The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  The Wushang Cavalry’s power had initially been established on the strength, agility, and cohesion of the Wushang people. But constantly recruiting from the ranks of the Wushang was rather unfair, and their numbers were limited, preventing the Wushang Cavalry from rising to an even higher level.

  Now that there were so many outstanding recruits amongst this newest batch, it was time for some reform.

  “This… General Li saw the other Protector-Generals and Great Generals doing this and already transferred out his own soldiers. He took fifty thousand of the finest recruits to replenish the ranks of the Mo Saber Unit and the Wushang Cavalry, in addition secretly tasking me with bringing up this matter with Your Highness to gain your approval.”

  Wang Chong was taken aback by this news, then he shook his head and laughed.

  Li Siye appeared like a boorish brute, but he was actually quite cunning. It was obvious that he had also been tempted by these recruits.

  Wang Chong waved his hands and indifferently said, “I understand!”

  Everything followed the plan, and these recruits all entered the armies of the Great Tang, whether it was under the command of Li Siye or the various protectorates.

  In fact, whether it was Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian Wang Zhongsi, Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong, Gao Xianzhi, An Sishun, or Li Siye, they all had extremely good judgment. Moreover, armies like the Wushang Cavalry did not easily accept new soldiers.

  For these commanders to eye these recruits was proof that these soldiers were of extremely high quality.

  “What’s the situation of the forward base?”

  Wang Chong changed the topic to the matter of the front line.

  This was an important part of the plan.

  “Everything is going according to plan. The fortifications are already being built. When An Yaluoshan and his Youzhou soldiers first heard the news, they truly wanted to send soldiers to the forward base to help out. But once they heard that the Crown Prince’s Junior Guardian was involved, they restrained themselves. In addition, Tongluo Great General Abusi and his Tongluo Cavalry have finally arrived, further intimidating An Yaluoshan!” Zhang Que’s expression focused as he hastily reported.

  Wang Chong gave a slight nod, his expression turning thoughtful.

  He could sense that Genesis Supreme was still patrolling the outskirts of the capital.

  These Supremes were extremely arrogant people. At this phase, they would never lower themselves to intervene in mortal wars. Moreover, both Abusi and Wang Zhongsi were renowned generals, and killing them would unquestionably reveal the existence of the men in black to the world.

  It was impossible for peak experts like Abusi and Wang Zhongsi to suddenly die a ‘violent death’ when no war was going on, nor were they people that just anyone could kill!

  And this was completely out of line with the men in black’s policy of ‘shunning the world’.

  The men in black had existed for countless years, but history had no record of them. This was how effective this policy of shunning the world was.

  But nothing was absolute.

  The existence of the Book of Paimon clearly indicated that there had once been a time when the men in black directly meddled with the mortal world.

  Thus, Wang Chong could not take risks, nor could he place his hopes on the ‘kindness’ of Genesis Supreme and his ilk!

  Wang Chong questioned Zhang Que a little more on military matters, and once everything was taken care of, Zhang Que bowed and left.

  Whoosh!

  Once Zhang Que left, the flapping of wings came from outside.

  “What news is there from the palace?” Wang Chong’s expression darkened as he spoke into the empty hall.

  Silence!

  Nothing happened in the hall.

  But quickly, a bulky figure with a bird perched on his arm came inside. It was none other than Old Eagle.

  Old Eagle bowed and said, “Everything in the palace is as usual. With General Li and so many Dragon Guards, nothing will happen to His Majesty. However, Bian Lingcheng’s Imperial Guard has sent word that there have been many strange incidents in the palace as of late. People are constantly trying to sneak in. The Imperial Guard has already caught more than twenty supposed palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Army soldiers, and more and more have arrived in the last few days.

  “Some of them have even gone up to Taiji Palace, where they seemed to be setting up some sort of formation.”

  Zhang Que had more and more matters to handle, and Li Heng was an extremely important figure. Thus, Wang Chong had arranged for Old Eagle to link up with Bian Lingcheng so that the two could support each other.

  Moreover, the King of Foreign Lands Residence was very close to the Imperial Palace. If there were some incident, Wang Chong could promptly arrive to protect Li Heng.

  A new Emperor had taken the throne, and whether it was the surrounding countries, An Yaluoshan, or the men in black, they all had ample reason to strike at him.

  Thus, Wang Chong did not dare to be lax.

  The Sage Emperor had passed, so nothing could be allowed to happen to Li Heng.

  “I see.”

  Wang Chong slightly frowned, closing his eyes and leaning back against his throne.

  “Your Highness, it’s those men in black, right?” Old Eagle suddenly asked.

  “Mm, there’s no one else except them,” Wang Chong softly said, nodding slightly.

  Few of Wang Chong’s subordinates knew about the Miniature Nine Provinces Domain, and they were only informed due to absolute necessity, but Old Eagle was one of them.

  “Your Highness, the Imperial Guard is already doing its utmost to catch these people, but there’s still no stopping them, with more and more appearing. In addition, we’ve discovered that they’ve set up a small formation in the palace. Is this really okay?” Old Eagle said, worry on his face.

  “Why don’t we start a large-scale search in the city and force them out?”

  The Imperial Palace was the center of political power, a forbidden zone, but this seemed to have no effect on the men in black. On the contrary, it seemed to only encourage them to send more and more people.

  The strange activities had also been picking up around the estate, though they had yet to cause much of a stir.

  The King of Foreign Lands Residence was not that easy to sneak into.

  Old Eagle had already led his men in purging several of these groups.

  “There’s no need!”

  Wang Chong waved his hand and rejected Old Eagle’s proposal.

  “The ones infiltrating the capital are not real men in black, but puppets under their control or blackmailed Imperial Army soldiers, mixed in with some experts and assassins that they hired. They’re just ordinary people who are being used. If you sweep through the city, how can you tell which from which? And how many can you actually catch? Do you plan to seize everyone in the city?”

  “This…”

  Old Eagle was rendered speechless.

  He instinctively sensed that this matter could not be allowed to fester, but he had not thought about it this far.

  “But…”

  Old Eagle wanted to say more, but he hesitated.

  “Relax; it’s fine. The Miniature Nine Provinces Domain is not easily destroyed, and we can’t protect the entire capital. That’s just a futile effort.”

  Wang Chong knew what Old Eagle was thinking, and waved his hand.

  The Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, Three Emperors Formation was deep beneath Taiji Palace and was one of the strongest and largest formations in the Central Plains. When it was first being built, possible attempts to destroy it had already been taken into account.

  As the formation that had protected dynasty after dynasty, it had countless reinforcing formations on its perimeter.

  One hundred thousand formations?

  One million formations?

  Ten million formations?

  Not even Wang Chong dared to imagine, as even Ps
ychic Energy was blocked out.

  The Nine Heavens Ten Earths Three Emperors Formation could be used to gather energy, but it could not be destroyed. This was a law passed down through dynasty after dynasty.

  If one thought that a few formations on the surface could destroy this powerful, ancient formation, then that person was being far too naive.

  This was why Wang Chong was unconcerned after hearing about so many people fearlessly infiltrating the Imperial Palace to lay down formations.

  What they were attempting was impossible!

  Wang Chong was far more worried about another matter!

  Wang Chong slightly raised his head, a name flashing through his mind.

  Genesis Supreme!

  Everything that had taken place in the Imperial Palace and around the King of Foreign Lands Residence was the handiwork of the men in black.

  Their goal was undoubtedly to destroy the Miniature Nine Provinces Domain!

  But these little tricks could do nothing to him.

  He predicted that the men in black’s following actions would be even more intense and frenzied.

  Besides that, the Sage Emperor was dead and the Miniature Nine Provinces Domain was a purely defensive formation. As long as the men in black did not step into it, it would do them no harm. There shouldn’t have been anything in the capital that the men in black wanted.

  But even though the Sage Emperor had died some time ago, Genesis Supreme was still lurking on the outskirts. This was extremely unusual.

  It was as if there was something in the city Genesis Supreme dearly desired.

  Wang Chong breathed in and focused himself.

  No matter what you’re thinking, I will stop you!

  Buzz!

  Wang Chong closed his eyes and seated himself cross-legged on the floor, his mind linking with the three divine embryos that were approaching the capital.

  He could sense that the three divine embryos would arrive soon.

  This mission had been far more fruitful than he had imagined. Once the three divine embryos returned, he could start the next phase of his plan and begin boosting his strength.

  ……

  Several days later, deep in the night, when everyone was dreaming…

  Buzz!

  A flash of light appeared outside the city, and two figures stepped into the air, looking down at the brightly lit capital below.

  “All of our operations have failed. This domain around the capital still stands!”

  The Tianfu Divine Lord’s robes flapped as he slowly raised his head.

  Chapter 2087 - Long Time No See, Li Linfu!

  Chapter 2087: Long Time No See, Li Linfu!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The darkness seemed empty, but to the eyes of an expert like the Tianfu Divine Lord, a vast dome covered the capital, surging with a sea of energy that could make anyone pale in fear.

  “That Wang Chong is far too troublesome. He knows of our existence and refuses to leave the capital. And those assassins we found are far too weak to cause much of a stir!”

  The Tianfu Divine Lord sighed.

  “If this domain does not fall, we can do nothing to him!”

  The men in black were immensely powerful and had many experts in their ranks. In the past, even toppling an empire was as easy as flipping a hand. But now, they could do nothing to the Great Tang imperial household.

  Genesis Supreme said nothing, his brow furrowing.

  He naturally understood the current situation.

  He had tried to force his way into the capital before, but at the final moment, his Grotto Heaven expert intuition told him to give up on the idea.

  The Miniature Nine Provinces Domain was just as dangerous to Grotto Heaven realm experts!

  Until the formation was broken, he did not dare to act recklessly.

  The Tianfu Divine Lord glanced at Genesis Supreme and hesitantly said, “Venerable One, why don’t we… capture some of his stronger subordinates and women he’s close to, take them out of the city, and force him to come out?”

  Those useless soldiers would never break the formation. They would need to take risky actions to destroy the formation, and this period of activity had not been completely fruitless for the Tianfu Divine Lord.

  While gathering information, he had discovered several women whom Wang Chong frequently interacted with.

  The men in black might not have been able to break the Miniature Nine Provinces Domain or kill Wang Chong, but capturing a few ordinary women wouldn’t be too difficult.

  In the past, the Tianfu Divine Lord would have never said such a thing, but after failing several times against Wang Chong and even being heavily injured, he was completely humiliated. He was now willing to resort to any method possible to kill Wang Chong.

  Buzz!

  The Tianfu Divine Lord had barely finished speaking when his surroundings fell silent and the temperature plunged.

  “Bastard thing! Have you already fallen to this level because of that mortal? As a god, you would use such lowly methods? If this news got out, would you not become a laughingstock?”

  Genesis Supreme turned to the Tianfu Divine Lord and coldly glared.

  As a Supreme, an aloof god who looked down on all living beings, Genesis Supreme was extremely arrogant. For the Tianfu Divine Lord to bring up this suggestion was a humiliation for Genesis Supreme, a questioning of his ability.

  If a god lowered themselves to using such despicable methods against a mortal, how were they different from a mortal?

  They would naturally no longer have the right to call themselves a god!

  “In addition, do you think that brat didn’t also think of this? Your people would be caught and dealt with long before they would have a chance to escape the capital,” Genesis Supreme coldly said.

  The domain around the capital was like a giant abyss, and inside and outside were two completely different worlds. There probably didn’t exist a single person who could kidnap one of Wang Chong’s women in the capital. As for Wang Chong’s subordinates, what did it matter how many they captured?

  Would he really offer himself up for the sake of some subordinates?

  The Tianfu Divine Lord blushed in shame.

  “It was this subordinate’s mistake!”

  The Tianfu Divine Lord paused, then lowered his head and said, “But, Venerable One, if this is the case, won’t we be unable to obtain that object and complete the mission Heaven gave us? What do we do next?”

  Genesis Supreme turned to the capital and coldly said, “Wait!” His voice was tinged with a farsighted and wise aura.

  “This god has a plan. There is no need for you to worry.”

  His robes flapped in the wind, and his eyes were two deep pools of wisdom.

  The Tianfu Divine Lord hesitated, but ultimately, he lowered his head and said no more.

  ……

  Time flew by. Several days later, deep in the night…

  Boom!

  The southern gates of the capital rumbled open, allowing a plain and unremarkable carriage, with two lanterns hanging from it, to leave.

  Not only was this carriage of simple design, the compartment was tightly wrapped up. It was obvious that the owner of the carriage did not want their face to be seen.

  But no ordinary person could have ordered the City Guard to open the gates after their closing time.

  It was clear that the owner of the carriage had some revered status.

  Cough, cough! A tired cough came from inside the carriage. The compartment was lit by a single oil lamp, and the gloomy light shone upon a middle-aged man wearing an official’s hat and dressed in casual robes. Although he seemed ordinary, the way he moved exuded a superior aura.

  An old servant in the carriage bowed and respectfully said, “Wise Minister, you are unwell. It’s late, so why don’t we return to the residence to rest?”

  If Wang Chong had been present, he would have certainly started to
see this middle-aged man and hear him referred to as ‘Wise Minister’.

  This man who was breaking the curfew to sneak out of the capital was none other than the man who had once dominated the court but who had now been squeezed out of the center of power after the rise of the new Emperor, Li Linfu.

  And if there was any one person in the court who was still referred to as ‘Wise Minister’, it was Li Linfu.

  “I know, Aji, but there are some things that this minister must take care of. There is no need for you to try and persuade me,” Li Linfu indifferently said, appearing somewhat absentminded.

  “Is it because of the King of Foreign Lands?” the old servant worriedly said as he raised a tea pot and filled the porcelain cup on the small table in front of Li Linfu.

  The carriage was quiet. Li Linfu said nothing, but his brow visibly creased.

  He had secretly been spreading rumors about Wang Chong’s ambiguous relationship with the Western Regions and the Sassanids, trying to imply that Wang Chong was harboring rebellious motives and estrange him from Li Heng.

  Li Linfu had worked very carefully, believing that he had left no evidence.

  But to his surprise, Wang Chong had still managed to find out, and the result of his displeasure was obvious…

  Old Eagle had returned the favor, publicizing how Li Linfu had backstabbed several major officials back in the day.

  Very few people had known about those old matters, but now, almost everyone knew.

  Without firm evidence, such things would have never been able to affect his position, but now that he was a tiger out on the open plains, there were numerous people willing to beat him while he was down.

  Wang Chong’s strategy was truly sublime. Even after the new Emperor’s enthronement, Li Linfu had still managed to keep some groups on his side, but once these scandals got out, even these officials who had once followed his lead began to break away.

  While no one spoke about it publicly and still called him Wise Minister, in truth, his reputation was dirt.

  Li Linfu had never experienced this sort of fall from grace before!

  “The Wang Clan… the Wang Clan…”

  Li Linfu closed his eyes, his head slowly rising as his fingers began to tap.