"Impossible! This can't be! "
In the distant city of Baghdad, the Caliph of Arabia gripped the snow-white letter from Shandar, his face pale and his body trembling.
An army of seven to eight hundred thousand, ten-some governors, countless generals, and the Three Titans of Black Radiance and Hular presiding over it — this was a massive campaign of unprecedented proportions. The Caliph had been hoping for a clean and swift counterattack that would sweep away all the Tang people and Khorasani, but a blizzard had shattered his dreams.
Nearly six hundred thousand soldiers had been buried in the snow, sleeping eternally in the vast region between Khorasan and Shandar, turning that region into a snowy hell. This crushing defeat was like a steel needle stabbing deep into the Caliph's heart.
From the moment the idea of conquering the east had been born, the Arabian Empire had lost more than one million soldiers, three powerful governors, and an important official like the Governor of War, Qutaybah. In the face of this defeat, even the Caliph couldn't help but pale and find it hard to breathe.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! We still have so many soldiers! We can't lose to the Tang people of the east! "
The Caliph's body trembled more and more violently, his expression growing more and more agitated. Finally, his eyes turned red as he roared out these final words. Kacha! With a crisp sound, Khalifa clenched his fist, and the armrest made of Zhang Hai steel in his hand was immediately crushed into pieces.
"Your Majesty, calm your anger."
Everyone in the hall hurriedly prostrated in fear and trepidation.
"Hualala!"
Just when the Caliph was at his most enraged, an Arab messenger with an Arabian hunting falcon perched on his palm hurried into the room.
"Reporting!"
Upon seeing the Caliph, the messenger immediately lowered his head and kneeled on the ground.
"We just received news from the Tang people. The Tang people are accusing us of breaking the agreement and initiating an attack. They demand compensation of two billion taels of gold, or else they will attack Arabia in retaliation. Moreover, they will gather up all the soldiers who died last night and hang them on the walls of Khorasan as a public display."
"Buzz!"
All the governors and generals in the hall, including the guards, were startled and raised their heads. The face of the Caliph, who was seated above the great hall, turned ashen.
"Bastard!"
Finally, the Caliph could no longer hold back his roar and shouted, "The Caliph!
"Wang Chong! We will definitely tear you to pieces! "
In this foreign land of Arabia, the Abbasid Caliphate was publicly acknowledged as the most powerful sovereign in all of history. For the first time, the proud and conceited Mutasim III called out the names of the Tang people.
…
"Marquis, do you really think that the Arabs will agree to our demands and compensate us with two billion taels of gold?"
While the Caliph was on the verge of vomiting blood from Wang Chong's letter, Xue Qianjun was cautiously following behind Wang Chong in Khorasan. When Wang Chong had written two billion taels of gold on the letter, Xue Qianjun had felt like his heart was trembling.
In this world, ten million taels of gold was an astronomical sum. The Bureau of Revenue would have to discuss the matter again and again every year, and it would take a very long time before it would be approved. As for Wang Chong, he had asked for one billion taels of gold in the first round of negotiations, and now, he was asking for two billion taels of gold. Xue Qianjun felt like his brain wasn't working properly.
"Haha, of course not!"
Wang Chong continued to flip through the book in his hand, not even turning his head.
"Ah?!"
Xue Qianjun froze, his steps coming to a halt.
"Mutasim III is currently in a fit of anger. It would be strange if he agreed to our demands."
Wang Chong faintly smiled as he continued to read. This was an ancient book of the Sassanid Dynasty. While Won Shu-young and his disciples were avoiding the blizzard, they had spent a single night translating it into the language of the Tang Dynasty, so Wang Chong was able to read it very smoothly.
"Then Milord, you are …"
Xue Qianjun was confused. If he knew that Wang Chong wouldn't agree, why would Marquis still write this letter asking for two billion taels of gold?
"Haha, there's almost no one in this world richer than the Arabian imperial household. It's very normal for Caliph to be unwilling to pay in his fit of anger, but in the end, we will make him pay."
Wang Chong smiled as he finally raised his head from the book.
The Tang Dynasty was wealthy, but this was the wealth of the entire empire. The wealth was concentrated in the hands of the common people, with the imperial household occupying only a portion of it. Thus, even though the Tang Dynasty was wealthy, the Bureau of Revenue still had to fret over how much money the Bureau of Military Personnel would allocate to it.
But Arabia was different. The Caliph of Arabia controlled the entire empire, and his words were final. Here, there was no concept of the world serving the public. Moreover, the wealth of Arabia was not reflected in the wealth of the entire country, but in the nobility and the Caliph. Moreover, the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years in the countries bordering Arabia had all been plundered by the armies of the Arabian Empire and offered to the Caliph. One could easily imagine the wealth of the Caliph.
It would be strange if Wang Chong wasn't tempted by such a wealthy Caliph.
Wang Chong's future plans required the support of enormous wealth, and the Caliph was the best 'financial backer'.
Xue Qianjun looked at Wang Chong, half-understanding.
Thumpthump!
As Wang Chong and Xue Qianjun were conversing, a knock came from the door.
"Come in!"
Wang Chong immediately waved his hand.
The door opened, and a soldier of the Anxi Protectorate army quickly walked in.
"Lord Protector-General, Milord has sent me to invite you to the conference hall!"
… …
Outside the city, while Wang Chong was going to meet with Gao Xianzhi in the conference hall at Khorasan, another secret conference was taking place elsewhere.
But contrary to what many people imagined, there were no Tang people here, only the Khorasani and other rebel soldiers.
"Great General, you have also seen the strength of the Tang people. The Arabs are so fierce and valiant that they have conquered so many countries, but they have suffered defeat after defeat at their hands. In just a few short months, they have already lost more than one million soldiers. This is simply unbelievable. But I am worried that the Tang Dynasty will one day withdraw, and when the Arabs come back, I will be the one to die without a grave. Everything will have been for naught. "
In the hall, a leader of the Rebel Army said with a worried expression.
The coalition army had won last night, killing at least five to six hundred thousand Arab soldiers. This was an unprecedented victory, but at this moment, the rebel army was covered in worry, even panic. The easier victory came, the more one worried that it would be easy to lose.
Although the reinforcements had completely routed the Arab assault and succeeded in establishing their own power right under the eyes of the Arabs, no one knew how long this peace and victory would last. In the end, they would once more be enslaved by the Arabs, and none of them could accept this.
"But didn't General Wang agree to become the commander-in-chief of our coalition army? And besides, the Tang people fought their way here with great difficulty. Why do you think they will retreat? "
"No! The Tang people have been here for some time now, but they still haven't taken over the city lord's residence or control all of Khorasan. Moreover, they've already lost far too many of their elites in the war with the Arabs. The Tang Dynasty army stationed in Khorasan doesn't even number thirty thousand. This is not the attitude of ruling a region at all. "
One of the rebel leaders in the hall stood up and said.
"That's right! If the Tang people really wanted to establish a foothold in Khorasan, they would have sent an army by now. Although Khorasan is very far from the territory of the Tang people, if the Tang people really wanted to stay here, they would definitely have a way to overcome this problem, "another rebel leader said.
"That's right, that's right.
If the Tang people want to stay here, they definitely have a way to do it! "
The others in the hall began to chime in.
Bahram glanced over and immediately recognized the last speaker as a rebel leader from the northeastern region of Arabia called Sangar. This person had a composed personality and an extremely high prestige in the rebel army. If even he was worried that the Tang people might leave, one could easily imagine the panic in the hearts of the others.
Bahram said nothing, but his brow furrowed, and his frown deepened. He was also worried, but he would never voice his worries in front of these people.
"Great General, you have the closest relationship with that Tang people Commander. Can you think of a way to make him stay?"
"You and I both know how vicious and cruel the Arabs are. If the Tang people leave, you and I both know what the consequences will be. Do you really want to see such a tragedy occur?"
"The Arabs have already killed far too many of our people. Even if we die this time, we will not submit to them. No matter what, we have to seize this chance and think of a way to make the Tang people stay."
Everyone in the hall began to whisper into Bahram's ear.
Other than the Tang people, Bahram had the highest cultivation level in the coalition army, and he also had the closest relationship with the Tang people. This was why they had invited Bahram to this secret meeting.
After witnessing the power of the Tang people and witnessing the young commander of the Tang Dynasty's courage, decisiveness, wisdom, and schemes in the blizzard, they all valued their alliance with the Tang dynasty even more and hoped that they could stay and form a long-term strategic alliance.
Not even Wang Chong could have imagined that the 'peace' he had displayed in the midst of war would make the leaders of the coalition army so uneasy.
"But this is not something I can decide. If the Tang people want to leave, what can I do?"
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.
