The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Along the southeastern coast, countless boat-building clans were in such a building frenzy that they had even drawn the notice of the court. But just like the dynasties that had preceded it, the Great Tang did not place much emphasis on its navy. As long as Wang Chong was not showing any designs on the mainland, the important officials of court, including Li Junxian and his Confucian Sect, did not care what he did on the sea.

  On the Sindhu side, the ore-excavating machines Zhang Shouzhi had built had long ago been put to use, and large amounts of Hyderabad ore were being excavated. At the same time, Wang Chong had also ordered for fortifications to be built on the Hyderabad Mountains to defend against any potential Arab assault. Now that Khorasan had fallen, the Arab army could advance into Sindhu at any time and directly threaten Wang Chong’s mining operations.

  Everyone in the world knew about this precious ore. The Imperial Court of the Great Tang wanted to meddle in the mines, so Arabia almost certainly wanted to as well.

  Fortunately, Sindhu was a land covered in miasma and ravaged by plagues and epidemics. Coupled with the fact that the Hyderabad Mountains were steep and difficult to attack, Arabia had still not decided to attack the mines. Besides that, Wang Chong had written a letter to Gao Xianzhi in the distant Western Regions asking him to occasionally take his Anxi Protectorate army and intimidate the Arabs so that they did not act recklessly.

  Right now, Wang Chong was extracting large amounts of ore from the mountain every day, seizing every moment available to him. He was well aware that this sort of blessing could not persist for long.

  At the same time, one batch of Sindhi after another was entering the Great Tang and being sent on ships to the promised land. All of this was done quietly and without drawing anyone’s notice. Wang Chong knew, however, these Sindhi and the hybrid rice that was being sent with them would be the hope for the entire world in the future.

  “What’s the status of the soldier recruitment?”

  Wang Chong’s study had returned to normal by now, and he was seated on a sandalwood chair.

  Su Shixuan bowed and said, “Your Highness, everything is proceeding according to plan. We have already recruited many Khorasani and Western Regioners at the triangular gap, as well as many Great Tang elites. However, Su Hanshan not long ago sent word that it was not easy to keep an army greater than one hundred thousand at the triangular gap, and he wanted to send some of the troops to the base in the lands of Greater and Lesser Balur. Otherwise, we might risk drawing the suspicion and displeasure of the Imperial Court.”

  Wang Chong said nothing, only silently nodded.

  Su Hanshan had a very sharp intuition in this aspect, making him not just a naturally skilled strategist, but also an extremely skilled political operator. The triangular gap was extremely close to Qixi, and though it was not considered the territory of the Great Tang, it was still on the borders. The garrison of twenty thousand soldiers had already drawn the attention of the Imperial Court, and as more and more were garrisoned, the Imperial Court would become more and more concerned. Once the number exceeded one hundred thousand, then even if the triangular gap was a ‘no man’s land’, the Imperial Court would not be able to tolerate it and would start making trouble for Wang Chong.

  Su Hanshan had noticed the opportunity presented in this. He would send more than half of the soldiers and distribute them across the two forts in the lands of Greater and Lesser Balur, and then train the soldiers in rotation. This preserved the dignity of the Imperial Court while also allowing for the recruitment of as many soldiers as possible to deal with any future mishaps.

  Together with the Anxi Protectorate army, they could also intimidate the Arabs who had paused at Khorasan for now.

  “In addition, we’ve continued to recruit soldiers through the clan alliance, targeting the soldiers disbanded by the Imperial Court, the retired prefectural army soldiers, Imperial Army soldiers, mercenaries, and even martial artists from the sects. We’ve also dispatched many people to seek out martial artists with potential,” Xue Qianjun said with a bow, unaware of what Wang Chong had on his mind at this time.

  The room instantly fell silent, a thoughtful look appearing on Wang Chong’s face. Ever since that incident, his mind had been greatly broadened. Since the Imperial Court was unsalvageable and the Confucian Sect was controlling the Imperial Court into disbanding as much of the army as it could, all Wang Chong could do was build up soldiers through his own methods.

  Even if Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect succeeded in completely altering the shape of the Great Tang, he could come back at any moment to pick up the pieces and stabilize the situation, returning peace and safety to the people of the realm. But to reach this goal, the one hundred thousand soldiers stationed at the triangular gap were far from enough.

  Wang Chong had calculated that if he wanted to preserve the Great Tang in the worst situation, he would need to prepare a force of at least five hundred thousand elite soldiers. In the Great Tang, this would undoubtedly be seen as fomenting a rebellion, and if this got out, it would probably end in his execution. But Wang Chong no longer cared. Since he could no longer travel the same path as the Imperial Court, he would protect the Great Tang and the Central Plains through his own methods.

  As for individual glory, just as his three venerable seniors had said, even if the entire world cursed him as the Demon King of Slaughter, it was nothing to worry over.

  These soldiers definitely could not be trained in the Central Plains, and the triangular gap was already his largest training ground for soldiers. The other places were all occupied by countries like Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, or the Turks.

  “Soldiers can’t be raised in the Central Plains, so I can only do so overseas. But where could I possibly raise five hundred thousand soldiers overseas?”

  Wang Chong slowly raised his head and muttered to himself. But he quickly composed himself.

  “Su Shixuan, bring that map over!”

  A few moments later, a map that was four feet wide and six feet long was unfurled on the desk in front of Wang Chong.

  This map was a combination of Ü-Tsang’s map of the continent and the information Wang Chong had obtained through his own scouting parties and various military maps, creating a new map of the world. This map contained almost every place that he knew of, and even the islands with the Meteoric Metal ore were clearly marked out. This was truly a unique product.

  Wang Chong slowly scanned the regions of the map. Around him, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, and Xue Qianjun followed Wang Chong’s gaze.

  Finding a proper place to train soldiers was easier said than done. Wang Chong scanned the map from the lower left corner to the upper right. Finally, his eyes settled on a group of islands on the upper right corner of the map. In a flash, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, and Xue Qianjun noticed Wang Chong’s eyes light up.

  “This is the place!”

  A name suddenly resounded in Wang Chong’s mind.

  The Ten Eastern Islands!

  These were the ten islands closest to Goguryeo and the islands closest to the entire continent. Most importantly, Wang Chong clearly remembered that Miyasame Ayaka was from this place. Wang Chong’s number one assassin had long ago returned to the Ten Eastern Islands to deal with a matter, but he had still heard no news from her.

  Chapter 1327 - Leaving the Capital!

  Chapter 1327: Leaving the Capital!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Look closely! The second training ground is here. This place can hold four to eight hundred thousand soldiers!”

  Wang Chong pointed a finger at the Ten Eastern islands as he spoke to Xue Qianjun and Xu Keyi.

  These islands were ruled by ten Queens, and their armies were rather weak. Wang Chong also remembered that during the calamity, the Ten Eastern Islands, separated from the continent by the ocean, had remained mostly unaffected until the very end. But the islands were too remote, and whether in this life or the last, Wang Chong had
never interacted with that region very much, so he did not know what the situation was with those ten Queens. The only person he knew from there was Miyasame Ayaka.

  His subordinates in the study all had dubious looks on their faces, confused as to why Wang Chong would choose such a place. However, none of them would ever openly question Wang Chong’s orders.

  “Yes!”

  Everyone bowed.

  “Xue Qianjun, get ready. When the time comes, take some soldiers from the triangular gap and four thousand Wushang Cavalry. Each of those islands is ruled by a Queen. If you can make peace with them, then do so, but if you can’t, conquer them!” Wang Chong firmly ordered.

  “Yes!” Xue Qianjun immediately replied.

  “As for you, Xu Keyi, I want you to–”

  Wang Chong had relaxed after giving the order to Xue Qianjun, but just as he was preparing to issue more orders, he felt a sharp explosion of pain from his dantian that swiftly spread throughout his entire body. Wang Chong’s face paled, and as he made to gather his Stellar Energy, he realized that all the Stellar Energy in his body had gone out of control and was running rampant through his meridians.

  Fwoosh!

  Wang Chong’s vision went dark as he vomited blood. Nausea engulfed his mind, and then he knew nothing, the last thing he heard being cries of alarm.

  “Milord!”

  “Milord!”

  He vaguely sensed Su Shixuan and Xu Keyi rushing over in a panic, but after that, he completely lost consciousness.

  ……

  After some time, Wang Chong was awakened by the sound of rolling carriage wheels and a jolting from beneath his body.

  “You’re awake!”

  A familiar voice resounded in his ear. Surprised, Wang Chong opened his eyes with great difficulty, and light burst into the darkness. A figure slowly emerged before him, wearing a gray robe and gazing at him with aged and experienced eyes that were brimming with concern.

  “Master?!”

  The sight of this figure left Wang Chong dumbfounded.

  What was going on? He clearly remembered that he had collapsed in his study, so why was he now seeing his master? And this jolting… Wang Chong looked past his master and immediately noticed that he was inside a wooden carriage compartment.

  “What is going on here?”

  Wang Chong turned in shock to the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  “You still find it strange? I let you go and think about it and even gave you a mantra, hoping that you would expel extraneous Stellar Energies, tidy up your body, and stabilize your injuries while you were considering your options, but what did you do? What did you do!?”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s wrathful expression caused Wang Chong to grimace.

  “By the time I arrived, your body was a complete mess. In all those days, you didn’t even have a little time to look to the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. I know that you’re concerned for the realm, but if you don’t even have a life, can you still protect the country?”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s eyes burned with anger. After getting so used to seeing his master’s genial face, Wang Chong couldn’t help but tremble in fear now that he saw the ‘Demonic Emperor’ side. But he was also rather moved.

  “Master is correct! Your disciple was wrong!” Wang Chong obediently replied.

  “Haaa… your master has no ill intentions.” An elderly voice came from the corner of the carriage. “Did you know that you’ve been unconscious for seven days now? In this time, it was only by constantly treating you that we were able to stabilize your injuries. Child, even if your master didn’t forcibly take you out of the capital this time, I would have still advised you to leave. The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art is a tyrannical art, but its flare-ups are also extremely damaging. If this is allowed to go on, you won’t even last half a year in your current condition.”

  Wang Chong’s body trembled as he turned his head. Nearby, the Wushang Village Chief was seated cross-legged, his face pale and sweat beading on his forehead as he slowly withdrew his energy.

  Wang Chong was dazed, but as he realized what was going on, shame welled up in his mind.

  “Many thanks, Senior!”

  The Wushang Village Chief had clearly suffered from a rapid consumption of Stellar Energy. This was clearly because he had been treating Wang Chong’s wound.

  “Haaa, our fates can be considered linked, so there’s no need for you to say such things.”

  The Wushang Village Chief waved his hand. Wushang Village and Wang Chong were now closely related, with the vast majority of villagers obeying Wang Chong’s orders. In the past, he would have never permitted such a thing, but the longer he interacted with Wang Chong and understood him, the more difficult the Wushang Village Chief found it to disagree with him.

  This was a loyal subject who worried for the country and the people. Even if Wushang Village suffered a major loss by following this man, the Wushang Village Chief could still accept it.

  At the very least, they would have died a glorious death in service of the people of the Central Plains.

  Bang!

  At this moment, the carriage jolted to a halt, and a simple and honest voice came from the front.

  “Old Sirs, Tong Pass is right ahead.”

  Upon hearing this, Wang Chong felt his mind tremble.

  “Tong Pass?”

  Wasn’t this the pass in Longxi that led to Qixi and Anxi?! Only now did Wang Chong realize that his master and the Wushang Village Chief had mentioned that they had already taken him away from the capital. However, Wang Chong had never imagined that when he had awoken, they were already at Tong Pass. This place was already very far away from the capital.

  “Still thinking about going back?”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man was seated cross-legged in the carriage and wasn’t even looking in Wang Chong’s direction. Nevertheless, nothing Wang Chong did could escape his penetrating gaze.

  “You will need at least seven days to get back to the capital from here, but in not even half a day, your injuries will flare up once more. If you encounter those men in black again, without me or the Wushang Village Chief at your side, you will essentially be doomed. In addition, do you plan to return to the capital and bring disaster on your mother and Xiaoyao as well?”

  The capital was in the middle of a crucial moment, and he had far too many things that needed to be done. Otherwise, he would not have gone several days in a row without attending to his Stellar Energy. He paid little attention to the first part of his master’s words, but when his mother and little sister were mentioned, he immediately began to hesitate.

  “Your master and I have determined that though these men in black are bold and willing to commit all manner of atrocities, they seem to only be interested in their target. The majority of the people they kill are people who happen to be caught up in their attacks. If you go back in your current condition, there’s an extremely high chance that they’ll attack you,” the Wushang Village Chief said.

  While Wang Chong was unconscious, he had discussed this matter with the Demonic Emperor Old Man and reached this conclusion. Returning to the capital at this time was incredibly unwise.

  “But!”

  Wang Chong wanted to say something more, but the Demonic Emperor Old Man quickly cut him off.

  “There are no ‘but’s!

  “Until we find the Origin Immortal Art and treat your condition, you shouldn’t even think about going back. If you dare to run, I’ll break your legs!”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man’s expression was ice-cold, his eyes emotionless.

  Wang Chong bitterly smiled, knowing that he had truly infuriated his master this time. As the Demonic Emperor whose every order in the martial arts world had been followed and whose very name caused the courage of others to fail, he was already showing great courtesy to Wang Chong by speaking to him in this manner.

  Countless thoughts flashed through Wang Chong’s mind, but he was finally forced t
o give up and helplessly reply, “Yes, Master!”

  The Wushang Village Chief watched all this from the corner, a smile on his lips. This child was truly a stubborn one. If his master didn’t act this way, it would probably be impossible to change his mind.

  Now that Wang Chong had finally given up, the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s mood finally seemed to improve. Meanwhile, the Wushang Village Chief couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at their relationship.

  ……

  Understanding that he couldn’t go back, Wang Chong calmed down and followed his master and the Wushang Village Chief to the northwest to search for the Origin Immortal Art. The Origin Immortal Art was known as the supreme art, and it was probably the only method to deal with the problems of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art.

  “…The Wushang Village Chief and I have gone searching in the northwest many times and have left empty-handed. But by coincidence, we obtained another fragment of the Origin Immortal Art map from another group. By putting the two pieces together, we were able to spot a few clues.”

  As they headed northwest, the Demonic Emperor Old Man used the chance to tell Wang Chong about his and the Wushang Village Chief’s adventures in the northwest.

  “There are many people paying attention to this matter, and though your master and I managed to find a few clues, we also encountered many problems. There are many treasure hunters gathered in that place, and we also encountered quite a few of your master’s colleagues,” the Wushang Village Chief added.

  “Hmph, colleagues! Excellent colleagues!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man spat, his eyes exploding with killing intent.

  “Master, you mean…”

  Wang Chong immediately thought of something.

  “Your guess is correct. It’s those people!” the Demonic Emperor Old Man coldly said.

  Wang Chong blinked and took a deep breath, his expression turning strange.