“In addition, Qiqin, I must trouble you to coordinate with the Bureau of Revenue on this matter. Although the Imperial Court has accumulated a large amount of food, and Wang Chong set up many granaries across the realm, the Central Plains has millions of people, and the amount of food they consume each day is significant. No matter how much food we have, without a source of replenishment, the food will eventually run out,” King Song firmly said.
The arrival of this bitter cold, the Great Ice Age that Wang Chong had spoken of, meant that planting crops was no longer possible. Moreover, nobody knew how long this Great Ice Age would last. But it seemed likely that this bitterly cold weather would last for a very long time.
And if it was really as Wang Chong had said, then they needed to be ready for this Great Ice Age to last for a very, very long time.
Through the reigns of Gaozu, Taizong, and all the way until the ascension of the new Emperor, the Great Tang had prospered and flourished, possessing a stockpile of resources that no other country could match. But in the current circumstances, even the Great Tang would find it hard to last a year.
Even the most prosperous country with a foundation that had been built over many decades could be utterly annihilated in the space of a few years.
King Song had studied history and was keenly aware of this fact.
Xu Qiqin bowed and said, “Your Highness does not need to be concerned. Qiqin will do her utmost.”
“In addition, get in touch with Wang Chong on the front line. If possible, I want to save resources so we can maintain the supply line to the front line. No matter what, we have to win this war!”
King Song looked in the direction of Youzhou, a determined look in his eyes.
Whoosh!
Gallop! A few moments later, a warhorse rode out of the government office and toward another.
Crack! As the warhorse rode out of the office, a cold gust of wind blew past, instantly forming a layer of frost on the horse and its rider, their exhaled breaths becoming flecks of ice. The hairs on the horse and rider rapidly began to freeze together.
But a moment later, thump! Stellar Energy erupted out of the horseman’s body, surging into the warhorse. The stirring of Stellar Energy shattered the just-formed layer of ice.
The frigid weather made it difficult to move even an inch. This was the situation across the entire capital.
None of the officials were able to leave their homes. All of the information was delivered by specially selected elite horsemen.
In order to move around in this cold weather, the cavalry needed to be extremely powerful, at least at the peak of the Profound Martial realm. Moreover, they had to be extremely familiar with the layout of the capital so as to avoid getting lost in the snowstorm.
The number of horsemen that fulfilled these two requirements was seven hundred in total. But even those with cultivation at the peak Profound Martial realm wouldn’t be able to last long in this cold weather. They had to rest after about six hours, so they needed to work this duty in shifts.
This was an expedient measure the Imperial Court had developed to deal with the cold wave.
Gallop! The sound of the thundering hooves traveled only a short distance before it was drowned out by the howling winds. As the largest city on the continent, the capital was home to one million people. In normal times, the city would be bustling, the shouts of hawkers and peddlers resounding through the streets.
Even when winter was at its worst, the morning markets of the capital would be packed with people drinking tea or snacking on pastries. But today, the streets were completely empty, as if the city was dead.
“May the heavens protect the Great Tang! I hope that this disaster will end early!”
The messenger horseman urged his horse into a faster pace, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Everyone was extremely limited in what they could do in this sort of blizzard, but everyone did their best with their meager strength. It had been his choice to join the cavalry force and deliver messages.
……
The days went by. Everyone hoped that this blizzard would, just as the blizzards of the past, persist for a few days before passing, but the reality was exactly the opposite of what they had hoped. After seven days, not only had the cold wave not retreated, it had intensified.
The earth was silent, bleak, and somber.
This was a scene common to the entire human world!
Meanwhile, in another place…
Hwooo! Amidst howling winds, a lone city stood in the lands of the northwest, as if it had been forsaken in that place.
The City of Steel!
This was the first steel fortress Wang Chong had made, erected with steel modules after he was made a Marquis.
While everyone’s attention was drawn to the northeast, watching as Wang Chong led an army of one million against the alliance, few people noticed that there was another war taking place in the northwest by the City of Steel.
“How is it? Has Dalon Trinling made any moves?”
A coal fire burned in the central hall of the City of Steel. Western Turkic Khagan Barshad, Young Master Qingyang, and long-vanished Confucian Sect Leader Li Junxian were gathered here, their faces grave. The cold wave had descended, but the hostile environment was not their only worry. The army of several hundred thousand Tibetan soldiers outside the City of Steel, led by the legendary Dalon Trinling, eyed the City of Steel like a hungry tiger.
Wang Chong was busy fighting against An Lushan in the northeast, and they had been given the task of intercepting Dalon Trinling and the Ü-Tsang Empire. One of Wang Chong’s important objectives in supporting Fourth Prince Barshad onto the throne of the Western Turkic Khaganate was to use the army of the Western Turkic Khaganate to separate the Ü-Tsang Empire from the rest of the alliance.
This was absolutely necessary against someone like Dalon Trinling. The Imperial Minister of Ü-Tsang was as renowned amongst the countries west of Jade Gate Pass as Great Tang War God Su Zhengchen. Even those in the Arabian Empire regarded him with utmost respect.
Much of the reason the Arabian Empire had tried several times to bring over the Ü-Tsang Empire to its side was Dalon Trinling.
If this ‘War God’ of the western world were allowed to join with An Lushan, no one dared to imagine what the consequences would be.
In short, Wang Chong’s situation would definitely be much worse.
Thus, the trio’s most important mission was to hold down Dalon Trinling and his army.
In this period of time, the three of them had worked together to clash with Dalon Trinling several times, but they had basically lost every clash. Not even Li Junxian was able to match him.
Their sole advantage was that they didn’t need to defeat Dalon Trinling, only hold him down and prevent his army from crossing east and joining with Youzhou.
The three of them doing their utmost were capable of barely pulling this off.
“This situation is still dire,” Western Turkic Khagan Barshad sternly said. “Our scouts say that Dalon Trinling has yet to do anything. It seems that he’s set up a temporary base over there, and the base has a formation that can protect against the cold wave. If my guess is right, he’s obtained some sort of treasure from An Lushan.
“In addition, the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple has always been incredibly mysterious. Many treasures are stored there, and there’s a high chance of there being some special treasure that protects against extreme cold!”
Though it was a war between the Great Tang and Ü-Tsang, the primary force in the City of Steel fighting the Ü-Tsang Empire had long ago become the army of the Western Turkic Khaganate. At least seventy percent of the garrison consisted of Western Turks.
Thus, the task for gathering information in this frigid weather naturally fell on the Western Turkic Khaganate.
Li Junxian looked down at the model that depicted the City of Steel’s surroundings and grimly said, “Dalon Trinling is an extremely difficult man to deal with. Besid
es the Tibetan soldiers, he also has experts of the Great Snow Mountain assisting him. Our Confucian Sect has already lost many experts to them. In addition, I sense that our stubborn resistance has stirred his ire.
“His assaults have picked up in frequency. We’ve thwarted ten-some Tibetan night raids at this point, and if this continues, we’ll break in another ten-some days at most.”
Only someone who was there could understand the sort of pressure they were enduring. Lasting this long had already been a trying task for the three of them.
If not for the fact that Wang Chong had designed the City of Steel to be difficult to take, the three of them would have been defeated long ago.
The three of them glanced silently at each other.
“There’s no taking back a loosed arrow. We’ve already reached this point, so there’s no going back. Moreover, the Great Tang has no more soldiers to offer. If Dalon Trinling believes that he won’t make it in time for the war in Youzhou, he’ll change directions and head straight for the capital! I’m sure everyone understands the consequences of that!” Young Master Qingyang solemnly said.
Young Master Qingyang wasn’t a military man, but even Wang Chong had praised his talent. Moreover, so that Young Master Qingyang could assist him in military affairs, Wang Chong had taught him almost everything he knew, in addition giving him numerous military texts that he had written himself.
At this point, Young Master Qingyang had a mastery of military strategy that was seventy to eighty percent of Wang Chong’s level. He had been made the strategic commander of this campaign, tasked with coordinating everything in the City of Steel.
The hall fell silent as Young Master Qingyang and Li Junxian turned in unison to Barshad.
The latter was taken aback at first, but he soon understood and bitterly smiled. “It’s already reached this point, and the Western Turkic Khaganate has nowhere else to go. Moreover, in these exchanges, the Ü-Tsang Empire has also taken significant losses. Even if I proposed joining them, Dalon Trinling wouldn’t be willing to take me.
“Whether you believe me or not, I can promise one thing. Even if we have to fight to the last man, the Western Turks will guard this place to the very end!”
Barshad spoke in a solemn and somber tone.
Chapter 2220 - A Training Method That Can Penetrate Through the Snowstorm!
Chapter 2220: A Training Method That Can Penetrate Through the Snowstorm!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The old, feeble, women, and young of the Western Turks had long ago retreated to the rear, entering the cities in the Great Tang’s interior. Young Master Qingyang and Li Junxian were perhaps concerned that the Western Turkic Khaganate had lost so many soldiers that it could defect to Dalon Trinling.
But for Barshad and the rest of the Western Turkic Khaganate, including the father he had deposed, the moment the cold wave descended, they had understood that the Western Turkic Khaganate needed to pay a price to get through this calamity.
Although the Western Turks had lost many soldiers, at the very least, it had ensured the survival of their old, weak, women, and young. Now that the rear had been taken care of, they no longer cared about whether they lived or died.
“My apologies. We were forced into this situation. After all, behind us is the entire Great Tang. We have to be cautious!
“Once this battle is over and we have been proved wrong, we will personally make a humble apology and offer compensation to Your Majesty and the entire Western Turkic Khaganate. In the future, the Great Tang will not mistreat the Western Turkic Khaganate and all the warriors who sacrificed their lives in this battle!” Young Master Qingyang solemnly said.
Barshad merely sighed, not taking the words to heart.
In truth, before this, whether it was him, Young Master Qingyang, or Li Junxian, they had all sensed this tension in the air. Barshad had asked himself what he would do if he were in the same position, and he realized that he would probably feel the same suspicion.
For some things, remaining silent and not speaking about them would just make the situation worse and worse. In comparison, openly talking about it and neutralizing any future misunderstandings was much better.
“In the end, all we can do is hold down the enemy! Everything else depends on how His Highness does in Youzhou!” Barshad said.
Everyone grew quiet. Though the battle at the City of Steel was intense, it was probably far below the level of the war at Youzhou.
Wang Chong’s war was the key one.
In addition, the City of Steel had a formation beneath it that was operating under a heavy load. In another ten-some days, all the energy sources would be consumed. If Wang Chong had not won the war in Youzhou by then, the City of Steel would fall.
In this battle, they had all prepared themselves for the worst-case scenario. It was just that none of them was talking about it.
Your Highness, it all depends on you!
The same thought passed through the minds of all three of them.
……
At the frontline steel fortress in the northeast, Wang Chong was in an equally grim situation.
On the northern wall, Wang Chong, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Zhang Shougui, and Wang Zhongsi stood in a row. Wang Chong was in the center with the others flanking him.
From the walls, the snowy mist appeared like surging waves. It was impossible to see anything past several steps, and everything was blank white. In this weather, it was very easy to get lost.
But all of them simply stood there as if they were waiting for something.
“How much longer?” Zhangchou Jianqiong suddenly said as he looked northward.
“It should be soon!” Abusi replied.
Their words were utterly baffling, but nobody asked any questions. It was as if they all understood what was going on.
“It’s here!”
All of them suddenly heard Wang Chong’s voice, and they all looked northward.
At first glance, there was nothing at all except the whiteness of the storm, but soon, they began to hear neighs through the storm. These neighs were different from those of other warhorses, tinged with an indescribable sense of decay.
Closer!
Even closer!
Though the snowstorm blinded them, they were all Great Generals possessing astounding cultivation. Some snow and wind could not keep out their senses.
Hooves thundered, and in the depths of the snowstorm, the group ‘saw’ a group of Yeluohe charging toward the steel fortress in a single row, their rusted armor and crimson, emotionless eyes standing out starkly in the snow.
The heavy thundering of hooves got closer and closer to the fortress. These Yeluohe moved with incredible speed through the snowstorm like fish in water, apparently completely unaffected by the frigid weather.
“Do you see?”
Wang Chong’s expression was calm, and there was a profound tone to his voice.
Wang Zhongsi nodded and said, “Mm, compared to the first day, the number of Yeluohe coming to observe us has increased by ten times, reaching nearly one hundred people. This should be the number of men they have in each fighting group.”
“Besides the Yeluohe, the number of alliance soldiers with them has also increased, already seventy to eighty. It appears that, just like the Yeluohe, these seventy to eighty men are also unaffected by the cold weather. If my guess is right, they must be testing a new method, borrowing the Yeluohe’s power so that the alliance soldiers can move freely through the snowstorm,” Zhang Shougui commented.
Under the Sage Emperor, Wang Zhongsi and Zhang Shougui had been the empire’s leading generals. Though they were both important subjects of the empire, their career tracks had been like two parallel lines and rarely met. This had more to do with Zhang Shougui than Wang Zhongsi. He was simply too proud and was unwilling to yield to Wang Zhongsi, though he normally kept this to himself.
Even when Zhang Shougui returned to the capital to m
ake his reports, he would rarely meet with Wang Zhongsi, and the number of the times they had met could be counted with one’s fingers.
But now, they stood to Wang Chong’s left and right and were working for the same cause. Probably not even the Sage Emperor had imagined that this was possible, and it was something only Wang Chong was capable of.
Zhangchou Jianqiong noticed something and gravely said, “The alliance is training its soldiers with this method. If my guess is right, once they familiarize themselves with this method, they’ll start their attack!”
The situation was not yet at a state of absolute peril. While the Yeluohe were strong and could accelerate to terrifying speeds in their charge, warhorses were useless against the high walls. Not even the most formidable horse could fly onto a wall.
And if the Yeluohe gave up on their horses and climbed the walls, their threat level was at least halved. This was one of the reasons the alliance had yet to attack.
But once the alliance became accustomed to fighting alongside the Yeluohe and could use their power to resist the cold, they could use the snowstorm to attack the fortress.
“That’s not the only thing I’m worried about. I don’t know what these Yeluohe are made of, and all of you saw what happened in the previous battle. The ballista army severed the legs of three thousand Yeluohe warhorses, but after the battle, they were able to swiftly reattach the legs as if they had never been injured. These aren’t things that living beings can do!” Tongluo Great General Abusi said, his brows deeply furrowed and his heart heavy.
Abusi was speaking of that battle that had taken place ten-some days ago. He had seen with his own eyes the severed legs of the horses being magnetically drawn over and linking to the fallen Yeluohe warhorses, upon which they quickly got up, appearing completely uninjured. At the time, Abusi had been stunned.
The Tongluo cherished their warhorses, and even though they had left the Turkic steppe, the Tongluo had never lost their ability to raise horses. Each Tongluo was a superb horse trainer and had a keen understanding of them. They could even tell through the posture and balance of a horse the condition of their hooves and the development of their bones.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1335
