The snowflakes blown over by the wind were thawed by the heat waves before they could even get close.
These thousands of metal cauldrons served as the greatest source of heat for the base.
Chapter 2128 - : Steel Fortress!
Chapter 2128: Steel Fortress!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Keep your backs straight! Be vigilant! The fighting is going to start soon. Are you going to act this way on the battlefield too?”
“Maintain a firm grip! When the battle begins, nobody is going to care that you’re cold!”
“Single-Line Snake Formation! Show it to me again!”
“Master archer team, I’m inspecting your archery one more time!”
In the base, rows of infantry and cavalry were divided into neat ranks. Some of them were patrolling the area while the rest engaged in drills in the center of the base.
In the middle of the army, two black banners snapped in the cold wind, one depicting a scarlet dragon and the other depicting a five-clawed golden dragon.
These two banners represented Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi and Tongluo Great General Abusi.
The forward base!
Wang Chong quickly shook himself out of his stupor.
This was the forward base for the entire northeast.
More than four hundred thousand soldiers had already gathered in this small region. It was an unimaginable army, and it was also presided over by two powerful Great Generals, Wang Zhongsi and Abusi.
“Hyah!”
Wang Chong spurred his horse into a gallop, pushing through the snow.
At the very front of the forward base, in front of rows of disciplined soldiers, were two powerful storms of energy.
These were none other than Wang Zhongsi and Abusi.
“He’s here!”
Abusi’s eyes flashed as he rode his horse out of the forward base.
Behind him, Wang Zhongsi subtly nodded and followed.
A few moments later, some six thousand feet from the base, the three commanders met.
“Is everything ready?”
Wang Chong skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“Mm. Has His Majesty made up his mind?” Wang Zhongsi asked.
Without another word, Wang Chong took a token from his waist.
“How long will the rest of the soldiers take to arrive?” Abusi solemnly said.
“All of them will arrive in seven days!” Wang Chong indifferently said.
Wang Zhongsi and Abusi both exhaled in relief.
Even though the forward base had four hundred thousand soldiers, Youzhou itself had six hundred thousand, and there were also the armies of Goguryeo, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the Xi, and the Khitans to consider. Together, it constituted a force of millions. The four hundred thousand soldiers of the forward base were far from enough.
But once the rest of Wang Chong’s army arrived, the situation in the northeast would be completely different.
“Hyah!”
Wang Chong didn’t stick around, spurring his horse and riding between the two Great Generals toward the forward base.
Wang Zhongsi and Abusi glanced at each other and then followed.
Within the forward base, Zhang Shouzhi, the Formation Elder, and the top craftsmen from the craftsman team had gathered together, looking up at the mounted Wang Chong.
“Your Highness!”
All of them bowed, awaiting Wang Chong’s final order.
All was quiet as Wang Chong turned his gaze toward the distant Youzhou.
Youzhou seemed calm on the surface, but Wang Chong could clearly sense a baleful energy soaring out of the horizon.
When Wang Chong was recruiting soldiers, Youzhou had also been building up its soldiers.
This place had become the greatest problem for the empire.
An Yaluoshan, this time, I’m going to give you a real surprise!
As numerous thoughts ran through his mind, Wang Chong waved his hand down.
“Begin!”
Rumble!
At that moment, the earth began to shudder. The moment Wang Chong gave his order, the entire power structure of the northeast—no, the entire continent—shifted.
Bangbangbang!
Around Wang Chong, metal hammers slammed down, and with resounding cracks, the tens of thousands of large wooden boxes that had been accumulated in the forward base were opened, revealing the metal modules within.
This was not the first time Wang Chong was using this trick, but it was completely different from before.
Clang!
Metal hammers fell, sparks exploded, bellows pumped, and smoke and flames rose into the sky.
One furnace became two, three, four… In just a few moments, hundreds to thousands of metal furnaces blazed up.
Whoosh!
And a few moments after that, bright molten metal began to flow along channels.
The forward base became like an awakening metallic beast, all of its systems spinning up.
One metal module after another was removed from its crate, loaded onto specialized carts, and swiftly transported to its place in the forward base.
Unlike the metallic modules of the past, these modules were a dark black and more than twice the thickness.
Moreover, the surface of the modules was covered in the intricate designs of formations and inscriptions.
And these inscriptions and formations resonated with each other, as if they were all part of some even more immense formation.
Bang!
Behind the large barricades, the modules were erected, molten metal poured down to swiftly install these metal slabs weighing tens of thousands of jin.
Countless soldiers and craftsmen worked around the metal modules, reinforcing and connecting them together. In just a short while, a grandiose steel wall had been formed, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
And if one looked down from the sky, one could watch as a line of black steel walls began to steadily spread across this large region that was the intersection between the Cang Province, Ying Province, and Heng Province.
Even though it was still in its nascent form, it was already enough to exert a massive pressure.
Neigh!
In the distance, atop a hill, several Youzhou horsemen who were responsible for observing the forward base widened their eyes.
“What is this? What are they trying to do!?”
“This is bad! Hurry and report this to His Excellency!”
The Youzhou horsemen turned their horses around and sped away.
They had been watching this place for a long time, but before this, the general structure of the fortress had never changed that much. Some goods would be transported inside, and some new barricades and spikes would be installed.
But this was something else. It felt as if a dragon was waking from its slumber.
……
Rumble!
As the work on the forward base began in earnest, the great turmoil caused was felt as far away as Youzhou.
Within the Andong Protectorate headquarters, An Yaluoshan, Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, Gao Shang, and almost all the elite members of Youzhou had gathered in front of a large model. They were in the middle of discussing their strategy against the Great Tang.
At this time, the hall began to tremble.
“What’s going on?”
An Yaluoshan frowned as he raised his head.
“This is… from the southwest!”
The others in the hall also sensed this disturbance.
The Andong Protectorate headquarters had been built many years ago, from extremely tough and dense materials. It would never tremble like this in normal circumstances.
This was not something any ordinary tremor could cause.
“The southwest? I’ll go and look!”
An Yaluoshan’s eyes narrowed. With a sweep of his sleeve, he strode out of the hall with a dark expression, his s
ubordinates following right behind him.
The southwest? If he remembered correctly, that was exactly where the Great Tang’s forward base was.
Whoosh!
As he emerged from the hall, a cold wind flecked with snow blew past, the turbulence cutting at him like a knife.
Boom!
“Ha!”
In the distance, a blurry silhouette became visible on the southwestern horizon, and a sound akin to the crashing of waves could be heard. Even though it was a very distant sound, if one listened carefully, one would realize that it was a sound formed from the shouts of tens of thousands of people.
Everyone instantly paled.
A long time had gone by without a disturbance. What in the world was the Great Tang doing?!
Gallop!
As all of them were wondering what was going on, the thundering of hooves came from the distance. A moment later, they saw a Youzhou horseman kicking up snow as he frantically rode toward them.
The moment he arrived, the Youzhou horseman dismounted and got down on one knee, speaking in a hurried voice.
“Your Excellency! Activity to the southwest! All of the craftsmen in the Great Tang’s forward base have begun setting up steel walls!”
“What?”
An Yaluoshan’s brow creased and his eyes filled with confusion.
At this time, Gao Shang was also confused.
Setting up steel walls?
What did that mean?
Didn’t the Great Tang’s forward base already have those giant barricades and spikes?
Even if they were building a wall, was it really deserving of such a fuss?
But Gao Shang knew that this matter had to be more complicated than it seemed. Seeing how this Youzhou horseman was gasping for breath, he also understood that there were some things that common soldiers like this could not describe very well.
“Come on! Your Excellency, let’s go and look!” Gao Shang solemnly said.
An Yaluoshan already had the same idea, and a few moments later, they mounted their horses and rode toward the forward base in the southwest.
As they approached, the sound of crashing waves grew louder and louder. Listening to the signals called out in unison, all of them turned somber.
Chapter 2129 - Youzhou in Shock!
Chapter 2129: Youzhou in Shock!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Your Excellency, it’s up ahead!”
The Youzhou horseman who had reported the matter led the way.
After another ten-some li, the group finally saw the forward base.
Amidst drifting snow, a long wall as black as ink stood tall over the earth.
However, contrary to what the horseman had reported, the wall around the perimeter wasn’t just the height of an adult man, but ten-some meters high. It was a sight with enormous visual impact, a grandiose sight!
“How could this be?”
The Youzhou horseman who had reported the matter stared in wide-eyed shock at the black wall meandering across the horizon like a black dragon.
It was about two hours to go to the Andong Protectorate headquarters and return. He clearly recalled that the walls had not extended so far and had only been about the height of a man at the time.
For it to have changed so much in so little time was truly unbelievable.
Bang!
Thick columns of smoke broke through the snow into the clouds while the hammering of metal rang out through the world.
An Yaluoshan, Gao Shang, Tian Chengsi, and Cui Qianyou looked grimly at the bustling activity before them.
At this moment, Tian Chengsi looked around and suddenly pointed at a hill. “Your Excellency, we can look from over there!”
This place was still some distance from the forward base, but that hill was probably the sole vantage point that would allow them to look within the base.
The group quickly rode toward the top of that hill.
“This!”
Upon mounting the hill and seeing what was behind the pitch-black walls, all of them trembled in intense shock, even though they had somewhat prepared themselves for what they might see.
Within the walls, even more walls were being erected, rows and columns intersecting, turning the insides of the forward base into a series of fortresses.
This was no longer a wall of steel! What was being constructed was a massive city of steel!
Whoosh!
The hill was silent, except for the howling of the storm. At this moment, everyone atop the hill felt a chill in their bodies.
A city of steel!
Everyone suddenly recalled that Wang Chong was renowned for something else besides his military stratagems.
But this city of steel was even larger than the one constructed at Wushang!
It could not be called a city of steel, but a steel fortress!
A steel fortress that was being constructed at astonishing speed!
Zhao Kan swallowed and began to hesitantly speak.
“Your Excellency…”
He shared the same idea as Cui Qianyou and Baizhen Tuoluo, their eyes gleaming with concern and killing intent.
These bastards could not be allowed to continue constructing this sort of fortification!
If they wanted to stop it, attacking now was the best chance.
“Can the final batch of Yeluohe arrive today?” An Yaluoshan suddenly asked.
The generals fell silent, and in the end, Tian Chengsi spoke.
“No!”
His voice was incredibly bitter.
He was responsible for intelligence and patrols. He had his men spread out all across Youzhou, but there had been no trace of the Yeluohe.
Everyone fell silent.
The time at which the construction of this fortress had begun was far too well chosen. It was right before the Youzhou group was done with its preparations.
Moreover, the Great Tang had lacked an excuse to attack Youzhou, so it had concocted this war declaration against Goguryeo. If they attacked now, they would formally break with the Great Tang, allowing the Great Tang to attack without fear!
The moment they started, the final battle would begin!
This was not a decision lightly made.
“Gao Shang!”
An Yaluoshan squinted, still looking at the base.
Gao Shang said nothing as he considered what to do.
“Wait! Now is not the moment to strike!” Gao Shang firmly declared.
Minor impatience could ruin great plans. Now was not the right moment to strike at the Great Tang!
Moreover, the other countries had only just agreed to the alliance, with the exact details still up for discussion. More importantly, even if they attacked, there was a chance that they could be walking into a trap.
Perhaps the Tang had been waiting for precisely that moment.
“Bastard!”
An Yaluoshan’s face turned dark, and he clenched his fists in anger.
He had six hundred thousand Youzhou soldiers, numerous officials and generals, an alliance with various countries, and nearly twenty thousand Yeluohe. But despite his much greater power, he was still forced to hold himself back.
It was utterly absurd!
An Yaluoshan’s group was not the only one who had noticed this development at the forward base.
At the border of Goguryeo, Yeon Gaesomun was wearing a dragon robe that had been modified to be close-fitting. He looked toward the distant east, his face grave.
An army of several hundred thousand soldiers had gathered within the Great Tang’s forward base!
With an important war coming, how could Yeon Gaesomun not have sent soldiers to scout the area?
It’s finally begun!
King of Foreign Lands, it won’t be long before we have our true battle!
Yeon Gaesomun crumpled the paper in his hands. He could sense the faint tremors from the west and see the thick smoke rising into the air.
Even now, he had yet to meet the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands!
Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, the Western Turks, Arabia… the King of Foreign Lands had subdued many of the surrounding countries in his rise, but for various reasons, the King of Foreign Lands had never had any direct conflicts with Goguryeo, the Eastern Turks, the Xi, or the Khitans.
But this was all history!
Very soon, all the empires of the northeast would make the King of Foreign Lands their enemy and commence the final battle.
The battle had yet to begin, but Yeon Gaesomun already felt pressured!
In the past, he wouldn’t have taken this immature brat seriously, even after he won the war of the southwest. But now…
This was no longer the immature ‘Young Marquis’, but the supreme War Saint!
“You’re already there, right?”
Yeon Gaesomun looked to the east, his eyes erupting with resolve.
Even though he couldn’t see anything, he could sense that the renowned conqueror of Arabia, the War Saint, had already arrived in the northeast.
……
“The war… is about to begin?”
On the holy mountain of the Eastern Turks, Ozmish Khagan emerged from his tent with all his generals, looking toward the south.
The shift in the northeast had also alarmed this ruler of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.
While Ozmish Khagan was middle-aged, he was still much younger than Ishbara Khagan. He had a thick beard, dark skin, deep-set eyes, and a body that radiated savagery and aggression.
Ozmish Khagan was a man who had seized the throne of Eastern Turkic Khagan during a period of chaos. He had taken his seat much later than Ishbara Khagan and lacked Ishbara Khagan’s dejection that had come from multiple setbacks. He maintained his proactive and ambitious nature, a wolf in hiding whose claws remained sharp.
He had also received a report on the developments in the south.
“Khagan, the Great Tang might really make its move!” a muscular man said in a rough voice as he stomped through the snow to Ozmish Khagan’s side.
This man had a sharp and sinister gaze, and a body packed with explosive power. This man was an Eastern Turkic Great General, Tiechi Bileli.
Tiechi Bileli possessed astounding strength, and he was an extremely aggressive commander. He had presided over the Eastern Turks for many years and clashed with Zhang Shougui at his prime numerous times. He had been able to hold back Zhang Shougui’s assault numerous times, proving his strength.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1285