Boom! The Arab noble had barely finished speaking when a golden war boot emerged from the throne. As everyone looked on in awe, Mutasim III suddenly stood up from his throne. At that moment, the world swayed, and the vast city of Baghdad seemed unable to endure this power and fiercely shuddered.
"We will not submit to anyone's threats! Even if all the cities of the east are destroyed and all the people slaughtered, We will not submit to the extortion of an eastern madman! Let him take the one billion taels himself! Even if We have to pay half the city, We will personally tear him to pieces!! "
Mutasim III's rage was unquenchable, and his eyes were like bolts of lightning, exuding intimidating light. In the face of the furious Caliph, everyone kept quiet out of fear, no one daring to say a word.
In the Arabian Empire, the Caliph's word was law. Once he made a decision, no one could stop him, much less defy him.
"If I were His Majesty, I would give away the one billion taels of gold right now!"
Just as the atmosphere reached a freezing point, a hoarse and mysterious voice suddenly rang out from outside the hall. Hearing this voice, everyone's body shook violently.
The Caliph's word was law. No one had expected that someone would anger His Majesty at a time like this.
But a moment later, just when everyone was stunned by this person's boldness, there was a flash of light as a slanted figure shot into the hall.
At some point, a tall figure shrouded in a black robe had appeared at the entrance to the hall. His pitch-black robe was embroidered with mysterious runes using golden threads.
"High, High Priest!!"
A noble of the Arabian Empire trembled at the sight of this figure, his eyes going wide. No one had expected that this mysterious person who dared to contradict the Caliph would be the most enigmatic person in the empire, the High Priest who wielded the divine authority.
This was definitely the most unexpected guest of the Imperial Palace.
As a legendary existence that had existed for centuries in the empire, although almost no one had ever seen the High Priest before, they all recognized the unique Sun God Robe and the black Temple Scepter in his hand.
One of the High Priest's skinny hands reached out from his sleeves like a bird's claw and grabbed the black scepter's power. Rolling black mist kept coming out from his sleeves.
His hat was lowered, completely concealing his face. He only stood there, motionless, but not a single one of the governors, generals, and nobles in the hall could sense the depth of his cultivation.
Although he had truly appeared in front of everyone, they could not sense anything other than the black scepter. It was as if there was nothing there.
"Buzz!"
In the blink of an eye, the High Priestess's long robe fluttered as she stepped over the threshold and entered.
"High Priest, why have you come!"
To Mutasim III's surprise, the enraged Arab Caliph Mutasim III was like a punctured balloon, all his anger vanishing. Not only was he not enraged, he was even pleasantly surprised. Boomboomboom, he excitedly descended from the hall and personally went to welcome Wang Chong.
Everyone in Arabia knew of the Caliph's attitude toward the High Priest. But only at this moment did they realize just how much importance His Majesty placed on him!
"The defeat at Talas, the death of Qutaybah, and the arrival of the Tang people at Khorasan to intimidate Baghdad. How could I not come for such a major event?"
The High Priest said faintly as he walked forward slowly. As he walked, the air seemed to turn into waves. Translucent ripples that were visible to the naked eye spread out from his feet. It was as if he was walking on water.
Not only that, when the High Priest walked forward, even his figure became faint, like a transparent ripple of water. It was as if the person passing by them was not a real person, but a faint ripple of water.
Swoosh!
In a flash, everyone retreated to the sides, and even the governors had to lower their heads to make way.
… The governors' cultivation bases were also different. With their abilities, they couldn't even sense the breath of the High Priestess. They could only feel a thick darkness that seemed to be devouring everything, causing them to feel fear and awe.
A few moments later, the High Priest stopped in front of the Caliph. He did not bow, nor did he show the respect a subject should have. He exuded an aura that transcended the authority of the empire.
From a certain perspective, this was an offense, an offense against the Caliph!
But the Caliph seemed to not care at all. Not only that, the Caliph seemed to be even more respectful toward the High Priest.
"High Priest! You've come at just the right time. We have so many soldiers and so many generals. Do you think that we will be threatened by a teenager from the east? Arabia lives on war, and no soldier has ever surrendered. We still have half of the country and one million elites. Do we have to submit to the Tang people of the east? "
The Caliph strode up to the High Priest.
"It's just one billion taels of gold! Does Your Majesty lack money? "
The High Priest did not answer. Instead, he asked about something else.
"This … Although one billion taels is an extremely large sum, the empire has saved up for centuries. It is still possible to produce such a sum."
The Caliph slightly raised his head, his eyes disdainful and his face brimming with pride.
One billion taels of gold was an astronomical sum to many dynasties, countries, and even large empires. When Wang Chong requested the Imperial Court to send reinforcements for the Battle of Talas, the Bureau of Personnel had only given him twenty million taels of gold. At the time, the Imperial Court had already felt that it was a lot. And one billion taels of gold was fifty times the amount that Wang Chong had used to launch the Battle of Talas, enough to buy several cities.
But to the Arabian Empire, this was not an unbearable sum.
This was the advantage of being a marauder. Every time he won a country, he would plunder everything from it! In this aspect, the Tang Dynasty, which was bound by etiquette and righteousness, could not compare. But to rely on the strength of a single country to create wealth comparable to that of Arabia was something that only the Central Plains could do.
"I can produce one billion taels of gold, but I cannot accept the conditions of these easterners and submit to them!"
The Caliph's eyes were sharp as he firmly declared.
This was no longer a matter of money. To accept the Tang people's conditions was to submit, to be humiliated. As the highest commander of the empire, the Caliph could not tolerate such a thing.
"It's just one billion taels of gold. How can this be considered submission? Does Your Majesty intend to surrender without a fight?"
The High Priest indifferently said, his expression unruffled. Only the High Priest could dare to speak to the supreme Caliph in such a manner, as if he was above imperial authority, and yet the Caliph did not rebuke him.
"How could this be?"
The Caliph was stunned at first, but then he immediately rejected the idea.
"We still have many soldiers in the southern war zone, the western war zone, and the other war zones. These soldiers can all be mobilized. It's just a trifling army of two hundred thousand. Once We mobilize the army, all that awaits them will be death! "
The Caliph clenched his fists, his voice seething with killing intent. Arabia was a country of war, and he was also the Sovereign of War. This was the reason for his rage. That eastern Tang Dynasty commander called Wang Chong had actually sent a letter to threaten them. If they did not reply within three days, he would pay one billion taels of gold as compensation, and they would immediately continue eastward and occupy more cities. To Mutasim III, who had always been known for his unyielding character and had a deep influence on his governors and generals, this was a public provocation and humiliation.
This was also the reason for the Caliph's rage.
Moreover, even though Qutaybah and Aybak had died in battle, they had only lost two of their best soldiers. Arabia still had many of its best fighters.
"Isn't that so? Since His Majesty still has many soldiers and is preparing for an even larger war, how can this be considered a surrender? With His Majesty's abilities, gold and silver are nothing in his eyes. One billion taels of gold is only used to appease the Tang people. It's said that the Tang Dynasty is famed for its benevolence and righteousness. Once they receive the money, they will keep their promises. His Majesty only needs to temporarily appease them. Once the army arrives, he will be able to protect the cities west of the Tigris River from their attacks, and he will also be able to break into Khorasan and wipe out the Tang people and the rebel army in one fell swoop. And he will also be able to retrieve the gold. "
The High Priest's raspy and deep voice resounded in everyone's ears.
"One billion taels of gold is no small sum. Even if they spur their horses at full speed, they won't be able to get very far. Once we break into Khorasan, His Majesty can dispatch cavalry to pursue and retrieve the gold. Moreover, hasn't His Majesty been searching for the remnants of the conquered countries and the rebel army in the last few years without any results?
"We can use these Tang people to draw out the entire rebel army. Won't that be killing two birds with one stone and capturing them all in one fell swoop?"
"Buzz!"
Hearing this, the Khalifa's expression shook and he suddenly raised his head. He had been driven mad by the compensation of one billion taels of gold, and in his desperation, he had never thought of anything else. It was true that the remnants of the dynasties and the rebel army had always been a sore point for Arabia. In the last ten-some years, the empire had expended a great deal of effort in searching for the traces of these rebels.
The Behemoth Army, the Mamelukes, the Skyquaking Army, and even an Arab War God like Qutaybah had been dispatched by Mutasim III to suppress the rebels. But the rebel army and the remnants of the dynasties had always been like rats. When the army arrived, they would hide like turtles. The moment the army left, they would come out and wreak havoc.
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