“Hmph, tell those officials of the Great Tang, and that Li Ying, that even if they hand over the four hundred men who attacked our forces, this matter will be far from settled! Can you bring back water that has been spilled? The Great Tang disgraced the Western Turks in front of all the other countries, so we will never let this matter go so easily!”
Ishbara Khagan found it hard to calm his rage.
Although his letter was proving effective, it was not enough for him. The two of them had signed a peace treaty, but the Great Tang had clearly broken its terms.
Since the Great Tang had broken the treaty first, he could not be blamed!
“Reporting!”
Hasty footsteps came from outside, and soon after, a stalwart Turkic soldier rushed in and kneeled.
“Reporting! The Great Tang has sent a letter. Khagan, please examine it!”
The Turkic soldier offered the recently received letter with both hands.
“Hmph, as they say in the Central Plains, speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears. We warned them many times to no avail. Trying to offer compensation now is simply too late!”
Ishbara Khagan sneered as he turned to the Turkic warrior.
“Bring it over!”
Everyone in the tent focused on the letter.
As Ishbara Khagan opened the letter and read, the room fell silent.
“Bastard! This is absurd!”
A roar resounded over Mount Sanmi. Ishbara Khagan was enraged by the contents of the letter, his face turning red.
Only one line had been written on the letter:
‘Within three days of the army’s mobilization, I will be hunting with the Khagan on Mount Sanmi!’
Chapter 1610 - Ishbara Khagan, Grieving and Indignant!
Chapter 1610: Ishbara Khagan, Grieving and Indignant!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Each of Wang Chong’s words carried such force that they were on the verge of breaching through the paper, and their contents were just as shocking.
A cinnabar seal had been placed at the end of the letter, but it was not the seal of the Great Tang. It was the seal of the King of Foreign Lands.
The Turkic soldier who had delivered the letter could not tell the difference between the seal of the Son of Heaven and the seal of a King, so he had taken Wang Chong’s letter to be a state letter from the Great Tang.
But this was far from what had infuriated Ishbara Khagan.
“This Wang Chong has gone crazy! I think the Great Tang has gone crazy as well! If they want war, I’ll give them war!”
Ishbara Khagan could not contain his rage. A gentleman could not be humiliated. This was something taught in the schools of the Confucian Sect, and even the shepherds on the steppe knew about such things. And if a gentleman could not be humiliated, a sovereign certainly could not! The flames of rage burned within Ishbara Khagan’s heart.
This King of Foreign Lands was far too impudent!
What did it mean that within three days he would be hunting on Mount Sanmi? Mount Sanmi was the Khagan’s mountain, the mountain of the Son of Heaven, equivalent to the Great Tang Imperial Palace. This was not a simple threat, but outright humiliation! Did he really think that the Western Turkic Khaganate was some puny kingdom?
This bastard needed to pay a price for his recklessness!
“Pass on my order! All tribes are to immediately mobilize their soldiers and gather on the border. Let’s see if we will go hunting in the capital of the Great Tang or if he will come to hunt on my Mount Sanmi!”
Ishbara Khagan’s eyes bulged and his body trembled.
“Yes, Khagan!”
A guard in the tent immediately turned to leave. It seemed like the war between the Great Tang and the Western Turks was about to restart, but then suddenly—
“Khagan, no!!”
A figure quickly walked out from the back.
“I accept no advice otherwise. Those who defy this will be… Shaman?!”
Just when he was about to say ‘executed’, Ishbara Khagan saw who had spoken, and his body shivered, his mind growing clear.
The one who had dared to stop him in the midst of his rage was none other than the man with the most unique status and immense prestige within the Western Turkic Khaganate, the Blackwater Shaman.
Amongst the Western Turks, only this man could communicate with the gods and predict the future, and only he could make Ishbara Khagan calm down.
“State Teacher, at a time like this! The Great Tang has already humiliated the Western Turks in such a way, and you still want to persuade me?”
Ishbara Khagan’s chest was heaving, his rage difficult to suppress.
“Khagan must not decide based on emotion! Please look carefully at the letter. I am not preventing Khagan from mobilizing the army, but if Khagan truly does this, not only will it be of no benefit, we might fall into the trap of the King of Foreign Lands!”
The Blackwater Shaman sighed and shook his head.
Ishbara Khagan was dumbstruck, his brow furrowing in confusion.
“Haaa, Khagan only needs to look at them to understand,” the Blackwater Shaman said.
Ishbara Khagan still had doubt in his mind, but as he followed the Blackwater Shaman’s gaze, he saw that all his nobles and generals in the tent were ghastly pale.
“Has Khagan forgotten about the one million elite cavalry the Arabian Empire lost in battle?!” the Blackwater Shaman reminded.
Bang!
Ishbara Khagan trembled in shock and understanding, and his face turned pale as well.
“Between the Western Turks and Arabia, which has the larger territory, the stronger soldiers, the more numerous warhorses, the finer weapons? What we are facing is not some ordinary Tang general, but a War God who has defeated Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, Arabia, and the kingdoms of the Western Regions! Has Khagan not realized that despite this excellent chance, neither Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, nor even our neighbors the Eastern Turkic Khaganate and Goguryeo have said a word?”
Seeing that Ishbara Khagan had understood, the Blackwater Shaman sighed.
Ishbara Khagan’s face was alternating between shades of green and white. There was no need for more explanation from the Blackwater Shaman. The fearful faces of his generals and nobles had told him enough.
In the countries around the Great Tang, the name ‘King of Foreign Lands’ was a nightmare that no one could escape!
“Right now, the King of Foreign Lands and the militarists are being suppressed by that man, Li Junxian. The Confucian Sect is strong while the militarists are weak. But if Khagan incites a border conflict, while the Great Tang might be routed at first, this will soon cause a call to arms to resound from within the Great Tang, and the militarists might even replace the Confucian Sect. That King of Foreign Lands will also probably reemerge with the full-throated support of the people and once more gain control of the Tang army. Can Khagan not imagine just how powerful such a Great Tang would be?
“In being provoked by his letter, is Khagan not doing exactly as he wishes?” the Blackwater Shaman said.
“Is there nothing that can be done to him? Within three days of the army’s mobilization, hunting in Mount Sanmi… these words are simply too brash, too impudent!”
Ishbara Khagan’s expression was uncertain, but the fires of rage continued to burn fiercely. The mighty Emperor of the Western Turks, the son of the gods of the sky, would have to be humiliated by a King of the southern Tang? This was an unprecedented disgrace!
“Get in touch with Ü-Tsang, Mengshe Zhao, Arabia… The Great Tang was the first to break their treaty with us. I don’t believe that the other countries joined together can’t do anything to him!”
“Khagan, if you send soldiers now, the other countries will never help you. Until the King of Foreign Lands is thoroughly dealt with, they will not help us! Khagan must swallow your rage!” the Blackwater Shaman said, a deep helplessness in his heart.
For the Khagan to
do this was truly suffocating, but until they achieved victory, he would have to swallow it down. Otherwise, he would only bring even greater humiliation on himself!
“Bastard!”
Ishbara Khagan’s heart burned with hatred, but finally, he closed his eyes and fell silent.
The movement on the steppe of so many Western Turkic tribes could not be hidden from the spies of the other countries, and Ishbara Khagan’s infuriated letter to the Great Tang had already been spread to the other countries and caused a great stir. Everyone was waiting for the situation to develop, and countless spies were sending reports back from the steppe every day.
Just when everyone believed that a war would start between the Great Tang and the Western Turks, in the span of a day, the Western Turkic tribes who had begun to gather in the south began to disperse.
This was a great surprise to all the parties watching.
The clouds of war silently scattered without Ishbara Khagan uttering a word. All of the Western Turkic Khaganate was calm as if nothing had happened, to the great confusion of all the other countries.
But several days later, the truth was revealed. The short letter written by the King of Foreign Lands to Ishbara Khagan had begun to circulate within the other countries.
‘Within three days of the army’s mobilization, I will be hunting with the Khagan on Mount Sanmi!’
Upon hearing the contents of the letter, those countries who had been ready to jeer at the Western Turks fell silent, and they ceased watching this matter for any further developments.
In the distant Goguryeo Empire, within the city of Hwando, a high-ranked Goguryeon general laughed at the news, his expression brimming with derision as he held the intelligence report.
“Hahaha, they say Ishbara Khagan is as strong as a tiger, the most domineering sovereign in the history of the Western Turkic Khaganate, thus he wrote that state letter out of anger. But surprisingly, it was all a show, and it was just a cowardly mouse hiding under the skin. These few words frightened him enough to call for an end to the hostilities and disperse the army he had gathered. If more had been written, would he have simply handed over all of the Western Turkic Khaganate to the King of Foreign Lands?”
The Goguryeons were a fierce people, and all of their warriors wielded sabers, creating two-saber styles, three-saber styles, and even six-saber styles. Such ferocity was further proven by the fact that they could resist, and even proactively invade, the Central Plains from their small corner of the world.
In the eyes of the Goguryeons, the conduct of the Western Turkic Khaganate was simply shameful.
Clap!
But moments after that general had spoken, he was struck with a vicious slap that sent him bowling over.
“Your Majesty!”
The general gripped his face, and when he saw the golden-armored man with six sabers on his back standing before him, he was stunned and confused.
“Hmph! Why do you think Ü-Tsang, Mengshe Zhao, and Arabia have said nothing over Ishbara’s matter? They aren’t afraid of these few words, but of the man who wrote them.”
Goguryeo Emperor Yeon Gaesomun’s voice resounded through the hall.
“In this world, strength means everything. Whether it’s Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, Arabia, or the Western Turkic Khaganate, all of them have been defeated by the King of Foreign Lands, suffering heavy losses. When the King of Foreign Lands makes threats to these countries, he is completely capable of carrying them out! He can go hunting with Ishbara Khagan on Mount Sanmi!”
“Your Majesty!”
All the other generals in the hall paled at these words, and that Goguryeon general who had been slapped was speechless.
They would have scoffed if anyone else had said these words, but it was the ‘God Within the Water’, the Emperor of Goguryeo, Yeon Gaesomun, who was saying such things.
But for these few words to make Ishbara Khagan call back his soldiers and swallow his rage was still somewhat unbelievable for these Goguryeon generals. After all, the King of Foreign Lands had never come to the northeastern region of the Great Tang.
“Haha, but all this makes me want to fight even more! To have a contest of strength with this King of Foreign Lands!”
Yeon Gaesomun suddenly began to laugh, his body groaning and cracking as it exploded with fighting intent.
Yeon Gaesomun, the God Within the Water, the War God of the Peninsula, had forged himself through fire and steel of endless battle, carving a bloody path from the lowest soldier to Emperor of his empire and making it capable of standing against the vastness of the Great Tang.
Chapter 1611 - The White-Tasseled General, Guo Ziyi!
Chapter 1611: The White-Tasseled General, Guo Ziyi!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“What? Ishbara Khagan is withdrawing his soldiers?”
Deep within the Imperial Palace, First Prince Li Ying was dumbfounded by the news from the steppe and could barely speak for quite some time. Ishbara Khagan’s letter had stirred up a tempest in the court and had left Li Ying greatly vexed. With the dissolution of the prefectural armies, the Great Tang did not have the strength of the past. A sudden border conflict with the Western Turks at this time would have unpredictable consequences.
As the regent, the First Prince did not wish for such a mishap, but now, this border incident had vanished without a trace, the crisis dispelled. All levels of the Great Tang could breathe a sigh of relief.
But for some reason, upon receiving the news, the First Prince felt only immense discomfort and bitterness rather than joy.
“Damn it! Wang Chong, Wang Chong! It’s Wang Chong again!”
The First Prince gnashed his teeth in anger. It would have been one thing if this brat had adapted to the circumstances, but he insisted on supporting Li Heng. The stronger and more outstanding he was, the less the First Prince was able to tolerate him.
“Your Highness, there’s a letter from the western border signed by more than one hundred soldiers of all ranks requesting for Your Highness to heavily reward the King of Foreign Lands. This is the twenty-seventh such petition!” an elderly voice rang out, and Eunuch Yin used a withered hand to lightly place the letter in front of the First Prince.
By now, the border incident and Wang Chong’s short letter that had made Ishbara Khagan retreat had triggered immense shock and clamor from all the generals of the Great Tang. In the militarist-Confucian conflict, the militarists had been in a complete rout, with even Wang Chong’s post as Advisor-in-Waiting having been removed.
The military had immediately seized this rare opportunity.
The Imperial Court was now the domain of the First Prince and the Confucian Sect, but the numerous letters from the generals stationed elsewhere were coming in like a snowstorm. Not even the First Prince and the Confucian Sect could continue to ignore them.
“Bastard things—what are they trying to do? In the Great Tang, is it me who is greater or the King of Foreign Lands? Are they plotting rebellion?”
As anger flowed through the First Prince, his face twisted.
He knew the intention of these officers. Wang Chong had been stripped of his political authority and his post as Advisor-in-Waiting, and what these people clearly wanted was for Wang Chong to be let back into the court to represent the militarists against the Confucian Sect and the First Prince.
The First Prince could not permit this!
In the Eastern Palace, the First Prince continued to fume, and not even Eunuch Yin dared to speak. As time went on in this fashion…
“Reporting!”
A resounding voice broke the silence, and then one of the First Prince’s guards came in and got down on one knee.
“The Lord Prime Minister seeks an audience!”
A few moments later, a figure hastily rushed in.
“Your Highness!”
“Lord Prime Minister!”
The First Prince’s eyes gleamed upon seeing Li Linfu.
&nb
sp; “Heh, is Your Highness concerned about the King of Foreign Lands?”
Li Linfu bowed and then grinned.
“Does Lord Prime Minister have a view on this matter?”
The First Prince slightly frowned.
“There is no need for Your Highness to concern yourself. Are not the members of the Bureau of Military Personnel asking for the King of Foreign Lands to be rewarded? The First Prince should simply comply and reward him. These lowly subjects have already thought of a plan for Your Highness!”
Li Linfu smiled as he took a letter from his sleeve and handed it over.
The First Prince dubiously took the letter, and after looking over it, he breathed a sigh and relaxed.
“We’ll do as you propose!”
……
“King of Foreign Lands, receive the decree! In the border incident, the four hundred cavalry of the King of Foreign Lands defeated the Turkic vanguard of ten thousand and seized the true culprits, raising the prestige of my Great Tang and bringing justice to the four hundred Tang subjects massacred on the border. For this deed, the King of Foreign Lands is rewarded one thousand taels of gold, three thousand rolls of silk, an imperial gift of Jinjunmei tea… In addition, he is granted a civil post of rank seven…”
In the Wang Family Residence, a eunuch had opened up a decree and was reading it aloud.
“Wang Chong receives the decree. My deepest gratitude to the First Prince and to Lord Eunuch!”
Wang Chong bowed and took the decree from the eunuch. Once the eunuch was gone, the estate exploded with cheers.
“Haha, a civil post of the seventh rank! The First Prince has never liked Your Highness, but he actually granted Your Highness a rank seven civil post. It seems like the First Prince was forced to lower his head this time.”
“Hahaha, His Highness is a Great General of the militarists, the Protector-General of Qixi, and the King of Foreign Lands crowned by the Sage Emperor. Now, His Highness is also a civil official. Those officials in court probably want to die right now.”
“Ha, the most important thing is that Ishbara Khagan. Didn’t he swear an oath that he was going to lead a million-man army to attack the Great Tang? But now there’s nothing. The entire Western Turkic Khaganate and all the other countries are playing deaf and dumb. What a joke!”
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