The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Hey! Do you know how to run a country and bring peace to its people? To plan out strategies in a tent that can decide victory throughout the world? To form alliances with those distant to attack nearby enemies…?”

  “!!!”

  ……

  “How does Milord plan to revitalize Ü-Tsang?”

  “Is there anything that cannot be done in a time limit of thirty years?”

  “Hmph, Milord doesn’t even have the strength to truss a chicken. I worry that you might just be daydreaming.”

  “Hahaha, but don’t I have you?”

  “……”

  “……”

  ……

  “Huoshu, we’ve lost again. The Great Tang is far stronger than we imagined!”

  “You want to give up?”

  “No! Never! Ü-Tsang is still too weak. Give me thirty years, and I will definitely make Ü-Tsang the strongest existence!”

  “Since that’s the case, if Great Minister is not giving up, then for the next thirty years, let me be your left and right arms!”

  “!!!”

  ……

  Scenes from the past flickered through his eyes as swiftly as lightning, and tears endlessly poured down from Dalun Ruozan’s eyes.

  “Huoshu, this time, it was me who caused all this. You accompanied me for half my life, so let me accompany you as well. The two of you, listen well. Immediately send Huoshu Huicang’s body back to the plateau. If any mishap occurs, then go back with your heads in your hands!”

  “Yes!”

  The two loyal guards at Dalun Ruozan’s sides seemed to sense something. They both lowered their heads, sorrow in their eyes.

  “Wang Chong, to be able to exchange blows with you is the greatest pride of my life!”

  Dalun Ruozan took in a deep breath, a little vim restored in his eyes as he gazed at Wang Chong.

  “Be at ease. You will never regret this exchange you made today!”

  Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled, once more becoming that energetic and confident wise minister.

  “Imperial Minister, Tsenpo… Dalun Ruozan does not have the face to see you. In these two campaigns, four hundred thousand Tibetan cavalry were slain. Dalun Ruozan can only offer his life as atonement!”

  Swish! Before Wang Chong could react, Dalun Ruozan drew the sword from his waist and swept it across his neck.

  Blood gushed into the sky, but Dalun Ruozan stood with his head held high, his calm eyes staring up into the depths of the heavens, far off into infinity. Finally, the light went out of his eyes and he slowly dropped from his horse.

  Bang!

  As that slender figure fell to the ground, it sent up a spray of dust. At that moment, the entire battlefield seemed to become much quieter.

  Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Li Siye, Xue Qianjun… everyone stared at this scene with expressions of utter shock.

  A renowned minister of a generation, the most famous sage of the Ngari Royal Lineage, an existence that had impeded the Tiger of the Empire Zhangchou Jianqiong for ten-some years… just like that, in this tragic fashion, he had died.

  “Great Minister!”

  Far away, on the long and narrow stone bridge, Huoba Sangye gave a heart-wrenching cry, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets in rage.

  “Wang Chong, there will come a day when you pay a price for today! Ü-Tsang will never lose! One day, I will take revenge for the Great Minister and Great General!”

  “Lord Marquis, let me take some people and kill him!” Li Siye suddenly proposed, stepping forward as he stared at the distant Huoba Sangye with cold eyes. “Ü-Tsang is now devoid of elites, and without Dalun Ruozan or Huoshu Huicang, if we suddenly attack now, we have an extremely high chance of wiping out Huoba Sangye and the remaining Tibetan soldiers, wrapping up any loose ends!”

  The Gangke King also took two steps forward, though he said nothing. It was clear that as long as Li Siye was permitted to go, the Gangke King would join him. The two of them working together were entirely capable of killing Huoba Sangye.

  After numerous battles, Wang Chong’s prestige in the army was as high as the noon sun, and after he had killed Qutaybah, his prestige had risen far above anyone else.

  Not even veteran generals like Gao Xianzhi or Cheng Qianli could compare. For Huoba Sangye to threaten Wang Chong in front of so many people was simply suicidal.

  “Forget it! Let him go!” Wang Chong calmly replied. “This person doesn’t have the martial prowess of Huoshu Huicang or the intelligence of Dalun Ruozan. He’s just angry about the death of Dalun Ruozan. He poses little threat to the Great Tang.”

  After saying this, Wang Chong lowered his head, gazing at the nearby body of Dalun Ruozan. For some reason, he felt no joy or excitement over killing Huoshu Huicang and resolving the powerful threat of Dalun Ruozan, only a faint and indescribable sense of loss and sorrow.

  “Pass on my order. Return the bodies of Huoshu Huicang and Dalun Ruozan to Ü-Tsang. As for the remaining soldiers of Ü-Tsang, as long as they do not harbor any intention to attack, let them go. No one is permitted to attack them,” Wang Chong ordered with a sigh.

  “Yes! Your subordinate will go!”

  Around Wang Chong, whether it was Li Siye, the Gangke King, or any other officer, they all lowered their heads and adopted obedient expressions.

  Wang Chong waved his hand. Several people dismounted, placed Dalun Ruozan’s body on a warhorse, and led it away. By the stone bridge, a group of grief-stricken Tibetan warriors received Dalun Ruozan’s and Huoshu Huicang’s bodies. Without another word, they rode away, quickly vanishing into the distance.

  Boom! Suddenly, the long stone bridge was snapped off at the other end, the entire structure falling into the abyss.

  Wang Chong watched all this from a distance, saying not a word.

  “Let’s go!”

  Wang Chong took in another deep breath before leading the army away.

  The matter with Ü-Tsang had been settled, but the matter of Arabia was far from it. No understood more than Wang Chong the enormity of the threat this massive empire on the western border posed to the Great Tang. If he did not strike while the iron was hot and completely defeat them, the Great Tang would have to face yet another army of hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers some day in the future.

  “Hyah!”

  The cracking of a whip sharply resounded through the air.

  The army quickly began to move out.

  After a little while, the forces led by Wang Chong caught up to Xi Yuanqing and Lou Shiyi’s men.

  The situation was different from what Wang Chong had predicted. Though he had caught up to the leading forces, he did not see Abu Muslim and the others.

  “What’s going on? Where are Abu Muslim and the Arabs?” Wang Chong said, his brow creased.

  “Lord Marquis, there was a problem. While we were pursuing Abu Muslim, we were ambushed and hindered by Osman,” Lou Shiyi said between pants for breath.

  “Osman?”

  Wang Chong’s eyebrows rose in surprise. If he remembered correctly, he had injured Osman at the very beginning, causing him to use the Arab form of Blood Escape to flee. Amongst the Arab commanders, he had been the first to leave the battlefield. Wang Chong hadn’t expected him to appear at a time like this.

  Lou Shiyi bowed and sternly said, “Because we’ve never made any forays into Arab territory before and don’t know if they might have more reinforcements lying in ambush on the road, Yuanqing and I talked and decided that it was best to wait for Milord to arrive so that our armies could be together.”

  ‘It is not demanded to achieve the best possible result, but to avoid making mistakes.’ The Great Tang’s victory in this battle was already decided, and there was no need to toss the fruit of victories to the Arabs for the sake of a momentary and risky advance.

  “That’s fine! Although Abu Muslim and Ziyad are both greatly weakened, a centipede can die and still not topple. His intelligence and experience are not something the two
of you can contend against. Waiting for Wang Chong and myself to arrive and then moving out produces the same result,” Gao Xianzhi said.

  “Mm.”

  Wang Chong nodded, in complete agreement with Gao Xianzhi’s words.

  “Rise! Abu Muslim won’t be able to get very far, and he won’t have much time to rest and recuperate. Not far ahead is Samarkand, their closest base in the entirety of the west. No matter what, we can’t allow them the opportunity to catch their breath and recruit more soldiers,” Wang Chong solemnly said.

  Chapter 1155 - The Sassanid Dynasty's Great General!

  Chapter 1155: The Sassanid Dynasty’s Great General!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  ‘While we have courage, we must pursue the cornered enemy, not emulate the Hegemon King1.’ Abu Muslim and Ziyad were only so weak right now because they had given all their energy to the now-deceased Qutaybah. Thus, their only option was to flee. But if they were allowed to recover their energy, the battle would not be so easy.

  “Let’s go!”

  Gao Xianzhi was much more straightforward than Wang Chong. With a single order, he led his soldiers in pursuit of the fleeing Abu Muslim.

  After they had traveled for several dozen li, Banahan rode up on his red steed. “Milord, ahead of us is the Black Forest. Once we pass through the Black Forest, it will just be several hundred li to Samarkand!”

  Almost no one in Wang Chong’s circle had been to Arabia, and they had little understanding of the surrounding area, but Banahan was different. As the chief of the Ferghanans of the Western Regions, in his youth, Banahan had gone to Samarkand several times. Although it had been some time since those visits and he no longer remembered the exact route, he still had a rough grasp of the direction.

  Creee!

  A shrill cry suddenly came from overhead. A massive rock eagle unfurled its wings and began to circle in the air, drawing out strange patterns with its movements. After repeating this several times, it made a massive arc in the air and flew back to the front.

  Zhang Que drew back his gaze from the sky and rode up to Wang Chong. “Milord, there’s news from ahead. A battle seems to have taken place in the Black Forest!”

  The rock eagles trained by Zhang Que’s eagle team all had a special language, and different flight patterns would convey different meanings. The rock eagle just now had conveyed the message ‘battle ahead’.

  “But how could that be? Ahead of us will be Arab territory. Besides us, who else could be capable of fighting the Arabs!”

  Xi Yuanqing was the first to speak, the shock visible in his eyes.

  The strength of Arabia was undisputed to the west of the Cong Mountains, and almost no power could contend against it. They had long ago exterminated anything that could pose a threat to them, so how could anyone be hindering Abu Muslim at this time?

  Even Gao Xianzhi appeared pensive.

  “Hah, that’s not certain!”

  Wang Chong seemed to think of something, his eyes flashing as he spoke.

  “Have you forgotten about that Khorasani?”

  Wang Chong’s words were like a lightning bolt to the rest. After an initial shock, all of them began to understand.

  Before the last battle, the Khorasani had sent a messenger indicating a willingness to ally with the Great Tang. Based on what those Khorasani had promised, as long as the Great Tang could emerge victorious in the battle over Talas against Abu Muslim and his vast army, they would send their strongest force of cavalry to work with the Tang to impede the Arab retreat.

  The Aswaran Cataphracts!

  Everyone shared the same thought.

  “Let’s go!”

  Gao Xianzhi urged his horse into a gallop, the twenty-thousand-some Tang soldiers following behind him in a flood toward the Black Forest.

  When they reached the edge of the Black Forest, only a few moments later, ten-some heavily-armored cavalry in neat formation rode toward them. These people had bodies, appearances, and armor similar to the Arabs, but also very different.

  “It’s the Khorasani!”

  Xi Yuanqing and Lou Shiyi rejoiced.

  When the Khorasani had last visited Talas, the pair had personally received them, so they could tell at a glance the large difference between the Khorasani and the Arabs.

  “Is it Great General Wang Chong before us?!”

  Several hundred paces away, a hawk-eyed and high-nosed Khorasani spoke in rough Tang language.

  “I am him!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes flashed, and he soon waved his hand at the rear.

  “Someone, go to the rear and bring Yuan Shusong, Senior Yuan, over.”

  One of Wang Chong’s personal guards went to deliver the order. A few moments later, Yuan Shusong rode up on a glossy-maned white Turkic steed.

  Knowing that the circumstances were unique, Yuan Shusong exchanged only a few pleasantries with Wang Chong before stepping forward to converse with the Khorasani cavalry. Although he appeared weak and scholarly, when it came to languages, Yuan Shusong immediately became energetic and confident, seemingly an entirely different person.

  Gallop! A few moments later, Yuan Shusong returned.

  “Milord, the Khorasani says that they know of Milord’s victory, and according to their promise with Milord, they ambushed the retreating Arab army in the Black Forest, killing the Governor of Cairo, Osman. The leader of the Khorasani, Great General Bahram, has sent word desiring to meet with Milord and discuss how to deal with the Arabs!” Yuan Shusong excitedly said.

  “What!”

  Everyone was ecstatic to hear this news.

  “Wonderful!”

  Only Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi glanced at each other in slight surprise.

  Although the strength of the Arabs had been greatly reduced and their morale was at its nadir, they still had an army of tens of thousands, with some of them being elite soldiers possessing abnormal strength. This sort of army could not be defeated by just anybody.

  If the Khorasani could defeat them and even kill the heavily injured Osman, this was a strength that could leave a very deep impression.

  Wang Chong turned and said to Gao Xianzhi, “The enemy of an enemy is a friend. The Khorasani shouldn’t have any hostility!”

  “Mm! Let’s go over and take a look!” Gao Xianzhi said after thinking for a few moments. “Our strength has been greatly reduced and we don’t have many soldiers left. The Khorasani will be of great assistance in suppressing the Arabs. Moreover, they are more familiar with the Arabian Empire, and with them guiding us, we will be able to avoid many problems.”

  For the Khorasani to appear at this time was truly surprising, but it was also excellent news.

  With the ten-some Khorasani leading the way, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi entered the Black Forest. After around seven minutes, Wang Chong and the others arrived in the depths of the Black Forest and met the Khorasani army, which had already finished its battle.

  Along the only path through the Black Forest, amidst shattered stone and fallen idols, were the corpses of Arabs and their warhorses in various positions, their blood freely flowing through and dyeing this renowned merchant route of the Silk Road red.

  An army of eight to nine thousand soldiers was currently tidying up the scene.

  These soldiers were all wearing very similar suits of armor, extremely thick and smelling of fire and scorched blood. Anyone could sense their tempered and veteran aura.

  This aura was similar to that of the Wushang Cavalry or the Mamelukes, but even more steady and firm.

  This was an aura that only those ancient and powerful armies with extremely long heritages could possess.

  The Aswaran Cataphracts!

  This name once more floated to the surface of Wang Chong’s mind.

  This was the army which the Mamelukes had originated from and imitated. The Aswaran Cataphracts were almost certainly one of the strongest armies to the west of the Cong Mountains.

 
This army had singlehandedly forged the dazzling and powerful legacy of the Sassanid Dynasty, and even decades after the Sassanid Dynasty had been vanquished, this army was still able to rally the people, and not even time could wear away at its prestige.

  When he saw this army, Wang Chong finally understood why the Arabian Empire and the Mamelukes viewed these remaining soldiers of the Sassanid Dynasty with such great apprehension.

  These thoughts flitted through Wang Chong’s mind, and he quickly focused his attention on that golden-armored figure riding upon a monstrous horse, his aura like an imposing mountain, the leader of the Khorasani.

  His expression was solemn and his eyes were shining as brightly as the sun in the sky. His horse was also extremely terrifying, its tangled muscles bursting with power, its size three times that of an ordinary horse, making it stand out on the road.

  “Asaidei, Qisidayalikalu!”

  Before Wang Chong could speak, the golden-armored Khorasani turned his head to Gao Xianzhi and Wang Chong, and quickly focused on Wang Chong.

  Yuan Shusong rode next to Wang Chong and whispered into his ear. “Milord, this person should be the Khorasani Great General Bahram. He asks which person is Great General Wang Chong!”

  Just as expected!

  Wang Chong nodded. When he saw this Great General Bahram, he basically understood how Abu Muslim had been defeated and Osman killed by an army of some several thousand men.

  Purely in terms of strength, this Great General Bahram was on the same level as Abu Muslim. Even if he was weaker, it wasn’t by much.

  And the feeling Wang Chong got from this Great General Bahram told him that this was a top-class commander who had been tempered through hundreds of battles, forged from a sea of blood and mountains of corpses.

  The Sassanid Dynasty had been eliminated by Arabia decades ago, and it wasn’t possible for the younger generation of officers to possess this sort of aura. It was obvious that Great General Bahram had been one of the senior generals of the Sassanid Dynasty. In his greatly weakened state, Abu Muslim was naturally no match for him.

  “Senior Yuan, come with me!”

  Wang Chong spoke briefly with Gao Xianzhi before riding forward.