Lu Ting looked toward Ishbara Khagan.
“We have said nothing,” Ishbara Khagan sternly said, his stony face devoid of emotion. It was like what was unfolding before his eyes had nothing to do with him.
No one knew what the Western Turkic Khagan was thinking at this moment.
“Haha, the fire is burning your eyebrows, but Khagan still wants to benefit from both sides?
“The Western Turkic Khaganate is not a small country, and the only reason all the other armies have yet to move is because they are waiting for the Western Turks to make a decision. Khagan wishes to sit on the sidelines and extort both sides, but I worry that the other countries won’t let the Western Turks do so!”
The Youzhou commander coldly chuckled.
“We did not have this intention!”
Ishbara Khagan finally couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
He truly had once thought about sitting on the side and watching the tigers of the Great Tang and the alliance battle it out, but the other countries weren’t fools. This was why he was now playing host to three different foreign missions.
“Hmph!”
The Youzhou commander sneered.
In the current situation, Ishbara Khagan could no longer keep playing off all the parties against each other. No matter what, he needed to make his decision today.
“I will make this declaration. If the Western Turks continue to refuse to make their stance known, the first to be destroyed will be the Western Turkic Khaganate!” the Youzhou commander bluntly said, scanning the tent with a challenging gaze.
“Bastard!”
All the Western Turks in the tent were enraged.
This was the Western Turkic Khaganate, and this man dared to threaten it right in front of them? This was far too arrogant! Even Duwu Sili and Wunu Shibi were angered.
“Haaaa!”
Ishbara Khagan let out a long sigh and suddenly turned to Fourth Prince Barshad.
“Did you hear what they said? Little Bar, it will be difficult to bring a good end to today’s matter. I am afraid that I must make you suffer an injustice!”
Ishbara Khagan’s casually spoken words left Barshad shaken.
After going back and forth, in the end, his father still wanted to kill him.
Barshad felt a bitterness in his heart, and his eyes turned dim with despair.
In doing this, his father was completely displaying his intent to the other countries. He was leaving himself no path of retreat, so as to allay any worries the other countries might have that he could use the Fourth Prince to get on good terms with the Great Tang!
But they were father and son, linked by blood!
After deciding Barshad’s fate, Ishbara Khagan turned to Lu Ting.
“Gentlemen, We do not wish to do this, but it was you who forced your way inside. With the lives of the Western Turks at stake, We must sacrifice you and offer your heads!”
“Ishbara Khagan, you…!”
Lu Ting was astonished. He had clearly not expected that Ishbara Khagan would resolve himself and join the alliance, even offering Lu Ting as a sacrifice.
The Western Turkic generals were somewhat panicked.
The situation had changed far too quickly. They had just been discussing the matter of Shamul, and Shamul’s body was still there on the ground. But nobody was even looking at it, the main topic having become the imminent conflict between the alliance and the Great Tang.
They were somewhat at a loss for what to do.
But the Youzhou commander by the tent flap laughed.
“Hahaha, Ishbara Khagan, you won’t regret this decision!”
“However, We have one problem,” Ishbara Khagan suddenly said.
“What problem?”
The Youzhou commander froze, his laughter dying away.
“We are paying such an enormous price, even sacrificing a son. Two hundred thousand dan of grain is far from enough.”
Ishbara Khagan stared at the Youzhou commander and firmly declared, “If this operation succeeds, We want half of the Great Tang!”
“What?”
Let alone the Youzhou emissaries, even the Tibetans stared at Ishbara Khagan in disbelief.
Had Ishbara Khagan gone crazy?
Did he know how many countries were part of this alliance? The Western Turks wanted half of the Great Tang? It was utterly ridiculous!
Youzhou, Goguryeo, the Eastern Turks, the Xi, the Khitan, Ü-Tsang… all of these countries needed to be put together to equal the Western Turks and take half of the Great Tang’s territory?
“Impossible! At most, we can give you the Guannei Circuit!” the Youzhou commander harshly replied.
A minor Youzhou commander like this didn’t have the right to negotiate details. It was clear that Gao Shang and An Yaluoshan had already told him what could be offered.
“We have so many people and countless livestock and warhorses. How could the small Guannei Circuit be enough? Moreover, we Western Turks are elite horsemen, each one skilled in battle. Not the Xi, the Khitans, or even Goguryeons are a match for us. Once the war begins, we will undoubtedly be the main force of the alliance!
“Thus, one half! And no less!”
Ishbara Khagan finally rose from his throne.
His eyes had a profound light, and his body radiated an immense energy.
“Imperial Father!”
A sorrowful Barshad felt his heart chill even more at this sight.
He had never imagined that he would just be some unimportant item in the end, a bargaining chip passed between his father and the other countries!
“One-fifth, plus Guannei Circuit! Nothing more! This is the bottom line of our Lord Strategist and His Excellency!” the Youzhou commander roared.
Ishbara Khagan’s appetite was far too large. If the strategist hadn’t already told him what to expect, he probably would have already left in anger.
“One-third and no less. Otherwise, you can go and fight the Great Tang yourself!”
Ishbara Khagan refused to yield.
All of the Western Turkic generals had been rendered speechless long ago.
This Ishbara Khagan was completely different from the one they knew. Rather than the dignified sovereign, they saw a merchant haggling over the price of goods at the market.
But Ishbara Khagan did not care what they thought. Haggling in the market would result in the loss or gain of a few pieces of silver, but what they were haggling about was how much each party would get of the Great Tang. That vast region was connected to the future of the Western Turkic Khaganate.
He needed to get as much for his people as possible.
Only this would make it worth sacrificing the Fourth Prince.
“One-fourth! One-fourth at most! Lord Strategist has said that if you ask for any more, then you might as well join the Great Tang!” the Youzhou commander yelled as his patience finally broke.
Youzhou, Goguryeo, the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates, and Ü-Tsang were the five massive factions. For the Western Turkic Khaganate alone to take one-fourth was as far as they could go. It was far more than the normal one-fifth, and this was truly the bottom line their strategist had given.
Any more than this would lead to major problems.
“Deal!” Ishbara Khagan immediately replied.
With the deal done, Ishbara Khagan’s robes began to rustle, and his eyes erupted with bottomless ambition.
He once aspired to sweep over the world, but the Great Tang’s meddling had ruined it all. In the end, he had been forced to fall back and fight to preserve what he already had, becoming an unaccomplished Khagan. But now, this cold wave had brought him an unprecedented opportunity.
“Little Bar, do not blame your father. So long as we get rid of the greatest threat that is the Great Tang, no other country in the world will be able to oppose the Western Turks. When the time comes, We will kill Ozmish and swallow up the Eastern Turks, and then We will break Youzhou, sweep over the infantry of Goguryeo… In
the end, the world will be united, and the Great Turkic Khaganate will reign above the former Great Tang and Arabia, creating an age of unprecedented splendor!”
Ishbara Khagan was overcome with excitement, an intimidating gleam in his eyes.
He felt as if he could see far into the future, where he was the master of the world, reigning over all living things!
At this moment, Ishbara Khagan was trembling in anticipation!
Ishbara Khagan pointed at the kneeling Barshad and ordered, “By Our will, take the Fourth Prince away!”
He turned his eyes to Lu Ting’s group.
“Gentlemen, two countries at war should not execute each other’s emissaries, but in order to seal the alliance between the Western Turks and the other countries, We must sacrifice you.
“By Our will, kill them!” Ishbara Khagan callously ordered.
Whoooah!
The situation in the tent rapidly changed. The elite Wolfguards split into two groups, one group heading for the Fourth Prince and the other heading toward Lu Ting’s group.
Not only that, the clattering of armor came from outside as numerous Western Turkic horsemen began to gather around Mount Sanmi.
To kill the Tang emissaries was a formal declaration of war, a matter of grave significance!
Chapter 2136 - Powerful Allies!
Chapter 2136: Powerful Allies!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The army Ishbara Khagan had summoned tightly surrounded the area. He had clearly planned this entire operation out and was doing this to ensure that no news leaked out.
He did not want the war with the Great Tang to break out before the major war of the northeast.
Lu Ting and Wang Chong had a rather deep relationship. This was another important factor in keeping a tight lid on the news.
Whoosh!
A few moments later, several Wolfguards had tied up Barshad.
“Imperial Father!”
Barshad stared at Ishbara Khagan. His father had truly set his mind to it!
Before this, he had clung to some hope that there was still some space to negotiate, that his father could let him go. But for the welfare of the Western Turks and for the sake of his own ambition, his father was determined to sacrifice him.
At this moment, the father that had always loved and cherished him was truly dead!
No, perhaps it was better to say that he had only ever cherished the deceased Khatun!
Barshad dropped his head.
“Ishbara, you dare!” Lu Ting cried out.
“Kill them!” Ishbara Khagan callously ordered.
But a moment later…
Bang!
Screams broke out as a bolt of energy erupted, blasting away the Wolfguards and nearby generals.
Two figures appeared next to Lu Ting, respectively black and white, both brimming with energy.
At the same time, two spurts of blood flashed at Barshad’s side, as the two Wolfguards beside him were instantly beheaded and sent falling backward.
“Such impudence! You dare!”
A furious roar almost shook the tent into pieces, and even the vast body of Mount Sanmi trembled. Ishbara Khagan’s beard trembled as his eyes stared in a certain direction. However, these words were not targeted at Lu Ting, but at the man behind Barshad, Duwu Sili.
Just a moment ago, Duwu Sili had taken up his saber and killed the two Wolfguards who had seized Barshad.
“Duwu Sili, such audacity!”
With a thunderous bellow, Wunu Shibi took out his saber and angrily stared at Duwu Sili.
The Khagan had a supreme status in the eyes of the Western Turks. Duwu Sili’s actions were no different from rebellion.
“Imperial Father, have you truly become so heartless? For your dream of the Great Turkic Khaganate, you would sacrifice me without hesitation? Are you truly so sure that An Yaluoshan’s alliance can smoothly conquer the Great Tang to live through this cold wave?” Barshad slowly raised his head, revealing his eyes that were red with grief.
“Treasonous son, what are you thinking? Are you making an enemy of Us?”
Ishbara Khagan narrowed his eyes, his voice cold.
Even now, he had not relinquished his resolve to sacrifice Barshad.
“Imperial Father, you wish to kill your lowly son. Your lowly son has no other choice!” Barshad declared, his expression turning much harsher.
Ishbara Khagan’s eyes widened in ill foreboding.
Before he could react, Barshad suddenly waved a sleeve. Phweee! A sharp whistle pierced through the snowstorm.
Rumble!
After what seemed like both a second and like many epochs, a heaven-shaking rumble came from all sides, even louder than the stir created by Ishbara Khagan’s forces. At this moment, a large number of soldiers was encircling Mount Sanmi.
“Barshad, you dare!”
Irbis Shiyun was both shocked and infuriated. He gnashed his teeth and stared at Barshad, his face twisted into ugliness.
He truly had been the architect behind today’s events, but it had already gone completely beyond his control. But even more surprising to him was that the timid Fourth Prince would be so unfathomably shrewd and scheming.
He had hidden soldiers nearby long ago!
And judging by the current situation, there was a high chance that he had been colluding with the Great Tang for some time.
“Wunu Shibi, kill him!”
Irbis Shiyun pointed at Barshad, his face ashen.
On the other side, Barshad completely ignored him.
“Demonic Emperor, Village Chief, I must trouble the two of you!”
Barshad bowed and swiftly backed away.
The ones guarding Lu Ting were none other than the Demonic Emperor Old Man and the Wushang Village Chief.
In all matters, preparedness led to success and unpreparedness led to ruin. For such an important matter as the Western Turks, Wang Chong naturally couldn’t send Lu Ting alone to handle things. He had also asked his teacher and the Wushang Village Chief to go with him.
Rumble!
Without another word, not even giving a chance to Wunu Shibi, the Demonic Emperor Old Man raised his hand and unleashed a vast wave of energy at this Western Turkic general.
This energy was so frightening that even Ishbara Khagan and Wunu Shibi were alarmed.
“Seeking your own death!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man coldly looked down on the Western Turks like they were ants.
If Barshad had not requested it, he and the Wushang Village Chief never would have waited so long. Alas, in the end, Ishbara Khagan and the Western Turkic Khaganate had chosen to side with An Yaluoshan and his alliance.
“Brother Zhou, I’ll protect Academic Lu and the Fourth Prince. You go and take care of them!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man coldly said.
No matter how powerful one’s martial arts were, there was still an eventual limit. There were millions of people in the Western Turkic Khaganate, and it wasn’t like he could kill them all. In the end, they required Barshad to preside over the situation and reign over the khaganate. However, with his Subtle realm cultivation, the Wushang Village Chief was more than enough to deal with Ishbara Khagan and Wunu Shibi.
Whoosh!
The Wushang Village Chief’s face was blank as he listened to the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s words, and a moment later, he lunged at the group.
Boom! His white cane thumped against the ground, instantly unleashing a shockwave of energy! “Aaah!” Countless people in the tent screamed as they were sent flying. The Wolfguards suffered particularly tragic losses, instantly losing half their number.
Even Ishbara Khagan was thrown back more than a hundred feet by that astonishing energy.
At this moment, someone heartily laughed.
“Haha! As expected! Our master guessed at what your Great Tang might do! Divine Lords, come out!”
The moment the Demonic Emperor Old Man and Wushang Village Chief h
ad appeared in the tent, the Youzhou emissaries had immediately sensed something wrong and begun to retreat from the tent.
But the Youzhou commander was not worried upon seeing the Wushang Village Chief suppressing all comers. With a strange light in his eyes, he extended a finger. A moment later, energy gushed out, and a figure in a black robe appeared like a ghost and blocked the Wushang Village Chief’s attack with a single palm.
At the same time, another figure emerged with shocking speed. A split-second after the Youzhou commander had spoken, he was already flying at the Demonic Emperor Old Man, Lu Ting, and Barshad.
Bang!
Two palms instantly clashed in a massive explosion that ripped through Mount Sanmi and ravaged it with shockwaves of energy.
“Ah!”
The people in the tent were already heavily injured, and this shockwave sent them flying like they were blades of grass.
Boom! The man in black who had attacked the Demonic Emperor Old Man trembled and was thrown back by the immense force, but he reacted quickly, flipping backward through the air and creating distance between him and the Demonic Emperor Old Man.
“It’s you lot again!”
The Demonic Emperor Old Man sharply stared, not one bit shaken. He waved his palm, enclosing Barshad in a barrier of energy while he turned to face the man in black.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s expression had turned extremely grave.
These two figures belonged to none other than the men in black they had been fighting against and investigating this entire time, and they were clearly high-class experts of the organization.
The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s cultivation had reached the peak of the Subtle realm long ago, infinitesimally close to the Grotto Heaven realm. But his foe had managed to take his palm head-on and had not suffered any serious wounds. This was truly surprising.
These people clearly weren’t ordinary Divine Lords.
“Hahaha, interesting! It has been a very long time since anyone was able to take this lord’s palm!
“An opponent has to be this strong to make killing him a little fun!”
The man in black floated in the air, his voice tinged with madness and bloodlust.
His body radiated powerful energy, but what stood out the most was the illusory abyss behind him, and within was a seething black ocean.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1289