"Everything has been discussed. Father, Big Brother, let's pass down the order and get ready to move out."
"Mm."
Wang Yan sternly nodded, not thinking too much about it.
"Speed is of the essence in war. We can't delay the matter of Talas for too long. Now that everything is ready, we can set off for Talas. Fu-er, go and make the arrangements. "
"Yes, Father."
Wang Fu straightened his back and quickly left.
"Chong-er, you will be the leader of this operation. Your big brother, your second brother, and I will do our best to cooperate with you. There's no need to worry. Soldiers are important matters of state, and this operation concerns the lives of the thirty thousand soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army and the entire structure of the Western Regions. We cannot be the slightest bit careless. Before we set off, let's conduct one last simulation! "
Wang Yan sternly said.
"Yes, Father."
Wang Chong nodded. Without standing on ceremony, he took over the reins and began to give a detailed explanation. There was no such thing as father and son on the battlefield. This war concerned the lives of more than one hundred thousand soldiers, as well as the fortune of the Central Plains for the next one thousand years. Would it be like in his last life, where expansion was thwarted and the Central Plains plunged into civil strife, or would it continue the glory of the Tang Dynasty and the Han people and become the strongest existence in the world? Everything would depend on this battle!
… …
A few moments later, the final simulation concluded, and Wang Chong finally walked out of the hall. A fierce gust of wind blew past Wang Chong's face, causing his hair to dance in the wind, and his mind to calm down.
"There are still seven days before the fall of the Great General. In other words, the City of Talas will fall in seven days! Seven days is more than enough! "
Wang Chong stood at the door, a harsh light in his eyes as he quickly walked out.
"Beat the drums!"
Soon, loud thumps echoed throughout the City of Steel. The ground rumbled and trembled as the City of Steel was like a massive beast that had suddenly awakened. Countless soldiers were gathered in well-organized ranks, gathering toward the imposing City of Steel from all directions. The Qixi Protectorate, the mixed infantry and cavalry, the Annam Protectorate, the Wushang cavalry, the ballista squads, the Gangke people, the mercenaries of the Western Regions, the regular armies of Greater and Lesser Balur … more than a hundred thousand soldiers had all gathered here, creating a grand spectacle.
Next to these troops, countless caravans of iron and steel, caravans of grain, craftsmen, and herdsmen of various tribes were also gathered here.
The aura of war clamored in the dust!
As Wang Chong ascended the City of Steel's tower and appeared in front of everyone, countless gazes instantly turned to him. In the sunlight, Wang Chong's tall figure became the most dazzling existence in the world.
"There's no need for me to explain why everyone has gathered here today! I want to use this chance to tell those who harbor evil intentions and make enemies of the Tang Dynasty that offend my Tang Dynasty … no matter how far away, they will be executed! "
With these impassioned voices, clang! The clear cry of a sword resounded through the air. Under thousands of gazes, Wang Chong unsheathed his sword and pointed it west.
"Move out!"
Roooar!
A heaven-shaking roar resounded through the world, accompanied by the rumbling of the army. Ten-some foreign and Han soldiers surged out of the City of Steel like a surging river, surging along the cement road toward the distant Talas. Rumble! The earth quaked and the heaven-shaking momentum of this army shook the entire Western Regions.
The largest and largest western expedition in the history of the Tang Dynasty had begun!
… …
"Hanshan, I'll leave the matters of Qixi to you!"
Wang Chong held his hands behind his back on a massive tower that soared into the clouds as he gazed at the vast army of foreigners and Han stretching out to the horizon.
All was quiet, and just when everyone was about to think that Wang Chong was talking to himself, a cold and emotionless voice finally came from behind him.
"Mm."
And then, all was quiet again.
Wang Chong inwardly chuckled at this icy voice.
As expected, it's still that Su Hanshan!
Who could have imagined that Su Hanshan, who had only been at the True Martial realm the first time they met, would break into the Imperial Martial realm the next time they met, accomplishing what others could not even achieve in five or six years. No one knew what had happened to him in the past year, nor how he had reached this level of cultivation.
But to Wang Chong, he might have been surprised if this had happened to anyone else, but Wang Chong was not surprised that it had happened to Su Hanshan. As a genius who was publicly acknowledged to have the makings of a Great General and who had once reached the Brigadier General level, Wang Chong was not surprised that Su Hanshan had progressed so quickly.
Su Hanshan's strength might not have reached the level in Wang Chong's memories, but there was no doubting his intelligence, strength, and strategic vision. Moreover, after more than half a year of training in Beiting, Su Hanshan's body had become much thinner, but he was also like an unsheathed sword, sharper and more composed. This was why Wang Chong had summoned him.
"The Battle of Talas is of great importance. Once I leave, Qixi will be left defenseless, and the Ouzan and the Western Turks are certain to move. I only left you eight thousand Hu, one thousand Han, and eight thousand bandits and brigands. This is the greatest help I can give you. No matter what, you must hold them. Qixi is the gate to Longxi. If it falls, the gates to Longxi will be wide open, and all the people will be exposed to the iron hooves of the enemy. The consequences will be unthinkable. And on the front lines, we will also be threatened. "
Wang Chong continued. In order to fend off foreign aggression, one had to first stabilize the interior. If the rear was unstable, Wang Chong found it very difficult to imagine how he could fight in peace on the front lines. Thus, the rear had to be stabilized.
"Relax. Nothing will go wrong!"
Su Hanshan finally spoke. As he spoke, he walked up from the back and stood shoulder to shoulder with Wang Chong. He was wearing a suit of black armor, and his head was slightly raised, his eyes like the stars. He was still as cold and proud as Wang Chong remembered him to be, but his aura was much thicker and more dignified, brimming with the air of a general.
Su Hanshan's words were very simple, but they were very powerful.
"… However, I still need your help," Su Hanshan added.
"Oh?"
"Fifty ballista teams," Su Hanshan indifferently said.
"Fine."
Wang Chong smiled and agreed without the slightest hesitation. Fifty ballista teams, each team of five, meant that there were only two hundred and fifty people. To Wang Chong, this didn't have much of an effect.
After concluding his conversation with Su Hanshan, Wang Chong quickly left the gate tower. At the lofty gate of Steel Gate, Xu Yi-qin and Xu Keyi were waiting.
"Milord."
Upon seeing Wang Chong, Xu Keyi and the others immediately bowed. It was about time. All that was left was for Wang Chong to set out.
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded, and then he walked past them toward the gate, toward the fairy-like figure of Xu Yi-qin.
"… Take care. I'll be waiting for your return."
"Mm, be at ease. I'll definitely return in triumph."
Wang Chong grinned, and then he walked over to Xu Keyi and took the reins of the White-hoofed Shadow.
"Let's go."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them mounted their warhorses and quickly headed out of the city one after the other. Behind them, Xu Yi-qin stared at Wang Chong's back, the smile on her lips slowly fading, her eyes suffused with deep concern.
This was not the first time Xu Yi-qin had seen Wang Chong leave like this. If she had no understanding of Arabia or Talas, Xu Yi-qin might have believed this to be a simple campaign, but even an Imperial Great General like Gao Xianzhi had been trapped in Talas and had still not broken out. From this, one could easily imagine the strength of the Arabs.
But Xu Yi-qin did not want to burden Wang Chong in any way, so no matter how worried she was, Xu Yi-qin always maintained a smile in front of Wang Chong.
A cool breeze accompanied by a gust of sand blew by. Xu Yi-qin narrowed her eyes and lightly coughed.
"Young Lady …"
A voice came from behind her. Xu Yi-qin's personal maid, Xiao Zhu, had at some point appeared behind her, worriedly gazing at Xu Yi-qin's back.
"It's fine … don't tell anyone else."
With these words, Xu Yi-qin quickly vanished from the City of Steel.
… …
The hundreds of thousands of soldiers surged in the direction of Talas, one batch after another. At the very back of the army, Wang Chong called over Xu Keyi.
"We're still moving too slowly. Xu Keyi, take a group of cavalry and set off first. I have something for you to do."
Wang Chong rode on the White-hoofed Shadow as he looked into the distance.
"Marquis, please give your orders."
"Take this letter with you. Everything you need to do has been explained in the letter. Do as I say. I'll only give you two days. You don't need to worry about us. Once you're done, wait for us at the Anxi Protectorate headquarters. "
As Wang Chong spoke, he took the letter from his bosom and handed it over.
"This general will go!"
Xu Keyi took the letter, but without even reading it, he quickly turned around.
"You, you, you … everyone, follow me!"
Speed was of the essence in war, and a few moments later, Xu Keyi had pulled out five thousand cavalry from the army of more than one hundred thousand. Stirring up a cloud of dust, he left the army and shot away.
"Gao Xianzhi, hold on. Until we reach the battlefield, this is all I can do to help you. Be careful of the Karluks. The people of the other races are not trustworthy! "
Wang Chong said to himself as he looked in the northwest in the direction of Talas.
The situation at Talas was getting more and more perilous. If everything went as expected, the Karluks would rebel once more. History could change, but people's personalities would never change. In truth, Gao Xianzhi's tactics had a major weakness. He liked to use the Anxi Protectorate army in the front and the mercenaries in the rear. If he won the war, this was fine, but if the war did not go smoothly, just like at Talas, this was the shackles of death that Gao Xianzhi had placed on himself.
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