OBS Chapter 940 Those who are not from my race must have different hearts.
Chapter 940 Those who are not from my race must have different hearts.
The north wind blew dust across the walls of Chang'an. The mottled arrow marks and bloodstains on the bricks had not yet been smoothed out by the wind and sand, as if they were still telling the story of the war that this ancient capital had experienced.
The armor of the five thousand Uighur cavalrymen lined up outside the city glowed coldly, and the heart guards made of black iron reflected the gray sky. The horses' hooves stepped on the cracked earth, and every step made the surrounding air tremble slightly. The dust raised by them swirled like a yellow dragon, covering the sky and the sun.
The leader of this powerful army was Yehu, the legitimate son of the Uighur Khan. He wore silver-white armor inlaid with gold given by the Khan himself, and a scimitar decorated with gems hung around his waist.
Accompanying him was Di De, known as the "Flying Cavalry General". He had a dark face and a deep scar on his forehead that extended from his brow to his jaw. It was the mark left by the battle with the rebel general when he followed the Uighur cavalry to help the Tang Dynasty recapture Chang'an.
The two men reined in their horses and stood in front of the battle formation, their eyes sweeping over the army on the opposite side with its flags fluttering, their brows unconsciously furrowed - the black battle flag embroidered with the Vermillion Bird pattern was not the one commonly used in the Tang Dynasty.
The armored soldiers were definitely not of the Tang Dynasty's imperial guards or the Shen Ce Army's style. Their bodies were covered in heavy black iron armor, revealing only a pair of icy eyes. The spears in their hands were half a foot longer than the Tang Army's standard ones, and the tips of the spears were quenched with a cold blue light, obviously filled with a deadly poison.
"This... is a friendly army from the Tang Dynasty?" Di De's hoarse voice was filled with doubt. He tightened the reins, and the warhorse under him seemed to sense something was wrong and pawed nervously. "During the defeat at Yecheng, the Tang army couldn't even stop the rebel vanguard. If they had such elite troops, why would they have asked for aid from the Uighurs three times and even promised to plunder Luoyang for three days?"
Ye Hu did not respond, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of the scimitar, and a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.
He recalled the scene when he led his army to the outskirts of Luoyang in late autumn last year. At that time, the Tang army commander Pugu Huai'en personally came out of the camp to greet him. The Tang army officers and soldiers behind him all looked tired, their armor was damaged, and the rust on their weapons had not yet been polished off.
The army before him had a formation as neat as a knife, their black armor gleamed coldly in the dust, even the horses' manes were meticulously combed, and the sabers hanging under their bellies were in uniform alignment, exuding a heart-pounding aura of murderous intent.
"Something's wrong." Ye Hu said in a deep voice, pressing his palm on the hilt of the sword, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. "Pass my order, all troops on alert, archers, draw your arrows, if there is any movement from the opposite side, shoot immediately!"
The military order was like thunder, and the Uighur cavalry quickly changed their formation. The knights in the front row took off their longbows from their backs, put arrows on the strings, and pointed the arrows directly at the opposite black armor army formation.
When Chang'an was recaptured that year, Ye Hu had met Prince Guangping Li Yu, Guo Ziyi, and Li Guangbi. Although those famous Tang generals had their own character, they all had a bit of ruggedness tempered on the battlefield. But the man in front of him had a gentle temperament like a scholar, but he sat as steady as a mountain in the Xuanjia Army, as if the swords and swords around him had nothing to do with him.
"Is the visitor a Uighur prince?" Mr. Qi's voice was not loud, but it penetrated the wind in front of the formation and reached Yehu's ears clearly. His tone was calm and there was no trace of hostility, but there was also no warmth that a friendly army should have.
Yehu reined in his horse and took a half-step forward, shouting, "It is I, the king! Whose army are you? Why are you arrayed outside Chang'an? Where are the Tang defenders?"
He deliberately emphasized the four words "Tang Dynasty defenders" and stared at Mr. Qi, trying to find some clues from his face.
Mr. Qi gently waved his feather fan, a faint arc appeared on the corner of his mouth, like a mockery, but also like a sigh: "You should first think about why you are here."
Three days ago, the Tang court sent a fast horse to deliver a message saying that the remnants of the rebel army had raided the suburbs of Chang'an with a strong force, and requested the Uighur cavalry to come to their aid immediately. They also promised that after the success, they would make up for the gold, silk, and children that were not looted from Luoyang last year.
"What do you mean by that?" Ye Hu's voice deepened, his hand pressing harder on the hilt of his sword. "The Tang Dynasty has requested our Huihe people to come to our aid, and you are blocking us here. Do you intend to make us your enemies?"
"An enemy?" Mr. Qi smiled, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Do you still remember what your cavalry did after Luoyang fell last year?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Hu's face instantly darkened, and Di De clenched the spear in his hand even more violently, his knuckles turning white.
After the defeat in Yecheng last year, the main force of the Tang army was dispersed, and the rebel An Qingxu led his army to counterattack and marched straight to Luoyang.
The Tang court panicked and again appealed to the Uighurs for help. In exchange for the support of the Uighur cavalry, Li Heng personally promised: "After the fall of Luoyang, the land and people will return to the Tang, and the gold, silk, and children will all return to the Uighurs. You can plunder for three days."
Yehu still remembered that when he led his troops to the outskirts of Luoyang, the Tang army had already opened the city gates, and Guo Ziyi's generals personally led the way for the Uighur cavalry.
The moment they entered the city, the Uighur cavalry rushed through the streets of Luoyang like wild horses that had broken free from their reins. Shops were smashed open, valuable jewelry and jade were looted, and silk and cloth were torn all over the ground.
The food in the people's homes was emptied, and the men were dragged into doing hard labor. Any resistance was hacked to death.
The young woman was tied up with ropes, and her cries and pleas for mercy were heard one after another, but she only received the grim smiles of the Uighur cavalry.
He had seen with his own eyes an old woman kneeling on the ground, hugging the legs of a Uighur cavalryman, begging him to spare her ten-year-old granddaughter, but the cavalryman kicked her away and then chopped her head with a knife. The old woman's head rolled to the ground, and blood splattered all over the girl. The cavalryman just grinned, carried the frightened girl on his shoulders, and walked away.
He had also seen that Emperor De led his army into the house of the richest man in Luoyang, looted all the gold, silver and jewelry in the mansion, and then ordered the house to be set on fire. The raging fire engulfed the entire house, and the elderly, the weak, women and children who had no time to escape were trapped inside. The screams echoed in the flames for a whole night.
"The Huihe invaded Luoyang and slaughtered and looted without restraint. Tens of thousands of people died, and the fire burned for ten days."
Mr. Qi's voice rang out again, his tone still calm, but every word cut like a knife. "Those who died under your swords included unarmed elderly people, hungry babies, diligent students, and hardworking farmers... They were all the people of the Tang Dynasty, the foundation of this dynasty."
"This is the condition promised by the Tang Dynasty court."
Ye Hu said with a frown.
At that time, the Tang army was standing outside the city of Luoyang, watching the Uighur cavalry burning, killing and looting in the city, listening to the cries and screams of the people, but they remained motionless, as if those tragic deaths of the people had nothing to do with them.
But what is even more chilling is yet to come.
Three days later, the Uighur cavalry returned with a full load and when they withdrew from Luoyang City, the Tang army followed closely behind them and broke into the already devastated Luoyang City.
Armed with swords and guns, they kicked open the doors of those places that had not yet been looted by the Uighurs, stole the people's remaining food supplies, dragged away the women who had managed to escape the Uighurs' looting, and even took the clothes of the dead.
"I'm sorry, it wasn't the Tang Dynasty that made the promise, it was the rebels." Mr. Qi's voice was a little hoarse. "What truly caused the Tang Dynasty to lose the support of the people was never the rebels' weapons, nor your Uighurs' looting, but the Tang Dynasty's own army."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Uighur cavalry. "The common people once believed that the Tang army was their support, a barrier protecting their homeland. But in the end, what they waited for was a betrayal even more cruel than that of the foreign enemy."
"You... who are you?" Ye Hu suddenly realized that the black-armored army in front of him might not be the army of the Tang Dynasty at all.
Mr. Qi did not answer his question, but slowly raised his head and looked at the Chang'an city wall.
On the city wall, the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty fluttered in the wind, but there was not a single defender to be seen under the flag. Only a few crows landed on the battlements, cawing shrilly.
"When Chang'an was recaptured, Li Heng promised that the land and descendants would return to the Tang, while gold, silk, and children would return to the Huihe."
Mr. Qi's voice rang out again, a hint of sarcasm in it. "Later, when we arrived in Luoyang, he promised you three days of looting. But did you know? Originally, according to the plan, you were supposed to loot Chang'an."
Ye Hu's eyes suddenly widened, and Di De exclaimed, "What?"
"Yes, it's Chang'an." Mr. Qi nodded. "At the time, Li Yu believed that Chang'an was the capital of the Tang Dynasty. If it were plundered by the Uighurs, it would cause a commotion throughout the country. Although Luoyang was also an important city, it was ultimately not as important as Chang'an."
"More importantly, he feared that the people of Chang'an would fight to the death. If a popular uprising were to occur, the foundation of the Tang Dynasty would be completely shaken."
"So, he overcame all objections and persuaded Li Heng to change your target to Luoyang."
"He thought that by sacrificing the people of Luoyang, he could save Chang'an and preserve the reputation of the Tang Dynasty."
Mr. Qi's tone turned cold. "But he was wrong, utterly wrong. The people's hearts are like a boat; water can carry it, but it can also capsize it. When the people of Luoyang wailed under the dual plunder of the Uighurs and the Tang army, the people of Chang'an saw it too. People all over the world saw it too."
"From that moment on, the Tang Dynasty had already lost the support of the people, and the dynasty was already on the verge of collapse."
"So, you are not the Tang Dynasty's army?" Ye Hu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He knew that at this moment the only way to respond was to find out the other party's identity.
Mr. Qi glanced at the Uighur cavalry and said, "It doesn't matter who we are. What matters is that today, you cannot set foot in Chang'an."
"Why?" Di De finally couldn't help but speak, his voice tinged with anger. "We, the Huihe people, have an agreement with the Tang Dynasty. We are rushing to Chang'an to help. We are honoring the agreement! You are blocking our way. Are you planning to start a war with us, the Huihe people?"
"Start a war?" Mr. Qi laughed, his laughter carrying a hint of determination. "From the moment you set foot in the Central Plains, the war has already begun."
"It's just that the previous war was a war between the Tang Dynasty and the rebels, but the war now is between those who are not of our race, and their hearts must be different."
He raised his hand, and instantly the sound of swords being drawn in unison was heard in the Black Armor Army. Five thousand sabers were unsheathed, shining coldly in the dust. The solemn and murderous aura made the air around them seem to freeze.
Ye Hu's heart sank suddenly. He could see that the combat effectiveness of this Black Armor Army was by no means comparable to that of the Tang Army.
But he was unwilling to retreat. Firstly, the Uighurs had an agreement with the Tang Dynasty. Second, he had not yet obtained the profits from the looting. If he returned empty-handed, he would not only be unable to explain to the Khan, but would also be ridiculed by other tribes.
"My Huihe people and the Tang Dynasty are allies. There may be a misunderstanding regarding today's incident. How about we both take a step back and let me lead my troops into the city to meet with the Tang Emperor. If there is indeed a misunderstanding, it will be resolved."
Mr. Qi shook his head and said firmly, "There is no misunderstanding. Today, you will die here."
"Of course, I will take the head of the Uighur Khan sooner or later.
Ye Hu's face darkened completely. He knew that the negotiations had broken down.
He tightened the reins of his horse and drew the scimitar from his waist. The blade flashed in the sunlight and he shouted sternly: "Warriors of the Uighurs, are you afraid?"
"No fear! No fear! No fear!" Five thousand Uighur cavalry shouted in unison, the sound was deafening, and they pulled their longbows more fully, pointing arrows directly at the Xuanjia army formation.
Di De also drew his saber, staring fiercely at Mr. Qi: "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink a penalty! Today, I'll show you the might of the Uighur cavalry!"
At this tense moment, Mr. Qi slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was only a cold murderous intent in his eyes.
He uttered a word in a cold voice, yet it was filled with great force:
"kill!"
"kill--!"
In the Black Armor Army, a cry of killing suddenly broke out to the sky. Five thousand Black Armor Knights urged their horses and rushed towards the Uighur cavalry like a black torrent.