The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Speed is paramount in war. The war could break out at any time. We’ve gathered around sixty thousand soldiers now, so we can set off for Talas to reinforce Lord Protector-General. As for the four thousand soldiers of the Ultimate Martial Army, have them follow and join the army at Talas!” Su Hanshan coldly and sternly said.

  Cui Piaoqi and Wang Bei nodded, both of them agreeing with Su Hanshan.

  “Since that’s the case, inform the two venerable seniors and prepare to move out,” Su Hanshan said.

  An hour later, metallic drums began to bang and great clouds of dust began to rise from the Qixi Protectorate headquarters. An elite army of more than fifty thousand soldiers set out from Qixi, majestically marching to Talas.

  In that moment, the winds roared and clouds gathered, and all the northwest seemed to tremble before the might of this army.

  Chapter 1050 - Three Sides Gather!

  Chapter 1050: Three Sides Gather!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  To the west of Talas, in the distant Black Forest…

  Flapflap! Countless birds took off into the air in fright as an enormous Arab army marched toward the Black Forest. The three massive banners of the army were visible from a great distance. They were a black crescent moon, a long and narrow river, and a burning black hell flame.

  Thump thump thump!

  The thundering of the war drums made all the Black Forest tremble before the might of this army.

  “They’re here!”

  In front of the Black Forest, Ziyad stood up and looked to the rear, his eyes glowing with joy. Behind Ziyad, Abu Muslim also stood up. His expression appeared calm but his eyes revealed all.

  The Arabs required a victory in this war, and Abu Muslim and Ziyad had been waiting far too long for this day to come. To break Talas and conquer the eastern world had always been the greatest desire of Abu Muslim and all the other Arab governors.

  As the Governor of Iron and Blood, Abu Muslim could not endure a loss to a puny army of infidels, nor could his deputy Ziyad.

  “Hahaha, Abu Muslim, we meet again!”

  A vigorous laugh came out of the army as Governor Osman of Cairo rode out to meet Abu Muslim and Ziyad.

  “Lord Osman, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

  Ziyad laughed and rode his own horse forward to meet him, a warm and amiable look on his face. Ziyad had also participated in the war with the Sassanid Dynasty, and he had even worked with Osman to kill a Sassanid Great General. They could be considered old friends.

  “Welcome!”

  Abu Muslim also rode his horse forward, but he only calmly spoke a single word.

  “Abu Muslim, you’re still your old self, still with that same foul expression. What’s wrong? Are the Tang at Talas really that formidable? Such that even you are no match for them?”

  Osman gently smiled while his eyes shone with curiosity.

  Abu Muslim was practically a symbol of invincibility in the Arabian Empire. In the last few decades, there had been no empire that he had not been able to conquer. But this time, not only had he failed to conquer, but he had been defeated as well. Osman had to admit that he had been rather stunned when he had first heard this news, even believing it to be some sort of joke.

  “Osman, don’t get careless. This Tang army is different from any opponent we’ve ever faced. Their weapons, equipment, strategies, formations, and their commanders are all extremely formidable. In addition, eastern martial arts are completely different from ours. It was precisely because Masil was too careless that he died at their hands,” Abu Muslim grimly said.

  “Is that so?”

  An indifferent voice spoke, tinged with disdain and a tyrannical air.

  “That makes me want to try even more. I’d like to see if there’s an army in this world that our Mamelukes can’t defeat!”

  Aybak slowly rode out from the army upon a pure white steed.

  “Milord!”

  Ziyad’s expression became slightly apprehensive at the sight of Aybak and he immediately bowed.

  The Mamelukes were an army with supreme fighting power. All of Arabia knew this. As the leader of the Mamelukes, Aybak wielded immense influence. Even Ziyad had to show him a great deal of respect.

  “Aybak, if that’s what you want, you can try my army.”

  An icy voice came out from the rear, accompanied by the clopping of hooves. A figure shining with a dazzling golden light appeared, riding on an abnormally large Arabian steed.

  Qutaybah!

  Abu Muslim, Osman, Ziyad, and Aybak all turned serious and immediately shut their mouths. The Governor of War Qutaybah almost certainly commanded the most unique army in all the Arabian Empire.

  Qutaybah craved battle so much that he started wars even more frequently than Abu Muslim. He was an out-and-out battle maniac. This was one of the few people who surpassed Abu Muslim in status, and the formidable strength and authority he wielded made even the Caliph think about ways to restrain him.

  This madman!

  A hint of anger flashed through Aybak’s eyes, but he did not dare to voice his opinion. At its full strength, the Mamelukes only had ten thousand men, but Qutaybah’s elite soldiers were more than ten times this number. The Mamelukes were used to break defensive positions on the battlefield, not for large-scale combat. Even if the Mamelukes could break through Qutaybah’s formation, they would still end up in a bitter melee from which they would emerge with severe casualties.

  Most importantly, Aybak was no match for Qutaybah.

  Qutaybah was known as the War God of Arabia, a title that well reflected his level of strength. If it was not necessary, Aybak did not want to make enemies with this battle maniac.

  The dazzling golden figure of Qutaybah ignored Aybak and turned to Abu Muslim. “Abu Muslim, you’ve truly disappointed me. I didn’t think that someone of your strength with the help of the Behemoth Army and Skyquaking Army would still lose to a small eastern army with just some tens of thousands of troops. I once thought that you could replace me in the future, but it now seems that I overestimated you.”

  Abu Muslim’s brows moved as if he wanted to say something, but he managed to restrain himself. Hierarchy was strict in the Arabian Empire, and all of it was decided through strength. Abu Muslim had just suffered a defeat at Talas, so he naturally had nothing to say in front of the formidable Qutaybah.

  “Qutaybah, you’ll quickly know yourself whether the Tang are weak or strong. Since the army is here, we should begin to break Talas and eliminate the Tang army. Ziyad, inform the Tibetans and Western Turks to get ready to move out,” Abu Muslim ordered, turning his head.

  “Yes, Milord!”

  Ziyad came to his senses and quickly rode away.

  Flapflap! An Arabian hunting falcon soon soared into the sky, leaving the Black Forest, passing over Talas, and landing in the Tibetan camp.

  At this moment, the Tibetan army was vigilant and disciplined, and now exuded an entirely different aura. The forty thousand Tibetan reinforcements sent by the great clans and Royal Lineages had finally arrived and joined with Dalun Ruozan’s army. Dalun Ruozan once more had nearly eighty thousand soldiers, and their average strength was even higher than before.

  “Haha, everyone is finally here.”

  Dalun Ruozan smiled as he gripped Ziyad’s letter.

  He had been waiting for a very long time, and now the moment had finally arrived. Three governors, four hundred thousand soldiers, and the strength provided by the Tibetans and Western Turks… No matter what, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi had no way of surviving this battle.

  “Pass on my order! Have the army get ready to move out!”

  Dalun Ruozan lightly flicked the letter away.

  “Reporting!”

  At this moment, a Tibetan messenger bolted into the tent and got down on one knee.

  “Great Minister, the scouts in the rear have discovered Tang reinforcements moving toward Talas. We estima
te there to be at least sixty thousand, and all of them are elites. Great Minister, your instructions!”

  Buzz!

  The tent fell deathly still at these words, time seeming to stop and all movement freezing. Even Dalun Ruozan felt his expression freeze and the smile on his lips die away.

  “How far are they?” Dalun Ruozan said, his brows deeply creasing. This news had clearly caught him by surprise.

  “They’re moving very quickly. They’ll need at most a day to reach our position,” the messenger respectfully replied.

  The tent remained still. Dalun Ruozan propped his chin on one hand and began to silently think.

  “The Great Tang’s reinforcements came very quickly. It seems like that Sage Emperor has noticed the danger in the northwest and decided to send soldiers early,” Dusong Mangpoje sternly said.

  This was truly most surprising news. The Great Tang reinforcements had arrived just as they had been preparing to set out.

  “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

  Huoshu Huicang also spoke, his brows deeply furrowed.

  “The Great Tang is different from us. They have far too many enemies to be capable of mobilizing a lot of soldiers. Sixty thousand elites is truly a rather surprising figure. If we go according to the plan and advance together with the Arabs to attack Talas, I worry that it will be us and not the Tang at Talas who will be attacked in the rear.”

  In warfare, the greatest blunder of all was to be attacked in the rear.

  The Arabs had an astonishing ability to recover their fighting power. Even though they had lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers, they had managed to once more gather an army of four hundred thousand. Even if they were attacked in the rear, they would have nothing to fear. But the Tibetans only had eighty thousand soldiers. An attack in the rear might result in their being completely wiped out.

  The tent was quiet. This variable had come abruptly and quickly, not even allowing the Tibetans time to rejoice at the news of the Arab reinforcements before they had to reconsider their own circumstances. A grim and solemn mood hung over the tent.

  “Heh!”

  Dalun Ruozan suddenly chuckled as he made his decision.

  “It seems we’ll have to alter our plan. Earth is used to block a flood and soldiers are used to block an enemy army. Let’s go and see those Great Tang reinforcements. At the same time, we can also buy some time for Abu Muslim.

  “In addition, inform Duwu Sili. After so long, it’s about time we met up.”

  A few moments after Dalun Ruozan had given this order, an eagle soared into the air toward the Western Turkic camp. Not even two hours later, the Tibetan and Western Turkic armies merged and began to ride in the opposite direction from Talas.

  Chapter 1051 - The Assault of a Powerful Enemy!

  Chapter 1051: The Assault of a Powerful Enemy!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Time slowly passed. As the Arabs, Tibetans, and Western Turks began to move out, several eagles flew through the air, causing scouts to rush into Talas in extremely frantic states.

  “Reporting!

  “Bad news! The Arabs have been sighted! A force of Arab cavalry is approaching Talas at full speed. Our estimates put them at four hundred thousand soldiers!”

  Several scouts had charged into the reception hall, but their reports were one and the same.

  Boom!

  Like a boulder crashing into a lake, the scouts’ reports made everyone stand up in alarm. Although the Khorasani had already said that an army of four hundred thousand Arab soldiers was approaching, seeing it actually realized left all of them stunned.

  “It’s been more than a month. This day had to come eventually.”

  Gao Xianzhi gave a deep sigh as he stood up from the enormous conference table, his eyes turning to Wang Chong sitting across from him.

  “Mm.”

  Wang Chong nodded. Though his face showed no emotion, his mind was in a complicated mood. What should have come had come. After waiting for so long, the Great Tang and Arabia would finally have their unavoidable war, but this war was different from the last one. This was the true decisive battle. Only one of Arabia and the Great Tang could emerge alive from Talas. Only one flag would wave over its walls.

  “Xue Qianjun, what news has there been from the Imperial Court?”

  “Milord, Su Hanshan, General Wang, and General Cui have already departed from Qixi with an army of sixty thousand and are marching at full speed toward Talas.”

  Wang Chong nodded and continued, “Have the defenses for Qixi and the City of Steel been taken care of?”

  Xue Qianjun bowed and replied, “Milord, the prefectural armies of Longxi, the Guannei Circuit, and the Hedong Circuit have already garrisoned those two areas. Although they’re not enough for an offensive, they should be fine for just defense.”

  “Very good!”

  Wang Chong gave a slight nod, no flicker of emotion in his eyes.

  “The reinforcements from all sides have arrived. This battle is unavoidable. The only thing standing between us and our reinforcements is one Dalun Ruozan and one Duwu Sili!”

  As Wang Chong spoke, he took two small flags and thrust them down onto the model where the Tibetan and Western Turkic camps were located.

  “Wang Chong, Dalun Ruozan isn’t easy to deal with. He probably already knows about the reinforcements from Qixi. What should we do? Should we go out to receive them?”

  Cheng Qianli did not dare to take Dalun Ruozan lightly. In this period of more than a month, the Great Tang had wanted to raid the Tibetans and Turks several times, but Dalun Ruozan and Duwu Sili had managed to foresee these attempts every time and prepare for them. Right now, both armies were impregnable to the Tang army. Any movement the Tang tried would be discovered in advance.

  Even though Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli had sent scouts to clear out the spies in the city, no matter how many they killed, more would seem to appear. In the end, they could put an end to this idea.

  Until they had the absolute advantage, it was not appropriate for them to battle with the Tibetans and the Western Turks.

  “There’s no need!”

  To their surprise, Wang Chong very leisurely waved his hand in denial.

  “Dalun Ruozan won’t be fighting with us. The moment he detects any sign of movement from us, he’ll immediately withdraw. But if Dalun Ruozan is really intending to try something, he’s probably picked the wrong target this time.

  “Xue Qianjun, immediately inform Su Hanshan. Tell him that Dalun Ruozan is coming and that it’s time for him to show his abilities,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  The people in the hall exchanged glances, and even Gao Xianzhi couldn’t help but frown.

  ‘Su Hanshan’? They had never heard this name before, but they could see from Wang Chong’s expression that he trusted this person a great deal.

  “Wang Chong, this is…” Gao Xianzhi questioningly said.

  “A person who will make Dalun Ruozan suffer a great loss.”

  Wang Chong faintly smiled.

  ……

  As time passed, Talas became increasingly vigilant. The training of the Mo Saber Unit and the Wushang Cavalry also intensified.

  Clangclangclang!

  Sparks flew through the city as thick smoke billowed into the air. One Mo Saber after another was pulled from the furnaces and placed in the hands of the Mo Saber Unit, as were suits of Meteoric Metal armor.

  Several days later, there was a chorus of hammering as the final Mo Saber was finished. Once the flames and smoke had dispersed and it was formally pulled from the forge, the Mo Saber Unit was fully equipped.

  A palm reached over and grabbed the Mo Saber. After carefully examining the Mo Saber, Cheng Qianli gave the nod of approval.

  “Good enough. Send this equipment to the second training ground.”

  “Yes!”

  The Anxi Protectorate army officer next to him immediately ordered the soldi
ers standing at the ready to transport the weapons and equipment to the second training ground.

  “All of you, focus!”

  “All scouts need to remain on high alert! If the Arabs do anything, I want all of you to immediately report it!”

  “Eagle team, I need the entire sky watched. If the Arab soldiers manage to approach in the darkness, I’ll be asking you for an explanation!”

  The first defense line was saturated with tension as the shieldmen, cavalry, and axemen took their stations. The Arabs were on the verge of arrival and no one dared to show the slightest sign of neglect.

  ……

  While Talas was preparing its defenses, several hundred kilometers away, the Turko-Tibetan army had a brief but intense battle with the Tang reinforcements. The battle did not rise to the level of a decisive one, but it left quite a few corpses on the battlefield.

  “Great Minister! What do we do now?”

  In the churning dust and howling winds, Huoba Sangye stood next to Dalun Ruozan and gave a complicated glance behind him.

  Losing to Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi was one thing, but now, even this nameless Tang brat had given them a savage blow.

  All was quiet as Dalun Ruozan glanced behind him at the countless wounded soldiers, his heart sinking.

  “I was careless. I didn’t think that this wave of reinforcements would be this strong. Now is not the time to wrangle with them. Pass on my order. We’ll retreat according to the original plan. We must join with the Arabs as quickly as possible. In addition, tell Abu Muslim that the Tang reinforcements are not to be underestimated. He must be cautious!” Dalun Ruozan sternly said.

  “Yes! Great Minister!”

  A messenger immediately left.

  “Great Minister, do you need me to take care of that boy?” Huoshu Huicang suddenly said. “If it’s necessary, there’s still time!”

  “If we don’t take care of him now, I now worry that the Great Tang will have yet another person like Wang Chong.”

  Dalun Ruozan had been commanding the troops for the entire battle. The number of soldiers that had been killed in hand-to-hand combat was actually rather small. The Tibetans had suffered most of their casualties from the five thousand ballistae hidden in the rear.