The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 978
The Arabs were the ones who feared Wang Chong the most.
Even now, the corpses of the nearly one million Arab soldiers who had died to the west of the Euphrates had still not all been buried. Those vultures circling in the sky and occasionally descending to peck the exposed guts and flesh of the bodies made a chill go through one’s heart.
The Arabs had always regarded themselves highly, taking Arabic to be the world’s most noble language and disdaining to learn the language and words of other countries. Before this, their goal had been to conquer the world, conquer the continent, and then have everyone learn Arabic.
But now, even the most arrogant and the most foolish of them knew the words ‘Wang Chong’. They could even pick out these two words from a pile of meaningless Tang words.
And in the schools the Great Tang had opened in the various countries, the Arabs were the most willing to enter and learn the Tang language.
The crucial factors in this were the Battles of Khorasan and Talas!
All the Arabs feared the King of Foreign Lands down to their bones. Even the Caliph of Arabia was forced to admit this.
“Heh, relax. With forty thousand foreigners gathered here, the Great Tang wouldn’t be so bold as to kill them all. And besides, hah, do you really think that we’re only dealing with Zhangchou Jianqiong?”
Mochi Xiangyang shook his head, a smile on his lips.
“Then Milord means…”
The spy captains from the various countries looked to him.
“We naturally need to deal with Zhangchou Jianqiong, but the more important target is still the King of Foreign Lands. I presume all of you understand his grasp of the art of war.
“As long as he exists, our countries will have daggers to their backs and will never be able to rest easy. We’ve blocked the palace gates so that man in the palace and all the officials can see, thus placing pressure on the King of Foreign Lands.
“A tree that stands out from the forest is certain to be knocked down by the wind. We can’t deal with him on the battlefield, so we’ll use the internal conflicts of the Great Tang to try and kill him. At the very least, we can strip him of his titles and make it so he never leads an army again. All we need to do right now is make as much trouble over this incident as possible so that his enemies in court can do the dirty work for us.”
Mochi Xiangyang spoke with a profound light in his eyes, like he could see through everything.
Everything from the court session to the protest was a part of his plan, as were the commoners who had gathered to watch. He needed people to be watching, as many as possible!
Right now, he wanted all of the Great Tang, all of the world, to be watching this place. If he made enough trouble, he could seize both Zhangchou Jianqiong and Wang Chong.
This was called killing two birds with one arrow!
The King of Foreign Lands was a victim of his own cleverness!
As for Zhangchou Jianqiong, this was a man who had spent many years in the southwest and had killed numerous Tibetans. The title of Tiger of the Empire had been built atop piles of Tibetan corpses.
Even if he couldn’t kill Zhangchou Jianqiong, if he could use the Tang to forever remove him from political power, he would be avenging the lives of all the Tibetan warriors lost in the southwest!
As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Mochi Xiangyang made a cold and sinister smile.
As the Hu received the news, more and more people began to converge, their roars of protest getting louder and louder.
Everything was going according to plan!
……
“Milord, it’s bad!”
Meanwhile, in the Wang Family Residence in the western part of the city, Zhang Que rushed into Wang Chong’s study, his face covered in sweat.
“Milord, we’ve just received news that many Hu have gathered in front of the Imperial Palace’s gates to protest and put pressure on the Imperial Court. The spies we placed around the various embassies have also noticed carrier pigeons flying into the Imperial City. The emissaries sent by the various countries have probably decided to place pressure on the Imperial Court. In addition, Master has also sent word that the Princes and Princesses of the various countries have all begun to make their way to the Imperial Palace gates!
“The situation is getting worse and worse! In addition, all the members of the Public Order Squads are observing the situation, and all of them are very uneasy!”
Zhang Que’s hair was drenched in sweat, and his lips were trembling as he spoke.
Their lord was not present at court, and his position as Advisor-in-Waiting had long ago been stripped away. Within Taihe Palace, almost all the officials had been replaced with supporters of Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect. Worst of all, even the Sage Emperor who Wang Chong had always regarded with utmost respect had retired to deep within the palace.
Almost everything about the court was being decided by one of Wang Chong’s enemies, the First Prince!
With the Hu pushing things from the background, Wang Chong’s situation was getting worse and worse!
“I understand!”
Just when Zhang Que was burning with anxiety, a calm and unperturbed voice resounded through the room, extinguishing Zhang Que’s worries like a gentle rain.
“Milord?”
Zhang Que stared at Wang Chong in surprise. He thought that his lord would at least show some concern, but Wang Chong’s face seemed to communicate that all of this was within expectations.
“There’s nothing to be surprised about. I’ve only been gone for a little more than a month, but the streets are completely packed with Hu. Did you think that this was all due to the efforts of Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect?”
Wang Chong took a sip of tea.
“Milord, you mean…”
Zhang Que was completely caught off guard by Wang Chong’s words. He had always believed that their opponents were Li Junxian, the Confucian Sect, and the First Prince.
“Catching prey requires patience, and now is the moment to close the net!”
Wang Chong’s eyes gleamed with an intimidating light as he indifferently spoke.
The Confucian Sect was a problem that needed to be dealt with, but that didn’t mean that the various foreign countries weren’t pushing things along. Without their cooperation, the Confucian Sect would have never been able to reach this stage so quickly.
The militarist-Confucian conflict had given the foreign countries the ammunition they needed, and this protest at the palace gates was yet another salvo.
All of this was only possible with meticulous planning.
Wang Chong had only had speculations about there being some commander within the capital directing the movements of the various countries from behind the scenes, but after this protest, Wang Chong was sure that this person existed!
Suddenly, Zhang Que seemed to think of something, but before he could ponder the matter further, Wang Chong gave an order.
“Order all the cavalry of the Public Order Squads to immediately gather at the Imperial Palace gates!”
Chapter 1582 - Mass Arrests!
Chapter 1582: Mass Arrests!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Boom!
As Zhang Que stared with stunned eyes, Wang Chong put down his tea cup and rose from his seat. A moment later, he had vanished from his study.
Gallop!
A few moments after that, the galloping of horses began to converge on the palace gates. The numerous members of the Public Order Squads had been mobilized by Wang Chong’s order and were coming over.
Over the capital, dark clouds were gathering. A massive storm was building strength!
……
At the same time, elsewhere in the capital, a figure stood with his hands behind his back and watched everything take place from a high vantage point.
“Your Highness, Wang Chong has begun to move.”
The old butler, dressed in his gr
ay robe, turned away from the galloping Public Order Squad members and looked to King Song. At this stage, several things had become extremely obvious.
King Song had already put on his court robes for the sudden court session, but he had never received a summons from the court. And now that the court session had started, King Song couldn’t even get in.
It was obvious that a certain man within the palace did not wish to see him at today’s court session.
“What did that child say? Does he still not wish me to move, even for such a major event like this?”
King Song gazed at the distant edifice of the Imperial Palace, a look of slight disappointment on his face.
“No!”
The old butler’s eyes were unperturbed.
“In truth, this old slave found the King of Foreign Lands’ argument very reasonable. The Imperial Court is currently in turmoil, with large batches of officials being constantly replaced, being ‘promoted’ into positions of lesser authority or transferred to the provinces or prefectures on made-up reasons. The only ones left in the court are Your Highness and Zhangchou Jianqiong.
“Zhangchou has Consort Taizhen’s protection and can’t be touched for now. This is also why that child went to find him. But if Your Highness is pushed out of the court, the Bureau of Military Personnel and the generals of the border protectorates would truly have no hope.
“The child hoped to protect Your Highness, which is why he chose to begin his operation during the monthly rest period. And our reaction is probably already within his expectations,” the old butler slowly argued.
Only that child was daring enough to use both King Song and Zhangchou Jianqiong, even having Zhangchou Jianqiong take the fall for him. But both of them were willing to be used by Wang Chong.
Wang Chong was the only person in the Great Tang who could fight back against the Confucian Sect. Only Wang Chong could reverse the tides and change everything!
This was something understood by all members of the Bureau of Military Personnel and the border protectorates!
“Haaah…”
King Song couldn’t help but sigh upon hearing the butler’s words.
“Your Highness, be at ease. That child never does anything he’s not sure about. Your Highness should let him work without fear! And hasn’t Your Highness already seen that child’s abilities?” the old butler commented.
King Song finally nodded, but he still found it hard to conceal the concern in his eyes.
Although all of it sounded very simple, Wang Chong was going against the infuriated First Prince and the entire Confucian Sect. No matter how prepared he was, he couldn’t have accounted for every possibility.
But King Song remained silent.
……
Meanwhile, within the Imperial Palace, not long after the news of the protesting Hu had reached Taihe Palace, another flurry of footsteps could be heard.
“Reporting!”
The gate attendant kneeled on the floor and loudly proclaimed, “The King of Foreign Lands has led the members of the Public Order Squad and suddenly appeared outside the palace gates, where he has begun to arrest all the Hu at the gates!”
Bang!
This news came down like a boulder into a lake, sending great waves through the assembled officials.
“The King of Foreign Lands? How could it be the King of Foreign Lands?!”
“There are forty to fifty thousand Hu out there! What is he planning?”
“Has he gone crazy? He’s already arrested seven to eight thousand. Does he think that’s not enough and wants to arrest Hu until there are no more? To live and trade together with the surrounding countries so that we can make up for each other’s shortcomings is one of the guiding principles of the Sage Emperor. Not even the Sage Emperor will forgive him for this! There are even Princes from other countries in that crowd!”
The eyes of the officials flew open in unprecedented shock.
Truly, one wave came before the previous wave could even dissipate. They had received far too many shocks than they could handle in a single day.
The First Prince was already enraged over so many Hu being arrested, but the Public Order Squads had only redoubled their efforts rather than showing restraint. The entire world was being thrown into disarray!
Who knew what sort of disaster this would cause!?
“Bastard! Just who made him so audacious!?”
A thunderous roar exploded from the upper reaches of the hall, causing all of Taihe Palace to tremble. The First Prince had become like a furious lion, his face contorted in fury. It was one thing for Zhangchou Jianqiong to threaten him with suicide, but now Wang Chong had popped up.
He thought that Wang Chong would show some restraint after Zhangchou Jianqiong had been summoned, but this only seemed to have increased Wang Chong’s impudence.
“Your Highness, calm yourself!”
All the officials were frightened by the First Prince’s rage. They had never seen him so furious before. Zhangchou Jianqiong was also shocked, but as he looked over at the First Prince, he was rather surprised by something else.
He had never known, nor had he been able to sense, that the First Prince possessed such a high cultivation level.
“Your Highness! Let this lowly subject deal with this matter!” In the middle of the First Prince’s rage, a calm voice resounded through the hall.
The officials instantly fell quiet, and even the First Prince turned to look at the owner of the voice.
“Li Junxian!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong’s heart sank. The only person who possessed such weight in the court, quieting the assembled officials and even commanding the attention of the First Prince, was the oft-silent Li Junxian.
Everyone knew of Li Junxian’s relationship with Wang Chong, particularly after Master Zhu appeared.
“Your Highness, this lowly subject has constantly been advocating for peace talks between the Great Tang and its surrounding countries. Those Princes and Princesses also came on this lowly subject’s invitation. Now that such a thing has occurred, let this lowly subject deal with it!” Li Junxian coldly said. His expression was extremely calm, but everyone knew that he was angrier than anyone else here.
After a few moments of silence, the First Prince firmly nodded. “Then go!”
“Many thanks, Your Highness!”
After saying this, Li Junxian turned and left the hall.
This is a problem.
Zhangchou Jianqiong worriedly watched Li Junxian go.
The Confucian Sect was not an ordinary faction, and Li Junxian was an extremely shrewd man. Although Zhangchou Jianqiong instinctively believed that Wang Chong had taken this into account, he still didn’t exactly know how Wang Chong would handle it.
……
A few moments before…
Gallop!
Thousands of Public Order Squad cavalry, dressed in their bright red armor, had appeared around the crowd of protesting Hu, giving all of them a shock.
“What’s going on? Why have the Public Order Squads appeared here?”
The sudden appearance of these soldiers left all the Hu startled. Even Mochi Xiangyang, hidden with the crowd, couldn’t help but stand up in shock, his eyes wide open.
A Mengshe Zhao spy captain turned to Mochi Xiangyang and asked in shock, “Milord, what’s going on? Do the Public Order Squads still dare to arrest people at a time like this?”
After a few moments of thought, Mochi Xiangyang calmed down. “Relax! He’s not that bold!
“Within the palace, the officials of the Great Tang have gathered precisely to discuss the matter of the Public Order Squads arresting the Hu. That man couldn’t have gone so senile as to defy the court at a time like this.”
The First Prince was right in the middle of thinking about a way to seize Wang Chong, and Mochi Xiangyang was confident that Wang Chong understood the severity of his actions. This line of action was nothing but suicidal!
“Besides, do they think that
just a few thousand of them can catch tens of thousands of us?” Mochi Xiangyang sternly said.
The panicked Hu calmed down upon hearing Mochi Xiangyang’s words. Given that this man had obtained the high regard of Ü-Tsang’s legendary Imperial Minister, he was clearly no ordinary man. There was naturally some reasoning behind his words.
But a moment later…
Neeeigh!
A sharp neigh resounded in everyone’s ears, accompanied by a bellowed order.
“Everyone, listen up! Arrest all these Hu for me!”
A young officer at the front of the Public Order Squad pulled out his sword, its silver-white tip pointed straight at the dense crowd of Hu.
Boom!
The earth rumbled as the thousands of Public Order Squad cavalry charged into the Hu, their bodies seething with killing intent. Chaos ensued as the cavalry dismounted, tough ropes and chains in hand, and began to proficiently tie up the Hu.
“Ah!”
“What are you doing?! Release me!”
“Out of the way! Out of the way! They’re really starting to arrest us! Run!”
The loudly protesting Hu instantly fell into panic.
“How could they dare?!”
Mochi Xiangyang clenched his jaw, his eyes brimming with disbelief, but even more shocking developments awaited him.
Gallop! A few moments later, another stampede of hooves approached, the earth fiercely shaking under the orderly approach of this new force. As the disbelieving Hu looked on, even more Public Order Squad cavalry arrived, swiftly forming a long arc that surrounded the Hu protesting outside the palace gates.
From the sound of the hooves, there was a minimum of six thousand cavalry in this second batch.
Chapter 1583 - Pusan Tuoye!
Chapter 1583: Pusan Tuoye!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Everyone, hear my order! None of the Hu are allowed to escape! His Highness has said that there is an important individual within this crowd. If he manages to escape, you will be held responsible!”