The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Kerosene! It’s kerosene!”

  The alliance soldiers almost stopped breathing at this sight, their pupils constricting.

  Panic instantly spread through the army.

  Thwish! Thwish! Thwish! The alliance army’s archers quickly changed targets, and volleys of arrows instantly wiped out thousands of birds, but none of this could alter the situation on the battlefield.

  As the tens of thousands of birds flew over, a deafening rumble came from the steel fortress. Boom! Boom! Boom! At a point twenty-some meters from the top of the walls, metal plates thrust out horizontally in twos and threes.

  “Ah!”

  The alliance soldiers climbing the siege ladders cried out in alarm as the enormous impact of the metal plates pushed away or imbalanced the siege ladders. Some of the siege ladders even fell backward into the dense ranks of the army below.

  Fwoosh!

  As the siege ladders were pushed away, thousands of metal pipes appeared under the row of metal plates, extending out of the wall.

  Black, viscous liquid gushed out of the pipes, drenching the alliance soldiers down below.

  Farther down, a metal plate moved aside, revealing a dense collection of holes. These were also metal pipes, but much shorter and wider. Soon, large amounts of kerosene began to gush out of these pipes.

  Fwoosh! The gushing kerosene suddenly turned into blazing flames, swiftly igniting the battlefield.

  “Aaghk!”

  Miserable screams resounded through the battlefield as countless soldiers were set aflame and rolled on the ground in pain.

  The pipes extending from the walls had been Zhang Shouzhi’s handiwork. Using special mechanisms, they were able to produce enormous force.

  The kerosene and flames gushing out of these pipes could reach as far as fifty meters, and they soon turned the area beneath the walls into a sea of flames.

  The kerosene bombs were easily targeted by the enemy, so Wang Chong had developed this close-range killing method.

  Not even master archers could do anything against this gushing kerosene.

  Tens of thousands of alliance soldiers were rapidly drained of their Stellar Energy and were ultimately burned to death by the kerosene.

  Not only that, Wang Chong had spread large amounts of kerosene over the battlefield via his birds, and this kerosene was also set aflame.

  The high temperature of the kerosene flames turned the metal siege ladders bright red, and some of the ladders even began to melt.

  “Bastard!”

  The alliance generals turned ashen and gnashed their teeth.

  Kerosene was not a product of the Central Plains, but of Arabia to the west. However, Wang Chong used it far more effectively than the Arabs ever had.

  The Great Tang’s army was primarily infantry, and the restricted terrain infantry favored was far more effective for kerosene than the spacious areas Arab cavalry needed for their charges.

  “Let this lowly woman deal with this!” A waft of fragrant aroma blew through the area as a crisp and melodious voice rang out. In the middle of the army, behind An Lushan, the charming Xi Queen stepped forward, her eyes gleaming.

  Her alluring eyes were fixed on the battlefield.

  The fire was much stronger than anticipated, the tongues of flame that reached more than ten meters into the air terrifying to behold.

  Kerosene wasn’t actually as lethal as the beehives or the ballistae, but the sea of fire represented a fatal obstacle to the alliance.

  If they did not find a way to deal with this kerosene tactic, the alliance would be perpetually stuck in a hard-pressed state.

  The Queen of the Xi!

  Everyone else was surprised to see this Queen volunteering.

  “Xi Queen, this Arabian Kerosene is hard to extinguish with sand and continues to burn when encountering water. Do you have some way to deal with it?”

  Goguryeo Emperor Yeon Gaesomun curiously turned to the Xi Queen.

  Although Goguryeo was not far from the Xi and the Khitans, Yeon Gaesomun’s army had always been doing battle with the Great Tang. His interactions with these two tribes were rare.

  Regarding the Xi Queen, Yeon Gaesomun only knew that she had a fierce and brave personality that could compare to a man’s, but little else.

  The Xi Tribe’s wars had rarely been so dire as to require the Xi Queen’s personal intervention.

  “Heh, this lowly woman might not be able to compare to the rest of you when it comes to fighting, but there is probably no one except me who can deal with this sea of flames.”

  The Xi Queen lightly stepped forward and flashed a smile at Yeon Gaesomun, an enchanting smile that could sway anyone’s heart.

  But Yeon Gaesomun and the other sovereigns felt their hearts shiver as they averted their gazes.

  While the Xi Queen was a rather unknown figure, Yeon Gaesomun and Ozmish Khagan knew of her ferocity. As someone who could stand out amongst the Xi, where the strong ate the weak, and could contend against the Khitan King, the Xi Queen was not merely a pretty face.

  Anyone who regarded her as an ordinary woman and had harbored evil thoughts was probably nothing but bones and dust by now.

  “I am not doubting your strength, but the battle has just begun, and the Great Tang has yet to send out any of its Great Generals. Is it not inappropriate to waste Stellar Energy at this time?” the Khitan King suddenly ventured.

  While the Khitan was strong and fierce, he wasn’t stupid.

  At this stage in the battle, the Great Tang had only used some mechanical weapons and lower-class soldiers. The elite armies had yet to appear, let alone any Brigadier Generals or Great Generals.

  It wasn’t as if the Khitan King hated fighting. In fact, the Khitan King wanted nothing more than to charge to the front line with his generals and commence a massacre. With his abilities, there were few in the Great Tang who could contend against him. But if he consumed too much Stellar Energy and fell into some trap, the results would be unthinkable.

  This was why all of them watched from the rear and chose their moments carefully!

  Soldiers versus soldiers and generals versus generals!

  While the enemy generals had yet to sortie, they had to remain cautious!

  This was a sort of unwritten law of the battlefield.

  If the Xi Queen went to the frontlines and something happened to her, the Xi Tribe would fall apart.

  “Relax. I’ll be careful and not get too close!

  “In addition, Khitan King, if the enemy’s chief commander takes action, this lowly woman will rely on you to respond.”

  The Xi Queen shot him a flirtatious glance.

  An Lushan coldly looked on. Rather than saying anything, he shot a glance at Gao Shang.

  Everyone saw this, and the area fell silent as everyone turned to Gao Shang.

  In this war, other than the exact execution, the general strategies and tactics were entirely under Gao Shang’s command. This was something that all the countries had agreed on before agreeing to the alliance. In other words, Gao Shang was the military strategist for the alliance.

  If the Xi Queen wanted to go to the front, she needed Gao Shang’s approval.

  If this risk was too great and Gao Shang refused, even the Xi Queen would have to obey and put aside the idea.

  Gao Shang frowned in thought for a few moments, and he swiftly made his decision.

  “Let her go!

  “Xi Queen, I leave the front line to you. But you must remember that you cannot get within four hundred feet of the walls. In addition, you cannot stay for more than five minutes, and if the enemy commander appears, you are to immediately withdraw! You cannot stay and fight!”

  “Understood, my little strategist!”

  With a relaxed smile, the Xi Queen took her leave.

  As she passed Gao Shang, she lightly brushed her fingers against him.

  Gao Shang turned nervous and instinctively stepped back, but by this time,
the Xi Queen had already turned into a gust of wind. Her voice came from the distance.

  “Black Dragon King, when the time comes, this lowly woman will require your assistance.”

  Her voice lingered in the air.

  ……

  The battle continued.

  Kerosene continued to gush out of the walls. Experts from the alliance would occasionally fly into the air and use various methods to block the pipes: stopping them up, cutting at them with weapons, or bending the pipes.

  But this could not revert the damage done to the offensive.

  Creeee!

  Suddenly, a sharp whistle came from the edge of the battlefield, penetrating through the clouds.

  This sound drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield: the thundering of hooves, the howling of the winds, and even the screams of the dying.

  Bang!

  With a mighty boom, the Xi Queen appeared at a distance of some seven thousand feet from the fortress. She was dressed in opulent attire, and her arms were spread apart. Behind her, a seething mist of ice and snow was coming, heading straight for the steel fortress.

  The icy mist seemed ready to engulf the world.

  Rumble!

  The Tang soldiers on the walls watched in shock as the surging and roaring blizzard engulfed the Xi Queen.

  The cold wave and icy mist continued to hurtle toward the fortress.

  In a flash, seething snow and ice filled the world, and there was nothing left to be seen on the battlefield. Even the blazing flames of the sea of fire had been obscured by the blizzard.

  Chapter 2180 - Demon God Bow!

  Chapter 2180: Demon God Bow!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  From the walls of the fortress, it appeared as if the entire world had fallen into turmoil, everything past a distance of three feet turning into a blur.

  The blizzard and icy mist spread with incredible speed, not just affecting the battlefield outside the walls, but also within the fortress. The visibility in the region plunged.

  “What’s going on? What happened?!”

  The soldiers of the city defense division on the walls began to panic.

  The city defense division was divided into six-man teams, and cooperation was the foundation of this division. They had trained to rely on each other, but now, the members of each team could no longer see each other. Even when they tried their best to draw close, they could only make out indistinct silhouettes.

  “What’s going on? Is it An Lushan?”

  In the center of the fortress, Abusi, Chuluohou, and many other generals stood up in alarm as they watched icy mist overtake the battlefield.

  It was their belief that only one person on the enemy side could control the weather: An Lushan!

  But hadn’t Wang Chong already neutralized An Lushan’s weather-controlling ability?

  Had something changed?

  Abusi instinctively turned to Wang Chong.

  Though the mist was thick, it had little effect on a Great General like Abusi.

  “No, this isn’t a weather-controlling ability!”

  Wang Chong shook his head, his eyes also on the battlefield.

  This current situation was very similar to a weather-controlling ability, but as Wang Chong spread out his Psychic Energy over the battlefield, he noticed something different.

  Wang Chong quickly noticed a unique energy on the battlefield.

  “This is a martial art! The Xi Queen’s ability!”

  Wang Chong had never fought or interacted with the Xi Queen before, and the Xi Queen’s strength was not obvious, but Wang Chong had still managed to recognize it at a glance.

  In the apocalyptic era, An Lushan’s rebellion had drawn the attention of the world. Moreover, the Xi Queen was a woman, so there had been many rumors about her.

  “Truly surprising! I didn’t think the leader of the Xi Tribe would possess such extraordinary cultivation!”

  Wang Chong smirked.

  The Xi Queen’s ability was rather similar to his Divine Embryo 3. But at this present stage, Wang Chong was not prepared to so quickly intervene and personally deal with her.

  “Chuluohou, I leave the Xi Queen to you!”

  Wang Chong suddenly turned to the deputy commander of the Tongluo Cavalry, Chuluohou.

  “Yes!”

  Chuluohou’s expression turned grim as he lowered his head and respectfully left.

  Back at the Battle of Talas, Chuluohou had been proud and unruly, and Wang Chong had barely any command over him.

  But after the Tongluo Tribe narrowly escaped death after the Rebellion of the Three Princes, avoiding the fate of being completely wiped out with the rest of the First Prince’s army, Chuluohou’s attitude experienced a complete reversal, and he treated Wang Chong with utmost respect and admiration. This was even more true now that Wang Chong was ascendant and was now the supreme figure of the Great Tang.

  The strong ate the weak, and the victor was king!

  This was the Tongluo’s principle.

  Wang Chong had used strength to crush the Tongluo and was the War Saint revered by the world. Now that the times had changed, so, naturally, had the Tongluo Tribe’s attitude to Wang Chong.

  Without hesitation, Chuluohou turned to leave.

  He walked only a few steps before Wang Chong called out to him, “Wait!

  “This ritual tool is for you. Use it against the Xi Queen.”

  As Wang Chong spoke, he took a long bundle from Old Eagle’s back and tore off the covering, revealing a dazzling, golden object.

  Chuluohou’s eyes widened when he saw the object in Wang Chong’s hand, his face paling.

  In Wang Chong’s hands was an extremely ancient and elegant golden bow. It was more than five feet long and covered in intricate patterns.

  Inscriptions!

  Chuluohou could tell at a glance that these were extremely powerful and old inscriptions.

  He also saw many reliefs made of darker metal on the bow. These reliefs were of the legendary Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars of Arabia. Black waves surged beneath the feet of these demon gods as they thrust out their palms and roared at the heavens. This was clearly the scene of the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars being suppressed by God beneath the sea.

  The Demon God Bow!

  This was a powerful ritual tool that Wang Chong had obtained from the Arabian treasury.

  Wang Chong had owned this bow for some time, but he was no master archer. However, Chuluohou was different. For the Tongluo, horse archery was a fundamental skill, and Chuluohou was a stand-out in his tribe.

  “Many thanks, Your Highness.”

  Chuluohou grabbed the Demon God Bow and left.

  ……

  A cold voice rang out over the battlefield. “Xi Queen, I will count to three. This king is giving you time to leave, but if you do not, this king will be merciless!”

  The battlefield fell silent, the snowstorm dwindling in strength.

  “Wang Chong!”

  An Lushan, Gao Shang, Ozmish Khagan, and the others instantly recognized the voice.

  In front of the steel fortress, the Xi Queen was taken aback and instinctively looked up at the walls. But a moment later, the Xi Queen stroked her cheeks and charmingly smiled.

  “Your Highness, what is this? Are you personally taking action against this lowly woman?”

  An Lushan and the Khitan King couldn’t help but frown at this reply.

  This was the battlefield, where one died and the other lived. Did the Xi Queen not understand the situation?

  “There’s nothing to be done. That’s just how she is.”

  The Khitan King helplessly spread out his arms.

  Wang Chong spoke once more.

  “I’m not needed to deal with you.”

  “Is that so?”

  The Xi Queen was surprised at first, but the reply only made her even more eager.

  Wang Chong ignored her and began the countdown.

/>   “Three!

  “Two!

  “One!”

  Wang Chong’s icy voice rang out through the world.

  The Xi Queen had not expected Wang Chong to be so straightforward, but his indifferent voice provoked her pride.

  The Xi Queen clenched her silver teeth and viciously said, “Hmph, the more you’re like this, the more I want to see what you’re going to try!”

  If Wang Chong personally intervened, she might have been afraid, but she wasn’t afraid of some lackey.

  The Xi Queen might have been a woman, but not just anybody could sit on the throne of the Xi Tribe and become one of the powerhouses of the northeast. That bastard was looking down on her too much.

  “Hmph!”

  The Xi Queen did not move, and a cold grunt came from within the fortress.

  Inside the steel fortress, Wang Chong’s expression chilled as he slowly raised his hand into the air. His hand trembled, and then, suddenly—

  Boom!

  The earth trembled as a tornado howled out. Before anyone could react, the blizzard stirred up by the Xi Queen was obliterated, the thick and lingering icy mist rapidly dispersed.

  Clarity was restored to the battlefield, and it once more became possible to see what was going on in front of the steel fortress.

  The Great Tang’s kerosene had created a sea of flames in front of the walls, but after the Xi Queen’s move, all of the flames had been extinguished.

  Not only that, the kerosene that had drenched the ground had now been sealed under a thick layer of ice, together with the bodies and various pieces of equipment.

  Meanwhile, a thick layer of ice had also sealed off the beehives, the steel pipes, and the metal plates that had pushed off the siege ladders.

  Rumble!

  A metallic clatter came from the walls, but the beehives and steel pipes could no longer function, let alone unleash their lethal cargo.

  The soldiers operating the switches within the wall paled.

  The Xi Queen smugly smiled.

  The Xi Tribe survived in a similar state as the Khitans. During the winter, their lands became engulfed in snow, and the temperature in the lands of the Xi and Khitans would plunge.

  The Xi Queen’s lineage had developed this ability through training in this environment.

  “I’d like to see what you have to deal with me.”