Wang Chong paled and he immediately leaped to the side. A second later, a strange pitch-black arrow that Wang Chong had never seen before brushed past his ear.
Wang Chong had never felt so close to death before.
Boom!
A massive shockwave burst out by his ear. Time seemed to stop. Wang Chong turned his head and saw a sight that he would find hard to forget. That black arrow had landed several zhang away, in the chest of Luo Ji.
Luo Ji's mouth was agape, his eyes filled with disbelief. Around him, the generals were pale as they stared at that arrow in shock.
Sudden!
Too sudden!
No one had expected this sort of thing to happen after the war had concluded.
"Who is it? Who's there!!"
Lin Wushou was the first to rush to Luo Ji's side, hugging Luo Ji as he looked around with a savage expression.
Bzzt! Wang Chong's pupils constricted as he twisted his head in the direction the arrow had come from. But the area for several dozen li around was empty.
Impossible!
Wang Chong suddenly looked toward the horizon. There, he could faintly make out a black silhouette, but it was there for only a brief moment before vanishing without a trace.
"Luo Jiiiii!
Tearful cries rose from behind him. Wang Chong's heart turned cold as he turned his head to be greeted by an extremely bizarre sight. In the few seconds that had passed, Luo Ji's body had turned as black as ink and as stiff as a board.
Crack! In the space of a single breath, the Luo Ji who had fought so courageously on the battlefield and been so alive just a few moments ago had transformed into a sculpture of black glass, which then shattered into pieces on the ground.
And those shards began to decay under the influence of some mysterious energy, carbonizing until they were just dust in the wind.
All the southwest generals were dumbfounded.
Wang Chong felt like his heart was a block of ice.
Because this arrow had been meant for him.
If he hadn't reacted quickly, noticing the danger beforehand and dodging, he would be the one whose body turned to dust.
"Bastard! Who did this?"
Furious roars began to rise from the mountain. The generals began to rush down the mountain toward the place the arrow had been fired from.
Nearby, the convalescing Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong had been alarmed and rushed from the summit, needing only a few seconds to span the distance.
"Luo Ji, Luo Jiiiii!!"
The most agitated and vengeful of the generals at this moment was Lin Wushou. The two were bosom friends in the Annan Protectorate army, and they had managed to survive the war of the southwest together.
No one had thought that Luo Ji would die here!
"Who is it?! Who did this?"
"Too shameless! Is it Mengshe Zhao, or is it Ü-Tsang!!"
"They can't win a proper battle, so they resort to tactics like this!"
……
The generals of the southwest returned from their fruitless search, and when they saw what had happened to Luo Ji, they were both shocked and furious. All of them were deeply affected by Luo Ji's end.
"It's too shameless! Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang must pay a price!"
Although no one had seen the assassin, there was no doubt that if they weren't from Mengshe Zhao, they were from Ü-Tsang. At this moment, only they had the chance to commit this sort of deed!
"It's not them!" Wang Chong suddenly declared. His eyes narrowed, shining with a cold light.
"They've already lost the war of the southwest, and killing Luo Ji or any other random person wouldn't change this. Dalun Ruozan's the kind of person who would view such tactics with contempt. As for Mengshe Zhao… Until Geluofeng's safety is assured, Duan Gequan will pay attention to nothing else. And besides him, no one else could do such a thing.
"And besides, look around you. Our soldiers surround the entire mountain. Do you think the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army could hide assassins here?"
Wang Chong's voice was very cold!
Extremely cold!
Luo Ji had died for him. There was no disputing this fact. Wang Chong had never anticipated such a thing happening in the final moments of the war.
"But, Young Master, if it's not Mengshe Zhao or Ü-Tsang, who could have done it?"
"In addition, what is with that arrow? Everyone saw it! Could it have appeared out of thin air?" several red-eyed generals asked. Although they were agitated, they still maintained a great deal of respect for Wang Chong. But anyone else who said such words would not have received the same reception.
"It's precisely because of this arrow that I say that it couldn't have been Mengshe Zhao or Ü-Tsang!"
Wang Chong suddenly took two steps forward, bending down and taking up that pitch-black arrow. After piercing through Luo Ji, it had struck the ground.
The head of the arrow had ceased to exist, leaving behind only the black arrow shaft, which seemed most strange and bizarre.
When they thought about Luo Ji's wretched death, all the generals shivered.
"Ü-Tsang doesn't have the skill to forge such an arrow, and the arrow-making art of Mengshe Zhao was inherited from the Central Plains. Their combined abilities simply aren't enough to craft this level of arrow! …If they had such abilities, today wouldn't have ended up like this," Wang Chong said.
He carefully inspected the arrow in his hands. Never in all his life had he seen an arrow of this level. Although only the arrow shaft was left, it still contained a dreadful energy, purely destructive in nature. Just by gripping it, Wang Chong felt a deep shock.
And this wasn't all. The arrow shaft, arrow tail, and its extremely simple arc that seemed to be one with the principles of the world… Not even the greatest smithing clans of the capital could craft such an arrow.
The craftsmanship reflected in that trajectory was practically divine, surpassing any other arrow that Wang Chong had ever seen.
No normal person could create such a thing.
In addition, as his gaze swept over a symbol on the shaft, Wang Chong's heart shivered and he stopped speaking.
The other generals fell silent as well.
Wang Chong's conclusion was correct. In terms of craftsmanship, the Great Tang of the Central Plains truly reigned supreme. If Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang could create terrifying black arrows like this, the Tang would have been facing a dreadful unit of master archers today as well.
A general finally couldn't help but ask, "But, Young Master, if it's not Mengshe Zhao or Ü-Tsang, who could it be?"
Although Wang Chong's argument was very reasonable, it was a clear fact that Luo Ji had been killed. If it wasn't Mengshe Zhao or Ü-Tsang, who assassinated him? What reason would there be to assassinate him?
It was too absurd and unreasonable.
Wang Chong said nothing, but his mind recalled the image of that blurry silhouette on the horizon. He could guarantee that this mysterious black arrow had not been fired anywhere within a ten li radius of this area.
Because it was impossible for someone to fire such an arrow in a ten li radius and remain undiscovered by the Tang army.
But if it was as he thought, if it was at that distance… then his opponent's strength was far too terrifying!
Hiss!
Wang Chong took in a deep breath and stopped pondering the matter.
If it wasn't Dalun Ruozan or Duan Gequan who fired that arrow, it must have been a third party. Why had they done this, and why had they chosen this moment?
And more importantly, why had they been after him?
……
Wang Chong quickly felt like the entire war of the southwest was covered in a thick fog. There seemed to be something else beyond Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang that he didn't know about.
"Leave this matter to me. No matter what, I'll definitely find out who shot this arrow!"
Wang Chong's right hand suddenly clenched itself over the arrow.
…�
�
In the coda of the southwest war, Luo Ji died to a mysterious black arrow. No one could have imagined this, but this was also a matter that only a few people knew about. The vast majority of the Annan Protectorate army soldiers knew nothing about it, let alone other people.
And to the people outside the southwest, today was bound to be an unforgettable day of celebration.
Chapter 636: The Capital Astir!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Flapflap!
Countless carrier pigeons flapped their wings and took off in various directions, spreading the news of the victory in the southwest to every place.
In a place seven or eight li from the capital, an orderly army equipped with bright armor was somberly marching along the official road, toward the southwest. At the front of this army was a middle-aged man exuding a noble aura, mounted on a white steed. As he looked toward the southwest, a faint tinge of concern could be seen in his eyes.
The war of the southwest had lasted for more than a month, almost two months now.
But the entire Imperial Court was unable to muster any soldiers. Two months seemed like an eternity for the southwest, but to this massive empire that needed to gather resources from all sorts of places, it was utterly insufficient.
Even though the Bureau of Military Personnel, Bureau of Personnel, and Bureau of Works were doing all they could, it was still not enough.
King Song had also done all he could, staunchly pushing past all opposition to extract thirty thousand soldiers from the Imperial Army, bringing his total number to seventy thousand well-trained soldiers that he could lead to the southwest.
But to tell the truth, not even King Song was confident that these seventy thousand soldiers would be of any use.
After all, the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army had more than five hundred thousand soldiers!
However, the matter of the southwest was too large for King Song not to go. And this matter also involved Wang Chong!
King Song looked up at the gloomy skies and quietly said to himself, Wang Chong, this king has already done all he can. I hope that you can hold on. I hope that I won't be late!
The capital had long ago been informed that Wang Chong and the Annan Protectorate army were besieged on a mountain by the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army and in an extremely perilous situation. There was even a rumor that by the time the Imperial Court had received this news, Wang Chong and the 180,000 elites of the Annan Protectorate army were already dead.
Although King Song had always rejected this rumor, deep within his heart, even he knew that it was already an impressive feat for Wang Chong to last this long against opponents like Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Geluofeng, and Duan Gequan.
The final result tended more toward disaster than fortune.
Flap flap!
The flapping of wings suddenly came from the sky. King Song subconsciously raised his head and noticed that a large eagle was flapping its wings as it descended toward him.
"Protect King Song!"
A shout came from beside him, followed by the pulling of bowstrings.
"Halt!"
King Song's brow creased as he ordered the archers to stop. At the same time, he extended his arm to allow the eagle to land.
He vaguely recalled that this eagle was seemingly raised by that person called Old Eagle who was often at Wang Chong's side. Old Eagle was a former member of the Bureau of Military Personnel, and had achieved some merit in the operation to capture the Goguryeon assassins and King Sosurim, so King Song had met him once.
More importantly, there was a message tied to the eagle's leg!
"It's news from Wang Chong!"
For a moment, King Song had a bad feeling. Old Eagle was one of Wang Chong's followers. Could it be…
King Song extended his hand and quickly removed the message.
In the next moment, King Song's brow relaxed as he exploded with heaven-shaking laughter. "Hahaha, wonderful! Wonderful!" Everyone was dumbfounded, especially the people of the King Song Residence. They had been with King Song for a very long time, and knew that recently, King Song had often found it hard to eat his meals or sleep well, and his face had been fraught with worry.
This was their first time seeing King Song so happy and pleased. The dark clouds that had troubled him for so many days had seemingly been swept away.
"Wang Chong, you truly give this king too many surprises!"
Gripping the letter, King Song was laughing so hard that his face was red, his eyes bursting with joy.
"Quickly, pass on this king's message. Tell the Imperial Court that we've won a great victory in the southwest!"
Boom!
His last words caused the entire army of seventy thousand to rumble. Everyone's eyes were wide and mouths agape, their faces filled with disbelief. In this march to the southwest, all of them had prepared themselves for certain death.
But what had they heard just now? A great victory in the southwest?!
"It can't be wrong! The seals of Wang Yan and the Annan Protectorate army are affixed to the message! There's no doubt about the victory in the southwest… The officials of the court must be besides themselves with worry. Quickly deliver this news. This is the best news the Great Tang has received in these last two months!"
After saying this, King Song laughed again.
Wang Chong! It was him once more!
King Song had never expected to be given such a big surprise.
For one hundred thousand soldiers to defeat five hundred thousand soldiers, an army led by Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huicang, Duan Gequan, and Geluofeng, was nothing more than a miracle. Not even he could imagine how Wang Chong had done it.
But this news was no lie, and the seals were proof of its veracity. In addition, Wang Yan had also placed his handwritten signature!
Anyone else might lie, but Wang Gengzhi and the seal of the Annan Protectorate army would not lie!
"Pass on my order! All soldiers should march until we reach the southwest! We move out immediately!"
King Song's booming voice resounded over the sky.
The army immediately rumbled to life, traveling several times faster than before. As the army left, countless carrier pigeons flapped their wings and set off for the capital!
……
At the capital of the Great Tang…
In the northeast corner of the Imperial Palace, guards dressed in golden brocade stood amongst the lofty halls, appearing like statues.
These were the palace's Heavenly Messengers.
Their sole mission was to receive and dispatch news from inside and outside the palace. For anything else, they required explicit permission.
Flapflap!
The flapping of wings caused several of these guards to raise their heads. They were greeted by the sight of a white pigeon drawing an arc through the sky before landing on a nearby roof.
"This is?"
A doubtful look flashed through a guard's eyes. He walked over and untied the letter from the pigeon's legs.
"It's a letter from King Song."
The guard came back to his senses, pacing as he opened the message. But after giving the message a single glance, the guard almost fell over.
"Mi-Milord… the south, the southwest has been won!!!"
The guard waved the letter in his hands as he excitedly ran forward.
Boom!
The entire palace stirred to life as the news spread. After many days, almost two months, even the palace maids and eunuchs knew about the war of the southwest. The greatest concern of the entire empire was the war of the southwest.
No one could have anticipated that it would be won at a moment like this.
The entire Imperial Palace was instantly awash with celebration.
……
While King Song's pigeon flew into the palace, another pigeon flew into the residence of the Wang lineage.
"What? Great victory in the southwest!
"Chong-er ac
tually won!"
Wang Chong's big uncle, Wang Gen, gripped the arms of his chair and fiercely stood up, his beard trembling in excitement.
"Master, this news is confirmed. The letter was sent by King Song and has his seal. There is no doubt!" a Wang Clan guard confirmed once more.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!!"
Wang Gen's eyes moistened from excitement.
The Wang lineage had three descendants on the southwest battlefield: Wang Yan, Wang Fu, and Wang Chong. Inside and outside the capital, within and without the Imperial Court, Wang Gen was probably the person who was currently paying the most attention to the war of the southwest.
There were many times when Wang Gen would wake up in alarm in the middle of the night or simply find it impossible to sleep. It was all because he was thinking about the war of the southwest, about how Wang Yan, Wang Fu, and Wang Chong might possibly die in the southwest. Alas, he could do nothing.
The Imperial Court currently had no soldiers to mobilize, so even as an important minister of the court, he could do nothing. The seventy thousand soldiers being led by King Song were already the limit of what the Imperial Court could send.
But Wang Gen had never imagined that not long after King Song had set off, before he had even reached the southwestern battlefield, news would arrive of a great victory in the southwest.
The Great Tang's one hundred thousand soldiers had actually defeated the five hundred thousand soldiers led by Dalun Ruozan and Geluofeng!
This news was too shocking!
If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, Wang Gen would have never believed it. But Wang Gen knew that King Song would never lie about this matter.
"Chong-er, I knew that you wouldn't let me down."
Wang Gen was so excited that he almost lost his composure.
"Someone! Help me put on my official uniform! I need to immediately head for court!
"Hahaha, today is the day our Great Tang holds its head high, the day our Wang Clan holds its head high. Hurry!"
Wang Gen's laughter could be heard across the entire estate. Even the old servants who had worked in the residence for decades had never seen him laugh so happily.
A short while later, a carriage rolled out of the gates and set off for the Imperial Palace.
……
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 399