The words had changed, but the meaning was the same.
Whoooah!
In the somewhat rigid atmosphere, the flap of the tent shook as two individuals, bringing with them wind and snow, came inside.
“Imperial Father, you asked for me?”
Barshad respectfully bowed to the people in the tent.
Whoosh!
Upon seeing the Fourth Prince, everyone in the tent quietly exhaled.
The Fourth Prince’s arrival had somewhat relaxed the stifling mood in the tent.
“Sit!”
Ishbara Khagan quickly got a hold of himself. With an emotionless face, he pointed at an empty seat nearby.
“Yes!”
With no questions, Barshad sat down.
“I am in the middle of discussing with the generals the matter of the ice calamity. The Great Tang and Youzhou have both sent letters trying to draw us to their side. What is your view on this? Do you think the Western Turkic Khaganate should join the alliance or side with the Great Tang?” Ishbara Khagan sternly said. He gestured, and someone in the tent placed both letters in Barshad’s hand.
The tent fell silent as everyone stared at the Fourth Prince.
First Prince Irbis Shiyun coldly laughed and then silently watched.
This ice calamity threatened the existence of the entire khaganate and the longevity of their people. He was quite interested in seeing what his fourth brother said.
The mood turned strange.
Everyone knew that the stances expressed by First Prince Irbis Shiyun and Fourth Prince Barshad were likely to decide their future status in the empire and the fate of the Western Turkic Khaganate.
Even the Blackwater Shaman turned to Barshad at this time.
Everyone waited with bated breath.
Meanwhile, Fourth Prince Barshad looked at the two letters, and when he saw the words at the end of Wang Chong’s letter, he couldn’t help but frown.
But a moment later, his brow relaxed.
Irbis Shiyun, seeing the expression on Barshad’s face, suddenly spoke up in a mocking tone. “Fourth Brother, you’re the savior spoken of by the prophecy. What is your view on this matter?”
The fact that Barshad was the child of prophecy was a secret in the Western Turkic Khaganate, and not many people knew about this besides the Blackwater Shaman, the high nobles, and the Great Generals. But Irbis Shiyun was one of the people that knew, and this was precisely why he was so hostile to him.
“The Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands has disrespected Imperial Father more than once. Fourth Brother, in this situation, you wouldn’t have him join the Great Tang, right?” Irbis Shiyun jeered.
Hearing Irbis Shiyun’s words, Duwu Sili, Hulayeg, and all of Barshad’s other supporters grimaced.
Irbis Shiyun had an ill motive with these words. If Barshad dared to say that he supported the Great Tang, he would be disrespecting Ishbara Khagan.
The hierarchy of the Western Turkic Khaganate was strict, and if he made such a claim, Barshad could put aside any thought of inheriting the throne.
Such malicious intentions!
Duwu Sili turned grave.
But Irbis Shiyun wouldn’t think about saying such words. There’s a high chance… that Wunu Shibi is instructing him!
Duwu Sili quickly turned to Wunu Shibi standing behind Irbis Shiyun.
Wunu Shibi had a stiff expression, acting as if he hadn’t done anything.
But Duwu Sili saw his lips slightly moving. At this moment, Wunu Shibi sensed his gaze, spotted Duwu Sili, and quickly closed his mouth.
The mood in the tent became heavy.
Quite a few of the generals in the tent understood what Irbis Shiyun was up to, but everyone remained silent.
“Imperial Brother, as a member of the imperial household, what should be most important to us? Is it not the continuation of the khaganate and our people, the Western Turks? Or does Imperial Brother believe that personal emotions transcend the existence of our Western Turkic Khaganate? If that is really the case, then what does Imperial Brother believe to be the reason Imperial Father has gathered us here?” Barshad finally spoke, and his words instantly made Irbis Shiyun scowl.
“In addition, I was once taken hostage by the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands and was humiliated by him. For this reason, should I oppose the Great Tang at every turn and disregard any thought of the welfare of our people? If we decide things on emotion, make the wrong choice, and the alliance army is defeated, who will take the responsibility?”
He spoke with such a righteous air that even Wunu Shibi paled. At this point, the smile on Irbis Shiyun’s lips had disappeared.
Barshad’s words had been far sharper than he had imagined!
In the center, Ishbara Khagan frowned in thought.
Barshad turned to Ishbara Khagan and sincerely said, “Imperial Father, our Western Turkic Khaganate truly does have a deep grudge against the Great Tang, but our first priority is to find a solution to the cold wave and its blizzards that are moving southward. The Great Tang is strong at the moment, and it has now recruited more than one million soldiers, far more than before. Moreover, the King of Foreign Lands is at the peak of his power, and the entire world acknowledges him as the War Saint. In terms of strategies, no one in the world can contend against him. Right now, he only lacks an excuse to attack us. The moment he discovers that we’re communicating with Youzhou and preparing to attack the Great Tang, he’ll have exactly the opportunity he is looking for, and when the army of the Great Tang arrives, the end of the Western Turks will come!
“Your son hopes that Imperial Father will carefully consider this!”
Ishbara Khagan couldn’t help but be affected by these words.
Barshad was close to the Great Tang and had a large following amongst the intelligentsia of the khaganate. He had originally summoned Barshad to casually ask him a few questions, but these words truly were very reasonable.
“Bad!”
Upon seeing the look on Ishbara Khagan’s face, Irbis Shiyun and Wunu Shibi both trembled in shock.
“Imperial Father must not…”
Irbis Shiyun wanted to say more, but Ishbara Khagan raised his hand and stopped him.
His eyes half-closed as he raised his head and began to think.
All in the tent waited with bated breath, knowing that Ishbara Khagan was considering his decision.
After a long while, Ishbara Khagan finally opened his eyes and spoke.
“This conference ends here today. We have taken in all your opinions!
“This matter… will be discussed again in the future!”
Whoooah!
Everyone in the tent was surprised by this, and the generals were left flabbergasted.
It was clear that none of them had expected this answer.
“All of you, leave!”
Ishbara Khagan swept out his hand, his tone brooking no objection.
“Yes!”
They wanted to argue some more, but Ishbara Khagan’s words immediately dispelled such thoughts.
All of them quickly withdrew. Irbis Shiyun and Barshad glanced at each other, each seeing the fierce glint in the other’s eyes, and then they looked away and left the tent.
Outside, the snowstorm continued to howl.
Finally, once everyone in the tent was gone, the seated Blackwater Shaman got to his feet.
“Is Your Majesty still thinking about dealing with the Great Tang?”
The Blackwater Shaman slowly walked over to Ishbara Khagan’s side.
Chapter 2127 - The Frontline Fortress! Preparations Done!
Chapter 2127: The Frontline Fortress! Preparations Done!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The inconclusive end to the meeting was regarded by many as Ishbara Khagan considering the Great Tang’s proposal, but the Blackwater Shaman could see that Ishbara Khagan’s stance had never changed.
“Yes!”
Now tha
t no outsiders were present, Ishbara Khagan did not hold back.
“In truth, Shaman, you should know just as well as I do that the Great Tang will always be an enemy of the Western Turks! Moreover, does Shaman still remember that prophecy…”
The Blackwater Shaman said nothing, but the fog around his face stirred as he slightly nodded.
‘The steppe will one day be destroyed, and that day is not far off.’ This was a prophecy passed down through generations of shamans, and Ishbara Khagan had known about it since he was a child.
But the prophecy had come alongside another, and this was that ‘the Fourth Prince in that year of disaster’ would be the hope of the steppe who would lead all of the people of the steppe out of the peril of annihilation!
This was why the Fourth Prince had a special status.
Ishbara Khagan placed his hands behind his back and continued to speak.
“It’s just that I’m still unconvinced, still unable to choke down that anger. We still want to try one more time. If the alliance can destroy the Great Tang, do you think that We can defy the prophecy? And the Western Turks can once more become the master of the continent!”
He knew the Great Tang was powerful, so powerful that the Western Turkic Khaganate could not possibly contend against it alone, but deep down, Ishbara Khagan just couldn’t let go.
This steppe had actually had several Khagans. It was not some unbroken line of succession.
But few people knew that this last line, Ishbara Khagan’s line, was actually the true master of the Great Steppe.
Many people on the Great Steppe had forgotten, but Ishbara Khagan had always remembered that several hundred years ago, on this vast steppe, there had been only one name, no east or west, only one empire.
And its name was the Great Turkic Empire!
Countless nomadic tribes had been gathered together into a massive existence that spanned east and west. It had made countless factions tremble, and even the mighty Tang Empire had been forced to prostrate at its feet, trembling in fear.
When he heard from his father about the stories of his ancestors, he mentally swore that he would one day unite the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates and shake the empires to the south, becoming the strongest and most powerful empire on the continent.
Alas, he was not able to fulfill his ambition. After a short moment of resplendence, he faced hindrances on all sides.
He once had a chance to utterly crush the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and unite the Great Steppe, and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate had been in its most chaotic period at the time. Alas, the Tang Empire to the south intervened, eventually rendering his efforts for naught.
Whether he went east, west, or south, he found obstructions wherever he went, and they were all linked directly or indirectly to the Great Tang.
This was why he eventually changed to become a Khagan who sought to preserve what he had.
But as a sovereign, he was still somewhat unwilling to accept his fate.
He did not want to give up so easily to the Great Tang!
He always wanted to wait a little longer. What if there was another chance?
“Haaah…”
The Blackwater Shaman let out a deep sigh.
Not many people knew about Ishbara’s innermost ambitions and desires, but he had always known.
“Since that is the case, I have nothing to say. Khagan, do as your heart desires!”
A gust of cold wind blew past, and the tent fell silent once more.
……
Far off in the capital of the Great Tang, in the King of Foreign Lands Residence…
Though all sides were tense and in turmoil, the main hall of Wang Chong’s estate was shut tight, ripples of Stellar Energy spilling out.
Inside the hall, Wang Chong was seated cross-legged on the floor.
His body was surging with energy, light bursting out and illuminating the fuzzy outlines of the furniture in the hall and shadowy pillars. If one looked carefully, one would realize that the air within one hundred feet of Wang Chong was distorted, tinged with weak spacetime ripples.
Occasionally, a thin spacetime fissure about the size of a fingernail would appear.
“Truly incredible!”
A barely audible sigh of praise came from within the hall.
“So this is the law of spacetime!”
While Wang Chong’s body was in the hall, a part of his soul and mind had penetrated into the depths of spacetime.
This was Wang Chong’s first time in this strange world.
Previously, Wang Chong had seen the world as a painting. He saw whatever was on the painting.
But now, Wang Chong’s view of the world turned from a thin canvas to a thick ‘picture album’.
For the first time, Wang Chong sensed that this world was divided into many layers, each one bursting with mysteries. No longer would he believe that tearing a small hole in the paper was enough to see spacetime.
Their levels of richness were on a completely different scale.
“Truly unbelievable…”
Wang Chong’s mind followed the thin tendrils of spacetime law as he wandered this infinite dimension.
These tendrils of spacetime law were like the strings of a kite, pulling Wang Chong deeper and deeper, and they were also his guarantees of safety in this world!
The depths of spacetime were far too vast and complex, and its make-up was not something as simple as black and white. Some spaces were overlapping on each other like the pages of a book, and there were other spaces that were extremely fragmented yet tightly concentrated like a gravel road. And there were even larger spacetimes that were like infinite mazes. In the face of infinite spacetime, all martial artists were insignificant.
Wang Chong’s mind continued to ‘drift’ in this place, information pouring in from all sides.
In this state, the speed at which Wang Chong comprehended spacetime was many times faster.
Observing spacetime, feeling spacetime, interacting with spacetime, controlling spacetime… these should be the various thresholds on the way to the Grotto Heaven realm. With my current progress, I should have reached the minor threshold of interaction, which is half a step from Grotto Heaven! Wang Chong inwardly muttered to himself.
Outsiders watched the show while insiders learned the secrets of the trade. Wang Chong had always believed that when he absorbed Firmament Supreme’s Grotto Heaven law and became capable of seeing spacetime laws, he had reached the half-step Grotto Heaven level.
But even though he had obtained much of Firmament Supreme’s Grotto Heaven Core, he had not truly absorbed or mastered it. He had only reached the shallowest level of observing spacetime. After the imperial prison revolt, however, Li Xuantu’s palm had truly opened the gates to the world of Grotto Heaven, allowing him to absorb Firmament Supreme’s Grotto Heaven law.
Wang Chong’s understanding of spacetime was now on a completely different level.
The notes left by the Sage Emperor had mentioned that the path from the Subtle realm to the Grotto Heaven realm was excruciatingly difficult, a massive chasm between them. To cross this chasm was equal to ascending to the heavens.
But Wang Chong sensed that if he combined the powers of his three divine embryos, it wouldn’t be long until he crossed this chasm and broke into the Grotto Heaven realm!
Wang Chong continued to immerse himself in this mysterious world, absorbing knowledge from the depths of spacetime.
Whoosh!
After some time, a faint ripple ran through the hall, and that sense of overlapping spacetime disappeared. Wang Chong’s mind and soul receded back into his body.
Wang Chong opened his eyes, which unleashed a bright burst of light that quickly faded.
Wang Chong finished his cultivation session.
Taptaptap!
A knocking came at his door, and Wang Chong heard Zhang Que’s voice.
“Your Highness, your subordinate has something to report!”
Bang!
Wang Chong waved his hand, upon which the heavy doors flew open. The man outside stood in a daze in a moment before entering.
“Your Highness, news from the frontline fortress in the northeast. Everything is ready. All that’s needed is Your Highness!”
Zhang Que bowed.
“Oh!”
Wang Chong’s eyes flickered, and then he got to his feet.
“It seems that the time has come!”
Wang Chong took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. At the same time, his mind crossed through space to contact one of his divine embryos, located far in the northeast.
Although Wang Chong was in his residence, his divine embryo had left the capital long ago.
The greatest benefit from his three divine embryos was that he could appear anywhere at any time without leaving his own home.
Whoosh!
A few moments later, on a distant mountain slope in the northeast, Wang Chong opened his eyes.
Snow drifted down from the sky while winds howled at his ear. The northeast was much colder than the capital.
“Hurry! Pick up the pace! We have to get this done by the appointed date!”
“Coal! We need lots of coal!”
“Forging team, pick up the pace!”
Urgent voices could be heard all across the land, penetrating through the snowflakes.
Neigh!
The neighing of horses and clattering of armor entered his ears.
Wang Chong raised his head to look.
In front of him was a massive fortification. Rows of thick barricades and spikes formed a massive arc around the base.
Unlike normal barricades produced by the Great Tang, these barricades were taller than a man and covered in sharp spikes, enough to make any attacker shiver in fear.
Behind the barricades and spikes were tall observation platforms, each one twenty to thirty meters tall and garrisoned with four to five master archers. They warily watched their surroundings and could probably detect an enemy from as far as eight li away.
Farther back were large iron cauldrons that were packed with kerosene, coal, and dry wood, flames fiercely burning within them.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1284
