They also allowed the soldiers of the Great Tang to enjoy piping hot food.
As for the alliance soldiers, granting them a lamb leg was already good enough. Wang Chong naturally wouldn’t take the pains to do anything else for them.
Outside the walls, the three of them finally picked up that stone-cold lamb leg.
It was better to have than not have. The ability to eat this sort of delicious lamb leg was already an enormous luxury.
“Hyah!”
The three turned their horses around and departed with the lamb leg into the snowstorm.
None of them noticed that Wang Chong was watching them leave.
Zhang Que watched them leave and then spoke, putting down the piece of lamb he was eating. “Your Highness, will this really work on them? Isn’t this too intentional?”
The three alliance scouts had not run into a Tang feast by coincidence. Everything had been part of the plan.
Though the alliance was somewhat weaker than the Great Tang, it was not lacking for intelligent strategists. It would be difficult for their motives behind all this to remain hidden.
“In strategy, there are hidden schemes and open schemes, frontal soldiers and surprise soldiers. We are currently employing an open scheme. It doesn’t matter if they realize our motives. What is important is what they see and what they think.”
Wang Chong casually chuckled.
“While the alliance, with Genesis Supreme’s help, doesn’t need to worry about the cold for now, neither the Eastern Turks, the Xi, nor the Khitans have a practice of storing food. As for Goguryeo, its lands are barren, and this cold wave came very suddenly. Even if they stored food, it wouldn’t be much. With Youzhou, their supplies were provided by the Imperial Court, so there is no way they could have much extra food. Rationing of food is inevitable.
“It’s already good enough that the alliance can feed all of its troops. There’s no way it can freely hold a feast.
“The Great Tang has abundant resources. It’s enough for them to see this.”
Wang Chong had a face of supreme confidence, acting as if he had seen through everything.
“But this will mean that our supplies are exhausted ahead of time, which will disadvantage us in the future,” Zhang Que hesitantly said.
The amount of food consumed by the army each day, and how long the supplies would last, had all been calculated ahead of time.
While they had suffered heavy losses in the last battle, there were still seven to eight hundred thousand soldiers in the fortress. With this many soldiers, food was no small problem.
Moreover, for this feast, the amount of meat and food being consumed was ten times more than usual, which was no small number.
With the cold wave around them, Zhang Que couldn’t help but be worried.
“Your Highness, why don’t we do it in rounds? Once today’s feast is done, we can return to normal for a few days. In any case, the effect has already been achieved,” Zhang Que probed.
Usually, feasts would only be held if the army was victorious, but Wang Chong had arranged for there to be a feast not just today, but tomorrow, the day after that, and for the next ten-some days.
The food consumed by seven to eight hundred thousand people was no small amount.
Zhang Que’s words did not represent his own stance, but the stance of others as well. After all, with ice and snow covering the land, there was almost no place on the continent that could produce food.
Wang Chong waved his hands and indifferently said, “There’s no need. Continue as I have ordered. With regards to the food for the feast, not only are we not decreasing it, we must increase the amount with each passing day.”
“Ah?” Zhang Que called out in alarm, his eyes flying open. The surrounding soldiers also looked over, and the quartermasters found it difficult to conceal their shock.
They were responsible for arranging the food for the feast, but Wang Chong had never mentioned increasing the scale of the feast.
As if understanding what they all thought, Wang Chong sternly said, “War is the art of deception. All you need to remember is that our goal in this war is not to defeat the cold, nor is it to withstand the cold wave, but to defeat An Lushan and the alliance army. When we defeat our foe is when we can return to the capital. This is what is most important!”
Seeing the stern expression on his face, all of them instantly lowered their heads.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Wang Chong’s words had made all of them realize that they had been going down the wrong path.
It was true. The goal of this war was not to save food, but to defeat the alliance army as quickly as possible.
“Come—a toast!”
Putting them aside, Wang Chong raised his cup filled with high-class wine from the capital and spoke to the numerous soldiers within the fortress.
The soldiers raised their cups and loudly replied, “To His Highness!”
The cheers resounded through the city, shaking the heavens.
……
One group of scouts came after another, and the news that the Tang were feasting in the fortress rapidly spread through the alliance ranks. Moreover, the scouting teams had brought back roast lamb legs, roast pig, leather bags filled with wine, and even various pastries the Tang liked to eat. The news about what their foes were up to spread through the alliance soldiers like the plague.
The cheerful laughter and sounds of celebration left all the alliance soldiers with very mixed feelings.
Chapter 2225 - Divine Craft Arrows!
Chapter 2225: Divine Craft Arrows!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The battlefield was known to be hell on earth, a meat grinder for soldiers. Even though the soldiers could freely breathe and were currently uninjured, no one knew if they would come back alive from the next battlefield.
Everyone had grown accustomed to the battlefield being cold, cruel, and arduous, so it was easy to understand what they felt when they saw the Tang happily feasting away.
In the alliance camp, a Youzhou scout kneeled and respectfully said, “Master, the Tang in the steel fortress show no signs of stopping their celebration.”
Thud! A plump palm slammed against a table, causing even the ground beneath it to tremble.
“Bastard! This is already the seventh day! What is that bastard thinking?!”
An Lushan’s beard trembled as he raged.
One day, two days, three days… the Great Tang’s celebration seemed to have no end. Even though he knew that Wang Chong didn’t have good intentions, An Lushan had to admit that the activity to their south had already begun to affect his army’s morale.
While An Lushan raged, Cui Qianyou, Tian Qianzhen, and Tian Chengsi frowned.
They understood Wang Chong’s intentions, but they didn’t know what to do.
They had already discussed whether or not they could imitate the Great Tang and hold their own feast, but Gao Shang had quickly rejected the idea.
The reason the alliance had been able to remain so calm and free of quarrels was that they were independent of each other and respected each other. Other than when they fought, they basically kept to themselves.
If they wanted to feast as the Tang did, who would provide the food for the feast?
Goguryeo didn’t raise much livestock, so they would have to depend on the Eastern Turks and Khitans, but would the Eastern Turks and Khitans be willing?
Moreover, the countries had different eating customs, so if this matter were done poorly, it would fail to calm the army’s morale and also stir up conflict between the countries, doing the opposite of what they hoped.
At this moment, a familiar voice said, “Heh, just a few small matters. Is there any need for Lord Protector-General to be concerned?
Everyone turned to the speaker. The tent flap was raised, and a familiar figure wearing a black robe entered the tent.
“The Divine Works Elder?”
Everyone was rather surprised to see this visitor.
“Elder, welcome!”
An Lushan quickly got up, brought his hands together, and bowed, his expression extremely courteous.
“Cui Qianyou, order some men to warm up some wine and bring it over.”
“Heheh, that’s not necessary, as I’m just passing by. Just get me a seat,” the Divine Works Elder said lightly, waving his hand.
He was quite satisfied with An Lushan’s attitude.
In truth, he hadn’t been very friendly to An Lushan when he first arrived at Youzhou. The man was a mere mortal, someone that was being used by the organization. But over these last few days, An Lushan had gone on a charm offensive, giving him all sorts of gifts.
Ever since Genesis Supreme’s descent, An Lushan had been more courteous to him than even to Genesis Supreme.
The Divine Works Elder normally didn’t receive much attention in the organization, almost not existing. An Lushan’s efforts immediately pushed his self-respect to the very maximum.
The Divine Works Elder raised his head and proudly said, “It’s just some ants celebrating before their deaths, so why should Lord Protector-General be concerned? Once Lord Protector-General rules the world and becomes its master, you will realize that this Wang Chong is nothing at all.”
An Lushan bowed and respectfully said, “I will take Elder’s auspicious words to heart. If there really is such a day, Elder will undoubtedly have played a major role. An Lushan will not forget Elder’s efforts.”
The mighty Protector-General of Youzhou, the supreme commander of the alliance, was being so meek to the Divine Works Elder, even flattering him. If outsiders saw this, they would find it very hard to believe their eyes.
But Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen were totally unperturbed, as if they had seen nothing at all.
The two of them were no stranger to An Lushan’s way of doing things. This was how An Lushan had treated Zhang Shougui long ago.
They knew their master was someone who did not strike unless he was sure of success. For him to suddenly fawn like this meant that he was seeking something.
“Then I won’t be polite. Once Lord Protector-General conquers the world, you may fulfill this promise you made to this old man.”
The Divine Works Elder stroked his beard, a look of pride on his face.
An Lushan quickly exchanged glances with his subordinates, all of them with understanding smiles on their lips.
An old monster like the Divine Works Elder who had lived for ages and possessed so much knowledge was basically a moving treasury.
They had believed that it would be very difficult to make friends with this old monster, but to their surprise, this man had a very strong desire for power—not the authority wielded by a schemer behind the shadows, but power that everyone could see.
Yes, the Divine Works Elder wanted authority over a dynasty.
An Lushan had promised him that once he conquered the world, he would establish a world dynasty where the Divine Works Elder would be the Minister of Works.
In addition, the Divine Works Elder had demanded authority above the Prime Minister. He did not need to attend court, but he could kill as he pleased, and not even An Lushan would be able to order him around.
An Lushan had agreed to everything. For An Lushan, this sort of person was a rare commodity that he needed to corner.
If he could recruit the Divine Works Elder to remain at his side, it would be a great aid to him in the future. More importantly, they could use the Divine Works Elder to find out secrets of the Celestial God Organization.
Genesis Supreme and his ilk were far too powerful. An Lushan had not started his revolt so that he could be a puppet Emperor.
“Naturally. What An Lushan has promised, An Lushan will do. To attend on Elder is An Lushan’s honor,” An Lushan said, his expression brimming with ‘sincerity’.
The Divine Works Elder gave a satisfied nod, extremely happy with An Lushan’s attitude.
The Divine Works Elder sat where An Lushan had been sitting, sipped from the tea on the table, and casually said, “Didn’t you ask me how Venerable Genesis Supreme was so certain that he could break the walls of the steel fortress? Venerable Genesis Supreme was present at the time, so I couldn’t speak, but telling you now will be of no harm.
“I don’t know where that boy in the south learned how to build this kind of steel fortress, but so long as the inscriptions and formations he learned were based on what we passed down, we will definitely have a way to deal with it.”
The Divine Works Elder didn’t keep up the suspense. He extended a shriveled hand out of his sleeve and opened his palm, revealing a flattened metal tip.
“What is this?”
Everyone was flabbergasted by the object in the Divine Works Elder’s hand.
Was the Divine Works Elder saying that this thing could destroy the steel fortress to the south?
“This Divine Craft Arrow is something from a lost civilization. I thought that the organization had melted all of them, but I still managed to find one. Venerable Genesis Supreme has decided to act in a few days precisely because he has gone to fetch more of these Divine Craft Arrows,” the Divine Works Elder proudly said. He looked at the flattened metal tip in his hand like it was some unique treasure.
An Lushan glanced at the unremarkable Divine Craft Arrow and dubiously said, “This thing can break the walls?”
“Heh, don’t look down on it. This specially crafted bolt is the sharpest thing in the world, even more formidable than the Tang ballista bolts. This bolt has a special inscription that can pierce through all the defensive inscriptions and formations in the world. It can even easily pierce through the Great Tang’s formidable fortress.
“The only pity is that the method for producing this bolt has been lost, so each bolt used is lost forever. They are extremely valuable.”
The Divine Works Elder lovingly fondled the bolt as he spoke.
“Once the battle begins, we simply need to fire the bolts into the wall, and taking the city will be much easier. In front of this bolt, the Tang fortress is nothing at all.”
“So this was the case!”
An Lushan looked at the bolt in the Divine Works Elder’s hand and frowned.
“Heheh, don’t believe me?”
The Divine Works Elder grinned. He took the bolt and lightly scraped it across the metal table in front of him, instantly gouging out a scar more than half an inch deep in the refined iron.
Everyone was stunned by this.
An Lushan always gave himself the finest things. While this iron table seemed ordinary, it was actually incredibly dense. Even precious swords would barely leave a mark on it.
But a casual scrape from the Divine Works Elder’s bolt had such an enormous effect. One could easily tell how sharp it was.
“It truly isn’t bad. With these things, taking the city will be much easier.”
An Lushan took the bolt from the Divine Works Elder’s hand, examined it for a while, and then nodded.
HIs judgement was correct. The Divine Works Elder truly did possess many fine things.
“But Venerable Genesis Supreme cannot be so certain merely because of these Divine Craft Arrows, yes?” An Lushan sternly said.
While this bolt was very good, it still wasn’t enough. An Lushan had been with Genesis Supreme for some time and had some understanding of him.
The Tang were not weak, particularly their commander that these people called the ‘Child of Destruction’. Genesis Supreme had to have something else that he was relying on.
“Haha, of course. Venerable Genesis Supreme’s methods are not something people like you can imagine. While this Great Tang seems extremely powerful to you, in our eyes, it is just an ordinary dynasty,” the Divine Works Elder smugly replied.
An Lushan and his generals were stunned. They exchanged glances but said nothing more.
An empire that could contend against all the other count
ries was just an ordinary dynasty to the Divine Works Elder. If so, then how strong was a true dynasty in their eyes?
Chapter 2226 - Battling Again in the Cold Wave!
Chapter 2226: Battling Again in the Cold Wave!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Was it as those men in black always said, that all empires and dynasties were merely ants in their eyes?
Genesis Supreme, the Divine Works Elder, and their comrades had far too many disconcerting secrets.
The Divine Works Elder continued to speak.
“That boy truly does have some ability. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Venerable Genesis Supreme with such a headache. However, he has also succeeded in stimulating Venerable Genesis Supreme’s rage. The battle will be starting soon, yes? Relax. Everything has been prepared and readied. Soon, the entire steel fortress will collapse. This war will not be as difficult and complicated as you think!”
The Divine Works Elder smiled.
An Lushan wanted to ask more, but at this time, urgent footsteps came from outside.
“Reporting!” A Youzhou soldier rushed inside and got down on one knee. “Master, Venerable Genesis Supreme has ordered for the city to be attacked tomorrow and requests your presence!”
Bang!
The messenger’s words made everyone tremble in shock and look over in unison.
“The battle is finally beginning!”
“So fast!”
The group quickly departed.
Rumble!
War drums began to thunder. After a pause of ten-some days, the clouds of war were once more gathering over Youzhou, and the atmosphere in the northeast once more turned tense.
A day quickly went by.
Creee!
In the snowstorm, a snow eagle sharply screeched as it turned away from Youzhou and toward the steel fortress to the south.
“It’s finally starting!”
On the northern wall of the steel fortress, Wang Chong stood with his hands behind his back, his black hair dancing in the wind.
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