The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “That Saleh is extremely strong. Zhangchou Jianqiong can’t hold out on his own. An Sishun, you go and help him!”

  A powerful mental wave carrying Wang Chong’s voice swept through the air.

  Wang Chong’s Bane of All Peoples Halo had a negligible effect on Great Generals of Saleh’s level. Moreover, while it seemed like Zhangchou Jianqiong and Saleh had been evenly matched, Saleh had held the upper hand this entire time.

  Before this, few would have believed that the respected Minister of War, the nearly-twenty-year veteran Tiger of the Empire, would lose to an Arab.

  If Zhangchou Jianqiong could not hold, the Nine Dragon Army would fall apart with him.

  Clang!

  An Sishun’s sword rang out as he mounted his horse, a look of determination on his face. His horse gave a loud neigh, and then An Sishun was gone, riding toward the Blood Lion of Arabia.

  Boom!

  As An Sishun joined the fray, turning into another powerful storm of energy along with Zhangchou Jianqiong, they were finally able to barely suppress Saleh.

  Roooar!

  Suddenly, a Behemoth roared, causing Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi to turn in alarm. They saw a Behemoth twisting its body to avoid several giant ballista bolts, and as it did so, it tossed its head. At this moment, a dense beam of white light slammed into a Behemoth Slayer and sent him flying.

  At this time, more and more injured Behemoths seemed to be enraged, howling and bellowing as they suddenly sped up and knocked aside steel walls and soldiers like they were leaves. Screams filled the air as the shockwaves stirred up great clouds of dust which engulfed the area for thousands of feet around.

  This cloud of dust affected even the firing of the giant ballistae.

  “There are too many Behemoths and our attention is divided in too many places! We can’t last long like this!” Gao Xianzhi said, his eyes deeply concerned.

  Even though Wang Chong had developed the giant ballistae, their production process was far too complicated. These thirty-some giant ballistae simply weren’t enough to stop the Behemoths. It was only a matter of time until the Behemoths broke through.

  And the Arabs simply had too many soldiers!

  “It’s not the time yet!” Wang Chong coldly said. He understood what Gao Xianzhi meant, but he firmly refused.

  “At the very least, it’s not time for you to go yet!”

  Wang Chong spoke without a shred of emotion. While this battle seemed intense, this was merely the beginning. If they couldn’t hold now, they would not be able to hold in the future.

  “Leave it to Chen Bin and Su Hanshan. There’s an even more important matter that I need you to do in a little while,” Wang Chong indifferently said.

  ……

  At the same time, Khatabah was also observing the battle.

  At the center, Saleh’s God’s Ordained Cavalry was constantly advancing, occupying the main Tang force and placing immense pressure on the front line. While both sides seemed equal, the Arabs’ overwhelming advantage in numbers guaranteed that when the battle reached a certain stage, the opposing force would collapse.

  On the right flank, the Behemoth Army was slowly beginning to produce results, gaining the upper hand, but this was still not what Khatabah wanted to see.

  Khatabah’s eyes flickered, and then he suddenly gave an order.

  “It’s about time. Tell Bashabur to lead the twenty thousand Mamelukes and join the Behemoth Army in breaking through the Tang right flank! In addition, have him kill those Behemoth Slayers!”

  “Yes!”

  A messenger left to relay the orders.

  “Hmph, finally my turn?”

  In the rear of the army, an Arab Great General coldly chuckled upon receiving the order.

  This Arab Great General had differently-colored eyes, his left eye black and his right eye blue. Half of his face was burned and pockmarked in a grisly fashion, as if he had been through some incredibly gruesome battle.

  Bashabur!

  This man was one of Khatabah’s Great Generals and was known as the Land Shark. In the Battle of Talas, Aybak and Faisal had both died, leaving the Mamelukes leaderless, and without their leader, the Mamelukes could not fight with their full strength.

  When Bashabur appeared, he immediately took command over the Mamelukes. In addition, he used an ancient training technique almost lost in the Arabian Empire to raise the Mamelukes to a new level of power.

  “Prepare to move out! Now is the time for us to enjoy the slaughter.”

  With a savage laugh, Bashabur took out his large scimitar, which was covered in mysterious inscriptions that exuded murderous energy. Rumble! Bashabur spurred his horse into a gallop, leaving behind an explosion of air as he shot off like a comet.

  “Hyah!”

  As Bashabur moved out, a Mameluke licked his lips in excitement, took out his own scimitar, and followed.

  Behind him, the earth rumbled as the Mamelukes set off like a surging torrent, moving with an unstoppable momentum toward the Great Tang’s right flank.

  Clang! As these men all charged forward, a crimson halo emerged from Bashabur’s body and spread to all the Mamelukes.

  Upon receiving this energy, the Mamelukes grew even stronger.

  “Kiiill!”

  The twenty-thousand-some Mamelukes let out an earthshaking roar, intense killing intent rolling off them in waves, appearing more like an army of hundreds of thousands than tens of thousands.

  “Let me kill all these eastern infidels!”

  Bashabur’s eyes gleamed with a cruel light, tinged with crimson, as he slightly pressed his body against his horse.

  This was a sign that he had reached maximum excitement.

  “Hmph!”

  Wang Chong saw this, but his face remained cold and unperturbed. These Mamelukes might have been renowned and feared throughout the continent, but for Wang Chong’s army, they would always be losers!

  “Tell Li Siye to depart the battlefield and take command of the Wushang Cavalry! It’s time for him to truly fight!

  “Tell Young Master Qingyang to deal with the giants! Give him command of half the Mo Saber Unit! He must protect the ballista army and eliminate those armored giants as quickly as possible!

  “Order Su Hanshan to prepare to fire!” Wang Chong firmly ordered.

  Following Wang Chong’s order, Li Siye took command of the Wushang Cavalry, Guo Ziyi and Xue Qianjun assisting him, and they rumbled off toward the Mamelukes.

  Bang!

  The world seemed to fall silent as the Wushang Cavalry erupted with immense fighting intent, charging off with the speed of a lightning bolt.

  Chapter 1862 - The Courage of the Wushang! (I)

  Chapter 1862: The Courage of the Wushang! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Ha! Finally coming!”

  In the opposing army, Bashabur sensed that surging energy, and as he glanced over, a cold and callous light gleamed in his eyes.

  “Let me see how powerful these so-called Wushang Cavalry really are!”

  Bashabur had already heard that even when Arabia’s strongest cavalry force, the Mamelukes, sent forth all its elites, it still lost to this eastern cavalry force.

  This had never happened before in the Arabian Empire.

  For the elite fighting force of the west to lose to the east was something that the entire western world found unthinkable.

  This battle no longer concerned only the Mamelukes. It concerned the pride and dignity of the entire western world.

  The Battle of Talas marked an immense disgrace for all of its generals, and the best way to wash away this disgrace was to kill the Wushang Cavalry and conquer the eastern world!

  Boomboomboom!

  As Bashabur led the Mamelukes forward, the air suddenly howled. Without any warning, ballista bolts streaked through the air and toward Bashabur and the Mamelukes behind him.

  Plush! Plush! Plush!

  Horses shr
ieked as the bolts pierced through flesh, and several hundred Mamelukes were instantly slain.

  At the same time, at least four ballista bolts were aimed at Bashabur himself.

  In a bloody flash of light, Bashabur extended his arm, actually managing to snatch these ballista bolts out of the air.

  Those unstoppable ballista bolts unexpectedly posed no threat to Bashabur.

  With one glance, Bashabur saw the sharp edges and unique veined patterns on the tips of the bolts and coldly laughed.

  “Wootz Steel? No wonder they’re so sharp that they can even pierce through Meteoric Metal armor!”

  Wootz Steel!

  This was an extremely sharp metal that almost everyone in Arabia knew about. Even an Arab general like Bashabur who had been in seclusion for many years had to admit to its sharpness.

  Alas, only the Great Tang knew how to forge weapons like this.

  One of the most important objectives for this eastern expedition in Bashabur’s eyes was to obtain the secret to forging Wootz Steel so that the Arab army could be further strengthened.

  As these thoughts passed through his mind, Bashabur quickly issued an order.

  “Scatter! Charge their formation!”

  The twenty thousand Mamelukes scattered and began to attack the Tang soldiers around the Behemoth Army.

  Boom!

  At this moment, the Mamelukes revealed that their strength was still not to be underestimated. With the assistance of the meat shields that were the Behemoths, they quickly routed the soldiers on the Great Tang’s right flank.

  “Kiiill!”

  Several hundred Mamelukes formed into a small group and charged into a Tang infantry line, instantly plunging deep into its ranks.

  “Ah!”

  With a terrible scream, a Tang shield soldier was sent flying through the air.

  They could block wave after wave of attacks, but they were incapable of standing against the sharp and well-trained offensive of the Mamelukes.

  The thousands of Mamelukes battered against the Tang soldiers, encountering no resistance.

  “These scoundrels!”

  In the distance, Su Hanshan and Li Siye both frowned.

  Neither of them had expected the Mamelukes to give up on a fight with the Wushang Cavalry and attack the other Tang soldiers. With the two forces in melee, if Su Hanshan continued attacking, his ballistae were bound to hit the men on his own side. As for Li Siye, now that the Mamelukes had changed strategies and hidden behind the Behemoths, his Wushang Cavalry faced a dilemma.

  If the Wushang Cavalry continued forward, they would be certain to suffer the direct attacks of the Behemoth Army. Even though the Wushang Cavalry were armed to the teeth, they were still insignificant in front of the Behemoths. The massive strength of those beasts could easily inflict massive damage on the Wushang Cavalry.

  And if he just sat back, the Mamelukes would quickly overrun the right flank. The Behemoth Army combined with the Mamelukes formed an unstoppable force, and Li Siye and the Wushang Cavalry could only watch as their allies were killed.

  “Hyah!”

  Li Siye’s eyes flashed with cold light, and then he firmly took the giant Wootz Steel sword from his back and gave his order.

  “All soldiers, charge!”

  Li Siye spurred his horse into a gallop, the air booming as he rode toward a massive Behemoth.

  “Kiiill!”

  The thousands of Wushang Cavalry closely followed, churning up a great cloud of dust.

  One thousand feet, eight hundred feet, five hundred feet… the two sides were getting closer and closer, but Li Siye and his men showed no signs of stopping. This sort of decisiveness surprised even Bashabur.

  But with a cold snort, Bashabur turned around and began to charge at this Tang general.

  “What a fool! Let me see what you’re capable of!”

  The Behemoths were immensely strong, every movement bursting with strength that no other horseman could resist. In charging over like this, the Wushang Cavalry were certain to sustain significant damage, and this was exactly what Bashabur wanted.

  Three hundred feet! Two hundred feet! One hundred feet!

  Roooar!

  A massive ape Behemoth with extremely long hair and crimson eyes roared and then turned upon the Wushang Cavalry. Its two massive hands opened, covering the sky like dark clouds as they slammed at several hundred Wushang Cavalry.

  Neeeigh!

  A gust of wind swept over the earth. Even before those two palms had landed, they created an immense pressure that made the earth groan. But the Wushang Cavalry remained undeterred, not slowing down in the slightest.

  “Just what are they up to?”

  At this moment, even the distant Saleh noticed this development, and there was a look of confusion in his eyes. The current actions of the Wushang Cavalry seemed nothing short of suicide.

  Fifty feet! Thirty feet! Twenty feet!

  But a moment later, the inconceivable happened…

  Boom!

  Just as the ape hands were about to slam down, the thousands of Wushang Cavalry suddenly scattered in every direction, just barely dodging the ape Behemoth’s attack.

  Rumble! The earth shuddered and dust surged as the hands slammed down, pulverizing the hard earth like it was mud and leaving two deep, hand-shaped depressions.

  Before the ape Behemoth could attack again, there was a resounding clang. A massive Wootz Steel sword slashed at the ape Behemoth’s head from a height of more than one hundred feet in the air.

  Milky-white Sword Qi swept across the ape Behemoth’s head like a bolt of lightning. In immense pain, the ape Behemoth immediately changed directions in a frenzy to attack the Behemoth Slayer on its head.

  But before its hands could strike, several giant ballistae fired, their bolts thudding into the Behemoth’s body.

  The Behemoth howled and ceased to care about the Wushang Cavalry.

  Behind it, giant feet were slamming into the earth. Rhinos, lions, bulls… Behemoths of various forms were spread across the region. At times, their instinctive movements would cause them to pose an even greater threat, as their actions were growing more unpredictable. Anyone who made a single misstep might end up being crushed into paste.

  At this level of ‘battle’, there was no suspense. To be struck meant death. Not even Meteoric Metal armor or a powerful cultivation could prevent this fate.

  But at this moment, the Wushang Cavalry displayed the strength that made them the best cavalry on the continent.

  The Wushang Cavalry maintained a scattered yet disciplined formation, agilely moving like civet cats to weave between the Behemoth attacks, always managing to just barely dodge them no matter how unpredictable they seemed.

  As the Behemoths howled, the Wushang Cavalry continued to ride forward as if they were unimpeded, smoothly passing through the Behemoth Army without a single injury. Such ability left the Mamelukes and even the Arab Governors and Deputy Governors utterly flabbergasted.

  Though they had long ago heard about this special unit of Wootz Steel cavalry, seeing it with their own eyes still left them stunned.

  “How could this be?”

  The agility displayed by the Wushang Cavalry had gone beyond the limits of their imagination.

  Cavalry emphasized flexibility, but this and that were two entirely different things. Not even the Mamelukes could achieve this level of agility.

  But on the other side, Li Siye, Xue Qianjun, and the others seemed completely unperturbed.

  The Wushang Cavalry were capable of all this not because of any halo or cultivation technique. It was because Wushang Village was located amongst precipitous mountains, and the movements trained by growing up in this environment had made them more agile than any other cavalry on the continent.

  Chapter 1863 - The Courage of the Wushang! (II)

  Chapter 1863: The Courage of the Wushang! (II)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  B
uzz!

  The numerous Wushang Cavalry flowed like a river past the feet of the Behemoths. At this moment, atop the distant elephant Behemoth, the eyes of the High Priest beneath his black robe rippled.

  A rhino Behemoth on the right flank of the battlefield suddenly shivered. It was retreating under the assault of the giant ballistae and was about to stomp on a vacant region, but at this moment, it suddenly turned its eyes on a group of several hundred Wushang Cavalry.

  Its massive, pillar-like foot also suddenly changed direction, moving at several times its original speed to stomp on those charging Wushang Cavalry.

  This was so abrupt an action that even that group of Wushang Cavalry was taken by surprise.

  The Behemoths moved according to instinct, making them easy to dodge, but this sort of action was inexplicable and made no sense at all. A Behemoth whose movements could change by the second was even tougher to deal with than ten Behemoths. But just when the Behemoth’s foot was about to slam down…

  Boom!

  A powerful stream of Psychic Energy slammed into the rhino Behemoth. What should have been formless Psychic Energy made a resounding bang as it struck the rhino Behemoth, and the Behemoth also seemed to have been struck by something physical. It howled in pain, and its foot moved several dozen feet and landed elsewhere, missing the Wushang Cavalry.

  “Child of Destruction!!”

  A booming and callous voice exploded into Wang Chong’s mind. Atop the elephant Behemoth, the High Priest, who had been controlling the rhino Behemoth, turned grimly toward Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong was truly too sharp. Just now, the High Priest had been attempting to take control of several Behemoths to deal heavy damage to the Wushang Cavalry, but Wang Chong had shattered this attempt with one strike. In the mental domain, the only person who posed a threat to the High Priest on this battlefield was Wang Chong.

  The High Priest’s beast-controlling arts were far greater than Masil’s, and in normal circumstances, no one should have been able to stop him. Unfortunately, with Wang Chong and his Psychic Energy five to six times greater than the normal Subtle realm expert around, he could not do as he pleased!