The Human Emperor

“How could it be… how could it be… Why is it like this?!”

Li Junxian had his hands propping up his body against the ground as he muttered to himself and wept. At this moment, he had truly been defeated, but not by Wang Chong. Reality had defeated him! He finally understood that the Confucian Sect’s thousand-year dream that they had sacrificed so much to realize, the Harmonious World, had utterly failed.

“Li Junxian, you were truly wrong. Look around you! Look at all these people who trusted you! You’ve failed all of them!”

Wang Chong’s icy voice came from overhead. He looked down on the dejected Li Junxian, but he was in no mood for further taunts and jeers. The militarist-Confucian conflict was the shame of the entire empire!

“I don’t have time to argue with you! Li Junxian, just sit there and reflect! If this war goes badly, a hundred deaths won’t be enough to redeem you and the Confucian Sect!”

With these last hatred-ridden words, Wang Chong left with his entourage.

The war had begun, so as a commander, he needed to get ready to head to the front lines. As for Li Junxian, he had no time for him.

Wang Chong’s words seemed to drain the last vestiges of Li Junxian’s strength, and he dropped limply to the ground, his eyes dim.

“Young Master!”

Sword Ghost hastily rushed up to help Li Junxian, but Li Junxian couldn’t seem to hear him.

“Was I wrong? Was I really wrong…”

Countless thoughts surged through Li Junxian’s mind as he watched Wang Chong leave.

Suddenly, Li Junxian recalled something Wang Chong had once said. ‘A country, while vast, is certain to die if it engages in too many wars. A country, while wealthy, is certain to be in peril if it forgets war.’ He recalled how Wang Chong had again and again made his view loudly known in the militarist-Confucian conflict, about how he had set up those martial arts schools across the country, about how he had ordered his army to the border in rage to exterminate the eight thousand Hu who had been complicit in the massacre, how he had argued with bloodshot eyes with Li Junxian… Various memories appeared in Li Junxian’s mind, and suddenly, he was consumed by remorse and regret.

At that moment, Li Junxian understood that he had truly been wrong!

That youth who was not even properly an adult had seen through everything!

Li Junxian and the members of the Confucian Sect could only wallow in their dejection, staring silently as Wang Chong departed.

……

As the capital of the Great Tang was in an uproar, far to the west, the drums of war thundered. From the Arabian capital of Baghdad all the way past the Cong Mountains to Suiye, the world was shaking. Countless Arab soldiers accompanied by numerous Governors and Deputy Governors were advancing in an endless stream toward the Western Regions.

A horse neighed as an armored Arab horseman raised a barbed whip and cracked it upon the back of a Arab horseman carrying supplies. The massive force of the blow traveled through his armor and caused the horseman to tremble in pain.

As the whip drew back, it revealed the deep mark left on the tough armor.

“Faster, faster! All of you, hurry up! If any of you end up causing a delay in the advance, everyone will be executed!” the officer harshly called out, his eyes as cold and sharp as swords as they looked around at the constantly advancing Arabs.

Amongst these people were elite Arab cavalry drawn from the various provinces of the empire, militia who had just been recruited and were still in basic training, and also massive giants covered in armor and carrying large boxes on their backs. Each step these giants took would cause the earth to shake.

In front of these giants were Arabs who were much larger than ordinary Arabs, and each of them rode an armored Behemoth eight to nine meters tall. These Behemoths were much smaller than those who had appeared at the Battle of Talas, but they had collars around their necks and seemed to share a mutual understanding with the riders on their backs, appearing to have gone through a long period of training. Farther ahead were herds of camels, massive wagons of weapons, herds of cows and sheep… All of them were marching day and night, advancing ever closer to the eastern world.

The cracks of whips resounded all across the vast convoy. There were numerous officers in charge of overseeing this march.

“Hurry up! To serve the empire is an incredible honor!”

“The True God will protect us! In the future, you and your descendants will all be proud that you participated in the empire’s subjugation of the eastern world!”

“Pacify the east and conquer the infidels, and bring all the continent under the rule of the Caliph! And through your efforts, you will also win your freedom!”

“To help the empire unite the eastern world and complete the final conquest is your most sublime duty as soldiers, your most glorious feat!”

“The supreme commander this time is the legend of the empire, Hierophant Khatabah! He will pray for your souls! Anyone who retreats in battle will have their children made eternal laughingstocks, but those who boldly advance and die will be praised by the people of the empire for all time as true warriors!”

Harsh cries accompanied by cracking whips spurred the Arabs to advance with an unstoppable momentum.

And far above this vast and unending army, a black feather about the size of a thumbnail drifted down. Above it, an energetic Arabian hunting falcon flapped its wings, leaving a visible ripple in the air.

Farther above it, hundreds of hunting falcons flew here and there, constantly relaying information.

“The day is finally here!”

In the center of the army, a slender figure rode atop a stalwart black Arabian steed, his sharp eyes surveying the area in front of him.

Abu Muslim!

The once-supreme Governor of the East had finally begun to make his way back to the east.

The Battle of Talas was the greatest defeat in Abu Muslim’s life and his greatest disgrace. His defeat had allowed the soldiers of the east to advance westward, occupying Samarkand and then Khorasan, and caused the empire to suffer the unprecedented loss of one million soldiers.

If Abu Muslim did not wash off this shame, he would have a permanent place in the empire’s hall of shame, become its most defeated Governor. Not even death would allow him to escape, and future generations would scoff at his name. For an ambitious commander like him, such a fate was even more unacceptable than death.

For this eastern expedition, many in the empire had objected to placing Abu Muslim in an important post, but the Hierophant had still elected to use him, having him stand guard in the center of the army and preside over the overall advance.

Khatabah explained that Abu Muslim was still the Governor with the greatest understanding of the eastern world, so he would give him one more chance, his final chance.

“The powerful eastern world, and also… Wang Chong! This time, I will personally lead the army to defeat you and complete the final conquest! This time… I will never retreat!”

Abu Muslim gazed at the eastern horizon, where distant fires and plumes of smoke rose in the distance, and his eyes brimmed with resolve.

In the rear of the army, the drums thundered.

Atop a massive elephant Behemoth, more than sixty meters tall, was a golden domed tent. It appeared holy, revered, and dazzling, like the residence of a god.

An Arabian hunting falcon descended into the tent and was quickly received by a powerful and armored hand.

“Hierophant, Gabas has sent a report from the front line. The vanguard under his command succeeded with their ambush and has eliminated the garrison army in the Western Regions. Gabas led Rafas and Raed and succeeded in killing two enemy commanders. The remaining one fled with heavy injuries. As it was late at night, Gabas did not pursue!

“In addition, following the Hierophant’s orders, Talas has already been captured, but the Tang city lord seemed to have sensed the danger, immediately vanishing as soon as we breached the walls.

“Our men have full control of Talas, and our supplies of grain and weapons have already been moved into the city and placed under heavy guard.

“Gabas says that he still has strength to advance farther east, but Ü-Tsang and the Western Turkic Khaganate bordering the Western Regions have not made their intentions clear. Gabas has already drawn back his army and begun to set up fortifications while awaiting the Hierophant’s order!”

The Arab general, his body covered in black armor decorated with golden holy flames, a storm of energy swirling around his body, bowed and offered the letter.

The golden holy flames were the mark of Hierophant Khatabah’s personal soldiers. When Khatabah was conquering the world, his Sacred Flame Cavalry had massacred entire cities and been nigh invincible, forging a legend that was known across all of Arabia.

Even now, there were still many Governors and Deputy Governors who attempted to imitate the Hierophant’s army. They had established powerful armies, but all of Arabia still regarded Khatabah’s army as the strongest.

The massive tent was quiet. Across from the Arab general, Hierophant Khatabah and the High Priest sat side by side, one white and one black, forming a stark contrast.

Khatabah browsed a classical text written in Arabic as he indifferently spoke.