Chapter 2261 - The Tang Empire That Unifies the World!
Dalon Trinling spoke in a calm tone, as if he was speaking about someone else’s fate rather than his own.
“Dalon Trinling does not have many requests. I only hope that the King of Foreign Lands will understand that we each had to serve our own masters, and that Dalon Trinling never committed any unpardonable evils on the Great Tang, and on the account of these things, the King of Foreign Lands will spare the Tsenpo, the Tibetan soldiers, and the common people,” Dalon Trinling sternly said from within the prisoner cart.
“Oh? For what reason does Imperial Minister think I will let the Tsenpo and the Tibetan people go?”
Wang Chong grinned.
The two armies were enemies, and even if Dalon Trinling didn’t surrender, Wang Chong would have still been confident in his ability to annihilate the Tibetan army.
Moreover, an army that he allowed to live had to have some sort of worth.
Wang Chong’s casual words caused the Tibetan soldiers around him to grimace, and even Dalon Trinling lost some of his confidence.
After a few moments of silence, Dalon Trinling spoke.
“Did not the King of Foreign Lands appear here because you are already willing to accept them? Moreover, I know that behind An Lushan was a… Genesis Supreme.”
As Dalon Trinling said these words, he stared at Wang Chong.
As expected, the mention of Genesis Supreme caused Wang Chong to pale. He clearly understood what was being implied.
“It seems that my speculations were correct. You truly have always been wary of that mysterious faction behind An Lushan,” Dalon Trinling continued.
“Those unkillable Yeluohe are definitely not human, and there’s also that cold wave that can only happen once every several thousand years. This is probably not something as simple as a mere change in the weather. Just like me, the King of Foreign Lands should have had a few conjectures.
“This must all be linked to that Genesis Supreme and the faction behind him!
“If those Yeluohe reappear, or some new calamity appears, the Great Tang alone might not have the strength. Your Highness must borrow the strength of the other countries, and when that time comes, Your Highness will definitely be able to use the Tibetans.”
Dalon Trinling’s eyes shone with a wise and profound light.
Wang Chong couldn’t help but deeply sigh. Even he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of admiration. With these words, Dalon Trinling had managed to expose the reason he had to spare Ü-Tsang.
He had never mentioned the otherworldly invaders or the future calamity to anyone, but Dalon Trinling had managed to conjecture its existence.
As someone so revered by the Ü-Tsang Empire, he truly possessed outstanding talents.
“What in the world did the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple say?” Wang Chong asked, letting out a long sigh.
“Heheh, the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple truly did pass down some things, but isn’t this the same as conjecturing from the divinations in the Central Plains?”
Dalon Trinling smiled, not denying it. He naturally wasn’t able to predict this all on his own. He owed some of his conjectures to the prophecies of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.
But it was clear that his words had achieved their desired effect.
“However, the High Monk has said that if the King of Foreign Lands has time, you may take a trip to the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.”
Wang Chong slightly frowned in surprise at these words.
The Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple!
The High Monk!
Wang Chong was no stranger to that place and name. Many of the famous generals Wang Chong had fought against, including Huoshu Huicang, had originated from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple.
The High Monk was the highest existence in the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, the highest existence in all of the Ü-Tsang Empire.
This extremely mysterious place was said to have borne witness to the rise and fall of civilization after civilization. An unprecedented cold wave had descended, but those monks were probably not much affected.
“Is Your Highness done thinking? A man for a country! In the future, the Great Tang is certain to be an empire of unprecedented power, and the King of Foreign Lands will be its most renowned subject,” Dalon Trinling calmly said as he awaited Wang Chong’s answer.
All he sought was a single death.
The victor was king while the loser was scorned, and the strong ate the weak. In this battle with the Great Tang, in this battle with Wang Chong, he had lost.
Ü-Tsang had not appeared to be the loser in this battle in the northwest, and had even almost taken the City of Steel.
But he had not been able to follow the plan and meet with An Lushan in the northeast, meaning that he had actually lost.
If he had been there, perhaps An Lushan would not have been defeated so easily.
“Imperial Minister, you can’t!!!”
The Tibetan generals were stricken with grief, and Dalon Trinling pleading for death finally broke their restraint.
“If we must lose the Imperial Minister to ensure the safety of the Ü-Tsang Empire, we are willing to be buried together with you.”
Whether it was the prisoner cart or the army’s return to the City of Steel, this was all part of Dalon Trinling’s plan.
But no one had imagined that the Imperial Minister’s plan was to exchange his life for Ü-Tsang’s safety.
“Better to have a life-or-death struggle with the Great Tang!” a Tibetan general angrily said.
“Bastard! You dare!!”
Dalon Trinling flew into a rage at this general’s words.
This was not a negotiation. The Ü-Tsang Empire did not have the right to negotiate with the Great Tang!
He had said so much, even waited for Wang Chong to appear, because he wanted to use this chance to exchange his life for Ü-Tsang’s survival.
If they engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the Great Tang, all of his effort would have been in vain!
And what would happen to all of the Tibetan people behind him?
The cold wave had descended, and An Lushan had lost in the northeast. Their only hope was the Great Tang’s mercy.
Otherwise, the entire Ü-Tsang Empire would collapse into nothing, and an empire that had stood for several thousand years would be lost to history.
This was not something Dalon Trinling ever wanted to see.
At this time, Dalon Trinling was exploding with fury.
“Imperial Minister!”
At this moment, Namri Songtian strode forward. Clack! His precious armor thudded to the ground.
For a general, armor was their life, but at this moment, Ü-Tsang’s sole Great General did not care.
“If this is Imperial Minister’s choice, then please let me accompany Imperial Minister to the capital!” Namri Songtian firmly said, but in his heart, he felt a sense of relief.
Everything was over. Defeat was defeat.
War was an affair for the generals. If someone had to take responsibility for this war, it should be him, not the Imperial Minister.
To have a civil official save the empire, and to have this renowned subject who had done so much for the empire depart on his own, was undoubtedly a tragedy for the empire.
Ü-Tsang did not have as resplendent a culture as the Great Tang, but it did not lack for loyalty.
“Ha!”
Wang Chong grinned at this conversation and strode forward.
This sudden movement immediately drew everyone’s attention.
“Since that is Imperial Minister’s request, then I will fulfill your wish!”
As Wang Chong spoke, he placed a hand on the edge of the prisoner cart.
Buzz!
The atmosphere turned tense, and all of the Tibetan generals paled. A nasty grimace appeared on Namri Songtian’s face.
Wang Chong was planning to take action and kill the Imperial Minister here!
“Stop!”
Everyone tried to stop him in alarm, but it was too late.
Wang Chong had acted far too abruptly!
Bang!
Before anyone could react, a violent and unstoppable Stellar Energy erupted from Wang Chong’s body. With a massive boom, that wooden prisoner cart was obliterated by Wang Chong’s palm as if it had been made of paper, wooden debris exploding everywhere.
“Imperial Minister!”
Everyone was alarmed and frightened, but a moment later, when they saw what had happened, they were struck dumb.
Though the prisoner cart had been destroyed, Dalon Trinling was unharmed!
“This is…”
Dalon Trinling was as dumbstruck as the agitated Tibetan generals around him. Their minds were blank as they struggled to understand what had happened.
“Life and death are decided by fate, and if Imperial Minister wishes to die, I am happy to fulfill your wish, but not now. Moreover… even if I kill Imperial Minister, it will at least have to wait until that future crisis is resolved. This is the best for the Great Tang, yes?” Wang Chong indifferently said.
“This… Thank you, Your Highness.”
Dalon Trinling mentally sighed, understanding what Wang Chong meant. He bowed, his face brimming with respect.
Wang Chong was simply making an excuse.
He had truly spared him!
Wang Chong silently smiled.
Dalon Trinling truly needed to be killed, but definitely not now.
Just as Dalon Trinling had said, compared to the future calamity facing humanity, the quarrels between the Great Tang and Ü-Tsang were secondary and mattered little.
When it came to that imminent calamity, no single empire or Great General would be able to stand alone. Only by gathering together the abilities of all the talented generals of the continent would they be able to erect a formidable defense line.
The past served as an example for the future. While An Lushan, Cui Qianyou, and those other rebel generals could not be forgiven, the other empires still had value. This was why Wang Chong had personally come to the front line.
Most importantly, with the conclusion of the war in Youzhou, Wang Chong was finally able to realize that most bold and unrealistic of dreams: a world united under the Tang Empire!
A prerequisite for this was that the Ü-Tsang Empire, the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, the Western Turkic Khaganate, Goguryeo, the Khitan Tribe, and the Xi Tribe all had to cease existing. All of them had to become subjects of the Great Tang.
All of their power could be used for the Great Tang, used for the world.
As many people had begun to realize, the unprecedented was on the verge of taking place: a world united with one empire and one people.
This was something that previous empires could only ever dream about, which countless generals had aspired to but had never achieved.
