The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 312
Gallop!
Mounting a warhorse, Huang Qian-er needed only a few moments to vanish from the sight of the Huang Clan.
And at this same moment, in a place extremely far from the capital, a carrier pigeon flapped across the sky. On the official road, a one-armed expert riding a horse raised his hand to receive the carrier pigeon.
"This… What in the world happened in the capital?"
Steel Arms gawked at the urgent missive in his hand, an astonished look on his face.
It had been a very long time since he had left the capital to carry out Wang Chong's secret mission. Wang Chong should have known he basically had no spare time.
Moreover, this order wasn't like the one sent out during the Dragon Bandits suppression. The order that time had said that if he could help, he should, but if he couldn't, that was fine.
But this time, Steel Arms could sense the resolve in those words, one that would brook no questions. Steel Arms almost instinctively felt uneasy.
This was no ordinary mobilization. His young master knew his mission. Unless there were unique circumstances, he would never request that he return to the capital.
His eyes shifting, Steel Arms thought for a few moments before suddenly turning his horse around and riding toward the capital.
"Hyah!"
No matter the situation, his young master's orders could not be defied.
Miyasame Ayaka, Wei Anfang, Old Eagle, Zhao Jingdian, Sun Zhiming… all these people by Wang Chong's side were thinking the same thing.
Such a large-scale mobilization had never happened before, and Wang Chong had never issued such an order. Although everyone had their doubts, they all chose to follow Wang Chong's order.
Countless people and horses began to move according to Wang Chong's order, stunning countless great clans within the capital.
……
Boom!
Another giant bolt of lightning seared down from the sky, its booming like a massive axe brushing over a scalp. The winds howled and trees swayed like a mighty wave was pushing through them. And then rain began to drop from the dark clouds.
The rain began as a drizzle, and then drops quickly connected into lines and strings. They struck the leaves, the tender grass, the hills, and the roads, letting out satisfying smacks.
The word was quickly shrouded in mist!
Beneath the lightning, on a long slope, Wang Chong was galloping through the rain.
The entire capital was startled by his order and perplexed at his actions. Only Wang Chong was aware of the whole story.
Wang Chong had never imagined that he would receive news of this person through this method, his old enemy from his past life, and that this person would be so close.
An Yaluoshan1!
Perhaps Old Eagle would never know just how stunned Wang Chong had been when he had said this name.
He would also never know what this name meant for the Central Plains, for the entire world.
Though he was still obscure in this world, in another world, there was no one who did not know his name.
Because it was this person that brought calamity on the Great Tang, made the massive empire splinter apart and begin its descent into extinction.
And it was him that brought over the foreign invaders, stirring up that catastrophe and destroying the entire world.
This was the true enemy of the Great Tang, and also the public enemy of the world!
A newborn tiger cub could barely roar and a just-hatched eagle chick could not yet flap its wings!
Whether it was Deflecting Blade Manor or the spirit vein, these were things that Wang Chong had used an enormous amount of time and energy to develop. These forces, these members of his party, were not easy to come by.
He would have never used them before they had truly matured.
But if he could destroy that person, Wang Chong was willing to pay everything in exchange!
Wang Chong had never known where those foreign invaders had come from, but there was one thing he did know. If he could destroy that person, everything would undergo massive changes.
Without this traitor of the Great Tang, perhaps none of that future would ever happen!
"An Yaluoshan, I'll definitely kill you!"
Wang Chong's eyes were red and his hands were tightly clenched into fists. A thick killing intent surged out of his body and into the heavens. "Hyah!" Horse hooves kicked up wave after wave of mud as Wang Chong charged forward…
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1. An Yaluoshan, also known as Kang Yaluoshan, but more commonly known as An Lushan, was historically a regional military commander, a 'jiedushi', of the Tang Dynasty. He was greatly favored by both Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang and was thus able to mass significant military power in the northeast. In the year 755, he began the An Lushan Rebellion, a conflict which would devastate the Tang Dynasty for eight years and start the slow decline of the dynasty.
Chapter 443: An Intent to Kill!
Chapter 443: An Intent to Kill!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Hwoooo! The winds raged while lightning bolts flashed across the dark clouds above. The fine drizzle was now a torrential downpour.
"Young Master, your armor!"
Two Wang Clan guards kneeled on the ground holding Wang Chong's armor, forged from Deep Sea Xuan Metal.
Behind them were the erect ranks of the Deflecting Blade Manor guards. The cavalry of the Zhuang Clan, the Steel Guards of the Chi Clan, the experts of the Wang Clan, and the retired Imperial Army instructors… all the guards of Deflecting Blade Manor had arrived, together with all the students.
The atmosphere was cold and somber. Though the majestic rain beat upon their bodies and faces, they seemed to be forged from iron or silver, completely unflinching.
"Wang Chong, what's happening here?"
The speaker was Marchioness Yi, wearing a red-tasseled spear at her back, riding out of the crowd on a rouge horse. She had gotten the news at Vermillion Bird Peak and led her own party over.
She was good friends with Wang Chong's second sister and had the greatest understanding of Wang Chong. There was absolutely nothing normal about today's mobilization.
"Marchioness Yi, do you believe in me?" Wang Chong asked, not directly answering the question.
"Nonsense! If I didn't believe you, do you think I would be here?" Marchioness Yi angrily returned.
Wang Chong turned his head and asked, "And if I want to kill a person? Will you still wholeheartedly trust me?"
Marchioness Yi was stumped. Wang Chong's complexion was icy, utterly devoid of emotion. His voice was calm, but that icy killing intent hidden beneath the surface made even Marchioness Yi tremble.
Marchioness Yi had known Wang Chong for a long time, but she had never seen him like this.
"I believe in you!"
Marchioness Yi suddenly smiled, but her voice was abnormally firm.
Although she didn't know why Wang Chong wanted to mobilize everyone in Deflecting Blade Manor or who Wang Chong wanted to kill, Marchioness Yi was confident that Wang Chong would never kill indiscriminately or slaughter the innocent!
If Wang Chong wanted to kill a person, that person assuredly had some reason to be killed. Marchioness Yi had chosen to trust him, not doubt him.
"…Speak. Who's the person that you want to kill? Someone who can engender such hatred in you can't be some ordinary person. Say it, and your big sister will help you kill him!"
Marchioness Yi waved her spear, her expression confident and carefree.
The rain pouring down pinged and clanged against her armor. As Wang Chong looked at Marchioness Yi, he suddenly smiled.
His efforts over this year were showing their results!
Every member of Deflecting Blade Manor had basically complied with his order and come.
No one had asked for a reason or what they were doing. Just this single order from him had been enough.
Just like Marchi
oness Yi, they had an unreasonable confidence and trust in him.
At this moment, Wang Chong was somewhat moved and incomparably proud.
"Move out!"
Wang Chong equipped the Deep Sea Xuan Metal armor and put on his helmet. His black cape swept through the rain like a saber as Wang Chong galloped forward, leading his forces.
After three li, another flood of steel approached in the rain. Zhao Jingdian, Sun Zhiming, Chen Burang, Zhuang Zhengping, Chi Weisi… and there were also the retired military instructors from the spirit vein. All of them were coming through the rain, catching up to Wang Chong's forces.
Zhao Jingdian brought his horse up to Wang Chong's.
"Young Master, where are we going?"
Zhao Jingdian had a calm face, and he had gotten even more powerful since last they met, having crossed the threshold of the True Martial realm long ago.
A black halo of thorns bristled underneath the hooves of his muscular warhorse, sending vibrations through the air as it gave off the clatter of metal.
"Old Eagle, do you know where?"
Wang Chong didn't reply, but turned to look at Old Eagle, his face cold and somber.
"I've already investigated. It's the Drunken Sparrow restaurant on Qiaolong Street," Old Eagle sternly said.
In this period of time, he had sent out countless sparrows and eagles, covering the entire capital in his eyes and ears. Enough time had passed for him to investigate the location of the incident.
"Go! Surround that place. I don't want a single person to be able to escape!"
"Yes, Young Master!"
……
At the city gate, the three forces finally merged into one torrent. The guards of the Wang Clan, the guards from Wang Gen's residence, the experts dispatched by the various great clans… all of them stood in orderly ranks, quietly waiting for him to arrive.
And in the crowd was the prominent figure of Luo Tong, the master archer from the King Song Residence.
This was not Wang Chong's first time working with Luo Tong. This fully-armored and muscular master archer from the King Song Residence had divine archery skills. Even with Wang Chong's experience from his last life, Luo Tong belonged to the elite of the master archers.
Wang Chong said nothing, only nodding before rushing by them and into the capital.
The rain was coming down harder and harder, and the dark clouds continued to roil in the sky. Blazing bolts of lightning cleaved down like giant hatchets, crackling across the sky.
When a lightning bolt flashed across the sky, the entire world was as bright as day.
The rain, the armor, the roof tiles… everything reflected the light of lightning. The howling of the wind, the booming of thunder, and the splashing of rain all blended into one.
There were few pedestrians on the streets, only shadowy figures lurking in the buildings and on the roofs. These were scouts sent by various clans of the capital.
But Wang Chong had no time to care about them.
The further they proceeded into the capital, the closer they got to Qiaolong Street, the more tightly Wang Chong's fists clenched, and the redder his eyes became.
Countless scenes flickered through his mind while the sounds of shouting, fighting, sabers and swords clashing resounded in his ear, all accompanied by endless fountains of blood.
The memories from his past life uncontrollably and incessantly flooded his mind.
No one understood more than him what the name of that person in Drunken Sparrow restaurant signified. It was a catastrophe for all of the Central Plains.
When that person swept down from Youzhou in the northeast, the Central Plains would become a sea of blood dotted by mountains of corpses until, eventually, everything became nothing.
HIs parents, his cousin, his aunt… Zhao Jingdian and countless comrades who had fought alongside him, those seniors who had entrusted the Central Plains to him, and countless common folk would all die because of this person.
In his last life, when all this was starting, the Wang Clan was in decline and Wang Chong was still wandering about everywhere. Compared to that man, who had the glorious position of commander of three military regions1, he was just the insignificant son of a fallen clan.
Wang Chong would never forget that deep despair he felt as he watched his relatives die.
What he did not do in his last life, he would definitely do in this one.
"An Yaluoshan, I'll have you die for me!"
A surging killing intent rushed out of his body, causing even space to warp.
Rumble! In the next moment, the flood of steel being led by Wang Chong followed him.
Qiaolong Street was as calm as a placid lake. The swaying lanterns hanging from the roofs and the raindrops slapping against them were the only things moving.
"Surround this place. Don't let a single person escape!"
In an instant, this calm was completely shattered.
Countless armored horsemen charged through the rain and tightly surrounded Drunken Sparrow restaurant. Splashsplashsplash. Figures began to jump off the ground and onto the surrounding buildings.
With a creak, bowstrings were pulled, and a forest of sharp arrowheads, twinkling with cold light, were aimed from all around at that luxurious restaurant in the center.
Marchioness Yi, Zhao Jingdian, Wei Anfang, Sun Zhiming, Chen Burang, Zhuang Zhengping, Chi Weisi… everyone was staring at Drunken Sparrow restaurant in the center.
A frigid and terrifying killing intent filled the air.
At this moment, everyone knew that this person that had stirred such hatred in Wang Chong, that he had to kill to be happy, was in this restaurant.
Without any other reason, a killing intent began to emerge in all their hearts.
They had known Wang Chong for so long, and they knew that he had never been one to indiscriminately slaughter innocents, and he rarely ever loathed someone so deeply.
Even when Abutong had challenged him and injured Chen Burang, Wang Chong had only disciplined him. He had still let Abutong go at the end.
If someone could fill Wang Chong with such hatred and hostility, that person deserved to die!
Boom!
In the next moment, there was a thunderous boom as a large foot imbued with a monstrous strength kicked upon the main doors of Drunken Sparrow restaurant, sending them flying.
And as the door was kicked open, Wang Chong led his group charging in, sweeping in with all the power of a storm.
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1.Historically, Emperor Xuanzong made An Lushan the regional commander of three military regions: Hedong, Fanyang, and Pinglu. Youzhou was the headquarters of the Fanyang military region.
Chapter 444: A Lifelong Enemy!
Chapter 444: A Lifelong Enemy!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Buzz!
Drunken Sparrow restaurant was packed with countless Hu, all of them in the midst of giving toasts and clinking their cups. When the doors were kicked in, the Hu were stunned, and then furious.
"Bastard! Who was that?"
"Don't they know that we reserved this entire place? Are they seeking death?"
"Get out of here, or else don't blame us for being rude!"
……
Like a pack of enraged lions, the countless Hu began to curse, pouring expletives out of their mouths. The Hu had never had very patient personalities. There were several clangs as many of the Hu unsheathed their sabers and swords and fiercely went to confront Wang Chong's group.
But in the next moment, they all came to a sudden stop.
Because they had discovered that the people rushing in outnumbered them by a large margin!
"Kill them all!"
Wang Chong waved his right hand as he strode out of the rain and into the restaurant. His voice was icy and brimming with sternness.
Rain had soaked through the chinks in his armor, flowing down his shoulders, arms, and chest, and finally congregating in
to a little stream under his war boots.
The Wang Chong of this moment was callous to the extreme.
No one had ever seen such an aura from him before.
"Young Master?"
At the front, Wei Anfang and the others, who had already rushed ahead of Wang Chong, all turned their heads. The capital was an important place, and killing so many people would bring serious consequences.
But there was not the slightest shred of emotion on Wang Chong's face.
"Strike!"
The moment he spoke, the Steel Guards of the Chi Clan and the guards of the Wang Clan rushed in like tigers setting upon a pack of wolves.
The Steel Guards and the guards of the Wang Clan had all been recruited from the battlefield. Military men considered it their vocation to follow orders, and their carrying out of orders was inevitable as a toppling mountain coming to earth.
As long as there was an order, they would resolutely advance, even if they were confronted by a mountain of blades or a sea of fire. In this aspect, they were completely different from the students of Deflecting Blade Manor, whose hands were still not stained by blood.
Boom!
All the Steel Guards of the Zhuang Clan, the guards of Deflecting Blade Manor, and the experts of the Wang Clan had come prepared. Each of them was wearing a suit of armor and wielded an axe or saber. Like a flood of steel, they charged into Drunken Sparrow restaurant. With a cold glimmer of light in the air, they fiercely hacked into the crowd.
"Ah!"
Blood flew and screams rang out. In just a single clash, ten-some Hu had been sent flying.
"Kill them. They dare attack us!"
The countless Hu began to roar.
In Wang Liang's party, there had been quite a few guards at his side, and when one added those sailors, his party had been huge. In those circumstances, no one should have been able to bully them.
Wang Chong had found it very strange at the start. How had Wang Liang been injured? But when he saw the situation in Drunken Sparrow restaurant, he knew.
Drunken Sparrow was one of the largest restaurants in the capital, and the number of Hu gathered here exceeded one hundred.
And each one of them was muscular and armed. Not a single one of them was weak. The people by Wang Liang's side alone wouldn't have been able to deal with them.