The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The young and aloof commander of the ballista army had ridden up to An Sishun’s side atop a Turkic horse.

  Buzz!

  In a flash, all fell silent, and even the cheers died away. The surrounding Beiting Protectorate soldiers all began to look at this young general, and An Sishun’s expression turned gloomy as his brows creased.

  “Young man, you’ve got quite some nerve. Do you know that as long as I wish it, I could kill you here?” An Sishun harshly said, his eyes slowly becoming as sharp as swords.

  “If Lord Protector-General kills me, I naturally cannot resist, but that is an entirely different matter. I fulfilled my promise to Lord Protector-General. The Western Turkic army has been defeated and the Sanmi Great General Jiudu Fuluo has withdrawn. Now is the time for Lord Protector-General to fulfill his end of the promise. I presume that someone of Lord Protector-General’s status will not go back on their words?” the young commander firmly replied. Even in front of an elite Great General like An Sishun, his face showed not a flicker of emotion.

  “Impudent! A puny subordinate general dares to act so rudely before Lord Protector-General! I don’t believe that our Beiting Protectorate army can’t handle a puny officer like you!” A swarthy-faced general next to An Sishun finally could not hold back his rage.

  “If Lord Protector-General wishes, you may kill me, but the transaction must proceed. The Beiting Protectorate army must send the promised soldiers to reinforce Talas. I might as well add that even though I might be a puny subordinate general of insignificant status, my transaction with Lord Protector-General has the seal of the Qixi Protectorate. This seal represents our Qixi Protector-General. I hope that Lord Protector-General can carefully consider his options!”

  The aloof commander coldly stared at An Sishun, clearly not willing to yield.

  “Bastard! You dare to threaten Milord!”

  “Kill him! I don’t believe that that Qixi Protector-General can do anything to Milord!”

  The surrounding Beiting commanders all exploded with fury.

  “You would dare!”

  “Anyone who dares to touch our lord will have to contend with us!”

  “At the worst, we’ll just bring you down with us. Brothers, prepare for battle!”

  In the rear, the ‘Qixi Protectorate army soldiers’ were also enraged. One of them even threw off his helmet to reveal his savage and fierce face.

  “You would dare!”

  Clangclangclang! Sabers and swords were unsheathed by the furious Beiting soldiers. These warriors of the Qixi Protectorate were not regular soldiers at all. Their temper and demeanor were more appropriate for bandits and brigands.

  “Enough! Everyone stop!”

  An Sishun’s single order immediately had all the Beiting soldiers sheathing their weapons.

  “Young man, tell me: what is your name?”

  An Sishun turned his head to that aloof young commander. An Sishun had met countless commanders and had experienced many trials and storms, but he had to admit that this young commander’s daring and insight were truly admirable. They had left an extremely deep impression on An Sishun.

  “Su Hanshan!”

  The young commander announced his name, neither proud nor meek, and his eyes shone with a fearless resolve.

  “Not bad! I’ll remember you! My words just now were just a joke. I will do everything that I have promised and will immediately give you the soldiers that I have promised. An Beiliu, select some elites for me and have them follow him back to Qixi.”

  “Many thanks, Milord!”

  Su Hanshan’s expression grew much gentler, and with a wave of his hand, the ballista soldiers behind him fell silent.

  Although these soldiers had all been bandits and brigands of the Silk Road who were used to a lawless and unruly life style, they all displayed incredible respect toward Su Hanshan. Su Hanshan’s training had made it so that these people were no longer mere bandits. This was also a sign of Su Hanshan’s powerful charisma and talent for command.

  To put it bluntly, these people were willing to die for Su Hanshan if anyone dared to touch him.

  Su Hanshan quickly departed with his ballista army and ten thousand elites of the Beiting Protectorate, leaving behind three thousand ballistae.

  “Milord, ten thousand elites is far more than we agreed to with the Young Marquis. Is Milord really going to let them all leave?” an extremely intelligent-looking general next to An Sishun asked.

  “Haha, why wouldn’t I agree? I’m just loaning them, not really giving them to the Qixi Protectorate army. Moreover… did you really think I would agree so easily? Long before this, I submitted a memorial to the court proposing that I loan ten thousand elite soldiers. No matter how this battle turns out, our Beiting Protectorate army will stand to benefit.”

  An Sishun faintly smiled.

  “But, Milord, that fellow called Su Hanshan is quite daring,” another general said, his words tinged with praise. “While Wang Chong is far away in Talas, he actually came on his own volition to propose a deal with Lord Protector-General. And it appears like the soldiers that he’s trained would be completely willing to die for him. This sort of ability to train soldiers is one in ten thousand. It would be great if we could get him transferred to our Beiting Protectorate.”

  This general was only casually giving his frank assessment, but his words immediately caused An Sishun’s smile to fade, and he turned in the direction Su Hanshan had left with a profound gaze.

  “Qi, that Su Hanshan… keep an eye on him for me. If it’s possible, think of a way to bring him into our Beiting Protectorate.”

  An Sishun’s sudden words caused all his generals to shiver and stare at An Sishun, including the general known as Qi who had just sung Su Hanshan’s praises. They all knew that someone who dared to speak so curtly before the Protector-General had some daring, but none of them knew that the Protector-General felt such admiration for him that he wanted to recruit him to the Beiting Protectorate.

  “Yes, Milord!”

  Qi’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he quickly lowered his head and respectfully affirmed his task.

  The other generals docilely lowered their heads. Just like how those bandits trained into ballista soldiers felt about Su Hanshan, all the soldiers of the Beiting Protectorate bore absolute respect and submission toward An Sishun.

  Daring, resourcefulness, initiative, command, fearlessness… this sort of person who can handle things completely on his own isn’t just some potential general… This is someone with the potential to be a Great General!

  Countless thoughts flitted through An Sishun’s stern eyes.

  A Great General would always get a feeling when they met another Great General. An Sishun had seen this quality in the young commander called Su Hanshan, because this was none other than a younger version of himself!

  As he thought about how that Wang Clan scion in Talas had so many talented individuals under his command at such a young age, An Sishun couldn’t help but feel a little envious.

  ……

  Storms thundered across the Nine Provinces, stirred to life by the imminent Battle of Talas.

  The Qixi Protectorate was like the eye of the storm, where countless elite soldiers gathered. Moreover, Wushang’s City of Steel, as a place that had to be passed through on the way to Qixi, served as the greatest witness to this fact.

  “Look at that!”

  A child standing atop a high steel wall suddenly pointed into the distance.

  These words instantly attracted everyone’s attention. The children and craftsmen on the walls, and the many scions, merchants, and pedestrians around the city gate, all turned to look.

  A cloud of dust was rising from the direction the child had pointed at. Seven thousand armored horsemen were silently riding with focused expressions, passing close by the City of Steel as they rode onward to the Qixi Protectorate. A war banner rose from the center of this formation of black-armored cavalry, and the se
ven stars upon it were visible even from a great distance.

  “It’s the Big Dipper Army! Great General Geshu Han’s Big Dipper Army!” someone shouted out from the middle of the crowd.

  “Look over there! It’s the Divine Martial Army!”

  A group of black-armored cavalry was riding at the very front of this army, standing out from the rest of the soldiers due to their composed and serene auras. They were at least three times stronger than the soldiers behind them, and even though there were only three thousand of them, their cohesion and discipline made them stronger than a force of thirty thousand.

  Steam curled around their bodies, spreading as far as three feet, making them all indistinct and blurry.

  “I didn’t think that the Big Dipper Army would send the Divine Martial Army!” a merchant from Longxi standing at the base of the city walls excitedly called out.

  The name ‘Divine Martial Army’ immediately sent the crowd into an uproar.

  Chapter 1049 - Setting Off for Talas!

  Chapter 1049: Setting Off for Talas!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The Divine Martial Army!

  This was the Big Dipper Army’s most elite force. It was said that the Great Tang War God Wang Zhongsi and Geshu Han had trained this force over two generations, selecting its members from the elite of the elite. After so many years, it still only consisted of several thousand soldiers, and their ranks were rarely fully manned.

  This was a force with supreme fighting power. In an extremely outnumbered situation, they had once defeated the Ü-Tsang King of Generals We Tadra Khonglo’s White Lion Cavalry. In another battle, where they had been outnumbered by a force five times their size, they had managed to pierce through the enemy formation and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, defeating a force of nearly sixty thousand soldiers.

  This was the true core strength of the Big Dipper Army!

  The title of ‘Divine Martial’ had been granted by the Sage Emperor himself.

  The three thousand soldiers of the Divine Martial Army and four thousand elites of the Big Dipper Army silently and serenely swept past the City of Steel. Not long after the Divine Martial Army had passed by, on the night of the same day, another army began to approach. The earth began to rumble and clouds of churning dust rose from the horizon. Countless people surged out of the City of Steel to see what was going on.

  “This, what’s going on? How did a mountain appear there?”

  The crowd outside the City of Steel looked in shock to the southeast. In the distant darkness, what was once a flat and empty plain was now home to a lofty and towering mountain range. Most unbelievable of all was that this mountain range was trembling as it approached the City of Steel.

  For a brief moment, the City of Steel was eerily still. Everyone stared at that moving mountain range in stunned silence. A few moments later, everyone began to hear the sound of crashing waves. It was so soft at first that only a small number of people could hear it, but it rapidly crescendoed until everyone within a thousand li could hear it.

  “Look at that!” someone cried out in alarm.

  That enormous mountain range in the distance had suddenly vanished, replaced with massive waves that reached for the heavens. Countless waves were sweeping through the world, and the wave at the very front was apparently dozens of times taller than the City of Steel.

  Waaaa! A child of six or seven immediately began to cry, and the merchants and bystanders also became afraid. These massive waves approaching made them all begin to back up.

  “Get back! Hurry!”

  Many people fled back into the city, their faces pale and devoid of blood. But before they could all get in through the gates, the waves vanished. At the base of those vanished waves was an army of eight thousand black-armored soldiers, their auras serene and composed. Flying at the front of this army was the banner of a five-clawed golden dragon.

  “Imp– Imperial Army!”

  A peddler who had once lived in the capital was left slack-jawed by the sight of this banner in the darkness. Anyone who stayed for long enough in the capital would recognize the symbol of the Imperial Army, but he did not dare to confirm that he had ever seen this particular unit of the Imperial Army before.

  Rumble! The shaking of the earth caused the City of Steel to buzz and drone. Under the eyes of the silent crowd, the eight thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army passed the City of Steel and continued their march to Qixi, not even shooting a glance at the city.

  As the darkness settled in and the ruckus passed, everyone began to fall asleep, but soon the third wave of reinforcements from the Great Tang arrived.

  Arf! Arf!

  Kee! Kee!

  The birds and beasts within the City of Steel began to uneasily cry out without warning. Birds anxiously hopped around in their cages while dogs barked incessantly at something to the southeast. It seemed like they had sensed something extremely dangerous approaching from that direction.

  The various establishments set up by the great clans in the City of Steel were already home to many civilians and peddlers and were slowly beginning to flourish. However, a situation like today’s had never occurred before.

  A peddler who had been stirred from his slumber opened his window and was prepared to curse when he saw the sky and instantly froze. The dark night sky and its dim stars were suddenly awash with blazing white light. If one looked carefully, one might even be able to tell that all this was dazzling Sword Qi rising from the southeast, piercing through the night sky like a silver river.

  This magnificent Sword Qi made all the stars seem lightless. Even the night sky seemed to be exuding light.

  The peddler stood with his hands still pressed on the window shutters as he stared in shock at the several hundred li of dazzling Sword Qi. At this moment, the peddler also began to hear a rumbling of the earth, almost inaudible at first but gradually intensifying until the entire world seemed to be quivering. A fierce and somber energy that had been faintly hanging in the air rapidly began to swell, becoming so powerful so quickly that it was hard to believe.

  The silently slumbering City of Steel was suddenly awash with cries of fear and alarm as everyone was awakened by this sharp energy.

  As a bone-chilling air began to come in through the window, the peddler realized that this somber energy had caused the temperature of the City of Steel to drop. Bang! The peddler drew the shutters closed and curled up in his house.

  The people within the City of Steel also seemed to sense something, and all the noise and hubbub instantly fell into deathly silence.

  Rumble!

  The sound of marching footsteps drew closer and closer, but only the guards stationed on the city walls could see what was actually going on. An army of four thousand soldiers, their bodies wrapped in white Sword Qi, somberly swept past the city, not making a single noise. The noiseless pressure they exuded made all the guards on the walls tremble in fear.

  Divine Prison!

  The white light of the Sword Qi allowed the guards to clearly make out the words written on the white war banner.

  Around thirty minutes later, the army had left the City of Steel’s vicinity and vanished in the direction of Qixi. But even then, the guards on the walls remained in a stunned stupor.

  In a single day, three armies had passed by the City of Steel. Each of these armies had been incredibly powerful, leaving an unprecedented impression on the people of the City of Steel.

  “Incredible! Where did Lord Marquis find such powerful soldiers!” a soldier on the wall who had originally served at the Qixi Protectorate muttered to himself.

  Todayl was the first time many of the city’s inhabitants had seen so many powerful soldiers. It was also the first time they had realized that the Great Tang had this many hidden armies!

  The events of the last few days were enough to talk about for the rest of their lives!

  After a few days, the Qixi Protectorate became the lar
gest fortress of the northwest excluding Talas. The Divine Martial Army, the Xuanwu Army, the Divine Prison Army, Zhang Shougui’s Heavenly Capital Army—all of these disciplined soldiers had neatly gathered in front of the Qixi Protectorate army, silent and heroic.

  The most obvious force on this square was the six thousand Wushang Cavalry in the very center. Although there weren’t enough Wootz Steel swords, these Wushang Cavalry had weapons made of Meteoric Metal as well as Meteoric Metal suits of armor. This sort of equipment was still enough to shame the majority of armies.

  “All we’re missing is Su Hanshan!” Cui Piaoqi softly said as he stood next to Wang Bei.

  “It’s close enough. I’ve already received news from Su Hanshan. He’s succeeded at his mission and is on the way back,” Wang Bei said, turning to the east together with Cui Piaoqi.

  As if in response to their words, around half an hour later, winds howled and a massive black flood of soldiers swept out from the east.

  “It’s the Beiting Protectorate army!”

  A Wushang horseman with good eyesight had immediately spotted the black dragon banner fluttering over the army. Qixi was adjacent to Beiting, so everyone was extremely familiar with the Beiting Protectorate’s war banner.

  The appearance of the Beiting Protectorate army indicated that Su Hanshan had succeeded with his mission.

  A few moments later, Su Hanshan rode out from the rear of the army to arrive before Wang Bei and Cui Piaoqi.

  “Have all the soldiers arrived?”

  “The Ultimate Martial Army is still on the way. They should arrive in two days,” Wang Bei said.

  With Wang Chong gone, the three figureheads of Qixi were Wang Bei, Cui Piaoqi, and Su Hanshan. Moreover, Wang Bei, as Wang Chong’s second brother, was the unquestioned leader. The majority of communications were left to him. The Wang Clan was a clan of ministers and generals, and gave its members a very thorough education. With Wang Bei’s experience, he could easily handle such matters.