The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Blood and death were the best seasoning on the battlefield. Slowly, the eyes of the Xuanwu Army soldiers began to turn red.

  As more and more soldiers fell, the battle intensified, and yet this was only the beginning.

  ______________

  1. Fu Jiezi was a man of the Western Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Zhao of Han, he traveled to the kingdom of Loulan in the Western Regions. The King of Loulan had killed several Han envoys, so Fu Jiezi was tasked with assassinating him. Fu Jiezi first enticed the king with treasure and wine, and then took him aside for a private conversation, whereupon Fu Jiezi stabbed the king to death. With the death of the king, the Han court set up the king’s younger brother as the new king and also had the name of the country changed from Loulan to Shanshan.↩2. The Kushan Empire was an empire that spanned across parts of India and Central Asia and was active in the second and third century, centuries before the rise of the Great Tang. By the third century, it had fragmented into various kingdoms which were eventually conquered by the Sassanids.↩

  Chapter 1077 - A Battle Between Top-Class Armies (III)

  Chapter 1077: A Battle Between Top-Class Armies (III)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Kiiiiill!”

  On another battlefield, behind the more than one thousand Silver Behemoths, countless Arabs suddenly bellowed. An army of soldiers with the symbol of a blood-red saber on their left breast was rapidly approaching the battlefield.

  “Milord, it’s Abu Muslim’s Ironblood Army!”

  Before the army could get close, Cheng Qianli spotted it from atop his stalwart horse and his eyes instantly narrowed.

  “The Ironblood Army is one of the strongest armies under Abu Muslim’s command. There are many soldiers in this army, and I’m afraid that the Divine Martial Army and Divine Prison Army won’t have enough men to hold.”

  Cheng Qianli turned his head to Gao Xianzhi.

  The Ironblood Army and the Iron Wall Army could be said to be fated foes. Both of their names even had the word ‘Iron’ in them, as if to symbolize that no matter how far away Gao Xianzhi and Abu Muslim were from each other, they were destined to have a decisive battle. In the end, only one of them would reign over the lands between Samarkand and the Cong Mountains.

  In the more than two months of intense battle, many of the soldiers of the Iron Wall Army had died to the Ironblood Army, and many of the Ironblood Army had died to the Iron Wall Army. The conflict between the two was already on the level of a blood feud.

  “Get ready! Pass on my order! Iron Wall Army, move out!”

  Gao Xianzhi waved his arm and gave the order.

  No matter how long this battle went on, the Iron Wall Army and Ironblood Army needed to decide which was the better.

  As this thought occurred to Gao Xianzhi, he looked past the vast army of Arab cavalry to the distant figure of Abu Muslim standing beneath his black war banner. At the same time, Abu Muslim also seemed to sense something, his gaze swiftly rising to meet Gao Xianzhi’s.

  In that moment, the entire world seemed to be devoid of sound. The two people who had started this war exploded with incredible fighting intent.

  Clang!

  The humming and clanging of swords rose into the heavens. The soldiers of the Iron Wall Army had unsheathed their swords and turned to face the approaching Ironblood Army.

  Rumble! Finally, there was a tremendous turmoil as the thousands of soldiers of the Ironblood Army parted the crowd and appeared behind the Silver Behemoths. Taking out their weapons, they charged at the Divine Martial Army and Divine Prison Army.

  “Attack! Kill them all!”

  With a furious roar, the more than three thousand soldiers of the Iron Wall Army raised their swords and charged at the Ironblood Army.

  “Kiiiill!” There was a bellow in response, and the two armies collided against each other.

  Boom!

  At the moment of impact, the entire world seemed to quake and time seemed to freeze.

  Gao Xianzhi and Abu Muslim both gravely watched as their armies battled.

  In the rear, Wang Chong, Cheng Qianli, Wang Yan, as well as Osman, Aybak, Dalun Ruozan, and Huoshu Huicang were also focused on this area where the most elite armies were locked in the most intense battle.

  Swords and sabers clashed as the Iron Wall Army of the Anxi Protectorate fought with the Ironblood Army of Arabia. This time, however, neither Arabia nor the Great Tang dispatched any more soldiers. Everyone was waiting for the outcome of this battle to be determined.

  Time continued to slowly pass. The Great Tang had committed four of its elite forces to the battle: the Xuanwu Army, Divine Martial Army, Divine Prison Army, and Iron Wall Army. Arabia had committed three of its famed and dauntless armies: the Beheader Army, the Blood Beast Army, and the Ironblood Army.

  Any one of these armies was capable of threatening an empire and making its people go without sleep in worry and concern. Two of these armies appearing would make one feel that the destruction of an empire was imminent. Three of these armies appearing would even pulverize into dust a powerful empire that had reigned for millennia like the Sassanid Dynasty, let alone smaller empires.

  But now, not only had the Arabs failed to annihilate the Tang at Talas, they had suffered significant casualties in this effort.

  “Milord, we still haven’t managed to break their defenses!”

  Ziyad turned his head to Abu Muslim and Osman, his brow deeply creased.

  This sort of situation had never occurred in any previous battles. Even Ziyad didn’t know what to do.

  Abu Muslim, Osman, and Aybak all frowned. The combined power of three governors and nearly five hundred thousand soldiers was still unable to deal with these Tang. None of them had ever expected such a thing.

  “Have the Fearless Army move out!” Abu Muslim finally ordered after some thought.

  Osman and Aybak were both startled by this name, and a hint of nostalgia appeared on their faces.

  The Fearless Army!

  It had been a very long time since they had last heard this name. The last time it had appeared was in the war with the Sassanid Dynasty. This was the true most powerful army under Abu Muslim’s command! The Fearless Army was the basis on which Abu Muslim had managed to squeeze his way into the post of Governor of the East, and it was also the strongest force under his command.

  But like anything else that was ‘the strongest’, Abu Muslim’s Fearless Army was very small, only around four thousand people. For any loss in this army, ten years would be needed to train a replacement. Thus, after the Sassanid Dynasty of Khorasan had been destroyed, Abu Muslim had ceased to use this army.

  After an interval of ten years, the Fearless Army that Abu Muslim had kept in the rear this entire time was finally being deployed once more, deployed onto this eastern battlefield.

  “This subordinate will deliver this order!”

  Ziyad’s eyes gleamed with respect as he galloped off to deliver the order.

  The Fearless Army!

  This army was a most glorious force that was almost tied together with Abu Muslim’s reputation. The only two people capable of commanding this army were Abu Muslim and Ziyad.

  ……

  Bwoooom!

  A horn suddenly blared out from the rear of the Arab army. There was a hint of turmoil as if something was approaching the battlefield.

  “Milord, there’s more movement from the Arabs!”

  Zhang Que stared into the distance, a worried look on his face.

  A battle of this intensity had far exceeded the bounds of his imagination. Not even the war of the southwest could compare. And he would have never imagined in his entire life that this battlefield would be the gathering place of so many elite armies from the Great Tang and Arabia!

  Zhang Que was just a scouting soldier, and from a certain perspective, he didn’t even count as a soldier, because he was not meant to enter the fray and kill the enemy. But
he held a strong conviction in his mind.

  As long as Wang Chong did not retreat, he would not retreat either!

  Zhang Que was confident that there were tens of thousands in Talas who believed the same! Wang Chong was the most powerful backer they could ever have.

  Wang Chong gazed at the distorted sky and noted, “Abu Muslim is sending the Fearless Army!”

  The aura of soldiers was normally intangible and unable to affect its surroundings. But the aura of this army was so powerful and tangible that it was causing the air around it to distort. More importantly, it was still early in the day, but the sky where the space was distorted was gloomy and dark as if night had come much earlier than usual. This was an extremely unsettling feeling.

  This feeling made Wang Chong think of only one name: the Fearless Army!

  In the Battle of Talas, this name was tied together with Abu Muslim. Amongst countless names and countless armies, the one most associated with Abu Muslim and the most dazzling army of all was unquestionably the Fearless Army. Abu Muslim had two top-class forces under his command. One was the Ironblood Army, which had already entered the battle, and the other was naturally the Fearless Army.

  “Wang Chong, the Fearless Army is even stronger than the Ironblood Army. None of our forces will be able to stop it on their own!”

  Gao Xianzhi turned to Wang Chong, extreme wariness in his eyes.

  Great Generals were far more perceptive than ordinary people. Even though the Fearless Army was still out of sight, Gao Xianzhi could already sense the destructive storm that it was bringing to the battlefield.

  “We still have three forces that we haven’t deployed. Which one will you send to deal with the Fearless Army?”

  Although they were both the highest commanders at Talas, Gao Xianzhi had given complete authority in this battle to Wang Chong. This was an unprecedented situation and was a sign of the great regard Gao Xianzhi had placed on Wang Chong’s abilities.

  “Heh, the Fearless Army might be powerful, but we have one army that can stop them.”

  Wang Chong’s expression was calm and relaxed. No normal army would be able to stop the Fearless Army, which was even stronger than the Ironblood Army, but Wang Chong knew that there was one force under their command that could go blow for blow with the Fearless Army.

  “Pass on my order! Have the Roaring Tiger Army enter the field!” Wang Chong indifferently said.

  “The Roaring Tiger Army?”

  Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Xi Yuanqing all looked at Wang Chong in confusion. They weren’t very familiar with this army, but they felt that it was similar in strength to the other armies. None of them had expected Wang Chong to have such confidence in this army.

  Wang Chong didn’t explain, only lightly smiled.

  The Roaring Tiger Army was an army trained by the number two man of the Great Tang!

  Zhang Shougui was an existence second only to the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian, Wang Zhongsi. How could any top-class force trained by a man like this be regarded lightly?

  From Longxi to Youzhou, Zhang Shougui had lived a life of legendary proportions. He had conquered far too many foes. In terms of age, even Geshu Han and Gao Xianzhi were his juniors. But due to the division between the Hu and Han, as well as the vast distance between the Western Regions and Youzhou, it was clear that Gao Xianzhi didn’t have much understanding of Zhang Shougui.

  The Roaring Tiger Army was the most powerful army under Zhang Shougui’s command, one he had spent his entire life training. Each soldier had an inconceivable fighting power. Purely in terms of strength, not even the Xuanwu Army, Divine Martial Army, and Iron Wall Army could compare to it. Wang Chong had some confidence in the Divine Prison Army that he had trained, but it had existed for a very short period of time. In terms of tempering and readiness, it could not compare to the ferocity of the Roaring Tiger Army which had been honed through hundreds of battles.

  Zhang Shougui, it’s time for you to show your abilities!

  Chapter 1078 - A Battle Between Top-Class Armies (IV)

  Chapter 1078: A Battle Between Top-Class Armies (IV)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Wang Chong quietly mused to himself. It was not on a whim that he had personally written a letter to Zhang Shougui for soldiers despite the grudges between the two. Zhang Shougui was a master of acting clumsy, but Wang Chong would not allow him to keep acting.

  Rumble! In the distance, in a churning cloud of dust, the Fearless Army marched onto the battlefield. One thousand feet, five hundred feet, three hundred feet…

  “Move out!”

  With an earthshaking bellow, Wang Chong ordered the four thousand soldiers of the Roaring Tiger Army to set forth and enter the battle.

  The aura rising from their bodies was about the same as the Divine Martial Army’s or the Iron Wall Army’s. Even Gao Xianzhi couldn’t help but feel a little worried as this army fearlessly marched into the battlefield, but Wang Chong remained unperturbed and incomparably calm.

  Boom!

  Suddenly, the vast sea of Arab cavalry parted in a rumbling of horse hooves. Clang! In a cold flash of light, two Arabian scimitars parted and fell to the sides as an Arab warrior charged forward and plunged into the battlefield like a storm.

  Raaaa! This soldier of the Fearless Army, wearing the symbol of a pitch-black demon god on his left shoulder, lunged at a soldier of the Divine Martial Army. Clang! The latter immediately raised his sword to block the scimitar, but the immense power in this scimitar sent the Divine Martial Army soldier flying backward more than one hundred feet.

  Besides that, the scimitar also flitted across the soldier’s body. Swish! His armor split open and blood sprinkled the sky.

  Buzz!

  After sending the Divine Martial Army soldier flying, the stalwart Fearless Army soldier turned his head and lunged at a nearby Divine Prison Army soldier. This soldier showed no sign of emotion in his eyes as he raised his sword and stabbed at the Fearless Army soldier.

  Clang! The close-combat scimitar at the Fearless Army soldier’s waist suddenly slid forward and barely managed to stop this simple and yet extremely fierce attack of the Divine Prison Army soldier.

  Bang! The scimitars flashed as they revealed their full power. Before the Divine Prison Army soldier had time to retreat, a bloody light flashed across his left shoulder and his arm plopped to the ground.

  This was actually the first time in this first battle of the Divine Prison Army where one of its soldiers was the lesser and had an arm cut off.

  “The Divine Prison Army doesn’t have enough defensive capability!”

  Behind the first defense line, Gao Xianzhi’s brow rose as he turned to Wang Chong, a hint of gloom flitting through his eyes. The Divine Prison Army had an inconceivable offensive power. In terms of pure lethality, not even the Iron Wall Army or the Divine Martial Army could compare to it.

  But the flaw of the Divine Prison Army was also very obvious. Although these soldiers had impressive offensive power, their defenses were extremely fragile. In other words, Wang Chong had sacrificed their defense for their inconceivable killing power.

  There wasn’t a problem with this weakness if one’s opponent was on a similar level of strength or attacked slower, but once one encountered an opponent with the same level of speed, like the Fearless Army, with two incredibly sharp scimitars, one for attack and one for defense…

  Not only would the Divine Prison Army soldiers not be able to exhibit their lethal killing power, the fact that their attacks had been blocked would force them into an extremely passive position.

  Clang! Clang!

  Upon seeing that the Divine Prison Army soldier had had his arm cut off, two of his fellow soldiers immediately attacked with their own swords, their weapons as fast as lightning bolts. This Fearless Army soldier immediately had his hands full with fending off these attacks, but he showed no signs of backing down versus these two Divine Prison Army soldier
s.

  The Fearless Army soldier was able to rely on his own ferocity and astonishing fighting power to simultaneously block the attacks of two Divine Prison Army soldiers.

  This sight left countless Tang soldiers stunned and dazed.

  “What formidable fighting power!”

  Even Li Siye was deeply stunned. This army that had appeared out of nowhere seemed to have been born for the sake of killing. Their techniques were sharp and vicious. Even just watching from a distance struck fear into the hearts of spectators, much less actually fighting these people.

  The situation instantly turned against the Divine Martial Army and Divine Prison Army, but Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, and Cheng Qianli did nothing.

  In the distance, Qutaybah, Abu Muslim, Osman, and the others also watched. The elite Great Generals of both sides maintained their delicate balance.

  Just when the four thousand soldiers of the Fearless Army were about to completely alter the course of the battle, the fifth elite force of the Great Tang finally stepped onto the stage.

  Bang! As the twin scimitars of a Fearless Army soldier wreaked havoc through the battlefield, a black sword bearing the fierce image of a white tiger slashed down like a blazing flame.

  Bang!

  Both scimitars immediately swept up to block this heavy strike. Not only that, the Fearless Army soldier wielding these two scimitars waved both arms and exerted tremendous strength to jolt this Roaring Tiger Army soldier back.

  Similar scenes occurred all across the battlefield as the more than four thousand Roaring Tiger Army soldiers were thrown back by the Fearless Army.

  Gao Xianzhi shot another glance at Wang Chong, his eyebrows rising, but he remained silent. Wang Chong had said that the Roaring Tiger Army could stop the Fearless Army, but it now appeared that the Roaring Tiger Army was at about the same level of strength as the Divine Martial Army and Iron Wall Army. It was simply incapable of overcoming the higher-level Fearless Army.