Chapter 2119: Youzhou! The Clouds of War Stir!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Is that so?”
An Yaluoshan scoffed. Yeon Gaesomun was born rebellious and would never have yielded so easily to him. But now, he no longer had a choice.
Youzhou had discovered more than once that Yeon Gaesomun had sent soldiers far into the north to investigate the situation.
The ears disbelieved while the eyes saw the truth. The information Yeon Gaesomun found on his own would be far more detailed than the sparse words An Yaluoshan could offer, and only through these reports could he understand what the ‘great cold wave’ truly meant.
Thus, Yeon Gaesomun had no other choice.
“What about Ozmish Khagan? Is that old fox the same as always, not willing to relent?” An Yaluoshan said.
An Yaluoshan wasn’t worried about the Xi, the Khitans, or Goguryeo. His true concern was the nearby Ozmish and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.
Youzhou and Goguryeo were adjacent to the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, but Ozmish Khagan had yet to give his agreement. An Yaluoshan needed the support of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, as only then could An Yaluoshan form an iron triangle for Youzhou.
“Your Excellency, be at ease. Ozmish Khagan has already agreed!” an extremely confident voice declared.
In a flash, everyone fell silent. Baizhen Tuoluo, Zhao Kan, the nearby Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, Tian Qianzhen, and even An Yaluoshan himself turned to Gao Shang.
Ozmish Khagan had already agreed?
If they remembered correctly, none of them had yet seen a firm reply from Ozmish Khagan.
Youzhou and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate were so close that it would take only one day by horse to reach the tents of the Eastern Turks. This time would be even shorter for a messenger bird.
Given this distance, they should have known long ago if Ozmish Khagan had made a decision.
In truth, Ozmish Khagan’s stance had already been problematic during the Youzhou war.
At the time, An Yaluoshan had tried a variety of methods to get Ozmish Khagan to join Yeon Gaesomun in attacking the Andong Protectorate, but Ozmish Khagan refused to move. At the time, An Yaluoshan had also been wary of battle and been extremely uneasy, his only fear that Ozmish Khagan would suddenly strike at his rear.
And this ambiguous stance from Ozmish Khagan brought An Yaluoshan a lot of trouble during the Youzhou war.
Wang Chong had obtained much of his incriminating evidence from the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, and if An Yaluoshan had not been so cautious, he probably would have been done for.
Most importantly, even though An Yaluoshan knew that Wang Chong had his cunning methods to extract this information from Turkic nobility, he could not be sure if Ozmish Khagan had leaked any of this information.
It was easy to see just how difficult it was to deal with this man.
But now, Gao Shang was saying that Ozmish Khagan had agreed!
“Heh, Your Excellency, rest easy. This matter is within my calculations, and there will be no mistakes.”
Gao Shang seemed to know what they were all thinking, and he confidently chuckled, a wise light in his eyes.
It was a strategist’s duty to consider all possibilities and decide on victory from one thousand li away. While Ozmish Khagan was formidable, he was still a sovereign of a country. The circumstances of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate foreordained that he would not have much room to maneuver.
“According to my earlier investigations, sixty percent of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate’s livestock were gathered in the area between Chita and the Shilka River. The Eastern Turkic Khaganate suffered disastrous losses from this frozen calamity, and the extremely cold climate froze to death much of the grass, increasing the losses. For the Eastern Turkic Khaganate to preserve forty percent of its herds is already rather decent, but it will continue to shrink. He doesn’t have much time left.
“Moreover, I have learned that starting from a few days ago, Ozmish Khagan has begun gathering all of his Great Generals and asking for their advice. If all goes as expected, a letter from the Eastern Turkic Khaganate should arrive in a few days informing Your Excellency of the alliance.”
Everyone was struck dumb.
Not even they had known that the Eastern Turkic Khaganate had suffered such disastrous losses, left with only forty percent of its herds.
A tiny clue could reveal the general trend, and Gao Shang had an eye for detail that was far beyond everyone’s expectations.
“Hahaha, good! You are truly worthy of being my advisor!”
An Yaluoshan couldn’t help but heartily laugh.
Rumble!
At this moment, a rumbling came from the eastern side of the mountain. It started off as a barely noticeable vibration, but it soon became incredibly loud. A few seconds later, the group saw an army approaching them with astonishing speed.
“Hyah!”
“Maintain formation! All soldiers, advance at full speed!”
“Charge! Netherworld Formation! Get to training!”
This was such a sudden development that even An Yaluoshan and Gao Shang turned to look. An army of tens of thousands of cavalry charged out of the horizon in a great wave.
If one looked carefully, this army was divided into two parts. In front of these two groups were several Youzhou commanders, angrily barking their orders as halos resonated beneath their feet.
Behind these commanders, tens of thousands of Youzhou cavalry were charging around, constantly clashing with each other, sparks exploding as their weapons collided.
Dividing the army into two and having them fight against each other was a special training method An Yaluoshan had developed.
Time was limited, and actual battle was the fastest way to train soldiers.
In order to guarantee that these new recruits were a powerful fighting force, An Yaluoshan had permitted that 10% of the soldiers could be killed in battle. In this way, he imitated Wang Chong, though with even more ferocity.
But the price came with comparable results.
The army was seething with killing intent, and they wielded their weapons with grace and proficiency. The savage and bloody scent on their bodies made it seem like they weren’t recruits at all.
Rumble! The cavalry got closer and closer, and soon, the steel flood was on the verge of passing the mountain. Training as they continued to charge, they soon galloped off into the distance, the world resounding with their war cries.
Everyone atop the mountain sentry post was quiet, all of them entranced by this sight. As the Youzhou army moved to the west, their eyes followed them into the distance.
And behind this army came another, and another.
This was not some special military parade, but the everyday training in Youzhou.
All of them felt pride welling up in their chests as they watched the Youzhou cavalry train.
An Yaluoshan’s eyes flashed as he suddenly asked, “Gao Shang, what do you think of this one’s army?”
Gao Shang folded his fan and sternly said, “Your Excellency is capable of seeking the Central Plains!”
His brief comment caused An Yaluoshan to loudly laugh.
A gentleman had to be looked at in a different light after a parting of three days!
After lurking for so many years, he finally had an army that could vie for the realm!
Gallop!
At this moment, a horseman appeared far off in the distance, riding past the steel flood of Youzhou cavalry and toward the mountain post.
The rider was panting for breath, loudly yelling as he rode.
“Your Excellency, a letter from the Eastern Turks! Ozmish Khagan wants to discuss an alliance with Your Excellency!”
Behind the horseman was a long trail of dust, rising into the air.
The generals atop the mountain trembled in shock, and they once more turned to Gao Shang.
Truly, when speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao would arrive. Gao Shang had just mentioned that Ozmish Khagan would agree to the alliance, and now, the messenger had arrived. The accuracy of his predictions was truly astonishing.
Gao Shang silently smiled, waving around his feather fan.
The messenger’s report was quickly sent up, and when it was opened, it was confirmed beyond doubt that it was Ozmish Khagan’s handwriting. Everyone was delighted by the news.
“Wonderful! With the Eastern Turkic Khaganate joining, we no longer have to worry about the rear!”
“Hahaha! Good!”
“Now, the only ones yet to make a decision are Ü-Tsang and the Western Turkic Khaganate!”
An Yaluoshan’s eyes shone with boundless ambition.
Amongst all the countries, the only one he had not mentioned was Mengshe Zhao.
Mengshe Zhao was located far to the south, the entire Great Tang between it and the other countries. Moreover, Mengshe Zhao’s sovereign was Fengjiayi, Geluofeng’s son, and after the death of his father, he had lost his father’s daring.
From a certain perspective, Mengshe Zhao was already wholly a vassal of the Great Tang.
An Yaluoshan had already given up on Mengshe Zhao.
“Gao Shang, what’s your view on this matter?” An Yaluoshan directly asked Gao Shang.
Amongst all the countries, Ü-Tsang’s Dalon Trinling was the most difficult to deal with. The Imperial Minister of Ü-Tsang was renowned for his intelligence, and An Yaluoshan himself was rather afraid of the man. As for the Western Turkic Khaganate, it was a complete mystery.
An Yaluoshan had sent numerous letters, but Ishbara Khagan had replied to none of them.
An Yaluoshan’s letters were like rocks sinking into the sea, not even enough to create a small splash.