upon his divine steed from the Great Snow Mountain, had loosed his bow, his arrow felling the final rock eagle.

  “Success!”

  As the last rock eagle plunged to the ground, a burst of cheers rose from the Tibetan army, and the various Tibetan officers clenched their fists in exultation.

  They had finally succeeded!

  After breaking through line after line of Tang defenses, they had finally broken through the last one. Now, the Tibetans needed to only travel a little longer before finally washing away their disgrace and dealing an unprecedented blow to the Tang. Together with the Arabs, they could eliminate the Anxi and Qixi Protectorate armies, forever altering the map of the Western Regions.

  Four li silently went by, with only the light of the stars and the blowing of the wind to accompany their advance.

  Dalun Ruozan carefully listened and then finally gave a contented nod, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. In an exchange with Wang Chong, one could not afford to be even the smallest bit careless. He had finally won a game with his opponent.

  With the advantage in his hands, he could finally make his move. The Tibetans had finally won an exchange with the Great Tang!