Chapter 1962: The Youzhou Coup!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“B-… Blizzard!!!” the horseman cried out, his voice stammering from excessive fear.
A hundred meters behind him, the world had turned white, ice and snow devouring the heavens and earth like a giant maw.
In front of this heaven-encompa.s.sing blizzard, every human, no matter their cultivation, was about as significant as an ant.
Crack! Crack! Crack! As the blizzard swept over the world, the temperature rapidly plunged. With astonis.h.i.+ng speed, all the trees and gra.s.s were covered in a layer of ice. And while the men had thick fur coats with metal armor underneath, and inner clothes made of wool, it felt like none of this existed, providing not a single iota of warmth.
They felt like they were running naked on the snow.
The terrifying chill behind them was like icy needles p.r.i.c.king at their backs, making their blood run cold. Each one of them sensed that if they fell behind, the blizzard would catch up and immediately end their lives.
“Run! Abandon your armor!” the leader shouted, the intense danger he felt causing his face to twist.
Whoos.h.!.+ He tore off a heavy piece of armor and threw it aside, and those behind quickly did the same.
With their lessened burden, they were able to run a little faster.
Time was life. Being a little slow at this time would mean certain death.
All of them suddenly understood how that large polar bear with its thick fur and fat had suddenly died, and why those ten-some snow wolves had been slain at the same time right before they were about to hunt, and why that family of three barbarians had died right in front of their table…
This terrifying cold and the rapidly plunging temperature didn’t even give them the chance to run.
Neigh!
Horses neighed as the men mounted and rode with all their strength. Rumble! The earth gave a deafening roar like the world was collapsing, a sound that would haunt their nightmares for the rest of their lives.
“Let’s go!”
“Run!”
Everyone yelled themselves hoa.r.s.e as they rode as fast as they could.
“Ah!”
There were cries of alarm as several of the hors.e.m.e.n who had been too slow were caught by the blizzard. They only had time to scream before they and their horses were rapidly frozen in place, becoming ice statues of the primordial forest. And in front, the others could only mentally weep over the loss, but they did not dare to turn their heads or attempt a rescue.
All of them were teetering on the edge between life and death, and the slightest mistake would forfeit their own lives, so rescuing someone was out of the question.
The strength of humans was puny before that of nature!
Large trees stood in their path, and the hors.e.m.e.n could only try to maneuver around them while picking up speed. But the blizzard was getting closer and closer, the stench of death filling their nostrils.
Rumble! After running for some time, suddenly, they saw the world open up before them. And behind them, the sound of that blizzard that was doggedly pursuing them suddenly dwindled.
Sensing the danger behind them fading, they finally stopped. They leaned on the backs of their horses, steam rolling off their bodies as they gasped for breath.
They felt like they had escaped from the jaws of death, and all of them blessed their fortune.
Neeeigh! They began to turn their horses around, and all they saw was a world of white snow. The primordial forest was gone, and for thousands of li, ice and snow had covered everything like a giant plate of snow placed atop the world.
“Captain, what do we do now?” one of the scouts asked, grief in his voice.
They had left with twenty-some people, but only seven or eight were standing here. The others would remain forever as ice statues in that land of snow. None of them had imagined this possibility when they had first set out.
“Immediately report to His Highness!” the captain said, his voice much hoa.r.s.er. “You saw what happened just now… this cold climate will periodically expand and s.h.i.+ft, and even polar bears, snow wolves, and trees will be frozen to death. Just think what will happen if this extreme cold moves south, reaching the Central Plains and the Great Tang… Not a single person will survive!”
The others fell silent, but as they understood, their expressions turned complicated.
There was no doubt that their liege had predicted this scene. This was the true reason they had appeared here.
“Our brothers died for the sake of the Great Tang, and they will not have died in vain… One day, everyone will remember their names!”
Grief appeared in the captain’s eyes. He quickly took off his helmet and led the others in bowing toward the forest. Then, they turned around and began to head back toward the south.
One of the hors.e.m.e.n took out a piece of paper and began to write down the events in detail.
The winds howled, and the group quickly vanished.
……
As w.a.n.g Chong’s forces in the north were engaged in their investigation, his men in Youzhou were also making progress.
At night, ten-some li from the Andong Protectorate headquarters…
Hoothoot!
A bird called out in the night, and then all fell silent. But a few moments later, the rumbling of hooves came from all sides. In the blink of an eye, ten-some war horses had gathered in this place.
These men wore Youzhou uniforms, and some of them even wore the armor of the Andong Protectorate army.
“How was it?” a voice said.
This man had a slender figure that was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with strength, his body exuding an energy an entire level above the others. This was clearly the leader of the group.
“An Yaluoshan! I’ve never heard of this man before, but he’s surprisingly frightening. He’s managed to make Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui a mere figurehead!” a voice replied.
“The Andong Protectorate army consists of six armies, and he’s got men in all of them. But on the surface, they still follow the command of Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui!”
Another voice added, “Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, Tian Qianzhen, Zhao Kan, Baizhen Tuoluo, and Gao Shang… these people are all a.s.sisting him. Zhang Shougui is still a hero of our Great Tang, someone who defeated Ü-Tsang, Goguryeo, and the Eastern Turks. To think that he would be completely fooled like this…!”
“His Highness’s judgment was correct,” another voice chimed in. “This An Yaluoshan disguises himself as a sheep to eat tigers. He’s far too good of an actor. Every day, he plays the fool in front of the Andong Protector-General, but in reality, he’s taken complete control of Youzhou. If this continues, a problem is going to crop up in Youzhou sooner or later!”
The others all nodded. They had the same feeling.
The Great Tang was at peace, and after the victory over the Arabs, its morale was its highest. But at this time, in Youzhou, right under the wings of Protector-General Zhang Shougui, a wicked and frightening figure was lurking.
At the start, though they had accepted the order to head to Youzhou, they had not taken the mission too seriously, believing that their liege was overestimating this man called An Yaluoshan. But now, none of them dared to think this.
“This matter is already confirmed without a doubt. This man is concealing his actions from the Andong Protector-General and undoubtedly has other motives. And I’ve just received word from our scouts sent to the Xi and Khitans that while the chiefs of these two peoples have apparently been in a stalemate with the Andong Protectorate army this entire time, they’ve secretly begun to collude with An Yaluoshan.”
“…Lord Guo has already sent men to the Eastern Turks. If they’re also colluding with him, then this man is truly too frightening.”
“In addition, the Andong Protector-General has not shown his face for some time. All of the military matters are handled by An Yaluoshan. It’s said that the Andong Protector-General is bedridden with illness, and we can’t rule out a connection to that man! Some of our brothers have gone to investigate. We just need to see the final report to see if An Yaluoshan is connected.”
The men sounded off their findings in turn.
This expedition to the northeast had been a ma.s.sive mental shock to them.
“Enough!”
The leader of the men suddenly spoke.
“Everything has been confirmed, so we’ll immediately report back to Lord Guo Ziyi and have the information sent straight to His Highness. What happens next will have nothing to do with us. While An Yaluoshan might be formidable, His Highness can deal with him!” the leader firmly declared.
“Yes!”
All the others fell silent and bowed.
Gallop!
A thundering of hooves came from the distance, and a few moments later, a black silhouette appeared in the darkness, riding toward the group.
One of the hors.e.m.e.n squinted and then called out in pleasant surprise, waving at that distant figure. “It’s Zhao Six!”
“Six, Six! Here! You’re the last one!”
But to their surprise, before that figure was close, he called out in an anxious yell, “Run!
“The Youzhou army has discovered us! Get out of here!”
The voice frantically roared with all its strength.
Everyone was struck dumb by this cry, but before they could understand what was going on…
Bang!
Behind Zhao Six, a ma.s.sive firework rocketed upward from the Andong Protectorate headquarters, brilliantly exploding in the air.
Whoos.h.!.+
Everyone instantly paled.
“Run!”
At this moment, a feeling of danger welled up in all their hearts, and they turned their horses around and began to ride toward the southwest.