In truth, all of Zhang Shougui’s movements from the moment he left Youzhou had been watched, and Wang Chong, the number one man in the Tang military, was also one of the people they had under close observation.
The meeting of these two had already become the hot conversation topic of his faction.
But to his surprise, when Yan Zhuang took the secret report and glanced at it, he shook his head and grimly said, “No!
“Your Excellency, there’s a problem! Calm Orchid has gone missing!”
“What’s going on?”
An Yaluoshan’s face paled as he turned around.
“What do you mean, ‘Calm Orchid has gone missing’? Didn’t I tell you to make matters simple and just kill her as quickly as possible?”
Calm Orchid was an extremely important character in this matter, a servant girl who had served Zhang Shougui for many years. Zhang Shougui trusted her and was used to having her attend him. It was precisely because An Yaluoshan was able to bribe her that he was able to successfully poison Zhang Shougui’s tea.
An Yaluoshan would not have dared to remove her while Zhang Shougui still had his post, but Zhang Shougui had reached the capital long ago. As such, he had secretly ordered for Calm Orchid to be eliminated to prevent any problems in the future.
But now, Yan Zhuang was telling him that Calm Orchid had gone missing!
What did that mean?
“There was a mistake. Our men did go to deal with Calm Orchid, but this woman was more cunning than we expected. She requested time off from Zhang Shougui, saying that she was returning to her hometown. Our men went off in pursuit, but we discovered that she had gone missing. We had the entire area locked down, but we couldn’t find any trace of her.”
Yan Zhuang lowered his head, his face filled with shame.
Calm Orchid was a weak woman who couldn’t even truss a chicken, and dealing with her was as easy as one thrust of a blade. Thus, An Yaluoshan had ordered him to deal with the matter, not expecting an error like this.
A gust of wind blew across the summit, but the air seemed to stagnate.
While Calm Orchid was a minor character, she had played a vital role in this entire incident. If she was not handled properly, she might plant a seed of disaster.
“There’s no need to look. If my guess is right, this is the work of the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain teams,” Gao Shang declared.
Everyone grimaced as they turned toward him.
“Calm Orchid is just a simple woman. We have thoroughly investigated her background and have her parents under our control. She would never dare to escape. Youzhou is only so large, and she is just a weak woman, so how could she have the ability to escape our grasp? This is probably the work of the King of Foreign Lands,” Gao Shang firmly concluded.
Everyone nastily scowled, particularly An Yaluoshan, whose face went as black as the bottom of a pot.
In all of the Great Tang, the person An Yaluoshan feared the most was Wang Chong!
That scoundrel had been constantly targeting him, and the men he had sent to probe him had found his armories and his Yeluohe. Even that paper slip he had sent to the Caliph of Arabia with ‘future master of the Central Plains’ written on it had fallen into his hands.
This fellow was also one of the reasons he had started the great drama known as the ‘Youzhou war’, a collaboration between him and Yeon Gaesomun, earlier than scheduled.
Now, the crucial servant, Calm Orchid, had fallen into his hands, and the fact that Wang Chong was meeting with Zhang Shougui right now made An Yaluoshan alarmed and extremely uneasy.
Another voice spoke. “That’s not the only thing we have to worry about. Several hours ago, we received messages from the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Goguryeo, the Xi, and the Khitans that they found traces of the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain teams.”
The speaker had a strange appearance, possessing a black birthmark on the center of his forehead and a single white eyebrow. This was the man who had earlier fled to the Xi and the Khitans, Baizhen Tuoluo.
After the incident involving Niu Xiantong, after attempting to frame Zhang Shougui, Baizhen Tuoluo and Zhao Kan had fled to the Xi and the Khitans. However, now that Youzhou was under a new master, An Yaluoshan replacing Zhang Shougui to become the master of the northeast and gaining control of all the soldiers and officers, Baizhen Tuoluo and Zhao Kan no longer had a reason to stay in hiding.
Zhao Kan joined in. “This is not good news. We suspect that that man’s scouts have already infiltrated the Eastern Turks, Goguryeons, Xi, and Khitans. Those people aren’t as watchful as we are, and I’m rather worried that that man in the capital might already know of our relationship with these other factions.”
In their wanderings, the two of them had so feared Zhang Shougui’s might that not only did they run to the Xi and Khitans, they essentially visited all the areas around Youzhou, not daring to stay in any one place for too long. But for this reason, they developed an understanding of these areas.
While the Eastern Turks, Xi, Khitans, and Goguryeons had powerful armies, they were full of holes when it came to intelligence, completely out of line with their military strength. One could even say that they did not even have the concept of information defense.
They seemed to favor the use of overwhelming strength to crush their foes.
With this sort of understanding, they had no way of defending against that man’s spies.
Once that man had the evidence he wanted, the results would be unthinkable. Youzhou might end up being targeted by everyone!
“Bastard!”
An Yaluoshan also had a twisted scowl on his face. Baizhen Tuoluo and Zhao Kan were merely speculating, but An Yaluoshan knew that this was probably the case. If not, what need would there be to have sent those four elite teams?
Information might have already leaked from all four of those other countries!
An Yaluoshan’s eyes twitched, and he felt a suffocating pressure from all around.
Although Wang Chong was not in Youzhou, that pressure followed him like a shadow. Each day longer that man lived was another day he would spend restless.
“Your Excellency, there is no need to worry. Whether or not the King of Foreign Lands has obtained any information, he presents no threat to us at present!” Gao Shang suddenly said. He was much more composed than the others, his expression firm.
“When it comes to the other countries, we took precautions long ago. All the letters were written by either me or Yan Zhuang, and there is no trace of Your Excellency’s handwriting. In addition, we had already agreed with Yeon Gaesomun to use a secret sign to identify each other, and many of the contents of the letters are coded. No one except us will be able to understand them.
“Even if that man in the capital managed to get ahold of our letters with the other countries, it does not matter. If the Sage Emperor truly asks, Your Excellency must simply say that Yeon Gaesomun and the others are trying to frame Your Excellency after suffering such a severe loss in the war, and that the letters are not worth believing. The Sage Emperor and the court will be able to do nothing. On the contrary, they might question the person who brought forth the letters, and we can use that chance to deal with him.”
Gao Shang’s eyes shone with a wise light, and he exuded the aura of a farsighted strategist that greatly soothed the others.
“Lord Gao is right. Without any actual evidence, that man in the capital can do nothing to us. Moreover, given all the time we’ve had to prepare, if we get into a fight, there’s no need to fear them!” Cui Qianyou suddenly said.
His eyes were as sharp as blades as he lightly stepped forward. Boom! Boundless energy exploded out of his body, and all of the air above the summit began to twist and distort.
Cui Qianyou had long ago reached the peak Saint Martial realm and was comparable to any Great General.
Bang! Bang!
Nearby, Tian Qianzhen and Tian Chengsi unleashed their own majestic storms of energy.
&nbs
p; All three of them were top-class martial artists, supreme experts!
But because of An Yaluoshan, all of the Youzhou group remained restrained and inconspicuous. No one outside of Youzhou realized that Cui Qianyou and the others had long ago been capable of ranking amongst the general stars of the Great Tang, and now, they were capable of matching the Great Generals.
In this aspect, Youzhou was the equivalent of a small kingdom!
“Your Excellency, be at ease. I swear to guard Your Excellency with my life!” Tian Qianzhen and Tian Chengsi solemnly said.
Chapter 1980 - New Development on the Otherworldly Invaders!
Chapter 1980: New Development on the Otherworldly Invaders!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Gao Shang subtly nodded. An Yaluoshan was a hidden dragon of the border, and the future true dragon of the Great Tang. When the hidden dragon emerged from the abyss, the heavens and earth would send general stars to protect it. Cui Qianyou and the others were these general stars.
This was proof that An Yaluoshan was the True Dragon, Son of Heaven!
As long as these people were here, the Youzhou group had the power to vie for the Central Plains.
“However, Your Excellency and generals cannot be careless. Wang Chong is a man of many schemes and cannot be underestimated. Since he could capture Calm Orchid, there is no guarantee that he cannot do more in the future. It was not easy to reach this stage, and we cannot allow any mistakes. As they say, a long night leads to many dreams. Your Excellency, we probably need to pick up the pace! Once you become the true Andong Protector-General, Your Excellency can rest easy,” Gao Shang said.
Although Zhang Shougui had recommended An Yaluoshan to become ‘temporary Andong Protector-General’, as long as that ‘temporary’ remained, it meant that it was not set. If Wang Chong interfered, the Imperial Court might still send someone else to become Andong’s Protector-General.
At that moment, all their efforts would have been wasted.
But once he had the name and title, nobody would be able to stop him!
Everyone silently nodded at this, sharing the same view.
“Mm!”
An Yaluoshan nodded.
“Let’s do as you say.” In addition, that bastard, I’ll tear you to pieces one day!
An Yaluoshan turned to the distant Central Plains, in the direction of the capital, leaving the last part of his sentence unsaid.
……
Zhang Shougui quickly left the capital, on his way to the Kuo Province.
The Great Tang sent threatening letters of state to Goguryeo, the Xi, and the Khitans, and the empire grew peaceful once more. But an undercurrent flowed under the calm surface. Wang Chong’s spies were sweeping over Youzhou and the kingdoms of the northeast like a great tide, increasing the pace at which they collected evidence of An Yaluoshan’s schemes.
Every day, large amounts of information were being sent to the capital.
On the other side, An Yaluoshan had clearly raised his vigilance. Many important military areas had more guards, and with Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang presiding over the entire matter, and Cui Qianyou and the other generals cooperating, the operations against the Wind, Forest, Mountain, and Fire teams intensified.
Both sides suffered losses!
Ten-some days later, Wang Chong was reading through a small mountain of reports in his study. These concerned the activities overseas, the coal-mining schemes in Hengan Village, Yangquan, and Shuo Province, the progress in the Promised Land, and the importing of Arabian Kerosene from Baghdad. Many of these things required Wang Chong to make a decision.
In the Imperial Court, ‘Third Son Xuan’ was growing increasingly absurd and brazen with his actions. He had repeatedly questioned the provincial governors, circuit inspectors, and even the Protector-Generals and Great Generals on the border. He was applying pressure on them, urging them to hasten the selection of talented women. But Wang Chong sent his men to stop them every time.
Besides that, thirty to forty officials had been demoted, all to different places. At one point in time, it was the Hedong Circuit, and at another point in time, it was the Jiangnan Circuit. It all depended on what that man in the Imperial Palace was feeling on the particular day.
And the absurdities were simply countless.
All the major officials were doing their best to delay Third Son Xuan’s decrees, but all of this needed a leader, someone to take responsibility. Wang Chong was the only one who could take this role.
In addition, Wang Chong had secretly said that no matter what the palace said, no one was to offer any women as tribute, and that they should simply go along with the ‘Sage Emperor’ while in court. Those who defied this order would be heavily punished.
Sovereigns were sovereigns and subjects were subjects. Wang Chong could not openly defy the ‘Sage Emperor’. Not only would it not fix the problem, it would give opportunities to fawning courtiers and lowly people.
Thus, Wang Chong chose a roundabout manner, secretly slowing down those absurd decrees to minimize the damage to the empire.
All of these miscellaneous matters needed Wang Chong’s attention.
“Your Highness!”
In the quiet study, as Wang Chong was looking through an intelligence report, the sounds of running came from outside.
“Enter!”
Wang Chong didn’t even raise his head. With a wave of his finger, the room to the study opened.
Wang Chong knew Zhang Que’s voice by heart, and he had noticed him coming from a long distance.
“Your Highness, a report from Youzhou! We’ve finally made some progress!”
Zhang Que excitedly stepped over the threshold, getting down on one knee and offering a wooden box.
“What is it?”
Wang Chong slightly frowned, but his eyes remained fixed on his papers.
“Milord, the Wind Team successfully ambushed a Yeluohe warrior and cut off his arm!” Zhang Que reported. “Your Highness, please inspect it!”
Wang Chong finally raised his head, shock in his eyes.
The Yeluohe!
This was the backbone of An Yaluoshan’s conquest of the Central Plains. They were extremely powerful, and Guo Ziyi’s account from that night made them sound very strange. The account had drawn Wang Chong’s attention.
By knowing oneself and knowing one’s enemy, one could win one hundred out of one hundred battles. This was one of the main reasons Wang Chong had sent his four teams to investigate the Yeluohe.
“Bring it here! Let me look!” Wang Chong seriously said.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Zhang Que quickly passed over the long, rectangular box.
Wang Chong immediately grabbed the box, and the moment his fingers touched it…
Bang!
The Stone of Destiny boomed within his mind.
“Notice! Special Event! Living energy of the otherworldly invaders detected! Entering third phase, unlocking the final mission: Omen of the Apocalypse!”
Buzz!
Wang Chong’s body shuddered in shock.
Wang Chong put force into his fingers, and pop! The wooden box exploded, and the object within dropped into Wang Chong’s hand.
This arm was nearly one foot longer than a normal human arm, and its surface was slightly blackened. Although one could see human muscles and skin on this arm, Wang Chong felt a familiar, decayed, and wicked energy within it, bursting with destructive power.
The otherworldly invaders!
Wang Chong’s eyes widened in shock.
He had never imagined that he would encounter the otherworldly invaders in this fashion, and that they would be associated with An Yaluoshan’s most powerful Yeluohe.
What’s going on? The calamity hasn’t started, and the teleportation gate isn’t open. Was An Yaluoshan colluding with the otherworldly invaders from so early on?
Wang Chong clenched that arm as his mind raged.
He could clearly sense that decaying and destructive energy in this arm. It was attempting to seep into his hand, but it was being blocked by his Stellar Energy.
This wasn’t the first time Wang Chong had run into otherworldly invaders in this world. In the Landeshunger ruins beneath Hamuhad, he had found many bodies of otherworldly invaders, but those were just withered bones with not a speck of flesh or blood remaining. The energy in those bones had all faded, leaving behind ordinary bones.
Those were the traces of an invasion from tens of thousands of years ago, completely different from these bones. This was the first time since his reincarnation that Wang Chong had encountered a living limb of an otherworldly invader.
The corrosive energy that was constantly attempting to seep into his body informed him of a stunning piece of information.
Those otherworldly invaders were approaching this world, and from a certain perspective, they were already here!
Wang Chong’s heart was heavy, and he felt a powerful pressure.
Zhang Que was also struck dumb. He had never imagined that this Yeluohe arm would draw such a reaction from his liege.
What is this thing? What are these Yeluohe?
He had followed Wang Chong for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen Wang Chong so shocked. Not even in the war of the northwest had he appeared so alarmed.
But as Wang Chong said nothing, Zhang Que did not dare to ask.
The study was quiet as Wang Chong’s mind reeled.
But once his initial shock passed, Wang Chong quickly sensed something strange.
Wait! This isn’t a pure otherworldly invader!
Wang Chong slightly frowned as he looked at the arm.
He had fought many times with the otherworldly invaders in his last life, so he was familiar with all their traits and attributes.
While this severed arm was thick with the energy of the otherworldly invaders, there was clearly something different. A true otherworldly invader was completely decayed and would not appear as a human on the surface.
Wang Chong sensed that this arm clearly belonged to an existence between human and otherworldly invader, perhaps half-human, half–otherworldly invader.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 1200
