"Milord, Qixi is only several hundred li away!"
At this moment, a familiar voice rang out in his ear. A Wushang Cavalry soldier had suddenly turned his head and called out, "What are you waiting for? After leaving Suiye, the group rode for another two or three days, and they were finally about to reach Qixi.
All sorts of emotions welled up in their hearts. They had set out from Qixi, and in the end, they had returned to this place.
Whoosh. Right at this moment, the sound of flapping wings suddenly rang out. Moreover, it was flying rapidly towards them. In an instant, everyone's hearts froze. Turning their heads, they saw an Arabian hunting falcon descending from the sky. When it was still several dozen feet from the ground, it suddenly made a sharp turn and landed on Zhang Que's shoulder.
"This …"
It wasn't just Xue Qianjun, Xu Keyi, and even Zhang Que who saw this hunting falcon was dumbfounded. Contrary to what they had imagined, this hunting falcon had not come from the capital, but from behind them. The only place that could send them a message at a time like this was the distant Khorasan.
Everyone's eyes began to twitch.
Swish!
As everyone watched, Zhang Que tore open the letter. With a single glance, Zhang Que's entire body trembled as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His face instantly turned ghastly pale.
"Milord, Milord! It's bad! Something's happened to Khorasan! "
Zhang Que raised his head and looked at Wang Chong said. His eyes were wide open and filled with panic. Despite having known Zhang Que for so long, they had never seen him like this.
Without another word, Wang Chong took the letter from Zhang Que. With just a glance, Wang Chong instantly turned ghastly pale.
The letter had been sent from Khorasan by Su Hanshan, and it only mentioned a few matters.
Not long after Wang Chong left Khorasan, those middle-aged Confucian experts swiftly took over the military authority of Khorasan, and in a short period of time, they worked with the official surnamed Wen to carry out several tasks.
The first order of business was to bypass Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing and reach an agreement with the Arab Caliph Mutasim III. The two sides agreed that the Tang dynasty and Arabia would never go to war.
The second matter was that the Tang dynasty had promised to return seven hundred million taels of gold to Arabia to show its sincerity. At the same time, Arabia promised to accept the Confucians, allowing them to establish Confucian schools in all the regions of the Arabian Empire and spread Confucian teachings without any restrictions.
The third matter was that the Tang Dynasty had promised to withdraw its army from Khorasan, withdraw all the ballistae and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, and never again participate in the conflict between the Arabian Empire and the Sassanid Dynasty.
The first condition had already caused Wang Chong to grimace. The second condition had caused Wang Chong's breathing to become ragged, and the third condition had caused Wang Chong's face to turn as white as a sheet of paper. He had never imagined that so many things would have happened in such a short time. Arabia was a country of war, a country of tigers and wolves. Peaceful coexistence with Arabia was nothing more than a fool's dream, a fish from a tree.
The first condition was that the Tang Dynasty had given up on an excellent opportunity by negotiating peace with Arabia. But even so, Wang Chong still had ways to make up for it.
The second condition was to return seven hundred million taels of gold to Arabia. Although it would be a severe economic loss and Wang Chong would have to surrender the situation that he had worked so hard to win, no matter how much money was returned, it could still be calculated. In the future, it could be taken back. But the third condition was that the Tang Dynasty withdraw its army from Khorasan, withdraw all the ballistae and soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, and never again participate in the conflict between the Arabian Empire and the Sassanid Dynasty. This was to uproot and utterly destroy all the achievements that Wang Chong and the countless soldiers of the Tang Dynasty had worked so hard to build!
Wang Chong had spent a great deal of effort in order to establish a firm foothold in Khorasan and forever suppress the threat of the Central Plains that was Arabia. This was the same as removing the firewood from the bottom of the cauldron!
All of Wang Chong's efforts had been for naught. … It had been meaningless!
Thirty achievements to dust and earth, eight thousand li to the clouds and moon …
At this moment, Wang Chong felt like his entire body was trembling and the world was spinning.
"Warning! Special event: user's mission 'The Empire's Choice' has encountered a major change. The mission has not yet been completed, and the conflict between the Tang Dynasty and Arabia has not yet concluded. User will be deducted 5000 points of Destiny Energy! "
At almost the same time, the voice of the Stone of Destiny resounded in his mind. Rumble! Wang Chong's entire body trembled as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt.
Fwoosh!
Wang Chong's vision went dark, and he couldn't help but vomit blood.
"Milord!"
Rumble! Xue Qianjun, Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, Zhang Que, and all the Wushang cavalry paled in fright and madly charged at Wang Chong. In a flash, all of them were panicking.
"How could this be?
"How could this be! Is everything going to be for naught? "
At this moment, Wang Chong howled, his vision going black, and he knew nothing else.
… …
Darkness, endless darkness!
Wang Chong felt like his soul was drifting through endless cold and darkness, with no place to rely on. Countless thoughts flooded his mind.
"Ah! Give me back my child … "
Wang Chong saw endless flames, and within the flames was a woman holding the corpse of a child, wailing mournfully. Around her were countless collapsed buildings and corpses lying in pools of blood.
"Milord, we've lost! The Divine Continent has been destroyed. We can never go back …. "
In a flash, Wang Chong saw the half-collapsed mountaintop. Countless subordinates sat around him, blood dripping from their foreheads, eyes, ears, and nostrils. Beneath their armor, blood had already gathered into rivers. The despair in their eyes caused Wang Chong's heart to ache.
Rivers shattered, the earth turned to ash. One scene after another, filled with fire and blood surged through his mind. Wave after wave of pain washed over Wang Chong's soul.
"Ah!"
In the end, when the world was falling apart and collapsing, Wang Chong finally couldn't help but scream and suddenly woke up. The surroundings were quiet. It seemed like only a moment, but it also seemed like countless centuries. Finally, Wang Chong heard a faint sound. Accompanied by the sound of splashing water, Wang Chong soon felt his forehead was wet, as if someone was holding a wet towel and slowly wiping his forehead, cheeks, and neck.
The movement of that arm was very delicate and gentle.
"Who is it?"
In the darkness, there seemed to be a ripple spreading out. For some reason, Wang Chong felt that the owner of that hand had a very familiar feeling. Wang Chong tried to open his eyes, wanting to see the owner of that hand clearly. However, in the next moment, an endless wave of soreness surged like a surging tide, and Wang Chong instantly regained his senses.
"You're awake?"
A gentle voice, tinged with a slight tremble, came from next to his ear. Wang Chong opened his eyes, and a somewhat dazzling light entered his vision. Wang Chong slightly closed his eyes, and when the light softened, Wang Chong could clearly see a familiar figure.
"Qiqin?"
Xu Yi-qin gave a slight nod, a faint smile on her face. Her face was pale, her eyes red, and her entire body seemed to have become much thinner. As she gazed at Wang Chong, Xu Yi-qin's eyes flashed with a deep sense of pity and heartache.
"Qiqin, where is this?"
Wang Chong placed his hands on his back and tried to get up. His voice was hoarse and extremely weak.
"Qixi!"
Xu Yi-qin lightly pressed down on Wang Chong's body.
"You're still extremely weak and need to rest. You shouldn't move around carelessly."
"Qixi?"
Wang Chong froze, his body pausing as if he had thought of something. After a long while, he fell into a deep silence.
"Qiqin, how long have I been unconscious?"
Xu Yi-qin's body trembled, and after a few moments of hesitation, she finally spoke.
"You've been unconscious for three days!"
The room fell deathly still as Xu Yi-qin spoke, and Wang Chong sat there motionlessly. Wang Chong had never imagined that three days would have passed in the time he had been unconscious.
It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Xu Yi-qin's heart ached as she looked at Wang Chong's silent figure. She already knew everything, and only those who knew how much Wang Chong had sacrificed could understand what Wang Chong was currently feeling.
Several months of bitter battle had been reduced to nothing in a single night. All the sacrifices had become meaningless, and there was nothing more painful for Wang Chong.
But at this moment, Xu Yi-qin said nothing. She deeply understood that what Wang Chong needed right now was no one's comfort, but someone to think calmly.
It seemed like only a moment, but it also seemed like countless eons. With a long sigh, Wang Chong finally came back to his senses.
The sight of Wang Chong's pale face made Xu Yi-qin's heart ache, and she subconsciously drew back her hand, intending to give Wang Chong a towel to wipe his face. But before Xu Yi-qin could draw back her hand, she felt a cold sensation on her arm, and a moment later, her slender wrist was tightly gripped.
"Qiqin, you've gotten thinner!"
Wang Chong's familiar voice rang out in her ear, but this voice made Xu Yi-qin's eyes ache.
"I'm fine!"
Xu Yi-qin did her utmost to speak in a calm tone. She had originally believed that Wang Chong would be most concerned about Khorasan upon waking up, but she had not expected Wang Chong to ask about her. This made Xu Yi-qin feel warm, but it also made her feel even more uncomfortable.
She was well aware that the calmer and more composed Wang Chong appeared, the more uncomfortable he felt.
"Qiqin, there's no need to worry about me!"
Wang Chong gazed at the woman before him and extended a hand to gently caress Xu Yi-qin's thin cheek. It had been a month since he had set out from Qixi, completely immersed in this war for the fate of the nation with Arabia. Only now did Wang Chong suddenly realize that he had neglected the person behind him.
Wang Chong's actions had completely taken Xu Yi-qin by surprise. Finally, Xu Yi-qin's sickly face blushed and she lowered her head.
"What are you doing?"
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.
