"But can we really just ignore it?" Bai Siling angrily said.
Wang Chong fell silent. He wasn't completely ready, making this a poor time to break into hostilities with Fumeng Lingcha.
"Lord Marquis, why don't we report this matter to the Imperial Court? Perhaps this will make him more restrained?" a voice softly said.
Wang Chong turned and saw that Cheng Sanyuan and Su Shixuan also had anger burning in their eyes.
"It's useless. Without any actual influence and only our side of the story, the Imperial Court can't do anything. In addition, Fumeng Lingcha only made verbal threats, but he hasn't actually done anything. Not even the imperial censors can reprimand him for that."
This was not Wang Chong's first time involving himself with the politics of the court, and his big uncle Wang Gen had been earnestly giving him advice this entire time with a mind to nurturing his political intuition. As a result, Wang Chong was well aware that it would be hard to pin any charge on Fumeng Lingcha for his conduct today.
After all, he was the Qixi Protector-General, a Great General of the empire!
Chapter 727: The Threat from the Plateau!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
"Don't worry about him. Let's all go back for now. This is my territory, and it doesn't matter what Fumeng Lingcha wants to do. He won't do anything here, because this is my land!" Wang Chong spoke these final words with a heroic resolve.
This was a fief personally bestowed by the Sage Emperor, so Wang Chong had complete administrative rights over the territory. Any noble, even members of the imperial clan, would have to control themselves here!
Wang Chong had been granted this special right.
It's seems like I'll have to speed things up. I can't allow Fumeng Lingcha to stick around, Wang Chong said to himself as he looked in the direction Fumeng Lingcha had left.
Fumeng Lingcha's appearance had only made him more determined to switch out the Qixi Protector-General. Otherwise, many quarrels awaited him in the future.
With a wave of his hand, Wang Chong quickly returned to the City of Steel, and the City of Steel fell back into its normal state, the rumbling and clattering of steel echoing through the heavens.
……
"Milord, will we really be waiting ten days? That bastard's construction speed is far too fast. In ten days, that city might already be finished and we'll be too late. And that brat is too brash and arrogant. By relying on the prestige and status of the Wang Clan, he doesn't even regard Lord Protector-General with any respect."
While Wang Chong was returning to his city, on the other end, a deputy from the Qixi Protectorate finally couldn't hold back his complaints.
"That's right!" another deputy agreed, his face furious. "A boy who’s still wet behind the ears with only this trifling title of marquis dares to speak like that to Lord Protector-General! But while Lord Protector-General was battling across the world and achieving great things for the Great Tang, this brat was probably still in the womb! The Wang Clan's people have gotten too full of themselves."
The deputies' words made Fumeng Lingcha's face twist into a most unsightly grimace.
It was clear that this excursion had not turned out like Fumeng Lingcha had planned. Wang Chong's stance had been much tougher than he had expected.
"Enough!"
Fumeng Lingcha's words immediately frightened his two deputies.
"Do you all really think I would give him as long as ten days? Since he's so insensible, he can't blame me! Aluona, is everything on that side ready?"
"Reporting to Milord: everything is ready. Only Milord's order is needed." A Hu Qixi general equipped in black armor lowered his head and spoke with an expression of absolute respect.
"Then begin!"
Fumeng Lingcha clenched his teeth, a harsh light in his eyes.
Rumble! It was just at this moment that an astonishing boom came from the City of Steel. Upon hearing this noise, all the Qixi soldiers instantly fell silent.
Fumeng Lingcha's complexion turned even nastier.
"Let's go!"
With this order, Fumeng Lingcha led his Qixi elites off, quickly vanishing into the distance.
……
All of Qixi returned to peace, but beneath the calm exterior, an invisible storm was gathering energy.
Several hundred li to the west of Qixi, a plateau soared into the sky, a high mountain looking over a vast abyss. Although this was an empty and masterless area, many people could only ever view it from the distance.
This was the territory of the Tibetans.
The thin air of the plateau made most of the world's elite cavalry regard it with dread. Even the extremely aggressive Turks had never tried to occupy the plateau.
It was for this reason that the Tibetans often said that this was a land gifted to them by the heavens.
In the golden autumn of the ninth month, when the vegetation was lush and green, the plateau also presented a flourishing sight.
Rumble!
The ground suddenly began to quake. At first, it was just as gentle as a light breeze, but it began to increase in intensity until all the grass was swaying madly.
Whoosh! A fierce gust of wind blew over the plateau, and in the distance appeared a churning cloud of dust, from which sharp cries issued.
In the blink of an eye, thousands of Tibetan cavalry had coalesced as a dark cloud, an endless flood, awesome and dreadful.
The Tibetan Plateau was entirely flat terrain, and to the Tibetans, who had always chafed against restrictions, it was the best land for them to ride their horses where they pleased, giving them a taste of that freedom they so cherished.
Neigh!
As these countless Tibetan cavalry shouted and galloped, a roar like that of a dragon suddenly suppressed all other noise.
The sound of the galloping horse herd immediately subsided.
Rumble! In a flash, a mighty pure-white steed that seemed to carry the bloodline of dragons shot out of the herd like a lightning bolt, leaving a long trail of dust behind it.
A stalwart man was mounted on the horse, more than seven feet tall and bearing a thick mustache, with long and narrow eyes that exuded a sharp light. He had the bearing of a god that intimidated those around him.
Neeeigh! In a split second, that divine steed with its snowy mane and jade-like hooves went from extreme speed to extreme stillness, halting at the edge of the plateau.
Behind it, the thousands of Tibetan highland steeds also began to slow, the warhorses and their riders adopting respectful expressions.
The highland steeds of Ü-Tsang were mostly all black or of mottled coat. Rarely were they ever pure white, with even their hooves shining with the luster of white jade. In all of the northeastern border, only one person was allowed to ride this divine steed of the Great Snow Mountain.
The Eagle of the Steppe, Dusong Mangpoje!
The battle with Longxi's Big Dipper Army had ended not too long ago, so no one would have expected this Ü-Tsang Great General to show up here.
"Look at that! The mountains and rivers reaching on into the horizon!" Dusong Mangpoje suddenly said as he looked down the plateau from atop his horse. "Truly a beautiful sight!"
His eyes were extremely sharp, able to pierce through the cloud layer of the Tibetan Plateau and take in the mountains, deserts, rivers, and even the distant Turkic steppe.
Across the world, was there any that was so blessed by the heavens as the Tibetan Plateau, that had the spirit and superiority to dominate the world?
"Lord Mangpoje can also be enchanted by this landscape? Why is it that I can only get interested in killing?" A voice came from behind him, accompanied by the slow trot of a horse. Another stalwart man had appeared, his body appearing as sharp and slender as an unsheathed blade.
This person's face was thin and the contours of his face seemed to have been chiseled out, making him exude an aura of sharpness. Compared to Dusong Mangpoje's gentle and reserv
ed aura, this person gave off an aura of stern harshness.
Beneath him was yet another snow-white divine steed, but unlike Dusong Mangpoje's warhorse, this horse had hooves of red, as dark as dripping blood.
Anyone who saw the hooves of this warhorse would feel a deep discomfort.
In truth, the thin and tall rider gave the same impression. A thick killing intent seethed around his body. There was only one person in all the north of Ü-Tsang who could get so close to Dusong Mangpoje with such thick killing intent, and that was 'Dayan Mangban'.
In the entirety of Ü-Tsang, the people who had attained the Great General level could be counted on one's fingers. Although Dayan Mangban was not a Great General, he was acknowledged by the entire Ü-Tsang Empire, including the Tsenpo and the Great Ministers, as a future 'Brigadier General'!
Although his strength could not compare to Dusong Mangpoje's, the gap was not a substantial one.
There were two great clans in the northern region of Ü-Tsang, the Dayan Clan and the Dusong Clan. They were both extremely old and powerful clans, with long histories and deep roots in the region.
In Tibetan, 'Mangban' had the meaning of 'hero', 'talented one', 'brave'.
From this, one could easily imagine the strength of someone named 'Dayan Mangban'. And besides that, his ability to ride the 'Bloodhoof Steed' from the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple and obtain the temple's acknowledgment was proof enough of his strength.
In Ü-Tsang, anyone who could ride the Bloodhoof Steed represented a special existence, that of 'slaughter'.
The Bloodhoof Steed of the Great Snow Mountain Holy Temple had always been given to individuals with exceptionally thick killing intents.
Dayan Mangban's course through life had been somewhat different from Dusong Mangpoje's. He had not risen from the regular army, and rather than the melees and formations of regular armies, Dayan Mangban was more skilled in assassination!
Ü-Tsang had many small countries on its border: Greater and Lesser Balur, the Shi Kingdom, the Kang Kingdom, Tukhara, and many others. Many of the renowned generals from these small kingdoms had been killed at the hands of Dayan Mangban.
(TN: Greater and Lesser Balur were both located in what is now northern Pakistan, in Gilgit and Baltistan. The area was a critical part of the Silk Road. As mentioned before, the Shi and Kang were people that lived in the region of Sogdiana. The Shi Kingdom had its capital in Tashkent, now in Uzbekistan, while the Kang Kingdom was associated with the city of Samarkand. Tukhara, or Tokhara, is another name for Bactria, a region that straddles the modern countries of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Pakistan.)
In the Western Regions, Dayan Mangban had another name: the God of Death.
"Haha, you can kill while I claim those lands for the Tsenpo and the empire. We can both kill and get the land, so why not do both?" Dusong Mangpoje said without turning his head.
The Dusong Clan and the Dayan Clan could be considered longtime friends, and Dusong Mangpoje was also rather familiar with Dayan Mangban. However, this was the first time the two had worked together.
The situation required their cooperation.
"Is the information reliable?"
Dayan Mangban rode his horse up to Dusong Mangpoje's, and they both looked down the plateau together at the deserts, mountains, and the vast steppe in the distance. His eyes were slightly squinted and bursting with an intimidating chill. It was like he was an eagle on the hunt, ready to plunge down and strike.
In his eyes, there were no opponents, only prey.
"Fumeng Lingcha is a wily old fox. When he was presiding over the Western Regions, he used schemes to vanquish an army of the White-Robed Arab. And Qixi has always had a meticulous defense, so tight that not even a drop of water could get through. For him to suddenly relax so much, can we really trust it?"
"No Imperial Great General is easy to understand, and Fumeng Lingcha naturally isn't that simple. However, this shouldn't be a fake. During the Regional Commanders incident, Fumeng Lingcha sent a memorial requesting that boy's execution. That matter caused such turmoil that the whole world knows of it. Now that the boy has boldly pushed into Qixi and is building a city in Wushang, right underneath Fumeng Lingcha's eyes, this is a naked challenge. Given his headstrong personality, it would be far stranger if he was actually able to stomach his rage."
Dusong Mangpoje stroked his thick mustache, his eyes half-closed and a faint smile on his face.
Chapter 728: Hidden Danger!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Ü-Tsang might not have been a party to the 'drama' taking place in the Great Tang's northwest in Qixi, but it had been keeping a close eye on it the entire time. Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, Fumeng Lingcha, and Longxi's Geshu Han… the long arc of a border between the Great Tang and Ü-Tsang was garrisoned by no less than three of the Great Tang's Imperial Great Generals.
In normal circumstances, Ü-Tsang would never dare to rashly act until it had made all the preparations and gathered sufficient soldiers.
But with the arrival of that 'Brigadier General' from the Great Tang, the future 'Great Tang Eighth Great General', Ü-Tsang suddenly found a chance. In truth, Dusong Mangpoje and Dayan Mangban had come because they had smelled bait.
And none other than Fumeng Lingcha had laid this bait!
"Hmph, he's rather smart. Although I don't like being used by others, if it's that bastard… I don't mind being used just once! The Tsenpo and the Great Minister are probably thinking the same thing," Dayan Mangban said.
The air instantly grew rather solemn. Dusong Mangpoje had shut his mouth, not saying a word.
In the Ü-Tsang Empire, the name 'Wang Chong' and even the events of the southwestern war had become a sort of taboo. The plague that this youngest son of the Wang Clan had spread through the plateau even now had still not come to an end.
Several hundred thousand cavalry of the Ngari Royal Lineage had been smashed into dust in that campaign, with the Four Royal Lineages now becoming three. And the mountain of corpses had become the foundation for that person's reputation.
Even the Ngari Great Minister Dalun Ruozan, known and respected throughout the world for his intelligence and courage, had ended up being jailed by the Tsenpo because of that campaign.
Other than a few of the Great Tang's renowned generals, no one in the history of Ü-Tsang had ever dealt the empire as grievous a blow as Wang Chong. And not even those renowned generals would have done what Wang Chong did, spreading plague over the steppe.
One could easily imagine the loathing all the Tibetan commanders felt for Wang Chong.
When it was learned that Wang Chong was building a city in Wushang, only several hundred li from the northern border of the plateau, even though Ü-Tsang knew that Fumeng Lingcha had intentionally leaked this news, it was still willing to take the bait.
"The Han have a saying that goes, 'for a nobleman to take revenge, ten years is not too long', but we Tibetans can't wait that long," Dusong Mangpoje said, his expression grave. "This internal strife amongst the Tang is an extremely rare chance for us. Geshu Han doesn't know that we're here yet, so we can use this opportunity to eliminate that Wang Clan scion. Threats must be strangled in the cradle. If that youngest son of the Wang Clan is allowed to mature, he will become a mortal affliction for our Ü-Tsang in just two or three years, and the Great Tang really will obtain yet another Imperial Great General. No matter what, we cannot let him leave alive, much less allow him to use that City of Steel as a base to reenact the southwest!"
Part of the reason Dusong Mangpoje had managed to arrive so quickly was that he wanted to kill Wang Chong and avenge the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Ngari Royal Lineage. But the other part was that the Tsenpo had felt a deep unease.
The Wang Clan's youngest son was a manifestation of this deep concern, a most unpredictable variable. Based on the Lion City that he had constructed by the Erhai, no Tibetan believed that he was building this City o
f Steel in Wushang purely to manage his fief.
"Get ready! Use this chance and eliminate him to avenge Dalun Ruozan and the others. As for Fumeng Lingcha, we still need to keep an eye on that old fox. I will keep watch on him."
Dusong Mangpoje quickly turned his horse around and galloped back in the direction he had come.
"Heheheh…"
Dayan Mangban looked down over the edge of the plateau, toward that place on the horizon where thick smoke curled into the sky. He gave a mysterious laugh before turning his horse around and galloping into the distance.
The pair quickly vanished.
……
"Wang Chong, what are you preparing to do next? The ten days will go by quickly. Are you really planning to withdraw? Or do you plan to completely break off relations with him? But Fumeng Lingcha is Qixi's Protector-General!"
On the high steel walls, Bai Siling followed behind Wang Chong, her black eyebrows tightly creased. Ever since Fumeng Lingcha had left, Bai Siling had been very concerned, her heart weighed down by worry.
Although she was infuriated by Fumeng Lingcha's actions and felt them to be extremely shameless, he was still an Imperial Great General, the highest commander of Qixi. No one could underestimate his words.
Wang Chong held his hands behind him and indifferently said, "There's no need to break off relations, as that's already happened."
While Bai Siling had been concerned and worried, Wang Chong had spent these last few days acting like nothing had happened.
"I absolutely cannot withdraw from Wushang, and he absolutely cannot let me be. The 'ten days' were just a time he gave on the spot, but he would never really give me ten days."
"Ah?!" Bai Siling was first stunned, but when she glanced at the relaxed look on Wang Chong's face, she instantly turned furious. "Then why are you still so calm?"
"Haha, relax. He wouldn't dare do anything too out of line. Qixi's Protector-General can only concern himself with Qixi, not with my territory. Moreover, even though I don't look worried, who said that I wasn't doing anything?"
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