The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Tian Qianzhen twisted his head to the side as he spoke.

  The three of them understood their fate.

  “Impudent!”

  “You dare to speak so impudently in front of His Highness?!”

  Before Wang Chong could speak, the armored Tang guards, who were brimming with respect for Wang Chong, instantly rebuked them.

  Tian Chengsi and the other two coldly snorted. They stood up straight, no regret on their faces.

  The victor was king while the defeated was a scoundrel; that was all. It was impossible for them to bow their heads to Wang Chong.

  “You’re overthinking it.”

  Wang Chong waved his hand and stopped the armored guards.

  “All of you were sent over by the alliance sovereigns. I have never said anything about trying to make you yield.”

  Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, and Tian Qianzhen might have been powerful, but for Wang Chong, no matter how strong they were, he would find it very hard to use them.

  The three of them instantly fell silent at these words.

  At this moment, all three of them understood what Wang Chong meant.

  Cui Qianyou suddenly stepped forward and asked, “King of Foreign Lands, before I die, can you answer a question for me?”

  “Speak,” Wang Chong said.

  “Did you really kill our master?” Cui Qianyou asked.

  Wang Chong nodded. “I have already sent his head to the capital.”

  Cui Qianyou let out a long sigh, closed his eyes, and said no more.

  Tian Qianzhen and Tian Chengsi grew quiet.

  As Wang Chong looked at the three, his eyes flickered.

  Any one of these three was an outstanding figure, but alas, they had chosen the wrong master. Rather than bringing good fortune to the Great Tang, they had stirred up a calamity.

  In his last life, they had been responsible for almost destroying the entire Central Plains.

  “Go, then,” Wang Chong suddenly said, his voice soft. He extended his hand and lightly shook it. A moment later, with a great boom, a massive, dark golden Halo of Spacetime descended from the heavens.

  This dark golden Halo of Spacetime was as heavy as a mountain, and as the Halo of Spacetime descended, its immense power crushed down, instantly obliterating the three of them.

  These three criminals who had brought calamity on the Central Plains were crushed into pulp.

  Zhang Que called over several soldiers, who quickly cleaned up their remains.

  Wang Chong quickly left the wall and entered the inner hall of the Andong Protectorate headquarters.

  Here, Wang Chong met with Ozmish Khagan, Yeon Gaesomun, and the other sovereigns.

  “Paying respects to the King of Foreign Lands!”

  Yeon Gaesomun, the Khitan King, the Xi Queen, and Ozmish Khagan all prostrated.

  Surprisingly, besides the Xi Queen, the rest of the sovereigns were all tied up, with thick ropes tied around their hands and several planks on their backs. They appeared exactly like criminals.

  Though Wang Chong had known what they were planning, he was still taken aback.

  Baring one’s back to be punished!

  They had learned from a classical story of the Central Plains and hoped to gain a little chance at survival through this method.

  “Your Majesties, what is the reason for this?”

  Wang Chong glanced over them, but rather than helping them up, he walked to the table that An Lushan had once used, took a cup of tea, and lightly sipped.

  The sovereigns blushed red in shame.

  Wang Chong had to know what they were doing. In the past, they would have been enraged. As the saying went, a gentleman could be killed, but not humiliated. However, at this time, they had no choice but to bow their heads.

  The cold wave had descended, and everywhere besides Youzhou was sealed in ice. There was no place for them to go.

  Their numerous subjects were more important than their dignity.

  Ozmish Khagan’s face was filled with guilt as he broke the silence. “Your Highness, this was our error. You may do with us what you must, but we hope that Your Highness will forgive past misdeeds and give the Turkic people a chance.”

  Yeon Gaesomun bowed his head and respectfully said, “The victor is king while the loser is a scoundrel. We joined An Lushan in attacking the Great Tang, and our crimes are unforgivable. But we hope that Your Highness can spare our Goguryeon people. Goguryeo is willing to serve the Great Tang for eternity.”

  “We are willing to join the Great Tang! Your Highness, please shelter us!” The Khitan King was much more direct, and after saying his piece, he lowered his head.

  With this defeat, all of the countries were thrown into unprecedentedly dire straits. In the space of a few days, they had all lost a horrifying number of people, all of them unable to withstand the cold and frozen to death. If they had not been forced into this desperate situation, they would have never willingly surrendered to the Great Tang.

  “Hmph, if all of you had succeeded together with An Lushan, you would not have been so merciful to the Great Tang!”

  Wang Chong coldly laughed, and his words instantly made them turn ghastly pale.

  “Y-Your Highness, we did not have this intention,” the Khitan King stammered, but he found himself unable to continue.

  The Great Tang was too powerful, and living space was too limited. Whether it was to rule the land or for the sake of their own empires, if the alliance had won, it would not have been kind to the Great Tang.

  This had been a battle of life or death.

  Both the Great Tang and the countries of the alliance knew that arguing here was pointless.

  They were all extremely uneasy. If Wang Chong did not show mercy, then all he needed to do was quietly wait in Youzhou, and all the people and soldiers of the alliance would freeze to death with no chance at survival.

  “King of Foreign Lands, so long as you spare the lives of our people, then no matter what you ask, even if it is my own life, this one will not have any complaint,” Ozmish Khagan suddenly said.

  After all, he had been a renowned sovereign. His greatest desire had always been to lead the Turkic people in ruling the world and becoming the strongest empire on the continent.

  But in the end, as the highest sovereign of the Eastern Turks, Ozmish Khagan was not completely heartless.

  After comparing his personal desire to the welfare of all the Eastern Turks, Ozmish Khagan had finally decided to shoulder his burden as sovereign of his empire.

  Yeon Gaesomun also spoke up. “I was the one who decided to join An Lushan in attacking the Great Tang. It has nothing to do with the people of Goguryeo. If the King of Foreign Lands wishes to vent his anger, please take my head!”

  Whether it was in terms of personal strength or army strength, he had lost any ability to contend against the Great Tang. The only path to survival was relinquishing his dignity and parting with some things.

  “Did I say that I wouldn’t agree?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “Ah!”

  The sovereigns trembled in shock and joy as they raised their heads.

  They saw Wang Chong with a calm expression on his face, his hands behind his back.

  It was truly wicked and unpardonable for the other countries to join An Lushan and attack the Great Tang, but they were different from the likes of Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, and Tian Qianzhen.

  Tian Chengsi and company were Han, yet they aided the evildoer in sowing chaos throughout the land. If Wang Chong had not appeared to stop them, countless people in the Central Plains would have died due to their actions.

  But Yeon Gaesomun and the other sovereigns were different.

  These countries had never been friends with the Great Tang, and it was only right that they join with An Lushan to attack the Great Tang.

  Of course, for Wang Chong, the primary concern was still the future apocalypse.

  Though An Lushan had dealt an enormous blow to the Central Plains, h
e and his rebels were still not the continent’s greatest foe.

  For Wang Chong, the ultimate foe of the continent was the otherworldly invaders who would arrive in the future in an endless flood.

  Although An Lushan was dead, Heaven had successfully absconded with his soul.

  Moreover, so long as the Celestial God Organization existed, the threat of the otherworldly invaders would persist.

  Wang Chong had to take precautions.

  The coming war would not be a war involving one person or country. The Great Tang alone would find it very difficult to withstand the ceaseless flood of otherworldly invaders.

  Only by bringing together the strength of all the countries could they fend off the calamity, and this was why Wang Chong was willing to spare them.

  The strength of the other countries was still useful to him.

  Chapter 2259 - Appearing in the Northwest!

  Chapter 2259: Appearing in the Northwest!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “I can allow the people of the Eastern Turks, the Khitan Tribe, Goguryeo, and the Xi Tribe to enter Youzhou to avoid the storm, and I can also spare your lives, and I can even provide food to you, but there is one condition.

  “From now on, there will be no more Eastern Turkic Khaganate, no Khitan Tribe, no Goguryeo, no Xi Tribe on the continent.

  “On this continent, there will be only one empire, called the Great Tang!”

  Wang Chong’s face was cold, his body slightly pausing before erupting with a domineering energy.

  The sovereigns were taken aback at first, but they quickly got Wang Chong’s meaning.

  Wang Chong wanted to represent the Great Tang in totally subduing the other countries and uniting the entire continent. The Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the Goguryeo Empire, the Xi, and the Khitans needed to yield to the Great Tang.

  This also meant that they would no longer be sovereigns of their own countries, but subjects of the Great Tang.

  Complicated expressions appeared on their faces.

  The victor was king while the loser was a scoundrel. They had thoroughly and utterly lost.

  Despite the bitterness in their hearts, they didn’t hesitate for long.

  On one hand was pledging loyalty to the Great Tang. On the other hand was complete annihilation of themselves and their countries in the cold wave. There was no choice for the countries.

  “King of Foreign Lands, we are willing to submit!”

  The sovereigns simultaneously lowered their heads.

  Wang Chong casually smiled in response.

  All of this was as he had expected. War had only been a means to an end. This was what Wang Chong had truly been pursuing all this time.

  The Western and Eastern Turkic Khaganates, the Xi and Khitan Tribes, and the Goguryeo Empire were all serving the Great Tang, while the Youzhou rebel army had been subdued. The Great Tang had truly managed to realize what countless sovereigns of numerous dynasties had only dreamed about.

  A single empire had truly managed to unite the entire continent!

  Rumble! As Wang Chong nodded his head, thundering hooves began to converge from all sides, and a few moments later, all of the remaining soldiers and common folk of the alliance had gathered within Youzhou.

  “Put down your weapons!”

  Greeting them were countless armored Tang soldiers.

  With a metallic clatter, countless weapons dropped to the ground, and the alliance soldiers raised their hands and dropped to their knees.

  Wang Chong would not permit them to carry weapons within Youzhou.

  As he stood in front of an open window within the Andong Protectorate headquarters and watched the busy scene outside, Wang Chong thought to himself, All that’s left is the Ü-Tsang Empire!

  ……

  At the same time, at the City of Steel in the northwest…

  Whoosh!

  A howling snowstorm blanketed the world in white.

  Some time had passed since the battle, and after several days of repair, the battered City of Steel had been restored, the sturdy steel walls and defensive fortifications all rebuilt and reinforced.

  Neigh!

  Around the City of Steel, groups of cavalry patrolled the area.

  Even though Dalon Trinling’s army had already withdrawn, the City of Steel remained vigilant, countless soldiers manning the walls.

  But there was something different about the City of Steel today.

  On the eastern face of the City of Steel, near the eastern gate, Young Master Qingyang, Li Junxian, and Barshad had all gathered. Behind them were numerous Tang and Western Turkic generals, organized in several rows. All of them were seemingly waiting for something.

  Buzz!

  A few moments later, a gust of wind stirred the snow in front of the trio, the snow rising up and forming into a vortex.

  Soon, the ground began to ripple, the waves spreading outward.

  A moment later, in a flash of light, a familiar figure emerged from the ground.

  “Your Highness!”

  Their eyes brightened, and they joyfully bowed.

  The person emerging from the ground was none other than Wang Chong’s first clone, the Earth Divine Embryo.

  Since Wang Chong’s Earth Divine Embryo could travel through the earth, it was unaffected by the frigid weather. Moreover, it could move extremely quickly through the earth, which was why Wang Chong had sent it to the City of Steel to resolve this area’s danger.

  “Rise. There is no need for excess courtesy.”

  Wang Chong waved his hand as he extracted his feet from the ground and walked over.

  “Any news on Dalon Trinling?”

  Once the war in Youzhou had ended, Wang Chong’s clones had begun to make their way here.

  Though he didn’t know exactly what had been going on in the City of Steel, with a single glance, Wang Chong could tell that his plan had been effective.

  “No. Ever since he received Your Highness’s letter, Dalon Trinling withdrew with all of the Ü-Tsang Empire’s soldiers, and we do not know where he is,” Young Master Qingyang respectfully said.

  “Mm.”

  Wang Chong nodded, completely unsurprised.

  Barshad stepped forward and asked, “Your Highness, we should deploy our soldiers to attack Ü-Tsang?”

  No one was happier to see Wang Chong arrive at the City of Steel than Barshad.

  In this battle against Ü-Tsang in the northwest, the Western Turkic Khaganate had suffered the greatest losses, as it had formed the primary force in the City of Steel.

  The Western Turks had used their lives to stop the Tibetan assault again and again.

  But now that Wang Chong had arrived, everything was over.

  The outcome of the battle in the northwest was certain.

  With the victory in Youzhou, the only foreign country that had yet to submit to the Great Tang was Dalon Trinling’s Ü-Tsang Empire.

  The Western Turks had gambled the fate of their country on the Great Tang, on this unprecedented war of empires. In the end, it was proved that Barshad had made the correct choice.

  As the Great Tang’s sole ally amongst the bordering empires, Barshad was confident that the Western Turks would benefit from the Great Tang’s rule over the world.

  As for the missing Dalon Trinling, Barshad wasn’t overly worried. With Wang Chong here, they wouldn’t be able to run.

  “There’s no need. Dalon Trinling will come himself, and the Ü-Tsang Empire has been defeated already,” Wang Chong breezily proclaimed.

  “Ah?”

  Everyone was taken aback by Wang Chong’s words.

  Had Wang Chong not appeared in the City of Steel to deal with Dalon Trinling? Why did he say that the Ü-Tsang Empire had already been defeated?

  Without explaining, Wang Chong turned to Young Master Qingyang.

  “Young Master Qingyang, did you do as I asked?”

  “Your Highness, everything is ready.”
<
br />   Young Master Qingyang quickly came back to his senses and bowed.

  “Mm. Raise the war banner on that side and leave the rest to me.”

  With these words, Wang Chong strode into the City of Steel’s main hall.

  Matters in the northeast had yet to be settled, and Wang Chong didn’t plan to waste too much time on this.

  Whoosh!

  A few moments later, a giant banner was slowly raised over the City of Steel’s main hall, standing out as it flapped in the snowstorm.

  Besides the dragon banner of the Great Tang, there was no banner in the world that could match the King of Foreign Lands’ banner in terms of influence.

  All was quiet in the City of Steel. The plum blossom trees were in full bloom, radiating vitality and their fragrant aroma.

  Amongst the plum blossom trees, countless eyes looked up at the massive banner, countless thoughts going through their minds.

  No one knew what Wang Chong was doing, but they knew that he had his reasons.

  Crssh!

  Not long after the banner representing Wang Chong was raised, in a place that no one noticed, a pair of bright eyes stared at the banner above the City of Steel. With a whoosh, that hidden figure charged out from under the snow and began to move to the northwest with astonishing speed.

  Rumble! A few moments later, a great rumble began to rise from the northwest.

  A Tang sentry atop the walls peered into the distance and cried out, “Enemy attack!”

  Boom!

  The City of Steel came to life, and the mood became tense.

  Countless soldiers mounted the walls and prepared to defend.

  To the northwest, an army charged out of the raging snowstorm.

  “It’s the Tibetans!”

  Everyone became even more nervous.

  After numerous gruesome struggles to defend the walls, all of them keenly understood the ferocity of the Tibetans.

  “Your Highness, the Tibetans really did appear!”

  Atop the walls, Young Master Qingyang, Barshad, and Li Junxian turned Wang Chong with strange looks on their faces.

  The Tibetans had completely vanished after the battle was over, and though they had gone to great lengths, they had never managed to find them.