The Bureau of Military Personnel had many matters to attend to every day, and as an important official of the court, he had even more problems on his plate.
This was particularly the case now, with the Imperial Court controlled by the Confucian Sect and the First Prince. Zhangchou Jianqiong was a single block of wood trying to prop up a tottering gate. For this reason, whenever he went home, Zhangchou Jianqiong would take a small side street after going past Vermillion Bird Avenue. This was for no other reason than that it was peaceful and quiet, allowing him time to ponder the problems on his mind.
In the thronging capital home to nearly one million people, such peace and quiet was extremely valuable.
But Zhangchou Jianqiong had never imagined that the other side would exploit this harmless pleasure.
“They had a very high level of martial arts, but they still underestimated me. I managed to kill one of them and break out, but I sustained some internal injuries.”
As Zhangchou Jianqiong spoke, he extended an arm and unleashed an azure stream of dense Stellar Energy that transformed into a lotus.
Wang Chong couldn’t help but widen his eyes in surprise.
Zhangchou Jianqiong had an intense desire for fame and renown. This was something that the man himself would not deny.
But it seemed that even though he was focused on achieving fame, Zhangchou Jianqiong had never put aside his cultivation of martial arts. Wang Chong could see from this move that though Zhangchou Jianqiong had not reached the Subtle realm, his cultivation level was still extremely profound.
But as these thoughts passed through his mind, something changed.
Not long after the Stellar Energy had taken the form of a lotus, an extremely black energy as thin as spider webs burst out of his palm.
Fwoosh! The lotus of Stellar Energy that Zhangchou Jianqiong had created immediately turned into a roaring black flame.
This flame was despotic and immediately burned Zhangchou Jianqiong’s Stellar Energy to nothing, upon which Zhangchou Jianqiong paled even further.
“The Fire of Mara!”
Wang Chong immediately stood up in alarm.
The black flame surging through Zhangchou Jianqiong’s body was extremely familiar to Wang Chong. It was none other than the Fire of Mara used by the men in black, though its nature seemed even more tyrannical and domineering than before.
“How could this be?!”
Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil as he stared at Zhangchou Jianqiong.
He had returned from the northwest not too long ago, so he was well aware of the energy used by the men in black.
The men in black had attacked Zhangchou Jianqiong! This was something Wang Chong had never imagined possible.
Why would the men in black attack Zhangchou Jianqiong? Given the past movements of these two, they should have never interacted before.
“You know them?”
It was Zhangchou Jianqiong’s turn to be surprised.
He had clearly not expected Wang Chong’s reaction.
“What’s going on here? Lord Zhangchou, can you give me a detailed account of what happened to you?”
Wang Chong’s brow furrowed, his expression grave and solemn.
The moment Zhangchou Jianqiong revealed the Fire of Mara in his body, the entire incident took on a completely different character.
Zhangchou Jianqiong pensively gazed at Wang Chong. This was not an aimless man, so there had to be a reason for this request.
Thus, Zhangchou Jianqiong began to explain the incident in detail.
But in Zhangchou Jianqiong’s view, this was just an ordinary assassination, where his opponent had been well-prepared and had learned his route. The only slight oddity was their martial arts.
“Lord Zhangchou, think back and try to remember if there was anything else strange about them,” Wang Chong asked.
Zhangchou Jianqiong was taken aback, but he quickly furrowed his brow in thought.
“Right, there was one other thing. Besides those black flames, these people could also transform into savage, bestial appearances. Their bodies grew several feet taller in just a few moments and their muscles became bursting with strength. Once they transformed, my attacks were much weaker against them. Moreover, their eyes became scarlet red.”
Half–Lu Wus!
Wang Chong’s brow furrowed even deeper. He was now certain that it was the men in black who had attacked Zhangchou Jianqiong.
What’s going on here? Why would they attack Zhangchou Jianqiong?
Wang Chong’s mind was seething. He could see no intersection of interests between the men in black and Zhangchou Jianqiong. The two shouldn’t have even been in conflict.
“Wang Chong, what’s wrong?” Zhangchou Jianqiong asked.
“I hope it’s not what I think.”
Wang Chong shook his head, a deep unease in his mind.
“But it’s not the background of those people that I’m actually worried about.”
Wang Chong did not explain, and Zhangchou Jianqiong did not pursue. His brow furrowed as he expressed his concerns.
“What I’m really worried about is that these people came with a very firm goal in mind. They were after the half of the Commander Tally that I have on my waist. Why the Commander Tally? Everyone in the world knows, from the commoner to a martial artist in a sect, that taking this Commander Tally has no use to them. But it’s different for the people in the court, and only those people would want the Commander Tally. This is what I’m afraid of.”
Buzz!
Wang Chong’s eyes widened and his face paled.
“Lord Zhangchou, you mean that the men in black were after the Commander Tally?”
“Mm!” Zhangchou Jianqiong grunted. He had failed to notice the change in Wang Chong’s tone.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled in Wang Chong’s heart as great waves raged.
The men in black!
The Commander Tally!
With these two thoughts, Wang Chong felt his heart dropping into an endless abyss. He had never wanted things to develop in this direction, but now, it was all displayed right in front of him.
The men in black had come for the Commander Tally!
And there was only one person in the Great Tang Imperial Court who had any use for the Commander Tally.
How could this be? The men in black are colluding with the First Prince!
Even though Wang Chong had reincarnated and had been through countless storms, he had never before felt so uneasy and disconcerted.
The First Prince had almost complete control over the Great Tang, with the Confucian Sect, the Prime Minister, and King Qi all standing with him. Even the Army-Shattering War God from one hundred years ago who had been only second to Su Zhengchen was serving him.
And now, those mysterious men in black who were intimately connected to the apocalypse were working with the First Prince. Wang Chong had never imagined this.
One resided in the inner palace while the other was mysterious and unfathomable, having existed in this world for far longer than anyone could imagine. How could these two forces be working together?!
“Wang Chong, what’s wrong?”
Although Zhangchou Jianqiong’s reaction was a little slow, he finally recognized that Wang Chong was acting very strangely.
Wang Chong didn’t hide anything and gave a brief overview of the men in black. While he skipped across a few matters, what he told Zhangchou Jianqiong was enough to leave him shaken with disbelief.
If it weren’t Wang Chong telling him all this, he would have found it complete nonsense.
“This… how could a faction like this exist, persisting for thousands of years and even deciding the rise and fall of empires?”
Zhangchou Jianqiong’s eyes were wide with shock. What Wang Chong had talked about was completely beyond his imagination.
“You’ve experienced their power, their incredible ability to transform their bodies. What’s strange about all these other thi
ngs?” Wang Chong indifferently said. Zhangchou Jianqiong’s current reaction was the same as his when he first encountered these men in black.
Wang Chong had now fought with them many times and keenly understood their power, but Zhangchou Jianqiong clearly did not understand the importance of this incident yet.
After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong took a small satchel from his waist.
“I’ll give this to you.” He took out a black metal box from within and handed it over.
Zhangchou Jianqiong looked in confusion at the simple black box.
“This was the first operation of those men in black, and they clearly underestimated your strength. But since they’ve struck once but didn’t achieve their goal, they won’t let the matter go. They will try a second time, and a third! This box will help protect you. If they approach you, you’ll know ahead of time and will be able to determine where they are!”
“Thank you!” Zhangchou Jianqiong said. Although he didn’t know what this box was, if those people were really as Wang Chong said—if Wang Chong really wasn’t exaggerating—then this box had the potential to save his life.
“Wang Chong, you have to look out for yourself as well! The current Imperial Court is no longer the court of the past. Gao Xianzhi has been Anxi’s Protector-General for ten-some years, but he was removed in a single day. King Song was respected by the army and the empire, but he was swiftly toppled. Now, they’re starting to reach their hands toward us.”
Zhangchou Jianqiong couldn’t help but sigh. According to the laws of the Great Tang, the Commander Tally could order around all the soldiers of the realm, from the Protector-Generals down to the lowliest soldier. The authority imbued in this object was second only to the Imperial Seal.
In order to guard against its use for ulterior motives, the Commander Tally was divided into two halves. One half was wielded by the sovereign in the inner palace, while the other half was held by the Minister of War.
When the two halves of the Commander Tally were brought together, the armies of the realm could be fully mobilized!
Chapter 1664 - Surging Undercurrent!
Chapter 1664: Surging Undercurrent!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
When Zhangchou Jianqiong had first moved from the southwest to the capital, the half of the Commander Tally which represented supreme authority was something he had dreamed about. But now, it was the hottest potato in the empire, the most fatal tally that could end his life.
Without realizing it, Zhangchou Jianqiong had walked into the center of the storm.
The Commander Tally was kept protected on the person of the Minister of War, and it could not be handed to any other person. Even if Zhangchou Jianqiong wanted to back away now or give the Commander Tally to someone else, it was impossible.
Wang Chong said nothing, but he could understand what Zhangchou Jianqiong was feeling. But there was no backing down for anyone now.
“Whether or not I survive is a trifling matter. My worry is that this is only the beginning, that the heavens above the Great Tang are about to change!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong had a look of grave concern.
The hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Wang Chong’s brow creased as if he was in deep thought.
Meanwhile, as Wang Chong was paying a visit to Zhangchou Jianqiong, the members of the Eastern Palace had convened a meeting.
Flap flap!
In the middle of their discussion, there was a flapping of wings, and then a fierce gyrfalcon with a beak like an iron hook flew through the window.
The moment the gyrfalcon flew in, a rough and wrinkled finger reached out to receive it.
“Your Highness, we’ve just received word that the King of Foreign Lands is heading toward Zhangchou Jianqiong’s residence!”
Kim U-Seok stepped forward and bowed.
With the First Prince’s support, he now had many intelligence members under his command, some of them even recruited from the former royal house of Goguryeo. Purely when it came to scouts, he had six to seven hundred, and even the bending of a blade of grass in the Imperial City would not be able to escape his gaze.
“Hmph, he went, as expected. Truly unsurprising!”
The First Prince put down his teacup and coldly smiled.
Zhangchou Jianqiong and Wang Chong had worked together in the Public Order Squad incident, and by now, everyone in the court knew of their relationship.
“Your Highness, we’ve already received three memorials from Zhangchou Jianqiong, all of them saying that he is unwell and will be recovering in his residence. The rules of the Imperial Court will make it very difficult for us to prevent this,” Zhu Tong’en commented at this time.
“I didn’t think that even their men would fail. This is a problem,” another voice said, its owner taking a few steps forward. This was Asura, who had been rescued from the Imperial Clan Court some time ago.
He had been the one who had carried out the preliminary surveillance of Zhangchou Jianqiong’s route, discovering that small alley that he liked to frequent.
Kim U-Seok’s scouts were of too low a level, and they would have been easily discovered by Zhangchou Jianqiong.
But Asura had never imagined that those powerful assassins would also fail. Zhangchou Jianqiong was now on his guard and had even holed up in his house while claiming that he was unwell. This would make any further operations much more difficult.
“Without Zhangchou Jianqiong’s Commander Tally, we can’t proceed with our plan,” Asura added.
The hall instantly fell silent.
“Ghost King, what is your view on this matter?” the First Prince suddenly asked, his gaze turning to his right, where the Ghost King was seated motionlessly under a coiling dragon pillar.
During the discussion, the Ghost King had not participated, his eyes closed in thought as if this entire matter had nothing to do with him.
In the First Prince’s faction, the Ghost King possessed supreme status, with even the First Prince showing him respect.
The assassination of Zhangchou Jianqiong was actually a plan the Ghost King had proposed from the very start. On that model of the capital, one of the flags the Ghost King had put down had been thrust into Zhangchou Jianqiong’s residence.
The Bureau of Military Personnel was the pivot around which the armies of the realm turned, and it controlled the immense military might of the Great Tang. If the First Prince wanted to ascend to the Throne of the Nine and Five, he could not ignore this critical piece.
“Seizing Zhangchou Jianqiong’s Commander Tally is the superior plan, but it is not the only one.”
The Ghost King opened his eyes, and his first words immediately caused everyone else to feel relieved.
As expected of the wisest strategist of the Eastern Palace, the Ghost King always had a back-up plan. As long as the Ghost King had a plan, it meant that their side would not have to be too passive.
The Ghost King’s identity had always been unfathomable and imposing. At the start, all of them had still been somewhat unconvinced, but now, as they began to finally realize who he was, they began to follow him with sincere devotion, and all their complaints disappeared.
“Only with the Commander Tally can we order around the six Protector-Generals and the various armies, but even if we don’t have it, that doesn’t mean that we can’t execute our plan. The Confucian Sect controls the Imperial Court, and they’ve already disbanded the prefectural armies and have significantly reduced the armies of the six protectorates. Even if they’re dissatisfied, their influence would be greatly reduced if they tried to make an enemy of the First Prince. Is this not why the First Prince agreed with the Confucian Sect to disband the prefectural armies in the first place?”
The Ghost King slightly raised his head to look up at the First Prince.
The First Prince was first in line to the throne of the Great Tang, the presumptive Crown Prince, and the ideal candidate f
or the next Sage Emperor. From the First Prince’s perspective, the Confucian Sect using its control of the Imperial Court to disband many soldiers was not of too great a benefit, but the First Prince had still agreed. It was only now that the reason was being revealed.
The First Prince’s eyes twitched, but he didn’t deny anything. The Ghost King was right. This truly had been one of the reasons driving his decision.
“Without the Commander Tally, we can still mobilize soldiers. It will just be a little more problematic,” the Ghost King indifferently said.
“How do we do it?” the First Prince almost immediately blurted out, his heart growing somewhat impatient.
This question was on the mind of everyone else in the hall, and they all awaited the Ghost King’s answer.
“Heh, Lord Zhu, you said that Zhangchou Jianqiong is unwell at home and has sent several memorials to the Imperial Court.”
The Ghost King smiled as he turned to Zhu Tong’en. This question took everyone by surprise, and Zhu Tong’en momentarily froze in shock.
“Yes, the Imperial Court has already agreed. I have heard that Zhangchou Jianqiong is refusing all guests and won’t even leave the gates of his estate. He’s even started to plant crops in his home so that he can provide everything that he eats himself,” Zhu Tong’en reported.
The high nobles and officials of the capital, particularly those as important as Zhangchou Jianqiong, were richly compensated by the Imperial Court, so the majority of them bought their food from the marketplace. But Zhangchou Jianqiong had chosen to start growing food in his estate to supply himself, making him stand out from the rest.
And everyone knew that Zhangchou Jianqiong hadn’t started doing this just today. He had started from the day King Song was attacked.
“Since that’s the case, Your Highness should let him do as he pleases. Let him stay safe and sound within his home,” the Ghost King indifferently said.
The First Prince’s face froze in surprise, puzzled as to the Ghost King’s meaning. Zhangchou Jianqiong being unwell was just an excuse and a way to protect himself. If he stayed inside his residence, the First Prince would never be able to get the Commander Tally, never be able to mobilize the soldiers… no. At this moment, the First Prince trembled in shock as he realized something.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1025
