“Heh, relax!”
Wang Chong gave Zhang Que a surprising pat on the shoulder.
“Senior Su actually already took action!”
“Ah?!”
Zhang Que’s eyes went slack, completely confused by Wang Chong’s words.
Wang Chong merely smiled. Without an explanation, he swept his sleeve and left.
Although Su Zhengchen was restrained by the oath from the past to not intervene in court affairs, Su Zhengchen had invited Wang Chong to play a round of chess before leaving. While it had seemed like an ordinary game, it was in fact an exhibition of Hou Junji’s art of war. In this way, he had indirectly assisted Wang Chong.
‘Master one and master a hundred.’ Now that he knew Hou Junji’s art of war, he also indirectly understood Hou Junji’s style and the method to counter him.
Whoosh!
In a gust of wind, Wang Chong and Zhang Que vanished into the darkness.
……
By knowing oneself and knowing one’s enemy, one could emerge victorious in battle. Now that he knew the Ghost King’s true identity, Wang Chong found that the clouds had greatly cleared up.
Wang Chong knew what he needed to do next.
The King of Foreign Lands Residence spun to life like a giant machine as Wang Chong began to issue orders.
Meanwhile, as the stars turned and the sun rose, the entire capital was peaceful and quiet.
For the common folk, everything was peaceful, and no matter how fierce the quarrels in the court were, they were all far, far away.
At this time, no one noticed that beneath a massive scholar tree in the western part of the city, a tall and thin figure was sitting motionlessly, a golden chessboard placed in front of him.
On the sides of the chessboard were two gourds containing chess pieces.
The elder simply sat there, seemingly fusing with the tree next to him.
Time continued to slowly pass.
Underneath the scholar tree, as a leaf drifted down, Su Zhengchen raised his head and suddenly said, “You’re here!”
Whoosh! As if in response to Su Zhengchen’s voice, a figure blocked the sun and appeared on the other side of the chessboard.
Before Su Zhengchen could say anything, the black-robed man sat down.
This man had graying temples and wore a black robe. On his eyelid was a thin scar. This was clearly the man who served at the First Prince’s side, the Ghost King.
No! To be more precise, he was Hou Junji, the Army-Shattering War God of the Great Tang.
The Ghost King stared at Su Zhengchen. Eventually, he said, “We finally meet! I’ve been waiting ages for this day!”
Their eyes met, lightning seeming to crackle in the air between them.
“I didn’t think that you were still alive!”
Su Zhengchen couldn’t help but sigh as he looked at Hou Junji.
“Hmph, even you managed to live until now, so how could I so easily die?” Hou Junji coldly replied, his cold and vicious eyes bursting with hatred.
These two had once served the same master, played chess against each other, and discussed military strategy. But they also had their fair share of grudges.
“I’ve been waiting for you for so many years. It’s time we finally decided which one of us is better!”
“After so many years, you still haven’t let it go?”
Su Zhengchen shook his head and sighed.
“Let it go? How could I let it go?!” Hou Junji coldly sneered. His eyes were derisive, tinged with a streak of obsession.
Amongst civil officials, there was no first, and amongst martial generals, there was no second. No scholar would dare to claim that they were supreme when it came to composing poems, but the same could not be said for generals.
Hou Junji possessed astonishing talent, and he had been praised as a child for his remarkable abilities, causing him to develop an arrogant personality. As he matured, very few people could ever compare to him, and once he entered the Heavenly Tactics Residence and swore fealty to Emperor Taizong, he stood out from all the other generals.
Everyone sighed in wonder at his impressive ability to comprehend and learn. No matter the occasion, as long as Hou Junji was present, he would be the center of attention. That is, until Su Zhengchen appeared.
From that moment, his luster had been completely overshadowed by this martial god.
As long as Su Zhengchen was present, he would appear dim and lightless. Everyone would only remember Su Zhengchen’s various achievements, and few would ever talk about his own.
They had both defeated their enemies, but when the common folk were chattering in the streets, the only name they talked about was Su Zhengchen.
He had done his best to chase after him, even obtaining the title of Army-Shattering War God, causing all the surrounding countries to tremble in fear, but in the end, he could not compare to the Great Tang War God.
His arrogance could not accept such a humiliation.
“Moreover, my desire has not been realized, so how could I just let it go?”
Hou Junji had a profound meaning in his words, a bright light flashing in his eyes.
Hou Junji did not go into details, but Su Zhengchen seemed to know what he was talking about.
“You will not succeed!”
Su Zhengchen shook his head.
“No matter what you do, someone will step forward and stop you! There were people in the past, and there will be people in the present!”
“Haha!”
Hou Junji scornfully laughed.
“Like who? That disciple of yours?” Hou Junji disdainfully said.
Su Zhengchen fell silent and did not answer.
“Hmph, back when I asked you to teach me your art of war, you got too attached and kept the essence to yourself. Not only that, you even reported me to His Majesty. And now, you’ve gone and taught it to some immature brat!”
Hou Junji gripped one of the gourds and took a black piece from within. Pop! The piece instantly exploded into powder.
Su Zhengchen was calm, his expression unperturbed.
“Your intentions were crooked, so if I taught you my art of war, I would have only been bringing disaster on the people.”
“Still so stubborn after so many years. The righteous do not grasp for wealth and the kind do not command soldiers. The art of war is the art of slaughter! You’re just too softhearted!”
Hou Junji coldly snorted.
Su Zhengchen’s brow furrowed as he shook his head, the disappointment in his eyes difficult to conceal. Even though one hundred and twenty years had passed, Hou Junji had not changed in the slightest, a vicious brutality dominating his heart.
Meanwhile, Hou Junji continued talking.
“But now, it doesn’t matter whether you teach me or not. I’ve learned all of your art of war, thoroughly and comprehensively. Even you are no match for me now, much less your disciple.”
______________
1. Historically, the twenty-four meritorious officials were commemorated in Lingyan Pavilion in the year 643. In the same year, Hou Junji was implicated in the Crown Prince’s rebellion and executed.↩
Chapter 1662 - Assassination Attempt on Zhangchou Jianqiong!
Chapter 1662: Assassination Attempt on Zhangchou Jianqiong!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“You’re wrong! Our era is over, and no matter what you’re thinking, you won’t succeed!”
Su Zhengchen sighed.
“I know what you’re trying to do, but I won’t intervene. Moreover, that child’s potential is far greater than you can imagine!”
Buzz!
Hou Junji grimaced, his brow furrowing.
He had come for Su Zhengchen, but Su Zhengchen’s reaction had clearly taken him rather by surprise. He had not expected this man to have such a high evaluation of his disciple.
But a moment later, his brow relaxed.
“It seems that you’ve really
gotten old, that you would say such a thing,” Hou Junji sneered. “Perhaps I overestimated you from the very beginning. Since you think he’s so formidable, I’ll just take care of him for you, and then I’ll come back and see what you have to say.”
Hou Junji coldly chuckled. He naturally knew about Taizong’s last will, and after studying under Su Zhengchen for so long, he was also familiar with Su Zhengchen’s personality. He had never thought about gaining anything from this excursion.
He had transmitted his message and achieved his goal. Regardless of what Su Zhengchen felt, he would eventually be forced to take action.
Whoosh!
With a wave of his sleeve, Hou Junji stood back up and turned to leave.
“I’ve said what I wanted to say in this meeting. We will meet again!”
His voice resounding in the air, Hou Junji began to stride away. But after taking ten-some steps, he heard a voice behind him.
“It’s pointless. Even if you learned my art of war, you still can’t be considered number one!”
Buzz!
Hou Junji suddenly stopped and turned around.
“At this stage, you’re still trying to persuade me?”
“Let it go! There’s still time!” Su Zhengchen called out to Hou Junji from beneath the scholar tree.
“If you had the hate I was burdened with, would you be able to let it go?”
Hou Junji sneered as he turned around and quickly vanished into the distance.
……
In the King of Foreign Lands Residence, a massive map hung from the wall. Countless lines, thick and thin, chaotically flew across the map, but within the chaos was a kind of order. This was a map of the capital.
Seven or eight days ago, Wang Chong had ordered his men to produce it.
The First Prince’s operations were getting more and more frequent. If his guess was right, the Rebellion of the Three Princes was getting closer and closer. Wang Chong spent more than half of each day in front of this map.
Ever since he had returned from Su Zhengchen’s place with knowledge of the Ghost King’s identity, Wang Chong had developed some new ideas and thoughts about this rebellion in the heart of the Great Tang.
“Where is it? Just where is it? Where will his next operation be?”
Wang Chong stood in front of the map, his mind restless. His extended finger moved around with his thoughts, and he seemed to be able to see new things on this map.
As Wang Chong’s gaze passed over the Minister of War Residence, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he instantly paled.
“Not good!
“Zhangchou Jianqiong!”
At the same time, as the darkness settled in, a luxurious carriage was slowly moving through the eastern part of the city. Zhangchou Jianqiong was seated within the carriage, his expression as normal. With matters in the Imperial Palace settled for the day, he was returning to his residence.
When he first entered the capital, Zhangchou Jianqiong had been smug and brimming with confidence, but now, his mind was clouded with dark clouds of worry.
The Imperial Court was being swept by storms, and far too many incidents had taken place.
The True Dragon refused to emerge, so the young dragon had opened its eyes. While the court seemed calm, it was actually awash with killing intent.
The attempt on King Song’s life had been yet another stone that weighed Zhangchou Jianqiong’s heart down.
In what direction should the Great Tang go, and how should it deal with its problem? And what should he, Zhangchou Jianqiong, do in this situation?
Zhangchou Jianqiong had no answers for these questions. For the first time, he was somewhat clueless as to how to proceed in this rapidly changing situation.
Neigh!
In the middle of his thoughts, he suddenly heard the horses neigh, and his carriage came to a stop.
Zhangchou Jianqiong frowned as he blurted out, “What’s going on out there?”
But there was only silence outside the carriage, and his driver did not reply.
Zhangchou Jianqiong grimaced, immediately sensing that something was wrong, but before he had any more time to think, he sensed a sharp and vicious energy. This energy had not been very strong, but in the blink of an eye, it had swelled in power to an incredible level.
“Not good!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong sensed an intense danger, and he immediately jumped, breaking through the roof of the carriage and rising high into the air.
Bang!
A moment later, there was a massive explosion. Zhangchou Jianqiong glanced down and mentally shivered. The carriage he had been seated in had been obliterated by a black halberd that was as thick as an arm.
“Who are you?! You dare to attack an official of the court!”
Zhangchou Jianqiong’s face chilled as he landed a hundred-some feet away.
Around him, flickering figures wearing masks and black robes were appearing on the walls and ground, tightly surrounding him.
“Heheh, the ones who will kill you!” one of the black-robed men coldly said.
A moment later, black energy soared into the air, and the ten-some men shot forward without hesitation, leaving blurs in the air.
Zhangchou Jianqiong paled.
……
“What? Zhangchou Jianqiong was attacked while returning to his estate?”
Within the King of Foreign Lands Residence, Wang Chong was stunned by the news.
His plans were unable to keep up with the new developments. Although Wang Chong had predicted that Zhangchou Jianqiong would be in trouble, just when he had been about to send men to inform Zhangchou Jianqiong, Zhangchou Jianqiong was already under attack.
All of this was happening far too quickly!
Zhang Que lowered his head and sternly said, “We don’t have many details. We only know that the place they chose to attack was a small and secluded street that Lord Zhangchou had selected, and when they attacked, there was nobody else in the area besides Lord Zhangchou and his driver. In addition, Lord Zhangchou’s driver has already been killed!”
“The City Guard is already investigating the matter. Thankfully, Lord Zhangchou wasn’t too badly injured in the attack.”
After hearing Zhang Que’s report, Wang Chong raised his head and began to think.
This incident had come too abruptly. He had expected that Zhangchou Jianqiong might be attacked, but until he investigated the matter fully, he did not dare to conclude that this matter was in line with his conjectures.
A second later, Wang Chong made up his mind and gave Zhang Que an order.
“Prepare my carriage. I’m going to see Zhangchou Jianqiong.”
Wang Chong soon arrived at Zhangchou Jianqiong’s residence. Its gates were tightly shut, and several officials were standing outside, looking at each other. They had apparently been refused entry and had been standing outside for some time.
“Your Highness!”
Upon seeing Wang Chong’s carriage, the officials from the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Personnel shivered in fear and hastily bowed.
“What’s going on?” Wang Chong asked.
The officials from the Bureau of Military Personnel spoke first. “We heard that Lord Zhangchou was attacked, so we came to see him out of concern. To our surprise, Lord Zhangchou is refusing to see any guests, saying that he’s already submitted a memorial to the court indicating that he is unwell and that he plans to rest and recover in his residence for several months. The matters in the Bureau of Military Personnel cannot be delayed, and without Lord Zhangchou to preside over matters, many of them will be very difficult to resolve. Thus, we decided to come and see Lord Zhangchou.”
Wang Chong frowned as he raised his head. It truly was the case that the gates to the residence were tightly shut, and a wooden placard had been hung from the left door knocker, which read: ‘Not seeing guests!’
“This is…!?”
Wang Chong was taken aback. He knew that Zhangchou Jianqiong
had been attacked, but his response had been too surprising. As a martial artist, he should have had a much more subdued reaction, or perhaps Zhangchou Jianqiong had some special reason for this.
Exchanging few pleasantries with these officials, Wang Chong worked his way through the crowd toward the two fierce stone lions in front of the estate.
Taptaptap!
Wang Chong used the door knocker to lightly knock against the gate.
The gate was quiet at first, and then an annoyed voice rang out.
“Who is it? Didn’t you see on the door that we’re not seeing guests?”
“Then tell Lord Zhangchou that the King of Foreign Lands has come to pay a visit!” Wang Chong calmly said, unperturbed by this rudeness.
The man behind the gate was silent for a moment, and then there was a rushing sound. A few moments later, the gate to the residence opened, and a young and astonished face emerged from within.
Upon seeing Wang Chong, the young man was clearly shocked and hastily allowed him inside.
“Your Highness, it was you? Milord has been waiting for you for some time!”
The man welcomed Wang Chong inside and then, boom! The gates shut once more.
Deep within the estate, Wang Chong finally met with Zhangchou Jianqiong.
At first glance, Wang Chong immediately knew that something was wrong. According to the information he had gathered, Zhangchou Jianqiong had hardly been injured, and the attack had been more frightening than actually dangerous. But Zhangchou Jianqiong was now dressed in thin white clothes and was seated on an armchair, his face pale as if he was unwell.
Chapter 1663 - The Commander Tally!
Chapter 1663: The Commander Tally!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“You’re here!”
Upon seeing Wang Chong, Zhangchou Jianqiong finally raised his head, his lips managing a weak smile.
“What’s going on?”
Wang Chong walked over and sat down next to Zhangchou Jianqiong.
Zhangchou Jianqiong seemed to be extremely worried and not in the right state of mind.
“What else is there? The other party came prepared, and they probably knew my route beforehand, even investigating the streets I normally take,” Zhangchou Jianqiong said.
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