The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Your Highness, be at ease. I have everything planned out!” Hou Junji reassured, his gaze fixed on the distant Zhao Fengchen. In both tone and expression, he was relaxed and confident. Given all his decades of experience, there was very little in the world that could shake him.

  “After today, Your Highness should get ready to take flight like the Kun Peng and fully unleash all your aspirations.”

  Hou Junji spoke as if he was just throwing out a casual comment, but the First Prince thinly smiled.

  Ever since he had allied with those people, their best decision and greatest assistance had been to send the Army-Shattering War God to his side.

  “Let them begin!”

  All the members of the Eastern Palace smiled and turned toward Wang Chong’s location.

  It was time to see what Wang Chong did!

  ……

  On the southern end of the drilling ground, the mood was tense, but while Li Lin and Bai Siling were quite uneasy, Wang Chong was rather composed.

  “Wang Chong, these people are too shameless! They even attacked Grand Marshal Li and my big brother! They occupy three out of the six spots in this competition. We have to stop them no matter what!” Bai Siling indignantly said.

  While Bai Siling had a rather rebellious personality, she was still a daughter of the Bai Clan. While Bai Siling felt nothing for the majority of her fellow clan members, she felt nothing but respect for her outstanding big brother.

  When she was little, Bai Hanzhou had been her idol, as he had been for many other sons and daughters of the Bai Clan. Now that Bai Hanzhou had been attacked, Bai Siling was naturally furious.

  Wang Chong simply nodded.

  “This is the last round of the Imperial Army competition, so the First Prince isn’t just going to sit still. This is his chance to make his move. Uncle-in-law, send a messenger to Zhao Fengchen telling him to be careful,” Wang Chong suddenly said. Li Lin and Bai Siling both trembled at these words.

  “Chong-er, you mean…” Li Lin solemnly said.

  “Since a little while ago, my intuition has been telling me that something is wrong. Everything is going too smoothly, which isn’t the style of the First Prince or Hou Junji. If things are abnormal, there’s evil afoot. In any case, there’s nothing wrong with telling Zhao Fengchen to be careful,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  “Mm!”

  Li Lin nodded and quickly left.

  As the seconds ticked by, everyone waited with bated breath for the final list to be announced.

  The list announcing the order of the fighters was extremely important and could directly decide the outcome. Even Wang Chong was waiting.

  “Hou Junji, just what are you thinking?”

  Wang Chong slowly turned to the Eastern Palace’s group, particularly the black-robed and mysterious Ghost King.

  The First Prince had complete control over the order of the combatants, and it was impossible for Wang Chong to interfere. This was the only part of the competition where the First Prince could openly interfere.

  Gallop!

  A few moments later, a dazzling Golden Guard rode into the center of the drilling ground, watched by an expectant crowd.

  “The First Prince has ordered for the list of combatants for the final round of the Imperial Army competition to be formally announced! The first match, Xuanwu Army Marshal Zhao Fengchen!”

  The last two words rolled across the drilling ground like a peal of thunder.

  Upon hearing this name, Wang Chong, Li Lin, Zhao Fengchen, and many other great clan members who knew the truth about the matter trembled in shock.

  “What’s going on? The order was decided by the First Prince, and if Duan Zhuyan or Lu Qiongji went first, they could directly challenge the injured Bai Hanzhou or Li Xuanyi, occupying as many of the three Grand Marshal spots as possible. So why make Zhao Fengchen go first?” Li Lin whispered, his eyebrows creasing.

  Everyone in the Imperial Army knew that Zhao Fengchen’s direct superior was Li Xuanyi. While Zhao Fengchen had been able to reach his high position so quickly partially due to his own background and efforts, it was also due to the support of Grand Marshal Li Xuanyi. If Zhao Fengchen went first, given Li Xuanyi’s condition, he would probably just stand aside and let Zhao Fengchen take his place.

  While it was still not certain who the ultimate victor would be, this one match would put Zhao Fengchen in an enormously advantageous position. It was of no benefit to the First Prince to do this.

  Wang Chong said nothing, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

  In the distance, Zhao Fengchen and Li Xuanyi had also sensed something strange, the ‘master’ and ‘disciple’ glancing at each other. At the very least, if Li Xuanyi lost, he would be losing to his favored general and could exit gracefully.

  Asura, under his suit of Golden Guard armor, was similarly confused, stepping forward and whispering into the First Prince’s ears, “Your Highness, this doesn’t seem to be good for us! If we had our men go first, Li Xuanyi would be in no state to win!”

  “On this matter… this prince understands how to proceed!”

  The First Prince merely smiled and waved Asura away.

  The crowd was left to its speculations as the Golden Guard turned his horse around and left. A few moments later, a loud horn blared, indicating that the match would soon begin.

  According to the rules of the contest, Zhao Fengchen and the other two challengers could challenge any one of the Grand Marshals. If they succeeded in their challenge, they could replace that Grand Marshal.

  Gallop!

  Hooves thundered as Zhao Fengchen led his five hundred elites onto the field. Everyone silently watched, even the Eastern Palace members.

  “Lord Zhao, have you determined your opponent?” the eunuch standing in the center of the drilling ground asked, his face devoid of emotion.

  Zhao Fengchen said nothing, his eyes half-closed in apparent thought. Huang Tianzhao, Bai Hanzhou, and Li Xuanyi all watched and waited for his decision.

  “Lord Zhao, have you finished thinking?” the eunuch prompted after a few moments.

  “Sir Eunuch, for this match, I would like to challenge…”

  Zhao Fengchen opened his eyes and slowly scanned the three Grand Marshals.

  Huang Tianzhao arrogantly smiled, apparently confident in his strength. Bai Hanzhou was cold and aloof, not revealing any emotions. Only Li Xuanyi gave a comforting smile.

  But just when everyone believed that Zhao Fengchen would choose Li Xuanyi, Zhao Fengchen suddenly turned to the edge of the drilling ground and looked at Wang Chong.

  In this exchange of glances, Zhao Fengchen subtly smiled.

  “I’m done thinking. For this match, I challenge… Duan Zhuyan!”

  These words were like a crashing boulder, instantly causing an uproar on the western end of the drilling ground.

  “Duan Zhuyan? Why is it Duan Zhuyan?”

  “Has Zhao Fengchen wanted to defeat those two from the start?”

  “But what’s going on? Shouldn’t he have chosen one of the three Grand Marshals?”

  The crowd was in turmoil, cries of alarm heard all around.

  Too sudden!

  No one had expected Zhao Fengchen to challenge one of the other two Marshals.

  “What is this bastard thinking?”

  The First Prince nastily scowled. He had clearly not expected this decision from Zhao Fengchen.

  “Marshal Zhao, you are sure?”

  The eunuch also had a nasty expression.

  “Sir Eunuch, if I remember correctly, according to the promotion rules of the Imperial Army, only by successfully challenging a Grand Marshal can one be promoted and become a Grand Marshal. But the rules do not forbid challenging another Marshal. On the contrary, if someone feels that another one of the three challengers is not qualified for the final battle, they are allowed to fight that candidate and eliminate them.

  “Sir Eunuch, precedent for this law was set several decades ago with the Sage Empero
r himself. Am I correct on this?” Zhao Fengchen said.

  “This…”

  The eunuch was momentarily speechless.

  “Is Lord Zhao right? Does the Imperial Army really have this rule?”

  Everyone had been able to hear Zhao Fengchen’s booming voice and was avidly discussing the information he had divulged.

  “There really is this sort of rule, but it is rarely used,” one clan patriarch said. Although the rule Zhao Fengchen had mentioned was new to the vast majority of people, many great clans had members in the Imperial Army, so they had a thorough understanding of the rules.

  Nothing could be done without rules and laws, and since its founding, the Great Tang had a complete set of laws that covered almost everything. The Imperial Army competition was no exception. As the First Prince was only the regent and not the actual sovereign, he did not have the power to change these rules and had to follow the laws set down by his predecessors.

  On the southern end of the drilling ground, Li Lin seemed to understand something and whispered into Wang Chong’s ear, “Was this something you discussed with Zhao Fengchen beforehand?”

  Zhao Fengchen had a very upright personality, so he would have normally never thought of anything so unconventional. Li Lin believed that there was a ninety percent chance that Wang Chong was involved.

  Wang Chong merely smiled in reply, making no effort to deny it. Li Lin had been right on the mark.

  Chapter 1724 - The Great Zhuyan Halo!

  Chapter 1724: The Great Zhuyan Halo!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr“The rules of the Imperial Army competition are not as inflexible as they seem. The challengers can challenge any one of the three Grand Marshals, but they can also challenge any of the other challengers. This is primarily because the three Grand Marshals have an extremely high status in the Imperial Army. This rule is meant to maintain the dignity of the Grand Marshals!” Wang Chong said.Perhaps the First Prince thought that he had planned out everything, but Wang Chong had also amply prepared himself.“Those two Imperial Army Marshals are undoubtedly the trump cards the First Prince has prepared to take control of the Imperial Army. Once Zhao Fengchen goes up, it doesn’t matter who he challenges, as he will eventually have to face a challenge from Duan Zhuyan or Lu Qiongji. These two together with Huang Tianzhao will allow him to firmly control the Imperial Army.“But if Zhao Fengchen doesn’t challenge the three Grand Marshals and challenges Duan Zhuyan or Lu Qiongji instead, he only needs to defeat one of them. No matter who the remaining person challenges, there will be one left. In other words, at least one-third of the Imperial Army’s one hundred thousand soldiers will be out of his control.”Wang Chong looked at the drilling ground, a profound look in his eyes. In truth, having Zhao Fengchen challenge one of the First Prince’s two men was the only way to keep the First Prince from completely controlling the Imperial Army. From a certain perspective, intelligence and planning had already become more important than the martial strength on both sides.“Even if the other side is hiding their strength and Zhao Fengchen can’t win, the power of Zhao Fengchen and his Xuanwu Army, plus the Wootz Steel weapon I forged for him, should be enough to greatly tax the opponent’s mental and physical strength and force out his trump cards. This should be enough to create opportunities for Li Xuanyi and Bai Hanzhou, and decrease the difficulty of the challenges they face!”He and Zhao Fengchen had decided on this plan before the contest. The First Prince had wanted to use the six Vice Marshals to wear down Zhao Fengchen, so Wang Chong could use Zhao Fengchen to wear away at Duan Zhuyan and Lu Qiongji. Of course, Zhao Fengchen was much stronger than the Vice Marshals.While the last round had yet to begin, the moment Zhao Fengchen challenged Duan Zhuyan, the balance had already begun to tilt in Wang Chong’s favor.In military strategy, breaking an enemy’s plans was superior to breaking their troops. The Imperial Army was linked to the future of the empire, and Wang Chong could not let a person’s martial might and courage decide such an important matter. If the First Prince had really believed that he could use the time while he was away at Big Dipper City to suddenly announce the Imperial Army competition and give him little time to react, thus allowing himself to emerge victorious, then he was gravely mistaken.Bai Siling and Li Lin were both left speechless by Wang Chong’s explanation.The choice of who to challenge was actually packed with all sorts of schemes. The two of them had never even imagined this before, and at this moment, they felt sincere admiration.This was particularly the case for Bai Siling, who examined Wang Chong’s side profile with flashing eyes.Wang Chong did not notice the change in the way Bai Siling looked at him. Just as he finished speaking, he felt a strange sensation, and when he turned to look to the northern end of the drilling ground, he saw the First Prince staring at him with a grim expression.“Bastard!”The First Prince’s hands, hidden with his sleeves, were tightly clenched, their joints popping.Though the Eastern Palace advisors had been a little slow to react, they had finally managed to determine Wang Chong’s intentions.When it came to the rules of this last round, Wang Chong had already made the First Prince stumble on the very first step.“Your Highness, what need is there to be so angry? It is just a minor trick, and it is not even certain whether it can succeed,” Hou Junji said nonchalantly. “If he wants to succeed, he has to defeat Duan Zhuyan first.”The First Prince was initially taken aback by these words, but he quickly understood what Hou Junji was saying.Yes, in the end, plans were simply plans. If Zhao Fengchen could not wear away at Duan Zhuyan’s strength, Wang Chong’s plan would come to nothing.“Pass on my order! Tell Duan Zhuyan that defeat is not an option in this battle!” the First Prince coldly ordered. “As for Li Xuanyi, this prince doesn’t believe he’s that capable!”“Yes!”A Golden Guard rushed off to convey the message.At the center of the drilling ground, the eunuch received the First Prince’s message.“Since that is the case, Lord Zhao, Lord Duan, prepare for the first match!”After announcing this, the eunuch withdrew.Bongbongbong!Drums began to thunder across the drilling ground. The first match was finally about to begin.“Let’s go!”On the western end of the drilling ground, Duan Zhuyan coldly snorted as he thumped his horse and rode out.Whoosh!As a gale ripped across the drilling ground, Zhao Fengchen and Duan Zhuyan stopped and engaged in a distant standoff, their forces several thousand feet from each other.On one side was the battle-hardened Xuanwu Army, while on the other side was the Imperial Army’s elite Feather Forest Army. These two divisions were incredibly powerful, and even within the Imperial Army, contests of this level were extremely rare.Wang Chong was also focused on the drilling ground. He had always been confident in Zhao Fengchen, but Duan Zhuyan… ‘Duan Zhuyan’ was undoubtedly a pseudonym, and Wang Chong had noted that this man had been hiding his strength this entire time.Wang Chong was not one to underestimate his foes, and given that the First Prince had placed these men in the Imperial Army, they were clearly powerful.Zhao Fengchen, it all depends on you! Wang Chong urged.Bwoooom!The bleak blare of a horn signaled the start of the match.Boom! At almost the same moment the horn resounded, an enormous dark red halo erupted from Duan Zhuyan’s feet and rapidly spread to his entire force.Roooar!As the halo took form, a booming roar of savagery resounded through the air. Right behind Duan Zhuyan, space twisted, and a massive beast seven to eight meters tall rose up from the ground and began to fuse into his aura.The beast had a savage appearance, with a white head and vermillion feet. It looked like a massive ape, yet no animal alive could compare to it. It bared its teeth and waved around its hard and burly arms, radiating power and seemingly intent on tearing apart any opposition in its path.“Ah!”Cries of alarm came from the spectators. Those young masters of the capital had never before seen such a beast.“What’s that?”“What terrifying energy! Why didn’t he show it before?”The spectators on the eastern end of the battlefield felt this beast’s power most directly, and their faces paled as they backed away.“The Zhuyan, the Zhuyan! In the ‘Record of Mountains and Seas’, it is described as
having a white head and vermillion feet, appearing like an ape! Isn’t this the Zhuyan? The power of his formation imitates the Zhuyan!” someone in the crowd shouted.(TN: The Zhuyan is a mythical beast mentioned in the ‘Classic of Mountains and Seas’. Its appearance is said to be an omen that a major war is coming.)While the scions of the capital had not gone to the battlefield, many of them were well-learned. Wang Chong himself was naturally a learned individual and a cultured gentleman, so he quickly recognized this beast.A moment later, a metal clattering drowned out the comments of the crowd.Everyone saw that after the blazing beast appeared behind Duan Zhuyan, similar, smaller versions of the halo began to appear behind his five hundred Feather Forest elites and fuse together with Duan Zhuyan’s halo into a massive halo formation.More importantly, the power of the halo caused Duan Zhuyan’s men to soar in strength to astonishing levels.“The Great Zhuyan Halo!”A thought suddenly occurred to Wang Chong, and his face turned grave. Wang Chong was incredibly well-read, having read almost all the important books in the world during the apocalyptic era. He had immediately recognized this halo as an extremely rare one, the Great Zhuyan Halo.This was a war halo that was extremely difficult to cultivate. It belonged to the category of brute strength, but it was also one of the best in this category. When used, it could massively boost the strength of one’s subordinates.Successful practitioners of this halo were as rare as phoenix feathers or Qilin horns, and all of them possessed outstanding talent. Wang Chong had encountered many renowned generals on his campaigns, but this was the first time he was seeing someone successfully use this halo, and he was even a member of the Imperial Army!This alone had completely surpassed Wang Chong’s expectations!Wang Chong suddenly understood why the mysterious Feather Forest Army Marshal had chosen the pseudonym ‘Duan Zhuyan’ for himself.The Great Zhuyan Halo was no laughing matter, and the moment it appeared, the five hundred Feather Forest Army elites immediately surpassed Zhao Fengchen’s Xuanwu Army in strength.The First Prince doesn’t have this ability… Army-Shattering War God! He has that title for good reason!