The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Buzz!

  At this moment, everyone in the hall turned to Wang Chong, even the black-armored guard. Everyone stared at Wang Chong, trusting and believing in him.

  By now, Wang Chong had become their backbone. Even Gao Xianzhi, the Anxi Protector-General, had unconsciously placed a great amount of trust on Wang Chong.

  “Haha, I’ve already taken care of everything. You’ll understand tomorrow at daybreak.”

  Wang Chong faintly chuckled.

  Everyone in the room appeared stunned by Wang Chong’s words.

  There were so many Arab soldiers and Great Generals outside the city, and even holding them off once was extremely difficult. And yet Wang Chong claimed that the Arabs would be dealt with by daybreak. This was simply unbelievable.

  If any other person had said this, they would be regarded as a madman, but even if Wang Chong stated something even more absurd, everyone would believe that Wang Chong was serious.

  The conference quickly ended. Their trust in Wang Chong meant that once they learned that he had already arranged everything, they questioned him no further. Time slowly passed, and the temperature continued to drop. Even though both sides had ceased fighting, both sides of the Tigris River only became more fraught with tension.

  In the southeastern part of Khorasan was a domed and sumptuous hall, dimly lit by a single lantern. Within, Wang Chong was seated cross-legged, motionless. Khorasan was still, and there were no sounds except the rushing of the Tigris River and the neighing of horses.

  As time flowed by, even though Wang Chong could see nothing before him, he could sense that all eyes in the city were silently watching him, waiting for him.

  But few people knew that Wang Chong was also waiting for something.

  Bongbongbong!

  As he was thinking, there was a knocking at his door.

  “Enter.”

  With a deep breath, Wang Chong awakened from his stupor.

  Chapter 1179 - Omen, Little Ice Age!

  Chapter 1179: Omen, Little Ice Age!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The door opened, and Zhang Shouzhi, dressed in gray, walked in from outside.

  “Lord Marquis, the appointed time has come. Your order is needed.”

  After a few moments of silence, Wang Chong nodded. “Do everything according to the plan.”

  Whether or not that event took place on schedule, Wang Chong had to completely prepare himself. And the time was nigh. If that incident really took place and he was not adequately prepared, a mishap might occur.

  “Understood. This old man will go and handle it.”

  Zhang Shouzhi nodded and quickly withdrew. A few moments later, a clamor shattered the calm of Khorasan.

  ……

  At this moment, the several hundred thousand Arab soldiers encamped on the other side of the river did not make a single noise. In this chilly night, the warhorses snorted out white breaths of air. The weather continued to get colder. This winter was far colder than previous winters, but to the Arab soldiers, well-trained and versed in martial arts, it was still bearable.

  Although the chilly air hung heavy, the fury of the hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers hung even heavier. At the very front of the Arab camp, all the Arab commanders were gathered, staring at the mighty walls of Khorasan. To the army, nothing was important except breaching the city and killing every Tang, Khorasani, and rebel.

  Bang!

  A clamor suddenly erupted from Khorasan, attracting everyone’s attention.

  “What’s going on?”

  The Head of Black Radiance, Fadi, raised his head and looked toward Khorasan.

  “Milord, could the Tang be about to attack?” a deputy next to him said.

  “Impossible!”

  Before the deputy could finish, Firas, the Blood of Black Radiance, shook his head and rejected the notion.

  “These Tang and Khorasani simply don’t have the numbers to launch an offensive. Moreover, if they attack, this Tigris River will become an enormous barrier. Forcing an attack would be suicidal.”

  “But, what are they doing, then?” the Empire’s White Corpse, Hular, said, his expression perturbed.

  The activity within Khorasan was far too bizarre. From their standpoint, the city was brightly lit by torches and lanterns, and yet the city gates remained shut, showing no signs of opening.

  Time slowly passed. All the soldiers were on guard, prepared to deal with any sudden situation. And other than being brightly lit, Khorasan remained unchanged. Even that clamor swiftly faded away.

  “Just what are they up to?” an Arab general muttered to himself, his words voicing the thought on everyone else’s mind.

  Even powerful governors like Fadi, Firas, and Hular were confused as to what exactly the Tang were scheming. If the Tang were not preparing an attack, then what had all that clamor been for?

  “Pass on my order! Strengthen the guards, but have the other soldiers rest. Prepare for battle at first light!”

  Fadi’s order was quickly delivered to the entire army.

  ……

  Within Khorasan, everything had calmed down.

  Wang Chong remained motionless in his room. Hours passed, but the event Wang Chong was waiting for had still not taken place. Other than the plunging temperature, there was nothing strange in Khorasan.

  In the midnight hour, Wang Chong’s brow began to crease.

  Impossible! Did I miscalculate? Might that event not be taking place?!

  Wang Chong’s face was calm, but his mind was gradually turning uneasy. If all had gone as expected, that anticipated event should have already occurred, but Wang Chong could see no sign of it.

  His reincarnation had caused many events in the world to massively shift. King Song had not been demoted, the southwest had not been lost, and not only had the Battle of Talas not been a defeat, but a massive victory. All these things were different from his memories. Had that incident also been completely changed because of his interference?

  Wang Chong’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. If that event disappeared because of his interference, then at daybreak, the Tang would have to face the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the other side of the Tigris River, the numerous governors and generals, and the reinforcements coming up in the rear. Just as Bahram had said, opposing an entire empire with only a regional force would result in a battle of unprecedented ferocity with a very small chance of victory.

  As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Wang Chong became unwittingly vexed and worried. He almost subconsciously took a cup of tea from the table and prepared to take a sip.

  But he had barely brought it to his lips when he heard an almost inaudible crackling. Yet in his ears, it was like a clap of thunder.

  Wang Chong’s eyes widened as he turned down to look, and what he saw was simply mind-blowing. A thin layer of ice was rapidly creeping across the surface of the tea, and it was rapidly thickening.

  Hwooom! A gust of cold wind blew in through the slightly ajar door, and wherever the wind touched, white frost began to form. Even the tea cup in Wang Chong’s hand was covered in delicate specks of ice.

  “Ah!”

  Cries of alarm could be heard in the darkness, but they quickly faded away.

  “It’s here!”

  Wang Chong’s mind jolted in understanding, and he suddenly strode to the door and pushed it open.

  Boom!

  At that moment, he felt like he was walking into an entirely different world, a world of endless wind and snow. Wang Chong’s body was immediately cloaked in a layer of snow, even his hair and nose. Outside, flames seethed and burned. Earlier, Wang Chong had requested Zhang Shouzhi, Banahan, and all the craftsmen that had followed the army to light many flames throughout Khorasan. Furnaces across the city were currently spewing thick smoke into the sky.

  The heat exuded by these furnaces and bonfires had raised the nighttime temperature of Khorasan, but now, all of these
flames seemed to be suppressed. Even the flames in the furnaces had dimmed.

  Whooosh! Another gust of icy wind blew past, and ten-some steps away from Wang Chong, a furnace went out and froze. The scorching metal furnace rapidly cooled, and then a white layer of snow built up on it. One furnace, two furnaces, three furnaces… At the moment Wang Chong stepped out of his room, several furnaces were immediately extinguished.

  It took only a few moments for the temperature to plunge ten-some degrees, and it continued to fall with astonishing speed. Everywhere Wang Chong looked, a layer of white ice was enveloping the world, and howling winds blinded the eyes.

  Neigh!

  At this moment, Wang Chong suddenly heard the neighing of horses and yelling of soldiers. Across the Tigris River, the Arab camp was in chaos.

  “Wang Chong, over here!”

  A familiar voice resounded in his ear, and Gao Xianzhi strode out of the snowstorm.

  “The weather’s gone strange. The temperature is rapidly dropping! This sort of weather is extremely bad for us!”

  Cheng Qianli, Xi Yuanqing, and Lou Shiyi followed behind him.

  “What a large blizzard! While coming over, we saw that ice had already formed on the walls. Lord Protector-General, what should we do?” Cheng Qianli asked.

  This blizzard had come too abruptly; the temperature had dropped rapidly, and was continuing to drop. Even Cheng Qianli had sensed something wrong, let alone the others.

  The temperature had plunged too quickly, and not just one or two degrees, but ten-some degrees. If this continued, ordinary soldiers would not be able to endure it.

  “Haha, there’s no need to worry. I’ve already prepared for this. This plunge in temperature is a blessing, not a disaster!”

  To their surprise, Wang Chong showed little concern, and was in fact happy to hear this news. He suddenly looked into the darkness, a profound expression in his eyes. Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and the others were surprised at first, and subconsciously followed his gaze. When they saw what Wang Chong was looking at, all of them shivered in understanding.

  A blizzard!

  This was admittedly a problem for the Tang, Sassanids, and rebels in the city, but to the exposed Arab army, it was simply a disaster.

  At this moment, everyone finally understood.

  “…So, Wang Chong, this was the chance you were referring to?”

  Gao Xianzhi stood next to Wang Chong, watching as the mantle of snow thickened and the blizzard ravaged the earth.

  “Mm.”

  Wang Chong nodded. The blizzard that he had been waiting for was finally here, so there was no need to keep it concealed.

  Little Ice Age!

  This thought suddenly appeared in Wang Chong’s mind as he stared at the vast blizzard. Other than himself, no one, not even Gao Xianzhi or Bahram, understood what this blizzard symbolized.

  This was no ordinary blizzard, nor was this any ordinary winter. ‘There is always an evildoer behind the death of a country.’ There would always be omens and phenomena that heralded a coming calamity. The black corrosion of the sun that he had witnessed over the skies of Talas had been the beginning of this calamity.

  And this large-scale blizzard was the first probe before this calamity finally exploded onto the scene.

  Chapter 1180 - The Little Ice Age, Invasion!

  Chapter 1180: The Little Ice Age, Invasion!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Within the next two to three years after the blizzard, an unprecedented cold wave would sweep down from the north, beginning an unprecedentedly bitter winter.

  This was a terrifyingly ruthless winter that occurred every several hundred years. It would not last two or three months, not even five or six months. Rather, it would last for at least ten months.

  Beyond the borders of the Great Tang, all the grass and trees would be frozen to death, and hundreds of thousands of livestock would die, barely any of them being able to survive this kind of winter.

  And it was precisely this bitter winter that led to an even greater disaster in the future, as well as a string of dark and tumultuous events.

  This string of events was referred to in history as the Little Ice Age.

  No one except those who had experienced it could possibly understand just how harsh this winter was.

  Kaclack!

  The temperature plunged once more in the middle of the conversation. Everyone by the door to Wang Chong’s room could hear an enormous crack. The sound of yet another thick layer of ice forming on the walls of Khorasan alarmed everyone who heard it.

  Wang Chong suddenly turned his head and said to Gao Xianzhi, “Lord Protector-General, the temperature is plunging very rapidly. You should bring all the soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army into the underground caves and basements.”

  “What!”

  Everyone was stunned by Wang Chong’s words. He had even prepared underground caves and basements? But Wang Chong had never mentioned them before.

  “I’ve already taken care of everything,” Wang Chong nonchalantly said to the Anxi generals. “If Milord had not come over, Kong Zi-an would have already informed you. In addition, I have already had Banahan, the Gangke King, and Cui Piaoqi deliver woolen and cotton clothes to the soldiers. After putting them on, they should enter the caves and basements. The temperature down there will be much higher than it is up here.”

  Cheng Qianli, Xi Yuanqing, Lou Shiyi, and the other Anxi generals gaped in speechless shock. Even Gao Xianzhi appeared rather surprised.

  No one could have predicted such a harsh winter, which was why Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and the others had come to find Wang Chong in such a hurry. But they had not expected that while they were still thinking about how to deal with this winter, Wang Chong had already taken care of everything.

  “…In addition, Bahram has probably already sent his men to inform the common people of the city. This winter will be far more terrifying than any of us can imagine, and far more terrifying than what we can see now, and it will last for much longer. It all begins now!” Wang Chong solemnly said.

  Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and the other Anxi generals were speechless. The sages of the past could decide victory through plans made one thousand li away, but Wang Chong had already surpassed them. At this moment, all of them felt incomparable respect for Wang Chong. It was like what was standing before them was not a human, but an unfathomable god.

  Gao Xianzhi and his officers quickly departed, and Wang Chong’s orders were swiftly carried out in a disciplined fashion. The howling of the blizzard became louder and louder, drowning out all other noise in the world. And amidst this raging storm, the city of Khorasan became abnormally quiet.

  “Lord Marquis!”

  Some time later, a voice came out of the blizzard. Li Siye, Cui Piaoqi, Kong Zi-an, the Gangke King, and Su Hanshan swiftly emerged. In this time, the temperature had plunged once more.

  The hair, beards, shoulders, and arms of this group were all covered in a thick layer of snow. The temperature had now dropped to around -40. Even Li Siye and Su Hanshan were beginning to feel cold, let alone others.

  The Zi Period was when the temperature plunged the most and was also the coldest period of the day. Almost all hailstorms occurred during this time period.

  Ordinary soldiers could not resist this sort of harsh winter. Although they could also produce Stellar Energy, this level of Stellar Energy wasn’t able to resist this sort of cold for very long.

  All the ordinary soldiers had put on their wool clothes or cotton jackets and retreated into the basements. The only ones who could still move around above ground were the elites.

  “…All the soldiers have been gathered and are awaiting your order. Lord Marquis, when will we attack?”

  Li Siye stood up straight, his body like a miniature mountain, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

  Soldiers were trained for one thousand days to be used in a single moment. This blizza
rd was simply unprecedented, and everyone had to hide away from its wrath. But this was also an excellent opportunity for the army. The art of war emphasized time, weather, terrain, and the minds of the people. This was a principle that Wang Chong had constantly emphasized, and this sudden blizzard was clearly an excellent chance to attack the Arabs.

  Li Siye’s words caused Kong Zi-an, Su Hanshan, Huang Botian, and the Gangke King to all turn to Wang Chong, awaiting his orders. And as they waited, their surroundings seemed to become even quieter. The panicked cries of the Arabs on the other side of the high walls were clearly audible, not even the blizzard able to suppress them.

  The Arabs had been too careless. This abrupt blizzard had left them completely dumbstruck. It was clear that the army of hundreds of thousands had made no preparations for this, with those panicked shouts serving as the finest evidence.

  According to Wang Chong’s orders, they had gathered a force of the finest soldiers that could be deployed at any time. Taking advantage of this extremely rare weather, they could give the vast Arab army outside a lethal blow.

  “There’s no rush.”

  To their surprise, Wang Chong waved his hand and rejected the suggestion.

  “Wait a little longer. Now is not the time to move out.”

  These words were completely different from what they had anticipated, and all of them were struck dumb.

  “But, Lord Marquis, from what we can see, this blizzard has the Arabs ready to make a full retreat. If we don’t move out now, we might lose this opportunity and be forced to watch as they run away,” Kong Zi-an argued, a look of extreme reluctance on his face.

  A general’s duty was to fight, and if they didn’t use this opportunity to deal with the Arabs now, once the winter had passed, they would come charging back. When that time came, the Great Tang would not have any such opportunity to defeat them.

  Although Su Hanshan and Cui Piaoqi said nothing, the two of them showed similarly doubtful expressions in their eyes. Speed was paramount in war, and the more they delayed, the more Arabs would escape.