The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  For resisting the cold, besides the cotton clothes provided by the Imperial Court, the various households had woven together their old clothes into thicker suits, an expedient measure to deal with the situation…

  Men, women, old, and young were all busy.

  No one knew what was happening, believing that it was just a winter and that there was no need for all this. But all of them felt the tension in the cold air and saw the furrowed brows of their officials.

  Time flowed past amidst this nervous tension, and ten-some days passed in the blink of an eye.

  Within the steel fortress, Wang Chong stood in full armor within the main hall.

  I wonder how the preparations in the rear are going?

  Wang Chong held a military report in his hand, his mind restless.

  Wang Chong glanced down. Six feet away, a simple bronze cauldron stood. The cauldron had beast designs on each of its four faces, and within the cauldron, coal burned, exuding waves of heat.

  This coal cauldron had not been present in the main hall originally.

  Wang Chong could tell that the temperature had dropped another ten-some degrees. Even the floor of the main hall was now covered in a thin layer of frost.

  The Great Ice Age!

  In his last life, when the Wang Clan was destitute and wandering, many of his relatives had died in this period. Wang Chong was dazed for a moment, but he quickly came back to his senses.

  “Zhang Que, what has the Imperial Court said?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “Your Highness, ninety percent of the work is done. Almost every home has an underground cellar. In addition, because of our earlier preparations, each household has supplies for half a month or more. If it really is as Your Highness says, survival will still be no problem.”

  After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong abruptly said, “Write another letter to the Imperial Court telling them to inform the local governments that when the cylindrical coal briquettes are used, there needs to be an opening. The room cannot be completely sealed.”

  ‘Cylindrical coal briquettes’ were a highly effective way to use coal. They did not produce much smoke and would continue radiating heat for a long period of time.

  But when the coal briquettes were not burned thoroughly, they would produce a gas that people of this era did not understand. This had been Wang Chong’s greatest concern when promoting cylindrical coal briquettes.

  In this Great Ice Age, many people could end up dying by sealing themselves in their homes to resist the cold.

  “Understood!” After a few moments of thought, Zhang Que said, “I will tell the Imperial Court to specifically establish an office to oversee this matter. What does Your Highness think about this?”

  Wang Chong gave a slight nod.

  “Mm. Another method is to establish units of five households, gathering families together so that their resource consumption is reduced and so that they can support each other. There’s no telling how long this cold wave will last, so we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario!”

  “Your subordinate understands!”

  Zhang Que hurriedly bowed.

  After giving these orders, Wang Chong felt his unease somewhat dissipate.

  “Has the alliance army outside shown any signs of movement?” Wang Chong asked.

  “This… It’s still just like before. Though there have been no major battles, there have been numerous skirmishes and night raids.

  “The attempts to tunnel past the walls in this period of time are uncountable. Though the majority failed, they managed to find one or two gaps. Senior Zhang Shouzhi has already had the craftsmen team use solder to repair those areas, also reinforcing them with inscriptions.

  “In addition, there have been several dozen incidents of alliance soldiers attempting to scale the walls in the middle of the night, and we have no way of putting a stop to them.”

  Chapter 2216 - The Great Ice Age Begins! ‹

  Chapter 2216: The Great Ice Age Begins!

  ‹

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Ah, they still haven’t given up?”

  Wang Chong chuckled and shook his head.

  The Great Tang was not purely defending. In this period of time, Wang Chong had sent out a significant number of men to raid the alliance army, such as burning the supplies of the army like he had done in the war of the southwest. Such raids would undoubtedly be of great assistance to the Great Tang’s situation.

  The Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the Khitan Tribe, and the Xi Tribe mainly ate cattle and sheep, but this wasn’t the case for all of them, at least for Youzhou and Goguryeo.

  However, Wang Chong had achieved little except to burn two small granaries.

  On the alliance side, while An Lushan didn’t possess astounding intelligence, he had his military advisor, Gao Shang. This man could be said to have been the sole architect behind the calamity the Great Tang had faced in the future.

  As for Wang Chong, his title of War Saint said it all.

  At the levels of intelligence reached by Wang Chong and Gao Shang, it was difficult to outfox each other, and it was difficult for any schemes to succeed.

  In the space of ten-some days, the two had tested each other many times and failed at almost every instance. While Wang Chong had a minor advantage, it was not enough to influence the war.

  “I’m going out to take a look.”

  Wang Chong strode out of the main hall.

  Whoosh!

  A cold gust of wind blasted his face. When Wang Chong stepped out of the main hall, it was like he was walking out of one world and into another. The howling of the wind was like the wailing of ghosts.

  The ground outside was frozen solid. Wang Chong raised his head and saw nothing but white. Countless snowflakes were falling from the sky, mixed together with large chunks of snow.

  But if one looked carefully, one would notice that the snowstorm within the fortress was much weaker than the snowstorm outside. This was the effect of the massive formation beneath the steel fortress.

  The enormous underground formation was capable of dispersing the chill around the fortress, improving the army’s situation.

  “Senior!”

  In the middle of his thoughts, Wang Chong spotted a familiar figure walking toward him through the snowstorm.

  It was the Formation Elder!

  “Wang Chong, I have a matter to discuss with you.” The Formation Elder began to speak before he even got close.

  “It’s about the underground formation. I thought that one was enough, but following your request, I erected two. While this has been of great aid to the army, it has also increased the energy burden on the fortress.

  “Though the imperial household sent over a few energy sources, and I’ve also been trying my best to extract energy from the cold wave and from beneath the earth, I still don’t have enough. I estimate that all our energy will be exhausted in a month at most. There won’t be any energy left to extract for the surrounding several hundred li, and this could even cause distortions in the earth,” the Formation Elder sternly said, a hint of warning in his voice.

  “So fast?”

  Wang Chong pensively frowned.

  Ordinary formations just needed to extract energy from deep in the earth. Rarely did situations like the Formation Elder spoke of take place, where not even the Origin Energy in the earth was enough to drive the formation.

  “Wang Chong, do you really not want to consider stopping one of the formations or only intermittently activating the formations? This can extend the time.

  “At the very least, you should stop the most taxing formation…” the Formation Elder worriedly said.

  “There’s no need.”

  Wang Chong shook his head and cut off the Formation Elder before he could finish.

  “One month is enough. This war won’t last that long. As for that formation you spoke of, though it has no defensive purpose, it will protect every
one’s lives.”

  “This…”

  The Formation Elder was taken aback by Wang Chong’s words, but when he thought about it, he realized that the argument made sense.

  Though one month was very short, almost none of Wang Chong’s wars had lasted longer than one month.

  “Since that’s what you say, that’s what we’ll do.”

  The Formation Elder sighed.

  After allaying the Formation Elder’s worries, Wang Chong took in a deep breath, focused, and quickly mounted the walls.

  From the walls, all of the north was opened up to him.

  By now, the battlefield had been cleaned up, but even so, he could still see broken weapons and shattered remnants of armor.

  The lands of the north had been painted red, and even after ten-some days, it was still obvious. Even those who had not participated in that battle were able to see just how gruesome it had been.

  Wang Chong’s gaze did not linger, quickly turning to the distant alliance camp.

  The Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the Khitans, the Xi, Goguryeo… the armies of the various countries were clearly divided from each other and organized in a neat fashion. Moreover, there were rings of sentry posts on the perimeter, ensuring that the camp remained well-guarded.

  Gao Shang’s ability to create such a well-ordered and well-guarded camp made Wang Chong sigh in praise.

  “A pity that you acknowledged this Hu as your master and sold your allegiance to the enemy.”

  Wang Chong had tried to find Gao Shang before, and if possible, Wang Chong would have pulled him into his camp. Alas, the dictate of fate had made Gao Shang pledge his loyalty to An Lushan.

  As these thoughts passed through his mind, Wang Chong calmed himself.

  There was no changing some things. His most urgent task was to end this war as quickly as possible.

  Wang Chong quickly turned his attention to some craftsmen and soldiers working on something in the alliance camp.

  Starting ten-some days ago, Youzhou had gathered the craftsmen of the surrounding countries to build something, and they had been working all this time.

  “When things are abnormal, evil must be at work.” A deep and mellow voice came from behind him. “Youzhou and the other countries are inferior to the Central Plains when it comes to both forging and formations. For them to suddenly become so interested in construction makes me worried they’re up to something big!”

  At some point, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Zhongsi, and Zhang Shougui had noticed Wang Chong and mounted the wall to join him.

  “Our men tried to probe it several times, but they all failed. King of Foreign Lands, have you noticed anything?” Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi asked.

  Wang Chong was learned in many subjects, even possessing knowledge on formations, so he had more authority to speak on a subject like this.

  Zhang Shougui looked to the north, his gaze sharp as he said, “The pause in battle has been too long. Even though Youzhou still has the Yeluohe under its command, it has yet to mobilize them. There have been no major assaults, only minor skirmishes. Given that beast’s personality, this isn’t normal. For him to be so quiet now, he must be scheming something, must be seeking something greater.”

  Ever since he had fallen into An Lushan’s trap and been demoted to the Kuo Province, he had followed Wang Chong’s orders and patiently bided his time behind the curtains, during which he had plenty of time to think about everything that had happened.

  Many conundrums had been solved, and he finally understood what sort of thankless wretch he had brought into his family.

  Construction followed destruction, and after this calamity, he had developed a keen understanding of An Lushan. In this aspect, neither Zhangchou Jianqiong nor Wang Zhongsi could compare.

  Buzz!

  Just when Wang Chong was about to reply to Wang Zhongsi and the others, a familiar voice rang out in his mind.

  “Warning! Special Event! The ‘Great Ice Age Era’ formally begins! User has twelve hours to prepare!

  “Warning! The Great Ice Age Era is about to begin!”

  The Stone of Destiny’s voice rang out like a bell, each word containing enormous weight, and with those last ringing words, it fell silent.

  Winds howled past his ear, and Zhangchou Jianqiong and the others were still watching him, but Wang Chong’s mind was in far too much turmoil to care.

  Twelve hours, which was half a day!

  This meant that that unprecedented cold wave would erupt onto the scene tonight.

  This current weather, including the falling snow and ice, was merely a prelude, not the true Great Ice Age.

  Wang Chong’s face instantly turned grim.

  Zhangchou Jianqiong noticed this and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “The cold wave is coming. They’re setting up a formation to resist the cold!” Wang Chong solemnly declared.

  Hearing this, the Great Generals paled.

  ……

  When everyone’s attention was focused on that monumental war in the northeast, few people noticed that the temperature across the continent was plunging at an abnormal speed.

  And when night fell, the temperature dropped even faster.

  North of the battlefield, at the Chita pastures…

  Boom!

  A deafening howl came from overhead, and a cold wave that reached tens of thousands of feet into the air rolled across the earth like a giant snowball, moving toward the Central Plains in the south with astonishing speed.

  The cold wave froze everything in its wake. The tents, banners, and fences left behind by the Turks instantly froze into ice sculptures.

  One hour later, the terrifying cold wave had swept over the entire Turkic steppe and arrived at Youzhou.

  “Wh-what is that?”

  Atop a sentry post, an Eastern Turkic soldier heard a terrifying howl, and on the horizon, a clear line of pure white snow appeared in the darkness.

  “Not good! It-it’s the cold wave!”

  The other Eastern Turkic soldier standing with him recognized it and instantly paled. He backed away in panic and slid down the sentry post.

  The cold wave was simply too frightening. Anyone who had seen the devastation it had wrought was well aware of what it signified.

  Final death!

  The Eastern Turkic Khaganate had sent an army to the north to survey the cold wave, and he had been one of them.

  “There’s no time!”

  The soldier trembled in fear, knowing instantly that there was no chance of escaping.

  The cold wave was moving far too quickly, and out in the open, there was nowhere to hide.

  Chapter 2217 - A Frozen World!

  Chapter 2217: A Frozen World!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The soldier closed his eyes, his expression twisting in pain as he prepared for the cold wave’s arrival. But a moment later, boom! A rumble came from the sky like some giant hand striking a canvas.

  As the soldier stared in shock, the heaven-encompassing cold wave seemed to run into some sort of barrier. It passed over Youzhou at an altitude of around ten thousand feet and continued to the south.

  As for the alliance camp, it felt nothing besides a chilly gust of wind and a temperature drop of a few degrees.

  “This…”

  The two sentries, one on the tower and the other on the ground, looked speechlessly at the sky.

  Countless people in the alliance camp emerged from their tents and watched as the cold wave swept past them.

  “Impossible!”

  The Khitan King, wearing a coat of white fox fur, looked up at the dark skies in shock.

  Even though he had heard from Genesis Supreme that the alliance army would not be affected, knowing was different from seeing with one’s own eyes that even the course of nature could be altered. His shock was simply indescribable.

  Yeon Gaesomun, Ozmish Khagan, and the Xi Queen also
glanced at each other in shock.

  Almost instinctively, they shot a glance in the direction of An Lushan and Gao Shang.

  That mysterious expert called Genesis Supreme had far too many secrets. He had known when the cold wave would descend and knew how to be immune from its effects. He was bizarre in every aspect.

  An Lushan was extremely close to him, so he had to be linked to this as well.

  There was something fishy about this cold wave!

  Ozmish Khagan’s mind was reeling, but he did not say a word.

  The most composed was An Lushan. He had noticed their gazes long ago, but he did not care.

  The truth was unimportant. What was important was that Genesis Supreme had fulfilled his promise. Youzhou was entirely unaffected by the cold wave.

  “Wang Chong, it’s your turn now!”

  An Lushan maintained a stolid expression, though a faint smile crept onto his lips.

  The cold wave had come, and the situation now favored the alliance. It was time to see how Wang Chong dealt with it.

  “Genesis Supreme, how long will the matter you spoke of take to finish?” An Lushan turned to Genesis Supreme, who was floating in the sky, and spoke with a rare tone of respect.

  Genesis Supreme coldly glanced at the Divine Works Elder.

  “Hehe, Milord, there is no need to be anxious. The modifications to the Yeluohe will take some time. We were planning to finish modifying them before delivering them to Milord, but there was too little time, so we needed to send this batch of Yeluohe to Youzhou as soon as they came out.”

  The Divine Works Elder sinisterly chuckled.

  “In addition, the cold wave is only just beginning. In another ten-some days, the world will be completely encased in wind and snow. That will be Milord’s best chance to strike!”

  An Lushan smiled and said, “Then I will leave it to Elder!”

  After waiting for so long already, he didn’t care about waiting another ten-some days. So long as he could finally defeat Wang Chong and defeat the Great Tang, becoming the true master of the Central Plains, the master of the world, he could wait a little longer.