The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The Celestial Wolf Great General Duwu Sili stood atop a hill with barely concealed disappointment in his eyes. He had held a great deal of hope in these enormous beasts, but the giant ballistae had ensured that there would be no suspense.

  Now that the Great Tang had this sort of weapon, the Behemoths no longer posed a very large threat.

  “It’s still too early to cast judgment.”

  A voice came from the side. Duwu Sili had already turned and was preparing to head back to his army, but this voice made him stop and turn in confusion to Dalun Ruozan.

  “Haha, has General not realized? The Tang defense line has been completely opened up.”

  Dalun Ruozan spoke in a laid-back tone, but Duwu Sili trembled at these words, his head twisting to look at the first defense line. In this battle, everyone’s attention had been drawn away by the enormous size of the Behemoths, even Duwu Sili’s. Little attention had been paid to the two steel defense lines the Great Tang had built up in front of Talas.

  Buzz!

  As he scanned the first Tang defense line, Duwu Sili’s pupils constricted as if he had been given a sudden jab.

  “This!!”

  At the very start, the first defense line in front of Talas had been straight, firm, and valiant, offering the Tang a powerful fortification and lifeline. But now, Duwu Sili was seeing a twisted and crooked line, with large gaps punched through that once-majestic line of walls.

  From what he could see, the length of the defense line that had been twisted and battered was more than one thousand zhang. Such a large ‘gap’ in the Tang defense was extremely lethal. Simply put, the Arabs could put aside attacks on the rest of the defense line and focus all their power on that one gap.

  From a certain perspective, the first defense line existed only in name. The Great Tang had lost their most powerful defensive line against the Arabs! The Great Tang was now in a crisis.

  “How could this be?!”

  Duwu Sili took in a deep breath, not daring to believe his eyes. He recalled that the first Behemoth had not been able to inflict this much damage. Although the Great Tang had lost around ten thousand men, they had killed the Behemoth before it had been able to inflict very much damage.

  As for the second Behemoth, though it had been stronger, it had only been effective for an even shorter period of time. Before it could fully exhibit its destructive power, it had been vanquished by the Tang boy’s god transformation and the giant ballista. The black boar Behemoth had also been vigorous in its assault, even causing many cracks to appear on the city walls, but in the end, the walls of Talas stood tall.

  In this aspect, the Arab operation could be considered a complete failure.

  But Duwu Sili had never noticed just how so much damage had been inflicted.

  “What is going on here?” Duwu Sili couldn’t help but say.

  “Haha, in truth, it began from the very start. You were all focused on the Behemoth’s battle with Wang Chong, not even paying attention to what else was going on. The Behemoth attacking the steel defense line was far stronger than imagined… None of you noticed that its true power wasn’t in its body, but in its four thick feet,” Dalun Ruozan said with a faint smile. A superb strategist had to be extremely perceptive, noticing the small details along with the large, noticing that which ordinary people missed and completely grasping the battlefield.

  “Every time that Behemoth advanced, it would always unleash wave after wave of shocks and vibrations. This is its true power, and those steel walls already began to collapse starting from that moment. All of you might not have noticed, but Wang Chong did, which was why he was so anxious and desperate.”

  Chapter 960 - Sound the Horns! The Skyquaking Army!

  Chapter 960: Sound the Horns! The Skyquaking Army!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “!!!”

  Dalun Ruozan’s words stunned even Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje, let alone Duwu Sili. There was no question that, just like Duwu Sili, they had not even noticed the other details of this battle.

  Dalun Ruozan took in the reactions of his peers with a smile. In a war like this, he would always be able to notice more than people like Duwu Sili and Huoshu Huicang.

  “Although the Behemoths are dead and the Great Tang now has heavy weapons capable of dealing with them, this battle is far from over. Abu Muslim is known as the most ambitious and most powerful Governor of the East in the history of the Arabian Empire, as well as the one who has conquered the most countries. He can’t not have a plan, nor would he ever allow the battle to end like this!”

  Dalun Ruozan’s eyes glowed with a perceptive light, as if he could calculate everything happening on the battlefield. This was the demeanor of a strategist. Duwu Sili, who had been preparing to leave, couldn’t help but turn back around and walk back to the top of the hill.

  After a little more than a day, Duwu Sili had unwittingly developed a deep trust in this wise Great Minister of another country.

  “The Tang giant ballistae might appear extremely formidable, but they’re only useful against large-scale targets like the Behemoths. For ordinary soldiers, they’re just like catapults, all bark with very limited bite. Even though these Behemoths have died, I am confident that Abu Muslim has considered the objective reached, with the Tang defense line completely open to them.”

  Dalun Ruozan spoke fluidly, his tone assured and at ease.

  “Moreover, if my judgment is correct, the Tang should only have two of these giant ballistae, three at most, and they were probably all set up on the spot. Otherwise, they would have used them against the first Behemoth. Thus, the Tang are still in the middle of this crisis!”

  The hill was quiet, Duwu Sili, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje all flabbergasted. If things really were as Dalun Ruozan had said, if the Tang really did only have two or three giant ballistae, then their situation was truly not as rosy as it seemed.

  “If this really is the case, if we destroy the giant ballistae, won’t they be finished?” Dusong Mangpoje finally asked.

  “Heh, who says that’s not the case?”

  Dalun Ruozan chuckled, a thoughtful smile on his lips.

  The first phase of the battle was over, but it was only now beginning to dance to the tempo it should have had. Dalun Ruozan was well aware that the next part of the battle would be more intense than any before it!

  ……

  In the distant Arab camp, the air was heavy and oppressive. The cheers from when the Behemoths had first set out had long ago died away. When the black boar Behemoth, the Destroyer, fell to the ground, the more than two hundred thousand Arab soldiers had fallen eerily silent, not making a single sound. And in the rear, the air was even more suffocating.

  All the Arab generals were looking at that hunchbacked figure.

  Even though Masil was a trusted aide of the Caliph and commander of the Behemoth Army, even he couldn’t help but turn red in shame and grimace from all the pressure he was receiving. When he had just arrived on the battlefield, he had been bursting with pride and confidence, believing that his Behemoth Army alone could sweep away the infidels occupying Talas.

  But in the end, three of his mighty Behemoths had died on the battlefield while everyone watched. Masil felt like he had lost all his dignity.

  More importantly, Masil and the Behemoth Army represented the Caliph as one of the strongest forces in the Abbasid Caliphate. This sort of result humiliated both the Caliphate and the Caliph.

  “This was an accident! And I had no idea they had such a thing. The report you gave me said nothing of them having this sort of giant ballista! Such a thing has never happened before!”

  Masil finally could not help but defend himself.

  The surrounding generals remained silent, but their eyes clearly communicated their doubt.

  Arabia was a country of war, a country of conquest, and what it worshiped the most was strength. Without power, a strength that could inspire a
dmiration, even a trusted aide of the Caliph was useless. If Masil had succeeded in conquering their enemies and destroying their fortifications, they would have respected and revered him, even with his hunched back.

  But there was no doubt that he had blundered.

  “Enough!”

  Abu Muslim finally spoke. In the entire army, only he and Ziyad did not criticize Masil. Their gazes looked past the army to the enemy side.

  “This battle was not Masil’s error, and despite the deaths of the Behemoths, Masil has helped us accomplish our goal and opened up the Tang defense line! Now, it is our turn to attack!”

  With these final words, a flash of frighteningly cold light flickered through Abu Muslim’s eyes. His eyes had already locked onto that more-than-one-thousand-zhang ‘gap’ along the Tang defense line.

  “Order the army to get ready. In addition, have the last army prepare to attack.”

  Bwoooom!

  A horn loudly blared, rising from the Arab army to resound across the entire western battlefield.

  “What is this?!”

  In the distance, the Tang soldiers who were still in the middle of cleaning up the mess from the battle just now began to look up in shock.

  After two battles, the Tang army would immediately notice anything the Arabs did. But this was not the only thing that surprised them. They had always heard the Arabs use war drums to signal. They had never heard any horns coming from the Arab camp.

  At the same time, the four supreme commanders of the Tang force standing in front of Talas also had their attention piqued by the horn.

  “What’s going on? Are the Arabs going to attack again so quickly?”

  Cheng Qianli looked into the distance, disbelief in his eyes.

  “I don’t know. The Arabs rarely use horns. I have a bad feeling about this. Our next opponent might be even hard to deal with than the Behemoth Army.”

  Gao Xianzhi was standing on the shoulder of the Supreme Desolation God, his solemn gaze fixed upon the somber ranks of the gathering Arab army.

  “Abu Muslim is preparing to personally enter the fray.”

  A calm and emotionless voice rang out in their ears. Everyone turned to that young and slender figure.

  “Wang Chong?!”

  Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Wang Yan all stared at Wang Chong in shock and disbelief.

  “Abu Muslim has achieved his objective. Our strength has been weakened, and more importantly… he’s managed to smash open our defense line.”

  Wang Chong suddenly turned his head to the long gap in the first defense line.

  Without even needing Wang Chong’s order, the craftsmen had already gone to the first defense line to begin repairs. Thick coils of smoke were rising from around the gap, hundreds of thousands of furnaces spewing flame. Though countless craftsmen were working on it, the repairs were going very slowly.

  The hippo Behemoth had not only destroyed the steel walls and scattered them all over, it had also completely altered the geography of the area. The steel walls could be repaired, but the same could not be said for the now-uneven terrain, at least not in the short time available.

  The Tang commanders fell silent as they stared at the long gap, their expressions extremely grave. Disasters never came alone. During the two Behemoth assaults, the Tang had lost more than ten thousand men, their defense line had been shattered, and Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Wang Yan, and Wang Chong had all consumed a significant amount of mental, physical, and Stellar Energy.

  They hadn’t even managed to catch their breath yet, but Abu Muslim was already sending out his army of two hundred thousand, even personally entering the fray. This was absolutely awful news.

  Wang Chong seemed to be the only person able to maintain his composure, but in his mind, he was just as unsettled as the rest.

  That horn… is it the Skyquaking Army?

  Wang Chong looked to the place the sound of the horn was coming from, his mind in turmoil. Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli couldn’t hear anything special about it, but Wang Chong had recognized what that horn was the moment it began to blare—this was the horn of the Skyquaking Army!

  The Arabs did not use horns. In the Arabian army, only one special army used this kind of horn.

  The Skyquaking Army!

  Has it finally begun? Wang Chong inwardly muttered.

  In his last life, although he had never taken part in the Battle of Talas, he had memorized every detail by heart. The Skyquaking Army had been a powerful force on that battlefield, intimidating everyone present! But this was not the first time Wang Chong had experienced its power. The Skyquaking Army had also appeared in the war of the southwest.

  These giants ranging from six to more than ten meters tall had inflicted enormous damage on Wang Chong’s forces. At that time, they had just been a simple ‘army of giants’, but Wang Chong was well aware that in this appearance, they would display a whole new level of strength. This would be the true Skyquaking Army!

  A dreadful army of madness and destruction!

  It was when the Skyquaking Army had appeared that the Anxi Protectorate army had been utterly routed. The legends claimed that the Arabs summoned and ordered the Skyquaking Army by using a unique, massive, golden horn. This horn had only blared once over the battlefield to close the curtain on the Tang army.

  Chapter 961 - Before the Battle, the Hidden Danger!

  Chapter 961: Before the Battle, the Hidden Danger!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Li Siye! Pass on my order! Have the army gather and prepare for battle!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he spoke.

  “Yes, Lord Marquis!” Li Siye answered from his Ferghanan steed. “Hyah!” He rode forward, calling to the Wushang Cavalry behind him before galloping to the defense line.

  “Lord Protector-General, let us go!”

  At almost the same moment, Wang Chong dispelled the Yama transformation. A battle was imminent, and Wang Chong could sense that this was certain to be a bitter and desperate battle.

  “。”

  “Mm.”

  Gao Xianzhi nodded and followed Wang Chong to the defense line.

  ……

  Rumble!

  In the distance, the horn had stopped, but the quaking of the earth was only getting more intense. As the two hundred thousand Arab soldiers prepared for battle, an enormous energy began to sweep over the earth. Just by observing from the distance, one could feel a stifling pressure.

  Roooar!

  The countless Arab cavalry roared as they flourished their scimitars, allowing cold light to shine off them. Their tens of thousands of scimitars aimed into the air created a glimmering and terrifying forest of blades.

  “The Arabs are finally moving out!”

  The Western Turks and Tibetans were spectating from a distance, looking at the Arab army on the horizon and listening to their heaven-shaking shouts. Dalun Ruozan and the others all had calm expressions, but their eyes were gleaming brightly. After waiting for so long, the Arabs had finally decided to move out.

  Although the Behemoths had an intimidating strength, they had still fallen to the nearly one hundred thousand Tang soldiers. Troops on the ground were still needed.

  “I don’t know if the Arabs can thoroughly rout the Tang!” Huoshu Huicang muttered, a look of anticipation in his eyes as he gazed at the Arab army that extended to the edge of the horizon. No one in the world was better than the Arabs at cavalry charges that could shatter enemy formations. Even the proud Tibetans had chosen to humbly concede defeat on this point. And in terms of defensive battles and defensive infantry formations, no one in the world could surpass the Great Tang.

  There was probably no country in the world besides the Great Tang that could rely on infantry formations to stand against a storm of attacks from Arab cavalry several times their number.

  The Great Tang had dominated the world through its infantry, while Arabia had become hegemon via its cav
alry. These were the strongest and most representative soldiers of the strongest empires of the east and west, but the situation had now changed. A gap had appeared in the steel defense line built by the Tang.

  A gap more than one thousand zhang long was more than enough for the Arab cavalry to bypass the steel defense line and strike straight into the heart of the Tang formation.

  It was now completely possible for the Arabs to completely crush the Tang.

  “The Tang need to repair it, but there’s no more time! Since they don’t have the time to repair that long gap, their defeat is assured,” Huoba Sangye said. He was also at the top of the hill, observing from his highland steed. Behind him were the several thousand Mutri Great Cavalry.

  “I just feel a little regret that the Great Tang’s Wushang Cavalry will not be dying at our hands. However, to personally see them perish on the battlefield, to send them off as they are completely wiped out, can also comfort our fallen brethren, the White Braves and the Qinghai.”

  His voice grew quieter toward the end.

  The more than sixty thousand soldiers of the Turko-Tibetan force fell silent, all of them waiting for the storm.

  ……

  The atmosphere was tense.

  On the western battle front, as the Arabs prepared for battle, the countless Tang warriors were also gathering behind the first defense line. All the soldiers that had withdrawn into the city were now marching out, neatly divided into orderly units.

  The Tang army swiftly set up one defense line, then a second, a third… Meanwhile, at the front of the army, Zhang Shouzhi was leading all the craftsmen in an all-out effort to repair the steel walls. Fires blazed and smoke roiled into the tense atmosphere.

  The armies of the two greatest empires of the east maintained a distant stalemate. Although the battle had yet to begin, swords were drawn and bowstrings pulled taut. The air was saturated with tension.

  Rumble!

  As the Tang readied for battle, the earth trembled, and massive silhouettes appeared from the rear of the Arab camp, blocking out the sun as they slowly strode into the field of vision.