Chapter 2154 - The War of Empires Officially Begins!
Roooar!
With a heaven-shaking roar, the combined army of the alliance, a total of more than two million soldiers, began to charge toward the steel fortress in the south.
Behind the army, two massive banner poles, far larger than the poles used to hold up the banners of the individual countries, were raised up through the effort of numerous soldiers.
As the banner flapped in the wind, the alliance army was officially established.
……
Creee!
As the alliance army moved out, several dozen li away, a circling eagle sharply screeched and began to fly southward.
A horseman saw this and immediately began to ride into the distance.
“An Yaluoshan has moved out. Report this to His Highness at once!”
“Reporting!”
“Enemy attack! The Youzhou army has mobilized!”
It took only a few moments for the movements of the Youzhou alliance to be relayed to the frontline fortress.
Wang Chong stood on the wall, the cold winds beating against his face, but when he saw this, he faintly smiled.
Turning his head, he made a gesture.
Kaclack!
The groaning of gears began to resound from all parts of the steel fortress.
More than seven hundred thousand soldiers had gathered within the steel fortress, but at this moment, the entire fortress was emptied out, all the soldiers going to their assigned positions.
In the center of the steel fortress stood a Tang banner, more than sixty meters high. The banner itself was more than seven meters long and was visible from a great distance.
“Senior, if you would!”
Wang Chong turned to the nearby Formation Elder.
“Mm.”
The old man nodded and entered one of the steel fortress’s secret passages.
Rumble! From the southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest… all parts of the fortress began to groan, and faint lights began to travel like lightning bolts across the ground. Finally, with a massive roar, the energy of an immense formation erupted out of the earth.
This was a massive formation of unprecedented size. Steel served as the carrier for this formation, and it drew on the power of the earth for several hundred li around the fortress.
A few seconds later, the energy of the formation transformed into a dome of light that covered the steel fortress.
At this time, in the administrative building newly erected in the center of the fortress, several figures stood in front of a large model. Sensing this energy shift, they raised their heads.
“Has it finally begun?” Wang Zhongsi said, turning to Wang Chong’s direction with a bright light in his eyes.
Soldiers were trained for a thousand days to be used in a single moment!
Ever since he had handed over his military authority and taken up the post of Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian, Wang Zhongsi had believed that he was done with the battlefield and that he would never get a chance to participate in a large-scale war again.
For a pure military man like him, this was undoubtedly some sort of torture.
But Wang Chong’s appearance had changed Wang Zhongsi’s destiny. The war of the northwest, which had involved millions of soldiers, was hard to believe, even for a War God like Wang Zhongsi.
For many soldiers, it was a great honor to take part in a war of this scale. One would normally go their entire lives without encountering a war like this. But now, not only had Wang Zhongsi participated in one, he was soon about to participate in another war of empires!
The countries around the Great Tang—the Eastern Turks, Goguryeo, Ü-Tsang, the Xi, and the Khitans—had joined into an alliance and invaded. And the Great Tang alone was able to withstand them all. Not even Wang Zhongsi had dared to imagine such a large-scale war.
“Let’s go out and welcome this war of ours!”
Wang Zhongsi sentimentally sighed.
His expression was firm as he gripped the hilt of his sword and strode into the snowstorm.
“To participate in this war is the greatest honor of my life!
“I have no more regrets!”
On the other side of the model, Tongluo Great General Abusi also sensed the somber mood in the air.
His eyes narrowed as he strode out of the hall.
Unlike other people, the Tongluo lived for battle. To die in battle was an extremely glorious matter for the Tongluo.
A bucket would not break far from the well, and a general would find it hard to avoid death on the battlefield. To die on the battlefield was the most honorable way to die.
A supreme war involving five empires!
Not even his ancestors could have imagined this sort of war. Abusi could feel his blood seethe as it felt the tension of war around him. It was a yearning for war, the call of destiny.
To be able to take part in this sort of historic war was a supreme reward to the Tongluo.
Life and death were no longer important. For the first time, Abusi felt that the Tongluo choosing to side with the Great Tang during Emperor Taizong’s reign had been the correct decision!
Whoosh!
Abusi followed Wang Zhongsi out of the hall, walking toward Wang Chong.
Behind them were Guo Ziyi, Su Hanshan, Chuluohou, and also Sun Zhiming, Chen Burang, and Zhang Shouzhi.
The cold winds continued to howl outside of the hall.
A few moments later, the still fortress of steel began to tremble. In the distance, snow began to seethe, a line of white beginning to approach the steel fortress.
Soon, that faint tremor became the deafening roar of a tsunami.
Neigh!
“Kiiill!”
The neighing of horses, war cries, and clattering of armor combined into a single din. From the high walls, one could see the seemingly endless army of the alliance sweeping over the north.
An Yaluoshan!
As this name came to mind, everyone turned grim.
The war was finally about to begin.
Rumble!
The trembling intensified as the millions of soldiers approached with a momentum that could topple mountains and reverse the tides.
And as this army advanced, above the alliance army, a turbulent storm howled out from the direction of Youzhou.
Kaclack!
Thunder boomed while bolts of lightning crashed down from the clouds.
As the alliance advanced, the temperature around the steel fortress rapidly dropped.
Whoosh!
Zhang Shouzhi watched this all transpire from the back of the crowd. Suddenly, he spotted a flash of white out of the corner of his eyes and reached out. Upon closely inspecting this white object, he froze in shock.
Resting in Zhang Shouzhi’s palm was an unusually large snowflake, the size of a goose feather.
The snowflake was suffused with an abnormal chill.
“This is…”
Zhang Shouzhi raised his head in shock, and then he realized that when the alliance army arrived, the originally small snowflakes had all become these large goose-feather snowflakes.
When Zhang Shouzhi looked across at the opposing army again, his expression had completely changed.
“Someone on the enemy side can control the weather!” Tongluo Great General Abusi solemnly announced.
As a peak Great General, Abusi had extremely sharp senses. He could tell that this was no ordinary shift in the weather, but that it was connected to someone in the alliance army.
Moreover, Abusi could tell that the area of effect was solely the region of the steel fortress.
Abusi’s words made everyone else turn grim.
……
Rumble!
At this moment, to the north, the millions of soldiers of the alliance army moved southward with a momentum that could make the world pale.
In the center of the alliance army was An Lushan, mounted upon a pitch-black steed, his body brimming with vigor and ambition. Escorted by all his guards, he rode toward the steel fortress.
“The day has finally come! No one will be able to stop me now!”
An Lushan sat straight on the saddle, his face beaming.
Ever since Zhang Shougui had captured him and brought him into the Andong Protectorate, he had envisioned this sight countless times. And now, the moment had finally come. Capable generals, able strategists, and a million-man army were all at his command.
Was there anyone in the world who could oppose him?
“Wang Chong, this time, we’ll properly have a battle to the death!
“I will thoroughly defeat you and let you taste humiliation!”
An Lushan’s eyes flashed as he spotted the distant figure of Wang Chong on the walls.
