The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Milords, these are two pills. Take them and adjust your breathing. They can help you recover your energy even faster!”

  As he spoke, Wang Chong took out two pills about the size of quail eggs and handed them over.

  Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli slowly opened their eyes, and as they did, storms of energy rose from their bodies. If one observed their auras, who would believe that these two had been heavily injured just moments before?

  The two did not immediately take the pills, instead using their bright eyes to carefully examine the youthful face before them as if seeing it for the first time. These two commanders of the Anxi Protectorate army had originally believed themselves to know Wang Chong very well, but every time they thought this, Wang Chong would always deliver to them a new surprise.

  In just a few short moments, eighty percent of their injuries had been healed and all their energy restored. Even supreme experts like Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli found this impossible to imagine.

  “Lord Wang, we’ve troubled you. Rest well. Leave the rest to us!”

  The pair took the pills from Wang Chong as they stood up.

  Wang Chong smiled, a nigh imperceptible hint of fatigue flickering through his eyes as he nodded.

  “Reporting!”

  Just when Wang Chong was preparing to turn and leave, he heard hurried footsteps and a voice tinged in panic.

  “Milords, the giant ballista was destroyed. Both giant ballistae have been destroyed by the enemies.”

  “What!”

  All three were stunned by these words, Wang Chong twisting his head to look at the messenger. The two giant ballistae were of strategic importance. Even though the threat of the Behemoths was no longer present, the mere existence of the giant ballistae could still threaten any non-human beings the Great Tang might face.

  No one would dare guarantee that the Arabs had no more special tricks up their sleeve.

  The giant ballistae had been developed by Wang Chong, and more could be built in the future, but at this very moment, the giant ballistae were playing an important role in stabilizing the morale of the army.

  After all the losses sustained in this battle, the giant ballistae had more potential value than actual value.

  “Was it the Skyquaking Giants?” Wang Chong asked.

  Only the Skyquaking Giants had the strength to destroy the giant ballistae. But he was still a little confused, as he had used the Behemoths to drive away all the Skyquaking Giants. Why had the messenger come now with the news that the last giant ballista had been destroyed?

  The messenger lowered his head and gave a completely unexpected reply. “Lord Protector-General, it was not! The one who destroyed the giant ballista was the Celestial Wolf Great General of the Western Turkic Khaganate, Duwu Sili!”

  For a moment, all three commanders were dumbfounded.

  “I’ll explain what happened!”

  An elderly voice suddenly spoke. Under the confused gazes of the three commanders, Zhang Shouzhi anxiously barged through the crowd, at the head of several craftsmen.

  ……

  While Zhang Shouzhi was explaining how the giant ballista had been destroyed, in the distance, a stalwart figure on a mighty steed was galloping toward the hills in a cloud of dust.

  “Great Minister, Duwu Sili is coming back.”

  Three pairs of eyes on the hills focused on Duwu Sili, their gazes moving with him.

  Both Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje had rather strange looks in their eyes as they watched the Celestial Wolf Great General. Nearby, the commander of the Mutri Great Cavalry, Huoba Sangye, was franker with his emotions. Although he was only a mere Brigadier General, Huoba Sangye did not hide his disdain.

  “Hmph, and what could he do if he didn’t come back? The battle’s over, Abu Muslim has retreated, and he didn’t even get to see Wang Chong’s face. Did he want to stick around so the Tang could laugh at him?” Huoba Sangye jeered.

  Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje arched their brows, but no one said anything.

  The Celestial Wolf Great General had left with great bravado and momentum, but he had spent the entire battle engaged in a fierce conflict with Arabia’s Skyquaking Giants. As for the main target, Wang Chong, Duwu Sili hadn’t even seen him, so Huoba Sangye could not be blamed for his contempt. In truth, that Huoba Sangye had not claimed that Duwu Sili’s reputation was empty was quite decent.

  After thinking about it for a few moments, Dusong Mangpoje decided to speak up on Duwu Sili’s behalf. “You can’t say it like that. Duwu Sili’s luck was just a little lacking. At the very least, you can’t deny that he destroyed the Great Tang’s last giant ballista. He had managed to come back with some result.”

  Unexpectedly, Huoba Sangye’s mocking smile only widened at Dusong Mangpoje’s words. Huoshu Huicang’s eyes widened, his expression turning strange.

  Chapter 998 - Duwu Sili's True Goal!

  Chapter 998: Duwu Sili’s True Goal!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The giant ballistae were the Great Tang’s tools against the Arabian Behemoths, but now that six of these enormous beasts were dead and the last one was on the verge of death, the giant ballistae were heroes with no place to show their prowess. Whether Duwu Sili destroyed one or not, it would have a limited effect on this battle. Duwu Sili’s actions were more like a final effort to salvage his dignity. Everyone knew this, though they had the tact to not say it out loud.

  “Hmph, what fighting with the giants? He saw that the Tang boy had gotten control over the four Behemoths and knew he couldn’t win, so he initially found the giants to drag himself down. But does he think us fools who can’t see this?” Huoba Sangye sneered.

  Although Ü-Tsang did not revere martial prowess as much as the Arabian Empire, they were still a fierce people who revered true heroes. At the start, Huoba Sangye had highly anticipated Duwu Sili’s efforts, but none of his actions were worth his respect.

  Gallop! Duwu Sili apparently seemed to understand that he had lost all his dignity, so while galloping toward the hills, he suddenly turned and began to head for the Turkic camp.

  The hills instantly fell silent. Everyone watched quietly as the Celestial Wolf Great General vanished into the Western Turkic camp.

  After a period of prolonged silence, everyone finally turned away. No one said anything, but even Dusong Mangpoje, who had spoken up for Duwu Sili just now, felt a little embarrassed. One could easily imagine how the rest of them had reacted.

  “Haha, all of you are looking down too much on Duwu Sili.” Dalun Ruozan suddenly spoke, his sleeves gently fluttering in the wind. His back was to these generals, and his hair was being blown here and there by the wind, imbuing him with an elegant and graceful aura.

  “If Duwu Sili really only had this much ability, he would have never become the Celestial Wolf Great General.”

  These words immediately attracted the notice of Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and Huoba Sangye, all of them turning with the other generals to Dalun Ruozan.

  “Great Minister, you mean… that Duwu Sili was deliberately acting clumsy?” Huoshu Huicang probed.

  “Haha, he wasn’t being clumsy. He always had a clear goal in mind. It was just that none of you could see it.”

  Dalun Ruozan didn’t turn his head, but he knew what they were thinking like they were his own thoughts.

  “Great Minister, if I may speak frankly, it is not that I do not believe Great Minister, but I truly cannot see just how Duwu Sili is formidable. Throughout this entire battle, I truly have not seen him render any substantial feats on the field,” Huoba Sangye said. Although he still believed in Dalun Ruozan, he could not readily subscribe to the argument that Duwu Sili was some capable general.

  Dalun Ruozan chuckled, but he did not retort.

  “Huoba, there are some things that you can’t just see by looking at the surface. Duwu Sili’s feats are far greater than you can imagine… Have none of you noticed t
hat while he left alone, he returned with something else on the back of his horse?”

  “What?!”

  These words left the gathered generals dumbfounded.

  Duwu Sili’s excursion had failed, and so all of them had only noticed that he had left in high spirits and returned furtively. Wang Chong was still alive, so anything else he did could not be considered substantial. As for whatever extra thing he had on the back of his horse, they truly had not cared.

  But Dalun Ruozan’s words made all of them turn pensive as they began to recollect that sight.

  Their expressions quickly turned strange.

  “When Duwu Sili returned, it appeared that… he had another person on his horse!” a Tibetan general said, and his comment also caused the other people to remember. After all, it had only happened a few moments ago, and the memory was still fresh on their minds.

  “But what’s so special about that?” Huoba Sangye said with a frown.

  Even if this matter was confirmed, they still didn’t understand why Dalun Ruozan had brought the matter up. Had everything changed just because Duwu Sili had brought someone back?

  “If Duwu Sili had been aiming for Wang Chong from the very start, there would naturally be nothing special about this, but what if that wasn’t the case? If Duwu Sili had never been going for Wang Chong from the very beginning, would all of you still think the same?”

  Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled.

  “Ah!”

  For a moment, everyone was flabbergasted. Even Huoba Sangye’s mouth dropped open in speechlessness.

  It was true! If Duwu Sili had been aiming at Wang Chong from the beginning and then turned around without meeting his goal, he would naturally have earned the contempt of his peers. But what if this had never been his true objective? All of them had been misguided by Duwu Sili’s bold words, so they had never even considered a different possibility.

  Dalun Ruozan sensed what was going on behind him and smiled. Duwu Sili was truly a formidable individual. If it weren’t for the fact that he was more attentive than the rest, noticing a few minor details, he would have been just as deceived as Huoshu Huicang and Huoba Sangye.

  But he was still known for his reputation as a wise minister. There was very little in this world that could be hidden from his eyes.

  Dalun Ruozan looked up at the sky and leisurely said, “For some things, you can’t just listen to what others say. You also have to see what they actually do.”

  He was not a pure scholar, but the demeanor, aura, and intelligence he showed would make any scholar admire him.

  “Duwu Sili has always been skilled at hiding his true objective. How could someone who could become Irkin of the Western Turkic Khaganate and defeat Beiting Protector-General An Sishun be as incompetent as all of you claim him to be? He’s just too good at concealing his motives.”

  “But, Great Minister, what sort of person would be worth Duwu Sili putting in so much effort to take them hostage? And why would he need to hide this from us?”

  Huoshu Huicang stepped forward, walking up behind Dalun Ruozan and asking the critical question.

  If the Celestial Wolf Great General really was as deep a schemer as Dalun Ruozan claimed, then it wouldn’t be them jeering at Duwu Sili, but Duwu Sili jeering at them. But not even Huoshu Huicang could understand why Duwu Sili had done all this.

  “What else could it be? The only thing more important than killing Wang Chong would be that formation able to produce ‘formation phenomena’.”

  Dalun Ruozan grinned as he leisurely announced Duwu Sili’s true goal.

  These words were like a boulder crashing into a lake, immediately causing the minds of the gathered generals to toss and turn.

  Formation phenomena!

  No one had expected this to be Duwu Sili’s true goal. But those who knew the true weight of those words would know that Duwu Sili had definitely placed enormous weight on this operation. Even Huoba Sangye appeared stunned, a contemplative look in his eyes.

  Dalun Ruozan chuckled, knowing that everyone had finally understood.

  “…Duwu Sili had never been aiming at Wang Chong. In the previous battle, did none of you notice? When Wang Chong’s Wushang Cavalry produced formation phenomena, the expression in Duwu Sili’s eyes became completely different. I once sent men to investigate the Celestial Wolf Great General of the Western Turks, and though I didn’t manage to get my hands on much information, I managed to obtain the same conclusion from all the bits and pieces I gathered. This Celestial Wolf Great General has an extremely intense desire for power.

  “Formation phenomena is the highest level any formation can attain, and not even Duwu Sili’s Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation has reached this level. If he were able to comprehend the secrets of the formation phenomena and upgrade his own Celestial Wolf Illusory Formation, the strength of Duwu Sili and his Celestial Wolf Cavalry would soar to even greater heights. Duwu Sili would naturally keep such an important matter very close to his chest… Did none of you notice that even though the battle is already over and Duwu Sili has returned to his camp, the Western Turkic soldiers are still extremely vigilant?” Dalun Ruozan lightly said.

  The generals followed Dalun Ruozan’s gaze and saw that it was just as Dalun Ruozan had said. The Western Turks, who had been completely uninvolved in the fierce battle between the Arabs and the Tang, had suddenly become extremely vigilant and cautious upon Duwu Sili’s return, all of them warily keeping a watch on their surroundings.

  None of the generals had any more doubts.

  “An impressive Celestial Wolf Great General… We all underestimated him!”

  Dusong Mangpoje finally sighed.

  Duwu Sili had hidden his motives far too well. At this moment, Dusong Mangpoje finally understood how Beiting Protector-General An Sishun had lost to him. Duwu Sili was both incredibly strong and extremely tricky, his actions unorthodox and clouded in deception. How could one deal with a person like that?

  “Haha, understand his style, don’t be affected by his words, and you naturally won’t fall prey to his tricks,” Dalun Ruozan indifferently said. This comment of his clearly elucidated the basis on which one should interact with Duwu Sili.

  Duwu Sili was an intelligent man, but unfortunately, he was far from the only intelligent man on this battlefield. Dusong Mangpoje knew that at least three people on this battlefield would be able to see through his intentions. Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were not familiar with him and had very few interactions with him, nor could they be described as expert schemers. It was very normal for them to have been deceived.

  But this was not any sort of profound technique to Dalun Ruozan.

  “Let’s go! Duwu Sili has already succeeded in capturing an important individual of the Great Tang. However, the person on the other end is not to be lightly provoked. He should be finding out very soon. The Great Tang is coming off a major victory and is currently at the peak of its morale. Even Abu Muslim has withdrawn, so we should also beat a temporary retreat! Until that giant ape dies, we can’t fight with him.”

  Dalun Ruozan smiled as he waved his hand and gave the order to withdraw.

  Rumble!

  A few moments later, the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry withdrew to their camp in a churning cloud of dust. In a few moments, they had utterly vanished from the eastern battlefield.

  Chapter 999 - The Aftereffects of the Battle!

  Chapter 999: The Aftereffects of the Battle!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Within the Western Turkic camp, Duwu Sili heard a ruckus and emerged from his tent. When he saw that it was Dalun Ruozan and his soldiers withdrawing, a strange light flickered through his eyes.

  “This Dalun Ruozan… is truly difficult to deal with! The army is withdrawing without even notifying me. Could this be considered a small warning?”

  A thoughtful smile appeared in Duwu Sili’s eyes. It wasn’t that no one could see through his style
and grasp his true intentions, but very few people were like Dalun Ruozan, able to see through him in just a few meetings.

  “Pass on my order! The army should withdraw! Follow the Tibetans to the east!” Duwu Sili swiftly ordered.

  “But Milord, what do we do about the person in the tent?” a voice asked.

  If one listened carefully, one could hear a few noises from within the tent.

  “Take him with us. This person is currently worth a fortune. If something happens to him, I’ll be asking you personally!” Duwu Sili said.

  “Yes!”

  Within the tent, the person’s heart chilled and he did not dare to speak any further.

  Rumble! Not long after the Tibetans withdrew, Duwu Sili led his remaining soldiers and wolves in the same direction.

  ……

  In front of Talas, Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Wang Yan, and Wang Chong had all fallen silent upon hearing Zhang Shouzhi’s explanation. Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Dusong Mangpoje, and the tens of thousands of Tibetan cavalry had not moved. The only person who had come was Duwu Sili, who was hoping to strike while the iron was hot, but he had managed to destroy the last and vital giant ballista.

  The Tang had managed to hold fast against the Skyquaking Army, resisting its frenzied assaults to protect this giant ballista, but they had not managed to guard against the surprise strike from Duwu Sili as he turned to leave. When those thousands of parts scattered through the sky, the last giant ballista of Talas was no more.

  “Can it be repaired?” Gao Xianzhi almost instinctively blurted out. This was his first reaction.

  Zhang Shouzhi had managed the construction of the giant ballista from concept to reality, so no one was more familiar with it than him. He was also probably the only person capable of repairing it.

  “It’s very difficult.”

  Zhang Shouzhi shook his head, his expression grim.

  “Duwu Sili is a top-class Imperial Great General, and his attacks are on a different level. A single giant can destroy the giant ballista, much less an Imperial Great General. I looked it over, and nearly eighty percent of the giant ballista’s parts were pulverized into powder, and some of those were very precious and high-quality parts. Just gathering the materials, casting the parts, and adding the inscriptions was extremely time-consuming. There is only a very small chance that we can repair those parts, as the materials were extremely precious.”