Chapter 871: Contact, the First Aerial Battle! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The sight of Feng Changqing's deep bow left all the people around Wang Chong—Li Siye, Su Shixuan, Cheng Sanyuan, Zhang Que, Sun Zhiming, Chen Burang, and Zhuang Zhengping—deeply moved. They had all heard of Feng Changqing's thunderous reputation, and to many of them, this was an unreachable existence who stood high in the heavens, a mighty individual that they might live an entire life without interacting with.

But at this moment, Feng Changqing had cast aside his dignity in front of so many people and adopted an exceptionally meek attitude toward the younger Wang Chong. This act immediately made all of them feel a heavy shock.

Feng Changqing did not seem to care or notice, and remained bowed. The situation in the Western Regions was getting tenser and tenser, and after nearly two months of gloom and despair, Wang Chong was his only sliver of hope, the only chance of survival the thirty thousand Anxi Protectorate soldiers besieged in Talas had.

”Lord Feng, rest at ease. Although the Arabs are powerful, they're not so powerful as to be undefeatable. To use the words of Han Great General Chen Tang, those who offend the people of the Han will be executed, no matter how far they are! The Great Tang is not a weakling, and the worst mistake the Arabian Empire could have made was to collude with the Shi Kingdom and covet Anxi. Not only will I save Lord Gao Xianzhi and the soldiers of the Anxi Protectorate army, but I will also make the Arabs pay the heaviest price for their rash decision! This is my true goal in coming here!”

Wang Chong's eyes brightly shone as he solemnly helped Feng Changqing stand.

These weighty words instantly wrought a massive transformation on the faces of Feng Changqing and his Anxi warriors. While he had still been worried and anxious just moments ago, almost on the verge of breaking into tears, he now inexplicably felt comforted. Slowly, he raised his head and, for the first time, he began to inspect this young Protector-General.

This was a youth of only sixteen or seventeen, with straight eyebrows and bright eyes. It was easy to take him for one of those wastrel scions of great clans in the capital, but he also had a steadiness and composure that no scion of his age could have. His expression was wise, his bearing relaxed. It made one subconsciously pay attention to his every word and trust deeply in him.

But this was not all. Feng Changqing could also sense the thick smell of iron and blood from this youth. This was no ordinary general, but one who had experienced countless battles, seen mountains of corpses and seas of blood, one of those Great Generals who stood at the very apex. In his ten-some years in the Anxi Protectorate, Feng Changqing had smelled this odor on only one other person: Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi.

Yet not even Gao Xianzhi had as thick and intense an odor as this.

Feng Changqing had once looked down on Wang Chong, and he had also reexamined his views and come to view Wang Chong with renewed importance, but in the end, he realized that he had still underestimated this youth. This youth was far more powerful than he had imagined.

”Lord Marquis speaks the truth. This one had a slip of the tongue. With Lord Marquis leading the grand armies of the Great Tang, Changqing is confident that the Arabs will never achieve their goals! Changqing will wait here to congratulate Milord for the early report of victory and the triumphant return. When the time comes, Changqing will definitely have a feast arranged in the protectorate to welcome Milord and celebrate the victory!”

Feng Changqing's expression turned stern as he stood to the side and gave a deep bow.

It was still a bow, but the meaning was completely different.

”I wish Milord an early victory and triumphant return!”

Behind Feng Changqing, the four Anxi elites also gave a deep bow.

”Wait for news from me!”

Wang Chong only smiled. This time, he did not go to help up Feng Changqing, but mounted the White-hoofed Shadow and set off, his back straight and his expression free of any reluctance.

”Pass on my order! All soldiers, move out, and quicken the pace!”

Rumble! The army of more than one hundred thousand surged through this last fortress of the Great Tang, heading toward the city of Talas, nearly one thousand li away. Behind it, only after the last soldier of the Qixi Protectorate army left Suiye did Feng Changqing finally raise his head.

In the sunset, the more than one hundred thousand soldiers of Qixi were like a black flood, unstoppable and fearless, determined and resolved, a sight that was deeply branded into the minds of all who saw it. But the only image in Feng Changqing's mind was of that confident and relaxed youth.

”Truly, one hundred rumors can't compare to a single meeting, and the person far surpasses the fame! In the past… Milord and I looked down on Lord Marquis, but for the Great Tang to have Lord Marquis is truly a blessing for Anxi, a blessing for the world! In this battle, I am confident that Lord Marquis will succeed!”

……

Beyond Suiye, the surroundings became awash with craggy peaks and steep cliffs, devoid of any towns or villages.

”All soldiers, advance at full speed!”

”Keep up! Don't fall behind!”

”Hurry! Talas is in great peril! Don't let the Arabs succeed!”

As the army marched through the massive coiling dragon that was the Cong Mountains, traveling along the desolate mountain roads to the west, they were constantly urged on to march faster and faster. Speed was paramount in war, and meanwhile, a constant stream of scouting birds filled the skies. Although they were still not at Talas, they could already hear shouts in the distance.

They could not see anything, but all of them could imagine that in the distant Talas, where hundreds of thousands of soldiers were gathered, an intense battle was undoubtedly underway.

All the soldiers were tense, their faces grim. So constant and endless were the orders that even the Hu mercenaries, who could not understand the Han language, could feel the tension and the oppressive air.

One day later, a new order was issued. The hooves of all the horses were to be wrapped and the mouths of all the horses and livestock muzzled so as to reduce any noise.