The Human Emperor
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chapter-828
Chapter 828: Fierce Battle at the Armory! (I)
It was obvious that these piles of hay and torches had been prepared beforehand, just waiting for the Turks to walk into the trap.
But this was only the beginning. Rumble! A massive noise came from above the Black Wolf Yabgu as something howled through the wind. The Yabgu raised his head and saw that some black silhouette was rapidly approaching him. With a boom, it landed in front of him.
Close up, the Black Wolf Yabgu realized that it was a massive wooden pillar. Something had been written on it, not in the Han characters commonly used in Qixi, but in Turkic.
‘In the thirty-eighth year of the Sage Emperor’s reign, on the seventeenth of the eleventh month, the Black Wolf Yabgu of the Western Turkic Khaganate, Agudu Lan, died in this place, and this stele was erected in commemoration’! (TN: The thirty-eighth year of the Sage Emperor’s reign coincides with the year 750.)“Bastard!”
Agudu Lan was immediately enraged.
“Just who was it? Get out here!”
Agudu Lan’s bellow resounded through the darkness. Agudu Lan’s reputation in the Western Regions was no less than Dayan Mangban’s, both of them renowned generals who stood at the peak of the region. Anyone who dared to scheme against him from the shadows would have to pay a price.
There was no one left in Qixi that was a match for him. Even if his opponent was lying in ambush, the results would prove that they had just been seeking death!
After what seemed like both a second and an eternity, a roar of laughter began to echo in the darkness. “Hahaha, Agudu Lan, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!” It was an extremely young voice, one satisfied to see a plan succeed. Neeeigh! A warhorse with hooves as white as snow cried out as it galloped into view, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old youth of extraordinary demeanor riding upon it.
“Kiiill!”A shout shook the heavens, and suddenly, hundreds upon thousands of cavalry were charging at the Turks like a hurricane, with a momentum more alarming and terrifying than the charge of the five thousand Turkic cavalry.
“Wang Chong!”
Agudu Lan did not notice those cavalry charging out of the darkness. That teenager had immediately seized all his attention the moment he had appeared.
“This can’t be!”
Agudu Lan felt like he had been struck by an enormous force. Although he had never seen this youth, he had reviewed mountains of drawings and information about him. Agudu Lan was extremely familiar with him, and knew of all his titles: the Young Marquis of the Great Tang, the Son of Heaven’s disciple, the future Eighth Great General of the Central Plains… but none of these titles could surpass his name, Wang Chong!
Didn’t he go to the capital? Didn’t his second brother get in trouble? He even killed a princess! How could he appear here?
Agudu Lan found it impossible to believe his eyes.
Too sudden!
Not even the entire Qixi Protectorate army appearing here would have given him as much of a shock. Only after confirming everything in both the capital and Wushang had he begun the operation. If he had known Wang Chong was in Wushang, he would have definitely been more cautious and waited much longer.
Does he not even care about his second brother?!
Countless thoughts flew through his mind, but Agudu Lan quickly composed himself.
“Everyone, listen up! Eight hundred of you, push through the gate, spread the oil, and light the fire! The rest of you, follow me! Wang Chong, since you’ve come to find me, I might as well fulfill your wish. All soldiers, kill the Young Marquis of the Great Tang. The one who does will be rewarded one million taels of gold and the title of Dagan1! Kill!!”
His scimitar glistening with cold light, Agudu Lan urged his horse forward, dragging countless afterimages behind him as he charged at Wang Chong. Behind him, the five thousand Turkic cavalry split up, eight hundred making their way around the pit to attack the armory while the remaining four-thousand-some followed Agudu Lan.
The five thousand Turks had needed only a few moments to regain their composure, and none of them were panicked. But this sight only made Wang Chong grin. No matter how experienced and well-trained Agudu Lan’s soldiers were, in Wang Chong’s eyes, they were amateurs showing off in front of a master. Agudu Lan’s Turkic cavalry wouldn’t even be able to keep up with the White Braves, much less the Wushang Cavalry.
“Li Siye, Huang Botian, Elder Fang, Elder Du, follow me. Everyone else, deal with the Turkic cavalry. Don’t let a single one go!”
Wang Chong’s eyes glimmered like sharp swords as he stared at Agudu Lan, his entire body exploding with fighting intent. Today, he could finally take care of both of the largest threats to Qixi. Dayan Mangban was already dead, leaving only Agudu Lan. With him gone, Wang Chong could leave Qixi without fear of any troubles in the rear.
Rumble! Hooves pounded against the earth, each impact seeming to carry the weight of ten thousand jun, pushing the ground to the verge of shattering. Wang Chong and Agudu Lan charged at each other as fast as they possibly could. Even more frightening was that neither of them was holding anything back, building up attacks imbued with unimaginable power.
“Vast Heaven Earth Art!
“Great Yinyang Art!”
Wang Chong pressed against the back of his horse as he unleashed his halos. In addition, after equipping the Karmic Battle Armor, Wang Chong immediately used the two supreme techniques of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. Buzz! The world was suddenly divided in two, the heavens bright and the earth pitch-black.
At the boundary between these two domains, the images of the sun and moon manifested, bolstering Wang Chong into a mighty god who had descended from the heavens.
Rumble!
Wang Chong and his horse began to produce a fierce gale, destructive energy wrapping around them as they shot like a meteor toward Agudu Lan.
“War God Raises the Heavens, Mount Sanmi!”
As Agudu Lan’s roar echoed through the skies, light and shadow intersected while a dreadful energy exploded from his body. Rooar! A hoarse and low cry, like the bellow of a god, rang out in the air. The image of a massive god dressed in a full suit of armor had appeared above him, one palm extended into the sky, three heavy and massive mountains appearing with it.
Even though these were only illusions of mountains, anyone who set eyes on them would feel an enormous pressure, subconsciously trembling in fear and worship.
Mount Sanmi!
This was the seat of the Western Turkic Khaganate, the place where Ishbara Khagan resided. In Turkic legends, it was said that the ancient spirits had once fought a great war in the skies over the khaganate. During this war, one of the divine mountains was knocked down from the heavens, falling to the earth to become Mount Sanmi, currently located in the Western Turkic Khaganate.
Agudu Lan belonged to a branch of the Western Turkic Khaganate’s imperial clan, and this ‘Mount Sanmi Divine Art’ was one of the techniques of the imperial clan, possessing enormous power and shocking lethality. It was one of the supreme techniques of the Western Regions, and generations of Turkic leaders had used it to subdue the kingdoms of the Western Regions, making these small kingdoms fear the wrath of the Turks.
“Come!”
Agudu Lan roared as he shot into the air like a statue protruding into the sky, clashing fiercely with Wang Chong.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the two collided in the air, a violet gout of flame shot out, wrapping around Agudu Lan. Yet Agudu Lan’s expression remained savage, not minding this flame at all as he brawled with Wang Chong.
“Li Siye, let’s go!”
In the rear, Huang Botian was wearing a suit of black armor as he lunged forward to join the fight, Li Siye at his side.
“Stone General!”
“Halo of Storm!”
Both of these fierce generals pushed their strength to the extreme, and their attacks exploded on Agudu Lan’s body with a thunderous boom. Meanwhile, Elder Du and Elder Fang dropped down from the skies with a crushing pressure, working with the other three to completely surround Agudu Lan.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Attacked by five people, Agudu Lan was immediately on the defensive. While the six people battled, the eight hundred Turkic warriors had finished circling around the pit and reached the gate of the armory.
“Brothers, this is our chance! Lord Marquis and the others are putting their lives on the line. We can’t get lazy!”
“Bastards! These Turk barbarians really think that no one knew of their secretive deals? Kill them!”
“If you want to attack the armory, first get past us!”
At the gate of the Qixi Armory, Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan, Chen Bin, and the other officers were standing in a line, their Wootz Steel swords gleaming in the darkness. Kill! Eyes flashing cold light, these officers immediately led several hundred fully-armored clan experts against the eight hundred Turks.
Whoosh!
Wootz Steel swords sliced through the air, and a large Turkic steed and its rider were immediately cleaved in two, spilling organs out onto the ground. But Xu Keyi did not stop. With a nimble leap, he slashed at yet another Turkic warrior.
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1. ‘Dagan’ was a title used in the Turkic Khaganate as an officer rank of some sort.↩
