The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 1071
This rock eagle had the wounds from ten-some birds on its body.
Thud!
Another rock eagle plunged from the skies.
Over the last twenty-four hours, the number of birds battling above the estate had only increased. This vast flock of birds had already attracted a large crowd of onlookers, but the City Guard soldiers standing in the area gave them second thoughts about getting close.
In the yard, Zhang Que stood next to Wang Chong and worriedly said, “Your Highness, the situation is bad. We’ve sent all our birds, even the Eagle King, but their numbers are endless. In addition, they seem to be trying to completely seal off the estate. Any bird that flies out will be intercepted. We won’t be able to communicate with the other areas if this continues.”
This was the first aerial battle to ever take place in the capital, and it was one of enormous scale. Even though they were doing their best, the situation was just getting worse.
Wang Chong remained motionless as the miserable shrieks of dying birds continued to resound in his ears. In this interval of time, yet another bird had landed near Wang Chong’s feet.
Wang Chong’s eyes were half-closed in thought.
“Are they ready?” Wang Chong suddenly said.
Zhang Que was startled by this question, but then a voice came from behind him.
“Your Highness, they’re ready!”
Cheng Sanyuan walked out from the shadows. At his side was a youth with a battle-hardened face.
“Chen Burang!”
Zhang Que realized in shock who this person was, but wasn’t Chen Burang supposed to be with the army?
Suddenly, he realized what the plan was.
“Get ready!”
Wang Chong waved his hand.
Armored soldiers began to crisply march forward out of the King of Foreign Lands Residence. All of them were straight-backed and imposing. More importantly, each of them had a metal bow as tall as half a man on their shoulders.
“Ready!”
Chen Burang waved his hand and called out. A moment later, the fifty-some soldiers got down on one knee and took the bows from their backs. Each of them grabbed five or six arrows with their right hand, nocked the arrows to their bows, and then took aim at the dense cloud of birds.
And then all of them froze in place.
This series of actions was conducted so smoothly and cleanly, in such unison, that all of them seemed to be linked together. Their formidable training was on full display.
“Release!”
Hundreds of arrows shot through the air at lightning speed, soaring into the heavens.
Chapter 1745 - Assassination and Counter-Assassination!
Chapter 1745: Assassination and Counter-Assassination!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Not good! Retreat!”
Panicked voices came from the distance, but it was too late.
Creee!
Plaintive screeches accompanied by the thunderous vibrating of bowstrings resounded through the skies. The battle of birds came to a sudden standstill, and then bodies began to plummet to the ground, all of them pierced through by arrows.
Thumpthump!
A downpour of birds came thudding down, and a few moments later, the ground was splattered with blood and feathers.
The remaining birds in the air took fright and immediately flew to higher altitudes. In the blink of an eye, the skies over the estate were cleared.
“Your Highness!”
With the battle over, Chen Burang walked up to Wang Chong and respectfully said, “All the enemy birds have temporarily been driven away, but this is far from over. They will come again. This time, we managed to catch them unawares by mixing in with the one thousand cavalry Your Highness transferred to the estate, but they will be ready next time and fly at higher altitudes. At that time, we will be greatly limited in what we can do!”
The majority of master archers in the military could shoot one thousand meters into the air, but each additional five hundred meters was more difficult than the previous, and master archers that could shoot three thousand meters into the air were incredibly rare.
Chen Burang had brought extremely formidable master archers with him. While there were only several dozen of them, all of them could shoot nearly two thousand meters into the air, but anything more than that was difficult. In the field of archery, shooting far and shooting high were two different concepts, just like how one being able to jump far didn’t necessarily mean that one could jump very high!
“I understand. Thank you for your efforts. Go and rest for now,” Wang Chong indifferently said.
Although he couldn’t finish off his opponent, killing more than two hundred birds in one go was more than enough to reach his goal of taking some of the pressure off Zhang Que’s men.
“Young Master!”
There was a flash of light and a gust of fragrance. Miyasame Ayaka emerged like a ghost in front of Wang Chong and got down on one knee.
“The situation in the capital is grim. The enemy outnumbers us, and they seem to have recruited tracking experts from the martial arts world who they are using to hunt us down. I’m pushing the assassination team to the limit to resist them, but they won’t be able to last for long.”
Miyasame Ayaka’s body was completely enclosed in assassination clothes, but the area around her exposed eyes was covered in sweat, and her clothes appeared drenched. It was clear that she had been through a vicious fight.
The situation was bad all around. Not only were the skies over the estate being controlled, there was a hidden slaughter taking place in the capital. The enemy was intent on purging the capital of all of Wang Chong’s eyes and ears.
“Understood.”
Wang Chong nodded. He exuded a calm confidence that seemed to already have a plan for everything.
“Have the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Teams arrived?”
“Everyone except those lacking enough strength or who were assigned to watch the border protectorates have arrived. But the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Teams only listen to Young Master’s orders. All of them are awaiting your orders,” Miyasame Ayaka truthfully said.
“Tell the teams that they can start moving. In addition…”
Wang Chong paused, and then he removed the token from his waist and threw it over.
“Starting from now, all four teams are under your command.”
The Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Teams were four elite teams of intelligence operatives Wang Chong had established. Not only did they possess sharp observation abilities, but also astonishing strength. Wang Chong originally had them watching the surrounding countries so that he could see what the Turks, Goguryeons, or Arabs were up to.
But this rebellion had far more influence on the course of the Great Tang than these foreign countries. In order to deal with the Eastern Palace’s wave tactics, he had to call them back.
“Yes! Your subordinate will do all she can!”
Miyasame Ayaka took the token and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Chen Burang and Miyasame Ayaka quickly left. Meanwhile, Zhang Que had begun to call back the injured birds to treat them. The King of Foreign Lands Residence was a hive of activity.
Wang Chong took stock of his surroundings. Dark clouds hung overhead, and the lights near and far were sparse and scattered, the city lacking its usual exuberance. Not far from the King of Foreign Lands Residence, many homes had locked their gates and no light could be seen from their windows.
The common folk of the capital seemed to have sensed something.
“Cheng Sanyuan!” Wang Chong suddenly said.
“Your subordinate is here!”
Cheng Sanyuan stepped forward and bowed.
“This letter is for you. Do exactly as it says!”
Wang Chong took an envelope from his left sleeve and handed it over.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Cheng Sanyuan quickly came for
ward, took the letter, and departed.
Wang Chong stood alone in the yard. Around him were Golden Guards, guarding him in the open and in the shadows, and one thousand cavalry attired in bright armor.
An autumn wind blew, and Wang Chong profoundly looked toward the brightly lit Imperial Palace, his thoughts inscrutable.
……
Bang!
The loud ring of a bell came from within the Imperial Palace. Whoosh! The gates of the palace opened, and countless Imperial Army soldiers surged out in a cold flood of steel.
“Go, go, go!”
The sounds of cracking whips and people slapping the sides of horses could be heard in the darkness, and then the Imperial Army cavalry vanished.
“The Imperial Court has ordered that the whole city is to be placed on a curfew after the Xu Period (7-9pm)! Anyone who defies the order will be executed!”
These stern warnings resounded through the capital.
The Imperial Army cavalry that had left the Imperial Palace split up into one thousand ten-man teams that spread across the entire capital. After the Xu Period, the capital became bleak and desolate, the sounds of hooves echoing deep into the darkness.
“Daddy, what’s a curfew?”
In a residence in the eastern part of the city, a child of seven years poked his head out the window and curiously looked outside. Before he could finish speaking, whoosh! A hand came from behind, closed over the child’s mouth, and pulled him back inside.
Bang!
The shutters were quickly shut, and even the lantern within was blown out. The house fell silent.
But outside the street was a great clamor, the thundering of hooves getting closer and closer, even causing the stone slabs to tremble. A few moments later, a squad of Imperial Army cavalry rode past and vanished into the distance.
Thudthudthud!
Restaurants, tea houses, and many other places that were brightly lit suddenly closed their doors.
Not since the chaos several decades ago, when the Sage Emperor first took the throne, had the capital experienced a curfew. In a flash, the capital became empty and deserted, but in the dark alleys, where ordinary people weren’t looking, a battle was taking place.
Whoosh!
Atop a moss-covered wall lining a street, a row of figures suddenly appeared. They held sabers, swords, and daggers in their hands, and all of them were dressed in dark assassination clothes that tightly clung to their bodies. Their exposed eyes were all like those of savage beasts as they stared at the other side.
In the darkness, past the old wall on the other side, cold eyes gleamed like stars. This was another group of people, lined up in an arc, gripping their weapons with their backs arched as if prepared to attack at any moment.
It was a tense standoff in which no one said a word.
Arf!
A dog barked in the distance, and then the leader of the group on the left suddenly roared, jumping over the wall and lunging at the opposite group.
The ten-some men on the wall to the right shot down without a word toward that man.
Swish! Plush!
Blades plunged into flesh, releasing explosions of blood as the two groups began to battle in the darkness. This was a silent battle, the only sound being that initial roar.
Thudthudthud!
Sharp edges flashed, thrust, and drew bleak arcs in the air, and one body collapsed to the stone slabs after another, rapidly cooling as blood began to collect into tiny streams.
The battle had begun quickly and ended even more quickly. Only a few people, covered in wounds, remained standing. Everyone else was a corpse.
Swoosh!
Those survivors quickly melded back into the darkness, and a few moments later, even the bodies were gone.
Both sides seemed to be upholding a rule that this battle was not to alarm the citizens of the capital.
While this battle had ended, another battle in another place had begun.
Swoosh!
In the eastern part of the city, a figure agilely leapt onto a roof tile and then made another light jump onto the rooftop. Other than the small sound made when the tile shifted, there was no other sound. His body was arched as he pressed himself against the roof and warily inspected his surroundings.
Crack! The tile under his foot abruptly exploded, and a steely arm broke through the rooftop and grabbed his ankle. “Ah!” The man yelped in alarm and tried to jump away, but a sword quickly came up from below and pierced through his body.
There was a series of soft thumps as the man’s stiff body dropped to the ground.
Everything fell quiet.
To the south, east, north, in the tea houses, restaurants, alleys… in the darkness, assassinations and counter-assassinations were taking place in almost every area. On this night, the entire capital was converted into a battleground, but it was a battle without smoke, and at every moment, lives were silently winking out of existence.
And not a single civilian was aware of any of this.
Chapter 1746 - The Day of Decision!
Chapter 1746: The Day of Decision!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The night soon passed. A candle still quietly burned on Wang Chong’s desk. It had been burning all night, and Wang Chong had spent just as long silently waiting here.
Upon hearing footsteps, Wang Chong raised his head and calmly asked, “How was it?”
They were already in an extremely disadvantageous situation in this battle. If even his eyes and ears were shut down, he would truly be a headless fly that would lack the foundation to resist the First Prince.
Zhang Que walked over the threshold, appearing so exhausted that it seemed like he had just been through several major battles.
“The Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain Teams have managed to temporarily fend off the enemy attacks. Both sides suffered heavy losses. In addition, the Eastern Palace is already gathering more men to reinforce the capital. This battle is far from over!”
The last night had also been a sleepless one for him.
“I understand!”
Wang Chong slightly relaxed.
“Thank you for your service. Go and rest.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Zhang Que quickly departed.
Whoosh!
A cool breeze blew in through the window, ruffling the hair at his temples. It was calm outside now that the gruesome melee from last night had passed, but no one understood more than Wang Chong that the undercurrent was getting fiercer and fiercer.
The Eastern Palace can no longer restrain itself!
Wang Chong’s eyes gleamed as he slowly stood up from his desk.
The more formidable were the Eastern Palace’s attempts to cut off his eyes and ears, the closer he was getting to that moment in time.
Tap tap!
Wang Chong slowly walked over to the large model, his eyes locking onto the road linking the frontier to the capital.
“Zhang Zheng, the First Prince is waiting for you, right? The day the Beiting Protectorate army enters the capital is the day the First Prince begins his work!”
Wang Chong muttered almost inaudibly, the sound waves quickly dispersing into the air.
……
Meanwhile, in the Eastern Palace…
“Your Highness, the King of Foreign Lands Residence launched a counterattack last night, and we suffered heavy losses. In one night, we lost more than thirteen hundred people, but the opposing side also suffered significant losses. Our current estimates place their deaths at more than two hundred.
“In addition, from what we have learned, the King of Foreign Lands has already called back his four elite operation teams, and many of their deaths last night were probably those elites. In comparison, those that we lost were not at a very high level, and we can easily train more.
“Besides that, your subordinate has already ordered for all spies to return to the capital. The pressure on them will only inc
rease, and in a few more days, they will be completely wiped out!”
Kim U-Seok’s voice, tinged with his Goguryeon accent, echoed through the hall.
“Not bad! I give you full authority! You must purge every one of the spies of the King of Foreign Lands Residence! Don’t let a single one survive!” the First Prince sternly said.
In this war of spies with the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Kim U-Seok was relying purely on human wave tactics, madly attacking Wang Chong’s spies with ten times their number.
Even though the Eastern Palace had suffered far more losses numerically, these were all ordinary spies that could be replaced with some time and money. The temptation of power would allow them to easily recruit more people. Thus, the Eastern Palace did not care much about these losses.
Kim U-Seok paused a moment before sternly adding, “In addition, your subordinate has placed spies in the enemy’s men. With just a little more, I will be able to find out their gathering points in the city and sweep them all up along with their leaders.”
“Good!”
The First Prince’s eyes brightened upon hearing Kim U-Seok’s words.
“Kim U-Seok, this prince knew that you wouldn’t disappoint me! This prince will wait for the good news!”
“Yes!” Kim U-Seok hastily replied.
“Meng Tu, Asura!”
The Ghost King’s voice suddenly reverberated through the hall.
“Kim U-Seok alone is not enough to deal with the King of Foreign Lands. Go and help him!”
“Yes!”
Asura and Meng Tu bowed. No one dared to defy Hou Junji’s orders.
Whoosh!
In the middle of this conversation, a rock eagle flew into the hall.
The Golden Guard who received the letter loudly announced, “Your Highness, Lord Zhang Zheng has sent a letter. They have passed Bullhead Pass and will reach the capital within two days!”
Everyone’s faces changed upon hearing this.
“They’re finally here!”
These were expressions of delight. Once Zhang Zheng’s army of forty thousand arrived and joined with the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army, then once the armies from the other areas arrived, everything would be settled. Not even the War God would be able to stop them.