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墨書 Inktalez
Inside the Daming Palace, the hall was filled with civil officials and military generals. The Emperor was still changing clothes, so everyone was engaged in hushed discussions. News of the western front being breached had spread quickly.
As soon as His Majesty the Emperor took his seat on the throne, the Minister of War was the first to step forward and propose, "Your servant requests an audience!"
"Proceed," the Emperor replied, his face darkened. By now, all present were likely aware of the situation's gravity, so few dared to be the first to voice their concerns.
"I believe we must immediately dispatch troops to support Jiayuguan, Changdu, and Germu! Even if these cities may have already fallen, we must do our utmost to keep the enemy at bay beyond our borders. Otherwise, if they penetrate inland, our Great Tang will be in grave danger!"
"I know! I have already ordered the Heavy Cavalry east of Eternal Peace to rush to Jiayuguan! Now let us discuss the directions of Changdu and Germu. Who will lead the troops into battle? How many forces will we deploy? What kind of troops shall we use?"
These were indeed the most troublesome questions. The commanding ability of the generals directly affected the overall combat effectiveness of the army. The more troops gathered and the longer it took to assemble them, the more challenging it became, as not all units possessed the exceptional military quality of Heavy Cavalry that allowed them to regroup swiftly.
"I am willing to lead the charge!" "I am willing to lead the charge!" "I am willing to lead the charge!"...
In an instant, at least twenty generals knelt on one knee, requesting to lead their troops into battle. For the soldiers of Great Tang, the highest honor was to engage in combat against armies from other races. After all, humanity's dominance was universally acknowledged, so they could only aspire to fight against stronger foes!
Seeing so many soldiers volunteering for battle made the Emperor's mood improve slightly; he still had many willing to risk everything for Great Tang.
Li Li approached the Emperor and whispered, "The generals stationed in the capital are not well-acquainted with border affairs. Therefore, I suggest we bring along a certain number of local civilians or ordinary soldiers as bystanders. Moreover, since Changdu and Germu are thousands of miles away from Eternal Peace, it would be best not to mobilize Imperial Guards from various regions but instead directly dispatch Light Cavalry to confront the enemy!"
Although the Tang Empire boasted a strong military force, this perception stemmed from deep-rooted impressions left over a century ago at its founding.
Currently, all armed forces of the Tang Empire consisted of merely twenty thousand Heavy Cavalry, eighty thousand Light Cavalry, ten thousand Imperial Guards, and over a hundred thousand troops stationed at border defenses. The Imperial Guards in various states were self-supplementing and had been reduced over a century of peace; most state guards had fewer than a thousand soldiers. Thus, only Light Cavalry could be urgently mobilized.
With an emergency at hand on the borders, drawing upon Imperial Guards would take too much time. Moreover, if Imperial Guards were withdrawn, there would be no defensive forces left locally; it would be better to gather Light Cavalry for immediate deployment.
Cavalry was currently the most elite force in Tang Kingdom, especially Light Cavalry. They could operate in all terrains except jungles and were equipped for high mobility; each rider carried only a saber, a standard bow, and twenty wooden feathered arrows. Furthermore, Light Cavalry wore no armor—only simple black cloaks marked their identity as part of Great Tang's forces.
As the most powerful unit in battle, the Heavy Cavalry is equipped with two sabers, a standard crossbow, forty wooden Feathered Arrows, and ten iron Feathered Arrows for each rider. The cavalrymen wear light armor and are each assigned two warhorses, releasing one before combat. Thus, the Black Armored Cavalry has become a symbol of the Tang Dynasty's heavy cavalry.
In contrast to the heavy cavalry, the Light Cavalry adopts a collective garrison style, mostly stationed in the Jingzhao District. Their rapid mobility allows them to assemble quickly.
With the Emperor's command, eighty thousand Light Cavalry gathered outside Yongan City within half a day.
Due to the Emperor's keen interest in the war, he went directly to the Ministry of War to oversee operations. The atmosphere in the Ministry of War was tense, from the Minister of Personnel down to the aides. With no opportunity for delay, their efficiency surged. Within a day, a temporary communication network had been established between the Formation Master and various Light Cavalry commanders at the Ministry of War, effective for up to two hundred hours—sufficient time to guide troops in repelling enemy attacks.
"Your Majesty! The Light Cavalry has assembled!" A messenger informed the Minister of War, who hurried to report to the Emperor.
"What are they being briefed on? The borders have been in crisis for days! Why aren't we marching immediately to reach before they breach?" The Emperor slammed his armrest in anger.
Everyone knew that the border defenses were likely on the verge of collapse, especially Jiayuguan, facing the Dragon Court's army—arguably the second strongest military force in the world. If they had held out until now, it would be nothing short of a miracle! Meanwhile, the Heavy Cavalry was still en route and would take several more days to arrive.
"I understand!" The Minister of War acknowledged the situation but could not express it openly. In such circumstances, internal chaos was most feared. Moreover, dozens of human nations in northern Tang were eyeing this rich territory. Although they had not yet mobilized their forces, it did not mean they wouldn't seize an opportunity while Tang was engulfed in war.
Li Li approached the furious Emperor with a smile and whispered something. The Emperor's expression changed instantly as he asked quietly, "Really?"
"Would I joke about something like this at such a moment? I will set off immediately and strive to complete it as soon as possible! But I need to bring a few people!"
"Good! Who do you want to take? Anyone currently in Eternal Peace! Even if they are royal relatives, I will have them bound and brought along!" The Emperor said excitedly, his voice rising and drawing attention from those nearby.
"Your Majesty, please remain calm. I need the Champion Team and Cavalry Team from the Martial Arts Grand Assembly, along with that Formation Master. Also, I require a Female Temple Master from Dali Temple and a Chief Inspector from the Department of Justice."
"Take this gold medal and handle it yourself; you must be quick!" The Emperor handed Li Li a gold medal inscribed on one side with 'As if I were present,' while the reverse bore an image of a five-clawed golden dragon.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Li took the gold medal and quickly exited the Ministry of War.
At this moment, at Jiayuguan:
"Brothers! Hold on! By now, the reinforcements should have already set out!" The five thousand soldiers defending Jiayuguan had already lost more than half of their comrades. To encourage them, General Zhang shouted loudly.
In this world, dragons are too large to fly very high. Young dragons can barely reach ten meters, while even ordinary adult dragons can only soar about fifty meters off the ground.
As for the nobles of the Dragon Court, they can fly up to one or two hundred meters high, easily crossing over Jiayuguan. However, their numbers are far too few; if they crossed over, they would be easily annihilated in the heart of the Tang Empire. Thus, they could only force their way through Jiayuguan and enter the Tang territory alongside the main army.
"General! The Feathered Arrows are about to run out!" A deputy general rushed to General Zhang's side and whispered the report.
"How many brothers do we have left?" General Zhang released an arrow from his bow, which swiftly struck an adult dragon's right wing. The wounded giant dragon immediately tried to evade.
"About two thousand men!" the deputy general replied quietly, trying not to let the surrounding soldiers hear him. "At this rate, we estimate that in another minute, we'll run out of Feathered Arrows!"
General Zhang lowered his longbow and sighed softly, "Have all the civilians inside the fortress evacuated?"
"Yes, everyone has abandoned all supplies and only carried dry rations. We also gave them all our horses. They should be near Gaotai County by now!" The deputy general's voice grew quieter until it was almost inaudible.
"Is that so? Then everything is ready?" General Zhang sighed in relief, tossed aside his longbow, and smiled at the deputy general. "Inform everyone to prepare!"
"Understood!" The deputy general forced himself to regain his composure, saluted General Zhang with a fist salute, and quickly descended from the city tower.
On the city wall, there were only about a thousand troops, while the other thousand were resting, preparing for the impending battle.
"All troops, heed my command!" General Zhang shouted from the wall. "You are free to shoot at the enemy! From this moment on, there is no retreat! Either you kill every last one of those dragons, or you jump off this wall right now!"
There was no response, but the rain of arrows shot from the wall became noticeably denser. General Zhang smiled lightly and quickly descended from the wall.
Below the wall, a thousand soldiers were ready, but they were not equipped with long-range weapons to combat the dragons; instead, each carried a Tang Dao, having even discarded their shields.
"Brothers!" General Zhang stepped forward in front of the ranks and shouted loudly. "This is the first time I call you that! Because when you came here, I told you that only those who live and die with me are my brothers!"
"Now, I am very happy! Because I suddenly have so many brothers! But I am also very sorrowful because the gates of our Great Tang are about to be breached by those beasts outside!"
"I am about to step out and fight those beasts to the death! Now I give you two choices: First, follow me into battle! Second, drop your weapons and flee! Whether you choose to fight or run, you are already my brothers! So I will not force you! Choose for yourselves!"
A faint sound of weeping slowly emerged from the silent ranks, yet not a single person dropped their swords. Hundreds of soldiers all chose to face death!
"Wang Jingheng!"
"Here!" A youthful boy stepped out from the ranks. Though young, he was already as tall as General Zhang.
General Zhang pulled out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Wang Jingheng, speaking softly, "Take this! Deliver it to His Majesty!"
"I won't leave!" Wang Jingheng pushed aside the letter and drew his sword against his own neck. "If you insist on making me go, I'll die right here! My father has already died here, and my brother has also died here; I cannot leave!"
"Wang Jingheng! This is an order! Do you wish to disobey?" General Zhang's expression shifted from gentle to stern in an instant, frightening Wang Jingheng considerably; after all, he was just a newly enlisted boy.
"No... I can't do it!"
"Then take this letter and deliver it to the Emperor in person!" General Zhang threw the letter at Wang Jingheng's face, snatching the reins of the last batch of military horses from his deputy and handing them to Wang Jingheng. "Go! This is an order!"
"Understood!" Wang Jingheng cried as he picked up the letter, mounted his horse, and quickly rode off towards the east.
Watching Wang Jingheng's figure grow smaller as he rode further away, General Zhang once again roared at the thousands of soldiers, "Now, let's go out and eliminate those beasts!"
"Everyone remember! We will win this battle! Even if we die! Before we are shattered into pieces, we must take down one more enemy!"
"Because... we have no other choice!"
The city gates opened, and thousands of soldiers surged out, brandishing their swords as they began to fight against the nearby Dragon Clan.
"The Great Tang may be vast... but behind us lies Yong'an City!"
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There’s no need for excessive explanation; as mentioned before, Jiayuguan is the last gate of this Tang dynasty. If Jiayuguan falls, the Dragon Court Army can directly invade all states and counties of the Great Tang, and of course, they can also press straight towards Eternal Peace.
These two old men have their own matters to attend to and are not in a good mood, so I apologize for not being able to continue with frequent updates. I haven't fulfilled that promise.
But you should be used to it by now, right?
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