The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Fengjiayi's face turned grim. A fierce killing intent had emerged within him, aimed at that youth that simultaneously defeated him and Jiaosiluo while also saving Xianyu Zhongtong's Annan Protectorate army from the grasp of Ü-Tsang Great General Huoshu Huicang.

  Not even he had noticed that, for the first time, he was beginning to feel envious of another person.

  As the Crown Prince of Mengshe Zhao, Fengjiayi had been a genius since he was a child, and when he was still young, he had been praised by the Great Tang War God Wang Zhongsi as someone who had the qualities of a future Great General.

  Even in the capital of the Great Tang, Fengjiayi belonged to the class of the rarest of geniuses, so there were few people in this world that were worthy of his envy.

  But now, Fengjiayi was feeling envious.

  For someone to be younger than him and yet more brilliant meant that they had a boundless future, but it also meant a boundless threat to Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang. He could not be allowed to leave the southwest alive.

  "Hahaha, in truth, there's no need to think about it too much. With regards to the mysterious youth who defeated both of you last night, I basically already know who he is!"

  A bout of laughter suddenly interrupted this conversation. The Great Minister of the Ngari Royal Lineage, Dalun Ruozan, who had remained quiet this entire time and rarely interrupted others, waved his feather fan and squinted his eyes as he spoke.

  Buzz!

  Dalun Ruozan's words were like a bolt of lightning. Everyone in the tent turned to him with eyes brimming with shock.

  Chapter 557: Dalun Ruozan's Judgment! The Astonishing Result

  Chapter 557: Dalun Ruozan's Judgment! The Astonishing Result

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The appearance of a mysterious youth had suddenly flipped around the situation in the southwest. In the first stage, the Tibetan army had won victory after victory, practically encountering no opposition. But in the second stage, it had been dealt two major defeats in a single night, losing fifty to sixty thousand soldiers.

  When they were all excited to completely wipe out the Annan Protectorate army and sweep over the Great Tang's southwest, this reversal had been like a sharp blow to the head.

  No one knew where this mysterious youth had come from, and even Jiaosiluo and Fengjiayi had only clashed with him once. But right now, this Ü-Tsang Great Minister who had never even seen this youth or participated in any of the battles was now stating that he knew who this youth was.

  "Great Minister, are you speaking the truth?" Fengjiayi asked, a look of astonishment on his face.

  He had only ever heard of the deeds of this Ngari Great Minister, and knew that he was extremely intelligent and capable. Once, when the Great Tang's Zhangchou Jianqiong worked with the other protectorates to initiate a 'disciplining operation', it was Dalun Ruozan who managed to eventually cause the abandonment of the plan.

  Fengjiayi didn't understand Dalun Ruozan, but he did understand Zhangchou Jianqiong, who was now in the capital. Zhangchou Jianqiong had a burning ambition to make a name for himself in the southwest and use his achievements on the battlefield to enter the Imperial Court.

  Moreover, under Zhangchou Jianqiong, the Great Tang's relationship with Mengshe Zhao was not so stiff, and there had even been a honeymoon period. Back then, Zhangchou Jianqiong had once attempted to incite Mengshe Zhao into joining the Great Tang in attacking the plateau.

  But in the end, none of these operations succeeded.

  In the end, even someone as ambitious as Zhangchou Jianqiong had to quietly stand guard in the Annan Protectorate for several decades. This was not the work of Great General Huoshu Huicang, but the Great Minister of the Ngari Royal Lineage.

  I have long heard that the Great Ministers of Ü-Tsang are all incredibly perceptive people with astonishing intelligence. All of them are well-learned, scholars of great erudition exceedingly familiar with all the classics of the Central Plains. Moreover, they have all been infused with secret techniques from the enigmatic Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple, and empowered with an astonishing foresight, like a cicada that can tell the end of summer before the autumn winds begin to blow. In the past, I thought that this description must be an exaggeration. But if Dalun Ruozan can determine who that youth is from just these words, then he truly is terrifying.

  Fengjiayi's eyes shone as countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

  Ü-Tsang had four Royal Lineages, four Great Ministers, and one Prime Minister. Dalun Ruozan was only one of the Great Ministers. If he really did have this sort of skill, then what of the three other Great Ministers and the one minister serving the Tsenpo? The thought was truly a chilling one.

  A faint apprehension suffused Fengjiayi's heart.

  Royal Father is borrowing the power of Ü-Tsang to deal with the Great Tang, but Ü-Tsang itself is a wolf, and an extremely fierce one at that. If Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang break into hostilities in the future, the kingdom will be in great danger!

  With regards to borrowing the strength of the Ü-Tsang Empire, bringing their cavalry down south, Fengjiayi had actually always had a rather reserved attitude. Although he did not ardently oppose the move, he was also not very supportive of it. At the very least, he was internally conflicted about it.

  And the stronger this general and minister of Ü-Tsang appeared, the more conflicted Fengjiayi felt.

  "Haha, I wonder what Crown Prince Jiayi is thinking?"

  A voice rang out in his ear. At some point, Dalun Ruozan had walked over, a half-smile on his lips that seemed to carry some profound meaning as he looked at Fengjiayi.

  "It's nothing. I appreciate Great Minister's concern."

  Fengjiayi's heart shivered as he quickly refocused. He knew that this Great Minister was extremely observant, and his thoughts were probably more frightening than he could possibly imagine.

  "…That brat's origins are uncertain. If we can truly find out who he is and use that knowledge to find his weak points, that would be for the best. Fengjiayi is willing to listen to Great Minister's brilliant ideas."

  "Hahaha, it's actually not that difficult. Although I've never met that youth you speak of, participated in those battles, or observed how he commands his troops, just determining his identity truly isn't very difficult. I already know his background."

  Dalun Ruozan paced forward, waving his feather fan, attracting everyone's notice.

  In military affairs, there were things that a civil official should handle and things that a military official should handle, so whenever Huoshu Huicang was present, Dalun Ruozan would rarely interfere. He mainly stepped in for questions of strategy.

  "Strategy and tactics are secrets that are not passed on outside of their clans. No outsider would be able to learn such things. In addition, you mentioned that he was wearing Wang Fu's armor…"

  Here, Dalun Ruozan chuckled before continuing.

  "The part of the Annan Protectorate army commanded by Wang Yan truly has only two commanders. One is Wang Yan and the other is his eldest son Wang Fu. These two are the two commanders with the highest actual authority in that army. The art of war is of vital importance to the state, so how can any ordinary soldier dare to randomly put on the commander's armor? They wouldn't even dare to think of it. The moment this youth appeared, he replaced Wang Fu and wore his armor. If this person didn't have an illustrious background and incredible confidence, how could he dare to exceed and offend his superiors?"

  "Great Minister, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but the Great Tang is replete with rich and wealthy scions of illustrious background. Isn't this insufficient to determine the identity of that youth?"

  The King of Mengshe Zhao, Geluofeng, frowned as he spoke. He was actually quite curious about this youth, but curiosity did not mean admiration. It was the curiosity aimed at a threat that needed to be extinguished as quickly as possible.

  The Great Tang in the Central Plains had so many talented individ
uals that it was impossible to count them. Wang Zhongsi, Geshu Han, Gao Xianzhi, Zhang Shougui, Zhangchou Jianqiong, Wang Yan, Xianyu Zhongtong… far too many. Now, at this crucial moment, some unfathomable youth with an incredible grasp of strategy and tactics had joined their ranks.

  Having such a powerful empire as one's neighbor made it impossible to eat or sleep. No one knew when the Great Tang might some day grow dissatisfied and send their forces to quash Mengshe Zhao, or perhaps decide to change dynasties and set up a new sovereign.

  This was one of the reasons Geluofeng had chosen to oppose the Tang.

  With regards to the dangers originating from the Great Tang, especially those visible threats, he wanted to extinguish all of them while they were still in the cradle so as to prevent them from maturing into lethal threats.

  "Haha, if this were all, it naturally wouldn't be enough."

  Dalun Ruozan chuckled and continued, "But Huoshu Huicang also said that the commander of the army last night wasn't Wang Yan or Xianyu Zhongtong. Two highest-ranked commanders of the Great Tang in this region had joined together to ambush Longqinba. This definitely wasn't their style. Someone who can command both Wang Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong? Think about it; who could do such a thing?"

  "This…"

  Everyone fell into silent thought.

  Even Huoshu Huicang and Geluofeng began to contemplate the problem. None of them had ever pondered the problem posed by Dalun Ruozan.

  Even Fengjiayi and Jiaosiluo were dumbfounded. In terms of curiosity, no one was more interested in the identity of this youth than the two who had been dealt two vicious defeats by him.

  Yet not even they had ever considered Dalun Ruozan's question before.

  "Putting Wang Yan aside for now, Xianyu Zhongtong is someone who was personally selected by Zhangchou Jianqiong. That fellow only chooses people based on their loyalty. Wang Yan might be willing to hand over his authority, but Xianyu Zhongtong would never do so lightly. Unless…"

  Buzz!

  With a sudden flash of insight, everyone understood.

  "Unless that person had been appointed by Zhangchou Jianqiong!"

  At this moment, all of them shared the same thought.

  "Correct. In that short period of time, why would Xianyu Zhongtong hand over his authority? And why would he listen to that youth's plans and work together with Wang Yan to ambush Longqinba? It isn't like there's no one in this world who can order Xianyu Zhongtong around and make him keep a low profile, but they are few and far between. Zhangchou Jianqiong is definitely one of these people. I would even dare to wager that this child has Zhangchou Jianqiong's personal token!"

  Dalun Ruozan waved his feather fan as he spoke these final words with absolute conviction.

  The tent was deathly still. Even the King of Mengshe Zhao was speechless. Dalun Ruozan had never even seen this opponent, but from these few recounts, he was able to conclude that they had Zhangchou Jianqiong's personal token.

  Yet even Geluofeng felt that his words had struck true.

  "But how could Zhangchou Jianqiong give his personal token to someone else? That fellow is paranoid and would never lightly hand his right to authority to someone else. And if this person is so formidable that he could make Zhangchou Jianqiong give him his personal token, why have we never heard of him before?"

  "Hahaha, this is the interesting part."

  Dalun Ruozan's eyes began to brightly glow. The southwestern battlefield no longer had any variables. The battle from last night had only been an accident.

  The torrential rain, the darkness, and the failure of the Mengshe Zhao and Tibetan armies to arrive at the same time had produced that result. But the fate of the Annan Protectorate army was still settled.

  What he was interested in now was the sudden appearance of this mysterious youth with an almost godly understanding of strategy and tactics.

  "Who said that we have never heard of him before? It is only that Your Majesty does not know. Zhangchou Jianqiong would naturally never give his personal token to a stranger, and this stranger would never be able to make Xianyu Zhongtong give up his military authority of his own volition. But if this person was someone who Zhangchou Jianqiong was close with and who shared the same interests, then there's no problem. For example, someone of the Wang Clan, perhaps Wang Yan's youngest son, perhaps the person who constructed Lion City…"

  Boom!

  Like a rock stirring countless ripples, Dalun Ruozan's final conclusion swept through the tent like a gale, stirring massive storms in everyone's minds. Even Huoshu Huicang's mind was agitated, thrown into great turmoil.

  With regards to the youngest son of the Wang Clan, not too many people might know who that was, but with regards to the person who had built Lion City and created a massive problem for Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang, no one in these two countries didn't know who that was.

  And Fengjiayi and Jiaosiluo, who had already clashed with Wang Chong, were the most stunned of all.

  "How could it be him…"

  Chapter 558: Dalun Ruozan's Insight!

  Chapter 558: Dalun Ruozan's Insight!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  If one had to point out the people who had created the most problems for the personages assembled in the tent, it would not be Wang Yan and Wang Fu, who had led their army across vast distances to suddenly kill their way into the city and lend it their mastery of defense. Rather, it was the person who had constructed Lion City in the first place, Wang Chong.

  At the very start, the Tibetans had jeered at the people of Mengshe Zhao.

  But after they experienced the powerful defensive capabilities of that city and were forced to understand again and again the critical and vexing position the city held over the Erhai plains and all of the Great Tang's southwest, they stopped making fun of the Mengshe Zhao soldiers.

  The Tibetans didn't have too great an understanding of the people of the Central Plains. At most, they knew that the commanders of the Tang army were Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan. But in terms of reputation, both Xianyu Zhongtong and Wang Yan were a distant second place to Wang Chong.

  Right now, even the lowest-level Tibetan soldier knew the name of 'Wang Chong'. This name was often accompanied by all sorts of strange theories.

  In the Great Tang army, there were many people saying that this mysterious youth in the distant capital had long ago predicted that Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang would start this war. This was because though Lion City was nominally claimed to be for the purpose of commerce, its defenses and various other preparations clearly indicated that it had been meant for war!

  Even the Tibetans had accepted this explanation.

  Even Fengjiayi and Jiaosiluo had found themselves interested in this youth called Wang Chong. Although the two didn't believe that he had that much foresight, no one could doubt that the existence of Lion City was a massive hindrance to the strategies of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army, dealing an incalculable blow to the war effort.

  And the name 'Wang Chong' became an existence that the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army could not ignore.

  But no one had expected that he would suddenly drop from the heavens, moving from the capital to the southwest. In addition, he had also defeated Jiaosiluo and Fengjiayi. Even the esteemed Ü-Tsang Great General Huoshu Huicang had suffered a minor defeat, having been lured by Wang Chong like a tiger from its mountain.

  "Impossible!!"

  The first to react with a complete rejection of this result was neither Jiaosiluo nor Geluofeng. It was Fengjiayi.

  "How could that brat be this formidable?"

  His wide-open eyes were a whirlpool of emotions. Constructing a city and commanding soldiers were two completely different concepts. Even when he had first heard that it had been that brat who had constructed that vexing Lion City, Fengjiayi had felt that the fellow was a threat to Mengshe Zhao.

  But this was completely different from Wang Chong commanding troops to defeat him.

  "Great
Minister, you are sure that it is him?"

  Jiaosiluo fiercely raised his head, his words voicing the question on everyone's mind. Although he already believed Dalun Ruozan, Jiaosiluo still felt that the Great Minister was a little too certain with this conclusion.

  "That's right. Great Minister, that Wang Jiuling is praised as a wise minister of the Great Tang. In his time, the Great Tang was a shining place. Even the Great Tang's Son of Heaven was raised up by him. He has three sons and one daughter. The eldest son is an important minister of the Great Tang, while his third son Wang Yan is an accomplished military general whose defense might be even tighter than Xianyu Zhongtong's. If we add on Wang Fu and Wang Chong, wouldn't the Wang Clan be a clan bursting with talents?"

  Geluofeng's hands rested on the armrests of his chair, his eyes showing a slight turmoil. He had apparently found it rather hard to digest this news.

  Although the former Prime Minister of the Great Tang Wang Jiuling had been retired for ten-some years, he still held enormous influence within the Great Tang. He had played a great part in creating the Great Tang's golden age, and though he was now old, he still represented a massive threat.

  As long as he wasn't dead, his enemies wouldn't be able to rest easy.

  Although Wang Jiuling was now old, he had many talented descendants, and his entire clan seemed to be full of ministers and generals. Just thinking about it gave Geluofeng a massive headache.

  The Six Zhao of Erhai were too small. Although he had always had his ambitions, Mengshe Zhao was located on a plateau with thin air. Other than the Tibetans, it wasn't suitable for anyone else.

  If Mengshe Zhao wanted to develop, if Geluofeng wanted to realize his ambitions and break free of his status as vassal, if he wanted to become an Emperor, he could only expand to the north, in the direction of the Great Tang.

  The southwest of the Central Plains was connected to Mengshe Zhao and its lands were fertile, making it the ideal location to expand. This was the reason Geluofeng had ardently pursued an alliance with Ü-Tsang.