“Run? Now that things have gotten this bad, Wang Chong, do you really think I’ll let you get away?”
An Lushan turned in the direction of Wang Chong’s fleeing army and cruelly smiled.
The war had finally entered its climax.
This time, he would relentlessly pursue Wang Chong to the ends of the earth. No matter where he ran, only death would await him.
Chapter 2237 - The Outcome Is Sealed!
Chapter 2237: The Outcome Is Sealed!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“What is the state of the Divine Aegis Division, Golden Wolf Army, and Sunchaser Cavalry?” An Lushan suddenly said.
Tian Chengsi appeared behind An Lushan, walking on the air, and bowed.
“Master, these armies have been removed from battle and have not entered the city. I have already ordered them to move around the perimeter of the fortress and make straight for the southern gate!
“They started moving from the time the walls collapsed. If all goes as expected, they should be reaching the southern gate soon and should be able to successfully delay the enemy.
“In addition, those armies are led by Cui Qianyou and several Divine Lords.”
“Good!”
An Lushan faintly smiled.
Wang Chong was still looking down on him too much. Everything so far had been within his calculations. These elite armies could move swiftly, and while it was impossible for them to defeat Wang Chong’s hundreds of thousands of soldiers, it would be enough to hold them down.
Wang Chong had always loved the people and cherished the soldiers. The fact that there were ordinary craftsmen amongst his ranks meant that Wang Chong couldn’t abandon them to expedite his retreat.
“Softhearted!”
There was a mocking light in An Lushan’s eyes. Wang Chong’s fate was decided from the very beginning, and the time of his glory had passed. This was now An Lushan’s era!
On the ruins of the Great Tang and Wang Chong’s corpse, he would establish his own enormous and unified dynasty.
“Pass on my order! All soldiers, enter the city. Now is the time for the promise to be fulfilled!
“Defeat the Great Tang and ‘We’ will reward you based on your merits!”
With these final words, An Lushan’s resounding voice was tinged with ambition. He had even changed the way he addressed himself to the royal ‘we’.
Bang!
The army erupted with heaven-shaking cheers upon hearing An Lushan’s words.
“Kill!”
Their blood seethed as countless warhorses charged into the gap in the direction the Tang had retreated.
Even without An Lushan’s prompting, all of them could tell that this protracted war was on the verge of ending and that they would soon welcome the final victory.
After this long alliance, they had finally defeated the mighty War Saint and the Great Tang Empire.
The alliance held nothing back, its soldiers accelerating to maximum speed as they charged toward the south.
On the other side, within the fortress, winds shrieked, and a danger hung about in the air.
The walls had fallen, and everyone understood their fate. Countless Tang soldiers continued to surge toward the south.
As they fell back, no one noticed that a force of soldiers remained in the rear. These soldiers were constantly activating prepared switches and mechanisms in the alleys of the fortress, hoping that such methods could slow down the alliance.
In some places, metal walls sprung out from unexpected angles to seal off entire paths, thus blocking the alliance cavalry.
Buzz!
At the same time, in the middle of the lanes, a figure suddenly appeared.
“Milord!”
When Wang Chong appeared, in the shadows on the ground, a figure bowed.
If one looked carefully, one would realize that this was Zhao Jingdian, who had yet to appear in this battle.
The Great Tang had lost, and its army was in disarray and retreating out of the city. But Zhao Jingdian was in this deserted alley, his expression calm and unpanicked. It appeared that he had been lurking here for some time.
Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he asked, “How are the preparations?”
If Genesis Supreme had been here and seen Wang Chong, he would have been rather shocked.
Genesis Supreme believed that Wang Chong had already reached the end of his rope and was putting up one last struggle, but this Wang Chong was composed, not at all appearing like a general who had lost the fortress and was on the verge of defeat.
Zhao Jingdian bowed and sternly said, “Milord, the preparations are done. The alliance has already fallen completely into the trap without arousing any suspicion.”
“Very good! Victory or defeat will depend on this final moment! The fate of the empire and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers will all be decided with this move!” Wang Chong solemnly said.
“Yes!” Zhao Jingdian affirmed. After some hesitation, he continued, “But, Milord, what if they notice? And isn’t this too risky?”
“There are no ‘buts’. Victory is the only acceptable outcome to this battle! And this is how to achieve victory with the smallest sacrifice,” Wang Chong sternly said, his face determined.
The tower was on the verge of collapsing, and the several hundred thousand soldiers and the Tang Empire had already been pushed into a dead end. This was their only hope.
“Yes!”
Zhao Jingdian saw the situation and hastily bowed, his expression also turning determined.
No matter the time, Wang Chong was a supporting pillar of the empire, and he was always able to lead the empire to victory. This was a belief that he and the rest of the empire would always hold!
“It’s about time to leave. Genesis Supreme has begun his pursuit. If we remain here any longer, we will draw their suspicion.”
Wang Chong’s eyes gleamed as he quickly came back to his senses.
He snatched with his hand, grabbing Zhao Jingdian off the ground, and then he stepped out. Thud! He vanished like he had been a mirage.
All he left behind was a wisp of wind in the darkness. It was like nothing had happened here, and there was nothing to pay attention to.
Rumble!
Toward the north, the Eastern Turks, Khitans, Xi, Goguryeons, and the various alliance soldiers were pouring into the steel fortress, availing themselves of the snowstorm to spread through the streets and continue their pursuit.
“Kill! Brothers, the King has decreed that ten taels of gold will be rewarded for each Tang soldier killed! The time to make our fortunes has finally come!”
“The King has decreed that when the Tang are defeated, the entire army will feast on fish and meat for ten days as a reward!”
“Don’t let them escape! All of you remember this! This old man is the strongest! If the Great Tang is defeated, you could be made a landed noble!”
Loud roars resounded through the army.
The land was frozen over, the chill penetrating down to the bone, but at this moment, all of the alliance soldiers were burning hot, their killing intent soaring straight into the heavens, even distorting the night sky.
The alliance army was unstoppable, and nothing could prevent them from chasing down the Tang.
All of them understood that this battle was certain to be recorded in the annals of history, and all of them would enter the records through this battle.
Wearing his World Armor, An Lushan began to walk on the air into the fortress.
Beneath his feet was a massive building. This was the main hall of the steel fortress, where Wang Chong had discussed strategy with Zhangchou Jianqiong and the others. But now, the Youzhou soldiers were charging inside and exchanging the dragon banner atop it for the banner of Youzhou.
“Hahaha!”
As he saw this, his heart filled with pride.
“‘I was a storm gloriously sweeping through my foes, but I lack f
ierce generals to guard the peace.’ I have heard that these were the words spoken by Great Han Emperor Gaozu when he conquered the world. We are different from him. We do not need fierce generals to keep the peace, for We no longer have any enemies in this world.”
As he watched his own banner fly resplendently above the fortress, An Lushan felt it difficult to suppress his own ambitions.
The Divine Aegis Division, the Underworld Cavalry, the Youzhou elites, the unstoppable Yeluohe, and the support of the world and Genesis Supreme made An Lushan feel that once this battle was over, he would be the true master of the world.
Tian Qianzhen, Baizhen Tuoluo, and the nearby Youzhou commanders heard An Lushan’s words and immediately called out, “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!” They led their men in prostrating on the ground.
The time was ripe, and the moment they had anticipated most had finally come.
The Great Tang was defeated, and there was no one left in the world that could stop An Lushan from rebelling and calling himself Emperor.
“The outcome is decided. This is destiny. I, Gao Shang, squandered half my life and was looked down upon for my entire life, but finally, I have done something right.”
No one was more agitated than Gao Shang, who was staring at An Lushan’s back as his body trembled.
When An Lushan called himself Emperor, Gao Shang was the only person happier than him. ‘The hidden dragon rises to heaven and becomes the true dragon.’ Several years ago, he had used divination to find the location of the true dragon, and in the end, he had found the slave general An Yaluoshan.
And now, everything had proved that his decision back then was correct.
In helping the dragon ascend to the throne, he could now leave a dazzling mark on history, doing what countless Confucians could not.
Gao Shang looked at An Lushan, and while others could not sense anything, Gao Shang could see violet light erupting from An Lushan’s pores. Before this, An Lushan had been the black dragon, representing the hidden dragon, the rebellious King. But now, the black dragon had evolved, and the black Qi around him was rapidly converting into the Qi of the true dragon.
This was an omen that all was decided, that the throne had been gained!
This was also why An Lushan no longer concealed his ambition and blatantly used the royal ‘we’, why all his subordinates hailed him as Emperor and Gao Shang made no attempt to stop them.
The heavens would not lie!
Moreover, all of the soldiers of the Central Plains were here. Now that the army was routed, the alliance had no other foe.
“Have you found Wang Chong yet?” An Lushan suddenly said.
Right now, there was only one thing An Lushan wanted to do: personally kill Wang Chong to vent his hatred and pay him back for the two times he had been humiliated in the capital.
A messenger on the ground bowed and said, “Your Majesty, Venerable Genesis Supreme has already gone off in pursuit. In addition, we have found the retreating Tang army, and the alliance army led by General Cui has gone off in pursuit.”
“Haha, good! Everyone, follow me! No matter what, we can’t let Wang Chong run! Today, I will let all of you witness a War Saint at the end of their rope!”
An Lushan’s eyes shone with derision and cruelty. He shot forward, creating a mournful howl as he pierced through the snowstorm and followed Wang Chong and Genesis Supreme.
“Hurry and follow!”
Behind him, the Youzhou generals led their troops swiftly toward the south.
In the darkness of the night, the harsh winds cut like a blade. Out of the southern gate of the steel fortress ran countless Tang soldiers with panicked expressions on their faces.
At this moment, all of them were lost and confused. At their rear was the pursuing alliance army, but in front of them was an endless field of ice and snow. Where would they run?
Chapter 2238 - Massive Explosion!
Chapter 2238: Massive Explosion!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Wang Chong, you can’t run!” A harsh and emotionless voice rang out above the army.
Genesis Supreme appeared above the Tang soldiers in the blink of an eye, his expression aloof and his eyes cold.
“Ah!”
The army fell into a panic upon seeing Genesis Supreme. All of them remembered this person. In the previous battle, the Inextinguishable Lightning Talisman Genesis Supreme had used had left an extremely deep impression on them.
For the Tang soldiers, the cold-faced Genesis Supreme was a nightmarish existence.
Before Genesis Supreme could strike, a spacetime ripple appeared, and Wang Chong emerged to stand in Genesis Supreme’s way.
“Hmph, finally willing to come out?”
Genesis Supreme sneered. If Wang Chong hadn’t appeared, he would have started attacking those ordinary Tang soldiers.
“I will give you one last chance. Hand over that item. I know that you and Li Taiyi have the same kind of object. Hand it over and I can ensure that your death is swift!” Genesis Supreme coldly said.
Wang Chong’s heart thumped upon hearing Genesis Supreme’s words, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Genesis Supreme, it’s not the final moment, and I will not lose! The Great Tang will never concede!” Wang Chong sternly said.
As the two spoke to each other, ten-some horsemen rode out in a panic, and the news they brought threw the army into greater turmoil.
“Reporting! Milord, bad news! A cavalry force has appeared outside the eastern walls and is attacking our army! It’s the Eastern Turks’ Golden Wolf Army!”
“Reporting! Milord, the Divine Aegis Division that was scaling the walls has appeared to our west. We were unprepared, and they charged into our ranks. The Invincible Great General is leading our troops to hold them off.”
“Reporting! The Youzhou soldiers have appeared and are pursuing our army from the rear!”
“Reporting! The Sunchaser Cavalry has appeared and is charging at our front line!”
“How could this be? How could this be?” When it rained, it poured, and as these nightmarish reports arrived, an old craftsman in the ranks began to mutter to himself, his lips trembling and his face pale. Those around him also paled.
But this was far from the end of it!
At this moment, a loud neigh that was tinged with the familiar stench of death and decay came from within the steel fortress. In the distance, a horseman that appeared like an ice sculpture with red eyes and a gray-white halo under its feet appeared in front of a broken wall. It quickly locked onto the Tang soldiers and began to ride over.
In short order, thousands of cavalry like this appeared.
The Yeluohe!
As they saw those horsemen, despair appeared on the faces of the soldiers.
“Haha, to think that even you would have bad days like this!”
Loud laughter came from behind the Yeluohe.
An Lushan himself had yet to arrive, but his smug laughter traveled far. Wang Chong peered into the distance and saw An Lushan’s plump figure swiftly walking toward him through the air.
An Lushan’s gaze was arrogant, and even though he had not reached the front line, he could see that Genesis Supreme had already caught up, so he couldn’t help but shout.
He wanted to see Wang Chong die with his own eyes no matter what, and die in a most tragic fashion.
All eyes turned on Wang Chong. In every aspect, Wang Chong had clearly reached the end of his rope and had nowhere to run.
In the distance, the Khitan King, Ozmish Khagan, Yeon Gaesomun, the Xi Queen, and the generals of the alliance all rushed over.
They could sense activity in the distance, and many people jumped onto roofs so that they wouldn’t miss out on this final drama.
There was no sympathy in their eyes for that youth who had once shone over the entire world, only endless schadenfreude. If all went as expected, they were about to witness the fall of t
he continent’s strongest War Saint.
“Hahaha, Wang Chong, do you see? This is destiny! In the end, you couldn’t deal with me. Once you’re dead, I’ll set up a new dynasty that will replace the Great Tang! This is the Mandate of Heaven!”
An Lushan heartily laughed, not giving up on this chance to beat down on Wang Chong.
“Destiny? Hmph, only weaklings bow their heads to destiny. Genesis Supreme, An Lushan, do you really think you’ve won?”
An Lushan’s callous jeers simply made Wang Chong shake his head and smile, not at all appearing defeated. On the contrary, his black eyes shone as brightly as the stars.
What did that mean?
Genesis Supreme’s eyes twitched as he swiftly noticed the subtle shift on Wang Chong’s face. For some reason, he had an extremely bad feeling.
“Ha, a slave general will be a slave general to the end. Genesis Supreme, An Lushan, do you really think that you’ve won?”
Wang Chong looked at Genesis Supreme and gave a mysterious smile. He subtly took a few steps back, increasing the distance between him and Genesis Supreme.
Genesis Supreme stared at Wang Chong, his eyebrows rising. That sense of unease only thickened.
What was this brat trying to do?
The fortress had fallen and the underground formations had ceased to exist. This was truly a landslide of a rout. At this stage, what could he still do?
Genesis Supreme instinctively felt that Wang Chong was being deliberately mystifying. He just needed… to kill him!
No matter how many schemes he had, he wouldn’t get the chance to use them.
Genesis Supreme’s eyes chilled as he spread out his fingers. Powerful ripples of energy began to emerge from his right palm.
Regardless of what Wang Chong was planning, once he was dead, he would never be able to carry it out.
“Too late!”
Wang Chong immediately knew what Genesis Supreme was trying to do, but unfortunately for him, it was too late.
He had planned carefully to draw his enemy into the trap, successfully ensuring that Genesis Supreme, An Lushan, and all of the alliance’s sovereigns and generals had gathered up behind his army and around the southern gate.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1345