But a moment later—
Bong!
The resounding ringing of a bell came from the Imperial City. It was an extremely unique sound, one that had never been heard before in the capital.
The window several feet away began to fiercely tremble, and even Wang Chong’s desk and the books on the shelves quivered.
Upon close listening, one could hear a somber sorrow in the bell’s sonorous tones.
Whoosh!
Wang Chong’s face went ghastly pale, all the blood draining out of it, and his heart chilled.
The Bell of Mountains and Rivers!
A giant bell stood in the Great Tang’s Imperial Palace, cast from Deep Sea Xuan Metal and brass. It was taller than a man and weighed exactly 99,999 jin. Ever since it had been cast, it had rarely been used. Its tones were mournful, and in the Great Tang, it had another name: The Mourning Bell of Kings. Only when kings of high status or extremely important subjects of the empire died would this bell ring.
Wang Chong had heard about this bell when he was growing up, but in his ten-some years, this was the first time he had heard it ring.
……
“What? Geshu Han is dead?!”
At the same time, in the Minister of War Residence, which was now fully repaired, Zhangchou Jianqiong had been pruning a peony in his garden when he heard the news. The pot in his hand dropped to the ground and shattered, but he hardly noticed.
“Milord, the news has already been confirmed! The Imperial Court has already posted an announcement of his death! All the common folk in Longxi are wearing white in mourning to send him off! It is said that the weeping and wailing of the common folk can be heard as far as ten li,” reported an old veteran who had served Zhangchou Jianqiong in the southwest, his face stricken with grief.
“How is this possible?”
Zhangchou Jianqiong’s body trembled, his eyes full of disbelief. But at this moment, BONG! The resounding ring of a bell came from the Imperial Palace, shaking the entire capital and the Minister of War Residence.
The entire garden became deathly still. Zhangchou Jianqiong and his subordinate instinctively turned in the direction of the bell.
At that moment, Zhangchou Jianqiong’s eyes were filled with endless sorrow.
“Geshu… is really dead…”
……
Once!
Twice!
Thrice!
The Bell of Mountains and Rivers resounded over the capital, and the bustling capital became somber and serene.
In every direction, whether one was a porter or peddler, a big tycoon, or an elder relaxing on the side of the road and playing with children, all of them stopped for a moment. A mood of sorrow pervaded the air.
Today was bound to be a restless one for the Great Tang.
For the first time in ten-some years, the empire had lost one of its brightest general stars!
At the same time, on the Silk Road leading to the capital, several figures were trudging along. From their silk clothes and the carvings on their swords, it was apparent that they were people of significant status.
The man they were escorting seemed to be a prisoner, but his straight back and sharp eyebrows exuded an aura of dignity and power. This was the man who had been implicated in the Setting Sun Villa incident and censured by the Imperial Court, Beiting Protector-General An Sishun.
After the Setting Sun Villa incident, the First Prince had almost immediately stripped An Sishun of his authority and sent the Serpent Guards of his Eastern Palace to escort An Sishun back to the capital.
Whoosh!
There was a gust of air from above, and An Sishun and the Serpent Guards around him all looked up in surprise.
The messenger bird overhead did not fly past. Instead, it descended and flew straight toward An Sishun, taking him by surprise. The First Prince had already seized the generals of the Beiting Protectorate, and he truly couldn’t think of anyone that would send him a message.
But regardless, An Sishun quickly extended his arm to receive the bird.
After glancing at the message, An Sishun turned ghastly pale and his entire body shivered.
“How could it be like this!?”
The letter he had received was an official missive from the Imperial Court. This missive reported an extremely grave incident, written on official yellow paper, and it had been sent to all the important subjects of the empire. This official missive had the seal of the court that could not be forged.
Even though An Sishun had been Beiting’s Protector-General for many years, this was the first time he had received a message of this nature.
Only a few words had been written:
‘Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han has passed!’
These words had been written in crimson cinnabar ink, like drops of blood. An Sishun was frozen to the spot by these words.
“Milord, Milord…”
The uneasy voices of the Serpent Guards came from around him. An Sishun came to his senses, and deep sorrow began to encroach on his hard and determined face.
“The sunset of an empire!”
An Sishun slowly raised his head to the dark clouds above, his lips trembling as he spat out these words.
The sunset of the empire had come, the passing of the golden age into the bitter autumn!
A Great General of his generation had died. As the saying went, the rabbit mourned the death of the fox, but this was not the only thing that made An Sishun grieve. A water bucket was bound to break near the well, and a general would usually die on the battlefield. This was an understanding he had reached the moment he became a general overseeing the border. What An Sishun truly mourned was the emptiness he felt in the empire, the decline that he smelled in the air.
One hundred generals had been arrested in Setting Sun Villa, and even he was being escorted back to the capital.
All of this was too suspicious, but before the waves had even settled, a mighty Great General of the empire had died. It was too abrupt and strange.
Whether these things were right or wrong, true or false, none of this should have happened in the middle of the empire’s golden age.
The curtain had fallen on an era!
“Geshu, go in peace!”
An Sishun turned in the direction of Big Dipper City. Ka! He took a jade token from his waist.
He and Geshu Han had been promoted at nearly the same time. Geshu Han had become the Big Dipper Great General at almost the same time as he had been promoted to Beiting’s Protector-General after his feats on the battlefield. The two of them, brimming with energy, had obtained an audience with the Sage Emperor. They had met in the capital, and both had obtained a jade token from the Sage Emperor.
Clap!
This jade token of the highest quality was obliterated in An Sishun’s hand, and then its dust scattered into the wind, to drift toward Big Dipper City.
……
One of the Great Tang’s most experienced Great Generals, Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han, had suddenly died in Big Dipper City. This news swept over the world like a storm, shocking all who heard it.
Great ripples stirred in all the border protectorates and armies. In the history of the empire, very rarely did Great Generals die on campaigns, particularly someone on the level of Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han.
As the Bell of Mountains and Rivers rang, the court was dismissed for three days, gripped by a solemn and respectful mood.
Chapter 1702 - Ü-Tsang’s Dread!
Chapter 1702: Ü-Tsang’s Dread!
No one was more excited than the nearby Ü-Tsang to hear of Big Dipper Great General’s Geshu Han’s death. For Ü-Tsang, the Big Dipper Great General and the Big Dipper City he had established in Longxi were a thorn that was deeply embedded into Ü-Tsang’s side.
The prosperous Central Plains was a large granary, a reserve food supply for Ü-Tsang.
For hundreds of years, generation after generation, Ü-Tsang was accustomed to leading their horses down to the
east and plundering the Great Tang to fill their stores. But when Geshu Han took command, Longxi became more prosperous than ever before, yet Ü-Tsang could only watch this ‘fat sheep’ get fatter, powerless to take it for themselves.
The long tradition of plunder and raiding had ceased to exist, and this was solely because of the Big Dipper Great General.
This was not because Ü-Tsang had changed its mind or suddenly found its conscience. This was a lesson paid for with the lives of several hundred thousand cavalry.
“Imperial Minister, good news! Wonderful news!
“Geshu Han is dead! He’s actually dead!”
A horseman rode across the vast Tibetan Plateau, leaving a trail of dust as he galloped into the royal capital. The mounted Tibetan general excitedly waved around the letter in his hand, his face red, as he dismounted and rushed into the palace.
Ü-Tsang and the Great Tang had fought for many years, and the last few wars as of late had pushed Ü-Tsang to the brink. But now, the death of Geshu Han in Big Dipper City was like a blessing from the heavens. No one had expected to receive such a ‘gift’ at this time.
“Great Minister…”
But when the Tibetan general crossed the threshold and entered the main hall, he froze.
Gray smoke churned in the hall, and the various generals had all lined up in their places. It seemed as if they had all received word much earlier than he had.
But strangely, all of them were standing in silence.
“This is…”
The Tibetan general didn’t know what to do, and as his mouth opened to say a few words, he was stopped by a nearby general. Following the gaze of a colleague, he saw that on the raised platform, the most intelligent and most illustrious Imperial Minister, Dalon Trinling, was quietly seated, one of his hands resting on a deeply furrowed brow.
A serene and somber air permeated the hall, completely different from the joy he had expected.
“What is going on here?”
The Tibetan general couldn’t help but be confused and flabbergasted.
“Pass on my order!” A dignified voice resounded through the hall as the motionless Dalon Trinling finally spoke. “Immediately withdraw all our soldiers in the east by three hundred li, and raise a white banner in memorial. Besides that, send a royal emissary to Big Dipper City to offer our condolences!”
“Imperial Minister?!”
The crowd gasped in consternation upon hearing Dalon Trinling’s words. The late-arriving general and all the other generals were flabbergasted. It was obvious that none of them had expected Dalon Trinling’s order in the slightest.
“Imperial Minister! Geshu Han was a great foe of ours!”
“This scoundrel killed countless numbers of our people and we’re going to offer condolences?!”
“Imperial Minister, we should be using this chance to attack and seize Big Dipper City! This is our best chance!”
The Tibetan generals were all agitated. They had all presumed that the Imperial Minister was contemplating some important decision, but none of them had imagined that it would be retreating three hundred li and mourning over their foe.
“My mind is set! There will be no argument!”
Dalon Trinling extended a hand and cut off all discussion with a single order.
All the Tibetan generals quickly withdrew. No matter how greatly they objected or how unacceptable they thought this was, no one could defy Dalon Trinling when his mind was made up. This had already become an unwritten law in Ü-Tsang.
Once everyone was gone, a deep and composed voice resounded within the hall. “Imperial Minister, are we really not using this excellent chance to seize Big Dipper City?”
A stalwart figure emerged from a side hall. This was the Great General of the Yarlung Royal Lineage, Namri Songtian.
The Ü-Tsang Empire had taken grim losses in Great Generals over the last few wars, and Namri Songtian was one of the few that remained. When Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han suddenly died, Namri Songtian had ridden overnight to the royal capital to discuss what should be done next with Dalon Trinling.
But not even he had predicted Dalon Trinling’s decision.
“Everyone will probably suspect that it was our Ü-Tsang who killed Geshu Han.”
Dalon Trinling shook his head, a profound light in his eyes. He was much more farsighted with regards to this sudden shift than anyone else.
“If the Great Tang had been weak right now, I would have immediately ordered the troops to deploy. Alas, the Great Tang’s strength still remains, and that man in the capital is still hale and hearty. Although we will have a battle with the Great Tang one day, now is not the best time!”
Dalon Trinling had not named that man, but Namri Songtian knew that he was referring to the Son of Heaven’s disciple, the King of Foreign Lands: Wang Chong.
Ü-Tsang had lost two Great Generals to this man, and his grasp of the military arts had already reached a divine level. The entire world had to acknowledge this point, and not even the Arabs were any match for him.
“As long as that man is present, we truly cannot act recklessly. Even if we seize Big Dipper City, we won’t gain anything and would probably just incur the Great Tang’s revenge,” Namri Songtian bitterly concluded after a long silence. Although he wasn’t willing to admit it, he understood that Ü-Tsang could not endure another bitter defeat at this time.
“That man in the Great Tang Imperial Palace has finally decided to make his move. This is an internal conflict within the Great Tang and is not something we should be drawn into. Only by sitting on the sidelines and perhaps secretly pushing things from the background can we benefit. The more chaotic the Great Tang is, the greater our chances of experiencing a true resurgence!” Dalon Trinling sternly said.
Namri Songtian had a flash of insight, and then he settled into a long silence.
……
Bong!
The bell rang for three days without stopping, and the most prosperous and bustling capital of the Great Tang seemed to be draped in a black veil of mourning, the air somber and serene.
Dark clouds had gathered above the capital, and the world was gloomy, pervaded by a grief-stricken and oppressive air.
The death of Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han was like a large rock pressing down over the entire empire and everyone’s hearts. Even now, it was still difficult to accept.
Flapflap!
At this time, the King of Foreign Lands Residence was brightly lit, with messenger birds flying in and out, but the atmosphere remained grim.
For three days, the Bell of Mountains and Rivers within the Imperial Palace had rung, the court had not convened for three days, and yellow posters were put up throughout the capital. With these three days of time, Wang Chong was finally confident about one thing: Geshu Han was really dead.
One of the finest Great Generals of the era was dead!
Swishswish!
A set of footsteps from outside broke Wang Chong’s train of thought.
“Your Highness!”
Zhang Que came inside with a thick stack of intelligence reports.
The empire had experienced a deluge of blows as of late. Both the Setting Sun Villa incident and the sudden development at Big Dipper City had been a shock to everyone, particularly the death of Geshu Han.
Zhang Que had led all his scouts and spies in investigating the matter, hoping to find the truth.
“How is the investigation going?”
Wang Chong, standing in front of the window, spoke in a slightly scratchy voice, not even turning his head.
“Your Highness, we finished! Great General Geshu died six days ago, at night during the Zi Period (11pm-1am). There was no warning before the incident, and by the time the Big Dipper Army discovered what was going on, it was too late. Not only that…”
Zhang Que hesitated, shooting a glance at Wang Chong.
“Besides Great General Geshu, eighteen top-class generals who had fought alongside Great General Geshu fo
r ten-some years, thirty-two high-ranked generals, and numerous middle-ranked generals were also killed!”
Zhang Que’s voice was trembling, his heart heavy.
The Big Dipper Army was garrisoned at Longxi throughout the year, and the reason it had been able to block Ü-Tsang time and time again, gaining the reputation of an army that could win despite being outnumbered, was primarily Geshu Han and his top-class commanders.
With Geshu Han dead along with his top-class generals, the army existed only in name. This was a heavy blow for the empire.
Geshu Han alone being slain was one thing, but even though there was no war going on, the higher ranks of the army had been practically wiped out. This matter was incredibly suspicious.
After a long while, Wang Chong asked, “What has the Imperial Court said?”
He continued to stand in front of the window, his eyes shut. Anyone who could have seen his calm expression at this moment would know that a fierce storm was building up beneath the surface.
Zhang Que lowered his head and sternly said, “The Imperial Court seems to have suppressed this news in its official announcements, in addition not mentioning how Great General Geshu died. But from what it’s saying internally, the Imperial Court still seems to be investigating the matter. The deaths of Great General Geshu and the Big Dipper Army generals is extremely suspicious. Only extremely powerful experts would have been capable of such a thing. The Imperial Court seems to be implying that the clues point to one of the other empires. Only they have the motive and ability for this.”
The room fell silent once more. Finally, Wang Chong opened his eyes and spoke.
“Zhang Que, tell them to bring over my horse. I’m going to Big Dipper City!”
“Your Highness!”
Zhang Que suddenly raised his head.
The Imperial Court was still investigating what had happened in Big Dipper City, and Zhang Que had never imagined that his liege would go personally to Big Dipper City. After all, this was a unique situation, and everyone was paying attention. Moreover, his liege had only just toppled Kong Wu and assumed the post of Minister of War. In the entire court, only Wang Chong could lead the resistance against the First Prince.
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