The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The Golden Guard spoke with a trembling tone, and his face was grave.

  Bang!

  Wang Chong trembled, and he felt like he had been struck by a lightning bolt.

  “What?!”

  Old Eagle was extremely unique. He was one of Wang Chong’s earliest followers and also the most loyal.

  And unlike others, Old Eagle resided in the rear, and Wang Chong would normally never bring Old Eagle to the front with him. This made him safer than most, and Wang Chong had never been too worried about him.

  But Wang Chong had never imagined that Old Eagle would be ambushed, and this fact left him both stunned and enraged.

  “Where is he now? Have you investigated the perpetrators?” Wang Chong asked, staring at the Golden Guard.

  “We still don’t have the details of the situation. Lord Xu is currently escorting Old Eagle back to the residence,” the Golden Guard reported.

  A few moments later, Old Eagle was carried in on a stretcher. Wang Chong’s subordinates Su Shixuan, Cheng Sanyuan, and Chen Bin had heard the news, and they rushed over with looks of sorrow and fury on their faces.

  Old Eagle’s eyes were tightly shut, and his face was as white as a sheet of paper. His chest was stained with blood and it was apparent that numerous bones had been broken. Many of the crucial joints on his body showed heavy injury, and weapons shaped like golden hairpins had been thrust into several acupuncture points.

  It was obvious that the attackers had shown no mercy and had made every attempt to take Old Eagle’s life.

  “Lord Chen’s injuries are extremely serious. Twenty-nine places have been badly wounded, and in truth, the fact that he’s still alive is a miracle. I’ve already had him swallow pills and applied salve to his wounds, but the crucial part is that those assassination weapons were dipped in poison. This poison has already spread through his body. It will depend on Lord Chen to see if he can survive.”

  A white-haired doctor put away a blackening silver needle that he had just removed from Old Eagle’s body and sighed. He began to put away his medicine box as he prepared to leave.

  Once the doctor from King Song’s residence departed, an oppressive air descended.

  “What’s going on here? How could Old Eagle have been injured?”

  An ashen Wang Chong turned to the spy team member kneeling next to Old Eagle.

  “Your Highness, we also don’t know what’s going on. Those Tibetans seemed to have already scouted out the area. They pretended to be patrons and entered the restaurant before we did. The moment the lord let his guard down, they charged in and shouted ‘Avenge Great Minister Dalun!’ while madly attacking him,” the spy team member said.

  Buzz!

  The mention of ‘Great Minister Dalun’ made everyone grimace. The only person this could indicate was the Ngari Great Minister of Ü-Tsang who had died at the Battle of Talas, Dalun Ruozan.

  The spy team member continued.

  “…Those men were incredibly savage and fearless. Even though we tried our best, we were still no match for them, and even when the City Guard and Imperial Army arrived, they still didn’t run. In the end, our lord had to activate a switch that had been set up beforehand and escape into an underground tunnel to finally throw them off.”

  The spy team member’s eyes were streaked with blood.

  The spy team members all placed Old Eagle on an extremely high pedestal, and almost all of them had received personal guidance from him. In this sense, Old Eagle was both their superior and their teacher.

  The assassination attempt had provoked the entire spy team.

  In truth, it was the spy team members who had brought Old Eagle over on the stretcher, and many of them had died escorting him.

  Wang Chong said nothing, but everyone could sense the rage building up within him.

  Ever since Wang Chong had become the most renowned War God on the continent, no one had ever dared to challenge him like this. Even the enraged Ishbara Khagan chose to back away when confronted by Wang Chong’s terse threat, let alone others.

  This was the first time anyone had attacked one of Wang Chong’s subordinates like this, and in broad daylight, right at the feet of the Son of Heaven!

  Everyone knew that Old Eagle’s heavy injuries had already provoked Wang Chong’s ire, and those people would have to pay a heavy cost.

  “Your Highness, could it be people from the Ngari Royal Lineage…?” Xu Keyi proposed.

  In the Battle of Talas, Ü-Tsang had lost two Great Generals. While Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang were already dead, the commander of the Mutri Great Cavalry, Huoba Sangye, had survived. Moreover, Dalun Ruozan had been highly regarded throughout Ü-Tsang, and ever since his death, an undercurrent had been flowing under the surface of the plateau.

  Those people loyal to Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang had been constantly talking about avenging Dalun Ruozan. “If we can’t kill the enemy on the battlefield, we’ll kill him off the battlefield!” Such cries could be heard loud and clear within Ü-Tsang.

  They had already been thwarted several times. If these men were coming for Dalun Ruozan’s sake, then they had ample reason.

  “Impossible!”

  Wang Chong shook his head and firmly rejected the idea.

  “This matter can’t be that simple. Dalun Ruozan died at our hands, so if they had really intended to avenge Dalun Ruozan, they should have come for us. What does it have to do with Old Eagle? And besides, Old Eagle never even took part in the Battle of the Talas, nor was he responsible for intelligence gathering during the battle.

  “I was the one who set down the rules of the spy team. Old Eagle has fifty-seven active locations spread across the capital that he moves between each month. A few Tibetans who had infiltrated the capital wouldn’t know the area, so how could they so precisely pin down Old Eagle’s movements? Moreover, Old Eagle was in disguise and has never revealed his face to outsiders.”

  “!!!”

  These words left the others stunned, and the hall fell quiet.

  They had all believed that this was simply a Tibetan attempt at revenge, as the attackers truly had been Tibetans. It was so clearly laid out that none of them had doubted it. But Wang Chong’s words had left their eyes wide open, and they had finally noticed how suspicious the incident was.

  Yes!

  If the Tibetans had wanted revenge, they had large and obvious targets like the King of Foreign Lands Residence or Wang Family Residence. There would be no need to go through more trouble.

  They could have just attacked the King of Foreign Lands Residence.

  More importantly, Old Eagle was constantly moving between bases, and not even his friends knew his exact location.

  This matter was not as simple as it seemed.

  “Your Highness, what do you mean?”

  Now that they had all noticed how suspicious the incident was, they turned gravely toward Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong said nothing, only gazed at Old Eagle with sorrow and rage. No one could ambush his subordinates like this without paying a price. No matter who his opponent was, he would make them regret it!

  Wang Chong clenched his fists and coldly ordered, “Pass on my order! Mobilize all our men! Have the City Guard and Public Order Squads move out. Even if we have to turn over the entire capital, those Tibetans must be captured!”

  “Yes!”

  All of them replied in unison, and a few moments later, the entire capital began to move.

  Countless soldiers began to scour the city for those Tibetans, and none of them was more enraged than Zhang Que.

  Zhang Que was Old Eagle’s disciple, and Old Eagle had been both teacher and father to him.

  Upon learning that Old Eagle was heavily injured and in a coma, his survival uncertain, Zhang Que had immediately moved to take control of the almost paralyzed intelligence network. Repressing his rage, he had cast a vast net over the entire capital.

  Only one day later, Zhang Que had tracked them down.

  T
hey had been found in a caravan that was moving south.

  These Tibetan experts had swiftly noticed the danger that they were in and were trying to flee the capital. But they had not chosen to use the gate traditionally frequented by the merchants of the Western Regions, the western gate, instead choosing a caravan that was moving south. Once they were a safe distance from the capital, they would leave the caravan and circle back to Ü-Tsang.

  Wang Chong’s experts quickly moved out, working with the City Guard, Public Order Squad, and ten-some master archers who had participated in the border incident to form an interception squad.

  After a short but intense battle, half of the eight Tibetan experts were killed, and of the remaining four, two chose to commit suicide.

  The last two were captured, one of them heavily injured, and escorted to the prison beneath the King of Foreign Lands Residence.

  Chapter 1635 - Imperial Minister and War Saint!

  Chapter 1635: Imperial Minister and War Saint!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Clap!

  In the dim and sinister prison, a whip lashed the body of one of the Tibetan assassins. The immense power and sting of the whip immediately tore through the furs the Tibetan was wearing and left a long and bloody wound on his body.

  “Talk! Who put you up to this?”

  Zhang Que stared at the tied-up Tibetan assassin, his eyes streaked with blood and burning with rage.

  “Kekeke, keep hitting! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t talk. This is revenge for our Great Minister. Have you finally tasted a little pain now?”

  The assassin’s hair was disheveled and his body was covered in wounds, but his eyes remained cold and sharp, like those of a wolf.

  The lashes of the whip only made him more ferocious and defiant, as if the whip was striking someone else.

  “Hmph, what revenge? You were just a lackey for someone else. Without someone working with you, how would you know where Master would appear? And don’t you know? My master never took part in the Battle of Talas. He has nothing to do with Dalun Ruozan’s death. Even if you kill him, you’ve avenged nothing… just a bunch of pitiful ants being used by another!” Zhang Que coldly said.

  Buzz!

  The Tibetan assassin’s face instantly froze.

  “Hmph! No matter what you say, I’m willing to do anything as long as I can strike a blow against you,” the Tibetan assassin said, but his expression and tone were clearly not as harsh.

  “Hmph, still being stubborn! Come, attend upon him well! Remember, don’t let him die!”

  Zhang Que coldly snorted. Passing the whip to a spy team member, he turned around and left. At that moment, there was a deep sense of grief in his eyes.

  “Ah!”

  Screams began to rise from the cell. No mercy was shown to one’s enemies.

  In the main hall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong, Xu Keyi, Su Shixuan, and Chen Bin were waiting for Zhang Que.

  “Your Highness, you were right. Someone really was helping them. Those Tibetans were being used!”

  Zhang Que bowed, his eyes dim.

  Although the captured Tibetan assassin hadn’t directly said it, his reaction had revealed everything. They had clearly believed that they had been avenging Dalun Ruozan in this operation.

  “I understand. Thank you for your service. I understand what’s going on,” Wang Chong indifferently said. As he raised his head, countless thoughts rushed through his mind.

  Although he hadn’t gotten the name of the true culprit from the Tibetan assassin, there was no need for Wang Chong to ask such questions. The number of people in the capital who had the means and the motive for such an operation could be counted with one’s fingers.

  The First Prince! You again?

  A cold light gleamed in Wang Chong’s eyes.

  There were three people with the motive for this in the capital: King Qi, Li Junxian, and the First Prince.

  But King Qi had only known about Wang Chong, and all his operations had always been targeted at him. As for Old Eagle… King Qi was too proud to even consider him.

  As for Li Junxian, although the two of them got along like fire and water, the Confucian Sect was also too proud to lower themselves to such a level.

  This meant that there was only one person left with the proper motive. And if one considered what had happened in the Imperial Palace recently, the answer was obvious.

  But Wang Chong had never imagined that he would collude with Ü-Tsang.

  “No matter who the true culprit is, Ü-Tsang is undoubtedly connected, and the only one who could order these people to mobilize has to be a member of Ü-Tsang’s upper echelons. Zhang Que, write a letter for me recounting this entire incident to Ü-Tsang Imperial Minister Dalon Trinling. Tell him that this king is awaiting his reply.”

  Wang Chong’s face was a sheet of ice as he spoke.

  Dalon Trinling!

  Wang Chong had long known of this name. When it came to reputation, status, and ability, this man was far above the deceased Dalun Ruozan.

  Dalun Ruozan was only the Great Minister of the Ngari Royal Lineage, but Dalon Trinling was the true helmsman of that empire. This man had made his reputation almost entirely on several major victories in his early years against the Great Tang. Even when Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi was at his zenith, he was still apprehensive of the Imperial Minister within Ü-Tsang’s royal capital.

  In the militarist-Confucian conflict, the surrounding countries and Confucian Sect had conspired together, and all their negotiations and peace talks had gone abnormally smoothly.

  Wang Chong had long ago sensed that there was someone pushing these events from behind the scenes. There had to be someone in the foreign countries who was helping the Confucians rise and control the situation. And even though he had no evidence, Wang Chong was sure that this person was the Ü-Tsang Imperial Minister, Dalon Trinling.

  If someone claimed that this man knew nothing about this assassination and had played no role, Wang Chong would never believe it!

  Whoosh!

  Several days later, a letter bearing Wang Chong’s wrath flew across the mountains, over the plateau, and into the royal palace of Ü-Tsang.

  “Imperial Minister, a letter from the Great Tang.” The royal capital guard looked at the seal on the paper and froze. “It’s… from the King of Foreign Lands.”

  In the Ü-Tsang Empire, Wang Chong’s name was a taboo, and few even dared to refer to his title. Moreover, the Ü-Tsang Empire did not communicate with the King of Foreign Lands, and their relationship was one of enemies. This was the first time it had ever received a formal letter from the King of Foreign Lands.

  “Oh?”

  Dalon Trinling, who was studying a map of Ü-Tsang, the Great Tang, and the surrounding countries, raised his head.

  “Hand it over and let me see!”

  Upon receiving the letter and reading through it, Dalon Trinling couldn’t help but frown.

  Dalon Trinling had made his name much earlier than Wang Chong, even earlier than Wang Zhongsi. He was one of the most illustrious ministers on the continent.

  Wang Chong had become Young Marquis at the age of seventeen and King of Foreign Lands at the age of eighteen, and was the new War God of his generation!

  There was no question that Dalon Trinling had been the ‘Wang Chong’ for Ü-Tsang several decades ago, and he had become famous at no less an age than Wang Chong’s.

  And his fame at the time was also no less than Wang Chong’s.

  This was precisely why Dalon Trinling had always regarded Wang Chong rather highly.

  ‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated.’ This was a quotation from one of the military texts of the Central Plains. Until he was completely confident, until he thoroughly understood who Wang Chong was, Dalon Trinling would never recklessly attack him.

  “Interesting! I’d like to see what he can d
o!”

  Dalon Trinling gently smiled as he threw the letter to the side.

  That youth in the capital was still too simpleminded. He was merely the new War God of the Great Tang. Not even the invincible War God, now Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian, Wang Zhongsi could make him feel fear, let alone Wang Chong, so why would he be afraid of a mere letter?

  The Tibetan Plateau was not the Turkic steppe, and he was not Ishbara Khagan. Wang Chong’s threatening letter held no meaning to him.

  “Don’t worry about it! Continue with your tasks.”

  After saying this, Dalon Trinling turned his attention back to the map.

  ……

  Not long after the flapping of wings signaled the arrival of a bird, a Golden Guard came in and reported on the letter’s contents.

  “Your Highness, Ü-Tsang has sent back a reply. Dalon Trinling says that they know nothing about the incident in the capital and that although those people truly are Tibetans, just like the Great Tang, Ü-Tsang is not able to control all its people. He asks for Your Highness to not develop a misunderstanding of Ü-Tsang because of those people.”

  “Is that so?”

  Wang Chong coldly laughed.

  “There’s no evidence, so Ü-Tsang is uninvolved? Dalon Trinling, this is your reply! It seems that you don’t understand that this isn’t a negotiation, and I certainly don’t need you to admit to it. I only need a price.

  “You simply have no idea who you’re dealing with!” Wang Chong coldly said.

  There was no questioning Dalon Trinling’s prestige in Ü-Tsang, and he was probably the most troublesome minister still living in this world. But Wang Chong was himself the greatest War Saint in the history of the world!

  Wang Chong knew who he was facing, but Dalon Trinling had no idea who his opponent really was.

  “Inform the triangular pass. Have Li Siye and Su Hanshan get ready. After so much training, it’s about time they put some work in. In addition, write a letter for me to Big Dipper City’s Great General Geshu Han. Request him to do something for me!” Wang Chong indifferently said, his eyes frighteningly cold.

  Rumble!

  In the distant northeastern corner of Ü-Tsang, at the triangular gap, hooves thundered and dust billowed. Mounted upon a Ferghana steed, Li Siye folded up Wang Chong’s letter and put it in his bosom. He turned around, sweeping his sharp eyes across the vast plain. Countless soldiers were sweeping across the plain with a thunderous momentum.