The door to the room opened, and the gray-robed Zhang Shouzhi walked in.
"Marquis, it's the appointed time. Pass on the order."
"Proceed according to the plan."
After a few moments of silence, Wang Chong nodded. Regardless of whether or not that event would occur, Wang Chong had to make complete preparations. Moreover, it was already close to the Zi Period. If that event really did occur and he did not make sufficient preparations, he might be caught off guard.
"Understood. This old man will go and make the arrangements."
Zhang Shouzhi nodded and quickly withdrew from Wang Chong's room. A few moments later, the tranquil city of Khorasan was abuzz with chatter and chatter.
… …
At this moment, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Arab camp, separated only by a river, were silent. The night was so cold that even the sneezes of the warhorses were white. The weather was getting colder and colder, and this winter seemed to be much colder than the winters of the past. But to the Arab soldiers who cultivated in martial arts, it was still within the limits of endurance.
Although the cold was heavy, the baleful aura of the hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers was even heavier. At the very front of the camp, all the Arab commanders had gathered, gazing at the majestic city of Khorasan. To the army, nothing was important other than capturing the city and killing the Tang people, Khorasani, and rebel soldiers.
Bang!
Suddenly, a hubbub erupted from Khorasan, immediately attracting everyone's attention.
"What's going on?"
At the very front, the Head of Black Radiance, Fadi, raised his head and looked at Khorasan.
"Milord, are these Tang people planning to attack?"
An aide next to him said.
"Impossible!"
Before the aide could finish, a deep and resounding voice came from the side. The Blood of Black Radiance, Firas, shook his head and immediately rejected the idea.
"These Tang people and Khorasani soldiers are simply not enough to launch an attack on us. Moreover, once they do, the Tigris River will become a massive obstacle. Forcefully attacking is suicide."
"But, what are they trying to do?"
The Empire's White Corpse, Hular, also said. The three of them stood side by side, their expressions constantly shifting.
The activity in Khorasan was far too strange. Everyone could see that the city was brightly lit, but the gates of Khorasan were tightly shut, showing no signs of opening.
Time passed slowly, and all the soldiers received their orders. They were all on standby, ready to deal with any possible emergencies. Other than being brighter and hotter, everything in Khorasan was the same as before. Even the raucous chatter rapidly faded away.
"What are these guys doing?"
An Arab general muttered to himself in the dense Arab camp, his words echoing the thoughts in everyone's mind. Even powerful governors like Fadi, Firas, and Hular were confused. They couldn't figure out what the Tang people were up to. If the Tang people weren't going to attack, what was the point of making such a big commotion?
"Pass down my order. The army is to be on full alert. Everyone else is to rest. In addition, prepare to attack the city at daybreak! "
Fadi sternly said. His words were quickly spread throughout the army.
… …
Khorasan quickly calmed down.
Wang Chong sat motionlessly in his room. Several hours had passed, but the event Wang Chong had been waiting for still had not occurred. Other than the fact that Khorasan had grown colder, there was nothing strange about it.
At some point, it was the Zi Period, and Wang Chong's brow began to crease.
Impossible! Did I make a mistake in my calculations? That thing won't happen!
Wang Chong's expression was calm, but he was beginning to feel uneasy. If nothing unexpected had happened, the event he had been waiting for should have already occurred, but Wang Chong had still seen no signs of it.
After being reborn twice, many things had changed and deviated greatly because of his own reasons. The King of Song had not been demoted, the southwest had not been lost, and not only had Talas not been lost, it had been won. Everything was completely different from his memories. Could it be that the matter had been completely changed because of his interference?
Wang Chong's brow was creasing tighter and tighter. If that event disappeared because of him, then at daybreak, the Tang Dynasty would have to face the hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers on the other side of the Tigris River, many governors and generals, and even more reinforcements. Just as Bahram had said, this was using the strength of a corner to contend against the entire empire. This would be an unprecedentedly fierce battle, and the chances of victory were minuscule.
As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Wang Chong couldn't help but feel a little vexed and anxious. He almost subconsciously picked up the teacup on the table and prepared to take a sip.
But the moment he brought the teacup to his lips, Wang Chong heard a cracking sound. This sound was almost inaudible, but it was like a peal of thunder in Wang Chong's ears.
Wang Chong's eyes widened as he subconsciously lowered his head to look. A moment later, a shocking sight occurred. In the teacup, on the surface of the calm tea, a thin layer of ice was covering the entire surface at a speed visible to the naked eye. Furthermore, the frost was constantly spreading, rapidly deepening and thickening.
Whoosh! A cold gust of wind blew in through the slightly ajar door. Wherever the cold wind blew, the walls of the room were visibly covered in a layer of white frost. Even the teacup in Wang Chong's hand was covered in a fine layer of ice.
"Ah!"
Cries of alarm came from outside the door, but they only lasted for a few moments before fading away.
"It's here!"
Wang Chong seemed to understand something. Turning his head, he strode to the door and opened it with a creak.
"Boom!"
At this moment, it was like he had gone from one world to another. A blizzard blew past, and Wang Chong's body was immediately covered in a thin layer of frost, including his hair and the tip of his nose. Outside the door, flames were blazing. Wang Chong had ordered Zhang Shouzhi, Banahan, and the other craftsmen to light many fires in Khorasan, and these furnaces were constantly spewing smoke into the sky.
The heat exuded by these furnaces and bonfires combined to make the night of Khorasan less cold, but now, all these flames seemed to be suppressed by some invisible energy, and the light of the furnaces rapidly dimmed.
Hwoooo! A gust of wind blew past, and ten-some paces from Wang Chong, the fire in a furnace went out and froze. The furnace that had been heating up rapidly became icy cold, and then its surface was covered in a layer of white frost. One furnace, two furnaces, three furnaces … the moment Wang Chong stepped out of the room, more and more furnaces were extinguished.
In just a few moments, the temperature had dropped by ten-some degrees, and it was continuing to drop at an astonishing rate. As far as Wang Chong could see, a layer of white frost was rapidly enveloping the earth, and as the blizzard howled, his vision was soon reduced to a hazy white.
"Neigh!"
A few moments later, Wang Chong suddenly heard the neighing of Neigh's horses and the cries of soldiers in the distance. Across the Tigris River and the walls of Khorasan, the Arab camp was in chaos.
"Wang Chong, you're here!"
At this moment, a familiar voice rang out in his ear as Gao Xianzhi strode out of the blizzard.
"The weather has changed, and the temperature is rapidly dropping. This sort of weather is extremely disadvantageous to us!"
Behind him, Cheng Qianli, Xi Yuanqing, Lou Shiyi, and the others walked over.
"What a heavy blizzard. When we arrived, we saw that the walls were already covered in ice. Lord Protector-General, what should we do now?"
Cheng Qianli asked.
The snowstorm came too suddenly, and the temperature dropped very quickly. Furthermore, it was still dropping. Even Cheng Qianli felt that something was wrong, let alone the others.
The temperature was dropping too quickly, not just one or two degrees, but ten-some degrees. If this continued, the ordinary soldiers would soon find it unbearable.
"Haha, there's no need to worry. I've already made preparations. This sudden drop in temperature is a blessing, not a curse!"
To their surprise, Wang Chong was not the slightest bit worried. On the contrary, his face lit up with joy. He abruptly turned his head and looked at a certain place in the night sky. There seemed to be a profound meaning in his eyes. Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and the others were stunned at first, and then they subconsciously followed Wang Chong's gaze. When they saw where Wang Chong was looking, their bodies trembled in understanding.
A blizzard!
This was admittedly a problem for the Tang people, Sassanids, and rebel soldiers, but it was a true disaster for the hundreds of thousands of Arab soldiers camped out in the open.
At that moment, everyone understood what was going on.
"… So, Wang Chong, is this the opportunity you spoke of?"
Gao Xianzhi and Wang Chong stood side by side, gazing at the blizzard and the ever-thickening frost.
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded. The blizzard he had been waiting for had finally arrived, and there was no need to hide anything.
The Little Ice Age!
This thought flitted through Wang Chong's mind as he gazed up at the blizzard. Other than himself, no one else, not even Gao Xianzhi or Bahram, knew what this blizzard signified.
This was no ordinary snowstorm, nor was it any ordinary harsh winter. 'When a country is on the verge of destruction, a monster must appear.' Before any calamity, there would always be signs and phenomena. Not long ago, the black eclipse of the sun over the City of Talas was the beginning of this calamity.
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