Chapter 2237 - The Outcome Is Sealed!
Chapter 2237: The Outcome Is Sealed!
“What is the state of the Divine Aegis Division, Golden Wolf Army, and Sunchaser Cavalry?” An Lushan suddenly said.
Tian Chengsi appeared behind An Lushan, walking on the air, and bowed.
“Master, these armies have been removed from battle and have not entered the city. I have already ordered them to move around the perimeter of the fortress and make straight for the southern gate!
“They started moving from the time the walls collapsed. If all goes as expected, they should be reaching the southern gate soon and should be able to successfully delay the enemy.
“In addition, those armies are led by Cui Qianyou and several Divine Lords.”
“Good!”
An Lushan faintly smiled.
Wang Chong was still looking down on him too much. Everything so far had been within his calculations. These elite armies could move swiftly, and while it was impossible for them to defeat Wang Chong’s hundreds of thousands of soldiers, it would be enough to hold them down.
Wang Chong had always loved the people and cherished the soldiers. The fact that there were ordinary craftsmen amongst his ranks meant that Wang Chong couldn’t abandon them to expedite his retreat.
“Softhearted!”
There was a mocking light in An Lushan’s eyes. Wang Chong’s fate was decided from the very beginning, and the time of his glory had passed. This was now An Lushan’s era!
On the ruins of the Great Tang and Wang Chong’s corpse, he would establish his own enormous and unified dynasty.
“Pass on my order! All soldiers, enter the city. Now is the time for the promise to be fulfilled!
“Defeat the Great Tang and ‘We’ will reward you based on your merits!”
With these final words, An Lushan’s resounding voice was tinged with ambition. He had even changed the way he addressed himself to the royal ‘we’.
Bang!
The army erupted with heaven-shaking cheers upon hearing An Lushan’s words.
“Kill!”
Their blood seethed as countless warhorses charged into the gap in the direction the Tang had retreated.
Even without An Lushan’s prompting, all of them could tell that this protracted war was on the verge of ending and that they would soon welcome the final victory.
After this long alliance, they had finally defeated the mighty War Saint and the Great Tang Empire.
The alliance held nothing back, its soldiers accelerating to maximum speed as they charged toward the south.
On the other side, within the fortress, winds shrieked, and a danger hung about in the air.
The walls had fallen, and everyone understood their fate. Countless Tang soldiers continued to surge toward the south.
As they fell back, no one noticed that a force of soldiers remained in the rear. These soldiers were constantly activating prepared switches and mechanisms in the alleys of the fortress, hoping that such methods could slow down the alliance.
In some places, metal walls sprung out from unexpected angles to seal off entire paths, thus blocking the alliance cavalry.
Buzz!
At the same time, in the middle of the lanes, a figure suddenly appeared.
“Milord!”
When Wang Chong appeared, in the shadows on the ground, a figure bowed.
If one looked carefully, one would realize that this was Zhao Jingdian, who had yet to appear in this battle.
The Great Tang had lost, and its army was in disarray and retreating out of the city. But Zhao Jingdian was in this deserted alley, his expression calm and unpanicked. It appeared that he had been lurking here for some time.
Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he asked, “How are the preparations?”
If Genesis Supreme had been here and seen Wang Chong, he would have been rather shocked.
Genesis Supreme believed that Wang Chong had already reached the end of his rope and was putting up one last struggle, but this Wang Chong was composed, not at all appearing like a general who had lost the fortress and was on the verge of defeat.
Zhao Jingdian bowed and sternly said, “Milord, the preparations are done. The alliance has already fallen completely into the trap without arousing any suspicion.”
“Very good! Victory or defeat will depend on this final moment! The fate of the empire and the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers will all be decided with this move!” Wang Chong solemnly said.
“Yes!” Zhao Jingdian affirmed. After some hesitation, he continued, “But, Milord, what if they notice? And isn’t this too risky?”
“There are no ‘buts’. Victory is the only acceptable outcome to this battle! And this is how to achieve victory with the smallest sacrifice,” Wang Chong sternly said, his face determined.
The tower was on the verge of collapsing, and the several hundred thousand soldiers and the Tang Empire had already been pushed into a dead end. This was their only hope.
“Yes!”
Zhao Jingdian saw the situation and hastily bowed, his expression also turning determined.
No matter the time, Wang Chong was a supporting pillar of the empire, and he was always able to lead the empire to victory. This was a belief that he and the rest of the empire would always hold!
“It’s about time to leave. Genesis Supreme has begun his pursuit. If we remain here any longer, we will draw their suspicion.”
Wang Chong’s eyes gleamed as he quickly came back to his senses.
He snatched with his hand, grabbing Zhao Jingdian off the ground, and then he stepped out. Thud! He vanished like he had been a mirage.
All he left behind was a wisp of wind in the darkness. It was like nothing had happened here, and there was nothing to pay attention to.
Rumble!
Toward the north, the Eastern Turks, Khitans, Xi, Goguryeons, and the various alliance soldiers were pouring into the steel fortress, availing themselves of the snowstorm to spread through the streets and continue their pursuit.
“Kill! Brothers, the King has decreed that ten taels of gold will be rewarded for each Tang soldier killed! The time to make our fortunes has finally come!”
“The King has decreed that when the Tang are defeated, the entire army will feast on fish and meat for ten days as a reward!”
“Don’t let them escape! All of you remember this! This old man is the strongest! If the Great Tang is defeated, you could be made a landed noble!”
Loud roars resounded through the army.
The land was frozen over, the chill penetrating down to the bone, but at this moment, all of the alliance soldiers were burning hot, their killing intent soaring straight into the heavens, even distorting the night sky.
The alliance army was unstoppable, and nothing could prevent them from chasing down the Tang.
All of them understood that this battle was certain to be recorded in the annals of history, and all of them would enter the records through this battle.
Wearing his World Armor, An Lushan began to walk on the air into the fortress.
Beneath his feet was a massive building. This was the main hall of the steel fortress, where Wang Chong had discussed strategy with Zhangchou Jianqiong and the others. But now, the Youzhou soldiers were charging inside and exchanging the dragon banner atop it for the banner of Youzhou.
“Hahaha!”
As he saw this, his heart filled with pride.
“‘I was a storm gloriously sweeping through my foes, but I lack fierce generals to guard the peace.’ I have heard that these were the words spoken by Great Han Emperor Gaozu when he conquered the world. We are different from him. We do not need fierce generals to keep the peace, for We no longer have any enemies in this world.”
As he watched his own banner fly resplendently above the fortress, An Lushan felt it difficult to suppress his own ambitions.
The Divine Aegis Division, the Underworld Cavalry, the Youzhou elites, the unstoppable Yeluohe, and the support of the world and Genesis Supreme made An Lushan feel that once this battle was over, he would be the true master of the world.
Tian Qianzhen, Baizhen Tuoluo, and the nearby Youzhou commanders heard An Lushan’s words and immediately called out, “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!” They led their men in prostrating on the ground.
The time was ripe, and the moment they had anticipated most had finally come.
The Great Tang was defeated, and there was no one left in the world that could stop An Lushan from rebelling and calling himself Emperor.
“The outcome is decided. This is destiny. I, Gao Shang, squandered half my life and was looked down upon for my entire life, but finally, I have done something right.”
No one was more agitated than Gao Shang, who was staring at An Lushan’s back as his body trembled.
When An Lushan called himself Emperor, Gao Shang was the only person happier than him. ‘The hidden dragon rises to heaven and becomes the true dragon.’ Several years ago, he had used divination to find the location of the true dragon, and in the end, he had found the slave general An Yaluoshan.
And now, everything had proved that his decision back then was correct.
In helping the dragon ascend to the throne, he could now leave a dazzling mark on history, doing what countless Confucians could not.
Gao Shang looked at An Lushan, and while others could not sense anything, Gao Shang could see violet light erupting from An Lushan’s pores. Before this, An Lushan had been the black dragon, representing the hidden dragon, the rebellious King. But now, the black dragon had evolved, and the black Qi around him was rapidly converting into the Qi of the true dragon.
This was an omen that all was decided, that the throne had been gained!
This was also why An Lushan no longer concealed his ambition and blatantly used the royal ‘we’, why all his subordinates hailed him as Emperor and Gao Shang made no attempt to stop them.
The heavens would not lie!
Moreover, all of the soldiers of the Central Plains were here. Now that the army was routed, the alliance had no other foe.
“Have you found Wang Chong yet?” An Lushan suddenly said.
Right now, there was only one thing An Lushan wanted to do: personally kill Wang Chong to vent his hatred and pay him back for the two times he had been humiliated in the capital.
A messenger on the ground bowed and said, “Your Majesty, Venerable Genesis Supreme has already gone off in pursuit. In addition, we have found the retreating Tang army, and the alliance army led by General Cui has gone off in pursuit.”
“Haha, good! Everyone, follow me! No matter what, we can’t let Wang Chong run! Today, I will let all of you witness a War Saint at the end of their rope!”
An Lushan’s eyes shone with derision and cruelty. He shot forward, creating a mournful howl as he pierced through the snowstorm and followed Wang Chong and Genesis Supreme.
“Hurry and follow!”
Behind him, the Youzhou generals led their troops swiftly toward the south.
In the darkness of the night, the harsh winds cut like a blade. Out of the southern gate of the steel fortress ran countless Tang soldiers with panicked expressions on their faces.
At this moment, all of them were lost and confused. At their rear was the pursuing alliance army, but in front of them was an endless field of ice and snow. Where would they run?