The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Chapter 1205 - Sassanid Princess!

  Chapter 1205: Sassanid Princess!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Lord Protector-General flatters me. A commander’s duty is to lead his army, campaign on the frontier, and render service. There’s nothing deserving of a title in that,” Wang Chong nonchalantly said, his expression extremely calm.

  Whether it was the War of Nanzhao or the Battle of Talas, Wang Chong had never cared about such things. All he cared about was that he had been able to win the Battle of Talas and resolve that potential crisis.

  “Let’s go!” Wang Chong said, and once more began to move. He had returned from Sindhu partially because he had resolved the matter of the Hyderabad ore, but also because he had received a letter from Feng Changqing.

  ……

  “So, what exactly is going on in Khorasan?”

  In the governor’s mansion of Khorasan, Wang Chong got straight to the point. There were no outsiders present, and only the high-ranking officers of the Great Tang remained in this room. Feng Changqing’s smile quickly faded, his brows dropping down as he began to explain.

  “Everything truly is going as Lord Protector-General expected. Without the threat of Arabia, Khorasan is on the right track, but a few hidden problems have gradually begun to reveal themselves. Although the various rebel armies are extremely respectful toward our Great Tang, their relationships with each other are nothing as harmonious. In this period of time, we’ve already learned of several incidents in which the rebel armies have gotten in conflict with each other. Our soldiers don’t share the same language and have an extremely unique status. If we carelessly interfere, we will inevitably be criticized for favoring one side and being unjust to the other.

  “Not only that, the rebel leaders are beginning to show a difference of opinion from each other. Although they still manage to appear peaceful on the outside, an undercurrent is flowing down below. They are no longer as united as they once were.”

  Feng Changqing made no attempt to conceal his concerns. He could handle administrative matters, but the matters between the rebel armies were not simple right-or-wrong affairs.

  “Wang Chong, this is no good omen. If we don’t handle this matter properly, the coalition army might quickly splinter apart.”

  Gao Xianzhi also had an extremely worried face.

  The Great Tang actually didn’t have many soldiers stationed in Khorasan. At least eighty percent of the more than two hundred thousand soldiers of the coalition army consisted of soldiers from the various rebel armies. If this matter were to be mishandled, the Great Tang would lose the prize it had worked so hard to obtain.

  Without the assistance of the rebel armies, the Great Tang would find itself incapable of withstanding the entire Arabian Empire from a place so close to Baghdad.

  “I’ve done all I can to help Lord Feng resolve this matter, but… it’s truly very difficult.”

  Su Hanshan chose to speak at this time.

  “So everything I said would happen has already happened?” Wang Chong calmly said.

  Before leaving Khorasan, Wang Chong had left a letter for Feng Changqing, listing out several events that, if they occurred, he would need to be immediately informed about so he could return. At this time, everything Wang Chong had predicted would take place had become reality.

  Without far-flung problems to worry about, one was certain find nearby problems. The threat of the Arabs had been temporarily nullified, but the internal conflicts were not as easy to handle.

  “That’s right! Although the problems aren’t obvious yet, they’re already beginning to sprout. If we don’t promptly handle this matter, these problems will only get worse and worse until it’s too late to handle them.”

  Feng Changqing sighed.

  They all had experience in situations where the administrative, military, and bureaucratic systems were all stable and mature. But in this strange land of Khorasan, where they didn’t share the same language as the Khorasani and rebels, they had far too little experience in dealing with such situations.

  “I’ve already thought about how to handle this matter!” Wang Chong calmly said. “Lord Protector-General, Lord Feng, inform Bahram that the Great Tang will assist them in reestablishing the Sassanid Dynasty!”

  Rumble!

  Wang Chong’s words sent a shockwave through the minds of everyone in the hall. The Sassanid Dynasty was an ancient empire that had been exterminated by the Arabs decades ago. Wang Chong was now proposing that they reestablish this ancient empire.

  “Wang Chong, have you thought about whether His Majesty will agree?” Gao Xianzhi asked in shock.

  “You’ve already seen the problems in the coalition army. If we don’t do this, the coalition will quickly collapse. Moreover, reestablishing the Sassanid Dynasty will not only allow the Great Tang to immediately gain a steady foothold, but can also win the hearts of the people and raise its prestige. We stand to only gain from this venture. In addition, we can use the same method and support the founding of small kingdoms on the border of Arabia. In this way, we can use few soldiers to greatly reduce the power of Arabia. This is the true method to resist Arabia and be rid of its threat once and for all. This will also eliminate the problems within the coalition army.

  “Moreover, even if we support the Sassanid Dynasty, we can still keep our garrison here. We might even be able to mark out an area in Khorasan to serve as our base,” Wang Chong lightly said.

  Stationing a garrison in a vassal state was a method long ago refined in another world. Casualties were kept to a minimum while an enormous level of influence was still maintained. With this method, the Great Tang could mobilize the strength of Khorasan and the other rebel armies at any time, and perhaps to an even greater degree than at present. This was because the Great Tang was offering the ability to Khorasan and the other rebel armies to strengthen themselves and resist Arabia.

  This was the best option available at present.

  Wang Chong’s explanation caused the expressions of Gao Xianzhi and the other people in the hall to improve.

  “Wang Chong, although I don’t know if this is right or wrong, I can’t think of any better method. We’ll do as you say. At any rate, it’s better than losing Khorasan,” Gao Xianzhi said.

  The people in the hall discussed many more details before swiftly dispatching a message to Bahram.

  ……

  “What?!”

  Bahram became extremely agitated at this news, sitting straight up on his chair. As the highest commander of the Aswaran Cataphracts and the Great General of the highest status left from the Sassanid Dynasty, Bahram had an extremely composed and steady personality. However, even he could not maintain his composure in the face of such shocking news.

  Reestablishing the Sassanid Dynasty!

  Bahram had never even dared to imagine such a thing. As long as the Arabian Empire existed, it was essentially impossible for the Sassanids to reestablish their country, but deep in their hearts, this was truly something that Bahram and countless Khorasani most ardently desired. Ever since their country had been annihilated, countless Khorasani had awoken in surprise from their dreams and then fallen back to sleep in tears.

  “Milords, Bahram does not know what to say. Bahram and all Khorasani will remember the benevolence of Milords and the Great Tang for all time!”

  Bahram’s eyes reddened, and the other Khorasani in the room also became agitated.

  “Zamir, quickly inform Her Highness the Princess of this news.”

  Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi glanced at each other in surprise at the word ‘princess’. They had always known that the Sassanid imperial household still existed, but they had never expected it to be a princess.

  A few moments later, a gorgeous young lady with the facial characteristics of the Khorasani and long, curly hair appeared before them, giving Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi a deep bow.

  “Milords, my deepest gratitude!
”

  Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi were both rather stunned by the sight of this Sassanid princess. Her movements were both noble and elegant, and she possessed a breathtaking beauty. In addition, she had a delicate and tender aura that made others want to fiercely protect her.

  Upon seeing this young lady, the two of them finally understood why Bahram and the Khorasani had kept her under such heavy guard.

  “Princess, there is no need to be so polite. Khorasan and the Great Tang are firm allies. It is only right for us to do this,” Gao Xianzhi said.

  The gorgeous Sassanid princess nodded and turned her head to Wang Chong.

  “And General Wang, Adiya has heard much about General’s fame, but I did not think that General Wang would be so young.”

  As Adiya spoke she turned her large, round, and beautiful eyes to Wang Chong, strange emotions flitting through them. At that moment, Adiya possessed such astonishing beauty that even Gao Xianzhi and Bahram were struck dumb.

  Wang Chong felt his heart thump and he hurriedly bowed.

  “Princess flatters me.”

  Gao Xianzhi and Wang Chong soon withdrew from the room, after which Gao Xianzhi shot Wang Chong a glance and smiled.

  “Lord Protector-General, congratulations! It seems like you’ll be the son-in-law to the Emperor of the Sassanid Dynasty soon! Perhaps you’ll become an Imperial Prince or even the Emperor of the Sassanid Dynasty!”

  “Lord Gao!!” exclaimed Wang Chong, riled by the ridicule and teasing in Gao Xianzhi’s voice.

  Gao Xianzhi immediately beat a hasty retreat, laughing all the way.

  ……

  Meanwhile, in the room, Bahram watched as the Sassanid Princess Adiya left, a pensive look in his eyes.

  “Princess is already an adult and probably has a few admirers now. The Young Marquis of the Great Tang is handsome and heroic, as well as extremely decisive. Most importantly, he is not engaged. If the Sassanid Dynasty can be reestablished, it is not out of the question to marry the princess to him.”

  ……

  The news that the Sassanid Dynasty had been reestablished in Khorasan sent shocks throughout the western world, a magnitude-twelve earthquake rumbling through all the lands to the west of the Cong Mountains, including the Arabian Empire.

  As the strongest empire to ever border Arabia, the Sassanid Dynasty had been one of the Arabian Empire’s fiercest foes.

  “Bastard!”

  Upon hearing this news, the Caliph of Arabia, Mutasim III, clenched his fists so tightly that his fingers were on the verge of shattering.

  The Great Tang’s motives were most sinister. He naturally understood that it was hoping to use the Sassanid Empire as a means of resisting Arabia over the long term.

  “Damn, damn! Someone, I don’t care what price must be paid, but We must have that Wang Chong of the Great Tang torn to pieces!”

  With Mutasim III’s decree, the entire Arabian Empire began to whir to life like an enormous machine. However, given Wang Chong’s current level of strength, even a place with as many experts as the Arabian Empire would find it very difficult to find someone that could deal with him.

  As Arabia began to move, Khorasan was awash with cheers and celebration. Countless people had spontaneously gathered together and were donating money and goods in the hopes of helping the reestablishment of the Sassanid Dynasty. Wang Chong and Feng Changqing were even more direct. They found many old Khorasani and drew up a diagram of the Sassanid Dynasty’s Imperial Palace from their descriptions. They then gathered many Khorasani and Tang craftsmen to begin rebuilding the palace.

  Chapter 1206 - The Third Eunuch of the Great Tang, Bian Lingcheng!

  Chapter 1206: The Third Eunuch of the Great Tang, Bian Lingcheng!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The Great Tang, in its capacity as ally, had also donated ten million taels of gold to the Sassanid imperial household! The Sassanid Dynasty had returned the favor by marking out two large areas in the northeast and southwest corners of Khorasan to forever serve as bases for the Great Tang army. In those regions, the Great Tang had absolute authority. Not even the Sassanid imperial household had the right to intervene.

  Besides that, to express their respect and gratitude for the Great Tang, Bahram and the newly established Sassanid Dynasty had also granted the Great Tang a most supreme right.

  At any time and for any reason, whenever the Great Tang willed it, they could mobilize the full force of Khorasan, including the Aswaran Cataphracts.

  Never had complete control of the Aswaran Cataphracts been given to any other entity. The firmness of the alliance between the Great Tang and Khorasan left everyone shocked. And with this alliance, the Great Tang had displayed its ability to be a powerful backer.

  After the Sassanid Dynasty was reestablished and it began to recruit soldiers on the next day, the Great Tang forged many suits of armor and weapons and offered them to the Sassanid Dynasty. In addition, Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi selected seventy-some veteran generals to assist the Sassanids in training soldiers.

  Khorasan originally had two-hundred-thousand-some soldiers, but with the immense influence of the Sassanid Dynasty, two-hundred-thousand-some more soldiers were quickly recruited. These were spread across four different training grounds where they trained night and day.

  The Sassanid Dynasty might have been destroyed, but it had been one of the strongest empires of the western world, and the Khorasani were just as brave and pugnacious as any Arab, in some aspects even surpassing them. After a period of training, these new recruits quickly began to mature into true warriors.

  Khorasan now had a massive army of nearly five hundred thousand soldiers. Even against a powerful foe like Arabia, it now had the ability to protect itself.

  Everything was on the right track. With the Sassanid Dynasty established, the entire coalition army became more and more united, the internal conflicts within the rebel armies weakening and fading away. The prestige of Bahram and the Sassanid Dynasty was sufficient to quickly suppress the objections in the rebel army, and the rising unease was also quickly strangled in the cradle.

  And with the Sassanid Dynasty stepping up, the Great Tang avoided interfering in the affairs of the rebel army, which could lead to the various rebel forces developing hostility toward the Great Tang.

  Not only that, the establishment of the Sassanid Dynasty caused the other rebel armies to see hope. As long as they had the acknowledgment of the Great Tang, they would be able to establish their own empire or dynasty on the borders of Arabia, precisely what all of them yearned for.

  The rebel army leaders all saw hope, and they also saw the Great Tang’s humility and tolerance. The Great Tang’s prestige and reputation continued to expand its reach through the borders of Arabia and within the rebel armies.

  A month passed, but Arabia was still recovering from the severe wound inflicted on it by that terrible blizzard. In this period of time, neither the reestablished Sassanid Dynasty nor the various rebel armies had anything to worry about. Meanwhile, since Wang Chong had helped to reestablish the Sassanid Dynasty, in return, Bahram and the other rebel leaders began to promote the spreading of the Tang language by helping Yuan Shusong and his disciples erect schools on the borders of Arabia.

  Yuan Shusong’s Tang language schools were not just set up in Khorasan, Samarkand, and Bukhara, but throughout the border region. Each student of these schools not only had three meals a day provided to them but also received a subsidy. Studying in the school for one month could pay out as much as one would make as the lowest handicraftsman.

  Besides that, the students with the best grades could obtain an additional sumptuous reward. The promise of reward had many students surging into the classroom, and in a short while, the number of students increased from around three thousand to around seven thousand. This number only continued to rise as more schools were established.

  Everything was proceeding according to Wang Chong’s plan
. In the marketplace, he had noticed that even the ordinary Khorasani could use a few simple words of the Tang language to call out to the members of the great clans, all of them warm and enthusiastic, with beaming faces. It was truly difficult to believe that only a few months had passed.

  Wang Chong’s ability to administer a city left Hu like Banahan and Guli astounded and admiring.

  Time slowly passed, with Wang Chong handling papers on one side while also guiding the development of the coalition army. Just when Wang Chong believed that everything would continue on this path for eternity, an unexpected incident upset his plans.

  As Wang Chong was buried in a pile of documents, a soldier of the Anxi Protectorate army walked in and bowed.

  “Lord Marquis, Lord Gao has issued an invitation. All he said was that an important guest has come to the city and Milord should go and welcome him.”

  “Oh? What sort of important guest requires me to personally welcome them? And isn’t there still Lord Feng?”

  Wang Chong smiled, not even raising his head from the desk.

  He had left the administration of the city almost entirely to Feng Changqing, and he was even more at ease now that the Sassanid Dynasty had been reestablished and a bureaucratic system formed.

  “Lord Marquis, this person is an emissary from the Imperial Court. Lord Feng and the other generals have already headed off to the reception hall!” the Anxi Protectorate army soldier said.

  This caught Wang Chong by surprise. Given the status of Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, Wang Chong really couldn’t think of anyone with such high status that they required all ranks of the Anxi Protectorate army to go and personally welcome them. Could it be Geshu Han? But even if Geshu Han was the only person who could sit on the same level as Gao Xianzhi, not even he deserved such treatment.

  “Who is the visitor?”

  Wang Chong put down his brush, his curiosity finally piqued.

  “It is a eunuch from the Imperial Court. His surname is Bian and his name is Lingcheng!” the Anxi Protectorate soldier frankly reported. “He brings an imperial decree with him!”