The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Wanhe Peiluo could only think that ghosts and devils were at work.

  Wanhe Peiluo’s excuse quickly proved effective. Although this excuse of treasure maps seemed a little abrupt, it sounded more plausible than the Karluks betraying the Great Tang and colluding with the Arabs. A subtle change occurred in the atmosphere, with the gazes aimed at Wanhe Peiluo turning much gentler.

  “Hahaha, treasure map?”

  Wang Chong gave a derisive smile, apparently long predicting this kind of excuse.

  “So, you also found these by following a treasure map?”

  Wang Chong pushed a palm at the chest, sending out a wave of energy. All the pearls, agate, jade, and jewels in the chest were sent floating into the air by invisible streams of energy. Though everyone was at first mystified by Wang Chong’s actions, they quickly noticed the dazzling golden light emitting from the chest and began to pale.

  “Arabian gold coins!”

  At the very bottom of all those precious pearls, jewels, and other objects was a dense layer of round golden coins. Unlike the gold and silver currency of the Great Tang, these gold coins were exquisitely crafted, the image of a man with billowing hair protruding from the surface.

  This figure appeared to be an Arab, and on the back of the coins…

  Ding!

  There was a clattering of armor as an Anxi officer strode over, took a coin from the chest, and flipped it over.

  “It’s an Arabian coin!”

  The gleaming back of the coin clearly depicted the Arab flag1.

  Everything was now obvious. This was no treasure left behind by some ancient kingdom of the Western Regions and discovered using a treasure map, but riches from the Arabian Empire. In order to bribe the Karluks, the Arabs had gifted them enormous wealth.

  “Wanhe Peiluo, you bastard!”

  All the eyes focused on Wanhe Peiluo now seethed with killing intent, and one of the nearby Anxi generals even bellowed and pulled out his sword, slashing it at Wanhe Peiluo.

  Bang!

  A shockwave exploded outward as a stream of Stellar Energy and the Barbaric God Axe rose to block this furious blow.

  “I’m being framed! I’m definitely being framed! Don’t act impulsively; don’t let this brat fool you!” Wanhe Peiluo hollered as his face contorted in panic. Retreating, he hurriedly raised his weapon to block the attacks.

  “Have all of you forgotten how many times we Karluks fought alongside you? In that battle against the Jushi Kingdom, it was us who covered your left flank. In the war against Kangju, we infiltrated the city and opened the gate for you. And in Kanjut, we saved so many of you… Have you forgotten all of that?

  “I was with all of you on the front lines. I know just as much about those Arabian coins as the rest of you. Someone must be framing me. Right! Our Karluk Tribe has many enemies in the Western Regions. They definitely know about our relationship with the Great Tang, so they must be using this scheme to sow dissension for their own benefit! Everyone, no matter what, you can’t let them succeed!”

  Wanhe Peiluo ‘grieved and lamented’, his face both furious and aggrieved at this injustice.

  Wanhe Peiluo’s words immediately had the crowd murmuring and hesitating once more. It was true that the Karluks had offended no small number of people through fighting alongside the Anxi Protectorate army. It was completely plausible that these people had joined together to frame the Karluks.

  And when Wanhe Peiluo brought up all those old tales, they turned even more reluctant. Those doubtful looks aimed at Wanhe Peiluo after seeing those Arabian coins began to relax, and even Gao Xianzhi seemed to slightly unfurrow his brow, a reluctant look in his eyes.

  A faint hint of emotion appeared in Wang Chong’s eyes. Wang Chong was not clear about the story between the Karluks and the Anxi Protectorate army. If everything really was like how it was in the past, then this would be a truly beautiful legend. But Wang Chong was well aware that this was just a misperception brought about by wishful thinking.

  The Karluks were mercenaries, and they would always fight for their own benefit. This was a principle that would never change.

  Wang Chong felt pity for the Anxi Protectorate army, but he also knew that the Karluks’ collusion with the Arabs was an indisputable fact, with those pearls, agate, jade, and jewels serving as the strongest evidence. If they had succeeded, the consequences would have been unbearable. The reluctance felt by the Anxi Protectorate army was established on an imaginary relationship.

  In the hands of the Karluks, the sentiment felt by the Anxi Protectorate army was merely a chip to be used in a deal with the Arabs.

  Those Karluks who had fought side by side, living and dying together with the Anxi Protectorate army, would not show the slightest ambiguity when they defected, nor would they hold on to any of those old feelings and hold back in their blows. Who knew how many soldiers of Anxi had died not to the Arabs, but to a strike from the Karluks, caught completely unawares by the defection? This was precisely why not even one thousand soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army managed to escape.

  When he thought about how Wanhe Peiluo was still trying to scheme his way out of danger by using the feelings of the Anxi Protectorate army, Wang Chong felt revolted and disgusted, his hatred for the Karluks only increasing. Gao Xianzhi might have been fooled, but Wang Chong would not be.

  “Wanhe Peiluo, there’s no need to continue your trickery. You can say that someone planted the Arabian coins to frame you, but what about that Arab spy who you communicated with? Don’t forget, he actually met with you. You thought your plan to be completely flawless, but you probably didn’t think that we would capture that man. Since you’re still trying to deceive us, let him come and serve as witness. Xue Qianjun, bring that Arab spy over. Find a translator as well! Let everyone hear the actual truth!” Wang Chong loudly ordered as he waved at the chilly-faced Xue Qianjun behind him.

  “Yes, Milord!”

  Xue Qianjun immediately began to stride away, no hesitation on his face. The preparations had apparently been made long ago.

  Buzz!

  At this sight, Wanhe Peiluo, who had just been pleading his innocence, made a nasty grimace. He could argue about the Arabian coins, relying on his many years of ‘friendship’ and ‘camaraderie’ to convince the Anxi Protectorate army, but if the Arab spy were brought out, all of Wanhe Peiluo’s arguments would lose their meaning.

  Impossible! How could he have managed it!

  Wanhe Peiluo’s mind was reeling in shock. He simply couldn’t understand how a young Protector-General whose range of activities had always been outside Anxi could have possibly gathered this information. And just how did that Arab spy who had entered the Karluk Tribe in disguise manage to end up in Wang Chong’s hands?

  In addition, he clearly remembered that this spy had already returned to the Arabian Empire. Had something happened that caused him to come back to get in touch with him, causing him to be caught by this young Protector-General of Qixi?

  Countless thoughts flew through Wanhe Peiluo’s mind, stirring massive waves. And what stunned and panicked Wanhe Peiluo the most was that Arab being escorted over by Wang Chong’s subordinate, his hands tied and his head covered in a cloth sack. From his figure, this was precisely the Arab that he had initially consulted with.

  Roooar!

  Wanhe Peiluo gave a furious bellow, his hair bristling outward. While everyone’s attention was on the Hu being escorted by Xue Qianjun, the illustrious Karluk Chief finally chose to strike.

  “Brat, you’re too vicious!

  “Guli, send the signal to the Arabs. In addition, inform our tribesmen to start the rebellion! Everyone else, work with me to kill him!”

  The first words had been spoken in the language of the Great Tang, but the second part had been spoken in the Karluk language. Any further talk was meaningless, so his only option left was to start the revolt early and seize the advantage. Perhaps he could even capture the wounded of the Anxi Protectorate army in the
city and use them to gain the freedom of the Karluks’ women, children and elderly, giving the Karluks a path of retreat. Otherwise, the Karluks truly would be doomed!

  ______________1. The flag used by the Abbasid Caliphate was actually a pure black flag. The author might be referring to how some Arab flags have Arabic written on them, and that the coins have Arabic inscriptions, which was common for the coins minted by the Abbasid Caliphate.↩

  Chapter 887 - The Death of Wanhe Peiluo!

  Chapter 887: The Death of Wanhe Peiluo!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Hmph! Stubborn to the end!”

  Wang Chong coldly sneered, a cold and sharp light in his eyes. Wanhe Peiluo’s outburst had seemed abrupt, but Wang Chong had long ago predicted this. Rumble! As Wanhe Peiluo led his tribesmen forward, Wang Chong exploded into the air like a hawk. All the armor on his body clanged and clattered, and as countless people looked on, his Wootz Steel sword began to hum and explode with Sword Qi as it slashed down with lightning-fast speed at Wanhe Peiluo.

  But even though Wang Chong was fast, there was someone even faster.

  “Wanhe Peiluo, you’ve truly… disappointed me!” A voice as loud as thunder rang in everyone’s ears, suffused with a deep disappointment.

  Upon hearing this voice, the fierce and aggressive Karluk Chief trembled as if he had been jabbed, even the grip on his massive axe becoming unsteady as he blurted out, “Lord Protector-General!!”

  Wanhe Peiluo was well known for his fierce and unbending nature, and Wang Chong still did not have the right to make him blurt out the words ‘Lord Protector-General’. In the entire army, only Anxi War God Gao Xianzhi had this right. Rumble! Before Wanhe Peiluo had even finished speaking, a destructive storm of energy had appeared and begun to approach Wanhe Peiluo with astonishing speed.

  In a flash, Wanhe Peiluo’s face turned as white as paper.

  Boom!

  There was an earth-shaking explosion and roiling waves of energy as three figures clashed next to Talas’s gate. So fierce was the Stellar Energy that everyone in a ten-zhang radius was swept outward, not a single person able to hold their ground.

  “Not good!”

  “Careful!”

  “Their energy waves are too powerful! Hurry and back up!”

  The surroundings were in chaos. Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, and Wanhe Peiluo were essentially the strongest people in the army, and an exchange between experts like these was not something those beneath their level could approach, much less interfere in. But this chaos settled down as quickly as it had arisen, those powerful waves of Stellar Energy that had engulfed the world vanishing without a trace.

  By the time the people had gotten off the ground, the battle was already over.

  “Milord!”

  Xue Qianjun clambered off the ground, wanting to help in the battle, but when he raised his head and saw what had happened, he was frozen on the spot. In front of the gate, Wang Chong had his back to Xue Qianjun, one hand grasping the Wootz Steel sword while the other hand was clenched around Wanhe Peiluo’s neck, raising him high into the air so that his feet dangled in the air.

  Wanhe Peiluo was struggling, but he could not struggle free. Wang Chong’s hand seemed to be forged from steel, firmly locked around his neck. To the side, Gao Xianzhi loomed like a mountain, neither moving nor speaking. Everything was fixed in place as if time had stopped.

  No one knew what had happened just now, but there was no doubt that the battle was over.

  No matter how formidable Wanhe Peiluo was, there was no way he could contend against two Protector-Generals of the Great Tang working together.

  “Lord Protector-General, Lord Protector-General… I’ve been wronged! Please, listen to my explanation!”

  Wanhe Peiluo was pale and panicked, his body continuing to struggle. Although Wang Chong had a hand around his neck, the true lethal attack had come from Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi. Even after multiple taxing battles, a peak Saint Martial expert was not something Wanhe Peiluo could match.

  Gao Xianzhi had not killed him, but he had sealed off all his energy channels. Wanhe Peiluo currently could not use a single drop of the energy in his body.

  “Wanhe Peiluo, you’ve deeply disappointed me.”

  Gao Xianzhi finally spoke, an indescribable fatigue in his voice. Two months of battle had not been able to topple him, but the betrayal of the Karluks had seemingly drained this ever-victorious Anxi War God of all his energy.

  “I don’t mind you taking Arab gold. After all, the Karluks are a mercenary tribe. If a competitor gifts you gold, you can refuse it, and if you do accept it, that doesn’t mean that you need to work for them. But for the sake of ten chests of treasure, you actually want to betray the Great Tang, working with the Arabs to let them into the city… You’ve deeply disappointed me. As it turns out, our ten years of fighting together was only worth ten chests of treasure!”

  “Milord, it’s not like that, it’s not like that…”

  Wanhe Peiluo’s face was ghastly pale, his body swaying in the air as his hands pulled at Wang Chong’s grip, but his efforts were futile.

  “‘It’s not like that’… these words of yours are right,” Wang Chong interjected, a scornful smile on his lips. “The Arabs naturally didn’t just give you those ten chests. If my guess is correct, the Arabs definitely promised you that once the Anxi Protectorate army was wiped out, they would fully support the Karluks in ruling over the Western Regions!” His words had pierced straight through Wanhe Peiluo’s heart.

  Buzz!

  These words seemed to give Wanhe Peiluo a heavy blow, and he immediately ceased his struggling, his arms listlessly dropping to his sides.

  Wang Chong looked at Wanhe Peiluo with eyes full of derision. Mercenaries had no personal integrity to speak of. In their eyes, everything had a price, and it was just a matter of seeing who would pay. Wanhe Peiluo and his Karluks thought that they were acting in secret, but how could they possibly hide from his eyes? In this Battle of Talas, if Wang Chong had not appeared, the Anxi Protectorate army would be wiped out and the Great Tang would not have enough soldiers to reinforce, thus causing Anxi, Qixi, and the entire Western Regions to rapidly be lost.

  Meanwhile, the Karluks, whose defection had played a major part in the annihilation of the Anxi Protectorate army, would naturally receive the greatest rewards. In a Western Regions without the Great Tang, they would become one of the strongest factions. But at times, the plans of humans were no match for the calculations of the heavens. After the Battle of Talas, the Abbasid Caliphate had originally planned to unite the Western Regions, the Great Tang, the Turks, Ü-Tsang, and any other lands that they could.

  Alas, the Arabs made a strategic error. After defeating the Great Tang, they advanced into the plateau, hoping to conquer the nearby Ü-Tsang Empire. But they had no inkling of ‘altitude sickness’ and ended up suffering a severe wound that put a stop to their expansion.

  With that, the dream of the Karluks to serve as the representative of the Abbasid Caliphate and rule over the Western Regions came to an end. But even so, the Karluks were still the greatest beneficiary after the Battle of Talas, with the entire tribe flourishing in the aftermath.

  Those who had cleaved to their promises and remained loyal to their country were met with a bad end and had their bones buried in a foreign land. Meanwhile, those who went back on their word flourished and prospered. There was nothing more infuriating beneath the heavens.

  The Wang Chong of the past could only helplessly clench his fists when he heard about the bitter defeat at Talas and the success of the Karluks. But now that he had reincarnated, if the Karluks still wanted to sell out the Great Tang, sell off the Anxi Protectorate army for riches and glory, then they were delusional!

  “Haaah…”

  A long sigh suddenly came from the side. Gao Xianzhi glanced at Wanhe Peiluo and shook his head, his eyes brimming with disappointment.

  �
��Wanhe Peiluo, did you really think you had hidden these matters from me?”

  Buzz! Wanhe Peiluo, who had given up the struggle just moments ago, suddenly raised his head, his eyes flying open.

  “…I already had a sense, had some speculations. But we fought together for so many years, so deep within my heart, I didn’t believe that you would betray me. Right after we attacked the Shi Kingdom and were going to attack Talas, someone already told me that you were colluding with the Arabs and getting ready to betray the Great Tang, but at the time, I didn’t believe it, so I suppressed all that talk.

  “I also knew about how the Karluks were making trouble by refusing to do battle, but I just pretended not to. And even when strange birds flew over the city walls in the middle of the night and landed in the Karluk camp, I did not investigate. Wanhe Peiluo, do you know why this is?” Gao Xianzhi asked, staring at Wanhe Peiluo.

  All was silent. Wanhe Peiluo said nothing, but the light in his eyes slowly died away. All this time, he had believed that all his actions had been so secretive that not even the gods knew. Never had he imagined that Gao Xianzhi had known this entire time.

  Wang Chong finally spoke. “People who walk different paths cannot make plans together. These mercenaries fight only for money. They have never been taught benevolence or righteousness, so in the end, they cannot share the same path as us.”

  Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli had been far too calm about this entire affair. When he had been accusing Wanhe Peiluo, the two had unexpectedly said nothing at all, as if they had long ago predicted this sight. Wang Chong had found it strange at the time. If they had already been so wary, why had events played out as they did in his last life?