In truth, ten-some years ago, if not for Wang Chong’s grandfather Duke Jiu objecting, Zhang Shougui would already be Prime Minister. In other words, if the Sage Emperor had been just a little more determined back then, Zhang Shougui would have been made Prime Minister and this incident would have never taken place. The Sage Emperor felt some remorse over this, and this was the key to Zhang Shougui’s surviving this crisis.
From the war of the southwest to the Battle of Talas, in the span of a bit more than a year, Wang Chong had become extremely mature. He was completely capable of holding his own, both on the battlefield and in the court.
The army could not be crippled, and Wang Chong was now the military’s greatest hope and support!
The court session was quickly brought to an end. With a sweep of his sleeve and a smile on his face, Wang Chong walked out of the hall.
“Lord Zhang, a great man understands the times. After this incident, you should be a little warier, right!”
Wang Chong raised his head and glanced to the northeast as he muttered to himself.
Zhang Shougui was so proud and conceited that the entire empire knew about it. After having Niu Xiantong write a letter persuading Zhang Shougui to admit his errors, Wang Chong almost immediately received a profanity-ridden reply, from which he could easily imagine Zhang Shougui’s temper. But even so, Wang Chong had always been confident that this situation could be satisfactorily resolved.
The reason was very simple.
Zhang Shougui might have been conceited, but he was no fool. Deceiving the sovereign was no minor matter, and if this matter was exposed, not even Zhang Shougui could hold on.
I hope that you can learn from your mistakes!
Wang Chong chuckled and quickly took his leave.
But Wang Chong failed to notice the hateful stare on his back, its owner bearing an extremely nasty expression. In truth, the orchestrator behind this incident was not the Confucians, but the Prime Minister of the Great Tang, Li Linfu. After all, the position Zhang Shougui was obsessed with was none other than his own.
By helping Zhang Shougui avoid this disaster, Wang Chong was unquestionably opposing Li Linfu, so one could easily imagine what he was feeling.
“Lord Prime Minister, let us take our leave!” A voice rang out from his side, belonging to an official who had walked over at some point.
“Haha, Lord Zhang, please!”
Li Linfu smiled, his expression as refreshing as the spring breeze, the hatred in his eyes rapidly receding.
……
The Imperial City of the Great Tang was lofty and imposing, vast and grandiose.
As Wang Chong, dressed in his red imperial robe, emerged from the Imperial Palace, he encountered an atmosphere entirely different from the one in the Imperial Court.
“Milord!”
Outside the Imperial City, a figure stood next to a gorgeous carriage gilded in gold and silver. This figure quickly went up to welcome Wang Chong, but rather than the usual Zhang Que, it was Old Eagle, wearing a black robe. Ever since Wang Chong had ordered Old Eagle to remain in the capital and set up an intelligence corps, his bearing had become much sharper and more energetic. He was like a long saber that had been washed free of rust, revealing its true edge.
“How is it?”
Wang Chong’s eyes slightly narrowed as he saw Old Eagle.
Despite only a wall separating them, the atmosphere inside the palace was completely different from the one outside. For Wang Chong, the moment he walked out of the palace gate, the matters of the Imperial Court came to an end while the ‘war’ outside the court was just beginning.
Wang Chong glanced at Old Eagle and sternly said, “Is everything ready?” His face had a solemnity and gravity that were nowhere to be seen in the Imperial Court.
Ever since he had returned from Khorasan, he had wanted to drag out the schemer behind the curtains, and now, the truth was on the verge of coming to light. That person was finally about to reveal his true appearance to him.
“Milord, everything has been prepared according to your orders! In just a few more days, we will be able to truly meet ‘him’!” Old Eagle sternly said. Truthfully, he was just as anxious as Wang Chong to meet this person.
For Old Eagle, Zhang Que, and all of Wang Chong’s other subordinates, Wang Chong’s status far exceeded anyone else’s, even themselves. No matter who it was, anyone who dared to treat Wang Chong and the Great Tang this way could not lightly be forgiven.
“Very good!”
Wang Chong swiftly stepped forward.
“Then let us wait a few more days!”
With these words, Wang Chong boarded the carriage.
“Hyah!”
Old Eagle seated himself on the driver’s seat, cracked the whip, and set the carriage off toward the eastern part of the city.
Flapflap!
As Wang Chong’s carriage set off for the eastern part of the city, a hawk of small frame and incredible speed shot off toward the northeast.
“Milord, look!”
Several days later, in Youzhou of the northeast, an Andong Protectorate army general rushed into the protectorate headquarters and solemnly proffered a letter. Zhang Shougui took the letter, glanced at it, and immediately paled.
He even broke out into a cold sweat!
In his decades in the military, Zhang Shougui had participated in hundreds upon hundreds of battles and had faced numerous lethal crises. But none of them had presented more of a danger than the incident recounted on this thin sheet of paper. For a moment, Zhang Shougui felt like he had narrowly escaped from death, barely making it out of the gates of hell.
If not for Wang Chong’s advice, the civil officials at court would have barraged him with censures, rendering all his efforts over the last few decades into nothing.
“How could it be like this!” Zhang Shougui muttered to himself as he turned his thoughts to that youth in the capital.
This time, Wang Chong had truly saved his life.
“Investigate! I want this matter thoroughly investigated! I want to know who leaked my dealings with Niu Xiantong!”
Zhang Shougui crumpled the letter into a ball as he fumed.
The incident in the capital had truly left him shocked, but what shocked him the most was that someone in Youzhou had dared to betray him, and it was one of his trusted subordinates!
“Yes, Milord.”
The general quickly departed, and with Zhang Shougui’s order, the land of Youzhou experienced an unprecedented upheaval.
……
“Bastard!”
At the same time, on a high mountain ten-some li from the Andong Protectorate headquarters, several figures stood. Their leader was slightly plump, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged as he clenched his fingers into a fist.
Chapter 1252 - Floating to the Surface!
Chapter 1252: Floating to the Surface!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“King of Foreign Lands! I, An Yaluoshan, cannot share the same world with you! There will come a day when I tear your body to pieces and offer your remains to Ashina’s soul in heaven!”
The leading Hu’s eyes exploded with loathing and anger. This was none other than the man Wang Chong had pursued in the capital, the man whose sworn brother Ashina Sugan he had slain, An Yaluoshan. Gathered around him were various generals of the Andong Protectorate army.
All these generals had the external traits that indicated that they were Hu, and each of them had vast seas of energy, indicating that none of them were beneath Imperial Martial Tier 8. Moreover, all of these people were seething with killing intent and the stench of blood that came from someone who had emerged from a sea of blood and mountain of corpses. From this, one could see that these people had extremely high status in the Andong Protectorate army.
And all these people were gathered around An Yaluoshan, following his orders.
“An Yaluoshan, now is not the time for you to
be angry. The King of Foreign Lands is like the noon sun at this time, and not even the Confucians can do anything to him. We had originally wanted to use the Confucians to deal with ‘that man’, but he ruined our plans. If this continues, as long as the King of Foreign Lands remains in the Imperial Court, we won’t be able to do anything!”
A voice resounded over the mountain, and with this voice, a silver war boot stomped forward. In the blink of an eye, a Hu man with a fiery aura appeared in front of An Yaluoshan. From the energy he displayed, he was at least at the Saint Martial realm.
“That’s right! For the King of Foreign Lands to appear amongst the Tang is nothing good for us. I sense that he will be a major foe for us in the future!”
At this moment, another Hu commander stepped forward, and his aura was even more powerful than the one from before.
The winds blustered, and everyone stared in deathly stillness at An Yaluoshan in the center.
‘In the heavens is the Gou Chen Star, and on earth is the King of Foreign Lands!’
This saying was now commonplace in the Central Plains. The ‘Gou Chen’ was the lord of all stars. It orbited on the edge of the Emperor’s star, the Zi Wei, assisting it, and it primarily signified war and slaughter. And in the Central Plains, Wang Chong’s reputation had long ago surpassed Geshu Han, An Sishun, Duwu Sili, Abu Muslim, and all the other known Great Generals.
Particularly after Wang Chong had killed Arab War God Qutaybah, Wang Chong was now being hailed by the people as the first War God of both the east and west! His status rested above all other Great Generals.
Although these Hu generals were privately unwilling to admit that there was someone greater than them, purely in terms of war record, in his three major campaigns in the southwest, Talas, and Khorasan, Wang Chong had vanquished more than one million enemies. In this aspect, very few people throughout the world could compare to him.
Even they felt rather apprehensive.
“Now is not the time to talk about such things!” An Yaluoshan firmly declared. His bloodshot eyes quickly turned to two figures standing to his right.
“Zhao Kan, Baizhen Tuoluo, you can no longer remain in Youzhou! With our plan having failed, ‘that person’ will quickly send his men over. I’ve already taken care of the Xi and Khitans. The two of you should immediately flee!”
Everything fell silent as everyone turned to the two figures.
One of these men was dressed in white, and his hair, beard, and eyebrows were also all white—an extreme rarity amongst the Hu. The other person had a name that made him seem like a Han, and he fit the appearance too, but if one looked carefully, one would spot the traits of a Hu on his face. He was clearly a Hu-Han mix.
The two of them were both high-ranking generals under Zhang Shougui, but no one could have imagined that not too long ago, it was these two people who had forged an order from Zhang Shougui to compel Zhang Shougui’s old subordinate, Pinglu Army Commander Wu Zhiyi, to attack the Xi and Khitans. At the same time, they had leaked the route of the army to the Xi, Khitans, and Eastern Turks, eventually leading to the major defeat1.
“Understood!”
The two of them nodded and replied in unison.
Whether it was the defeat at the Huang River or the failure of the scheme against Zhang Shougui in the Imperial Court, someone had to take the blame and draw away Zhang Shougui’s wrath. And no ordinary soldier was capable of such a thing.
Gallop! Zhao Kan and Baizhen Tuoluo quickly mounted their horses and rode away.
Not long after they were gone, the earth quaked as countless Youzhou cavalry began to ride toward the mountain.
……
The eighth day of the fourth month, the birthday of the Buddha, was a day of fine and sunny weather.
In the end days of the Sui and the first days of the Tang, when Emperor Taizong was still a prince and not as famous, he had eighteen senior Buddhist monks protecting him, and in his early days, they repeatedly assisted him in averting various crises, in the end assisting him in ascending the throne. Once he took the throne, Emperor Taizong remembered this period of kindness and returned the favor by permitting the propagation of Buddhism throughout the Great Tang.
For this reason, even though Ablonodan and Arloja were foreign monks from Sindhu who did not speak the language, they had still been able to beg freely throughout the capital and not worry about an empty stomach.
At present, Buddha’s birthday had some significant influence amongst the populace. On this day, quite a number of people would head to their nearby Buddhist temples or monasteries to bathe themselves and offer flowers, and Buddhist idols would be paraded through the streets. At night, a bustling lantern festival and flower fair would be held. Couples in love would make wishes on the upper reaches of the river and then release thousands of lotus lanterns onto the river to flow downstream. As for the literati, scholars, and men of learning, they would use this occasion to express their refinement, gathering in restaurants or tea houses to compose poems.
“Old Eagle, Zhang Que, today is Buddha’s birthday! Let’s go out for a stroll!”
In the early morning, Wang Chong emerged from his study, having washed up and changed into civilian clothes.
Today, Wang Chong did not wear the red imperial robe that signified his status, nor was he accoutered in a soldier’s armor. Rather, he was wearing an azure cloth robe, and his black hair was allowed to hang down and was bound up with a single hairband. He appeared very carefree and natural, suffused with a scholarly aura that was usually not seen on him. The Wang Clan was a clan of ministers and generals, skilled in matters civil and martial. On horseback, they could pacify the four seas, and off horseback, they could administer the world.
As a descendant of the Wang Clan, Wang Chong also possessed some of the bearing of his grandfather, Duke Jiu.
In this attire, Wang Chong was graceful and elegant, like bamboo or a pine tree. The maids who saw him couldn’t help but blush and stare.
“Milord, the carriage is ready!”
Xu Keyi immediately stepped forward when he saw Wang Chong and lowered his head.
“Mm.”
Wang Chong nodded and walked leisurely toward the main gate. A carriage was quietly waiting for him there, and when he raised the curtain, he saw a beautiful woman wearing a white dress and a smile on her face inside, apparently having waited for him for some time. When she saw Wang Chong dressed in civilian clothes and exuding such a scholarly and unusual aura, even this beauty couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise.
“Qiqin, you’re coming as well?”
The first to speak was Wang Chong. When he saw the fairy-like form of Xu Qiqin, Wang Chong couldn’t help but be surprised. After returning to the capital, perhaps because she had been able to put down her burdens, or perhaps because she had been looked after well, Xu Qiqin had a much-improved complexion.
Xu Qiqin warmly smiled and nodded.
“After waiting this long, I also want to take a look. What, I’m not welcome?”
“I know. I can never refuse you.”
Wang Chong smiled and seated himself at Xu Qiqin’s side.
The carriage departed, heading toward the eastern part of the city.
As it rolled through the streets, one could tell that the capital was different from how it was usually. The streets were packed with clamoring crowds, and many parents had brought their children with them to join in the festivities. The sounds of firecrackers could be heard throughout the city, and at times, one could occasionally spot scholars and literati in groups of three to five, elegantly reciting poems to each other.
“If the two venerable monks were here, they would definitely be very happy. They would be able to spend the entire day eating throughout Chang’an!”
Xu Qiqin looked away from the window and smiled at Wang Chong, her expression tinged with the innocence of a child.
She was called the Queen of Logistics and had assisted Wang Chong in tightly managing his supply train whi
le he was fighting at Talas, even serving as his support pillar in the rear. However, when she was not in a wartime state, Xu Qiqin was just like any other girl and had her innocent and unaffected side.
“You know about them?”
Xu Qiqin’s smiling face caused Wang Chong to relax a little, and even his tone was tinged with a hint of laughter.
“When they travel east and west, they have to pass through Qixi. I met them twice while I was there and heard about their experiences in the capital.”
Xu Qiqin couldn’t help but giggle.
Wang Chong silently smiled. Xu Qiqin was referring to Ablonodan and Arloja’s experiences when they first arrived at the capital. Because they did not know the language, the two of them had gone without food for two days in the capital. Later on, with the advice of some bystander, the two learned to carry bowls with them when they went out begging. It was only at that time that when they went out begging, the people of the capital understood that they were not propagating their religion or reciting mantras, only begging for food.
Flap flap!
This joyous air was suddenly interrupted by the flapping of wings. Outside the carriage, Old Eagle extended his right hand to receive a hawk, and then all was quiet. But it was only a little while later that Xu Keyi’s voice rang out in Wang Chong’s ear.
“Milord, Old Eagle says that they’ve found him!”
These simple words seemed to have immense magical power, casting the carriage into silence.
Xu Qiqin was dazed, and then, as if understanding something, she immediately turned to Wang Chong. But Wang Chong’s expression was restrained, his eyes half-closed.
The eighth day of the fourth month was Buddha’s birthday, but Wang Chong was not actually going out to celebrate this holiday. After a long and methodical investigation, Wang Chong was finally getting close to the heart of the truth, and everything was on the verge of being revealed. That person behind the curtains who was ordering about all the officials in the court, even people like the Grand Preceptor, King Qi, Li Linfu, and the First Prince, was finally about to appear before him.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 788
