The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “You have to look at who forced them into this. Besides His Highness, who else could do this?! In the capital, it’s now said that one letter from His Highness is the same as one million soldiers. Everyone in the capital is asking for His Highness’s calligraphy; there have even been a few book thieves trying to get into the residence lately.”

  Laughter resounded in the Wang Family Residence. The matter of Wang Chong’s short letter causing the enraged Ishbara Khagan to call back his soldiers and lower his head had already spread throughout the entire capital. Most importantly, it had not been Wang Chong, but the Western Turks themselves who had revealed the matter of the letter.

  While the talk in the capital of people using Wang Chong’s handwriting as talismans against evil and treasures to be passed down through generations were just jokes, they were also proof of this matter’s influence.

  With the First Prince as regent, for them to say such words was truthfully a great taboo, but Wang Chong did not stop them. They had been oppressed for too long and needed some good news to energize them. And with all of them happy, Wang Chong couldn’t help but feel a little happy with them.

  “This is only a minor victory!”

  Once they had all laughed enough and began to quiet down, Wang Chong placed his hands behind his back and surveyed them.

  “It will be a long road to defeat the Confucian Sect and put everything on the right track. But this incident has probably blunted the Confucian Sect’s sharpness, and they will probably be more restrained for a while and not try any tricks. As for the other countries, who were colluding with the Confucian Sect and trying to take advantage of the situation, this incident was probably a good lesson for them. We won’t necessarily take action, but once we do, they will have to carefully consider the consequences. At the very least, I hope that such a border incident won’t happen again.”

  “Hahaha, with Your Highness here, how could they dare to act so arrogantly?!”

  Everyone chuckled. To repay debts and avenge offenses, using their lives to fulfill their oaths and protect the empire, was one of the primary reasons they all unswervingly followed Wang Chong. No matter what predicament they were in, they would never betray or leave him.

  Wang Chong scanned the room again and added, “Right, the register for the border operation is done. We can start distributing awards based on achievement.”

  Four hundred of the best cavalry of the Great Tang had gone to the Turkic steppe in this operation, creating a miracle where four hundred defeated twelve thousand and even brought captives back to the capital.

  Such achievements should have been rewarded long ago, but the Imperial Court had yet to make a decision, so there was a concern that if the name register were leaked, the Imperial Court might choose to arrest these people out of revenge.

  After all, the First Prince was the regent.

  In order to protect the four hundred cavalry, Wang Chong had never publicly announced their names or released the register.

  But now that everything was over and the First Prince had even given him a rank seven civil post, he could settle this matter.

  In this border operation, they had made no errors and rendered great feats!

  By rewarding them, he would be letting the entire world know of their feats, ensuring that the Imperial Court would not dare to touch them. Secondly, he could also bolster the morale of the army and the people.

  “Right, who was the commander of this raid?” Wang Chong asked.

  The overall tactics and strategy displayed in this operation had left a very deep impression on Wang Chong. Wang Chong had ordered Li Siye and Su Hanshan at the triangular gap to pick the best of the best, and Wang Chong had actually intended for them to go to the steppe on this operation.

  But Li Siye and Su Hanshan had recommended someone else, even saying that this man was more than capable of completing the mission. Based on the trust Li Siye and Su Hanshan had shown in this man, and also following the principle of ‘don’t use people you doubt and don’t doubt people you use’, Wang Chong had decided to comply.

  But this man had been even more outstanding than Wang Chong had imagined.

  His plan for marching through the steppe had been seamlessly executed, and he had also struck Ashide’s army at the right time and with great resolve, breaking the Turks again and again before they could get a steady footing and shattering their morale.

  He had also been very flexible on the journey back, adapting as the circumstances changed. The command ability of this man had left a deep impression on Wang Chong.

  Xu Keyi lowered his head and reported, “Milord, this is a new man to our force who was discovered by Sirs Su Hanshan and Li Siye during the training at the triangular gap. His name is Guo Ziyi!”

  He had been in constant contact with Li Siye and Su Hanshan, so he naturally knew who this person was.

  Boom!

  Wang Chong had only asked out of curiosity, but when he heard this name, he trembled all over in shock.

  “What did you say? What is his name?”

  Chapter 1612 - The King of Foreign Lands Residence!

  Chapter 1612: The King of Foreign Lands Residence!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The room was entirely silent as everyone noticed Wang Chong’s strange reaction. Even Xu Keyi couldn’t help but grow uneasy, wondering just how he had misspoken.

  “He’s called… Guo Ziyi!” Xu Keyi repeated himself, and then added, “He’s from the Shannan Circuit, and participated in the military examinations in his early years. However, he wanted to defend the border, so he joined the army, and it has been eleven years since then!”

  Xu Keyi had failed to notice the dumbstruck expression on Wang Chong’s face.

  It’s him! It’s really him! Wang Chong inwardly murmured, his face in disbelief. The name was the same, as was the record and participation in the military examination. Wang Chong was speechless.

  He had simply intended to distribute rewards now that the border incident was over, never expecting to hear this name.

  “Quickly, have him come in!” Wang Chong said.

  A few moments later, an armored general with a white-tasseled helmet came in with ten-some men, all of them seething with killing intent.

  “Paying respects to His Highness!”

  Upon seeing Wang Chong, all of them reverentially kneeled.

  In the army, Wang Chong was the new ‘god’, the symbol of the Great Tang army. His convictions and conduct were something that all the Tang soldiers wanted to achieve.

  Wang Chong was the goal that every soldier wanted to pursue, and thus, they had willingly given their lives and fought fearlessly against an opponent many times their size.

  To fight for the sake of a greater goal and protect the country was the highest honor.

  “You’ve been through a lot! All of you, rise!”

  Wang Chong complimented the soldiers and then quickly turned his eyes to the white-tasseled general.

  There was a strange light in Wang Chong’s eyes as he asked, “You are Guo Ziyi?”

  The white-tasseled general respectfully replied, “This general pays respects to Your Highness!”

  Now that Wang Chong could carefully examine this general, he saw that he was only around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and his cultivation wasn’t too high, only around Tier Four or Five of the Saint Martial realm.

  But his straight-backed figure was like a spear thrust into the ground. Even though he was standing, his head was still slightly lowered, and his expression was neither too meek nor too proud. His body exuded the steely demeanor of a veteran who had been tempered through battle.

  Even Wang Chong couldn’t help but mentally nod in approval.

  It seems that it is him, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

  This world was not the one from his past, and there were many differences between them, with Guo Ziyi being one of them.

  In the other world, Guo Z
iyi1 should have been forty or fifty, but this one was much younger. And unlike the Guo Ziyi of the past, the course of destiny had caused this Guo Ziyi to become a soldier under his command.

  But while they were different, their abilities were indisputable.

  Guo Ziyi was clearly not as strong as he had been in his past life, but he was already beginning to show his potential. In the future, he was certain to be on par with Li Siye.

  More importantly, he had played an important role in that unprecedented rebellion that would arise from Youzhou. He might be able to do the same in this world.

  I didn’t hear any stories about him in this world, but the changes in the world probably caused his radiance to be obscured. But since I’ve run into him, I have to help him unleash his true splendor!

  Wang Chong’s face showed no expression, but countless thoughts were rushing through his mind.

  A good sword’s edge was obtained through tempering, and the bitterness of winter produced the scent of plum blossoms. The Guo Ziyi of the other world was able to become a Great General because he was the person who had suffered the most hardships and setbacks.

  It was precisely these difficulties and half a life of obscurity that had created a legendary Great General in that time of strife.

  The man before him clearly lacked this tempering and that composure and stability.

  But Wang Chong had his ways of tempering him.

  As for his martial arts, although he was only Tier Four or Five of the Saint Martial realm, the fact that he had broken into the Saint Martial realm was proof of his comprehension abilities. Wang Chong could give him some powerful martial arts to bring him to Tier Seven or Eight. Even the Brigadier General level wasn’t too difficult.

  As these ideas flitted through his mind, Wang Chong nodded in resolution.

  “The mission is over, and there won’t be any battles around the triangular gap for the time being. I happen to have a mission that I plan to give to you, but I don’t know if you’re willing to take it,” Wang Chong said.

  Guo Ziyi cupped his fist and immediately replied, “As long as it has to do with battle, this general is willing!”

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but smile. It truly was that man. As long as it had to do with battle, he would never refuse. This was a pure general.

  “Xu Keyi, I recall you telling me before that Xue Qianjun has encountered a few difficulties on the Eastern Islands. Prepare some soldiers and have Guo Ziyi lead them to take care of this matter,” Wang Chong said.

  Everyone in the room was surprised by these words, and even Xu Keyi couldn’t help but glance at the young general in surprise. He knew that this was a decent general with some formidable skill.

  But not even Xu Keyi had imagined that Wang Chong would regard him so highly. Xue Qianjun was a veteran general who had been through the sea of corpses at Talas, and he had the assistance of many others. Any problem he encountered was bound to be a complicated one.

  But Wang Chong wanted this young general to go forth and solve Xue Qianjun’s problem. One could tell that he had an extremely high opinion of this man.

  “Yes!”

  Although he was surprised, Xu Keyi nodded without hesitation. His Highness’s eyes had never been wrong, and since he thought that this was the man for the job, he naturally was.

  There was definitely something amazing about this young general!

  The border incident had been resolved and the Confucian Sect had been temporarily suppressed, and Wang Chong even had a new future Great General that he had already made plans for. With all this done, Wang Chong relaxed and instantly became much happier.

  He proceeded to reward the rest of the squad according to their achievements and recorded them in the ledger. He then had a jar of wine that had been sealed for many years taken out and had a drink with everyone.

  “Reporting!”

  In the joyous air, a Wang Clan guard rushed in and got down on one knee in front of Wang Chong.

  “Your Highness, the King of Foreign Lands Residence rewarded by the Imperial Court has finished construction. We have just received word from the Bureau of Works! Your Highness can move in at any time!”

  The Wang Family Residence instantly fell silent as everyone turned to look at the guard.

  “Oh?”

  Wang Chong slightly raised an eyebrow in surprise. The Bureau of Works was under the control of King Qi, causing the work on Wang Chong’s King of Foreign Lands Residence to intentionally be delayed. Even though Wang Chong had been King of Foreign Lands for some time, he still lacked a royal residence and basically still lived in the Wang Family Residence. This was a first for a high noble of the Great Tang.

  Wang Chong had already accepted that his residence might never be finished, but now, to his surprise, it was done.

  This isn’t in line with his style!

  The image of King Qi flashed in Wang Chong’s mind, but regardless, his residence was done, and the King of Foreign Lands now had a residence of his own. This was a matter worth celebrating.

  “Haha, come! Let’s go and look! In a few days, we’ll be officially moving in!” Wang Chong declared, causing another round of cheers.

  ……

  “What?! You said the craftsmen stopped listening to my orders and picked up the pace to finish the King of Foreign Lands Residence?”

  In the King Qi Residence, King Qi was dumbstruck, not daring to believe his ears.

  “Yes, the news is confirmed!” the trembling scout in the hall reported.

  “Bastard! Bastard! A pack of good-for-nothings, trash!”

  King Qi exploded, his body trembling in rage. He lunged over and kicked the scout ten-some meters. The immense power in the strike heavily damaged the scout’s organs and caused him to vomit blood, but he didn’t even dare to grunt.

  “Where are those craftsmen? Seize them all and have them executed!”

  King Qi’s furious roars resounded through the hall, but no one around him dared to move and actually carry out King Qi’s order.

  Under the feet of the Son of Heaven, not even King Qi dared to truly kill innocents, and besides, Wang Chong was there.

  King Qi raged for an entire day, an entire day that the King Qi Residence spent in abject fear.

  ……

  In the most prosperous western part of the capital, a massive and resplendent estate stood, several thousand meters from the Imperial Palace. Several large words had been vigorously engraved into its golden signboard.

  ‘King of Foreign Lands Residence’!

  The words gleamed and sparkled.

  It was said that the Sage Emperor himself had written the words, which the craftsmen had replicated through wood rubbings. Beneath the signboard were two bronze gates painted with cinnabar, their bases dotted with numerous rivets. Both to the left and to the right of the gate were two-meter-tall Qilins, two on each side.

  Qilins were divine beasts, and without enormous achievements, not even high nobles or officials would dare to place Qilins at their door. Normally, it would just be two stone lions.

  Those with great achievements in battle could set up two Qilins, but they would be bronze, iron, or even stone Qilins. Gold Qilins, and four of them for a single gate, was a privilege enjoyed only by Wang Chong.

  These were all privileges that the Sage Emperor had granted some time ago, but King Qi had intentionally delayed the construction. It was said that King Qi’s rage and his intentional delays were in many ways related to the four golden Qilins.

  Chapter 1613 - Catching a Turtle in a Jar! (I)

  Chapter 1613: Catching a Turtle in a Jar! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The four golden Qilins meant that Wang Chong had a higher status than King Qi, something that King Qi could never accept.

  The King of Foreign Lands Residence was finished. Fireworks exploded and countless officials and generals voiced their congratulations as Wang Chong and his joyous subordinates off
icially moved in.

  The new residence was twice the size of the Wang Family Residence and exuded an air of majesty. The Sage Emperor had even placed five hundred Golden Guards to guard his residence. These men were the elite of the elite, and all of them were loyal and reliable. And upon seeing the insides of the residence, Wang Chong could only sigh in praise.

  He had thought that King Qi would cut corners on the construction, but it was apparent that since the Imperial Court had already confirmed the treatment and standards Wang Chong should enjoy, not even King Qi dared to do anything more than delay the work. He didn’t touch a single detail of the insides.

  This was the power of the Imperial Court’s laws!

  After the party was over, everything returned to peace and quiet.

  Whoosh!

  An exquisite tea pot decorated with golden dragons was held in the air, white steam pouring out from the tiger-shaped spout as tea was poured into a teacup which was white on the outside and uniformly green on the inside.

  “Good tea! This should be the Jinjunmei tea that the First Prince gifted you, right?”

  Within the main hall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence, King Song took a light sip of tea and sighed.

  “Your Highness truly has sharp eyes. This is the Jinjunmei tea that the First Prince gifted me.”

  Wang Chong lightly chuckled as he put the tea pot back on the table. After a long wait, the King of Foreign Lands Residence was finally done, and King Song had seized this rare opportunity where the two of them could just sit down and enjoy some tea.

  “Savor it well. This is high-quality tribute tea, and only five boxes were offered in all. Two boxes were left for the Empress and the Consorts, one for the Sage Emperor’s personal use, and another box was for the Grand Commandant. This box was one that the First Prince had left for his personal use. From this, we can see that the First Prince was plotting something when he gave you those rewards.”