The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

As Wang Chong moved out, all of the power the Great Tang had at Talas was mobilized. Even those shepherds of the Western Regions that had fled a great distance were excitedly shouting as they charged back. After gathering up their herds, they began to follow the army.

  “Divine soldiers! They must be divine soldiers!”

  A shepherd, his head covered in a white headscarf, was so excited that his entire body was shaking. The Great Tang had truly given him an enormous surprise. Whether it was about using the Myriad Rakshasa Earthen Stronghold Formation to attack Qutaybah or that final heaven-shaking battle, the Great Tang had not leaked out any information, not even to their allies.

  But no one was complaining about it now. It was enough that Arabia could be defeated and the battle won. War should be left to those people responsible for war.

  “Hear my order! Teams two and three, dismantle the steel walls! Team one, load the steel onto the transport carriages and prepare to follow the army!”

  Zhang Shouzhi’s beard was flying in the wind and his elderly eyes were shining brightly. After working with Wang Chong so many times, Zhang Shouzhi had long ago ceased to be a simple craftsman and now knew some things about military affairs. After a stalemate of several months, Zhang Shouzhi sensed that this pursuit would not come to an end so easily. This would be an unprecedented hunt, and these steel walls could be tremendously useful to Wang Chong in any future battles.

  And now that the city of Talas behind him had collapsed, there was no defensive value in holding this ground. This was a barren land that wasn’t even good for grazing. Someone of Wang Chong’s personality was bound to advance the defense line. Zhang Shouzhi understood this through the mutual understanding he had developed with Wang Chong over their long relationship.

  “Kill!”

  With the Wushang Cavalry and Tongluo Cavalry leading the way while the shepherds and craftsmen brought up the rear, this unprecedented pursuit began. The pursuit went on through day and night, and even the elite infantry armies decided to mount horses so that they could keep up.

  This was a great taboo in ordinary circumstances and did not allow these elite soldiers to wield their full power, but at a time like this, military tactics were completely irrelevant. The Arab cavalry had lost all their will to fight. For the first time in their history, these fearless Arabs that lived for war had encountered a stronger and more courageous opponent. For the first time, they had experienced a complete rout.

  ……

  “Great Minister, hurry! Ahead of us is the stone bridge. As long as we get across, we can destroy the stone bridge and then return to the Tibetan Plateau through Greater and Lesser Balur, throwing off the Tang pursuit!” Huoba Sangye frantically called out.

  The Tang pursuit was far fiercer than imagined. They had been fleeing from Talas all this time, and yet the roars of the Tang behind them had been ever-present. It was as if the Tang were determined to chase down the Tibetans and Arabs until they were completely wiped out.

  Huoba Sangye had a proud personality, and he had led his Mutri Great Cavalry to this battle to correct their reputation, but now, Huoba Sangye didn’t even dare to look back.

  The auras of Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, the black-armored guard, Cheng Qianli, and the others were like threatening storms, and no one amongst the Tibetans could stand against them. Even someone as proud as Dama Trimo had put away his Buddhist dagger and was fleeing with all his might.

  As for Abu Muslim and Ziyad, because they had given their energy to Qutaybah, they were extremely weak. Moreover, they had not been given any time to rest or recover their energy.

  In this state, the Tibetans and Arabs did not have the right to battle with the Tang.

  Huoba Sangye turned to the nearby Dayan Ersongrong. “Dayan Ersongrong, lead a group of soldiers to disrupt the Arabs and slightly slow them. The Tang are mostly focused on the Arabs right now. If they’re thrown into disorder for a few moments, we’ll have a greater chance at survival!”

  Even though Dusong Mangpoje and Huoshu Huicang had both been killed, the Tibetans still had some soldiers that could fight.

  “Understood!”

  Dayan Ersongrong immediately led a group of soldiers charging toward the Arabs.

  With just a single charge and a chorus of shouts and curses, the Arabs were impeded by Dayan Ersongrong. As expected, the soldiers in the rear were significantly slowed and fell into disorder. In the past, Huoba Sangye would have never dared to do such a thing, but now that they had lost, the two sides could no longer be considered allies. As long as he and the Great Minister could return to Ü-Tsang, nothing else mattered.

  “Go! Everyone go! Get across the stone bridge, and then we can destroy it and cut off the pursuit!” Huoba Sangye sternly shouted.

  Gallop! A highland steed bounded forward onto the stone bridge that all of them had arrived at. Behind it, hundreds of thousands of Tibetan soldiers followed like a school of fish swimming through a stream.

  Chapter 1153 - Dalun Ruozan's Request!

  Chapter 1153: Dalun Ruozan’s Request!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Huoba Sangye turned his head and yelled behind him, “Great Minister, hurry and go! I will cover your retreat!”

  The Great Tang warhorses were creating a thunderous roar, the entire world quaking as they approached with astonishing speed. The dying wails of the Arabs pierced through the skies, causing the Tibetans to quail in fear. If they did not flee now, they would be next.

  “What are you standing around for! Hurry and escort the Great Minister out of here!”

  Huoba Sangye pointed at two Mutri Great Cavalry.

  “Huoba.”

  Suddenly, a calm and wise voice interrupted Huoba Sangye’s order. The sound of his name in his ears startled Huoba Sangye, and he instantly had an ill foreboding. For some reason, he sensed the aura of death in Dalun Ruozan’s voice.

  “Great Minister, we’ll have time to talk when we get back. You two bastards, didn’t you hear what I said!”

  Huoba Sangye’s eyes went wide, and before Dalun Ruozan could say anything more, he began to reprimand his two subordinates.

  “Huoba Sangye, let us part ways here.”

  Dalun Ruozan sat on the back of his horse and raised his head. Amidst the roars of fighting and killing, his voice was abnormally calm, so calm that it made Huoba Sangye uneasy.

  “Great Minister, what nonsense are you saying! Hurry and go!”

  Huoba Sangye’s eyes wildly twitched as if understanding what was about to happen.

  “Haha, Huoba, there’s no need to say anything more. More than one hundred thousand soldiers were killed and the Mutri Great Cavalry has sustained severe losses. Someone has to take responsibility for all this, and moreover, Dusong Mangpoje and Huoshu Huicang have both died on this battlefield. Even if we return to Ü-Tsang, do you think that the Tsenpo will let us go?”

  Dalun Ruozan faintly smiled, his expression growing even calmer.

  “Great Minister.”

  Huoba Sangye was frozen in shock. His mind was bursting with things to say, but in the face of Dalun Ruozan’s simple argument, he couldn’t manage to squeeze out a single one.

  “Huoba, go. Only if I remain can you survive. My era is already over. In the future, Ü-Tsang can only depend on you. Tell the Tsenpo that I did all I could.”

  Dalun Ruozan’s eyes seemed to see through everything. After one last glance at Huoba Sangye, he pulled on the reins of his horse and began to ride back to the rear.

  “Wang Chong! Do you dare to come out for a meeting!”

  Dalun Ruozan’s loud voice resounded over the battlefield, and he gave his horse a fierce slap, spurring it into a charge.

  “Great Minister…”

  Behind him, Huoba Sangye stared speechlessly at that confident and relaxed figure.

  ……

  Meanwhile, the sound of Dalun Ruozan’s voice caused a minor disturbance in the pursuing Tang army.

  �
��It’s Dalun Ruozan! This bastard must be up to something! Qianli, take some men to stop him!”

  In the middle of the vast battlefield, Gao Xianzhi, mounted on a white warhorse, instantly spotted Dalun Ruozan riding over. Gao Xianzhi was deeply apprehensive toward Dalun Ruozan. Although Dalun Ruozan was a purely civil minister, this battle would have never been so complicated without him, nor would there have been a three-way alliance between the Arabs, Tibetans, and Western Turks.

  Particularly in that final battle, Gao Xianzhi was practically certain that Dalun Ruozan had been greatly involved in the plan that had dispelled the God avatars of Wang Yan and Cheng Qianli, causing the Great Tang to almost lose the battle. There was even a chance that he had been the architect behind the entire plan.

  Although he really couldn’t think of what sort of tricks Dalun Ruozan could play in this situation, Gao Xianzhi still felt instinctively wary toward him.

  “Wait a moment! Let me do it!”

  A voice came from the distance, and Wang Chong rode up atop his White-hoofed Shadow.

  “Xue Qianjun, pass on my order. Have Cui Piaoqi continue leading the army in pursuit. As for Dalun Ruozan, leave him to me. Without my order, no one is to touch him!”

  Dalun Ruozan’s actions were too abnormal, but unlike Gao Xianzhi, Wang Chong didn’t believe that he was up to any schemes. Dusong Mangpoje was dead, Huoshu Huicang was dead, and he had even personally killed Qutaybah. No matter how shrewd of a schemer Dalun Ruozan was, even he was powerless to change this situation.

  Whoosh! Following Wang Chong’s order, ripples began travel through the Tang army. All the soldiers were like the waters of a river encountering rock, parting and rushing past Dalun Ruozan as they approached him. Wang Chong’s order was perfectly carried out, with all the soldiers acting as if they hadn’t seen Dalun Ruozan as they charged past him to continue the pursuit.

  A group of soldiers naturally split off from the rest of the army to remain with Wang Chong, all this done in the blink of an eye.

  After consecutive wars and consecutive victories, Wang Chong’s prestige in the army was like a towering tree. Even the Tongluo Cavalry that Wang Chong had bad blood with had chosen to obey Wang Chong’s orders at this time.

  Gallop!

  A black highland steed kicked up a trail of dust as it trotted forward with Dalun Ruozan. In front of it were piles of corpses, both Arab and Tibetan, and a bloody mist filled the air.

  Dalun Ruozan’s expression was calm and indifferent. He seemed to have some invisible force field that caused everyone to focus on him.

  Gao Xianzhi creased his brow and suddenly stopped.

  “Yuanqing, Lou Shiyi, continue leading the army in pursuit. I’ll remain to keep an eye on Dalun Ruozan!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief also slowed down, frowning as they looked at the distant Dalun Ruozan. But when they saw the look in Dalun Ruozan’s eyes, the two seemed to understand something, and their creased brows relaxed.

  “Hyah!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as Dalun Ruozan approached, and he urged his own horse forward to meet him.

  As Wang Chong and Dalun Ruozan approached each other, everything began to fall silent, countless gazes gathering on the pair.

  Even the most unaware person knew that Wang Chong and Dalun Ruozan were mortal foes. In the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had risen off the back of Dalun Ruozan’s reputation, and in the distant Talas, the two had yet another destined encounter.

  Clipclop!

  When they were separated by ten-some paces, Wang Chong and Dalun Ruozan both came to a stop. The two of them silently stared at each other, and after what seemed like both a single second and like countless eons, everyone finally heard a long sigh.

  “The victor is king while the loser is scorned. Wang Chong, you have won this battle. For the next ten-some years, no one in the entire continent will be able to contend against you or the Great Tang!”

  The fierce winds constantly blew Dalun Ruozan’s robes here and there, but the turmoil in his mind was far more intense.

  “You should have never even come to this battle!” Wang Chong calmly said.

  To Dalun Ruozan, the final result of this battle might have appeared to be an accident, but in his own view, it was an inevitability. Dalun Ruozan had no idea just how much effort and preparation Wang Chong had put into this battle.

  In truth, the battle had started from the moment he had erected a city in Wushang.

  Dalun Ruozan had been fighting a war he had been certain to lose!

  “Heh.”

  Dalun Ruozan chuckled, his expression indifferent. It was like he had seen through everything.

  “How could I not come? Whether it was for me or Ü-Tsang, it was imperative that I be at Talas. But… the victor is king while the loser is scorned. I lost, so I have nothing to say.”

  Wang Chong was silent. Just as Dalun Ruozan had said, the victor was king while the loser was scorned. This was a principle that all generals understood and abided by. Although Dalun Ruozan had truly made a lot of trouble for him, Wang Chong had to admit that Dalun Ruozan was an opponent worthy of his respect.

  “Wang Chong, I did all I could in this battle, and I feel no regrets in losing to you, nothing to be sorry about. I’ve spent half my life on military matters and have always been proud of my intelligence. I rarely encountered anyone who could contend against me, and even though I wasn’t physically strong, even Zhangchou Jianqiong had to keep his distance around me, wasting ten-some years in the southwest unable to make any progress. Wang Chong, you are the first and only person that has pushed me to the end of the line!”

  Dalun Ruozan looked at Wang Chong with no hatred or resentment in his eyes, but pride and satisfaction. Putting aside their respective countries and standpoints, to be able to encounter a true foe in a lifetime could be considered a sort of blessing. At the very least, he felt no regrets on his part.

  “Wang Chong, can you agree to a request of mine?” Dalun Ruozan suddenly said. Seeing Wang Chong slightly crease his brow, Dalun Ruozan smiled and continued, “Be at ease. I will no longer be your foe. Give Huoshu Huicang’s body to me and I will remain here to do whatever you want with! Please!”

  With this last word, Dalun Ruozan’s smile slowly faded away, and he slightly bent at the waist, a begging look in his eyes. In that moment, the peerless and farsighted wise minister of Ü-Tsang was no more. In front of Wang Chong was an ordinary, humble, and insignificant Dalun Ruozan.

  Bang!

  Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Li Siye, and Xue Qianjun all reeled in shock from this sight. Even Wang Chong was moved. Everyone had heard Dalun Ruozan’s words. None of them had imagined that Dalun Ruozan would even give up his life for the sake of Huoshu Huicang’s corpse.

  And they had even less expected that he would lower his head to Wang Chong for the sake of Huoshu Huicang’s corpse.

  Dalun Ruozan was proud and conceited, and few people in the world could easily make him lower his head. Not even Gao Xianzhi was capable of such a feat. But for the sake of Huoshu Huicang’s corpse, he had given up on all dignity and lowered his proud head.

  At that moment, Wang Chong’s heart was overcome by an indescribable feeling.

  Chapter 1154 - The Death of Dalun Ruozan!

  Chapter 1154: The Death of Dalun Ruozan!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Can you allow it?” Dalun Ruozan asked once more, a hint of pleading in his voice. “I have known Huoshu Huicang for all my life, and he was my constant companion. I cannot do what I promised him, but at least I can send him back to Ü-Tsang and give him a proper burial. Is that okay?”

  Wang Chong saw the dying embers in Dalun Ruozan’s eyes, and inexplicably, he thought back to Huoshu Huicang’s last words. His heart sighing deeply, he finally had his horse trot back a few steps. Even though he had fought with Dalun Ruozan for so long, in the end, he found it impossible to refuse this
last request.

  “Someone! Bring over Huoshu Huicang’s body!”

  Gallop! A few moments later, several Tang cavalry rode over with a horse from the rear. Atop the horse was the body of Huoshu Huicang.

  “Lord Marquis!”

  Several people stepped forward, placed Huoshu Huicang’s body in front of Dalun Ruozan, and quickly took their leave. Wang Chong silently stared at Dalun Ruozan. But Dalun Ruozan seemed to see nothing and feel nothing. His eyes had been fixed on Huoshu Huicang from the moment he had appeared.

  Dalun Ruozan’s faint smile had long ago vanished, and as he led his horse forward, that ever-unperturbed face gazed upon Huoshu Huicang’s corpse with deep sorrow and grief. Huoshu Huicang was wearing a fiery suit of red armor, and even in death, his muscular body exuded an imposing and valiant aura. But his face was pale and his body was devoid of life.

  Dalun Ruozan raised his head and asked, “Wang Chong, can you tell me what his last words were?”

  Wang Chong gave a deep sigh and relayed Huoshu Huicang’s final words in their entirety.

  As Dalun Ruozan stared at Huoshu Huicang’s body, his entire body trembled and two trails of tears trickled down from his eyes.

  “Huoshu, I’m sorry! In this war, I failed to keep my promise!”

  Dalun Ruozan lowered his head, his entire body trembling as scenes from the past flitted past his eyes.

  On the Tibetan Plateau, the young Huoshu Huicang angrily stared at him like a tiger cub.

  “I, Huoshu Huicang, am a dragon and tiger of the plateau. Even if the Tsenpo has decreed it, I will never submit to a trifling scholar like you.”

  “Haha, what does it matter if you’re a dragon or tiger. As a dragon, you can’t ascend to the heavens, and as a tiger, you can’t sink into the earth. The strength of a single man can’t create any sort of peerless achievement, so what use is it?”

  “You!!”

  “Haha, what are you ‘you’ing about? Are my words wrong?”

  “Hmph, a scholar who doesn’t even have the strength to truss a chicken, who can’t even beat one of my subordinates! What use are you?”