In just half a month's time, under Su Hanshan's training, these hooligans, who had been like a plate of loose sand, had immediately transformed into the most qualified warriors. This was something that even Wang Bei couldn't help but feel admiration for. This person seemed to have the most outstanding talent as a general. It was able to train the most ordinary martial artist into a useful warrior.
Not only that, Su Hanshan had even used his own connections and enticement to recruit even more bandits and bandits. Right now, Qixi had a new army of nearly twenty thousand bandits and bandits.
"Release!"
Su Hanshan unsheathed his sword and swung it down.
In an instant, the new army of twenty thousand bandits and bandits crouched down, nocked their bows, took aim, and pulled the trigger. Boomboomboom! The four thousand Tang Dynasty ballistae, along with the one thousand ballistae operated by the scions of the capital, fired. Five thousand ballista bolts shot out like lightning bolts, piercing through the bull 's-eye. The powerful force of the bolts shattered the target.
"Not bad!"
Not far away, Wang Hua secretly nodded when he saw this scene.
"At this speed, in another month, this ballista army will be able to be put to use, and their training will be over!"
Wang Bei had been born into a clan of ministers and generals, and he had been influenced by his surroundings since childhood. He had seen all sorts of generals, and the nurturing of his clan had made him naturally superior to others in the art of war. Ordinary individuals were nothing in his eyes. But Su Hanshan was different. This was the first time he had seen someone with such astonishing talent, a talent that not even the Titled Generals of the Tang Dynasty could compare to.
This talent was at least that of a Brigadier General, perhaps even a Great General!
"Just what sort of people did Little Brother recruit!"
Wang Bei mentally sighed. At this moment, he suddenly understood why Wang Chong had left Su Hanshan in the rear to guard Qixi with him.
"Hyah!"
Wang Bei's eyes flashed, and he quickly regained his composure. Urging his horse's abdomen, he galloped toward the other end of the training ground.
"Neigh!"
Several hundred zhang away from the ballista army, a Wushang horseman with a powerful aura galloped across the practice field, stirring up a cloud of dust. These Wushang cavalrymen were extremely obedient, and the aura they exuded was completely different from that of the ballistae.
Wang Chong led the army to Talas, and the second group of six thousand Wushang cavalry smoothly arrived at Qixi from Wushang, all thanks to Xu Yi-qin.
The Battle of Talas was no trifling matter, as it concerned the fate of the country and the common people. Thus, after Xu Yi-qin's harsh words, Wushang Village had dispatched a much stronger force than before, and quite a few Imperial Martial villagers from Wushang Village had joined the army. The strength of the Wushang villagers was undeniable, but they still lacked systematic military training, which was what they were doing now.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, a steely and determined voice came from the cloud of dust, and a black Turkic horse emerged from the six thousand Wushang cavalry and galloped toward Wang Bei.
"General Wang, what business do you have?"
Cui Piaoqi stopped several paces from Wang Bei and asked. His posture was ramrod straight, and his expression was cold and aloof. He seemed rather similar to Su Hanshan.
Wang Bei was Wang Chong's second brother, and it was because of this relationship that Wang Bei had an extremely high prestige among the villagers of Wushang. Cui Piaoqi's training in Qixi was mostly handled by Wang Bei. Wang Bei rarely interfered with the training of Wushang Village, so if he did come, there was definitely a reason.
"Cui Piaoqi, there's not much time left. A letter from Talas says that in a month at most, you must enter the battlefield."
Wang Bei sternly said.
Wushang Village was isolated from the rest of the world, and the majority of its villagers were simple and unsophisticated, so they did not have much understanding of military matters. But this Cui Piaoqi was different. In Wushang Village, he was an extremely rare talent for commanding generals. There were many things in the art of war that Cui Piaoqi might not understand in advance, but as long as it was explained to him, he would immediately understand and even comprehend by analogy. Therefore, in the later stages, Cui Piaoqi could complete the usual basic training work by himself.
"Understood. General Wang, be at ease. It won't take a month. It will only take twenty-some days at most! "
Cui Piaoqi sternly said, his resolute face unperturbed.
With these words, he quickly turned around and rejoined the ranks to begin training.
"Cutting Formation! Hurry! "
With this order, the six thousand Wushang cavalry shot off in every direction like quicksilver.
… …
Flapflap!
Several days later, black eagles flew into the capital, disappearing into various parts of the capital.
In the Four Quarters Embassy, behind a lush forest of bamboo, there was a round pond filled with lotus flowers. Fish swam beneath the lotus flowers. Next to the pond was an artificial mountain, and the atmosphere was tranquil and serene. At this moment, an old man dressed in a white robe was silently fishing on a folding bamboo chair.
Unlike other fishermen, the old man's fishing rod only had a string, not a hook. Moreover, it was suspended in the air, not sinking into the water. But even so, there were many fish in the pool gathered below the string. Some of them even silently swam to a spot not far from the old man's feet, looking at the old man on the shore. It was as if this white-robed old man had some kind of special power that made the fish in the pool involuntarily approach him and get close to him.
The old man's eyes were half-closed, his expression tranquil. He sat there motionlessly, seemingly one with the garden, the pond, and the fish.
Not far behind him, the Imperial Army soldiers lowered their heads, gazing at the old man's back with extreme respect in their eyes.
"Reporting!"
At this moment, a resounding voice came from behind them, followed by the heavy footsteps of an Imperial Army soldier as he hurried through the bamboo forest toward the pond.
Splash, the water exploded, and the shoal of fish in the pool seemed to be frightened, quickly scattering in all directions. The originally peaceful and tranquil atmosphere disappeared in an instant.
"What's going on? Didn't I tell you not to disturb Duke Jiu when he's fishing? Have you forgotten all about it?! "
At the side, a commander of the Imperial Guards had already walked over quickly and stopped the Imperial Guard who was delivering the letter.
"Milord, it's news from Talas."
The Imperial Army soldier who delivered the letter said solemnly. He naturally understood the rules of the Four Quarters Embassy, but this was no small matter. Moreover, the letter had been stamped with that large seal.
"Even so, can't you wait a little longer …"
The Imperial Army soldier angrily said.
"Is it news from Chong-er?"
Right at this moment, an aged and mellow voice suddenly sounded out from behind them. When they heard these words, their bodies shook and they lowered their heads in unison.
"Reporting to Duke Jiu, it is not the Young Marquis, but Anxi Protector-General, Lord Gao Xianzhi!"
The messenger respectfully replied with his head lowered.
By the pond, the white-robed elder was taken aback, and then he finally turned his head.
"Bring that letter to me."
… …
While Duke Jiu was receiving Gao Xianzhi's letter, in the nearby Taihe Palace, this letter from the distant Talas was like a heavy bomb, causing massive waves in the Tang Dynasty.
"Absolutely not! The Tang Dynasty has won at Talas, so why are they still conscripting soldiers? "
"Talas isn't the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Since they've won, they should be withdrawing back to Anxi. Why are Gao Xianzhi and the Young Marquis still at Talas?"
"What do they mean by 'the Tang Dynasty is in imminent danger' and 'a three-way alliance'? If the Arabs really are as formidable as they say, how could they possibly have been defeated? It seems to me that they just want to gather soldiers to strengthen themselves! "
"Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach Gao Xianzhi and Qixi Protector-General Wang Chong. The two of them are seeking to reward themselves for their achievements and want to lie about the military situation so that they can threaten the Imperial Court."
… …
The court was in an uproar as Wang Chong's and Gao Xianzhi's memorials were brought into the court, immediately stirring up a massive debate.
"Desecration of military might! This is desecration of military might! The Imperial Court has already allocated ten million taels of gold to a trifling outpost, and so many people have died. What more do they want? "
The civil officials were particularly vocal in their opposition.
"My Great Tang has stood tall for two hundred years and has weathered all kinds of storms. Will it really fall in the hands of a small country in the west? "
… …
A civil official stepped forward, vehemently objecting to Wang Chong's decision.
"Absurd! Wang Chong is the Son of Heaven's disciple. Would he lie about an important matter of state and military might? "
"Desecration of military might? From Anxi to Longxi, do you think he will only stop when all living beings are slaughtered? Have all of you forgotten what happened in the southwest? If not for the Young Marquis, the situation would have been unimaginable! "
"Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach Assistant Minister of Rites, Zhang Musheng! How can the affairs of the state and the people be delayed by a scholar! "
… …
The opposition of the civil officials also ignited the fury of the generals of the court, and they began to fiercely protest. Since ancient times, civil officials had been known as officials of the pen and the sword. In the Imperial Court, whenever there was a conflict between civil and military officials, the generals would usually concede and not argue with the civil officials. But this time, it was different. Almost all of the military generals stood up and set out, opposing the civil officials.
The more one understood about the Battle of Talas in the northwest, the more one understood just how powerful the enemy was. Even someone like Gao Xianzhi had almost died there, much less others. The disparity in strength between the two sides was enormous, and Wang Chong had been able to use tens of thousands of soldiers to fight against an opponent several times his own. This result had not come easily.
At a time like this, for Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi to work together to report to the Imperial Court and request reinforcements meant that the situation was extremely dire.
Tens of thousands of soldiers, two Imperial Great Generals, and even the people of the empire were at stake. This was not the time to concede. Throughout the dynasties, the struggle between civil and military officials had never ceased, but it had generally been restrained. But this time, with the aid of Wang Chong and Go Seonji's memorial, the civil officials that the Great Tang had been accumulating for so long had completely erupted.
Beneath the cinnabar coiling dragon pillar, King Qi sneered at this sight.
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