The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The trio behind Wang Chong, Old Eagle, Steel Arms, and Solitary Wolf, were shocked. The stipends for the officials of the Bureau of Works were high. Even the most ordinary of officials in it would be able to live luxuriously.

  No one would expect an official of the Bureau of Works to be living in such a dilapidated residence in the poor district.

  It seems like gongzi is here for that matter, the trio thought.

  They were present at the banquet as well, albeit not given a seat. They knew that Wang Chong intended to purchase the Lion Rock Hill to construct a base.

  It seems like gongzi intends to engage his help to construct the base.

  But how would gongzi know that there's an official from the Bureau of Works here?

  The trio was perplexed.

  "Hehe. Elder Zhang, what I want to build is not a residence. What I want is a fortress," Wang Chong gazed at the elder before him with a smile on his lips.

  The reason why Wang Chong knew why this elder was living here was simple—he had met the latter on a watchtower while he was loitering around the town as a profligate scion.

  The most basic skill for a qualified profligate scion was to possess keen eyes to determine the social standing and position of those standing before him.

  "Fortress?"

  While the elder was uninterested in the quartet before him, he couldn't help but widen his eyes upon hearing Wang Chong's words. But soon, his face darkened, and rage filled his features.

  "Gongzi, are you taking me for a fool? I don't care which clan you are from, but you better scram from my residence this very instant." The elder pointed to the door with his smoke as he roared angrily.

  In his lifetime, he had met many different people with all kinds of requests, but he had never met one so ridiculous as to claim that he wanted to build a fortress.

  Did the other party think that they were playing house?

  Was a fortress something that he, as an individual, could build?

  Did the other party understand how much money, resources, and manpower had to be devoted to the operation?

  Even the most prestigious of clans in the capital dared not make such a bold statement! Was this lad insane? To actually come all the way here just to pull a prank on him!

  "Elder Zhang, I mean what I say. Why would I come all the way here just to pull a prank on you?" Wang Chong replied seriously.

  This elder was an obstinate old man so convincing him was bound to be no easy task. However, he did require the capability of this architect from the Bureau of Works for his future plans.

  In Wang Chong's plans, Elder Zhang played a very crucial role, perhaps even on par with Zhang Munian.

  Just that, the timing wasn't ripe before.

  Only after he had managed to strike up a connection with Zhangchou Jianqiong did he finally decide that it was the time to invite the other party over to his side.

  "Hahaha, lad. It's not that I want to underestimate you, but do you know how much the construction of a fortress would cost?" Zhang Shouzhi spoke disdainfully. He still couldn't believe that this lad was seriously asking him to build a fortress for him.

  "A million taels?"

  "Copper coin, you mean?" Zhang Shouzhi sneered.

  "Gold, of course!" Wang Chong replied seriously.

  As soon as he uttered those words, the dim room suddenly fell silent. Zhang Shouzhi's smoking pipe suddenly froze in midair.

  Old Eagle, Steel Arms, and Solitary Wolf also had their mouths open wide in astonishment.

  A million taels?

  Does gongzi have that much money?!

  Not to mention, it's gold! Constructing a fortress takes up that much money?

  The trio was even more shocked than Zhang Shouzhi. They had been with Wang Chong for a period of time already, and they had heard bits and pieces of the various legends surrounding him. Naturally, some of them were regarding his talent in business.

  But the trio never could have imagined that Wang Chong's financial ability would have actually reached such an astonishing level!

  This was especially true of Solitary Wolf. After toiling so hard, accepting so many dangerous missions to earn money, he had a very vivid image of how much a million gold taels was worth.

  Despite working for so many years, the money he earned was lacking several zeros from a million.

  A million gold taels was a huge sum that was beyond their wildest imaginations!

  This is comparable to the entire wealth of a powerful clan already! Gongzi's ability in earning money is truly astonishing!, Solitary Wolf thought, shocked.

  "Lad, are you joking with me?"

  Zhang Shouzhi's face froze, but the disbelief that was lingering on it was clear. His original thought was a hundred thousand to two hundred thousand taels, but Wang Chong reported a million gold taels straight. This was far beyond his expectations as well.

  Klang!

  Instead of saying anything, Wang Chong tugged at his waist, whipping out two gold tokens before throwing them over. One of them was the gold token from Zhangchou Jianqiong, whereas the other was his Wang Clan token.

  Grabbing the two tokens, Zhang Shouzhi was still leisurely glancing at them initially, when he suddenly recognized the insignia and words on them and trembled in shock.

  At this very instant, he suddenly realized that the background of this young man was far beyond his imagination.

  "Old mister, our gongzi is a trustworthy person. He won't say anything that he doesn't mean, so old mister can rest assured," Old Eagle added in by the side.

  "Hmph!"

  But a short moment later, Zhang Shouzhi harrumphed coldly, and with a jerk of his wrist, he threw the two tokens back.

  "Even though I don't know how gongzi managed to find this place, I advise gongzi not to waste your own strength. Back then, when I was forced out of the Bureau of Works, I made a vow not to construct anything for anyone anymore. I suggest you give up on this idea."

  Zhang Shouzhi placed another bag of tobacco onto the oil lamp and lit it before placing it within the smoking pipe and began puffing off it once more. It seemed as though he wasn't interested in conversing with Wang Chong any further.

  When he left the Bureau of Works back then, many prestigious clans had sought him, and they had offered generous terms as well. But in the end, he turned down all of them.

  His heart had already turned cold.

  Having worked as a supervisor in the Bureau of Works his entire life, he had constructed many beautiful and elegant palaces. Yet, this was all he got in the end.

  He couldn't bear this kind of humiliation.

  Thus, from that day onward, Zhang Shouzhi swore that he would never get involved with anything related to construction anymore.

  "Elder Zhang, there's no need to be in such a rush to reject me," Wang Chong chuckled. He had long heard of Zhang Shouzhi's temper—in fact, which of the outstanding architects in the Bureau of Works didn't have such a bad temper?

  But if Wang Chong wasn't confident, he wouldn't be standing before him this very instant.

  "200,000 gold taels. As long as Elder Zhang promises to help me, I'm willing to sponsor you 200,000 gold taels so that you can continue on with the research of your secret formula. On top of that, I promise you to supply you with ample resources as well," Wang Chong raised two fingers as he smiled mysteriously.

  Upon hearing the words “secret formula”, ba-dum!, Zhang Shouzhi's heart skipped a beat, and he nearly swallowed the tobacco bag whole. How could this young lad possibly know of that matter?

  Zhang Shouzhi's face turned as pale as if he had seen a ghost.

  "Lad, don't utter rubbish. Do you really know what kind of research I am doing?"

  In truth, Zhang Shouzhi was a little moved by Wang Chong's offer. If Wang Chong really meant what he said, then he could consider lending the other party a hand.

  "Of course," Wang Chong smiled.

  "Due to that secret research back then, Elder Zhang misappropriated the funds fr
om the royal palace and due to that, you were even nearly got executed by the Bureau of Punishments."

  Hearing those words, Zhang Shouzhi's face couldn't help but redden. Even a person as thick-skinned as him couldn't stand having his dark history revealed right before him.

  "200,000 gold taels might not be sufficient for there to be any results in my research. Lad, you should reconsider this matter, the funding for that research is like an abyss. While I know that you come from a prestigious clan, there might not necessarily be any results even if you were to pump the wealth of your entire clan into it. If it was that simple, I would have already long succeeded back in the Bureau of Works already. How could I have possibly ended up in this state then?" Zhang Shouzhi replied grimly.

  This was the first person who had expressed support for his research in the past decade. This won Wang Chong some goodwill from Zhang Shouzhi.

  But whether Zhang Shouzhi would accept his request was still questionable at the moment.

  "I understand. Not only will I support you with an endless stream of funds, I can even give you the formula for cement," Wang Chong said.

  "Cement?"

  Zhang Shouzhi stared at Wang Chong in bewilderment, completely baffled by Wang Chong's words.

  Chapter 280: The Royal Court's Logistical Officer, Li Qingyou!

  Chapter 280: The Royal Court's Logistical Officer, Li Qingyou!

  Zhang Shouzhi had immersed himself in the research of civil engineering for nearly his entire life. In the Bureau of Works, he was the official with the highest qualification, and everything related to the topic was well within his grasp.

  And yet, Zhang Shouzhi had never heard of the term “cement” before.

  "Hehe. Elder, all this while, you have been trying to research the ideal adhesive between bricks, right? This piece of paper I have here contains such a formula, and it might possibly provide some inspiration to you."

  Saying so, Wang Chong passed the formula paper which he had prepared beforehand over.

  This was the very first formula of cement in this world.

  This wasn't the first time Wang Chong was taking something out of his original world, but every time he did so, he would still feel an indescribable sensation striking him.

  The world he was currently in was fine, just that the logistics and transportation were extremely inefficient.

  Just a normal journey between cities could easily take days or even months on end.

  Even a figure like Zhangchou Jianqiong, despite moving at top speed, still took around twenty days to rush from Jiannan to the capital!

  In this era, the fight between countries wasn't just a competition between their respective military might. To a certain degree, it was also a battle between the logistical efficiency of both sides.

  Having served as the Grand Marshal of the Central Plains once, he couldn't be any more aware on this.

  To put it in explicit terms, swift logistical movement of both men and supplies means that allied reinforcements could arrive earlier than the enemy.

  On the scale of a battlefield, it could mean the difference between victory and loss. But on the scale of a country, it could mean the rise and fall of an empire.

  But so far, no one except for Wang Chong had paid much heed to this crucial aspect.

  In Wang Chong's plans, cement formed an extremely important link.

  While it did come from the modern world, there was actually no complex technology involved behind it. The only reason why it wasn't in use was because no one had researched it to that extent yet.

  The paper which Wang Chong gave Zhang Shouzhi was the most fundamental formula behind cement. As for how it should be modified and produced, that would depend on Zhang Shouzhi.

  As Zhang Shouzhi took that paper, the room fell silent.

  As the most knowledgeable official in the Bureau of Works back then, he didn't really think anything much could come from a young lad like Wang Chong. Amidst the dim light in the room, he casually pulled the paper closer to his face to look at it. However, with a quick glance through it, his face slowly warped in astonishment.

  He had been spending his life researching an ideal adhesive for masonry, and he could swiftly tell that the formula which Wang Chong had just given him was exceptionally potent stuff. It was much stronger than the product from his last research.

  In that instant, Zhang Shouzhi's world seemed to spin around him.

  Beneath the dim light, Zhang Shouzhi stared at the formula in his hands for a very long time. and Wang Chong didn't interrupt him either.

  "How is it?" Wang Chong asked a long time later.

  Zhang Shouzhi didn't reply. Holding the formula in hand, a tight crease appeared on his forehead. He was still hesitant.

  At that moment, Wang Chong suddenly recalled something. Thus, he slowly walked forward and whispered into Zhang Shouzhi's ear, "If Elder Zhang agrees to my request, I can promise to help you deal with Chamberlain Xu!"

  Those words had the determining effect of pushing Elder Zhang off the fence.

  "As long as you can get that bastard Xu Xizi down off his high horses, I'll agree to your request!" Zhang Shouzhi immediately nodded vigorously as hatred gleamed in his eyes.

  Back then, if not for that bastard Xu Xizi doing something to the adhesive he researched, thus causing cracks to appear on the royal palace that eventually collapsed a wall, how could he possibly be expelled from the Bureau of Works and end up in his current state?

  Killing a person will only make his head fall to the ground. Zhang Shouzhi didn't want the other party to die, it would suffice for the other party to be expelled from the Bureau of Works and suffer the same fate that he did

  "Gongzi, you aren't lying to me, right? I know that you come from an impressive background, but Xu Xizi is currently the Chamberlain of Palace Buildings. Dragging him down will be no easy feat. Does the Wang Clan possess the influence to do so?" Zhang Shouzhi suddenly recalled something, and he replied deeply.

  "You need not worry about that. Difficult as it may be, it isn't impossible. Just wait here for my good news," Wang Chong waved his hands leisurely.

  Getting rid of the Chamberlain of Palace Buildings from the royal court was no easy task. Putting aside the Wang Clan, there was not a single clan in Great Tang who could stretch their hands into the royal palace easily.

  But Wang Chong need not go through that much trouble.

  With Consort Taizhen on his side, changing the Chamberlain of Palace Buildings was truly no difficult feat.

  After convincing Zhang Shouzhi to take charge of the fortress he would be erecting in Jiannan, Wang Chong left the dilapidated old residence.

  At this time, the sky was already dark.

  A slight wind blew, stirring Wang Chong's thoughts along with it.

  Building a fortress was no easy task, especially given the unique conditions required of this one. First, it had to be able to house 180,000 soldiers and provide sufficient rations to them. At the same time, it must also be able to fend off the attacks of any enemy.

  As such, the fortress had to be extremely large and sturdy. On top of that, there must be an efficient distribution system for water, rations, horse feed...

  None of these was easy to deal with. All of them would require significant investment to achieve.

  But even so, Wang Chong would willingly do so without batting his eyes.

  With his current strength and influence, the help he could offer Great Tang was severely limited. He had yet to become a figure whose words and gestures could easily determine the policies of the empire.

  Thus, all he could do now was to work within his limits, and the fortress at the Lion Rock Hill was the most that he could do at the moment.

  "... Once the construction begins, I fear that the money I have on me will be far from sufficient. I have to earn more money. Seems like I'll have to push forward that matter then."

  Slowly raising his head, many thoughts filled Wang Chong's mind as his eyes gazed into the
endless abyss of the night sky.

  Hualala!

  A moment later, a pigeon spread its wings and flew toward the Zhang Clan's residence. At the same moment, more than thirty ingots of Hyderabad ore was delivered over as well.

  Before long, another thirty more Wootz steel swords would appear in the capital, and every single last one of them would be delivered to the royal palace.

  Desperate situations call for desperate measures!

  Wang Chong wasn't the type of person who was inflexible in his actions.

  ------

  The morning sun appeared by the horizon, and innumerable golden rays fell through the cracks between the clouds, scattering across Great Tang's royal palace. Under the warm glow of the morning sun, the royal palace seemed like a divine land.

  At that moment, a man dressed in a court uniform was currently treading alone between the golden court walls with a contemplative look on his face.

  Even though there was no one around, his movements and gestures exuded compelling power. A two-finger wide purple token that was hanging by his waist further revealed the extraordinary identity of this man.

  In the royal palace, anyone who carried a purple token by their waist possessed exceptional standing and privileges.

  This was because the purple token wasn't issued by the royal court, but by the incumbent Sage Emperor himself.

  "Soon, it'll be the time for the annual review. It'll only do if His Majesty is satisfied with the results this year!" Li Qingyou frowned worriedly.

  He was a grade-3 military officer, but unlike the other officials in the royal court, he was exempted from attending the morning assembly and need not deal with the affairs of the military.

  He was only in charge of supervising the Imperial Army in the royal court and reporting their activities to the Sage Emperor straight.

  That majestic and beautiful token by his waist proved testimony to his identity. As the royal court's logistical officer, or more precisely, the emperor's logistical officer, Li Qingyou possessed great authority that was far above the other military logistical officers in the royal court.

  At the very least, the wealth that Li Qingyou could move was far beyond the imagination of the others.