Flapflap!
Several hours later, an eagle flew into Qixi.
"Marquis! Marquis! Marquis! "
All of Qixi was cheering, and the sea of people outside the protectorate headquarters was filled with excitement. Wang Bei, Su Hanshan, and the others instantly relaxed. There had been no news of the Qixi army ever since they crossed the Cong Mountains, but now, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Deliver the news to Lady Xu!"
Su Hanshan, mounted on a Turkic warhorse taller than a man, quickly delivered the news. A horseman had already taken it and galloped into the residence.
Within the Qixi Protectorate headquarters, maids nervously stood by the wooden door. Some of them were holding cups of tea, some were holding food, but all of them had worried looks on their faces. Some of them were even standing on their tiptoes, trying to see through the crack in the door, but they found nothing.
Cough, cough …
Fierce coughing came from within the room, causing the maids outside to grow even more worried.
"What do we do! Young Lady hasn't come out for an entire day, and the coughing sounds even worse than last night! If something happens to Young Lady, I … "
The moment the coughing began, one of the maids could no longer hold back her tears, her eyes brimming with heartache. However, she did not dare to speak too loudly, lest she disturb Xu Yi-qin. Around them, although the other maids didn't say anything, the expressions on their faces had already revealed the worry in their hearts.
In the room, there was a dressing table, a table, a couch, and nothing else.
Xu Yi-qin sat in front of the table, a mountain of documents piled up before her eyes. She was dressed in a thin white dress, and her face was pale and devoid of blood, but she was still focused on the documents before her.
"Inform the Zhang Clan that the provisions sent to Talas must arrive as quickly as possible. The soldiers of the Central Plains have different habits from the people of the Western Regions. Although they can eat cattle and sheep, they can't do so for long without touching rice.
"What happened to those two hundred thousand warhorses? Did the Imperial Court's Imperial Horse Supervisor send someone to take them? Did the official reply arrive?
"In addition, pass on my order. Use the name of the Qixi Protectorate to continue recruiting craftsmen. On the other side of Talas, Senior Zhang Shouzhi had taken away a large number of craftsmen, and it was still unclear how many of them had died. But in the rear, Qixi could be attacked by Ouzan and the Western Turks at any time. The small steel fortresses on both sides must be reinforced. "
"I previously issued an order to recruit inscription masters. Arrange for elite soldiers to protect them in Wushang's City of Steel. War did not only require craftsmen, but also inscriptionists. They would be needed in the future. Also, supervise the various aristocratic families to speed up the forging of weapons! "
…
Orders were passed down one after another, either orally or in writing. On the surface, Su Hanshan and Wang Bei were in charge of Qixi. But everyone was well aware that the true spiritual figure was this weak woman sitting in the Qixi Protectorate.
Although she was a woman, it was precisely because of Xu Yi-qin's existence that Qixi could maintain its current order. She even had the strength to reinforce Feng Changqing in Anxi. But with each order, Xu Yi-qin's complexion grew paler and paler, her body beginning to show signs of sickness.
Cough, cough …
Halfway through the paperwork, Xu Yi-qin could no longer hold back her trembling body and began to violently cough.
"Young Lady, although the war is tense, your health is equally important. If this continues, not only will your body collapse, you won't even be able to attend to the preparations in the rear. Just listen to me. Eat something and rest a little!"
A voice suddenly rang out. Xiao Zhu was standing behind Xu Qiqin, massaging her back. She was so anxious that tears were streaming down her face.
"Little Zhu, I don't have time to rest. There are still one hundred thousand Tang dynasty soldiers at Talas, and they are tied to the safety of all of Qixi and Longxi. I have to take care of everything and arrange for supplies and reinforcements. There's no need to worry. I know my own body. I can still hold on! Cough, cough, cough … "
As Xu Qiqin spoke, she unconsciously coughed again. This time, it was more serious than before.
"Reporting!"
At this moment, a messenger suddenly pushed open the door and rushed in. The moment he entered, he immediately kneeled on the ground.
"A letter from Talas! Marquis defeated Abu Muslim and the Arab army at Talas! "
"What!"
Hearing this, the master and servant in the room trembled, their eyes bursting with joy.
"Hurry and let me see it!"
Xu Yi-qin's steps were unsteady as she hurriedly stood up from the table and walked over to the messenger.
Taking the letter from the messenger, Xu Yi-qin read it over several times before finally confirming one thing.
"Talas won, they really won!"
Xu Yi-qin's face was flushed with excitement, her face flushed with blood, and her entire body seemed to recover.
… …
Her gaze left Qixi, crossed Longxi, and finally reached the most prosperous capital of the empire.
"Boom!"
The news of Talas's victory was like a boulder that sent ripples through the capital, stirring up waves in both the court and the public.
"Hahaha! Victory! Victory! "
"The Tang Dynasty has won! The Tang Dynasty has won! The youngest son of the Wang Clan has really led the Tang Dynasty's army and defeated the armies of the Arabs, the Western Turks, and the Ouzan!!! "
"I wasn't mistaken! The youngest son of the Wang Clan is truly a pillar of the empire! The Tang Dynasty is mighty! His Divine Majesty is mighty! Hahaha! "
… …
The entire empire was in jubilation. When the news that the Ouzan and the Western Turks had mobilized their army reached the Imperial Court, the entire Imperial Court was in a tizzy. Countless gazes were focused on that strategic fortress on the Silk Road to the west of the Cong Mountains. Two Protector-Generals, two armies, a four-way battle … this battle had shaken the hearts of countless people.
From Qixi to Anxi to the Cong Mountains, the Tang Dynasty had deployed all its soldiers to the northwest, leaving them with no more soldiers to spare. If Talas was lost and Anxi and Qixi could not be held, then all of Longxi would be under the threat of the Arabs.
A country below the Cong Mountains had actually pushed its vanguard so close to Longxi. This was an unprecedented humiliation for the Tang Dynasty!
But what made the Imperial Court the most uneasy was the alliance between Arabia, Ouzan, and the Western Turkic Khaganate! The strength of this alliance was enough to make anyone restless. But now, the Tang Dynasty had won. Although this was only a partial victory, it was enough to raise everyone's spirits.
"Wonderful! Wang Chong, this king truly did not misjudge you! "
In the King of Song's residence, after reading the report from Talas, the King of Song put down the letter in his hand, his eyes brimming with unconcealable pride.
The King of Song had done many things in his life, including supporting the army, supporting the border generals with all his strength, helping the Tang Dynasty expand, and carrying out the strategy of defending against enemies outside the borders. In his life, he had also promoted many people and resolved many dangers in the court. During the campaign against Goguryeo and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate in the northeast, he had actively made preparations and even forgot to eat and sleep. At the crucial moment, he had delivered life-saving provisions, saving the morale of the army and saving the war.
But at this moment, the proudest thing that The King of Song had ever done in his life was uncovering Wang Chong and silently supporting him from behind.
"To live and die for the sake of the country, how can one avoid it because of misfortune or fortune! Wang Chong, you truly are the son of a general. The Tang Dynasty is fortunate to have you, the country is fortunate, the people are fortunate! "
The King of Song looked at the two rolled-up couplets next to him, his heart filled with gratitude.
'To live and die for the sake of the country, how can one avoid it because of misfortune or fortune?' This was a couplet that Wang Chong had hung in his study. When Wang Chong was not present, the King of Song had once visited the Wang Clan and entered the study. Upon seeing this couplet, he had put it away in his residence as a treasure. Whether it was in the war of the southwest or the Battle of Talas, Wang Chong had always lived up to his ideals and the words of this couplet.
"Wang Chong, go! Spread your wings and soar into the skies for the Tang Dynasty! As for your back, only I will support you! No matter how many people try to stop you, I will not let a single person stand in your way! "
The King of Song turned his head and looked through the open window. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and dark clouds gathered, a sign that a storm was coming. But the King of Song's eyes were even brighter than the lightning.
… …
Putting aside the disturbances in Anxi, Qixi, and the Tang Dynasty Imperial Court, with the conclusion of the first major battle, the distant Talas to the west of the Cong Mountains welcomed a rare period of peace. Whether it was the Ouzan, the Turks, or the Arabs, all of them had retreated several dozen li. Using this rare chance, the Tang Dynasty army and the mercenaries of the Western Regions were mobilized, doing all they could to reinforce the fortifications.
The terrain that had been destroyed by the giant beasts was dealt with one by one. The two steel defense lines were quickly repaired and changed according to the terrain. It was no longer a simple straight line. At the same time, Zhang Shouzhi and the other craftsmen were doing their utmost to upgrade the defenses of the City of Talas. At the same time, they were repairing the Tang Dynasty ballistae and other weapons that had been damaged in the war.
Everything went according to plan, with progress being made every day.
Talas was calm on the surface, but the undercurrents of war were always surging.
On the west side of Talas, around sixty to seventy li away, a lush forest stretched across the land. Towering trees soared into the heavens, each one as thick as two men hugging their arms around it. To the west of the Cong Mountains, where the land was increasingly barren and the precipitation was decreasing, was this place the only place with so many ancient trees.
The Black Forest!
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
