The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  At the peak of Deflecting Blade Mountain, the earth quaked and fierce winds swept through. With Zhao Jingdian leading the charge, a thousand fully-equipped experts rode their horses in an organized formation toward the mountain.

  Dust roiled as a thousand hired experts followed like a crashing wave. Leading them was a giant man, eight feet tall. He was extremely conspicuous, and on his back was a massive sword larger than the average man.

  Across all the Great Tang, probably only Li Siye possessed such an astonishing constitution.

  Rumbling could be heard as far as a hundred li away. Even the students of Kunwu Training Camp were alarmed. But Wang Chong seemed to not see or hear.

  All his focus was on this army that he had raised.

  "This mission to the southwest will be extremely dangerous. If you want to back out, there's still time!"

  Wang Chong stood on the peak, his expression stern. His gaze was not on the experts from the great clans, but the ones that he had hired.

  The winds howled, but no noise came from those dense ranks. All of them appeared to not care about this danger.

  Hired experts had always lived life on the edge. If this career were peaceful and utterly without risk, wouldn't everyone be hired experts?

  Wang Chong's question was completely pointless for them.

  For hired experts, money was enough. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. As long as this requirement could be fulfilled, they really didn't care about much else.

  "Hmph!"

  Wang Chong snorted. He gave no speech to raise the morale of the army. He simply drew his sword and pointed it at the sky.

  The unstoppable and peerlessly sharp Wootz Steel sword exuded its cold light toward the dark clouds.

  "Move out!"

  With this earthshaking order, Wang Chong mounted the White-hoofed Shadow and led the army down Deflecting Blade Mountain, toward the southwest.

  The rumbling of the army, sweeping forward with the momentum of a mountain, followed him.

  All of the Great Tang Empire was focused on the Imperial Court and the southwest. Few noticed that the experts Wang Chong had gathered using millions of taels of gold and one thousand Wootz Steel swords had silently left the capital, riding toward the distant southwest.

  Chapter 489: Crisis! Scaling Ladders!

  Chapter 489: Crisis! Scaling Ladders!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  In the distant southwest…

  A massive lake, more than eighty li long and more than ten li wide, spanned between the Great Tang and Mengshe Zhao. The lake was said to be connected to the sea, so it was called the Erhai1.

  There was no one in the southwest that didn't know of Erhai.

  All the merchants using the Tea Horse Road had to pass through this place. This was a placid lake, a peaceful sea, but now, it was brimming with the stench of death.

  Caw!

  Crows opened their wings and flocked over the Erhai to a vast plain on its banks.

  Here were countless corpses, their pale faces turned toward the sky or the dirt, piled up and stretched out on the ground. There were people from the Great Tang here, from Mengshe Zhao, and from Ü-Tsang, but the majority of them came from the Great Tang.

  The air stank of blood and the earth was dyed red. Birds dropped down from the sky to perch on these corpses, their long beaks pecking at eyes.

  From above, one could see that thousands of birds had gathered here. This tragic scene had become a dreadful and mournful feast for the crows!

  This was the battlefield of the southwest!

  Broken axes, shattered halberds, and ragged banners scattered across the field served as the last scene of this battle. But though much time had passed, from a certain perspective, this battle still wasn't over.

  "You're telling me that that city was constructed by a child?"

  Dalun Ruozan stood on the gruesome battlefield, his gown as white as snow. He narrowed his deep eyes as he gazed at that majestic city of black steel in the distance, a hint of surprise on his face.

  "Great Minister is correct. Our spies in the Great Tang have already discovered that this city was built by the youngest grandson of the Great Tang's former Prime Minister, Wang Jiuling! Construction began on it a little more than half a year ago."

  Nearby, a bearded and middle-aged man of heroic constitution put his hands behind him and explained.

  This middle-aged man wore a silk dragon robe and had a muscular constitution, and his every movement exuded a thick aura of nobility. Even though he was standing next to prestigious figures like Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang, he was not one bit inferior.

  Across all of Mengshe Zhao, the only person that could reach this level was the King of Mengshe Zhao, the strongest of his generation, Geluofeng.

  Dalun Ruozan said nothing, but his eyes betrayed his astonishment.

  300,000 Mengshe Zhao soldiers working with more than 200,000 Ngari Royal Lineage heavy cavalry should have made it almost impossible for the 180,000 Great Tang elites to escape.

  But the reality was that this city near the banks of the Erhai, an unremarkable city that still seemed to be in the middle of construction, had played a critical role in this battle.

  While 80,000 soldiers wasn't a large number, it also wasn't small. In normal circumstances, the massive might of their combined forces would have easily annihilated such a force.

  But the truth was that the firm walls of the city meant that the 80,000 soldiers had not only been able to stave off their assault. They also now occupied a rather decent position.

  The situation now was rather awkward. The door to the Great Tang's southwest was wide open, their 500,000-man army able to sweep in at any time.

  But this city near the plains of the Erhai and the 80,000 soldiers within meant that this army of 500,000 soldiers couldn't go anywhere!

  This trifling Lion City was like a peg that nailed down the Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang armies.

  Although their numbers were far inferior to Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao, the Great Tang still had the advantage in equipment. And the Great Tang soldiers also held the advantage in terms of crossbows, master archers, and other non-horse-based forces.

  If it weren't for their sheer strength in numbers, Mengshe Zhao would have never dared to challenge these 180,000 Great Tang elites!

  If they divided their troops poorly, those 80,000 soldiers could easily take advantage of this opportunity!

  After all, these 80,000 elites could still fight, could still influence this war!

  "This matter is because of my carelessness. I received news when construction on this city began, but I didn't pay it much attention. I didn't think that this city would be built for war or that it would hold enough supplies to sustain 80,000 soldiers! It now appears that this city was prepared long in advance," Geluofeng said, a strange expression on his face.

  These were two leaders of their respective armies, one the King of Mengshe Zhao, the other the Great Minister of Ü-Tsang's Ngari Royal Lineage, yet they had been outwitted by a child in the Great Tang's capital, several thousand li away.

  What was even harder to accept was that this child's actions clearly had nothing to do with the Great Tang Imperial Court.

  Otherwise, the Annan Protectorate's 180,000-man army would not have suffered such a grievous defeat, perhaps not have even mobilized.

  "If that child really is as you say, then he can't be underestimated. When I return, I will advise the Tsenpo to investigate him and find out why he erected this city. I worry that this child might threaten Mengshe Zhao and our Ü-Tsang in the future," Dalun Ruozan said. He didn't know who this child called Wang Chong that Geluofeng spoke of was, nor had he ever met him.

  But as a wise general who had to plan for the future, Dalun Ruozan had an instinctive distaste for variables like this, and he found the fact that he had no control over them even more unpleasant.

  There was no question that this city near the Erha
i and the distant Wang Chong were complete beyond his control.

  However, he's too simple if he thinks that one city can stop us. Your Most Esteemed Majesty, how are the preparations going for the matter I spoke of?"

  Dalun Ruozan grinned and turned to Geluofeng.

  Although the city was a little troublesome, the problem wasn't intractable.

  "Haha, relax. I've already mobilized all the subjects, the porters and farmers, of Mengshe Zhao and had them cut down the forest near Erhai. In just ten-some days, we'll have a large number of scaling ladders ready. When the time comes, the army will be able to assault the city and the Great Tang's defeat will be assured."

  Geluofeng's eyes were bright as he stroked his beard and gave a hearty laugh.

  "Hmph, good! Then I'll wait for your good news! Those Tang soldiers can live for a little longer. Huoshu Huicang, have the army surround the city. Let no one escape. The Great Tang has no soldiers to send, so as long as we can wipe out the soldiers in Lion City, the entire southwest will be ours for the taking. The soldiers of our Ü-Tsang and Mengshe Zhao will be able to sweep across unhindered."

  With a wave of his sleeve, Dalun Ruozan turned around to look at a large model.

  A finger shot out and stuck a flag at the place where Lion City was, then twisted, pulverizing the miniature Lion City into powder.

  Loudly laughing, Dalun Ruozan turned and left for his own camp.

  And behind, four or five li from the Erhai, within a lush forest, the tree branches were rustling as the sounds of chopping rang through the air.

  Thousands of Mengshe Zhao porters and farmers were at work. Singing a work song, they cut down tree after tree, and in the distance, scaling ladders were under construction…

  ______________

  1. Erhai means 'Ear Sea', as it is somewhat shaped like an ear. I do not know where the author got the idea that the Erhai was connected to the sea. Apparently it is called the Ear Sea because the native Bai people of Yunnan had a longing for the sea.

  Chapter 490: Rapid Advance Over One Thousand Li!

  Chapter 490: Rapid Advance Over One Thousand Li!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Rumble! Hooves thundered and dust roiled. An army of thousands traveled on the roads to the southwest, traveling night and day.

  "Hyah!"

  Wang Chong was in the front, horse whip in hand. Behind him were the one thousand clan experts equipped with Wootz Steel swords and Meteoric Metal armor, as well as several thousand hired experts.

  Several days had passed since they had left the capital, and they had been moving at maximum speed. Three days and three nights was enough to cover several thousand li.

  This rapid advance was almost impossible to imagine, but even so, Wang Chong did not relax in the slightest.

  "Warning, 112 Tang soldiers have died. The Annan Protectorate army is now below 80,000!"

  "Warning, 133 Tang soldiers have died. The Annan Protectorate army is rapidly weakening. User must act as quickly as possible!"

  "Warning, 253 Tang soldiers have died. Only 74,517 Tang soldiers remain in Lion City!"

  "Warning, Lion City's losses have now exceeded 500. 1 point of Destiny Energy will be subtracted from user as punishment!"

  "For every 500 deaths in Lion City, user will be deducted 1 point of Destiny Energy. Once 5000 soldiers have been lost, every 500 deaths will result in a deduction of 2 points. At 30,000 deaths, every 500 deaths will result in a deduction of 3 points!"

  "If user has no Destiny Energy to pay the penalty, user will die. If user cannot reach the southwest battlefield in a month, user will die. Violating either of these will result in mission failure and death of user."

  ……

  The callous and emotionless voice of the Stone of Destiny continued to surge like a waterfall in Wang Chong's mind, each of its messages warning Wang Chong that his time was short.

  But Wang Chong had no mind to pay attention to these messages. All his thoughts were on the 80,000 soldiers in the southwest and the almost one million civilians that lived there.

  Only he himself understood just how little time he had.

  Twenty days! Lion City's stockpile can only last for at most twenty more days. Once the supplies are exhausted, morale will collapse, and no matter how firm the walls of Lion City are, the city will still fall…

  Wang Chong's mind was as restless as the winds howling around him. That invisible pressure was pressing down on him at every moment, putting Wang Chong through an excruciating torment that no one else could ever experience.

  He had tarried for too long in the capital, but Wang Chong knew that there had been no other way. To do a good job, an artisan needed the best tools. If he wanted to intervene in a massive battlefield like the southwest and rely on his own powers to influence this event that would shake the Great Tang and the Central Plains, he had to make ample preparations.

  Without that batch of Wootz Steel swords, without the hardy Meteoric Metal armor, without those aides he had gathered… even if he brought even more people with him and arrived even sooner, his efforts against the 300,000 Mengshe Zhao troops and 200,000 Ü-Tsang troops would be like an ant shaking a tree, a grasshopper trying to stop a carriage.

  Quality, not quantity, was more important for soldiers. Wang Chong didn't have enough soldiers, so he could only work on quality. Consequently, when the war in the southwest broke out, Wang Chong did not hurriedly lead an army south, but used a considerable amount of time to forge equipment and train them.

  These things were necessary to enter the war, so this time was a necessary expense.

  Now that everything had been prepared, Wang Chong had to make up for as much of that time as he could.

  "How far is the next relay station?" Wang Chong asked without turning his head.

  "It's still fifty li. All the warhorses are prepared and can be switched out as soon as we get there!"

  The screech of an eagle came from above. Old Eagle galloped alongside Wang Chong while receiving the eagle and reporting to Wang Chong. It was a long journey to the south, and no horse could endure this sort of nonstop march.

  But Wang Chong's army did not need to suffer this problem.

  The reason was very simple. While Wang Chong had been in the capital, preparing for his army to move out, the route that his army would take was also being prepared, along with the relay stations where they could rest.

  Everything on the road to the southwest had been made ready, leaving nothing that could delay them.

  A relay station had been set up every dozen li where Wang Chong could switch out warhorses.

  Every several dozen li, another batch of warhorses would be replaced, allowing him to maintain the fighting power and speed of his army at the maximum level.

  This was the ability to organize an army!

  Wang Chong's arrangements were so meticulous and comprehensive that no one had noticed them.

  There were currently very few people in the Great Tang army that could pull off such a feat in such a short amount of time. In his last life, Wang Chong had relied on this powerful organizational ability to lead his army across a hundred li, a thousand li. His forces were so agile that those foreign invaders had never been able to track him down.

  After passing through a few mountains, Wang Chong suddenly straightened his body, raised an arm, and issued an order. "Crane Wing Formation!"

  Rumble! The originally orderly army on the official road suddenly became chaotic, and a few of the warhorses even ran into each other.

  But this disorder persisted for only a short while. The several thousand soldiers quickly regained their composure and carried out the order. As they began to charge forward in formation, they exuded a strict discipline. They now seemed even more like an army than they had at Deflecting Blade Mountain.

  Wang Chong had at first given Li Siye and Zhao Jingdian the task of training the soldiers, but he himself personally carried out the last part of
the training.

  One could imagine the effectiveness of someone who was known as 'War Saint' in their last life personally training an army.

  In the three days of rapid advance from the capital, Wang Chong had not only succeeded in arranging this loose assortment of several thousand warriors into units of one hundred, ten, and five. Wang Chong had also selected an officer for all these hundred-man, ten-man, and five-man units, allowing his orders to be delivered and executed to the very lowest level.

  Besides that, Wang Chong had, along with Zhao Jingdian and the others, taught the army a new set of cavalry formations, somewhat more complicated and more powerful.

  The current army was now equipped in standardized armor and their cohesion had ascended to a completely new level!

  At the very least, it had taken on the basic shape of an army.

  After a few moments, Wang Chong raised his arm again. "Arrow Formation!"

  The several thousand soldiers of this 'army' quickly took another formation and began to exude a chilling killing intent.

  To train these undisciplined and rowdy warriors into this state in just ten days was truly astonishing.

  But Li Siye, Zhao Jingdian, Old Eagle, and even the hired experts had already begun to naturally accept this and treat it as normal.

  Not even they had noticed how strange this was!

  "Reporting!"

  As the army was rapidly advancing and drilling, a shout came from a distant mountain as a warhorse rode over. The white-robed soldier riding it seemed to have been surveying the area and been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Wang Chong's army, he had raised his horse whip and charged out of the lush forest.

  "Young Master, your subordinate has carried out your orders and has been waiting here for three days. The items Young Master has ordered are ready. Please inspect them!"

  The white-robed soldier galloped in front of the army, dismounted, and kneeled.

  Wang Chong's eyes glowed as he brought the army to a halt with the wave of his right hand. In an instant, the activity and movement came to a stop.

  This was the first time since the start of their march to the south that he had ordered the army to halt.