The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  King Song thought to himself for a while before suddenly saying, “Butler, write a letter telling him about what’s going on. Ask him if he has any opinion on the matter.”

  The old butler’s lips twitched for a moment before he quickly assented. “Yes, this old servant will do so now.”

  If there was one person in King Song’s faction who could aid him in every aspect, it was undoubtedly Wang Chong. Fumeng Lingcha had been a formidable Protector-General with decades of military service, with incredible status and influence, but Wang Chong had still managed to unseat him.

  Unknown to himself, Wang Chong’s reputation in the capital had reached an astonishing level. Although Wang Chong was far away on the border and had not even stepped into the court nor had the right to participate in a court debate, many nobles and great clans already looked up to him like the noon sun, with even more awe than many old officials of the court.

  Even King Song was slowly and unwittingly treating Wang Chong with more and more regard. Whenever he encountered some difficulty, he would inadvertently think about Wang Chong and hope that he might gain his opinion.

  ……

  Several days later, in Wushang, the City of Steel…

  After reading King Song’s letter, Wang Chong had put it down and remained quiet for a very long time.

  “How is it? Have any ideas?”

  Xu Qiqin was sitting to the side, dressed in a snow-white dress. As she blew at the foam on her tea, her cherry-red lips lightly parted and her exquisite eyes glistened.

  “It’s not very easy to pick Fumeng Lingcha’s successor, and the Imperial Court has always been the one to decide on Protector-Generals. I hadn’t even thought that King Song might ask my opinion on this matter.”

  Wang Chong shook his head. He had to admit that King Song regarded him far more highly than he had imagined.

  “You were the one to remove Fumeng Lingcha, so shouldn’t you have thought about a few candidates for his successor?”

  As Xu Qiqin spoke, she extended a delicate hand to pick up a pastry from the table, which she began to lightly nibble at. The longer she spent in Wushang, the more matters she became involved in, and the closer her relationship with Wang Chong became.

  At present, the two ate breakfast together, and there were some important matters which Wang Chong would seek out her opinion on instead of hiding from her.

  “Of course I thought about it. I initially thought that the best candidate for Qixi Protector-General would be my father. If he comes into Qixi, things would get much more convenient for me. But it seems that King Song doesn’t think this possible and has already eliminated him.”

  Wang Chong gave a soft sigh.

  The relationship between King Song and the Wang Clan meant that even without his prompting, King Song would have thought about his father as a candidate for Qixi Protector-General. Yet King Song had sent a letter asking for his opinion. It was obvious that his father did not meet the standard for Qixi Protector-General.

  King Song was a forthright character. He valued the Great Tang over his friendship with the Wang Clan, and there was nothing that could be done about that. This was why Wang Chong respected him, and also why King Song could suppress King Qi and receive the respect of so many officials.

  “…If I’m not wrong, King Song probably eliminated my father because he commands infantry, not cavalry,” Wang Chong somewhat helplessly said.

  Different kinds of soldiers were commanded very differently. In the war of the southwest, his father was not at the Great General level, but he was able to resist the attacks of Ü-Tsang Great General Huoshu Huicang by relying on the Mighty Miracle God Formation, the combined strength of his soldiers.

  But if he were to command cavalry instead and be surrounded by subordinates he wasn’t familiar with, he wouldn’t be able to use the Mighty Miracle God Formation. Without this formation, his father would simply be no match for an Imperial Great General.

  Such a person was simply not suitable to be Qixi’s Protector-General!

  As he thought about these things, Wang Chong couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

  “If we eliminate your father, then do you have no one else in mind?”

  Xu Qiqin gently smiled, tinged with disbelief. She had always known a Wang Chong that was assured and confident, always having a plan for everything, not the one she saw right now.

  “Haha!”

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but turn his head and chuckle.

  “In truth, I had a very simple reason for removing Fumeng Lingcha. With him here, I wouldn’t be able to move. Night raids like Dayan Mangban’s assault would keep on happening, and he would try and think of every possible way to ruin my plans. Something like my building the steel fortress on the triangular gap would be immediately noticed. Thus, I don’t care who is appointed to Qixi as long as it’s not Fumeng Lingcha. In addition, if Father isn’t suitable, we can also consider Xianyu Zhongtong or another Han general. Even someone from King Qi’s faction could be acceptable…”

  “But you can’t have anyone from King Qi’s faction because King Song would never agree to it,” Xu Qiqin immediately interrupted.

  “Smart!”

  Wang Chong glanced at Xu Qiqin and gave her a praising look.

  “In truth, I really don’t care who the Imperial Court chooses as Fumeng Lingcha’s successor. In comparison to this problem of King Song’s, I’m more worried about something else.”

  The room immediately fell quiet.

  With Fumeng Lingcha being imprisoned for his involvement in the War of the Princes, Wang Chong had smoothly taken care of his biggest foe and threat in Qixi, but this matter had unintentionally triggered another conflict. At least half of the Qixi Protectorate consisted of native Hu, and the Hu respected strength and courage. Put simply, he who was the strongest was their master.

  With Fumeng Lingcha present, the situation was still under control, but now that he was gone, Qixi was a group of dragons without a leader, and all the problems were now out in the open. At least ten-some mountains had immediately appeared in Qixi, ten-some factions vying for the authority of the Qixi Protectorate army.

  Although it was the Imperial Court that customarily decided who the Qixi Protector-General would be, this was useless against those Hu who worshiped strength and power.

  This was also one of the reasons Wang Chong had opposed a further strengthening of Hu authority during the Regional Commanders Incident. This sort of situation would never occur amongst Han soldiers.

  Right now, with those ten-some Hu generals struggling against each other for power, a civil war was very likely to occur amongst the Qixi Protectorate army.

  “Li Siye, what’s the situation in Qixi?”

  Wang Chong suddenly turned to look out the door.

  “Replying to Lord Marquis: we’re keeping watch on the situation day and night. Just as Lord Marquis predicted, that trusted subordinate of Fumeng Lingcha’s, ‘Gudu Li’, is currently brashly courting the other Hu of the Qixi Protectorate army. He’s extremely strong and was originally one of Fumeng Lingcha’s guards, but now, his prestige in the army has already surpassed Heba Ye’s. More importantly, the Qixi Protectorate army garrisoned on the eastern lines, along the Turkic steppe, has already begun to support him. If things continue like this, the Qixi Protectorate army will probably choose him to replace Fumeng Lingcha. In addition, I’ve received word that Gudu Li will probably find some pretext soon to suppress Heba Ye.”

  Li Siye, dressed in full armor, had been standing guard by the door.

  “In addition, based on the information we’ve gathered, Gudu Li has a high chance of rebelling. He has expressed the opinion many times that Hu shouldn’t fight Hu and that they’re all part of the same family. He even suggested once that he should take all the Hu in the Qixi Protectorate army and defect to the Western Turkic Khaganate.”

  At these words, both of the people in the room frowned.

  Xu Qiqin could tell what Wang Chong wa
s thinking and immediately warned him, “Wang Chong, you must not act impulsively. We have no authority over the Qixi Protectorate army, and we cannot carelessly break the laws of the Great Tang. If we do, we will have a very serious problem on our hands, one that could make all of our previous efforts vanish in a puff of smoke. Besides that, no large-scale conflict has broken out in the Qixi Protectorate army, so if we interfere now and kill a general of the Qixi Protectorate army, we’ll be served the death penalty.”

  Haaa, I can only put this matter to the side for now!

  Wang Chong mentally sighed. The situation of the Qixi Protectorate was a complete mess. He could only wait for the new Qixi Protector-General to take office to fully take care of the problem.

  “Li Siye, I’ll leave the Qixi Protectorate to you for now. Keep a close watch for any signs of activity. The moment an internal conflict breaks out, you have to intervene and put a stop to it.”

  “Yes, Lord Marquis,” Li Siye deferentially said.

  Leaving the matter to Li Siye, Wang Chong took a breather and enjoyed breakfast with Xu Qiqin, after which he quickly left the room. The events taking place in the Qixi Protectorate were truly rather concerning, but they were just minor itches to Wang Chong. He had far more important matters on his mind.

  “Venerable Sirs, long time no see.”

  In the reception hall of the governor’s residence, Wang Chong met with Arloja and Ablonodan, the two Sindhi monks. After a separation of more than a year, they were still as thin as ever, but their complexions were much improved.

  “Young Master Chong, our respects.”

  “I didn’t think that after only a year, Young Master would be made a marquis. Young Master is still so young and yet so accomplished. We truly did not judge wrongly back then.”

  At the sight of Wang Chong, the two Sindhi monks stood up and bowed with the palms of their hands pressed together. When Sindhu had been suffering from famine, Wang Chong had sent them a great deal of foodstuffs, cows, and sheep. By resolving this crisis, he had become the savior revered by all of Sindhu, a distinguished guest.

  In addition, Wang Chong was paying an extremely high price for the Hyderabad ore, far more than any other country. For this, even the most revered High Priest of Sindhu would regard him as a most honored guest.

  Chapter 822 - Court Debate, Selection of Protector-General! (I)

  Chapter 822: Court Debate, Selection of Protector-General! (I)

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Haha, please, Venerable Sirs are too polite. Come, sit.”

  Wang Chong gestured with a palm toward the seats.

  The three seated themselves, and after engaging in some brief pleasantries, Arloja quickly got to the point. “Young Master, is there anything that you need, having called us over from Sindhu?” These two were ascetic monks, so they had always been forthright and straightforward, unlike the people of the Central Plains.

  Wang Chong chuckled and took a sip of his tea. “Heh, I truly cannot hide anything from you. I wish to buy yet another batch of Hyderabad ore from Sindhu.”

  “But, Young Master, if I remember correctly, in just a little longer will be the time agreed to by the contract. Young Master will not even need to find us, much less call us over, for the second batch of Hyderabad ore to be sent over.”

  The monks were both confused.

  “Heh, it truly is as Venerable Sirs say, but this time will be different. I would like to bring the time of the exchange forward, and besides that, I want to alter the amount of ore, increasing it from one thousand to six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore!” Wang Chong said to the two.

  As the Wootz Steel swords forged by Wang Chong became famous throughout the world, the price of the Hyderabad ore had also begun to rise. When a single jun of Hyderabad ore used to cost several hundred taels of gold, it now cost one thousand. Six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore was thus six million taels of gold, an astronomical sum.

  At least for the Sindhi, this was an exchange of unprecedented value.

  “Young Master, is this true!”

  The two monks trembled as if they had been struck by lightning, their eyes wide as they stared at Wang Chong. The two had journeyed over long distances and steep peaks, but never had they imagined that Wang Chong would propose such a massive transaction. Six million taels of gold was probably enough for sustain all of Sindhu for an entire year.

  “Of course. In all our exchanges, have I ever lied to Venerable Sirs?”

  Wang Chong nodded his head and smiled.

  He had been operating in Wushang for several months now. After all his preparations and a massive consumption of manpower, resources, and capital, he now had almost everything prepared, except one last crucial thing. After the battle of the triangular gap, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry had grown even stronger, as well as more experienced, but they still had one massive flaw: equipment.

  Wang Chong’s five thousand Wushang Cavalry had neither Wootz Steel weapons nor Meteoric Metal armor. The one thousand Wootz Steel swords from the war of the southwest had already been given to the great clans as promised, and he couldn’t ask for them back.

  If he wanted to equip his Wushang Cavalry, he needed to get more Hyderabad ore.

  “Young Master, this is not our first time working with each other, and we have always been at ease with Young Master. The High Priest also has a very deep impression of Young Master. We are all extremely grateful for your benevolence. However, Young Master also knows of the current state of Hyderabad ore production. Six thousand jun of Hyderabad ore… we will find it very difficult to fulfill such a large request.”

  Arloja and Ablonodan glanced at each other, their brows deeply creased.

  The Hyderabad ore was extremely important to Sindhu, most likely its largest source of revenue. As the seller, it naturally hoped for more buyers. But the Hyderabad ore was different from other minerals. Its excessive density made it almost unimaginably difficult to mine.

  These difficulties severely limited the amount of Hyderabad ore that could be produced, so even across all of Sindhu, the six thousand jun that Wang Chong requested was still an enormous number.

  “Haha, of course I know, which is why I called over Venerable Sirs. I hope that Sindhu can favor the Great Tang in its selling of Hyderabad ore and temporarily sell all the ore being sold to the other factions to me instead. At present, you also know that only I understand the method to forge Wootz Steel weapons. This precious ore ending up in the hands of others is just a waste. Does Sindhu wish to see this ore wasted in the hands of ordinary craftsmen?”

  Wang Chong put down his tea cup and gave a confident smile, his expression exuding a persuasive grace.

  In truth, Wang Chong already possessed a massive advantage in the Hyderabad ore market. He was offering a price that most other factions couldn’t match, and the method for forging Wootz Steel weapons was something that left everyone drooling with envy. Those gorgeous patterns and sharp edges left even great monks like Arloja and Ablonodan gasping in praise.

  If they had a choice, the pair would have naturally agreed with Wang Chong. After all, only he could use the Hyderabad ore to its utmost.

  “!!!”

  But still, Wang Chong’s words left the two monks reeling in shock, their eyes flying open. The selling of Sindhu’s Hyderabad ore was very strictly regulated and not completely according to how much the buyer was willing to pay. There were many reasons for this, but the simplest one was that if Sindhu suddenly decided to stop selling the ore to the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu, it would probably suffer an invasion from these two factions, a consequence Sindhu had to consider.

  Although the humid, muddy, and disease-ridden circumstances of Sindhu made armies very unwilling to invade unless absolutely necessary, this was not a rule set in stone, so the Sindhi still had to think about it.

  “Haha, I know that Venerable Sirs cannot make this choice, but I would like you to convey this to the Hig
h Priest and have the High Priest choose. In addition, I am not asking that Venerable Sirs deprive the other empires of their quotas, but for the Great Tang to be supplied first. Once our transaction is concluded, Sindhu can continue its transactions with the other empires.”

  Wang Chong had apparently predicted the greatest worry of these monks.

  “In addition, after such a long time, I don’t believe that the High Priest has not taken any measures to increase the Hyderabad ore production.”

  “Young Master truly has an insightful gaze. Truly, nothing can be hidden from you.”

  The two gave bitter smiles.

  “Ever since the first transaction with Young Master, the High Priest has issued a decree for more men to be recruited to increase the Hyderabad ore production. These measures are already beginning to yield results, but the amount Young Master requests is still rather large for us.”

  “I can pay in advance a part of the six million taels. I am sure that the High Priest will carefully consider my proposition. In addition, with this gold, the High Priest can recruit even more people to increase the production,” Wang Chong said.

  Arloja and Ablonodan glanced at each other before saying, “This… We should still go and ask the High Priest. Young Master, please give us a little time. We will try and get a reply back to you as quickly as possible.”

  “Okay!”

  Wang Chong nodded. Arloja and Ablonodan stayed in the City of Steel for a few days before Wang Chong personally sent them off.

  ……

  While Wang Chong was taking care of various matters regarding the Western Regions, in the distant capital, the air was fraught with tension.

  “The Sage Emperor has decreed that if his cherished subjects have concerns, they should quickly present a memorial, and if they have none, they should take their leave!”

  A whip cracked in the court, and the presiding eunuch’s voice echoed through the hall. The many officials were arrayed amidst the coiling dragon pillars, and the atmosphere was eerily still. Everyone was quiet, and a strangeness suffused the air.