The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  How… That place is so far away from the capital!

  The elder’s mind froze for a moment, but he quickly came to his senses and began to redo his calculations.

  “Gao Xianzhi… Wang Chong… Arabia…”

  Countless thoughts and images flitted through the elder’s mind. Just as the elder was engrossed in this task, his body went stiff and he vomited blood.

  “Not good! There are difficulties at Talas! This war will influence the thousand-year fortune of the Great Tang! And all of this will be the origin of the calamity! I must inform His Majesty as quickly as possible! The Great Tang is in trouble!”

  The elder’s beard was still speckled with blood, but he didn’t even have time to clean it off as he rushed from the star observation platform into the inner court of the Imperial Palace.

  ……

  All sorts of strange phenomena were sighted across the Central Plains and reported to the Imperial Palace, but all this news was suppressed.

  At night, a warhorse galloped through the gates of the Imperial Palace into its very depths. It was forbidden to ride a horse in the Imperial Palace, but the heroic figure of the Tongluo steed and the golden dragon token it bore opened all the gates of the palace to it. Only one person in the Imperial City possessed this token.

  Tongluo Great General Abusi!

  The Tongluo people had served the imperial lineage for more than two hundred years and were devotedly loyal. It was this loyalty and their astonishing record on the battlefield that allowed the Tongluo Chief Abusi to obtain this token which permitted him to freely ride through the Imperial Palace.

  This was an honor that not even the children of the imperial household enjoyed.

  In a few moments, Abusi had made his way through the palace and appeared before that looming and majestic hall that represented the center of authority in the Great Tang.

  “Your lowly subject Abusi pays respects to the Sage Emperor! What decree does the Sage Emperor have? This lowly subject will walk through fire to complete it!”

  Abusi dismounted, strode up the steps, and kneeled down in front of the hall.

  Abusi’s expression was extremely solemn. Everyone knew that his golden dragon token endowed him with such supreme authority that he could even ride a horse through the palace in the middle of the night. But only the Tongluo people knew that it could only be used when something extremely important had occurred.

  The token did not represent a glory, but a duty and mission. It symbolized the Tongluo people’s loyalty to the imperial household and the contract they had made many years ago.

  The hall was quiet for some time. Finally, a voice came from within.

  “Abusi, We have an important matter to task you with…”

  “Your Divine Majesty, please order me!”

  Abusi’s expression turned stern as he pressed his head even lower to the ground.

  “The Tongluo should immediately dispatch six thousand cavalry to Talas!”

  The indistinct voice of the Sage Emperor drifted through the hall.

  “Yes!”

  Abusi’s pupils constricted. For the hundreds of years the Tongluo had served the imperial household, they had rarely left the capital, and served mostly as its guards. But Abusi showed no hesitation at the Sage Emperor’s words.

  “Your lowly subjects receives the decree! This lowly subject will ride with the Tongluo Cavalry to the northwest to assist Lord Gao in resisting the Arabs!”

  Everyone knew about what was happening at Talas. Although Abusi had his conflicts with Wang Chong, with the Regional Commanders Incident being a particularly sore point, Abusi would never defy the decree of the Sage Emperor. Whether it was to help Wang Chong or anyone else, the Tongluo had sworn an oath to the imperial household to always do their utmost.

  “That is not necessary. We only need you to send six thousand Tongluo Cavalry to escort an object for Us.”

  The majestic voice of the Sage Emperor reverberated through the hall.

  “Ah!”

  Abusi raised his head in shock. He had never imagined that the Sage Emperor was only dispatching him to deliver an object.

  “Go!”

  The Sage Emperor’s voice rang through the hall.

  Bzzzz! The entire Imperial Palace suddenly trembled. As Abusi watched, an enormous, armored foot suddenly appeared from the open doors of the hall. The guard it belonged to was covered in thick armor that made him appear like a monster, an image only accentuated by his size—thrice that of any other guard.

  Even his face was covered in a monstrous metal mask.

  In all his years of service in the palace, Abusi had never seen this guard before. His entire body was shrouded in a dark energy that prevented even someone of Abusi’s cultivation from seeing within. But what shocked and intimidated Abusi the most was the war banner gripped in the hands of this monstrous guard.

  The pole was the height of two people and as thick as a wrist. It was made from some mix of Deep Sea Xuan Metal and another unknown metal, but even more striking was the banner itself. The banner was red on black, a red so vivid that it seemed like dripping blood. The banner was somewhat tattered and threadbare, clearly extremely ancient.

  Most unbelievable of all was that Abusi could sense a pure and vigorous Stellar Energy flowing within this banner. The character of this Stellar Energy made even an Imperial Great General like Abusi appear inferior.

  “This is…!”

  A single thought suddenly occurred to Abusi, and his mouth dropped. But he said no more and quickly lowered his head.

  I didn’t think that His Majesty would bring out this war banner!

  At this moment, Abusi’s mind was in complete turmoil.

  ……

  Rumble!

  Several hours later, six thousand Tongluo Cavalry departed the capital for the first time, escorting this black-armored guard to the distant Talas.

  ……

  While these six thousand Tongluo Cavalry were heading for Qixi, in the northern regions of the empire, on the distant Western Turkic steppe, a war was fermenting.

  “Ready!”

  A bright voice resounded over the steppe. On the ground, tens of thousands of soldiers of the Beiting Protectorate army had lined up in a long human wall. Behind this long wall of shieldmen were spearmen, infantry, axemen, archers, and also a vast sea of cavalry.

  All the cavalry were in ordered battle formations, ready to attack at any time.

  Across from them were the even more numerous Western Turkic cavalry. All of these cavalry had their sabers unsheathed as they stared at the Beiting Protectorate army with eyes seething with killing intent.

  The air was tense as the time of battle approached. Finally…

  Bwoooom!

  With the resounding blare of a horn, the tens of thousands of Western Turkic cavalry charged out like water from flood gates.

  Chapter 1047 - The Sanmi Great General!

  Chapter 1047: The Sanmi Great General!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Kill them all!”

  “For all the herdsmen!”

  “The steppe will always be the steppe of the Turks. Since you want battle, we’ll fulfill your wish!”

  Bellows shook the heavens. The Western Turkic Khaganate and the Beiting Protectorate army had always countered each other. Although they fought every year, the wars had never been very intense.

  This time, however, the Beiting Protectorate army had left its base and penetrated deep into the Turkic steppe. With just an army of one hundred thousand, they dared to sweep through the most fertile pastures and watering holes of the steppe.

  Even Ishbara Khagan was infuriated by An Sishun’s brashness and ambition. He had ordered the Turkic army stationed in the southern region of the Western Turkic Khaganate to go down and eliminate An Sishun.

  Awooo!

  One part of the Western Turkic cavalry charged straight at the Beiting Protectorate army while
the other part split into two and went around the flanks, attempting to strike at the Beiting Protectorate army’s rear.

  This was a classic tactic of the Western Turkic Khaganate. If the Beiting Protectorate army penetrated deep into the steppe, the Western Turks would try to attack them from behind.

  “Kill!”

  In just a few short moments, the army of the Western Turkic Khaganate crashed against the defensive line of the Beiting Protectorate army like an enormous wave. The earth trembled and the heavens seemed to lose their color in the moment of that clash. Countless Tang infantry were sent flying at the impact.

  But the warriors of the Beiting Protectorate army almost immediately reacted. The axemen, spearmen, archers, and cavalry… all of them pressed forward. The air clanged and clattered constantly with steel as the soldiers battled.

  “An Sishun, you’re too conceited! How do you plan to have your one hundred thousand soldiers defeat my one hundred and eighty thousand cavalry?!”

  An erect figure towered in the rear of the Turkic army like a looming mountain. His eyes exploded with sharp light and his every move was suffused with an awe-inspiring strength. His enormous aura was enough to make one feel suffocated.

  The Sanmi Great General!

  This was one of the three strongest Great Generals of the Western Turkic Khaganate. His eyes were sharp and fierce, and his status was no less than Duwu Sili’s. Duwu Sili had been sent to the northwest to fight at Talas, while the Sanmi Great General Jiudu Fuluo had been stationed in the southern part of the steppe by Ishbara Khagan to deal with the Tang army under An Sishun’s command.

  This was not Jiudu Fuluo’s first clash with An Sishun, and the two were extremely familiar with each other’s methods. Although he didn’t understand why a Great General like An Sishun would suddenly leave his base and riskily venture into the steppe, he could not ignore this excellent chance to completely wipe out the Beiting Protectorate army.

  Moreover, Jiudu Fuluo had sent scouts beforehand and had confirmed that An Sishun had no reinforcements.

  This was nothing short of suicidal!

  Bang!

  In the distance, just when the Western Turkic cavalry were about to crush the Beiting Protectorate army with their sheer advantage in numbers, the air suddenly rang with booms and the grinding of gears. By the time Jiudu Fuluo had reacted, all he could hear were screams. A fuzzy black silhouette shot through the air, blasting through the chests of seven Turkic cavalry in a straight line, causing them to drop from their horses in fountains of blood.

  “Great Tang ballistae!”

  Jiudu Fuluo was stunned as he realized what had happened. He instantly felt a very ill foreboding.

  He had carefully investigated and knew that An Sishun didn’t have many ballistae in his ranks, and his soldiers would have never been able to fire them so accurately. This was not the style of the Beiting Protectorate army.

  But then Jiudu Fuluo was left even further stunned.

  The ‘supply carriages’ in the center of the Beiting Protectorate army suddenly had their cloth coverings removed, revealing not bags of grain and food, but the famed war machines of the Great Tang, the ballistae!

  “Fire!”

  An aloof young general in the center of these ballistae swung his Wootz Steel sword down. The five thousand Tang ballistae fired simultaneously, sending five thousand ballista bolts howling through the air. Time seemed to stop as the one hundred and eighty thousand Western Turkic cavalry felt their hearts freeze.

  Boomboomboom!

  In this single volley, tens of thousands of Western Turkic cavalry were felled. These ballista soldiers could fire extremely accurately, and they fired at exactly where the Turkic cavalry were most concentrated. Each bolt struck at least three Turkic cavalry, and even the most seasoned amongst them were still felled like weeds.

  Neeeigh! Nearly twenty thousand Western Turkic cavalry fell from their warhorses. The battlefield became eerily quiet as the Western Turkic cavalry stared in shock, even their breathing momentarily stopping.

  “Release!”

  While everyone was still stunned by the might of the ballistae, the aloof young general immediately ordered the second volley to be fired. With another chorus of booms, five thousand more bolts flew toward the Western Turkic cavalry like the scythe of the grim reaper.

  “Kill them!”

  A few Turkic cavalry tried to charge at the ballista army, but they were cut down by a rain of death before they could even get close. None of the Turkic cavalry were a match for this ballista army that had appeared out of nowhere.

  “Retreat! Retreat!” Jiudu Fuluo anxiously called out, both shocked and furious.

  He had recognized the uniforms of those ballista soldiers that had emerged from the supply carriages. In a letter Duwu Sili had sent to Ishbara Khagan, he had mentioned a new kind of ballista unit that had appeared in the Great Tang. This unit could fire ballistae very quickly and accurately, and possessed terrifying might.

  “This must be that unit from Qixi!”

  The Great Tang ballista army that Duwu Sili had said appeared at Talas could never appear here. Although he wasn’t sure how this new and even larger ballista army had appeared in this place, Jiudu Fuluo was sure that it was inextricably linked to that temporary Qixi Protector-General called Wang Chong.

  “Everyone, retreat!”

  Jiudu Fuluo’s thunderous roar echoed over the battlefield. As his voice resounded in the skies, Jiudu Fuluo was already charging forward, soaring like an eagle over the Tang army.

  Buzz!

  Stellar Energy seethed around him like tens of thousands of snakes. In a flash, this Stellar Energy suddenly exploded with a light more dazzling than the sun’s. From a distance, Jiudu Fuluo seemed to have transformed into an enormous comet, the light so completely shrouding him that it was no longer possible to see his figure. Moreover, the energy rising from Jiudu Fuluo’s body instantly became ten times more powerful, and everyone felt like a calamity was hanging over their heads.

  Comet’s Descent!

  This was one of Jiudu Fuluo’s most famous techniques. By harnessing his terrifying power and the special nature of his Stellar Energy, Jiudu Fuluo could crash down from the skies like a descending comet and unleash a terrifying explosion within the enemy ranks.

  Because the Great Tang ballistae had been disguised as supply carriages, they were somewhat densely concentrated. An attack from a Great General of Jiudu Fuluo’s level was certain to deal this ballista army a heavy blow.

  “Hahaha! Jiudu Fuluo, isn’t it a bit too late to realize that you’ve fallen into a trap?”

  Laughter resounded through the air as An Sishun shot out from beneath the black banner of the Beiting Protectorate like an arrow.

  In the blink of an eye, he had collided with the mid-air Jiudu Fuluo. Even though Jiudu Fuluo was one of the three strongest Great Generals of the Western Turkic Khaganate, even he was forced to discard the idea of dealing with the ballistae while fighting against An Sishun.

  “An Sishun, you’re very crafty!”

  Jiudu Fuluo slashed out with his saber, infusing his vast saber energy with his fury.

  This was not the Sanmi Great General’s first clash with An Sishun, but it was the first time he had been caught so off guard. For An Sishun to make himself bait to trap Jiudu Fuluo was definitely not his style. With Jiudu Fuluo being so caught off guard, the result of this battle was easily imaginable.

  “Hahaha, Jiudu Fuluo, thank you for your high praise!”

  An Sishun gave a careless laugh. Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed a dazzling and magnificent Sword Qi that collided with Jiudu Fuluo’s saber energy.

  But this battle would not end how Jiudu Fuluo and An Sishun imagined it would.

  “Fire!”

  The aloof young general barked out another order and swung down his sword. More than seventy ballista bolts began to converge on Jiudu Fuluo’s position.

  “Damn it!”

 
; Jiudu Fuluo’s heart exploded with rage at the sight of these ballista bolts. Normally, Jiudu Fuluo wouldn’t mind even if hundreds of ballista bolts were fired at him, but with An Sishun attacking him, even Jiudu Fuluo would have to beat a temporary retreat.

  “An Sishun, don’t get too proud. There will come a day when your Beiting Protectorate will pay the price!”

  Jiudu Fuluo lunged away, taking advantage of the impact from his clash with An Sishun to flee.

  Behind him, the Western Turkic cavalry fled for their lives.

  “Fire!”

  The cold voice ordered the five thousand Tang ballistae to fire yet another volley. Boomboomboom! The screams of man and horse, the thudding of bodies against the ground, and the cries of the pursuing Tang army created a discordant din over the battlefield.

  Chapter 1048 - Divine Martial Army!

  Chapter 1048: Divine Martial Army!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Part of the Tang army had remained intentionally concealed, only waiting until the two armies had clashed to abruptly strike. This minor detail immediately had tremendous effects. Even though Jiudu Fuluo had promptly called for a retreat, he had still left tens of thousands of Turkic bodies on the battlefield.

  Even those Western Turkic cavalry who had fled very far away could hear the shouts of the soldiers behind them. The battle had only lasted for a short while, but Jiudu Fuluo and his army had paid nearly eighty thousand lives. Meanwhile, the Beiting Protectorate had not even lost five thousand. This sort of casualty ratio had never happened before.

  “Enough! Everyone come back! This battle is enough to restrain Jiudu Fuluo from any reckless actions for at least a year!”

  With An Sishun’s order, all the pursuing Beiting soldiers withdrew. The Beiting Protectorate had far too much infantry and supply wagons to match the agility of the purely cavalry forces of the Western Turkic army. Moreover, the ballista army also could not follow the army in the pursuit.

  As An Sishun was awash with joy and all the soldiers of the Beiting Protectorate were celebrating, a cold and untimely voice spoke. “Lord Protector-General, our mission is complete and you have seen the power of the ballista army. It is now time to fulfill your end of the promise.”