As Dusong Mangpoje and Huoshu Huizang left the Great Snow Mountain Temple, in the distant City of Steel of Wushang, a completely different scene was taking place.
As the news that Wang Chong had been promoted to Qixi Protector-General spread, the entire City of Steel was in a jubilant mood. Their lord had become Protector-General, squeezing his way into the ranks of the most powerful and influential 'personages'. What news could be more inspiring than this? To reach this position in a little more than a year was like the morning sun bursting forth from the horizon. If one followed such a lord, their future prospects would be limitless!
Everyone seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, madly cultivating and training to raise their strength. The entire City of Steel was brimming with energy and vigor.
But unlike the atmosphere outside, the situation in Wang Chong's residence was completely different. All the tables, chairs, and stools in this spacious room had been moved away, and in the very center of the room was a massive sand table of the Western Regions. The sand table depicted the rise and fall of the mountains, and all the kingdoms of the Western Regions, the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate, the Ouzan Plateau to the west, the Turkic steppe to the east, Qixi, and Wushang all appeared on the table.
While dealing with the Ouzan Empire and the Western Turkic Khaganate, Wang Chong had not been idle when it came to other aspects of the Western Regions. A large number of scouts were sent out to collect information about various regions and forces, as well as the geographical terrain. Hundreds of the most elite scouts in the army spent several months to condense this huge Western Region sand table, which was of great strategic value.
"… As for the Ouzan Empire, I've already killed Dayan Mangpoje, Dusong Mangpoje has been injured, and the White Braves are basically gone. In addition, nearly one hundred thousand of their elite soldiers have died in battle. Coupled with the plague that we spread in the southwest, the Ouzan Empire has been greatly weakened and won't have the strength to threaten us for the time being.
"In addition, the Western Turkic Khaganate has attacked us the most frequently, and their most representative is the Black Wolf Yabgu Agudu Lan. Agudu Lan had died by the side of the Qixi Armory, and more than four thousand of his elite Turkic soldiers had been buried with him. With these people dead, the biggest threat to us will be gone. It would be very difficult for the Western Turkic Khaganate to produce another person as formidable and difficult to deal with as Agudu Lan. Now that these two important figures are dead, Qixi has basically nothing to worry about. "
Wang Chong extended a finger and pointed at the Ouzan Empire and Western Turkic Khaganate on the model. Gathered around him were all the generals of the City of Steel: Li Siye, Huang Botian, Xu Yi-qin, Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, Su Shixuan, Chen Bin … and even Zhang Shouzhi. All of them were focused on Wang Chong's explanation.
"So Milord means that where should our next target be?"
Xu Keyi suddenly said.
"Should we penetrate into the Ouzan Empire and the Turkic steppe and launch a counterattack so that they lose the ability to attack the Tang Dynasty?"
Everyone's eyes brightened at Xu Keyi's words. Of all the Protector-Generals and Great Generals of the Tang dynasty, no one had been more proactive and proactive than Wang Chong. All the famed generals of the Tang Dynasty, including Geshu Han, An Sishun, Zhang Shougui, and Fomonlința, had adopted a passive strategy of defense, occasionally taking the initiative to attack. Very few of them were like Wang Chong, penetrating deep into the heart of the enemy and fighting there, establishing bases and cities so that they could remain there forever. This made the enemy feel like a fishbone was stuck in their throats and a dagger was placed on their backs.
In this aspect, not even Gao Xianzhi could compare to Wang Chong!
"The Ouzan Empire and the Turkic Khaganate naturally have to be dealt with, but the greatest threat to us is not them, but somewhere else!"
Wang Chong drew back his finger and swept his gaze over the crowd.
"Ah?!"
The crowd was flabbergasted by Wang Chong's words, glancing at each other in dismay. The greatest threats around Wushang and Qixi were the Ouzan Empire and the Turkic Khaganate. They truly could not think of any other threat besides these two empires.
"Milord, are you talking about the Hu of the Qixi Protectorate?"
At the very back of the crowd, Chen Bin seemed to suddenly think of something and hesitantly asked.
"Of course not. They don't have the right."
Wang Chong grinned and did not keep them in suspense. Taking a small red flag from the side of the model, he sent it over Wushang, Qixi, Anxi, and the Cong Mountains, finally landing on the farthest point on the western border, near the sea.
"Our true enemy is here! Inside! "
"The Arabian Empire?! How could it be them? That's just a country the size of a sesame seed. What threat could it possibly pose to us? "
"That's right. They probably can't even compare to Mengshe Zhao, so how could they possibly be stronger than Ouzan? And don't we still have the Anxi Protectorate army and Gao Xianzhi on the other side of Anxi? With them there, what country could possibly threaten us? "
"Marquis, did you point to the wrong place? I've seen those Arabs in the capital before. All of them are plump and round, and when they smile, their eyelids go up so that you can't even see their eyes. Even if there were eighty thousand of them, we would still be able to easily defeat them. How could they possibly threaten us? "
… …
As Wang Chong placed his red flag down, everyone in the room was flabbergasted. No one had expected that the threat Wang Chong was referring to was this place that was so distant from the Tang Dynasty. Many of them began to wonder if Wang Chong had placed his flag in the wrong place.
As Wang Chong listened to the cries of alarm in the room, he said nothing, only faintly smiled. When he had first arrived in Wushang, everyone had believed that his goal was to establish a commercial city and earn a great deal of gold and silver, or perhaps to push back the forces of Ouzan and the Western Turkic Khaganate. But Wang Chong's goal had never been the Ouzan Empire, much less the Western Turkic Khaganate. At this point, Wang Chong no longer needed to hide anything.
From start to finish, he had only had one enemy, that vast empire to the west of the Cong Mountains.
Arabia!
It was the only existence on this continent that could stand up to the Tang Dynasty and was still actively expanding and expanding.
Everyone believed that the Arabian Empire was a small country on the same level as Goguryeo or Mengshe Zhao, but Wang Chong knew that the true Arabia had even more territory and more population than the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, it ruled over many small countries and had countless famous generals. Moreover, unlike the Tang Dynasty, which was currently indulging in peace and pleasure, Arabia was an empire that worshiped courage and battle. Their history was one of constant war and expansion.
The Tang Dynasty had far too little understanding of the countries outside the Central Plains. The people of the Central Plains had always longed for their homeland and were unwilling to even glance at the outside world. Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, and the others had been with him for a very long time, but even they viewed Arabia with such contempt and disdain, let alone the others.
While everyone was focused on Ouzan and the Eastern and Western Turks, none of them knew that this' puny little country 'was already preparing its troops and targeting the Tang Dynasty! Moreover, if they were allowed to succeed, they would completely change the fate of the Central Divine Prefecture, plunging this enormous empire into endless internal strife.
This was something that Wang Chong could not tolerate.
What Wang Chong needed to do was strike a vicious blow at the empire on the western border when it stretched out its claws, making it feel the power of the empire of the east.
"Zhang Que, show everyone the intelligence report Yang Hongchang has gathered."
Wang Chong indifferently said to the people in the room.
"Yes, Marquis."
A young voice spoke from behind Wang Chong. Before he finished speaking, Zhang Que strode over with a thick stack of documents and began to distribute them to everyone. Everyone was bewildered and subconsciously took the documents.
"Open them and take a look."
Wang Chong indifferently said, offering no explanation.
Everyone was puzzled and subconsciously flipped it open. At first glance, everyone's pupils shrank, and the original noise instantly disappeared without a trace. As time passed, the mood in the room slowly grew heavy.
"Arabia? How could this be? How could they have such a vast territory, comparable to the Tang Dynasty! "
"How could they have so many people? Aren't they just a small country? And they have so many soldiers! "
"How could this be? How could there be such a massive country to the west of the Cong Mountains?"
"Too powerful. They even defeated the Ouzan Empire many times, using a small number of soldiers to suppress the Ouzan Empire's strongest Yarlung Royal Lineage."
… …
Everyone in the room was stunned by the information Zhang Que had handed over. This was a completely different Arabia from what they had imagined, and none of them could believe their eyes as they stared at the Arabia in the report. They finally understood why Wang Chong had said that the greatest threat to the Tang Dynasty was the Arabian Empire.
"All of you have only seen the most superficial information. The true Arabia is far more powerful than what is recorded in the documents."
Wang Chong indifferently said to the crowd. With just one sentence, all the voices in the hall immediately disappeared without a trace. Everyone turned to Wang Chong.
"Zhang Que, you can speak next."
Wang Chong did not continue, instead shooting a glance at Zhang Que.
"Yes, Marquis."
Zhang Que bowed and quickly turned to face the crowd.
"This information was first gathered by Marquis from a great clan in the Western Regions that he was working with. That clan had been doing business in Arabia for many years and had some understanding of the region. However, the Arabs are very wary of outsiders, making it very difficult for us to gather the most comprehensive information. It was already quite difficult to gather this information, and we even lost quite a few scouts. The true Arabian Empire can only be stronger than what we know.
"In addition, not too long ago, I was ordered to follow a group of Hu merchants to Arabia, but I didn't get very far before the Arabs discovered Little Sha. The birds raised by the army are extremely formidable, and even Little Sha was injured. They even sent cavalry to pursue me, forcing me to retreat. "
As Zhang Que spoke, he raised his arm, bringing the rock eagle on his shoulder before everyone's eyes. In that moment, everyone could clearly see that the rock eagle's legs, head, and body were covered in deep claw marks, some of which were so deep that bone could be seen.
Hiss!
All of them couldn't help but take in a deep breath. They had all seen how powerful Zhang Que's rock eagle was. In all of Qixi, perhaps even in the Western Regions, there were no birds that could compare to it. Even the birds raised by Ouzan and the Western Turks had been forced to flee in panic. It could be said that this rock eagle was the king of eagles.
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