The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 1085
Abusi said nothing, but for a moment, a hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes. It was no easy task for him to make this decision.
“Patriarch, now is not the time to hesitate!” the first Tongluo general said, the fierce gyrfalcon still perched on his hand. “Did you forget what Hou Junji said? The First Prince is ascendant, and if the Tongluo don’t do as he requests, what will happen to us when the new emperor takes the throne? Whether it’s the King of Foreign Lands, the Sage Emperor, or the First Prince, in this matter, what is of most importance has always been the welfare of the Tongluo! Don’t forget why we submitted to the Great Tang in the first place!”
These words finally caused a shift in Abusi’s eyes.
“That’s right!”
Whether it was Wang Chong or the First Prince, in tonight’s turmoil, the most important thing was always the welfare of the Tongluo.
Clang!
With these thoughts in mind, Abusi pulled out his sword.
“Everyone, hear my order! Advance on the Qian Gate, Center Gate, and Kun Gate!”
Roooar!
Abusi had barely spoken when all the Tongluo exploded with earthshaking roars.
Boom!
A few moments later, Abusi led his thousands of Tongluo Cavalry charging forward in a torrent of metal.
Unlike before, the Tongluo had mobilized almost all their warriors this time.
It was oft said that the Tongluo could not exceed ten thousand, for above ten thousand, they were invincible. As ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry charged out of the northwest region of the Imperial City, their momentum was simply terrifying.
Such was the din created by their charge that it completely drowned out the sounds of fighting. Even the forces fighting at the three gates noticed this astonishing development.
The killing intent exuded by the Tongluo Cavalry caused even the space above the Imperial Palace to twist and deform, and the entire Imperial City trembled and quivered.
“Heheh, Abusi, you finally moved out!”
Deep within the Imperial Palace, the First Prince gazed at that moving storm of energy and smiled. The Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation and the Tongluo Cavalry were the two gifts he had prepared for Wang Chong.
He had wasted quite a lot of words convincing the Tongluo, but in the end, he had made them mobilize.
Wang Chong’s soldiers had been determined to charge into the Imperial Palace and enter Taiji Palace, but they were stymied at the three gates by the Hundred Thousand God-Devil Execution Formation. With Abusi charging up from the rear and the formation at the front, Wang Chong’s forces would be completely crushed.
The fighting prowess of the Tongluo was unparalleled. Even if Wang Chong had mobilized all of his Wushang Cavalry and not just several thousand, they would still not have been able to stave off attacks from both the front and the back!
“Wang Chong, you have to pay the price for opposing this prince! This prince will make sure you die without a grave!”
The First Prince stared in the direction of the Qian, Center, and Kun Gates, his eyes seething with a chilling killing intent.
……
“Your Highness, the Tongluo! The Tongluo are coming this way!”
At the same time, a member of the spy team, dressed in dark clothes, was bounding toward Wang Chong. The moment he hit the ground, his body staggered, a clear sign that he was wounded.
“Seize him!”
Upon seeing that man, several dozen Imperial Army soldiers pulled out their weapons and lunged at him.
In the distance, the unperturbed Hou Junji raised two fingers and gestured. Behind him, Eastern Palace Guard Captain Fei Yuhan understood. It was better to attack morale than to attack the city. Letting this scout come over was clearly of greater benefit to their own side.
“Stand aside! Let him come!”
This order immediately had those lunging Imperial Army soldiers stop and withdraw.
Even Miyasame Ayaka, Li Heng, Li Jingzhong, and the forces of Jinyang Palace also backed away, opening a path for the scout.
“Do you need to go over?”
Hou Junji looked across at Wang Chong, glancing at the scout before looking back with a smirk.
“There’s no need,” Wang Chong nonchalantly said, remaining seated.
In the distance, the stampeding of hooves sounded like a rumbling thunderstorm as it approached the three gates.
Even from this distance, the ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry were like a raging tsunami, threatening to engulf the world in their dreadful power.
But Wang Chong quietly sat on the stool like his feet had taken root into the ground.
Even though he knew that Hou Junji had already colluded with the Tongluo Cavalry, even though he knew that probably the most powerful force in the entire capital had been mobilized and was heading for Li Siye, Guo Ziyi, and the Lone Silence Ancestor, Wang Chong’s eyes remained like a placid lake, without even the smallest ripple of emotion.
Wang Chong looked at Hou Junji and indifferently said, “Senior has truly gone through such great pains to deal with me! You even persuaded the Tongluo.”
“Heh, the art of war is the art of victory. Naturally, a price must be paid to achieve victory. Moreover, the Tongluo are a powerful force, so why not use them?” Hou Junji casually remarked, taking a sip of his tea.
The thundering of hooves was getting louder and louder, that tsunami getting closer and closer. That crescendoing sound only made Hou Junji appear more relaxed. The one who needed to handle this problem was Wang Chong, and he was truly looking forward to Wang Chong’s solution.
Chapter 1770 - Have You Been Well, Great General?!
Chapter 1770: Have You Been Well, Great General?!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Heh, since every method is at your disposal, why did Senior not send Abusi and the Tongluo Cavalry to Taiji Palace? With the power of the Tongluo Cavalry, you would definitely be able to inflict a major blow to the Saint Martial Barracks!”
Wang Chong smiled.
Hou Junji blinked, his smile slowly fading away.
The Tongluo Cavalry were incredibly powerful, and if he had really done as Wang Chong said, it would have been a great boon in the fight. But both he and Wang Chong understood that he would never dare to do such a thing.
After all, the Tongluo Cavalry had served the Great Tang imperial household for several hundred years. Having them deal with Wang Chong was fine, but having them deal with the Saint Martial Barracks… If the Tongluo Cavalry were to defect and join together with the Saint Martial Barracks, the one taking the greatest blow would be the Eastern Palace. The First Prince could never take such a risk, and Hou Junji could not allow this possibility.
Thus, he could only place the peerless Tongluo Cavalry at the rear and use them to deal with Wang Chong.
Wang Chong was clearly mocking this point.
“Heh, you’re truly able to keep a cool head. I suppose that this is enough for you to not shame your master. However, this old man is very curious to see just how long you can sit still for,” Hou Junji nonchalantly said. After saying this, he took his cup and lightly sipped his tea, his confidence and composure returning.
The Tongluo Cavalry were getting closer and closer, and Wang Chong’s time was draining away. He needed to use that prodigious intelligence of his to resolve this problem or die.
Attitude and composure were nothing to the edge of the Tongluo Cavalry.
In the distance, the Tongluo were getting closer and closer to the Qian, Center, and Kun Gates, the rumbling so deafening that Wang Chong and the others couldn’t hear any other noise.
“Tongluo!”
“Tongluo!”
“Tongluo!”
Bloodthirsty cries resounded through the heavens. This was a custom the Tongluo had before attacking, the shouts of ten thousand Tongluo in unison producing a truly intimidating aura.
“Your Highness!”
&
nbsp; Miyasame Ayaka clenched her fists, her face pale and drenched with cold sweat. The Tongluo were getting closer and closer, faster and faster. She could feel the ground under her feet beginning to shudder.
The ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry released an almost tangible killing intent that stimulated Miyasame Ayaka’s body into shivering. As an assassin, she was extremely sensitive to killing intent.
“It’s over! That slave Abusi betrayed the Sage Emperor and joined the First Prince! We’re all dead!”
Li Jingzhong was the most fearful of all. He stood next to the Fifth Prince and forcefully swallowed as he tried to keep his composure. But the cold sweat drenching his back betrayed his true emotions.
He glanced at Wang Chong. This was the only person here who had any chance of turning the tides, but Li Jingzhong knew that Wang Chong had already deployed all his soldiers, and even if he did have more soldiers, they couldn’t possibly stop the ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry.
The Tongluo were pugnacious people whose fighting strength had even earned the praise of Emperor Taizong. There was no force in the capital that could stop them, not even if you gathered up all the great clans and put them together with the City Guard.
Most importantly, there was simply no time!
“Wang Chong, this prince can only rely on you!”
As the Tongluo charged, the gale they stirred swept up countless fallen leaves, some of them battering against Li Heng’s face, but Li Heng didn’t move an inch. While his face was slightly pale, he stared at Wang Chong’s back with absolute confidence.
“Lady Xu, it’s bad! Tongluo Great General Abusi is leading ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry toward us!”
The news of the oncoming Tongluo Cavalry assault arrived at the Center Gate, throwing the army into disarray.
“What?!”
“The Tongluo are really attacking!”
“What do we do? We don’t even have any more soldiers to deal with the Tongluo!”
Countless people turned toward Xu Qiqin. Cheng Sanyuan and Xu Keyi had both gone rather pale. They had both witnessed the astonishing power of the Tongluo, so they keenly understood that they simply didn’t have the strength to oppose the Tongluo Cavalry.
“Lady Xu, this place has become very dangerous. It’s no longer right for you to stay. I will escort you from this place!”
Xu Keyi clenched his teeth as he spoke to Xu Qiqin. As he did, he blinked to Xu Qiqin’s side and made to seize her.
His liege cared dearly about Xu Qiqin, and so even if they all died here, nothing could be allowed to happen to Xu Qiqin.
There was no other option than to suppress Xu Qiqin and take her away.
Whoosh!
But Xu Keyi’s snatch missed. With a light hop, Xu Qiqin skillfully evaded Xu Keyi’s hand.
“Now is not the time to talk about this!” Xu Qiqin solemnly declared, her expression chilling. “The fate of the entire empire is tied to this night. There’s no place to retreat for us. Although I don’t know His Highness’s plans, I believe in him!”
Her last words had such weight that they seemed to thud against the ground.
Xu Keyi stared in a daze at Xu Qiqin, and he ceased attempting to persuade her for the moment.
A wind blew through the Center Gate, ruffling Xu Qiqin’s white gown. At this moment, Xu Qiqin looked to another part of the Imperial Palace, endless anticipation in her beautiful eyes.
“Wang Chong, let’s see what you do!”
……
In the distance, the crowd stared silently at Wang Chong as the rumbling of hooves grew louder and louder.
“Heh, it seems Senior is certain that you have me!”
Wang Chong smiled as he slowly probed his fingers into the jar and removed a chess piece.
Buzz!
Hou Junji’s pupils constricted like he had been jabbed by a needle, his composure falling apart.
Fei Yuhan and the Imperial Army soldiers also grimaced. All of them understood the weight of these pieces in the hands of Wang Chong and Hou Junji.
“How could this be? Does he still have soldiers that can deal with Abusi and his ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry?!”
Fei Yuhan was flabbergasted.
According to the reports from Kim U-Seok, a significant portion of Wang Chong’s strongest force, his Wushang Cavalry, had been sent overseas. Not many of them were taking part in this battle, and almost all of them were at the Qian Gate.
Wang Chong should have had no soldiers available, so Fei Yuhan really couldn’t see how Wang Chong could possibly deal with Abusi.
“You still have other soldiers?”
Hou Junji stared at Wang Chong, his brows creased and his face solemn.
“Heh, dealing with Abusi doesn’t take too many soldiers. Senior persuaded him to serve the First Prince, so this junior can naturally persuade him to serve me!”
Wang Chong was relaxed and assured, forming a stark contrast with Hou Junji’s solemnity.
“Senior, I’m playing my piece!”
Clap!
The white piece in his hand clacked down in front of that large black dragon. As that piece fell, the mood of the entire battlefield seemed to transform, like a massive wave striking a reef.
“Kill!”
The shouts of the Tongluo were getting closer and closer, and everyone became nervous and frightened. Only Wang Chong remained composed.
……
At this moment, in the southwestern region of the Imperial Palace, a great cloud of dust was rising. The ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry were charging forward, their bodies cloaked in churning killing intent.
As the ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry charged, they had a momentum comparable to an army of hundreds of thousands. They left countless blurry images in their wake, making them seem like a surging torrent.
“Milord, ahead of us is the Imperial Palace’s main gate. There are three thousand Penal Court soldiers stationed there. The King of Foreign Lands seems to have subdued them after defeating King Qi!” a Tongluo general next to Abusi called out.
“Everyone, hear my order! Charge them down and kill them all! Once we take care of them, we’ll go straight through and finish off the King of Foreign Lands!”
Abusi’s body was the center of a vast sea of energy, and his fierce eyes erupted with killing intent.
A loosed arrow could not be taken back, and the Tongluo had no other option now. Only by attacking and defeating Wang Chong to prove themselves could they have a seat at the table when the new emperor took the throne.
Clang!
Abusi unsheathed his sword, one that had been personally gifted to him by the Sage Emperor and was known by the name ‘Bronze Sparrow’. He aimed it at the sky, and at that moment, the heavens resounded with the roars of dragons as Sword Qi pierced the firmament.
“Charge!”
With this thunderous roar, the ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry advanced.
Just when the Tongluo Cavalry were about to attack the palace gates, a deep and sonorous voice came out of the darkness, exploding in front of Abusi. “Have you been well, Great General? Zhangchou has been waiting here for quite some time!”
The enormous power contained in this voice immediately stirred up a howling gale.
Chapter 1771 - Persuasion!
Chapter 1771: Persuasion!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Neeeigh!
Several dozen warhorses were so alarmed by the burst of sound that they reared up on their hindlegs. All the warhorses of the Tongluo had gone through rigorous training, but there was clearly something special about this booming voice.
“General, look over there!”
A sharp-eyed Tongluo general spotted something and pointed into the distance.
Abusi immediately followed that man’s finger. Several thousand feet away, deep into the darkness, several men were standing atop a palace wall and watching him.
It was apparent that they had been waiting for some time.<
br />
Abusi couldn’t make out who those people were at first, but then a flickering torch on the wall revealed a man’s face for the moment, and Abusi instantly grimaced.
Zhangchou Jianqiong!
Abusi was stunned. Although he had never interacted with Zhangchou Jianqiong very much, he was no stranger to the Great Tang’s Minister of War.
Not long after King Song was poisoned, Zhangchou Jianqiong had claimed illness and retreated to his home, spending every day gardening. He had even temporarily handed his position as Minister of War to Wang Chong, becoming as inconspicuous as possible.
Zhangchou Jianqiong had not appeared in court since then. Abusi had never imagined that he would reappear at a time like this and obstruct his army.
“Milord, look there, over there! Zhangchou Jianqiong has come with soldiers!”
“Hmph, he’s definitely come to stop us, but it’s only around two thousand men at most. Can that really stop our ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry? Charge in there! Kill them so that not even a shred of armor is left intact!”
“Anyone who dares to oppose the Tongluo can look forward only to death!”
Not far from Zhangchou Jianqiong, numerous soldiers awaited in disciplined formation.
These men all wore black armor, making them hard to pick out in the darkness. Moreover, the Tongluo had been initially distracted by the three thousand brightly-armored soldiers of the Penal Court at the gate.
However, they could tell that there were only around two thousand soldiers there, nothing but dust in front of the ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry.
“Great General, the King of Foreign Lands knew long ago that you had joined the First Prince, and he also knew that your soldiers would pass through here, so he had me wait for you. Why doesn’t Great General come over to chat?”
Zhangchou Jianqiong’s voice boomed in everyone’s ears.
“Milord, you can ignore him. We can just charge over and kill him!” one of the Tongluo generals sternly said, his eyes surging with killing intent.
He pressed his legs against the flanks of his horse, spurring it into a charge so that he could slay Zhangchou Jianqiong and his two thousand men.
The Minister of War possessed authority over all soldiers in the realm, and he also enjoyed the right to raise more soldiers than normal, but even this was a mere two thousand.