(TN: ‘’, pronounced ‘le’, is a character that can indicate that an action has already happened, such as ‘I have already eaten’, , or it can indicate a change of state, such as ‘I am fine now’, .)
Zhang Shougui had a particular habit. He did not have an advisor write his letters, and whenever it came to important letters, such as letters to major court officials, he would personally write them. And when it came to the ‘’ character, Zhang Shougui’s was different. When he reached the final stroke, he would drag the brush upward, drawing a small circle, and then he would make another curved upward stroke. The resultant shape was something similar to an open-mouthed ‘8’.
This was an anecdote that only began to circulate after the era of generals had passed, and few people knew or paid attention to the detail. It was only because of Wang Chong’s upbringing in an esteemed clan that he had noticed this detail.
“He really did write it!”
Scanning the letter, Wang Chong really did find that ‘’ that looked like an ‘8’. But the fact that Zhang Shougui had personally written the letter only made Wang Chong’s heart heavier.
Zhang Shougui was too proud!
His self-esteem and magnificent battle record had caused his eyes to only ever tolerate existences more accomplished than him, like Wang Zhongsi and the Sage Emperor. As for those people at his side, they were slaves who amused him as clowns did and were hardly worth his attention.
No matter how Wang Chong tried to warn him, Zhang Shougui gave a perfunctory reply and did not truly take the matter seriously.
That he was willing to secretly inspect his daily food and drink after receiving Wang Chong’s letter was already a show of the immense respect he had for Wang Chong.
If anyone else had made this request, Zhang Shougui would have felt that he was being humiliated and ignored it.
Have things already gotten this bad… Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
Zhang Shougui’s words exuded the self-confidence that he had complete control over Youzhou, but the truth was far from it.
Though Wang Chong was trying his utmost, he could not prevent things from going back to their original course, and the rebellion seemed inevitable.
“Your Highness, what do we do now?” Xu Keyi said.
Xu Keyi knew about the letter Wang Chong had written to Zhang Shougui, but this was clearly not the desired result.
“Forget it. Some things can’t be avoided. Put aside the matter of Zhang Shougui for now. I’ll think of a way to deal with it later,” Wang Chong sternly said.
Zhang Shougui was the sort of person who wouldn’t believe it unless he saw An Yaluoshan start a rebellion with his own eyes. Wang Chong could only wait until that time came to return to this matter. Until then, he could only try his best to keep Zhang Shougui alive.
“Pass on my order! Mobilize Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain, as well as all our spies in the northeast. I need all the information on the Yeluohe as quickly as possible! And it would be best if we can get our hands on some of their possessions!” Wang Chong sternly said.
Guo Ziyi’s operation in the northeast had both succeeded and failed—success because they had produced an intelligence report, but failure because An Yaluoshan was clearly ready. In the midst of the operation, he had discovered their trail and engaged in a pursuit.
One of the most concerning parts about Guo Ziyi’s report was this elite army serving An Yaluoshan, known as the Yeluohe.
Guo Ziyi’s men were very unfamiliar with this new army, but they were no secret to Wang Chong. During that rebellion that swept over the Central Plains and toppled the Great Tang, An Yaluoshan’s Yeluohe were the most dazzling of existences. They were the primary reason An Yaluoshan had been able to overcome and destroy the other protectorate armies.
By the time of that rebellion, the Wang Clan had already fallen apart, its starving survivors wandering the realm. As they were not in the eye of the storm, they did not know the details about many matters.
But Wang Chong still knew a little about the Yeluohe.
In the Turkic language, Yeluohe meant ‘the strongest braves’. This was an elite force that consisted of soldiers An Yaluoshan had hand-picked from across Youzhou and the various peoples on its borders.
This army was extremely mysterious. From the day it was established, its soldiers engaged in secretive training, and no one else in Youzhou was able to get close. The first time they officially appeared was during An Yaluoshan’s rebellion.
The Yeluohe had several major traits.
Firstly, their strength was far above that of the other protectorates. Although there were only eight thousand, they had the strength of an army many times that size.
Secondly, these people did not need to eat, drink, or sleep. Though the distance between Youzhou and the capital was great, they finished the march in three days, something that no protectorate army of this era could accomplish.
Not even Wang Chong’s Wushang Cavalry could pull off this sort of forced march. Their physical strength and Stellar Energy would be so rapidly consumed that they would eventually be forced to rest.
This inhuman strength had shaken all of the Central Plains.
Thirdly, the Yeluohe warriors were extremely tough. Even with arrows through their hearts and fatal wounds on their body, they would be as lively as dragons and continue to fight, a fact which left their opponents frightened and alarmed. They had gone past the domain of courage and ferocity and had become monsters.
There were many of these rumors going around, and no one believed them. This was because no normal human could ever do such things. When Wang Chong heard them, he also took them to be exaggerated as they traveled down the grape vine in order to overemphasize the ferocity of the Yeluohe.
But after seeing Guo Ziyi’s report, Wang Chong changed his mind. The meteor hammers used by the Yeluohe could heavily injure a peak True Martial realm horseman with one strike, and even when a spear stabbed through their heart, they could act as if they were completely unharmed and continue to fight. They also lacked any signs of life and possessed red eyes that glowed in the darkness…
Real-life observations had verified, one by one, the ‘absurd’ description of the Yeluohe from the apocalyptic era.
Xu Keyi bowed and quickly departed with the order.
“Su Shixuan!”
Not long after Xu Keyi had left, Wang Chong called over Su Shixuan, who was in charge of Arabia and Khorasan.
“What’s the situation in Baghdad?”
Su Shixuan knew what Wang Chong was asking about, and respectfully reported, “Milord, everything is going according to your orders. We’ve gathered all the manpower we can, including from Khorasan and the kingdoms around Arabia, to assist in extracting kerosene. We’ve also gathered the craftsmen from all these areas to work on building jars to hold the kerosene.”
Wang Chong shook his head and sternly said, “No, it’s still too slow. You heard everything just now. We don’t have much time left. The cold wave could come down at any time. We have to transport enough Arabian Kerosene to the Central Plains as quickly as possible!
“Inform the great clans of the Central Plains that they should select eighty people each and send them on their way to Baghdad to participate in the kerosene extraction!
“And order Zhang Shouzhi and his forging team to pick up the pace and develop those tools for extracting kerosene as quickly as possible!”
“Yes!” Su Shixuan immediately replied.
“In addition, what’s the situation on those three areas I ordered observed?” Wang Chong said.
A strange expression immediately appeared on Su Shixuan’s face, tinged with respect and admiration.
“Following Your Highness’s orders, our men headed to Hengan Village, Yangquan, and the Shuo Province. A few days later, reports came back that large amounts of coal really were found beneath these places, but as the locations are rather remote, extracting and transporting it is rather difficult!”
> Wang Chong sighed in relief at Su Shixuan’s report, his expression relaxing.
Hengan Village in the Hedong Circuit was a little-known place in this era, and the entire county had probably less than ten thousand people. But in another world, it was known as the hometown of coal, Datong of Shanxi!
(TN: Datong is a city in the northwestern Chinese province of Shanxi. Shanxi is the leading producer of coal in China.)
The amount of coal in that land was far greater than many could imagine.
If he wanted to supply the tens of millions of inhabitants of the Great Tang, the kerosene shipped from Baghdad would be far from enough. Moreover, the efficiency of transporting the kerosene over such a long distance was low. Crucially, he needed resources in the Great Tang itself, and coal was the most plausible solution.
Chapter 1967 - Wang Chong’s Determination!
Chapter 1967: Wang Chong’s Determination!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Even though the area is remote, making extraction difficult, it’s not a problem. Order the great clans to immediately begin building cement roads toward those three areas. In addition, take twenty million taels of gold and another thirty million obtained with the assistance of the Bureau of Revenue and the Chamberlain of Palace Revenues. Post announcements throughout the county saying that anyone willing to go to these three places to mine for coal will have their travel expenses paid by the court and be given free mining tools. In addition, all of the coal they mine will be theirs and can all be sold to the Imperial Court!”
Wang Chong’s eyes had a profound light as he spoke.
Buzz!
Su Shixuan trembled as he raised his head in shock.
Fifty million taels of gold!
And the court would pay travel expenses, give free mining tools, buy any coal that was mined, and allow the people to keep the coal that they didn’t want to sell!
This order was certain to send an earthquake through the Great Tang, and countless people would probably rush to those three areas to mine for coal.
Fifty million taels of gold was no small number. Normally, the annual expenses for the Great Tang’s army of six hundred thousand soldiers did not exceed ten million taels of gold. This sort of policy had never been implemented in the history of the Great Tang.
No normal person would have the daring to propose such a policy!
“Go!”
Su Shixuan quickly left with the order.
He could already predict how this order would prompt numerous people in the Central Plains to excitedly rush toward that place.
Wang Chong was left alone in the hall, and all fell silent.
A few moments later, Wang Chong moved aside a thick book, revealing a letter.
After glancing at the letter, Wang Chong internally heaved a sigh.
This letter had been sent by a major official in the court, and it recounted matters that had taken place therein. The incident Wang Chong was worried about the most had taken place.
In the space of a few days, the ‘Sage Emperor’ had withdrawn his decree.
The officiating powers bestowed on Prime Minister Li Linfu, Wang Chong, King Song, and the other officials had been removed, and the ‘Sage Emperor’ had reappeared in Taihe Palace to preside over government affairs.
Although the ‘Sage Emperor’ attended court, the Imperial Court was in chaos. In short order, five imperial censors who had opposed the ‘Sage Emperor’ were removed from their posts and driven out of the court.
In addition, the ‘Sage Emperor’ had experienced a massive personality shift. Many court officials, eunuchs, maids, and guards that Wang Chong and other major court officials had never heard of were promoted and rewarded.
The ‘Sage Emperor’ immersed himself in pleasure, even going so far as to promote the parents and brothers of a palace lady simply because he liked her.
Not only that, when a merchant brought a performance troupe into the Imperial Palace and had them perform for the ‘Sage Emperor’, he was immediately made a Count and allowed to join the Bureau of Personnel as an Auxiliary Assistant Minister.
All of these matters were so absurd that they stirred up indignation both within and without the court.
Promotion of officials in the court required a performance evaluation. If they wanted the job, they needed the appropriate ability and experience. To so casually award official posts would cause no end of trouble and impair the functions of the court.
And this was not all. When the Minister of Personnel noted that the official posts of the Great Tang were limited and it was not possible to promote so many people, the ‘Sage Emperor’ immediately transferred twenty-some officials of the court to Lingnan.
But come night, he seemed to find this inappropriate and sent them to the border, even though there simply weren’t that many empty positions on the border.
Thus, many officials were utterly bewildered.
Never had policies been so frequently changed, and the entire court was in panic.
Wang Chong had already received many letters from current and retired officials asking him to resolve the situation.
In the past, Wang Chong might have stepped forward long ago, getting in touch with King Song and Zhangchou Jianqiong to actively implore the ‘Sage Emperor’ to change his mind and stop all this from happening. But after finding those lost records and understanding the truth, Wang Chong immediately understood that the situation was more complicated than it seemed.
The true and false Sage Emperor… Third Son Xuan… Which one is the real Sage Emperor? How should I proceed?
Wang Chong looked upward, and his right hand began to unconsciously tap against the armrest of his throne.
Wang Chong had never imagined this development. He had always believed that the ‘Sage Emperor’ had suffered a backlash from trying to reach the Divine Martial realm, leading to the current situation. It was only now that he realized just how far from the truth this was.
The man at court was no longer the Sage Emperor, but that ‘Third Son Xuan’.
This was precisely why his actions appeared so unusual.
Was this what Eunuch Gao was implying when he said that the situation would get worse?
Wang Chong raised his head and muttered.
His mind was a complicated vortex of emotions.
Eunuch Gao undoubtedly knew the truth. This was why he had burned the palace records, and the fire at the Yan Clan was probably for the same reason. It was not certain that Old Master Yan knew about the ‘Sage Emperor’, but he still chose to cover for this sovereign of the ages.
This was because the wise ruler that everyone revered should not have had an unbearably stained record. Old Master Yan had probably struggled for a long time before making this decision.
Countless thoughts ran through his mind, and as Wang Chong thought about the ‘Sage Emperor’, he recalled the chess match between them.
The Sage Emperor had asked if he could trust in Wang Chong, trust that he could protect the Great Tang.
“Your Majesty… did you already know?” Wang Chong muttered, an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Your Majesty, be at ease! I will protect the Great Tang, but not in your place. This world needs your strength. I will bring you back no matter what!
Wang Chong clenched his fists.
The calamity was coming, and the Central Plains—no, the world—was facing an unprecedented disaster. In this dangerous era, imperial authority and bloodline were not as important.
This era needed a true guardian, one that could protect all its people.
As for that ‘Third Son Xuan’ in the court…
If this continued, Wang Chong would have to stop him no matter what.
“Prepare my carriage! I’m going to the King Song Residence!”
Wang Chong’s eyes flashed with an intimidating light.
……
At this moment, Taiji Palace was awash with laughter, and
the charming voices of women punctuated with the loud laughter of a man could be heard.
Outside the hall, the sounds of decadence left the Dragon Guards feeling very awkward.
It was the duty of the Dragon Guards to protect the Sage Emperor, a position of utmost importance. Taiji Palace, as the center of political power in the Great Tang, was a solemn place that outsiders should have found as difficult to enter as ascending to heaven. But now, it had become the ‘Sage Emperor”s pleasure palace, and the Dragon Guards were his lookouts.
They had never in their worst nightmares imagined this.
But as was their duty, they pretended to hear nothing.
“Your Majesty, terrible news…” A voice came from outside. The speaker was a portly official who panted for breath, swaying back and forth, as he rushed toward Taiji Palace.
The Dragon Guards slightly frowned at this. Even at this distance, they could tell that this man was a merchant.
In truth, this man had been a merchant, but because he had offered a host of beauties to the ‘Sage Emperor’, he had become an Auxiliary Assistant Minister of the Bureau of Personnel.
The Dragon Guards turned their heads away from this man, disdain in their eyes. But the Auxiliary Assistant Minister seemed to not even see them, going straight past the Dragon Guards and into Taiji Palace.
Auxiliary Assistant Minister of the Bureau of Personnel, Zhao Changfu!
The ‘Sage Emperor’ had decreed that Zhao Changfu could go through the entire Imperial Palace as he pleased, even Taiji Palace. No one was allowed to stop him!
Zhao Changfu’s figure soon vanished into the depths of the hall.
……
“Hahaha, Beauty Zhao, Beauty Chen, We are the ruler of the realm, and all the realm belongs to Us. Once the Peace Pavilion is built, We will place all of you in the Peace Pavilion. At that time, you will both be made Consorts of Peace.”
Various beautiful women packed Taiji Palace. Some of them were gorgeous palace ladies while others were women offered by outsiders. And amidst all of these beautiful ladies, a tall and imposing figure was seated on a throne.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1192
