荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

Wang Chong currently knew little about what his subordinates were thinking. The sudden battle between Gao Xianzhi and the Arabs had completely upset his plans, and he had far too many things to take care of, not just something as simple as the Wootz Steel.

Wang Chong turned his head and said, “Cheng Sanyuan, what has Hulayeg said? Has the matter of the Fourth Prince still not been taken care of? I can’t give him any more time on the warhorses. I need his reply soon.”

Hulayeg was at the court of the Western Turkic Khagan in Mount Sanmi, so Wang Chong had given the Fourth Prince over to Cheng Sanyuan to handle.

“Yes, Lord Marquis. Hulayeg has sent a letter saying that Ishbara Khagan had finished preparations, but there was a sudden incident. The Fourth Prince... we might not be able to hand him over according to the original proposal,” Cheng Sanyuan hesitantly said.

“Oh?”

Wang Chong’s brow slightly creased, but then his eyes glimmered and he gave a derisive chuckle.

“Is it because of the Battle of Talas in the Western Regions?”

Cheng Sanyuan hesitated before lowering his head and giving the true answer. “Yes!”

Qixi was currently in dire need of manpower, and Hulayeg’s report that matters at Mount Sanmi were not proceeding smoothly was clearly ill news.

“Hmph, it seems like the Turks haven’t gotten used to the fact that when you deal with me, you have to play by the rules. No matter how the Battle of Talas ends up, they won’t get a single chance!”

Cavalry, cavalry... without horses, cavalry could only be infantry!

In the past, Wang Chong wouldn’t have minded giving Hulayeg a little more time, but war was imminent. Wang Chong needed many soldiers, increasing the importance of the warhorses. Ishbara Khagan had clearly realized this, so he had changed his mind and chosen to drag out the proceedings.

“Cheng Sanyuan, I will give you three thousand Wushang Cavalry. Take them and some soldiers from the Qixi Protectorate army, and leave today for the Turkic steppe. Remember, follow the water. Where there’s water, there will be horses, cows, sheep, and Turkic tribes. Livestock can’t stray far from water sources. In the space of three days, I need you to sweep through all the nearby water sources, and in ten days, I need you to utterly vanquish all the Turkic soldiers in the west!”

Wang Chong’s eyes were cold, exuding a terrifying killing intent.

In the Battle of Talas, the War God of the Western Regions, Gao Xianzhi, was in a poor situation, besieged by the Arabs. Wang Chong had already predicted that this battle would have an unfavorable effect on his discussions with Ishbara Khagan. There was a high chance that the Western Turks would start to grow hungry and feel that they had a chance.

What Wang Chong wanted to do was crush any opportunities the Turks believed themselves to have, and make them understand that even though there was a battle in the Western Regions, Wang Chong would continue to make Qixi an impregnable fortress.

“Yes, your subordinate will go!”

Cheng Sanyuan immediately took off. Everyone felt an intense pressure, with requests for reinforcements constantly coming in from Anxi. Gao Xianzhi was known as the lightning-strike general of the Western Regions, the undefeated general, and his army of thirty thousand elites had always ended battles quickly, with few lasting for very long.

Yet more than ten days had passed, and this illustrious Imperial Great General remained besieged at Talas. Even the slowest person, even someone who knew nothing about the Arabs, could tell that Gao Xianzhi was facing an unprecedentedly powerful opponent. Anxi was in dire need, and its hopes had been entrusted to them.

“Chen Bin!”

“Your subordinate is here!”

“Inform Zhao Jingdian that I only give twenty days. No matter the price, the road between the capital and Qixi must be completed. In addition, I give the task of constructing the cement road from Qixi to Anxi to you. Get in touch with Feng Changqing and get his full cooperation. I only give you twenty-five days to build this road. You can use all the manpower and resources in the City of Steel. If this road is not finished in twenty-five days, everything will be handled according to military law!”

“Yes, your subordinate will go!”

Chen Bin bowed, leaving without asking a single question.

......

Order after order was issued within the hall, setting all of Qixi and Wushang rumbling to life. Gradually, the number of people in the hall dwindled away, and in the end, only the white-clothed and graceful figure was left.

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Qiqin lithely walked over, her voice gentle as she looked at Wang Chong’s silent frown.

“Is there something that you can’t solve?”

Xu Qiqin inspected Wang Chong’s face. It was handsome, bright, yet suffused with a composure and maturity that few of his peers could ever hope to match. His straight and impressive brows that extended to his temples added even more to Wang Chong’s charm. But at this moment, these brows were slightly creased so that they only made him seem more pitiable.

Wushang, Qixi, Anxi... Xu Qiqin knew just how massive was the pressure that weighed on his young shoulders. Everyone treated him as their backbone and believed that he could do everything, but they had completely forgotten that he was just a seventeen-year-old youth.

“It’s nothing.” Wang Chong waved his hand, his brow still creased in contemplation. “It’s just that our soldiers are far from enough. The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moon first, and the Arabian Empire is much closer to Talas than we are. Just my five thousand Wushang Cavalry alone are far from enough to alter the course of this battle.”

Ten thousand elite Mamelukes were also bolstered by other heavy cavalry. Given Wang Chong’s understanding of the Arabs and the forces they had currently mobilized, the Arabs had at least two hundred thousand soldiers, a number that would only get larger. The soldiers of Qixi were far from enough. This was a problem that had vexed Wang Chong for some time.

He simply had too few chips!

When he thought about this, he couldn’t help but give a long sigh, but then he heard giggling at his ear. Raising his head in astonishment, he saw that Xu Qiqin was covering her mouth and laughing so hard that her petite body was shaking, her face red.

“I thought that you were worried about something serious, but this is all it was. Leave it to me. I’ll help you handle this. I can guarantee that within a month, I can get you six thousand Wushang Cavalry,” Xu Qiqin confidently said.

“!!!”

Wang Chong trembled in shock as he stared at Xu Qiqin.

No one understood Wushang Village more than he did. These people were extremely xenophobic and did not permit ordinary outsiders entry. Even with the memories from his past life, he had needed to expend a great deal of energy to recruit five thousand Wushang Cavalry. In addition, Wushang Village did not have that many people, and getting five thousand had been so difficult that Wang Chong had not dared to ask for any more.

But now, Xu Qiqin was confidently declaring that she could guarantee him six thousand more Wushang Cavalry in just one month.

“What, don’t believe me?”

Xu Qiqin gave a beautiful smile.

“This matter wasn’t difficult in the first place, but you men are too clumsy to know how to do it the right way.”

Wang Chong stared speechlessly at Xu Qiqin.

If anyone else had said this to him, Wang Chong would have treated it as a joke, but if it was Xu Qiqin... This was the Great Tang’s Queen of Logistics, and her words held a completely different weight.

“Okay! Qiqin, I leave this to you!”

......

In the northern region of the Tibetan Plateau, the sparsely-inhabited northeast corner...

Rumble!

Winds howled as thundering hooves shattered the calm of the plateau. The earth rumbled as a flood of steel mounted the plateau in a cloud of dust.

“Everyone, keep up! Don’t fall behind!

“Keep up your guard!”

Shouts rang out over the plateau. Li Siye led these soldiers, equipped in heavy armor that made his massive body seem like a heavy mountain while exuding an oppressive aura.

Wootz Steel swords were of utmost importance to Wang Chong, so Li Siye had been the first of Wang Chong’s subordinates to depart. That Wang Chong had dispatched his number one general for this task was proof enough of the priority Wang Chong had placed on this matter.

“Is everyone here? Make a count! In addition, check your equipment. We might have to battle at any moment.”

Li Siye’s voice sounded like a bell over the plateau.

“Yes, General!”

The two thousand Wushang Cavalry quickly assembled and began to check their equipment.

“Kong Zi-an, I will give you one thousand men. From here, go through Greater and Lesser Balur to get to Sindhu to receive the ore convoy. There’s no need to say any more about the importance Lord Marquis places on this matter. No mistakes can be permitted. Do you understand?”

Li Siye’s sharp eyes turned to a deputy at his side.

Kong Zi-an was a talented soldier that Li Siye had discovered while leading the troops. He was calm, persistent, decisive, and had the impressive ability to judge the situation and choose the most appropriate plan. Recognizing his talent, Li Siye had made him one of his subordinates and taught him, giving him strategy texts to study.

After several battles, Kong Zi-an was now Li Siye’s most powerful deputy, which was why Li Siye was giving him this task.

“General, be at ease. This officer swears on his life that this mission will be completed!”

Kong Zi-an dismounted and kneeled on the ground, determination on his face.

Li Siye waved his hand and said, “There’s no need to say any more. Go!”

Kong Zi-an immediately mounted his horse and led the one thousand Wushang Cavalry away in the direction of Greater and Lessur Balur. Li Siye remained with the other one thousand soldiers to stand sentinel on the plateau. He watched Kong Zi-an’s forces leave, and only after a long while did he return to his senses.

“The rest of you, listen up! Without my order, no one is allowed to move on their own! We will wait until they return! Be ready to receive them at any time!”

“Yes!” the army bellowed, their cries reaching into the heavens and resounding over the plateau.