Before his eyes was a black world. In the distance, tall and craggy peaks soared into the sky, their peaks like sharp swords or sabers. Moreover, their surfaces were bare and free of any plant life.
As for nearby, the ground was black mud that exuded a thick and pungent stench.
Upon entering this region, all the Wushang Cavalry, Li Siye, and the Gangke King couldn’t help but cover their mouths and noses.
This was a forgotten world, and also a degenerated world. At a glance, it was like they had ventured from the human world into the domain of the god of death.
Decaying bodies could be spotted in the mud, flies buzzing around them while maggots crawled through the mud. The sight was simply unbearable.
“I truly can’t believe that Sindhu would be like this!” Li Siye couldn’t help but say.
“There is a saying that goes, ‘Only when you see Sindhu will you know what the underworld is like’. Only when you see how tragic and wretched it is will you come to cherish all you own and count yourself fortunate to have been born in the Central Plains, in the Great Tang!”
Zhang Shouzhi trotted up from the rear. He paused as he gazed at the frightening corpses in the mud and then warned, “In addition, Sindhu is wracked by various kinds of plagues and diseases, and miasma hangs in the air. This is partially one of the reasons it is rarely invaded. Everyone, don’t be careless. Don’t forget to take the pills that we prepared.”
Gulp!
Everyone immediately responded to Zhang Shouzhi’s words. They took several brown pills from their medicine pouches and used water to swallow them down.
After making their preparations, they set off once more into Sindhu. The deeper they went in, the more corpses they saw, and they started to notice small clouds of poisonous miasma. There were also many dark-skinned and emaciated Sindhi kneeling on the side of the road, their stomachs grumbling as they begged for help.
“What’s going on here? I remember that I gave the Sindhi an enormous amount of food, and the Sindhi also should have gotten several million taels of gold from the Hyderabad ore, enough money to buy vast amounts of food. Why are there still so many people starving to death?” Wang Chong said, his brow furrowed. He had already placed two enormous orders with Sindhu, paying far above the market price, but it seemed like his actions had no effect on Sindhu whatsoever.
Yuan Shusong rode forward, spoke with the short Sindhi guide for a few moments, and then quickly rode back and communicated to Wang Chong what had been said.
“Milord, our guide in Sindhu says that the current situation is the best Sindhu has been in several decades, with not even half as many people dying from starvation. All of Sindhu is extremely grateful toward the Young Marquis of the Great Tang. He was willing to be our guide entirely because we are Tang. He would like to ask if we have ever seen the Young Marquis, and if we could introduce him so that he could give his thanks in person.”
Bang!
At Yuan Shusong’s words, everyone began to laugh, and even Wang Chong couldn’t help but smile.
Bahram had found this Sindhi guide on the edge of Khorasan, and when requesting his help, Bahram had only mentioned that he needed him to help some Tang. Moreover, the news coming out from Khorasan regarding Wang Chong said only that he was a young commander of the Great Tang. Few people knew that Wang Chong had another title: the Young Marquis. This Sindhi guide was clearly not one of them.
“Tell him that he has already thanked him.”
Wang Chong smiled.
The dark-skinned Sindhi was quite confused by all the laughter and Yuan Shusong’s words. In the end, Yuan Shusong had to whisper a few things into his ear, upon which his face became extremely agitated, and he began to excitedly shout, barely able to keep control of himself.
Knowing Wang Chong’s identity, the Sindhi guide immediately became more diligent. Moreover, whenever he ran into other Sindhi on the side of the road, he would excitedly run around and shout, quickly attracting a crowd of Sindhi who prostrated on the side of the road.
Wang Chong found this rather hard to bear and ordered his subordinates to distribute some food. Three days later, after crossing more than half of Sindhu, Wang Chong and his men finally reached the most famous mountain range in all of Sindhu, the Hyderabad Mountains.
“This is where the ore for Wootz Steel is mined? Wow! What precipitous mountains!”
When they saw the Hyderabad Mountains, the first thing they felt was not grandeur or majesty, but that these mountains were extremely steep.
Sharp crags jutted out from the hard and pitch-black surfaces of the mountains. They felt that if they were not careful, they would plummet into the abyss and shatter all their bones.
“I find it hard to believe that the Sindhi can mine ore from a mountain range like this. Even traversing this mountain on foot would be difficult, much less on horseback.”
Li Siye couldn’t help but mutter to himself as he gazed at the enormous mountain range, lurking there like a giant beast. His eyes were also brimming with shock.
The Hyderabad Mountains truly lived up to their reputation. Even the Wushang Cavalry couldn’t help but feel some dread when they looked at these mountains, as if they were insurmountable.
Wang Chong said nothing, only watched from the rear, but he felt the same. However, he also sensed a unique sensation from the Hyderabad Mountains, but before he had time to think, he heard a shout.
“They’re here! It’s Ablonodan and Arloja!”
Wang Chong raised his head and saw the familiar figures on the precipitous mountainside, leading a group of black-robed Sindhi who were rapidly and confidently traversing the Hyderabad Mountains. Upon close inspection, the two leaders were none other than the monks that Wang Chong was extremely close with, Ablonodan and Arloja.
The mountainous terrain was extremely complex and covered in sharp stones, but the ascetic monks led by Ablonodan and Arloja were able to swiftly navigate their way down.
“Lord Marquis!”
Seeing Wang Chong and Li Siye in the distance, Ablonodan and Arloja began to excitedly shout and move even faster.
“Haha, Venerable Sirs, long time no see!”
Wang Chong urged his horse forward to welcome the pair.
Wang Chong and this pair were old friends, but they had not met for more than a year now. Ablonodan and Arloja had both gotten thinner, but they appeared even more energetic. Wang Chong could even see the small symbol of a mountain on their chests. It appeared that they had been given rather significant promotions.
“Lord Marquis, you’re finally here. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time. When we heard that you were battling with the Arabs at Talas, we were greatly concerned, but Ablonodan and I were confident that Lord Marquis would emerge victorious!” Arloja said.
“When we heard that Lord Marquis had made it all the way to Khorasan, we were both relieved.”
Chapter 1197 - Hyderabad's High Priest!
Chapter 1197: Hyderabad’s High Priest!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wang Chong laughed, “Haha, now that you mention it, I have to thank Venerable Sirs for promptly sending over the Hyderabad ore…”
The three exchanged a few pleasantries before swiftly setting off into the mountains. Given the steep terrain, Wang Chong left the majority of the Wushang Cavalry behind and led Li Siye and the other experts toward the peak of one of the mountains.
At the summit, he saw roiling plumes of smoke and crude, simple huts. Thousands of Sindhi were laboring away atop the mountain. They wielded various simple tools which they used to pound away at the rock, slowly chipping away at the mountain.
Farther off, Wang Chong could see several massive machines, like giant beasts, squatting in the center of the Hyderabad mine, drilling and excavating away.
This was Wang Chong’s first time coming to the Hyderabad Mountains and seeing how that most precious ore in the world was excavated. All of this was extremely
shocking. However, when he saw the simple tools being used by the miners, Wang Chong almost imperceptibly creased his brow, but he did not comment.
“Lord Marquis, it is rare for you to personally grace us with your presence. Is there anything Ablonodan and I can assist you with? As long as it is within our power, Lord Marquis, please state your request,” the black-robed Arloja said with a respectful face.
“Is the High Priest present? I would like to discuss with the High Priest the matter of the Hyderabad ore. In addition, there are also a few other matters I wish to seek his guidance on,” Wang Chong said.
“Heh!”
Ablonodan and Arloja glanced at each other and smiled, apparently having predicted Wang Chong’s request.
“Lord Marquis, please follow. The High Priest has been waiting for you for some time now.”
Wang Chong, Li Siye, and the others followed Ablonodan and Arloja deeper into the Hyderabad mine.
Deep within the Hyderabad Mountains, Wang Chong finally saw the legendary Sindhi High Priest. Here was a simple and ancient temple built of steel, located at the bottom of a collapsed mine in the center of the Hyderabad Mountains. There were no decorations on the steel pillars, only speckles of rust to signify the storms this temple had endured.
“High Priest, the guests are here.”
In the temple, Ablonodan and Arloja stood side by side and bowed to the figure on the raised platform.
Wang Chong looked up and saw that a monk wearing a black robe was seated on the platform, his eyes tightly shut and his body motionless, as if he was a statue.
At this close distance, Wang Chong was unexpectedly unable to detect any signs of life, as if the thing sitting there was just a shell. For someone of Wang Chong’s cultivation level, this was simply inconceivable!
“The High Priest has already cultivated his secret ascetic art to its highest stage. If the High Priest is willing, he can go three or four years without eating or drinking,” Ablonodan and Arloja explained, as if sensing what Wang Chong was thinking.
“What?!” Li Siye and the Gangke King both blurted out in shock before Wang Chong could speak.
“A person who doesn’t eat or drink for three or five days will be in mortal danger, and even martial artists are considered formidable if they can endure ten days. How could someone go for three or four years without even taking a drop of water?”
“Not even Great Generals could do such a thing.”
“Impossible! How could a human go for so long without eating or drinking!”
Living beings had a limit. Just like how humans could not escape the grasp of gravity, all creatures could not go without eating or drinking. Three or four years was far beyond what any of them could imagine.
At this moment, Wang Chong suddenly spoke. “Don’t get too carried away. The world is home to innumerable secret arts, and the ascetic arts of Sindhu are completely different from the Stellar Energy we cultivate. These arts focus on tempering the will of the fleshly body. In the process of ascetic practice, they can minimize the function of their bodies. The most powerful ascetic masters can even survive being buried underground for three or four years, and when they are dug back up, they will still be alive. All of this is true.”
Wang Chong understood far more about the secrets of Sindhu than any of the others. Although the High Priest’s abilities were shocking, they were not impossible.
“I didn’t think that the Young Marquis would have such an understanding of we Sindhi!” a voice abruptly said.
Wang Chong had never heard this kind of voice before. It had such a complicated tone that it was impossible to distinguish whether its owner was a man or woman, old or young. For a moment, one would even get the impression that they hadn’t actually heard a voice but had spoken those words themselves.
“High Priest!”
To everyone else’s surprise, Ablonodan and Arloja suddenly prostrated on the ground and became motionless.
Everyone looked up to the High Priest with a jolt. On the chair, the motionless High Priest began to move, his entire body rustling and crackling, and then large chunks of dirt began to drop from the High Priest’s face to the ground.
At this moment, Wang Chong sensed that the High Priest who had seemed like a clay figurine just moments ago was now like bamboo sprouting after a rain. An enormous vitality erupted from his body, sweeping through the temple like a hurricane. A moment later, the High Priest’s eyes trembled and opened.
“Venerable High Priest, we finally meet.”
Wang Chong faintly smiled as he bowed. This was not Wang Chong’s first time communicating with the Sindhi High Priest, as all the dealings regarding the Hyderabad ore had to first receive the approval of the High Priest. However, this was their first actual meeting.
“Haha, Young Marquis, have you come for the Hyderabad ore?”
The High Priest chuckled as he slowly stood up from his chair.
Everyone else was shocked, but Wang Chong was unperturbed as if having predicted this response.
“The Arabs have been defeated, more than one million of their soldiers killed. They will not be able to mount a counterattack for a very long period of time. The critical routes traveling east and west are now all under my control. In the past, one could say that Sindhu was still threatened by the Arabs, but now, Your Venerable Holiness should no longer have such concerns, correct?”
Wang Chong faintly smiled. The Hyderabad ore was extremely important, as each Wootz Steel sword could give a huge boost in strength to the Great Tang army. In this aspect, Wang Chong was unyielding and willing to haggle down to the last cent. One of Wang Chong’s important goals in this trip was to see if he could get the Arabs’ quota of Hyderabad ore.
“Heh!”
The High Priest chuckled, but there was a sharp light in his eyes.
“The Young Marquis should know that eggs cannot all be put in one basket. Selling all the Hyderabad ore to the Great Tang is not necessarily a good thing for Sindhu.”
Li Siye, the Gangke King, and the other Tang experts grimaced at these words. Those who had followed Wang Chong for some time were particularly surprised by this response.
The Great Tang and Sindhu had worked well together before. A few months before, when Talas was besieged by the Arab army, Sindhu had sent over the ore needed by the Great Tang as quickly as possible, contributing greatly to the eventual victory. But no one had expected that now that the Great Tang had won, the Sindhi would suddenly be unwilling to cooperate.
“Your Venerable Holiness!!”
Even Ablonodan and Arloja raised their heads in surprise. It was clear that they had also not expected this answer.
Wang Chong was unperturbed. He waved his hands at the pair, indicating that they should settle down.
“High Priest speaks reason. Eggs truly cannot be placed in one basket, but what if I buy all the eggs? Will the High Priest still need to be so concerned?” Wang Chong said.
“Young Marquis speaks reason, but…”
The High Priest creased his brow and stopped, apparently falling into a pensive mood.
Wang Chong smiled and abruptly gave a number. “Fifteen hundred taels!”
“Lord Marquis!”
Ablonodan and Arloja were at first stunned by Wang Chong’s words, and then they realized what was going on and were even more shocked.
The number Wang Chong had given was clearly the price for the Hyderabad ore. Before the war, Wang Chong had already stated that he would buy the ore for the astronomical price of one thousand taels for one jun. Now that he had won a major victory, no one had expected Wang Chong to be so straightforward. He had raised the value of each jun of Hyderabad ore by fifty percent, to fifteen hundred taels. Wang Chong’s generosity toward the Sindhi was enough to leave any other business tycoon in the dust.
But the Gangke King, Li Siye, and the other Tang were unmoved. Although they also felt that fifteen hundred taels was a bit much and that it was completely possible to get the ore at a lowe
r price, none of them had ever doubted Wang Chong’s decisions. No matter how absurd his decisions had seemed, at the end, Wang Chong had always proved himself to be correct, as he had proved countless times before.
Wang Chong calmly and confidently gazed at the High Priest.
Money happened to be the least important thing for Wang Chong and the Great Tang at this time. The Arabs had paid more than one billion taels of gold in compensation, enough for Wang Chong to do as he pleased. Moreover, in the coming crisis, gold and silver would be worthless, and the truly important things would be strategic resources, such as the Hyderabad ore which could alter the entire framework of the calamity.
No amount of wealth could compare to this.
The High Priest’s brows twitched as if astonished by Wang Chong’s generosity. But he was only surprised. The High Priest’s mouth showed no signs of opening.
“Sixteen hundred taels!”
Wang Chong continued.
The High Priest remained unmoved.
“Seventeen hundred taels!”
Wang Chong continued to add to the sum, and yet the High Priest appeared to not hear. Suddenly, Wang Chong understood something, smiled, and raised two fingers.
“…Add on two hundred dan of grain!”
This time, the High Priest finally showed a reaction, raising several fingers.
Chapter 1198 - The True and Fake High Priests!
Chapter 1198: The True and Fake High Priests!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Five hundred dan… in addition, I also need your hybrid rice from Jiaozhi!”
The five hundred dan was secondary, but when Wang Chong heard the High Priest’s second request, he finally showed a hint of shock.
The hybrid rice was a secret plan that Wang Chong was advancing in Jiaozhi, and also one of the most important points in his overall plan. He had always kept this matter under very tight wraps, and not even the important ministers in the court knew about it. Wang Chong had never imagined that the Sindhu High Priest would know of its existence.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 754