The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  In the space of a single day, the hundred-some generals were arrested and a Great General of the empire was removed from his post. This was unprecedented in the Great Tang, an earthshaking shift!

  As the temporary Minister of War and the supporting pillar of the Tang army within the capital, Wang Chong suffered the greatest shock of all.

  Gallop!

  After the incident broke out, the King of Foreign Lands Residence resounded with hoofbeats as horsemen rode in and out. Meanwhile, messenger birds carpeted the skies above the estate. The entire residence was engulfed in a storm of nervous tension.

  Everyone had gathered in the main hall as Zhang Que rushed inside. Wang Chong immediately turned his head to look, as did everyone else.

  “How is it?”

  The moment the incident in the north broke out, Wang Chong immediately sent Zhang Que, and in turn, almost all the spies and scouts under Wang Chong’s command were mobilized to the north.

  This incident had been so abrupt that Wang Chong had known nothing about it from start to finish. By the time he had received word, the First Prince had already lashed out with thunderous momentum and seized all the generals involved.

  “Your Highness, the situation is not good!”

  The travel-worn Zhang Que removed his helmet and crossed over the threshold, fatigue in his eyes. He had been riding essentially nonstop over the last few days, so focused on the matter that he had not taken even a single moment to rest.

  “Our investigations revealed that the meeting of one hundred generals at Setting Sun Villa really did take place, and the Imperial Court really did know nothing about it beforehand. In other words, the Imperial Court is not unjustly accusing them of any crimes!”

  Zhang Que’s first words made everyone’s hearts sink.

  “How could this be? So many generals! Without the Imperial Court’s order, how could they dare to leave their posts?!”

  “That’s right! And there were more than one hundred people. They couldn’t possibly have failed to understand the gravity of the matter. Without a proper reason, why would they have done such a thing?”

  “Besides that, there were so many generals. Did not one of them sense that there was a problem? Even if they wanted to hold a secret meeting, their conspirators stretched from Qixi to Youzhou, and they’ve never interacted before. Just how did they think they would pull it off?”

  It was difficult for the people in the room to hide their shock. Such a major incident had never occurred in the history of the Great Tang, and now that they thought about it, there were far too many suspicious points.

  Wang Chong said nothing as he gravely looked at Zhang Que. Some time had passed since the incident, so Wang Chong was sure that someone of Zhang Que’s abilities had been able to investigate the matter thoroughly.

  “Our investigation revealed that the generals that day knew nothing. They had all received a decree from the court claiming that the First Prince would appear at Setting Sun Villa in the next few days to discuss the matters of the northern border. Setting Sun Villa was where the Sage Emperor lodged when he was inspecting the northern border in the past, and he would usually summon the generals every three or five years to discuss border affairs. When the generals received the order, none of them dared to defy it.

  “Moreover, the First Prince is the current regent, the Sage Emperor’s eldest son, and the future Crown Prince. As this was his first time inspecting the northern border, none of them dared to ignore the decree.

  “But when they arrived, they discovered that nothing of the sort was going on. While there were quite a few high-ranking generals at Setting Sun Villa, there was no sign of the First Prince. And given what’s happened, the First Prince seems to have firmly denied ever issuing any such decree!” Zhang Que sternly said.

  This entire matter was extremely fishy. The more he learned about it, the colder his heart became. No matter who had planned this scheme, they had been extremely meticulous and vicious. All of these generals who had served the Great Tang on the battlefield for more than half their lives had all been playthings in the palm of that schemer’s hands!

  Everyone’s hearts were heavy as silence reigned.

  Wang Chong’s eyes were closed, his thoughts inscrutable as he silently pondered

  Chapter 1700 - Big Dipper City in Danger!

  Chapter 1700: Big Dipper City in Danger!

  After a long while, Wang Chong finally said, “What did the Imperial Court say? What is the crime they are being charged with?”

  “Although the Imperial Court hasn’t said anything in its public announcements, it’s decided to base the judgment on the charge of fomenting rebellion. Just the fact that the one hundred generals defied the court to hold a secret meeting is already a major crime. All the generals involved probably won’t be able to escape this accusation!” Zhang Que said, his expression fraught with concern.

  Throughout the successive dynasties, it had always been a major taboo for generals to conspire together. Any plot that was revealed would generally result in the execution of all the conspirators.

  Zhang Que hesitantly glanced at Wang Chong. There was one thing that he had left unsaid. It was not merely Beiting Protector-General who had been drawn into this affair. Wang Chong had as well.

  Despite being the Minister of War, the supervisor of all the forces in the realm, Wang Chong had known nothing about this incident, which made it difficult for him to escape responsibility. In truth, the First Prince was already preparing to make trouble for Wang Chong on this point.

  Zhang Que knew that the Imperial Court had already sent a document of censure to Wang Chong in the morning, but as Wang Chong had not mentioned it, Zhang Que decided that it was best not to bring it up.

  “That’s not all!”

  After taking in a deep breath and casting these other thoughts to the back of his mind, Zhang Que regained his focus.

  “According to the information we obtained, after all the generals at Setting Sun Villa were seized, the First Prince personally signed a decree sending the men of his own faction to the north to replace these generals. At this moment, all of the north, including the Beiting Protectorate, is under the First Prince’s complete control!”

  Buzz!

  The hall erupted with clamor over Zhang Que’s words. If the Setting Sun Villa incident had been extremely suspicious before, Zhang Que’s report just now had made everything crystal-clear.

  Only a short time had passed between the Setting Sun Villa incident and its handling by the Imperial Court, and the Imperial Court had displayed an unprecedented efficiency, working with lightning-fast speed. Most unbelievable was that while everyone else was still trying to understand what was going on, the First Prince had already sent his men to the north to seize the military authority for himself.

  This sort of speed was simply too fast and rushed. No one would believe it if someone claimed that the First Prince had nothing to do with this.

  Wang Chong’s eyes closed, his body motionless. While he appeared calm on the surface, his mind was seething in turmoil, countless thoughts running through it.

  This isn’t the First Prince’s style!

  This was Wang Chong’s instinctive thought. ‘The one who benefits the most is the primary schemer.’ In this aspect, the various suspicious points of the incident and all the clues pointed toward the man in the Eastern Palace.

  But this wasn’t Wang Chong’s first time interacting with the First Prince, and given what he knew, such a meticulous plan, such a swift and brutal operation, and such cold and callous methods were not things that the First Prince was capable of.

  His schemes were far from reaching that point, and he would have needed an extremely formidable strategist at his side to accomplish this absolute seizure of the northern border.

  Hou Junji!

  The figure of that man emerged in Wang Chong’s mind. He had been too careless. Wang Chong had been working day and night to restrain the First Prince in the ca
pital, never imagining that Hou Junji would have expected all this and schemed to tear a major hole in the northern border. In practically a single day, he had fooled a hundred generals and seized control of the entire north.

  “But that shouldn’t be… So many people were deceived that once they arrived, shouldn’t they have realized that something was wrong? As the First Prince didn’t show up, why didn’t they immediately leave? Why were all of them seized??

  “And what in the world did they do at that meeting? Even if someone wanted to strip them of military authority, if they did absolutely nothing at all, not even the Imperial Court would be able to so easily accuse them of treason!”

  The others in the room began to mutter amongst themselves, and gradually, everyone turned their eyes to Zhang Que. There were simply too many suspicious points about this incident, and they were still in the dark about most of this incident. The only one who could answer these questions for them was Zhang Que.

  “There’s no need to ask. The other side’s plans were meticulous, so if my guess is right, they had quite a few of their own men in the meeting. Once the doors were shut, these people just needed to take the lead and start voicing disloyal thoughts to settle everything,” Wang Chong indifferently said, his sharp and penetrating eyes having long ago seen the truth.

  Everyone was left dazed by Wang Chong’s words, and even Zhang Que’s jaw dropped. The information he had been able to gather in this short amount of time had been very limited, and even now, he had yet to find out the details of that crucial meeting in Setting Sun Villa. In fact, the Imperial Court had blocked all information about this meeting, immersing the entire incident in a fog.

  “If you look through the list of people at the meeting, you’ll naturally understand,” Wang Chong sternly said.

  Whoosh!

  The others immediately spread out the list of the one hundred generals who had taken part on the table and began to look through it. A few moments later, they spotted some familiar names and immediately gasped.

  “Black Wind General Jiang Sheng, Fierce Flame General Zhu Rong, Thunderbolt General Nangong Xun… aren’t these people all in the First Prince’s faction? We investigated these people when investigating the First Prince during the Xueyang Palace Incident, so how come they’re here?!”

  Cries of shock and surprise could be heard in the crowd. All the generals involved in the Setting Sun Villa incident had been harshly punished by the First Prince, but there were even his own men in the list of those punished.

  Passing off fisheyes for pearls to hoodwink the people!

  Wang Chong’s heart was heavy as this thought passed through his mind. He had already guessed at the method the First Prince had used in this incident, but there was no saving things now. With this move, the First Prince had easily removed An Sishun’s military authority and seized all the armies of the north.

  The First Prince already had control over the Imperial Court, and all he lacked was military authority. Wang Chong had always had firm control over military authority, and he had even gone on the offensive so that he could replace Zhangchou Jianqiong as the Minister of War to further limit the First Prince. No matter what sort of treasonous designs the First Prince harbored, without the support of the military, he would not dare to act recklessly. But now, the balance had been broken.

  The First Prince was a tiger let out of the cage, the threat he posed increasing by countless times.

  Even worse was that the Setting Sun Villa incident forced Wang Chong into an extremely passive position. After the incident, Wang Chong had almost immediately received a rebuke from the Imperial Court. The First Prince claimed that this was a grave ‘dereliction of duty’ and had forbidden Wang Chong from further interference in the affairs of the north.

  But this was not even Wang Chong’s greatest concern. Wang Chong sensed that the Setting Sun Villa was only the beginning. The First Prince’s target could not just be An Sishun and the Beiting Protectorate’s soldiers. He had even greater ambitions!

  ……

  At the same time, within the Eastern Palace…

  “Senior Ghost King is truly wise and powerful, causing distraction in the east while striking in the west. This one prostrates himself in admiration!”

  “This time, even that brat was taken by surprise. He would have never expected this move from Senior!”

  “By sacrificing only five generals, we’ve taken control over the entire north! There’s no more profitable transaction in the world! Senior Ghost King is truly wise!”

  A joyous mood suffused the hall. When all of them had been worried about how their plan to strike at Wang Chong had failed, a heaven-shaking shift had taken place in the north. Through deception, the Ghost King had taken control of the entire Beiting Protectorate for the First Prince as easily as one would blow away dust.

  This display of skill and deception had drawn everyone’s sincere admiration, and even the First Prince was no exception.

  “Plans that are made in the tent determine victory one thousand li away. As a general, you can’t be focused on losses or successes in a single corner. This is the most basic principle.”

  Hou Junji was unmoved by all the fawning words of adoration. He lazily reclined on his lounge chair and sipped on his tea.

  “And besides, Setting Sun Villa is only a minor victory. It’s still very far from what Your Highness desires!”

  Hou Junji had a relaxed expression, not even looking at the others as he spoke. It seemed like nothing in the world could shake him. As a legendary existence of Taizong’s era, Hou Junji had seen and experienced far more than anyone in the Eastern Palace.

  The Setting Sun Villa incident might have been a major incident to these people, but for Hou Junji, it was just a minor trick.

  The Eastern Palace soon fell silent. In the past, these people would have been only outwardly admiring of Hou Junji, but now, none of them dared to think such things.

  After some thought, Meng Tu stepped forward and began to respectfully speak. “Senior, you mean… next…”

  Meng Tu had been one of the First Prince’s long-time followers, whereas the Ghost King had only been with the First Prince for several months, but even someone of Meng Tu’s status did not dare to be anything but respectful in front of the Ghost King.

  Upon hearing Meng Tu’s words, Zhu Tong’en, Kim U-Seok, and Asura all looked toward the Ghost King, ready to follow his orders.

  They were all anticipating the Ghost King’s next move, and even the First Prince was staring with absolute focus.

  “Heh!”

  Hou Junji merely smiled. A moment later, he flicked a finger, sending a small red flag thudding into the western part of a map of the Great Tang hanging from the wall.

  Upon seeing where that flag had landed, even the First Prince couldn’t help but tremble.

  “Big Dipper City!”

  Hou Junji’s small flag had landed right on the Great Tang’s strongest barrier in the west against Ü-Tsang: Big Dipper City.

  The turmoil from the Setting Sun Villa had yet to settle, but could it be…? The First Prince couldn’t help but be stunned by Hou Junji’s plan.

  Chapter 1701 - The Death of a Great General!

  Chapter 1701: The Death of a Great General!

  “Your Highness is hesitant?”

  Hou Junji raised his head and smirked.

  The First Prince clenched his teeth and swiftly replied, “How could that be?! This prince is only worried that the man in Big Dipper City is not that easy to deal with.”

  “Heh, Your Highness does not need to worry. Everything has been taken care of!”

  Hou Junji chuckled and quickly turned his head.

  “The righteous do not grasp for wealth and the kind do not command soldiers. As long as Your Highness is not softhearted, I will naturally help you ascend to the Supreme Seat of the Nine and Five! Of the six protectorates of the realm, Your Highness has only taken two. The strength of the Beiting and the greatly reduced
Anxi is not enough. But if we take this place, we will truly be prepared, and everything will be different!”

  His final words seemed to thud against the ground, echoing off the walls. Everyone in the hall fell silent.

  At this moment, in Hou Junji’s barely open eyes, there was a frighteningly cold gleam.

  ……

  Two days passed. One hundred generals had held a secret meeting at Setting Sun Villa and a Protector-General of the empire had been removed. All this was a major shock for the common folk of the empire.

  But while the entire empire was focused on Setting Sun Villa, the echoes of the incident yet to fade, another incident came hot on its heels and stunned the empire.

  “Your Highness, terrible news!”

  Wang Chong had spent these several days doing his best to investigate the Setting Sun Villa and save An Sishun and those other generals. At this moment, Xu Keyi rushed inside in a panic, his face pale and completely unlike his normally composed self.

  After going through both the war of the southwest and the Battle of Talas, Xu Keyi had been hardened into a fierce, veteran general, and his personality was much more tempered and composed. But at this moment, Xu Keyi was so frantic that his lips were trembling, and Wang Chong could sense the fear in his body.

  “We just received an urgent report! There’s been a major incident in Big Dipper City! Great General Geshu Han was slain!” Xu Keyi blurted out the news before Wang Chong could ask.

  Bang!

  The news was like a lightning bolt, and the entire hall seemed to quake.

  “What?!”

  Wang Chong had been perusing documents related to the Setting Sun Villa incident when he heard the news, and he couldn’t help but raise his head in disbelief.

  “This is impossible!”

  Wang Chong almost instinctively rejected the idea. Geshu Han was a mighty general, one of the best Great Generals in the empire. He was also surrounded by countless elites. Wang Chong’s first reaction was to believe that this was all false, that such a thing could have never happened.