The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Such an event would result in defeat on the verge of victory.

  Whoosh!

  The winds howled around him, blowing his hair into disarray. Wang Chong stood unmoving on the giant ape’s shoulder, his mind in turmoil.

  Release the Behemoths or watch them die—Wang Chong had to make a decision as quickly as possible!

  “Chong-er! Hurry! Now is the best time to attack the Arabs!” shouted a vigorous voice from the ground. Wang Yan was riding toward Wang Chong on a bulky horse, his voice rousing his son from his stupor.

  “Yes! Father, your child understands!”

  Wang Chong blinked as his eyes refocused. He knew what he had to do.

  The earth shook as the four momentarily still Behemoths slowly began to move once more, leading the army in pursuit of the Arabs.

  “Fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh units, hear my order! All of you remain in the rear to guard against an attack from the Tibetans and Western Turks! The rest of you, pursue!”

  Wang Chong’s voice rang out over the battlefield. Although the battle was won, Dalun Ruozan and his Tibetan soldiers still posed a problem. If they were attacked in the rear while pursuing the Arabs and lost Talas, they would have given up a major advantage for a minor gain.

  “Yes, Lord Marquis!”

  Energetic voices came from the rear. In the eyes of the soldiers, Wang Chong was a god. No matter how strong their enemy or how many there were, all of them believed with absolute conviction that they would emerge victorious.

  Since he had made his decision, Wang Chong did not hesitate, ordering the four Behemoths to advance at full speed, causing them to even outrun the warhorses.

  Each step of the Behemoths covered ten-some zhang, and in a few moments, they had caught up to the fleeing Arabs. Flames, bear palms, steely fists, and other kinds of attacks immediately began to rain down on the fleeing soldiers.

  “Ah!”

  Wretched screams filled the battlefield as the Arabs were mowed down. Sixty thousand, sixty-eight thousand, seventy thousand, eighty thousand… Nearly half of the two hundred thousand Arab soldiers had now died, and their losses were continuing to expand. This was an absolute nightmare to the Arab soldiers.

  “Scram! Don’t block my way!”

  “I’m a general! Get out of my way!”

  “Ruuun! The Behemoths have caught up! ….AAAAAH!”

  In front of the menace of death, everyone was the same, whether they were Tibetan, Turk, Arab, or Tang. The Arabs had been full of vim and vigor when they were chasing the defeated Tang, but now, they were bursting with fear. There was no cohesion in their ranks, horse and man trampling over each other as they fled.

  Chapter 994 - The Flaw of the Behemoths!

  Chapter 994: The Flaw of the Behemoths!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Stop! Get in line!”

  In the chaos, an Arab general attempted to restrain and consolidate the army to prevent the soldiers from running over each other. But not long after he issued this order, an enormous foot squashed both him and the formations of soldiers that had just formed up into paste.

  “Forget about the formations! Run!”

  Screams came from behind the fleeing Arabs, but were swiftly extinguished as if someone had snapped their necks, causing shivers of fear to run through everyone who heard them.

  This almost corporeal threat of death made even the bravest Arab soldier panic. But now that Wang Chong had stimulated all the potential of these Behemoths, these Arab soldiers could not flee fast enough. Eighty thousand, ninety thousand, ninety-six thousand… the Arab losses soared. Countless severed limbs, Arabian scimitars, and suits of armor carpeted the ground amidst seas and rivers of blood.

  “It’s over! The Arabs have lost this battle. There’s no more suspense about that!”

  On the high hills, amidst blustery winds, the three Tibetan commanders felt depressed. It was like the defeat of the Arabs had been their own defeat.

  If the lips died, the teeth would be exposed to the chill. If the doughty Arabs had lost to the Tang, then it would be even more difficult for the Tibetans and their meager force to win.

  “We should prepare to withdraw. If we stick around, we will be the ones suffering terrible losses!”

  Huoshu Huicang’s first thought was to retreat. Just one of the Behemoths the Arabs had raised was enough to inflict massive losses on his men, let alone four.

  “But the Arabs are still our allies. Before withdrawing, should we launch a diversionary assault to help them escape?” Dusong Mangpoje said, his mind in a complicated mood. He turned his head to Dalun Ruozan. Dalun Ruozan had made all the preparations and planning for this campaign, so only he could decide whether to withdraw or stay.

  Dalun Ruozan said nothing. He calmly looked forward, his large sleeve flapping in the wind. Neither Huoshu Huicang nor Dusong Mangpoje could tell what he was thinking.

  “No rush!” Dalun Ruozan suddenly said. “The Arabs truly have lost, but this war was far from as simple as you think it is.”

  With these final words, Dalun Ruozan focused his eyes on the Behemoths, a sharpness to his gaze.

  ……

  At this moment, on the western battlefield of Talas, the Arabs were in complete disarray as they retreated.

  I just hope that they can last as long as possible. That’s all I can do! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  Even though numerous Arabs were being felled, Wang Chong was not as happy or excited as one would imagine. His mind was controlling the four Behemoths, so he could clearly sense the changes in their bodies.

  Fwoosh!

  As the Burning One spat out flame after flame, it was no longer just suffering a problem of accuracy. Even the strength and heat of the flames were decreasing. Its body was shuddering and swaying, and though it hadn’t collapsed yet, each step seemed to take all the strength in its body. Each stagger forward seemed ready to turn into a full fall.

  Nearby, the white bear Behemoth’s savage eyes were growing more and more crazed, and though its large mouth was opening and closing again and again, it made no noise. Only Wang Chong understood that its internals were in complete shambles, with many of the channels controlling its voice and body severely damaged. Its actions were increasingly uncoordinated, increasingly sluggish. In controlling it, Wang Chong had to consume far more Psychic Energy than at any point previous.

  Next to the white bear Behemoth, the third Behemoth was faring no better.

  Each second Wang Chong controlled the Behemoths, their condition worsened.

  Boom!

  After some time, there was an enormous boom as the weakest of the Behemoths, the Burning One, stiffened up and abruptly crashed to the ground, stirring vast clouds of dust. Its eyes closed, and it ceased to move. So sudden and unexpected was this event that it wasn’t just the Tang soldiers who were stunned. Even the distant Abu Muslim and Ziyad were dumbfounded.

  “It’s the Burning One!”

  “What’s going on here!”

  The two Arab commanders had heard that thunderous crash and turned their heads to the giant lizard lying motionless in that vast cloud of dust.

  Everyone knew the strength of the Behemoths. If the Great Tang continued to lead these four Behemoths in pursuit of the Arab army, Abu Muslim and Ziyad would have to order the army to keep retreating, no matter how reluctant they were in making that decision. They might have even had to retreat past Samarkand all the way to Khorasan. But now they looked at the unmoving Burning One, then they looked at each other, both seeing the queer look in the other’s eyes.

  “Milord, before, with this Behemoth…” Ziyad said hesitantly.

  The moment the Burning One fell, its aura had completely vanished, signifying that yet another Behemoth had perished on the battlefield of Talas. Ziyad had no idea what had happened, but if there was one person present who could singlehandedly injure the Burning One, perhaps even kill it, it could only be Abu Muslim
with his Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars Art.

  “It wasn’t me!”

  Abu Muslim’s brow was tightly furrowed. Although Ziyad had not finished his question, Abu Muslim understood what he was trying to say.

  “The Burning One might not have as strong of a defense as the Consecrated and the other Behemoths, but killing it is still no easy task. Moreover, I was busy fighting with that Tang Qixi Protector-General. I had no time to deal with the Burning One.”

  Ziyad was stunned by these words.

  If it was not Abu Muslim, just who would have the ability to kill the Burning One? Could it have been the Tang? But that was just absurd!

  The death of the Burning One did not slow the Tang pursuit. The Arabs continued to suffer massive losses, their bodies strewn across the battlefield.

  Awooooo!

  After another interval, the white bear Behemoth suddenly halted its pursuit. With a brutal look in its eyes, it raised its front two paws and began to madly attack the surrounding ground and its own body. The air resounded with booms and bangs as gravel and dust soared into the skies.

  “Ah!”

  “Run! The white bear Behemoth has gone crazy! Everyone, keep your distance!”

  The Great Tang soldiers that had been following the white bear Behemoth backed away in fright. If the white bear Behemoth attacked the Tang soldiers in its madness, it would no longer be just the Arabs taking on severe losses. But everyone soon realized that though the white bear Behemoth had gone insane, it remained where it was, neither advancing nor falling back.

  The second one…

  Standing on the giant ape’s shoulder, Wang Chong looked on in grief at the white bear Behemoth. He had thought that by taking control of the four Behemoths, he had obtained a powerful force, but now, another Behemoth had followed the Burning One in entering its death throes. The white bear was in the final madness that heralded its death. Booom! After a few more moments, the enormous white bear crashed to the ground and breathed its last. At the moment of its death, blood gushed out from the cracks in its skin, drenching its snow-white fur in red.

  The death of the Burning One was like the first domino to fall, the opening curtain to the deaths of the four Behemoths. Following it was the white bear Behemoth, and then with a roar, the third Behemoth followed its comrades in death. It was no longer just Abu Muslim and Ziyad who were stunned. The tens of thousands of Arab soldiers and even Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje were struck dumb.

  The four enormous bodies of the Behemoths placed tremendous pressure on any who faced them. Before, they had placed the pressure on the Tang soldiers, and just a few moments ago, this pressure had been exerted on the Tibetans and Arabs. But nobody had expected these Behemoths to start dying off. Only the Consecrated was left now.

  Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje instantly glanced at Dalun Ruozan. When the two of them had been thinking about retreat, Dalun Ruozan had stopped them. Now that they thought about it, it was clear that he had an inkling that this might occur.

  “I’m not that farsighted…” Dalun Ruozan indifferently, his eyes still focused on the battlefield. He had long ago predicted what Huoshu Huicang and Dusong Mangpoje would be thinking.

  “I just thought of a few things as I observed the reactions of those four Behemoths. The methods for raising and feeding these Behemoths that the Arabs used are all from an ancient civilization, one from many thousands of years ago. Nothing can remain in complete condition after so many years, so these methods must be incomplete, producing innate flaws in the product. If this weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have been able to so easily control them.”

  Dalun Ruozan looked at Wang Chong as he spoke these last words.

  Huoba Sangye suddenly spoke. “Great Minister, why don’t we… take this chance to attack them in the rear? We might turn defeat into victory, not only defeating the Great Tang but engendering a little gratitude in the hearts of Abu Muslim and the Arabs?”

  He had been standing on the side for some time, listening to every word Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, and Dusong Mangpoje had said. Only now did he choose to make his opinion known.

  “It’s not that easy. See those soldiers in front of Talas? The Young Marquis already prepared himself against us,” Dalun Ruozan said with a shake of his head.

  Chapter 995 - The Governor of Iron and Blood's Confusion!

  Chapter 995: The Governor of Iron and Blood’s Confusion!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Of the four Behemoths, only the giant ape was still alive, but this one alone would be enough to deal a destructive blow to the Tibetans. Moreover, an army burning with righteous indignation was bound to win. The Tang had just defeated the Arabs, so their morale was at its peak. To recklessly attack them at this moment was an exceedingly poor idea.

  Wang Chong, strength that you’ve borrowed is not strength of your own. You’ve lost your greatest barrier and returned to the starting point. What will you do now? Dalun Ruozan inwardly mused.

  As he gazed at the now-stationary giant ape and the young figure on its left shoulder, Dalun Ruozan gave a faint smile. For some reason, the sight of the Arabs withdrawing finally made him relax.

  In the end, Wang Chong had not died to the Arabs.

  There was still a chance to realize his dream, to personally defeat Wang Chong in the realm of strategy and schemes!

  ……

  Several thousand zhang from Talas, the war drums began to thunder. Standing on the giant ape’s shoulder, Wang Chong finally gave the order to retreat. This order made it seem like the Tang army had run into an invisible wall that halted its pursuit.

  At this moment, the Great Tang army displayed its superb level of training and discipline.

  “Chong-er.”

  The dignified, steady, and familiar voice of Wang Yan came from the ground. Wang Yan was seated on his stalwart horse as he looked up with worried eyes at his son.

  “How is this giant ape doing? Can it hold?”

  The death and collapse of Behemoth after Behemoth had deeply stunned both sides of this battle. Wang Yan still had no idea what was happening, nor did he ask. However, their consecutive deaths clearly indicated that something was very wrong.

  “It’s fine. The Consecrated can still hold on!” Wang Chong indifferently said.

  Although he was inwardly concerned, he showed none of this on his face. The deaths of the Behemoths were unavoidable. Regardless of what the specific reason was, this was already a fact. More importantly, the deaths of the three Behemoths had an even subtler effect on the battlefield.

  In front, on the western horizon, the fleeing Arab army had already slowed down. They were still recovering from the shock, but they were clearly less frightened and panicked. From the giant ape’s shoulder, Wang Chong could even see that Abu Muslim and Ziyad were beginning to reconsolidate the army.

  I hope that the giant ape can last a little longer…

  Wang Chong turned to the giant ape. Both of the ape’s ears were leaking black blood, and from his perspective, he could even see that black blood was leaking from the giant ape’s eyes and nose. The pungent odor in the air was extremely thick now.

  The giant ape’s condition was awful. Its breathing was extremely slow and heavy, like creaky bellows, and its aura was rapidly weakening. Wang Chong was already doing his utmost to slow the death of the giant ape’s brain, minimizing the Psychic Energy he sent into the giant ape’s mind. But the death of the giant ape appeared to be inevitable.

  Wang Chong could only drag out the ape’s death as long as possible.

  “Abu Muslim is not easy to deal with. With the death of these three Behemoths, Abu Muslim appears to have recovered his spirit, his ambitions on the Great Tang revived. If the last Behemoth dies, we will have to prepare for the worst scenario,” Wang Yan worriedly said.

  Before coming west, no one had known of Abu Muslim’s name, but by now, everyone was aware of the Arabian Empire and Abu Muslim.
This empire’s strength was far greater than they had all imagined.

  And as the highest commander of the east, Abu Muslim was brimming with ambition. The smallest flaw would have him leaping like a tiger. He would never relinquish a chance to conquer and destroy his foes. Wang Yan had never fought such a powerful enemy in his life, but there had never been a Great General like the Governor of Iron and Blood, so thirsting with the desire for conquest.

  This was someone who appeared to exist solely for battle!

  For him, the desire for conquest surpassed the will to live, transforming into an instinct.

  “Father, be at ease. He won’t.”

  Wang Chong suddenly smiled at his father’s words. His sharp eyes peered into the distance, seemingly seeing through all things.

  “The Arabs have suffered enormous losses, far more than we have in this battle. I’ve taken control of the Behemoth Army, and the Skyquaking Army has lost more than half its number. Without the assistance of these two powerful armies, Abu Muslim doesn’t have much of an advantage over us. More importantly… the Arab morale is in no state for another battle!”

  Wang Chong spoke with absolute confidence. As the War Saint, Wang Chong saw far more than most. The only reason the Tang had been able to rally and counterattack in this battle was that he had found the flaw in the crucial Behemoths, allowing him to alter the course of this battle through Psychic Energy.

  By using the Behemoths’ abilities, Wang Chong had been able to galvanize his army and launch a counterattack against the Arabs. But the Arabs were still fearful, panicked, and uneasy… So long as one Behemoth still existed, they would remain intimidated.

  In this situation, the greatly spent and demoralized Arab soldiers could not start another battle. Only Abu Muslim himself was capable of doing anything, but one man against one army was simply fantasy.