The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “It is only one billion taels of gold! Is Your Majesty so lacking for money?”

  The High Priest did not directly reply, instead bringing up another matter.

  “This…” The Caliph slightly raised his head, a scornful look in his eyes as he proudly declared, “One billion taels is a vast sum, but given what the empire has accumulated over the centuries, it is possible to produce it.”

  To many dynasties, countries, and even large empires, one billion taels of gold was an astronomical sum. When Wang Chong had requested reinforcements from the Imperial Court for the Battle of Talas, the Bureau of Personnel had only given him twenty million taels of gold, and the Imperial Court had actually considered this to be too much. One billion taels of gold was fifty times the sum Wang Chong had used to fund his campaign and was enough to buy quite a few cities.

  But this was not a sum that the Arabian Empire would find impossible to bear.

  This was the advantage of habitually plundering a conquered country of everything it had upon victory! The Great Tang, restricted by its system of rites and etiquette, simply could not compare. However, the only countries that could compare with Arabia in singlehandedly creating such wealth were those of the Central Plains.

  The Caliph’s eyes went sharp as he firmly declared, “I can produce one billion taels of gold, but I cannot accept the conditions of those easterners and yield to them. Never!”

  This was no longer a matter of money. Accepting the Tang’s conditions was submission, humiliation. As the highest commander of the Arabian Empire, the Caliph could never endure such a thing.

  “It’s just one billion taels of gold. How is it now submission? Is Your Majesty prepared to surrender without a fight?” the High Priest nonchalantly said, his expression confident and relaxed. This was something only the High Priest could do, daring to speak to the supreme Caliph in this way, acting like he possessed an authority above imperial authority, and yet not being blamed by the Caliph.

  “How is this possible?”

  The Caliph was stunned at first, but he quickly denied the possibility.

  “We still have many soldiers in the southern war zone, western war zone, and the other war zones. These soldiers can all be mobilized. It’s just a measly army of two hundred thousand. Once We have finished mobilizing the army, the only thing awaiting them is death!”

  The Caliph clenched his fists, his voice brimming with killing intent. Arabia was a country founded on war, and this was precisely the reason for his anger. That commander from the Great Tang called Wang Chong had sent a letter threatening that if he did not receive a reply in three days, a compensation of one billion taels of gold, he would immediately continue his advance westward and occupy even more cities. To Mutasim III, who had always been unyielding and whose attitude had always greatly influenced the governors and generals beneath him, this was nothing more than a brazen challenge and humiliation.

  This had the Caliph practically apoplectic.

  Moreover, although Qutaybah and Aybak had been killed, he had only lost two top-class figures. Arabia still had many more top-class fighting powers.

  “Then that’s not the case. Since Your Majesty still has many soldiers and is preparing for an even larger war, how could this be considered surrender? For someone of Your Majesty’s abilities, gold and silver should be worthless. One billion taels of gold is simply to comfort and soothe these Tang. I hear that the Great Tang values benevolence and righteousness. Once they receive the money, they will keep their promise. Your Majesty only needs to temporarily soothe them. When the army arrives, the cities to the west of the Tigris can be protected from their attacks, and we can also assault Khorasan and wipe out the Tang and rebel soldiers in one fell swoop. At the same time, we will also be able to recover the gold.”

  The High Priest’s scratchy voice resounded in everyone’s ears.

  “One billion taels of gold is not a small number, and even if they whip their horses, they won’t be able to run very far. Once we breach Khorasan, Your Majesty can send cavalry in pursuit and regain the gold all the same. Moreover, hasn’t Your Majesty been fruitlessly searching for those former nobles and rebel soldiers all this time?

  “We can use these Tang to bring in all the rebels. We would be killing two birds with one stone, ensnaring them all with a single net!”

  Buzz!

  The Caliph raised his head in shock. He had been so enraged by the demanded compensation of one billion taels of gold that he hadn’t thought about anything else. It was true. Those former nobles and rebel soldiers of the conquered countries had always vexed Arabia. For the last ten-some years, the empire had gone to great effort to find any trace of these rebels.

  The Behemoth Army, Mamelukes, Skyquaking Army, and even the Arab War God Qutaybah had once been dispatched by Mutasim III to surround and suppress these rebels. But these former nobles and rebels were like moles, burrowing into the ground the moment the army arrived and refusing to come out. And once the army left, they would come back up and start making trouble again.

  Without pacifying these rebellions, the empire would never know peace, nor would it ever fully control those regions.

  Chapter 1165 - The Purpose of War!

  Chapter 1165: The Purpose of War!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The problem of rebels had always worried Mutasim III, and he had even lost sleep over the matter. But now that he thought about it, although these Tang had come with a great momentum, they had also succeeded in drawing out all the hidden nobles and rebels. Just as the High Priest had said, he just needed to soothe them until the army arrived and then finish them off in one fell swoop, settling the matter once and for all!

  If he could use this matter to wipe out all of them, then even being coerced and threatened for one billion taels of gold by these Tang was not out of the question.

  This was truly killing two birds with one stone.

  Mutasim III’s pupils constricted, and he suddenly fell quiet. His brows twitched as he lowered his head and began to think.

  Mutasim III turned to a kneeling and silent governor and asked, “Hular, how much time will it take for the soldiers from the other areas to arrive?”

  ‘Empire’s White Corpse’, Hular!

  Although he was not as strong or as famous as the Arab War God Qutaybah, he had also forged his reputation through numerous battles. He had gained his name because his skin was so pale that it seemed like that of a corpse.

  But even so, in the surrounding countries, Hular was just as infamous as the Governor of Iron and Blood, Abu Muslim.

  He was callous, brutal, and bloodthirsty, and in certain aspects, he was even more formidable than Abu Muslim. The majority of his opponents ended up dying very grisly and wretched deaths.

  Of all the governors that had been gathered in Baghdad due to Qutaybah’s death, the most renowned was probably this ‘Empire’s White Corpse’.

  Hular was undoubtedly the best commander to deal with the two hundred thousand Tang and rebel soldiers in Khorasan. This was also why the Caliph had aimed this question at him.

  Hular thought for a while before finally standing up and saying, “Your Majesty, if we move quickly, the army can be gathered in seven days. But these would all be ordinary soldiers, incapable of posing much of a threat to the high walls of Khorasan. If we want to gather enough elite soldiers and Great Generals to completely vanquish the foe at Khorasan, we need at least fifteen days, perhaps even twenty!”

  “Have the soldiers march through the night. In at most ten days, I want all the soldiers to arrive at Khorasan. I cannot permit these eastern infidels to occupy Khorasan for a single day more,” Mutasim III said, his voice brooking no objection.

  Hular hesitated for only a few moments before firmly declaring, “This general will go!”

  Time was short and it was almost impossible for Arabia to gather enough soldiers from its various war zones and march them to Khorasan. But t
hough the task was onerous, as long as the soldiers marched through the night, Empire’s White Corpse Hular believed the task to not be impossible. All that was required was just a few losses during the march.

  This simply wasn’t something that Hular was concerned about.

  Rumble!

  The bitter loss in the east, the death of Qutaybah, the loss of Khorasan, and Wang Chong’s threat… all these things enraged the Arabian Empire, causing it to come to life like some giant war machine and swiftly mobilize its soldiers. The stench of war only thickened, rather than weakening.

  ……

  In the domed hall of Khorasan, the Anxi Protectorate army’s number four individual, Lou Shiyi, couldn’t help but speak his mind. “Lord Protector-General, the next Arabian city is only several dozen li from us, and its defenses are unmanned. As long as we are willing, our two hundred thousand men can cross the Tigris River and occupy the city without bloodshed. And General Bahram has also said that there are ten-some more cities farther west, and there are no natural barriers between these cities. If we are willing, we can quickly occupy this territory. Why has Milord decided to halt the march and order the army to rest in this place?”

  This Arabian palace was gorgeous, and its domed roof was covered in delicate ivy patterns. The smooth and marble-covered floors were also entirely different from the floors of the Central Plains. The ground was even studded with pearls and agate, a level of luxury that left everyone astonished. But at this moment, whether it was Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, Xi Yuanqing, Li Siye, the black-armored guard, Su Hanshan, or Xue Qianjun, no one was in the mood to admire such things. All of them were focused on Wang Chong.

  Ten-some Arab cities were there for the taking, but Wang Chong had decided to pause the war. This had left all of them mystified.

  “Hah. Let me ask you, why is it that we advanced west, from Talas to Samarkand, and then to Khorasan, losing so many people? Was it purely for the sake of battle?”

  Wang Chong faintly smiled.

  Everyone in the hall was stunned. No one had expected Wang Chong to throw out a question like this. Almost everyone present was a general, and didn’t generals live for the sake of battle? Was their entire purpose in existing not to win wars?

  No one could hide their confusion

  Wang Chong saw their reactions and silently smiled. War was an art, and it was a means, not an end. Before waging a war, one had to understand what its objectives and purposes were. This was how one thought about war on a strategic level. But from the reaction of the people in this hall, this sort of idea was clearly beyond this era.

  “A general’s duty is to win in battle, but we’ve already defeated the Arabs, so do we need to continue fighting? We’ve already lost more than one hundred thousand men. Do you plan to fight until the last man?”

  Wang Chong scanned the crowd.

  Wang Chong’s words left them speechless. In the war between the Great Tang and Arabia, the Great Tang had emerged as the final victor, advancing all the way into the heartland of Arabia, taking Khorasan and even threatening Baghdad. But the Great Tang had paid an immense price for this. Yet a general had to lead their army in victorious battles. If this was not the duty of a soldier, what could it be?

  The objective in war was not just to kill people, nor was it battle for battle’s sake. Everything was for the sake of profit and advantage. Only if a war was profitable could it be instigated. In this way, it would be a boon and not a burden to the people of a country.

  In history, it was wars purely meant for killing people that were denounced, the instigators castigated as warmongers, and these wars sometimes even dragged the entire country down. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had engaged in wars in all directions, and his political and military achievements were unrivaled, causing him to be hailed as a wise sovereign throughout the ages. But in his later years, his constant warmongering had placed a great burden on the people and caused the power of the country to wane.

  “War is a multifaceted and incredibly large-scale endeavor. In terms of manpower, weapons, warhorses, and rations, it consumes vast quantities of resources, which is why the Confucians find every possible reason to attack it. This is precisely why the civil officials don’t get along with the martial officials. If a war cannot benefit the empire, no one will support it,” Wang Chong sternly said to the crowd.

  The quarrels between civil and martial officials had originated long ago, through numerous dynasties. Every time one ignited, it would shake the court. There were even times when these quarrels would cause the collapse of the empire. Upon careful inspection, these quarrels had nothing to do with the difference between civil and martial officials, nor was it because civil officials were graceful while generals were boorish. The root cause was that the war being prosecuted was of no benefit to the empire.

  In the eyes of everyone, not just the civil officials, war was an all-consuming endeavor, consuming warhorses, livestock, foodstuffs, and countless lives. All of these were negatives. When a war broke out on the border and a general decided to venture into enemy territory in a defensive counterattack, ultimately emerging victorious, all they succeeded in was not losing points, but they certainly weren’t adding to their score.

  Overall, soldiers and war had always left a negative impression, with death being their constant companion. To put it another way, the starting of a war entailed mass enlistment and gathering of resources, creating panic amongst the people.

  But if war could bring profit, immense profit that could benefit the people, than everything was different.

  If one did not try to solve this problem at its roots, the conflict between civil and martial officials would never cease, and war would again and again enter the dead end of warmongering.

  All was silent within the hall, everyone pondering these words, Gao Xianzhi included.

  Not even Gao Xianzhi had ever seriously considered Wang Chong’s question. Soldiers were used to fighting. Once one had the upper hand, the proper thing was to strike while the iron was hot and increase one’s gains, not do as Wang Chong was doing. There were ten-some cities that could be taken one after the other, but he had decided to restrain the army and keep them at the ready.

  At this time, he had made a demand of war compensation to Arabia, using these ten-some cities as leverage.

  This sort of war was unprecedented in the history of the continent, let alone the Central Plains. One had to admit that Wang Chong always had some new idea that would cause others to think.

  “But, Wang Chong, one billion taels of gold is an enormous sum. Will the Arabs really agree?”

  Cheng Qianli creased his brow, unable to suppress his question.

  He had personally supervised the writing of the letter, and Lou Shiyi had been holding the brush. He had even read the letter again before sending it off, so he knew all of its contents. The number of one billion had even made his jaw drop when he saw it the first time. All this gold piled up would truly make a mountain. It was enough to buy many cities. Would the Arabs really agree to such a sky-high price?

  At the start, Cheng Qianli had believed that this was just a strategic move from Wang Chong, for the sake of even greater goal, but it now appeared that Wang Chong was completely serious.

  “Hahaha, why not?”

  Wang Chong confidently gazed at the people in the hall.

  “One billion taels of gold is a lot, but it’s still something that Arabia can handle. This empire’s imperial household is far wealthier than you can imagine, and besides, they don’t really have a choice in this matter. Just as all of you have seen, if Arabia refuses, we can swiftly cross the Tigris River and march on all their other cities.”

  Chapter 1166 - One Billion Taels!

  Chapter 1166: One Billion Taels!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “And we have another choice. We can give up on the other cities and make straight for the Arabian capital of Baghdad. Two thousand, two hundred kil
ometers is completely doable with our abilities. Although we won’t necessarily be able to breach the walls, we have more than enough strength to directly threaten the imperial capital of Arabia, shaking the empire and leaving a most shameful mark on their history. This humiliation is something that Arabia won’t be able to buy back, even with one billion taels of gold.

  “In addition, if my guess is correct, the Arabs are highly likely to feign accepting our demands, and even send us the one billion taels of gold. Meanwhile, they’ll be hoping to buy time for their armies and thinking of ways to defeat us. Thus, no matter what, the chance of their sending these one billion taels of gold is one! Hundred! Percent!”

  Wang Chong’s expression was brimming with confidence, his final words spoken with great vigor. There was no war that Wang Chong wasn’t confident about prosecuting. Using war to demand compensation was a very new and curious thing in this world, but in another world, it was commonplace, and many people in that world had used it to rapidly rise.

  War required benefit. After how long this war had gone on, Wang Chong needed a satisfying sum to serve as an answer that he could deliver to the Imperial Court and the people of the Great Tang.

  As if in response to Wang Chong’s voice, the flapping of wings came from the air. A moment later, a massive golden-beaked hunting falcon descended from the skies, flying into the domed hall and landing on the golden conference table. The letter tied to the hunting falcon’s leg was extremely prominent.

  Buzz!

  The sight of this hunting falcon immediately plunged the hall into silence. Everyone stared in shock and wonder, and some of them even stood up from their seats.

  One billion taels of gold! Would the Arabs really agree?

  Everyone held their breaths. Swoosh! A thin hand stretched out and untied the letter from the leg of the hunting falcon. A few moments later, Yuan Shusong suddenly became excited.