"Wanhe Peiluo, I gave you a chance. Everything was your choice, and I have nothing else to say. Protector-General Wang, it's no longer appropriate for me to appear in this matter. I'll leave the rest to you! "
Gao Xianzhi turned his head, his back to Wanhe Peiluo. He closed his eyes and no longer spoke, a trace of sorrow appearing on his resolute face.
The most difficult thing in the world to accept was not encountering a powerful foe, but the betrayal of one's own people. If possible, Gao Xianzhi would never have wanted everything to fall to this level.
"Lord Protector-General, be at ease. I know what to do. He won't feel any pain."
Wang Chong froze for a moment, and then he spoke, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Gao Xianzhi truly lived up to his reputation as a famous general of his generation, the War God of Anxi. Wang Chong had originally believed that Gao Xianzhi would plead on Wanhe Peiluo's behalf for the sake of their friendship, but he hadn't expected him to make such a decision so quickly. This made Wang Chong look at him in a new light.
"Wanhe Peiluo, you chose your own path. If you fail, you must pay the price. When you reincarnate in your next life, remember not to make an enemy of the Tang Dynasty. This is not something a puny Karluk like you can contend against. "
Wang Chong raised his head and indifferently said.
Wanhe Peiluo lowered his proud head and said no more.
Winner takes all, and that was all!
"Buzz!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Chong pushed the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art to its limits, allowing Wanhe Peiluo's boundless energy to flow into his body like a raging river. In just a few seconds, Wang Chong's already-powerful energy swelled once more.
The battle was imminent, and the Arabs were still lingering in the distance. This was an enemy of unprecedented power, and everyone knew that this was a fierce and unpredictable battle. Wang Chong needed even more strength to change the course of this battle.
Wanhe Peiluo was the leader of the Karluks and possessed incomparably powerful martial arts. He was a natural furnace, and Wang Chong would not give up on such a high-quality source of strength.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. After absorbing Wanhe Peiluo's energy, Wang Chong's strength advanced by leaps and bounds, soaring all the way to the 7th level of the Saint Martial realm. His Stellar Energy surged like mercury, and his eyes shone like stars.
Kacha! Just as Wanhe Peiluo's internal energy was about to be sucked dry, Wang Chong's Stellar Energy poured in, instantly shattering Wanhe Peiluo's meridians and snapping his neck.
"Take him away! Give him a slightly more dignified funeral, state his merits, and state that he died because he betrayed the Tang dynasty. "
Wang Chong slowly put down Wanhe Peiluo's corpse and beckoned behind him.
After all, Wanhe Peiluo had worked with the Anxi Protectorate army for many years, and Gao Xianzhi and the others would probably not be able to accept his death, so they would have to take care of the rest.
"Yes! Marquis, your subordinate will take care of it! "
Xue Qianjun quickly took Wanhe Peiluo's corpse away.
"Thank you!"
Once Xue Qianjun had left with Wanhe Peiluo's corpse, Gao Xianzhi finally turned his head and sincerely thanked Wang Chong.
A traitor did not deserve a dignified funeral. Wang Chong's willingness to write down his achievements on his tombstone was clearly taking into consideration the sentiments of the Anxi Protectorate army.
Wang Chong only nodded and said nothing more.
"Lord Protector-General, Wanhe Peiluo is dead, but what about these people?"
The Vice Protector-General of the Anxi Protectorate army, Cheng Qianli, said, his words immediately attracting everyone's attention. Wang Chong turned his head and saw that Cheng Qianli was standing at the gate of Talas like a mighty vajra. In his hand was the Karluk leader known as Guli, and around him, the other Karluk leaders had also been captured.
While Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi were dealing with Wanhe Peiluo, Cheng Qianli had also led his men to capture Wanhe Peiluo's subordinates. With Cheng Qianli's strength as a peak Brigadier General, dealing with these Karluk subordinates was an easy task. Guli and the others hadn't even had a chance to send a signal back into the city.
The sight of Cheng Qianli and his captured Karluk officers instantly silenced everyone, all eyes focused on Guli and the other Karluk officers.
Although Wanhe Peiluo was dead, his subordinates were still alive. How to deal with those Karluks who had not yet received the news and had not yet rebelled was a major problem.
Fortunately, Cheng Qianli had reacted quickly and stopped them. Otherwise, the city would have been in chaos.
"Lord Protector-General, how many Karluks are left in the city?"
Wang Chong suddenly stepped forward and asked.
"There are around fifteen thousand Karluks in the city," Gao Xianzhi replied.
"Isn't that even more than the Anxi Protectorate army?"
"Doesn't that mean they have more soldiers than the Anxi Protectorate army?"
"Isn't that even more than the Anxi Protectorate army?" Gao Xianzhi's tactics couldn't be said to be too wrong. He was using the elite Anxi Protectorate army as the vanguard, with the Karluks and the other mercenaries taking over from the rear. This sort of tactic wasn't a problem when he had the upper hand, but when he ran into a powerful foe, the problem became apparent.
The fifteen thousand Karluk mercenaries were even more than the Anxi Protectorate army. If they rebelled, the consequences would be unthinkable. The Anxi Protectorate army was in no shape to suppress them.
"This isn't the only thing we're worried about. The Anxi Protectorate army isn't just recruiting Karluks. There are also Ferghanans and other mercenaries. If the Arabs can find the Karluks and bribe Wanhe Peiluo, they can also bribe other mercenaries, including the Ferghanans. "
Cheng Qianli said.
The Anxi Protectorate army had two major mercenary allies: the Karluks and the Ferghanans. If the Karluks could betray, the Ferghanans could do the same. One Karluk was barely enough to deal with, but if even the Ferghanans could be bribed, the Anxi Protectorate army would truly be in danger.
Gao Xianzhi said nothing, but his thick brows were deeply furrowed. It was clear that he was also worried.
Once bitten, twice shy. Although everyone near the city gate had maintained their calm, the Karluk betrayal had dealt an unprecedented blow and shock to all of them. Something that they had once firmly believed had been overturned, and they couldn't help but doubt it.
"Haha, if that's what you're worried about, there's no need for that."
Wang Chong gave a carefree smile. He could understand the Anxi generals' mood, but the Ferghanans' betrayal was truly a groundless worry. Wang Chong had no way of confirming the other tribes, but the Ferghanans were truly the staunchest allies of the Tang Dynasty. This was because Wang Chong clearly remembered that when Gao Xianzhi and the others had retreated from Talas, before Li Siye had even become his subordinate, the Ferghanans had retreated with them.
Moreover, in the White Stone Ridge not far from Talas, the Invincible Great General Li Siye had killed quite a few Ferghanans, cleaving them in two along with their horses. The White Stone Ridge was not far from Talas, and because so many Ferghanans had retreated, the Ferghanans had been blocked. At the time, the Karluks' sudden defection had dealt a massive blow to the Tibetans, causing them to develop an unprecedented distrust and suspicion of the Hu.
The only people on the battlefield who had not fled were the Karluks. The fact that the Ferghanans had fled with them clearly meant that they had not betrayed them or colluded with the Arabs. Later events had proved that the Ferghanans had been wrongly accused. After the Battle of Talas, they had always been the target of suppression.
The Karluks had envied them, so they had done everything in their power to humiliate them.
In the end, the Ferghanans had managed to survive. Later on, when Fifth Prince Li Heng ascended to the throne, he had contacted them, and the two sides had fought side by side.
In Wang Chong's view, the Anxi Protectorate army's suspicion of the Karluks was completely unnecessary.
"Protector-General Wang?"
Cheng Qianli and the other Anxi generals turned to look at Wang Chong in surprise.
"Why is Lord Protector-General so certain?"
The most important task for the Anxi Protectorate army was to cleanse itself of the suspicion of the Ferghanans and the other mercenaries. The more than two hundred and twenty thousand Arab soldiers were still watching from the outside, and if they could not eliminate the possibility of colluding with the Arabs, the entire Tang army would be in grave danger. It could be attacked from the front and rear at any moment, a fatal threat.
In the current situation, Gao Xianzhi and Cheng Qianli, as commanders of the Anxi Protectorate army, had spent many years with these mercenaries, fighting side by side. Even they could not determine if these people were suspicious or not. On the other hand, an outsider like Wang Chong was certain that there was no problem with the Ferghanans.
The generals couldn't help but find this rather strange.
"Heh."
As if already knowing what they were thinking, Wang Chong faintly smiled and confidently said, "This isn't too difficult to guess.
"This isn't too difficult to guess. If the Arabs want to sow discord, they only need to bribe the largest mercenary group. Bribing several mercenaries at the same time seems more reliable, but the more people they bribe, the easier it is for the news to leak out. The Arabs wouldn't do something so foolish. Moreover, bribing a single Karluk requires ten chests filled with pearls, agate, jade, and jewels. Even if the Arabian Empire is the wealthiest in the world, it wouldn't have that much money to throw around. "
"Lord Protector-General's words are reasonable. If the Arabs had done this, we would have received the news long ago. The Karluks wouldn't have been able to hide it from us so well! "
The generals nodded at Wang Chong's words, their expressions relaxing. Although Wang Chong was an outsider and didn't understand the situation in the Anxi Protectorate army, his analysis was reasonable.
"… In truth, there's another reason."
Wang Chong paused for a moment, a bright light flashing through his eyes.
"In this Battle of Talas, I only detained one Karluk tribesman. The battle was so intense that if the Arabs had bribed anyone else, the gates of Talas would have been broken long ago. There's no way that nothing would have happened until now. Moreover, it's been so long since the Ferghanan tribe has shown any signs of activity regarding Wanhe Peiluo's matter.
"Protector-General Wang's words are reasonable. Qianli, go and take care of this matter. Explain the whole story and calm them down."
Gao Xianzhi finally spoke.
"In addition, Protector-General Wang, what do you think about these Karluk warriors?"
Gao Xianzhi was not a person without a mind of his own. The fact that he had asked for Wang Chong's opinion was enough to show that Wang Chong's methods had left a deep impression on him. At the very least, every word that Wang Chong spoke carried a great deal of weight in Gao Xianzhi's mind. Not too long ago, Gao Xianzhi had snorted disdainfully at Wang Chong. This was enough to prove Wang Chong's abilities and methods.
"Fifteen thousand people … It'll take some effort to kill them all …"
Wang Chong indifferently said.
Wanhe Peiluo's deputy generals felt their hearts thump at Wang Chong's words, and their faces instantly turned ghastly pale.
"But in the end, they're still a decent fighting force. If these fellows know what's good for them and cooperate, we might be able to spare their lives!"
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