Chapter 1771: Persuasion! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Neeeigh!

Several dozen warhorses were so alarmed by the burst of sound that they reared up on their hindlegs. All the warhorses of the Tongluo had gone through rigorous training, but there was clearly something special about this booming voice.

”General, look over there!”

A sharp-eyed Tongluo general spotted something and pointed into the distance.

Abusi immediately followed that man's finger. Several thousand feet away, deep into the darkness, several men were standing atop a palace wall and watching him.

It was apparent that they had been waiting for some time.

Abusi couldn't make out who those people were at first, but then a flickering torch on the wall revealed a man's face for the moment, and Abusi instantly grimaced.

Zhangchou Jianqiong!

Abusi was stunned. Although he had never interacted with Zhangchou Jianqiong very much, he was no stranger to the Great Tang's Minister of War.

Not long after King Song was poisoned, Zhangchou Jianqiong had claimed illness and retreated to his home, spending every day gardening. He had even temporarily handed his position as Minister of War to Wang Chong, becoming as inconspicuous as possible.

Zhangchou Jianqiong had not appeared in court since then. Abusi had never imagined that he would reappear at a time like this and obstruct his army.

”Milord, look there, over there! Zhangchou Jianqiong has come with soldiers!”

”Hmph, he's definitely come to stop us, but it's only around two thousand men at most. Can that really stop our ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry? Charge in there! Kill them so that not even a shred of armor is left intact!”

”Anyone who dares to oppose the Tongluo can look forward only to death!”

Not far from Zhangchou Jianqiong, numerous soldiers awaited in disciplined formation.

These men all wore black armor, making them hard to pick out in the darkness. Moreover, the Tongluo had been initially distracted by the three thousand brightly-armored soldiers of the Penal Court at the gate.

However, they could tell that there were only around two thousand soldiers there, nothing but dust in front of the ten thousand Tongluo Cavalry.

”Great General, the King of Foreign Lands knew long ago that you had joined the First Prince, and he also knew that your soldiers would pass through here, so he had me wait for you. Why doesn't Great General come over to chat?”

Zhangchou Jianqiong's voice boomed in everyone's ears.

”Milord, you can ignore him. We can just charge over and kill him!” one of the Tongluo generals sternly said, his eyes surging with killing intent.

He pressed his legs against the flanks of his horse, spurring it into a charge so that he could slay Zhangchou Jianqiong and his two thousand men.

The Minister of War possessed authority over all soldiers in the realm, and he also enjoyed the right to raise more soldiers than normal, but even this was a mere two thousand.

Those soldiers near him were probably those private soldiers of his.

But even though they were private soldiers that were all former elites of the Annan Protectorate, they were still lacking compared to the Tongluo Cavalry. A few charges would leave nothing left.

”Wait!”

To the general's surprise, Abusi waved his hand, calling him to stop before he could get very far.

”Milord!”

All the soldiers stared in shock at Abusi, and those who had ridden out immediately began to slow down.

Orders were to be strictly obeyed. If Abusi ordered them to stop, all the Tongluo Cavalry would come to a halt!

A gale swept over the palace gate, and following it was a silence so eerie that one could hear a pin drop. Those war cries that had once soared to the heavens had almost instantly vanished.

Abusi sat motionlessly upon his horse as he stared at Zhangchou Jianqiong, his eyes constantly shifting.

From the moment the Tongluo chose to join the First Prince, there had been no going back. No matter who stood in their way tonight, even Zhangchou Jianqiong, Abusi would charge in and kill all who stood in his way. But what had truly caused his firm resolve to waver and pull on the reins of his warhorse was the King of Foreign Lands.

Abusi's relationship with Wang Chong could never be described as good. Even when the Tongluo Cavalry had been ordered by the Sage Emperor to fight alongside Wang Chong against the Arabs, Abusi's impression of Wang Chong had not improved.

But deep down, one of the people Abusi feared the most was the young King of Foreign Lands.

The City of Steel, the Wushang Cavalry, the Mo Saber Unit…