The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Chapter 2155 - Clash of Destined Foes!

  Chapter 2155: Clash of Destined Foes!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  Once at the restaurant in the capital, again during the feast of all countries, and another time when he had been fleeing the capital…

  An Lushan had never been humiliated so many times in his life, and it was all inexplicably by the same person.

  Besides Zhang Shougui, Wang Chong could be considered the existence most loathed by An Lushan.

  This time, he intended to wipe away all his humiliation!

  “Hmph!”

  At almost the same time, Wang Chong, looking down from the walls, noticed An Lushan.

  You’ve got some guts to dare appear in front of me! Wang Chong mentally sneered.

  An Lushan might have thought that he had been very patient in waiting so long for this moment, but he had no idea that Wang Chong had also been waiting ages for this moment.

  There had even been many times when Wang Chong wanted to just drop everything and run off to Youzhou to kill An Lushan. Alas, at the time, he had been some nobody who was regarded by all as a hedonistic wastrel. He had no strength or faction backing him. He had no way of influencing a place like Youzhou, and this wasn’t even considering that the conceited Zhang Shougui had been protecting An Lushan.

  Given his abilities back then, he could only dream about assassinating An Lushan.

  After that, the war of the southwest and the Battle of Talas had come, crises endangering the Great Tang like a row of dominoes. Wang Chong had no choice but to focus on these wars.

  Thus, Wang Chong’s plans had been delayed again and again, until he had finally become the revered King of Foreign Lands, wielding supreme power and status. Only now did he have the strength to truly deal with An Lushan.

  What destined foe? I don’t believe it! An Lushan, no matter how many cycles pass, how many times you reincarnate, I will pay any price to cut you down!

  Wang Chong stared at An Lushan, his body radiating killing intent.

  Thirty li!

  Twenty li!

  Fifteen li!

  ……

  As the army got closer and closer, it became possible to see the white steam exhaled by the Turkic warhorses, to see the snow covering the long sabers of the Goguryeon soldiers, and to see all those eyes seething with murder.

  At a distance of ten-some li, An Lushan stopped his black steed and extended his hand.

  “Attend me! Bring me my bow!”

  Cui Qianyou immediately rode forward and placed a bow made of Deep Sea Xuan Metal and inlaid with gold in An Lushan’s hand.

  Crack!

  An Lushan placed his grip around the bow with one hand while his other hand reached out and took a long arrow that was about seven feet long from Gao Shang. Nocking the arrow on the bow, he pulled back the string until it formed a full moon.

  This sudden movement drew everyone’s attention. Yeon Gaesomun, Ozmish Khagan, the Khitan King, and the Xi Queen watched the arrow in An Lushan’s hand, none of them surprised.

  “Hmph!”

  Coldly snorting, An Lushan took aim at Wang Chong and released. Boom! With a shrill howl, the arrow left the string and shot toward Wang Chong, leaving a long white trail in its wake.

  Time seemed to stop. An Yaluoshan’s arrow exploded with the light of a dazzling sun, instantly becoming the most striking existence on the battlefield.

  And with this arrow, the tension on the battlefield hit its maximum.

  “Careful!”

  Those on the wall paled as they cried out in alarm.

  No one had expected that An Yaluoshan would try to kill Wang Chong with an arrow before the battle had even begun.

  Wang Zhongsi and Abusi instinctively moved to stand in front of Wang Chong.

  Wang Chong was the Supreme Marshal of the Nine Provinces, and if he were injured, it would damage the morale of the army.

  “It’s fine!”

  Wang Chong waved his hand, fearlessly staring down that shining arrow.

  Bang!

  In the blink of an eye, An Lushan’s destructive arrow reached Wang Chong’s face. But at this moment, with a massive explosion, a golden light gushed out of Wang Chong’s body and blocked the arrow.

  The power in the arrow was instantly dispersed by Wang Chong, and the arrow was fixed in the air by his Stellar Energy.

  “This…”

  Wang Zhongsi and Abusi frowned.

  The two of them had believed that An Lushan’s arrow had been loosed out of hatred, but now, it seemed that though it had come with shocking momentum, it had been all bark and no bite. It was not an arrow intended to kill.

  “This is An Lushan’s declaration of war!”

  Wang Chong coldly laughed as he gave the explanation. At the same time, his hand reached out and plucked the white cloth from the arrow.

  Three words had been written on one side of the cloth.

  ‘Declaration of war’!

  Whoosh!

  With a shake of his wrist, Wang Chong unrolled this declaration of war. Wang Zhongsi and Abusi came over to look.

  ‘…In ancient times, the mighty Qin had a weak ruler, and Zhao Gao concocted a plan. When he called a deer a horse, none dared to speak the truth, and thus, Qin Ershi died. In the present, there is Wang Chong, who poisoned the previous Emperor and seized the new Emperor, and now monopolizes imperial authority. From this, it can be seen that the day of the Tang’s demise is not far!

  (TN: After the death of Qin Shihuang, the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, his successor, Qin Ershi, was essentially a puppet for the powerful eunuch Zhao Gao. In a famous display of Zhao Gao’s power, Zhao Gao brought a deer before Qin Ershi and called it a horse. Qin Ershi called it a deer, and when Zhao Gao questioned the other officials, some officials said it was a horse and some said it was a deer. Zhao Gao then secretly had those officials who called it a deer executed, thus cowing all the officials.)

  ‘In the thirty-seventh year of the Sage Emperor, the traitor Wang Chong and Crown Prince Li Heng rebelled, committing treason against the Sage Emperor. Within Taiji Palace, the Sage Emperor’s single rebuke caused the entire capital to quake and all of the Imperial Army to mobilize. Now, the traitor has ascended to the throne and calls himself Emperor!

  “The subject An Lushan was born as a lowly person, yet he received the Sage Emperor’s favor and was made Andong Protector-General. Upon hearing of the Sage Emperor’s death, he felt as if struck by lightning. Even if he spilled out his guts and dashed his brains against the ground, he would not be able to repay the kindness shown to him!

  ‘But the traitor remained in power, so An could only bide his time until his wings had fully grown. When all was ready, he divulged to the other countries the heinous acts performed against the Sage Emperor. The other countries were overcome with indignation and offered their assistance to An, and this led to today’s alliance!

  ‘Let the imperial heavens above and the gods bear witness! Today, this An swears an oath to sweep the court of traitors, remove the rebellious sovereign, and establish a new sovereign, thus bringing succor to the Great Tang and washing away the Sage Emperor’s humiliation!’

  Though the words had been written in a rough hand, the content was eloquent.

  “Bastard!

  “A load of nonsense!”

  Wang Zhongsi and Abusi exploded in rage, their faces red.

  The ‘Taiji Palace’ incident An Lushan had brought up was when the ‘Sage Emperor’ had summoned Wang Chong to Taiji Palace and had roared, ‘Come! Execute this traitor!’

  More than half of the capital had heard those words.

  But in truth, nobody knew what had transpired in Taiji Palace at that time, not even Abusi. As for why the Sage Emperor had said those words, there had been all sorts of rumors, but the truth had never been revealed.

  The Sage Emperor had said nothing about it, Eunuch Gao had not been present, and Wang Chong
had not said a word.

  There had been rumors that Wang Chong had been plotting rebellion, and An Lushan had used this rumor for his own ends.

  But everyone in the court knew that this was all sheer nonsense.

  At the time, it had been the ‘Sage Emperor’ who had summoned Wang Chong, and after Wang Chong entered Taiji Palace, all of the Dragon Guards had disappeared. Even before that, all of the top-class servitors of the palace had secretly gathered within Taiji Palace.

  Based on all these clues, it seemed less that Wang Chong was planning to rebel and more that the ‘Sage Emperor’ wanted to kill Wang Chong.

  And nothing had resulted from the Taiji Palace incident. Both the Sage Emperor and Wang Chong had emerged unscathed.

  Moreover, before that incident, the ‘Sage Emperor’ had done several absurd things, like selecting talented women, proposing the construction of a Peace Pavilion, being absent from court… But after the incident, the ‘Sage Emperor’ returned to normal, once more becoming that wise and energetic sovereign of the ages that everyone knew.

  The turbulent court had swiftly settled down.

  In this aspect, all of society was grateful to Wang Chong, not resentful.

  If he had really been plotting rebellion, why hadn’t the Sage Emperor said anything about it?

  An Lushan was trying to reverse black and white, uttering sheer nonsense!

  “Heh, Great Generals, there is no need to be angry!”

  Wang Chong proudly stood on the wall and chuckled.

  “This document is merely a slavish imitation. There is no need to waste your emotions on it!”

  Wang Chong indifferently glanced at An Lushan, then he flicked his fingers. The white cloth carrying the declaration drifted out several feet, and as it went over the wall, it exploded into bits and pieces.

  An Lushan had been staring at Wang Chong this whole time, and when he saw the document explode, a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

  “Hahaha, Wang Chong! I knew that you would do this, but it’s useless! You colluded with Li Heng to frame the previous heir apparent, and then you poisoned the previous Emperor in Taiji Palace! This one has already dispatched spies to spread the word of your treasonous deeds to all of the Nine Provinces!

  “Today, I will expose your true face to the people of the realm!

  “The previous Emperor showered you with favor. I, An Lushan, will ensure that this injustice is corrected for him, even at the cost of my life! Today, I have come with the armies of the other countries to bring succor to the Great Tang and ensure that justice and righteousness are always upheld! Wang Chong, today, I will kill you in the name of the previous Emperor and return the favor the previous Emperor showed me!”

  An Lushan spoke with a righteous air, and he pulled out a patterned saber and pointed it at Wang Chong. His voice rang out through the snowstorm, resounding within the city of steel and traveling more than one hundred li.

  Chapter 2156 - Clash of Edges!

  Chapter 2156: Clash of Edges!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The world fell silent for a moment.

  To the north, the army of millions—the Eastern Turks, Goguryeons, Xi, Khitans, and also the soldiers from Youzhou—was quiet. The sovereigns of the countries were also looking at An Lushan, awaiting his order.

  This sort of silence exerted an even greater pressure.

  To the south, silence also reigned in the steel fortress.

  The two armies were in a stalemate. Both commanders had come forward and clashed with their words. This meant that the battle was not far off.

  Though the battle had yet to begin, the mood was already tense.

  When An Lushan had spoken, the eyes of Wang Zhongsi and Abusi both darkened, with a flash of worry.

  The exchange of words between commanders before the clash of armies was not for long speeches, nor was it some superfluous phase that was only kept around for some so-called tradition.

  An Lushan had loosed his arrow and then spoken resoundingly so that he could damage the morale of the other side.

  As the saying went, ‘The superior general breaks the enemy’s schemes while the inferior general breaks the enemy’s troops.’ When morale fell, even an army with many soldiers would fall apart at the first engagement. Moreover, their greatest concern was that though the Sage Emperor had passed, he was still immensely revered amongst the army and the people.

  An Lushan had brought up the Sage Emperor and the Taiji Palace incident, for which Wang Chong had no good explanation.

  And truly, with a battle imminent, no one was in a mood to listen to long explanations. An Lushan didn’t care what explanation Wang Chong gave. All he needed to do was mention the matter, and if Wang Chong failed to handle it properly, the Great Tang’s morale would fall, and its army would easily crumble!

  This was a true example of ‘the superior general breaks the enemy’s schemes’!

  An Lushan clearly did not have this ability. Someone had to be directing things from the back.

  “Wang Chong!”

  The two of them looked at Wang Chong’s erect and determined figure and hesitated. They were concerned, but Wang Chong was the leader of the army. The two of them chose to trust Wang Chong and quietly waited for Wang Chong to personally resolve the matter.

  “Not bad!”

  Wang Chong stood tall, his expression calm and confident after hearing An Lushan’s words. There was no hint of rage on his face, and as he began to speak, his voice was derisive.

  “An Lushan, whether you call yourself An Yaluoshan or An Lushan, you probably spent some time memorizing this letter, yes? Thank you for your trouble, but you don’t have the ability to write this letter. If my guess is right, this letter is the work of the man behind you, your military advisor Gao Shang, yes?”

  Wang Chong’s voice was so loud that not even the snowstorm could disperse it, and it resounded across the region.

  Wang Chong turned to the figure of Gao Shang standing behind An Lushan.

  Gao Shang slightly raised his brow. He had naturally been the one to draft this declaration of war, and he was not surprised that Wang Chong had seen through it. But for some reason, Wang Chong mentioning this fact right before the battle made his heart uneasily thump.

  Seeing that Gao Shang wasn’t talking, Wang Chong internally chuckled and continued to speak.

  “Sir is truly an excellent scholar. It was truly a pity that I was only able to kill Yan Zhuang at the feast of all countries, allowing Sir to escape.”

  Gao Shang’s heart constricted. On their visit to the capital, Yan Zhuang had died in his place, a matter which even now troubled Gao Shang.

  “Wang Chong, there’s no need to waste your time with him.”

  An Lushan couldn’t stand seeing Wang Chong intimidating Gao Shang like this and loudly shouted.

  “The Sage Emperor trusted you in vain. He raised up your Wang Clan, not knowing of your Wang Clan’s wolfish ambition. And you even have the gall to command the imperial army against me! If I were you, I would commit suicide right now in order to redeem yourself to the people of the realm.”

  “Haha, An Lushan, after a parting of several months, you’ve truly developed some skill.”

  Wang Chong laughed.

  “An Lushan, since you have brought up the Sage Emperor’s favor, let this king ask you: will you comply with the Sage Emperor’s decrees?”

  As Wang Chong spoke, the world fell silent once more. An Lushan and Gao Shang both felt an ill foreboding.

  In this standoff of armies, the two of them had concluded that they needed to take down Wang Chong first. The two of them had played out many scenarios, and no matter how Wang Chong tried to explain himself, he would fall into their trap.

  But neither of them had expected this comment from Wang Chong.

  Suddenly, the two of them felt as if they had no understanding of Wang Chong’s thought process.

  “Wang Chong
, you traitorous scum, you still have the face to bring up the previous Emperor! I, An Lushan, have always been loyal to the previous Emperor. The heavens above stand witness that I have marched out with my army precisely for the sake of the previous Emperor to eliminate the traitor!

  “The heavens will not execute you, but I, An Lushan, will!”

  Though he couldn’t tell what Wang Chong was doing, An Lushan replied harshly, his face brimming with righteous indignation. His eyes were red and moist, and he seemed overcome by his own words.

  “Good! I was waiting for these words!”

  Wang Chong coldly smiled. Before An Lushan could respond, he shook his wrist, opening an imperial decree.

  “An Lushan, receive the decree!

  “You harbored ill intentions, coveting the Central Plains. During the war of the northwest, you colluded with Mutasim III of Arabia, even sending him countless treasures. The Sage Emperor long ago saw your wolfish ambition, that you would stir trouble, so he left behind this decree ordering me to personally come forward and execute you, you traitorous Hu!

  “Acceding to the will of the heavens, the Emperor declares:

  “We know that our lifespan is reaching its end, so before Our departure, We entrust Wang Chong, the King of Foreign Lands, with several tasks. First, that he should support the country and Crown Prince Li Heng in our place, and second, that he should be wary of the troubles in the northeast and act to pacify them in the future.

  “Andong Protector-General An Yaluoshan harbors rebellion in his heart. Once We are gone, he is certain to falsely use Our name to start a rebellion. Thus, this decree has been left behind to prove to the world that We have decreed for the King of Foreign Lands to represent Us in killing this man.

  “Thus is the Emperor’s will.”

  Once Wang Chong finished reading the decree, he rolled it back up and then coldly looked down on the distant An Lushan.

  “This decree was reviewed by the Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, and officials from the Bureau of Rites and Bureau of Personnel, and all have confirmed it to be authentic. An Lushan, since you are loyal to the Sage Emperor and have no intent to rebel, then commit suicide! Prove to the realm and to the previous Emperor that An Lushan has no intent of rebellion,” Wang Chong coldly pronounced, his ringing voice reaching the firmament.