The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  One did not use sabers or swords to kill people in the Imperial Court.

  Foul brat, let me see how you answer. If you keep your mouth shut, I’ll have people spread around that you’re just a useless man who only knows how to kill, a boor, a monster. If you do answer and give a bad one, I’ll have everyone jeer at you, and then I’ll exaggerate the matter and say that you’re ignorant and incompetent, with only your good looks to rely on, and that though you’ve rendered great service, you’re still a good-for-nothing in your bones. If you say something a little useful and seem to have some sort of plan, I’ll have everyone support you in implementing your plan. When Ji County’s problems remain unresolved, I’ll say that you’re just an armchair strategist who can only speak nonsense and has greatly hindered the politics of the country, making you unsuitable to be an official of the court. In any case, no matter what you do, I have a way of sweeping away your reputation!

  King Qi said nothing, but his eyes were brimming with pride. He truly had hundreds of ways to deal with this immature and inexperienced brat. The Imperial Court was his territory, and Wang Chong didn’t even have the power to decide how he died.

  “Chong-er…”

  Wang Gen also turned back from his place on the front row to worriedly look at Wang Chong. King Qi’s challenge had caught him off guard, but not even someone like Wang Gen could do anything about it. After all, Wang Chong had been clearly named in front of all the other officials.

  The hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Even the Sage Emperor and Eunuch Gao were watching Wang Chong.

  This was Wang Chong’s first court session. If he did not quickly deal with this wave of problems and challenges, he would leave behind a disaster that would affect his future prospects. Moreover, once certain ambitious people began to embellish and exaggerate the matter, Wang Chong would be forced into an extremely passive position.

  Chapter 1236 - Easily Dealt With!

  Chapter 1236: Easily Dealt With!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  After what seemed like seconds and like countless years, when the mood in the court was at its most oppressive and everyone believed that Wang Chong would shrink back from this challenge, everyone suddenly heard his young voice.

  “Milords have already clearly stated the problem of Ji County. The periodic floods have caused the poverty in the county, and so if one wishes to address the poverty, one must address the floods!”

  Wang Chong stood at the very last row and spoke slowly, but his words left everyone dazed.

  Ji County had been poverty-stricken for some time, and when the officials from the Imperial Court first arrived, they were only thinking about how to address the poverty, but they did not seek to find the cause. As Ji County grew more and more impoverished, after countless court debates, everyone finally realized that the reason for Ji County’s poverty was the floods.

  This was Wang Chong’s first court session, but he had been able to accurately reach the conclusion that the court had needed countless debates to reach. If any of them had been in Wang Chong’s position, they would have never been able to accomplish this feat. This was a sign that Wang Chong was genuinely talented and could not be underestimated.

  This kid… he’s rather formidable and has a little skill!

  Lin Changxin glanced at the red-robed Wang Chong, his eyes narrowing and his heart turning cold. The primary purpose of this challenge was to make Wang Chong look a fool and let him understand that the internal politics of the Imperial Court were not as simple as the battles on the border. But Wang Chong’s first words had hit the nail on the head, causing Lin Changxin to feel threatened.

  “…As for why the six or seven officials sent by the Imperial Court have failed to grasp the main point, causing the situation in Ji County to only get more and more serious, the reason is very simple. Rather than giving a man a fish, it is better to teach him to fish.” Wang Chong turned to Lin Changxin and said, “Lord Lin, can I see the reports for Ji County?”

  Lin Changxin was immediately struck dumb. He naturally did not wish to give Wang Chong the reports, but in front of so many officials, he was forced to.

  “Give the reports to Lord Wang!”

  Lin Changxin gave a gesture, and an official next to him quickly stepped forward to deliver a thick stack of reports to Wang Chong.

  When government affairs were being debated, the Bureau of Personnel and Bureau of Revenue were required to have reports ready so that they could be available for others to inspect. This was a routine practice.

  Wang Chong looked through the records, found the one for Ji County, and swiftly began to read through it.

  The entire court was silent, no one daring to disturb him. In the past, they might have chosen to jeer at this moment. After all, Wang Chong was just a general. But now, all of them had serious expressions and did not dare to regard Wang Chong as they did before.

  Clap!

  A few moments later, Wang Chong closed the report and passed it back to the official.

  “It seems like my judgment was correct. From the county records of Ji County, one can see that the frequent floods have made the soil of Ji County extremely poor and unable to grow plants. Moreover, dealing with the floods will require the construction of large dikes, which will require a significant amount of time. More importantly, the floods have caused the people to become apprehensive and not dare farm their crops in that land. Thus, in this lowly subject’s view, the plans for Ji County must be adjusted to fit its circumstances. The place is no longer suitable for farming and agriculture,” Wang Chong lightly said to the assembled officials.

  Bang!

  His words immediately set off an uproar.

  “Absurd! The people need food to live, and if they do not farm, what will they rely on to eat? King of Foreign Lands, you are speaking nonsense!”

  “Your Majesty, this subject censures Advisor-in-Waiting Wang Chong for speaking loosely on matters of state and misleading the people. Your Majesty, please punish him!”

  “I thought that he could offer some wise opinion, but it was something like this! How laughable!”

  Wang Chong’s words had poked a beehive, and the agitated officials immediately began to sound off with their criticisms. If not for the fact that Wang Chong had just been made King of Foreign Lands and had a rather unique status, any other Advisor-in-Waiting would have been completely covered in the spittle from the invectives of the officials and driven out of Taihe Palace.

  “Heh, so he was just a demagogue! And I was wondering how he could be this formidable!”

  King Qi coldly chuckled to himself.

  He had been worried for nothing. In the end, Wang Chong was still a good-for-nothing when it came to the internal affairs of the country and was only halfway-competent.

  “Chong-er! This is a disaster…”

  Wang Chong’s big uncle Wang Gen felt his heart sink at this sight. Despite his many words of advice, Wang Chong had still fallen into a trap. The officials of the court would eat people alive. Wang Chong’s words today would be enough for these people to use as a pretext to wipe away all the achievements Wang Chong had made through his two major battles on the border and make him the laughingstock of the world.

  Wang Chong had spent so much effort and risked his life to reach this point, but all of it would be gone in a single night!

  Wang Gen was filled with self-criticism at this time.

  “Ha!”

  Wang Chong placed his hands behind his back and grinned at the reactions of the court officials.

  “What will they rely on? Of course, they will rely on mining iron ore, copper ore, and silver ore!”

  When the mood of the court was at its most furious, Wang Chong suddenly spoke, and his voice immediately suppressed all the impassioned criticisms. The hall instantly fell silent.

  “King of Foreign Lands, what do you mean?”

  In the end, it was still Investigating Minis
ter Lin Changxin who voiced the question on everyone’s mind. His expression was grave and there was a questioning look in his eyes.

  “It’s very simple! A loss in one corner can be regained in another. Although Ji County is no longer suitable for farming, I happen to know that this place is abundant with iron, copper, and silver ore!” Wang Chong confidently said.

  “What!”

  Everyone was left flabbergasted by Wang Chong’s words. Even King Qi was so shocked that he could not speak.

  Ji County actually had silver, copper, and iron ore!!

  A most impoverished county was actually home to such precious mines? How could this be? This had to be nothing more than a fairytale! The Imperial Court had dispatched at least six officials there, but none of them had heard anything about any ore veins!

  Wang Chong’s words had left everyone dumbfounded!

  “King of Foreign Lands, can we take your words as true?”

  A civil official suddenly stepped out: the Remonstrance Minister Han Xiaoyun, his expression solemn. If Wang Chong’s words were true, not only could the Imperial Court and the common households make money, an impoverished county would also be able to rise above the other counties.

  “Of course!

  “One of my subordinates happened to be passing through the area, which is why I know of this. As for whether it’s true or not, the Imperial Court can dispatch a fast rider and find out whether it’s true in just a few days.”

  All the officials had doubtful looks on their faces. Ji County was not a very important place, but if Wang Chong somehow knew of iron, copper, and silver ore veins that the inhabitants themselves didn’t know about, then one could only say that Wang Chong’s ‘subordinate’ possessed all the good luck in the world.

  Wang Chong raised his head high, his expression confident and assured. He only grinned at these questioning gazes, giving no explanation.

  When he was looking through the Ji County records, he had specifically looked at the map. He then thought back and realized that Ji County possessed large quantities of iron, copper, and silver ore. These ore veins were deeper in the ground than usual, so the generations of commoners had failed to discover them and were still in their impoverished state.

  But Wang Chong was different. By using his memories, he knew to buy Wootz Steel from the Hyderabad Mines, knew to send his cousin Wang Liang to the overseas islands to bring back Meteoric Metal ore. He was naturally capable of discovering ore veins in Ji County. Moreover, in the future, during the great calamity, the earth would sunder apart, exposing all the ore veins hidden deep underground.

  “Iron ore veins can be developed into mines, and the ores can be used for smelting and forging weapons. Many peasants can be recruited for this so that they have work. As for copper and silver ore veins, they can be used to cast coins and fill the treasury. At the same time, some of these coins can be allocated to Ji County for the purpose of controlling the floods.

  “The floods of Ji County will take a long time to bring under control. This was also one of the reasons the officials sent to Ji County before all failed. The common people need to eat, and they cannot wait for that long. But what if the Imperial Court allocates money? If all the people are mobilized for two or three years to focus on building dikes and dams, the floods can be controlled while the soil will have time to recover. Once the dikes are finished and the floods completely brought under control, the people can once more begin farming—honing the edge of an axe won’t delay the task of cutting firewood!”

  Wang Chong softly smiled.

  Wang Chong’s words left all the officials and generals in the hall amazed and astounded. Meanwhile, King Qi’s complexion was so dark that it seemed like the bottom of a pot.

  He had certainly not commanded Lin Changxin to deal with Wang Chong just so that Wang Chong could burnish his reputation. His original plan was that no matter how smart Wang Chong was, he could think of some way to ruin it and make the plans fail. But if there really was iron, copper, and even silver in Ji County, and if Wang Chong’s plans really were implemented, if they didn’t succeed, even a fool could tell that someone had intentionally ruined them.

  Because these factors alone were enough to make Wang Chong’s position impregnable!

  He had already completely lost this round!

  “This bastard!”

  King Qi clenched his fists and ground his teeth. Although he hoped that Wang Chong was lying, it was clear that someone of Wang Chong’s current status would not use this sort of thing to play a joke. The risk of being exposed was too great! And from the reactions of the officials, Lin Changxin’s attempt to make trouble for Wang Chong had only made things worse. Not only had he failed to attack Wang Chong’s reputation, he had actually widened Wang Chong’s influence.

  Another civil official stepped forward. “Lord Wang, where are the ore veins that you speak of? We can immediately dispatch men to begin prospective excavation.”

  Without delay, Wang Chong immediately listed out three areas. Areas in which ore veins were hidden deep underground would have special features. The presence of silver, copper, and iron ore under these areas would cause the topography to be different, making them easy to recognize.

  “Did you hear it? Note these areas down and immediately send them to the Ji County officials. Dig strictly according to the areas noted on the map,” the official said.

  “Yes, Milord!”

  A minor official in charge of sending messages standing at the edge of the court immediately strode out of the hall.

  Meanwhile, Wang Gen exchanged a few glances with Wang Chong and breathed a sigh of relief.

  Chapter 1237 - Dissolving the Prefectural Armies!

  Chapter 1237: Dissolving the Prefectural Armies!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Chong-er, good job!

  Wang Gen communicated his praise through his eyes. In the situation just now, even Wang Gen had believed that Wang Chong had been led into a trap. On the contrary, however, Wang Chong had put on a dazzling performance in his first court session, winning the admiration of the gathered officials.

  There existed a massive chasm between the martial path and the civil path, particularly when it came to discussion of political affairs. Thus, the majority of generals chose to remain silent, only occasionally speaking when the affair involved the military. But in this aspect, Wang Chong was clearly able to smoothly switch between both sides.

  High on the platform, the Sage Emperor was like a motionless mountain, and it was impossible to tell if he was sad or happy. But at his side, Gao Lishi gave a subtle nod. Although Wang Chong still had the tendency of youth to decide things with emotion, Wang Chong was truly a formidable person, whether it was with regards to internal affairs or military affairs.

  The discussion of Ji County was quickly brought to a close, and the hostility aimed at Wang Chong was clearly greatly reduced. When some officials occasionally brought up Wang Chong, they would speak with respect. The situation was completely different from what it was at the start.

  As time passed, there were fewer and fewer matters that required debate. In this aspect, the Great Tang remained highly efficient. It was precisely this sort of efficiency that had caused the Sage Emperor to remove himself from most political matters and allow the court to handle them.

  Wang Chong silently observed everything, slowly developing an understanding of the various mysterious procedures of court politics. It was soon late in the morning and about time to dismiss the court for the day.

  “Your Majesty! This subject has a memorial!”

  At this moment, an official that Wang Chong had no impression of suddenly stepped forward, holding aloft his ceremonial tablet as he bowed.

  Gao Lishi glanced at the Sage Emperor before suddenly saying, “His Majesty permits you to speak!”

  “Your Majesty, the Great Tang is currently at peace, and all the foreign countries on its borders have been awed into p
utting down their weapons and ceasing hostilities. Moreover, the Imperial Court has already signed treaties with the various countries to engage in mutual trading relations. In order to reduce the taxes and corvee labor on the common people, this subject proposes dissolving the prefectural armies. After giving the soldiers some compensation, have them return home to take up farming or other enterprises!”

  Boom!

  The words of this official caused the Imperial Court to immediately explode. All the generals furiously stared at this official, and even Wang Chong instantly paled.

  “Your Majesty, this subject objects!”

  “Absurd! The prefectural army system was established by Emperors Gaozu and Taizong, and to touch it would be to harm the country as a whole! This subject objects!”

  “Dissolving the prefectural armies can be done over my dead body! You civil officials just want to target us generals! You’ve already transferred back the Young Marquis and have reduced the various protectorate armies! What else do you want!”

  “Since you’ve already put forward such a sound and logical argument, why don’t we just dismiss all the soldiers and generals. If something happens, you civil officials can go and fight the war!”

  It was like someone had poked a beehive in the hall as all the generals exploded in rage. Even the Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong could not hide the flames of anger in his eyes.

  Another civil official quickly stepped forward and harshly rebuked, “Bastards! So you generals wish to threaten the Imperial Court?”

  A third strange official stepped out of the ranks. “Civil officials govern the country while generals guard the borders. These are our duties. If we follow your line of thinking, then we should have you generals govern the country! Ever since the Great Tang was founded, it has been embroiled in wars. The power of the country is spent, its people burdened and its resources squandered. Now is the perfect time to dissolve the prefectural armies and improve the lives of the people!”

  More and more civil officials began to enter the fray, barraging that general who had issued threats with criticism.