Chapter 1188: The Rebel Armys Worries! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”Impossible! This can't be!”
In the distant Baghdad, the Caliph of Arabia gripped the snow-white letter sent from Shandar, his face just as white and his entire body trembling.
Seven to eight hundred thousand soldiers, ten-some governors, countless generals, and the Three Titans of Black Radiance and Hular to oversee it all—this was a campaign of unprecedented size. The Caliph had been anticipating a clean and swift counterattack that would sweep away all the Tang and Khorasani, but a single blizzard had utterly shattered his dreams.
Five to six hundred thousand soldiers were now buried in the snow, to rest eternally in the region between Khorasan and Shandar, with that place becoming an icy hell. This miserable defeat was like a sharp point stabbing deep into the Caliph's heart.
From the moment Arabia had gotten the idea of conquering the east until now, it had already buried more than one million soldiers, three powerful governors, and Governor of War Qutaybah. In the face of this defeat, even the Caliph couldn't help but go pale and find it difficult to breathe.
”I'll never believe it! Never! We have so many soldiers! We can never lose to these Tang from the east!”
The shuddering of the Caliph's body intensified, and his expression grew more agitated. By his final words, his eyes had gone completely red and he was practically roaring. Crack! His fingers clenched, pulverizing the arm rest made from ocean steel.
”Your Majesty, calm your anger.”
Everyone in the hall quickly got down on their knees, their expressions alarmed and fearful.
Flap flap!
Just when the Caliph was at his most furious, an Arab messenger rushed into the hall, an Arabian hunting falcon perched on his hand.
”Reporting!”
The messenger lowered his head and kneeled on the ground.
”We have just received a message from the Tang. The Tang accuse us of breaking the treaty and launching an assault, and demand that we pay two billion taels of gold in compensation. Otherwise, they will launch an attack on Arabia in revenge. In addition, they will gather up the bodies of all the soldiers that were killed in last night's battle and hang them from the walls of Khorasan.”
Buzz!
All the governors and generals raised their heads in alarm. As for the Caliph, he immediately became ghastly pale.
”Bastard!”
The Caliph gave a heaven-shaking roar.
”Wang Chong! We will tear your corpse to shreds!”
For the first time, the strongest sovereign in the history of Arabia, the proud and arrogant Mutasim III, called out the name of a Tang.
……
”Lord Marquis, do you really think that the Arabs will agree to our demand and pay another two billion taels of gold?”
While the Caliph was on the verge of vomiting blood in fury from reading Wang Chong's letter, Xue Qianjun was cautiously asking this question of Wang Chong. When Wang Chong had been writing the figure of two billion taels on the letter, Xue Qianjun had felt his heart tremble.
In this world, ten million taels of gold was already an astronomical sum. If applying for this sum from the Bureau of Revenue, one would have to discuss the proposal with them several times before it was endorsed, and even then, it would take some time until the money was actually delivered. But Wang Chong on the first negotiation had already demanded one billion taels of gold, and now he was demanding two billion. Xue Qianjun felt like his mind was about to stop working.
”Haha, of course they won't!”
Wang Chong flipped through a book as he replied.
”Ah?!”
Xue Qianjun was stunned and immediately stopped in his tracks.
”Mutasim III is currently furious. It would be far stranger if he actually agreed to our demands.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled as he continued to read through the book in his hand. This was an ancient book of the Sassanid Dynasty. Yuan Shusong had led his disciples in translating the entire book into the Tang language during the single night of the blizzard, so Wang Chong was able to read through it very smoothly.
”So Milord, this is…”
Xue Qianjun was immediately befuddled. If he knew that the other party would never agree, why had the Lord Marquis still sent the letter demanding two billion taels of gold?