The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Lord Feng, there has never been a need for thanks when it comes to vital matters of the state.”

  Wang Chong smiled, not extending a hand to help him up. However, Feng Changqing was unexpectedly unable to complete his bow. An enormous Stellar Energy supported his body, preventing him from even bending at the waist. Feng Changqing tried several times until he was red in the face.

  Gao Xianzhi laughed and said, “Changqing, enough. If Wang Chong doesn’t want it, you won’t even be able to bow to him. Let’s go. Managing Khorasan is a complicated affair. Let’s talk inside.”

  “Fine.”

  Feng Changqing could only give up, a bitter look on his face.

  ……

  A certain hall in Khorasan was ringed by guards. Inside this hall were only Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and Cheng Qianli, the top-class commanders. Not even Li Siye was permitted entry.

  “Lord Feng, this is my plan for administering Khorasan. Take a look at it first. When it comes to actually running Khorasan, your help will probably be needed. This was also the primary reason for my request that you move to Khorasan.”

  In the solemn air of the room, Wang Chong got straight to the point. Reaching into his sleeve, he pulled out a paper densely covered in words.

  The administration of Khorasan not only determined whether this city would be kept or lost, but also whether the Great Tang could suppress the powerful foe that was Arabia. Besides this, it was also tied to one of Wang Chong’s even greater plans.

  Feng Changqing did not dare to show any negligence when it came to the administration of Khorasan. He immediately began to look over the paper, but with a single glance, he raised an eyebrow. He sat up on his chair and began to carefully read through the paper, and the more he read, the more astonished he became.

  Feng Changqing was an important subject of the empire and an expert in logistics, and he never did anything without preparation. To Feng Changqing, it was his duty to look three steps ahead before taking one. Thus, before coming, Feng Changqing had already carefully thought things over.

  With his many years of experience in administration, Feng Changqing had believed that his plan for administering Khorasan was already very detailed and comprehensive. But only when he saw Wang Chong’s plan did Feng Changqing realize how he was lacking. It wasn’t that he was incapable, but that Wang Chong simply thought in a different way.

  The hall was quiet for a very long time. Finally, Feng Changqing put down the paper and exhaled, shaking off his shock.

  As he stared at that young face, both childish and mature, that had been tempered through many battles, Feng Changqing’s mind was in turmoil. Rumors were different from seeing the real thing, and while Wang Chong’s military abilities were acknowledged by all, Feng Changqing had never imagined that he would also be such a formidable administrator.

  “So, Lord Protector-General, you have already prepared everything and will soon jointly sign that article with the Khorasani and rebel armies,” Feng Changqing said, looking up at Wang Chong.

  “Mm.”

  Wang Chong faintly smiled and nodded.

  “Article? Changqing, what is this article you speak of?” Cheng Qianli couldn’t help but ask.

  Feng Changqing said nothing, only handed over the paper.

  ‘The coalition army headquarters will be established in Khorasan, and the Sassanids and all other rebel armies jointly agree to obey the Great Tang. The Great Tang will support the Sassanid and other rebel armies in the establishment of their own factions. Moreover, if any member of the coalition army is attacked by the Arabs, the Great Tang has a duty to muster all its soldiers and resist the Arabs, and all the other members of the coalition must also respond to the call. In return, the other members of the coalition unanimously agree to comply with the Great Tang’s commands and additionally pay the expenses for any garrisons stationed in the territories of the various coalition members. If any member of the coalition betrays the Great Tang and the coalition army, the Great Tang will gather all the other coalition members to jointly attack the violator.’

  Cheng Qianli frowned as he read the first article on the paper.

  “Changqing, isn’t this just a normal thing for managing a coalition army? What’s so special about it?”

  The Great Tang hoped to borrow the strength of the rebel armies to deal with Arabia, and the rebel armies hoped to deepen their connections with the Great Tang. This was already commonly known in Khorasan, and even the ordinary soldiers had probably sensed what was going on. Cheng Qianli didn’t understand why Feng Changqing cared so much about something like this.

  Feng Changqing said nothing, only glanced at Wang Chong. Wang Chong smiled and took a sip of his tea.

  “Qianli, do you still not understand? This is no normal coalition. With this article, the Great Tang can remain firmly rooted in the region between Samarkand and Khorasan forever.”

  Feng Changqing sighed and began to speak in a praising tone as he gazed at Wang Chong. “While coming from Suiye, I thought of many plans, all of them linked in countless ways, but in the end, they are all inferior to this simple article from Lord Protector-General.”

  Feng Changqing felt sincere admiration. When he saw that paper, he had suddenly felt that there really did exist such geniuses in the world who had such sharp senses and observation abilities that they could solve an extremely complicated problem with just a few simple words.

  “Haha, Lord Feng’s praise is too much. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to hide it from you.”

  Wang Chong smiled and put down his tea cup. It was much easier to talk with intelligent people. In truth, Wang Chong had already given this article to Bahram, the rebel leaders, and Gao Xianzhi. Many people had been like Cheng Qianli and treated it as a simple plan for a coalition. Very few of them understood Wang Chong’s true aims.

  “Changqing, just what are the two of you talking about?”

  Gao Xianzhi felt like Wang Chong and Feng Changqing were communicating in sign language, and he finally couldn’t help but speak up. He had invited Feng Changqing over to handle the administration, but for some reason, the topic had turned to military affairs.

  “Milord, do you still not understand? As long as this article passes, the Great Tang will be the true ruler of the region between Samarkand and Khorasan.”

  Feng Changqing sighed and began to explain.

  “According to the contents of this agreement, the Great Tang cannot only obtain an endless stream of tax revenue, but can also mobilize the armies of the coalition members. Anyone who offends or resists the Great Tang will come under the attack of the other coalition members. With just this point alone, the Great Tang’s position to the west of the Cong Mountains will be unshakable. As long as we achieve this, the other administrative problems are just trifles.

  “With this policy, within ten years, the Great Tang will have a firmer grasp on Khorasan than it has over the Western Regions!”

  Everyone in the room fell silent, stunned by Feng Changqing’s words. From Feng Changqing’s reaction, they could tell that this article wasn’t as simple as it seemed, but they had never expected Feng Changqing to view it with such high regard.

  The Great Tang had needed two hundred years to finally stand firm in the Western Regions, but Feng Changqing claimed that the Great Tang could do the same here, and perhaps even more, in only ten years. This was simply absurd! If anyone else had made this claim, they wouldn’t have taken it seriously, but this was Feng Changqing, famed throughout the Great Tang for his wisdom and foresight.

  “Ten years? Changqing, are you exaggerating? Even with all the capable ministers and excellent generals the Great Tang sent to the Western Regions, it hasn’t even been able to maintain a continuous one hundred years of rule. Can just this one article really do such a thing?” Cheng Qianli couldn’t help but say. It wasn’t that he doubted Feng Changqing or didn’t believe in Wang Chong, but ten years was simply too difficult to believe.

  “One a
rticle naturally can’t do it, but with the next article, things are entirely different.” Feng Changqing turned to Wang Chong and said, “Lord Protector-General, I am filled with admiration. This plan to open up schools in Khorasan to teach the Tang language isn’t merely to deepen the understanding between the two armies, right?”

  Chapter 1192 - Managing Khorasan!

  Chapter 1192: Managing Khorasan!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Lord Feng truly is formidable. Correct. One article alone is not enough, but together with the last article, they can completely alter the situation in Khorasan. In truth, I actually care more about the article to expand the language of the Great Tang through Khorasan than the first one. This is the true root which the Great Tang can use to stand firm in this place. I hope that once Lord Feng takes over Khorasan, you will do everything in your power to advance its goals. Not merely in Khorasan, but in all the regions bordering Arabia.”

  Wang Chong lightly tapped the table as he firmly declared, “I hope that you can vigorously expand the Tang language to those parts, and if possible, even into the interior of Arabia.”

  Only Wang Chong himself knew that he regarded the spreading and teaching of the Tang language in Khorasan far more than anything else. The hard power of this world was the military while the soft power was culture. In order to understand a country, knowing its language was of utmost importance. Only by spreading the language of the Great Tang to Samarkand, Khorasan, and even to the Arabian capital of Baghdad would the culture of the Great Tang be able to seep into these places.

  Learning the language would allow further understanding of the Great Tang, and understanding the Great Tang would lead to admiration and ultimately acceptance of the Great Tang.

  This was the true foundation of the Great Tang, but Wang Chong was not prepared to overly explain this topic.

  “Milord, be at ease, I will make this matter my first priority upon taking command,” Feng Changqing solemnly assured him. On this point, the two were in complete agreement.

  Feng Changqing had studied the history of the Western Regions and knew that the Great Tang had its flaws in its approach to that area. Although the Great Tang had been rooted in the Western Regions for more than two hundred years, its policies had always been too conciliatory, leading the kingdoms of the Western Regions to never have much cohesion. Many undercurrents flowed beneath the surface while their loyalties constantly wavered like grass growing on top of a wall. These seeds planted by their antecedents meant that no matter how smart, daring, or ambitious those who came after were, they found it very hard to change this point.

  Feng Changqing keenly understood all this, but he could not say anything about it, because it involved the Imperial Court. Now, however, Feng Changqing had finally met someone just like him, a soulmate who understood this malady of the Great Tang like the back of their hand.

  In Khorasan, in this land to the west of the Cong Mountains, the Great Tang finally had an opportunity to try again. Using forceful military power as a support, they would establish a powerful coalition that could be used to strengthen the Great Tang’s position as hegemon and thus ultimately avoid the mistakes of the Western Regions and firmly control this region.

  This also made Feng Changqing feel like he and Wang Chong would get along incredibly well.

  A thousand jin of gold was easy to obtain, whereas a soulmate was hard to find!

  The administrative problems were just a bunch of odds and ends, and Feng Changqing used his own knowledge to clearly explain these matters to everyone, greatly enlightening them. Once all the discussions were finished, Feng Changqing asked Wang Chong to remain.

  “Lord Feng, is there something else?” Wang Chong said in surprise.

  “Haha, an old friend asked me to deliver this to you.”

  Feng Changqing faintly smiled as he took out a small wooden box and handed it over. While Wang Chong stared in surprise, he quickly took his leave.

  Clap!

  Wang Chong confusedly opened the box. The only thing inside was a familiar jade hairpin.

  “Qiqin!”

  Wang Chong was dazed, a strange feeling emerging in his heart.

  ……

  Wang Chong quickly handed over all the matters of Khorasan to Feng Changqing. As expected, with this administrative expert of the Great Tang present, Khorasan immediately began to run in an orderly fashion, and relations between the various parts of the coalition army also became neat and organized. But what surprised Wang Chong the most was that Feng Changqing could actually speak fluent Arabic. This was something that he never would have expected.

  Feng Changqing’s explanation was that one had to plan ahead for a rainy day. Although even Gao Xianzhi had underestimated the Arabs in this war, Feng Changqing had always felt threatened by Arabia, so he had long ago begun to study Arabic on his own, and he had needed very little time to fully grasp it.

  Feng Changqing’s knowledge of Arabic alleviated many problems, and he could easily interact with the Khorasani and rebel soldiers.

  Time slowly passed, and Feng Changqing’s management combined with Wang Chong’s plans allowed all their policies to be enacted quickly.

  The Great Tang’s first act after taking over Khorasan was to abolish the numerous taxes the Arabian Empire had imposed. In addition, it was declared that no taxes would be levied for the first three years. After three years, even though taxation would be required to keep day-to-day operations running, the revenue needed would not even be thirty percent of what the Arabian Empire had demanded.

  This proclamation quickly caused a stir within Khorasan, and together with the Great Tang’s status and influence in the coalition army, caused the people of Khorasan to greatly raise their view of the Great Tang. Not only that, Feng Changqing took a portion of the gold demanded from the Caliph of Arabia and set it aside for repairing the city and helping the citizens who had suffered losses due to battle.

  At the same time, because the battle had only just ended and the hearts of the people were still unsteady, the Great Tang joined with the Khorasani and rebels in forming small groups that would patrol the city and calm the minds of the people.

  Before entering Khorasan, Feng Changqing had also made many other preparations.

  Through the scouts that he had dispatched himself, Feng Changqing had learned that Khorasan was in dire need of goods. Those available on the market were all from the Great Tang and extremely expensive. Thus, Feng Changqing had brought thirty wagons loaded with all kinds of good necessary for daily life.

  As these wagons entered Khorasan, they immediately caused the people of Khorasan to become interested in the products of this country of the east. But there was one policy that did not attract that much attention.

  Schools!

  With the Great Tang’s military and financial support, Yuan Shusong and the disciples that he had taught in the Western Regions quickly set up schools throughout Khorasan. The schools primarily enrolled children, but there were also a few adults. According to the rules of the school, as long as one earnestly studied, any student of the school would have their three meals a day provided by the school and would also receive a large subsidy from the Great Tang.

  Such schools had never been seen before in Khorasan, and at the beginning, the people were rather suspicious. But with the help of Bahram and the rebel leaders, the schools were quickly able to enroll a first class of more than eight hundred students. This was not a lot, but it was a first footprint on foreign soil. In the future, the Tang language could spread like a wildfire through this region.

  And following Wang Chong’s plan, even more schools were in the middle of construction, everything proceeding with unstoppable and methodical progress. But as all of this was rumbling along, a sudden incident attracted the attention of Wang Chong, Gao Xianzhi, and all the other higher-ups.

  “This is the place?” Wang Chong asked, looking ahead.

  “This is the p
lace,” a Khorasani soldier respectfully said as he half-kneeled on the ground. Wang Chong’s status and influence in the minds of the Khorasani were now equal to Bahram’s, and in some aspects even exceeded him.

  Wang Chong said nothing as he gazed at the round pit before him. It had a diameter of two meters and was seemingly bottomless. Wang Chong had tested with his Psychic Energy, but even then, he had not been able to find the bottom of this pitch-black hole.

  “Explain again how this happened?” a rebel leader said.

  “The blizzard this time was greater than any other, and the snow piled up very thickly on the ground. While removing snow, a man was standing here, but before he could start shoveling the snow, the ground suddenly collapsed, taking him with it. When we heard the news, we wanted to try and save him, but when we entered, the ground collapsed two more times. It was then that we realized that the pit was much deeper than we imagined. Several soldiers fell, but none of them have come out. Later on, we sent a rope down, but for some reason, when people began to descend the rope, after just a little while, they would drop down from the rope. We didn’t dare to act rashly and so reported the matter to our superiors,” the kneeling soldier said.

  “And why are the nearby people yelling about ghosts and devils?” Bahram suddenly questioned.

  “I do not know. We came rather late and heard from the surrounding people that when the hole first appeared, black smoke come out, followed by a golden flame and a devilish howl. But by the time we arrived, there was nothing,” the soldier reported.

  Bahram frowned even more at these words. Khorasan was different from the Central Plains. Demon gods were not just myths, but were beings that the people believed in and revered. All the common people believed that demon gods actually existed, and any place which expelled black smoke and a devilish howl was bound to be abnormal.

  “Great General, let me go down first, and we can save the others as well.”