The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  More importantly, Wunu Shibi had sensed that this youth possessed an extremely sharp intuition. He was able to sense every danger ahead of time and prepare for it. This was a unique ability that Wunu Shibi could only sigh in wonder and alarm at.

  Now that the Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands had once more been granted military authority, given his past behavior, the ‘friendly’ relationship with the Western Turks would be instantly shattered, and he would begin expanding the army. This was undoubtedly the worst result for the Western Turks.

  “Khagan, we might have to start preparing for war,” Wunu Shibi said as he cast his gaze toward Ishbara Khagan.

  Ishbara Khagan instantly fell silent, as did the entire tent.

  ……

  Whoosh!

  At the same time, a hunting falcon swept through the air over the cloud-piercing Tibetan Plateau and vanished into the royal capital.

  “Imperial Minister, we failed!”

  Amidst the cloying incense of the palace, a general spoke, and the entire hall fell silent.

  The faint silhouette of Dalon Trinling could be seen on the raised platform. A hand was placed on his forehead in silent thought.

  All the Tibetan generals around him were solemn and silent. Li Ying had been defeated. This news had shaken the Great Tang and all its surrounding countries.

  But what frightened Dalon Trinling and these Tibetan generals was the other piece of news.

  Wang Chong had been reinstated as Qixi’s Protector-General!

  Relying on his heroic efforts in pacifying the rebellion, Wang Chong had climbed back to the pinnacle of his power. This was an absolute nightmare for Ü-Tsang.

  Amongst all the top-class commanders of the Great Tang, this was the one that the Tibetans least wanted to face. Not even the Great Tang’s previous War God, Wang Zhongsi, had dealt as much damage as this person to Ü-Tsang, nor was he as feared.

  Wang Zhongsi had not turned the vast and fertile plains of the Ngari Royal Lineage into a barren wasteland, nor had he set up steel fortresses at the triangular gap and torn that area away from Tibetan hands. And Wang Zhongsi had certainly not utterly crushed Ü-Tsang’s feared enemy, the Arabian Empire, leaving one million corpses on the ground and making rivers of blood flow.

  In this oppressive air, Yarlung Great General Namri Songtian couldn’t help but speak. “Imperial Minister, it seems that we’ll have to end our cooperation with the Confucians. It’s best if we start preparing for battle soon.”

  Since ancient times, Wang Chong had been the only person who had been able to exert so much pressure on the Ü-Tsang Empire through merely his name.

  “Imperial Minister, let me gather the soldiers so that they can prepare the defenses.”

  “There’s no need!”

  Dalon Trinling sighed as he finally spoke. His head tilted upward, and he looked toward the ceiling with a complicated expression on his face.

  “I have a plan for how to proceed. We don’t need to worry about the Great Tang’s armies for the moment.

  “I thought that Big Dipper City might have been able to delay him a little, but in the end, it was less than I expected. This man is undoubtedly a major problem for our Ü-Tsang!” Dalon Trinling said.

  As Ü-Tsang’s Imperial Minister who was famed for his intellect, Dalon Trinling felt for the first time that he had encountered a true opponent. No matter what he did, he seemed entirely unable to manipulate and control this Great Tang youth.

  “Come; deliver this letter for me to the Emperor of the Great Tang. In this period, it is not convenient for us to make them our enemies.”

  Dalon Trinling took out a prepared letter from his sleeve. He had seemingly prepared for both Li Ying’s failure and his success.

  “In addition, help me get ready. In the next few days, I plan to visit the Great Snow Mountain and request a meeting with the High Monk!”

  “Yes!”

  ……

  Past the Cong Mountains, past Samarkand and Khorasan, was the Arabian Empire.

  “Damn it!”

  In the imperial capital of Baghdad, in the imperial palace, the mighty Caliph of Arabia savagely scowled, his burly fingers instantly crushing the letter in his hand into powder.

  “Those incompetent Confucians! My trust in them was wasted! In the end, they still allowed Wang Chong to attain military authority!”

  Wang Chong!

  Although the Caliph didn’t know the Tang language, he had at least learned how to read these two words. Every time he thought about how Qutaybah and one million elites had died to this young Tang commander, his heart ached.

  His massive empire that had flourished and prospered under his rule had at one point been on the verge of falling, with the capital of Baghdad being threatened. This was an unprecedented humiliation that he would never forget.

  “High Priest, I’ve waited for so long. Just when can I wash away this disgrace and annihilate that Great Tang of the east, flattening their world? Must we continue to promote their lowly language?”

  The furious Caliph turned to the black-robed and mysterious High Priest, whose face was shrouded in black fog.

  The Confucians were promoting the Tang language in Arabia every day. Its defeat in battle had caused Arabia’s prestige to plunge to its nadir, and numerous Confucians had rushed into Araba and established numerous schools. This had caused the number of people learning the Tang language in Arabia to greatly surpass the numbers in other countries.

  This was something he had never expected when he first allowed the Confucians inside his borders.

  Even if he wanted to ban this practice now, he could no longer do so. After all, this would essentially be a declaration of war, and Arabia had yet to finish its preparations.

  All the servants and guards in the palace trembled in silence in fear of the Caliph’s rage, all of them backing away. But the High Priest stood there like a wooden pillar, not moving an inch. He gave off not even the smallest ripple of energy, making it seem like he didn’t even exist.

  Just when the Caliph was reaching the limits of his patience, the High Priest’s black robe trembled, and a cold and emotionless voice came from within.

  “It’s about time. Your Majesty, the storm you have awaited has finally descended!”

  “Ah!”

  The Caliph was startled, but before he could react…

  Boom!

  The Imperial Palace of Baghdad fiercely trembled as a massive storm of energy erupted from the southwest, so intense that its ripples could be felt across the entire empire, even in Baghdad.

  “This is…”

  Upon sensing that familiar energy, Caliph Mutasim III’s eyes widened in delight.

  “Hierophant, you’ve finally emerged from seclusion!”

  The mention of this Hierophant had Mutasim III’s expression turning extremely respectful, almost on the same level of respect he paid to the High Priest.

  After a long period of silence, a voice with a magnetic allure, dignified and deep, traveled along the ripples of energy into the Imperial Palace.

  “I already know of the situation in the east. In six days, I will emerge from seclusion, at which time I will fulfill Your Majesty’s desire!”

  “Good! Wonderful! We will personally welcome the great Hierophant at that time!”

  Mutasim III was trembling with excitement.

  The Hierophant!

  Any Arab knew what this title signified. It was the only person who, despite being a subject, could wield an influence above that of the sovereign, a truly supreme existence.

  Before the Battle of Talas, Mutasim III would have loathed to see this person appear, as the title of Hierophant alone presented an enormous threat to his royal authority. But things were different now. As long as he could kill that Tang War God called Wang Chong and seize that country to his east, washing away his shame, he truly did not care about anything else.

  Compared to the disgrace of being defeated by foreigners from the east, the thre
at the Hierophant posed to his authority was irrelevant!

  “Pass on my order! In six days, all the Governors and Deputy Governors are to join Us in welcoming the Hierophant!”

  Chapter 1801 - The End of the Rebellion of the Three Princes!

  Chapter 1801: The End of the Rebellion of the Three Princes!Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: MichyrrAs the foreign countries digested the news, the situation in the capital of the Great Tang was still restless. It had been more than thirty years since such a treasonous conspiracy had taken place in the capital.The Court of Judicial Review, the Imperial Clan Court, the Bureau of Military Personnel, and the various government offices worked together to assess the situation. The case was judged in just a few short days, and their determination was announced to the entire realm.“First Prince Li Ying committed treason, spurning the relationship between father and son, and gathered the Imperial Army to assault Taiji Palace. With the approval of the Sage Emperor, the First Prince is to be stripped of his status as Prince and demoted to commoner status. He is to be imprisoned within the Imperial Clan Court and never leave again. Sovereign and subject, father and son, are to never meet again!“Second Prince Li Ju and Third Prince Li Yao were also principal offenders in this coup. These two are stripped of their status as Princes and exiled to Lingnan, forbidden from stepping into the interior ever again!“King Qi, Li You, burning with ambition, treasonously incited the First Prince into rebellion. For this unforgivable offense, his property is to be confiscated by the Bureau of Punishments, his family records seized, and the man to be demoted to commoner status. His entire family is to be banished.“Beiting Protector-General Zhang Zheng and Big Dipper Great General Fumeng Lingcha colluded with the members of the Eastern Palace, mobilizing their soldiers without the decree of the Sage Emperor and engaging in rebellion. This offense cannot be tolerated. Zhang Zheng has already been executed, and Fumeng Lingcha’s punishment is to be decided by the Bureau of Punishments and the Court of Judicial Review!”……A long list of names containing the primary offenders in the Rebellion of the Three Princes was posted throughout the capital and the Imperial City. It had been decades since the Great Tang had last experienced something like this, and the denizens of the capital were all focused on its developments.“Treason! It’s treason!”“The Sage Emperor is both wise and powerful, a sovereign for the ages, but they dared to conspire against him! How bold! For these treasonous scum who know no father or sovereign, not even death is enough!”“Not a single one of these criminals should be let go! They dared to conspire against the Sage Emperor? Even dogs and pigs are better!”“That’s right! Drag all of them out! Don’t go easy on a single one! The heavens won’t be satisfied until these people are dead!”“Starting a rebellion is a serious crime! The realm won’t learn from this and our descendants won’t feel any fear unless all these people are seized!”The indignant crowds packed the streets of the capital. The events of that night had completely overturned their understanding of the world and left them stunned.Sovereign and subject, father and son, each had their proper role to play. This was the basis on which the culture of the Central Plains had persisted. It was one thing if the current sovereign had been some muddleheaded incompetent, but this was an age of peace, and everyone in the realm knew the Sage Emperor to be a wise ruler. It was precisely because of him that the Great Tang was able to attain its current level of power. The thought that someone would try to harm the Sage Emperor infuriated the people.Conversations like this could be heard all over the capital.A carriage was slowly moving through Vermillion Bird Street. On the outside, Zhang Que looked excitedly around at the gathered crowds.“Your Highness! The First Prince has no chance of coming back from this one! And those traitors who worked with him! Though the realm is vast, there’s no place that will hold them! I’d like to see if anyone tries to start a rebellion after this!”Zhang Que turned to look inside the carriage at Wang Chong.Wang Chong said nothing. In fact, he slightly frowned upon hearing Zhang Que’s words, faintly concerned.He had heard all of the conversations going on outside. Although the Rebellion of the Three Princes was over, its effects were only just beginning to be felt, and a storm was already beginning to brew.This isn’t good! Wang Chong said to himself.In the original timeline, the First Prince had started his rebellion and killed many people. Once the Sage Emperor was back in power, he started up an investigation and had another large batch of people executed to calm the furious public. Both killings had been extremely widespread, and countless elites of the empire had been lost.Wang Chong clearly recalled that when that storm was at its fiercest, anyone who was connected to those traitors in even the slightest fashion, even if all they had done was deliver firewood or pay a visit to their home, would be dragged in.Everyone had been panicked and fearful in this period, and more damage would be done in this time than the Rebellion of the Three Princes itself had caused. This was Wang Chong’s greatest concern.The anger of the people was understandable, but if it were not controlled and were simply allowed to fester, it would cause even greater harm.The empire was showing signs of instability, and there was still another calamity to come. He needed to minimize the effects of this current matter so that it wouldn’t end up crippling the Great Tang for the next crisis.Buzz!As Wang Chong was thinking to himself, the carriage suddenly shuddered to a halt. Wang Chong frowned and raised his head.“The King of Foreign Lands? Is the King of Foreign Lands inside?” An excited voice came from in front of the carriage. A commoner had noticed the carriage and blocked its path.Bang!An uproar immediately broke out around Wang Chong’s carriage.“It’s the King of Foreign Lands! The King of Foreign Lands is inside! Everyone, come here!” someone shouted, and an excited flood of people soon swamped his carriage.In just a few seconds, Wang Chong’s carriage was surrounded by a crowd that numbered in the hundreds.“Your Highness, I finally got a chance to see you! You’re truly a hero of our Great Tang!”“A hero! The King of Foreign Lands is a hero!”“The King of Foreign Lands!”“The King of Foreign Lands!”“The King of Foreign Lands!”The crowd elatedly cheered. With the Rebellion of the Three Princes over, many details had begun to leak about that night. In that extremely disadvantageous situation where almost the entire empire had been in the hands of the rebels, with the rebels having even locked up the officials in Taihe Palace, Wang Chong had battled to reverse the tides. Without him, no one dared to imagine what would have happened to the empire.Outside the carriage, Zhang Que was delighted to hear this praise. After all the effort they had put in, their work was finally beginning to show results. Before this, the people had developed a major misunderstanding of his liege, particularly during the militarist-Confucian conflict. Those books that his liege had put so much work into had all been burned, making his heart ache. But now, through their various plans, society was gradually beginning to appreciate his liege’s efforts.This was undoubtedly their greatest harvest from this operation.The enthusiasm of the crowd delayed Wang Chong’s carriage for a full hour. Finally, the carriage managed to escape and pass through the palace gates.Boom!With Wang Chong’s entry, the massive gates rumbled shut. This was the first court session since the Rebellion of the Three Princes.As Wang Chong stepped into the vast Taihe Palace, countless eyes focused on him. Wang Chong had an imposing and dignified gaze, and while he had yet to reach twenty, he had none of the immaturity of his peers. On the contrary, he already faintly exuded the intimidating aura of a frontier general.The First Prince had been toppled and King Qi had been demoted to a commoner, all his property confiscated. There was no one left in the court who could oppose Wang Chong, and he was now the undisputed number one official.Even Li Linfu somewhat restrained himself when Wang Chong came in, lowering his head slightly to express his respect.A few moments later, the session formally began. The Sage Emperor, dressed in his dragon robe and wearing his crown, finally reappeared in the court and seated himself upon that highest of thrones.“Honored officials, if there are any concerns, please present a memorial. Otherwise, you may with
draw!”With his mellow voice, Eunuch Gao also reappeared at the Sage Emperor’s side, a white horsetail whisk in one hand. Just by being there, the Sage Emperor and Eunuch Gao were like two giant nails that pinned the entire empire to the earth.The hall immediately fell silent. The officials glanced at each other, but no one said anything. The ripples stirred by the Rebellion of the Three Princes had yet to settle, and the Court of Judicial Review, Imperial Clan Court, and the Six Bureaus were still in the middle of investigating the remaining rebels. The officials were still uneasy, so none of them were willing to speak.As the silence persisted, an official stepped forward, his expression solemn.“Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial!“The hearts of the people are unsettled after the coup, and they cry out that the rebels should be harshly punished. In order to calm the people and reestablish law and order, this subject requests that Your Majesty harshly punish the rebels to set an example!“This matter is being discussed in the capital and in all the prefectures and commanderies, everyone hoping that the Imperial Court will punish those evildoers. This subject has here a petition signed by ten thousand people. Your Majesty, please inspect it!”As the official spoke, all the officials grimaced. Even Great General Abusi, standing next to the Sage Emperor, couldn’t help but twitch a little.“That’s right! Your Majesty, please heavily punish them!”Numerous officials spoke up in support. Many of these officials had been imprisoned in Taihe Palace during the Rebellion of the Three Princes, some of them with their wives and children. The lingering hatred from this incident needed to be vented, and now that someone had led the way, they were only too happy to give their assent.More and more voices agreed, and this proposal for collective punishment was on the verge of being passed…“Your Majesty, this subject believes that this is not acceptable!”As more and more people were calling for mass punishment, a single voice silenced them all. Wang Chong stepped forward, raising his ceremonial tablet as he strode out of his row.“In the Rebellion of the Three Princes, the offense lies with the primary schemer, while the remainder were merely forced into obeying. Now that the primary offenders have been dealt with, this subject hopes that Your Majesty can pardon the rest so as to avoid the net being cast too wide!” Wang Chong firmly declared.