Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Gao Shang subtly nodded. An Yaluoshan was a hidden dragon of the border, and the future true dragon of the Great Tang. When the hidden dragon emerged from the abyss, the heavens and earth would send general stars to protect it. Cui Qianyou and the others were these general stars.
This was proof that An Yaluoshan was the True Dragon, Son of Heaven!
As long as these people were here, the Youzhou group had the power to vie for the Central Plains.
“However, Your Excellency and generals cannot be careless. Wang Chong is a man of many schemes and cannot be underestimated. Since he could capture Calm Orchid, there is no guarantee that he cannot do more in the future. It was not easy to reach this stage, and we cannot allow any mistakes. As they say, a long night leads to many dreams. Your Excellency, we probably need to pick up the pace! Once you become the true Andong Protector-General, Your Excellency can rest easy,” Gao Shang said.
Although Zhang Shougui had recommended An Yaluoshan to become ‘temporary Andong Protector-General’, as long as that ‘temporary’ remained, it meant that it was not set. If Wang Chong interfered, the Imperial Court might still send someone else to become Andong’s Protector-General.
At that moment, all their efforts would have been wasted.
But once he had the name and title, nobody would be able to stop him!
Everyone silently nodded at this, sharing the same view.
“Mm!”
An Yaluoshan nodded.
“Let’s do as you say.” In addition, that bastard, I’ll tear you to pieces one day!
An Yaluoshan turned to the distant Central Plains, in the direction of the capital, leaving the last part of his sentence unsaid.
……
Zhang Shougui quickly left the capital, on his way to the Kuo Province.
The Great Tang sent threatening letters of state to Goguryeo, the Xi, and the Khitans, and the empire grew peaceful once more. But an undercurrent flowed under the calm surface. Wang Chong’s spies were sweeping over Youzhou and the kingdoms of the northeast like a great tide, increasing the pace at which they collected evidence of An Yaluoshan’s schemes.
Every day, large amounts of information were being sent to the capital.
On the other side, An Yaluoshan had clearly raised his vigilance. Many important military areas had more guards, and with Gao Shang and Yan Zhuang presiding over the entire matter, and Cui Qianyou and the other generals cooperating, the operations against the Wind, Forest, Mountain, and Fire teams intensified.
Both sides suffered losses!
Ten-some days later, Wang Chong was reading through a small mountain of reports in his study. These concerned the activities overseas, the coal-mining schemes in Hengan Village, Yangquan, and Shuo Province, the progress in the Promised Land, and the importing of Arabian Kerosene from Baghdad. Many of these things required Wang Chong to make a decision.
In the Imperial Court, ‘Third Son Xuan’ was growing increasingly absurd and brazen with his actions. He had repeatedly questioned the provincial governors, circuit inspectors, and even the Protector-Generals and Great Generals on the border. He was applying pressure on them, urging them to hasten the selection of talented women. But Wang Chong sent his men to stop them every time.
Besides that, thirty to forty officials had been demoted, all to different places. At one point in time, it was the Hedong Circuit, and at another point in time, it was the Jiangnan Circuit. It all depended on what that man in the Imperial Palace was feeling on the particular day.
And the absurdities were simply countless.
All the major officials were doing their best to delay Third Son Xuan’s decrees, but all of this needed a leader, someone to take responsibility. Wang Chong was the only one who could take this role.
In addition, Wang Chong had secretly said that no matter what the palace said, no one was to offer any women as tribute, and that they should simply go along with the ‘Sage Emperor’ while in court. Those who defied this order would be heavily punished.
Sovereigns were sovereigns and subjects were subjects. Wang Chong could not openly defy the ‘Sage Emperor’. Not only would it not fix the problem, it would give opportunities to fawning courtiers and lowly people.
Thus, Wang Chong chose a roundabout manner, secretly slowing down those absurd decrees to minimize the damage to the empire.
All of these miscellaneous matters needed Wang Chong’s attention.
“Your Highness!”
In the quiet study, as Wang Chong was looking through an intelligence report, the sounds of running came from outside.
“Enter!”
Wang Chong didn’t even raise his head. With a wave of his finger, the room to the study opened.
Wang Chong knew Zhang Que’s voice by heart, and he had noticed him coming from a long distance.
“Your Highness, a report from Youzhou! We’ve finally made some progress!”
Zhang Que excitedly stepped over the threshold, getting down on one knee and offering a wooden box.
“What is it?”
Wang Chong slightly frowned, but his eyes remained fixed on his papers.
“Milord, the Wind Team successfully ambushed a Yeluohe warrior and cut off his arm!” Zhang Que reported. “Your Highness, please inspect it!”
Wang Chong finally raised his head, shock in his eyes.
The Yeluohe!
This was the backbone of An Yaluoshan’s conquest of the Central Plains. They were extremely powerful, and Guo Ziyi’s account from that night made them sound very strange. The account had drawn Wang Chong’s attention.
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By knowing oneself and knowing one’s enemy, one could win one hundred out of one hundred battles. This was one of the main reasons Wang Chong had sent his four teams to investigate the Yeluohe.
“Bring it here! Let me look!” Wang Chong seriously said.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Zhang Que quickly passed over the long, rectangular box.
Wang Chong immediately grabbed the box, and the moment his fingers touched it…
Bang!
The Stone of Destiny boomed within his mind.
“Notice! Special Event! Living energy of the otherworldly invaders detected! Entering third phase, unlocking the final mission: Omen of the Apocalypse!”
Buzz!
Wang Chong’s body shuddered in shock.
Wang Chong put force into his fingers, and pop! The wooden box exploded, and the object within dropped into Wang Chong’s hand.
This arm was nearly one foot longer than a normal human arm, and its surface was slightly blackened. Although one could see human muscles and skin on this arm, Wang Chong felt a familiar, decayed, and wicked energy within it, bursting with destructive power.
The otherworldly invaders!
Wang Chong’s eyes widened in shock.
He had never imagined that he would encounter the otherworldly invaders in this fashion, and that they would be associated with An Yaluoshan’s most powerful Yeluohe.
What’s going on? The calamity hasn’t started, and the teleportation gate isn’t open. Was An Yaluoshan colluding with the otherworldly invaders from so early on?
Wang Chong clenched that arm as his mind raged.
He could clearly sense that decaying and destructive energy in this arm. It was attempting to seep into his hand, but it was being blocked by his Stellar Energy.
This wasn’t the first time Wang Chong had run into otherworldly invaders in this world. In the Landeshunger ruins beneath Hamuhad, he had found many bodies of otherworldly invaders, but those were just withered bones with not a speck of flesh or blood remaining. The energy in those bones had all faded, leaving behind ordinary bones.
Those were the traces of an invasion from tens of thousands of years ago, completely different from these bones. This was the first time since his reincarnation that Wang Chong had encountered a living limb of an otherworldly invader.
The corrosive energy that was constantly attempting to seep into his body informed him of a stunning piece of information.
Those otherworldly invaders were approaching this world, and from a certain perspective, they were already here!
Wang Chong’s heart was heavy, and he felt a powerful pressure.
Zhang Que was also struck dumb. He had never imagined that this Yeluohe arm would draw such a reaction from his liege.
What is this thing? What are these Yeluohe?
He had followed Wang Chong for a long time, but this was the first time he had seen Wang Chong so shocked. Not even in the war of the northwest had he appeared so alarmed.
But as Wang Chong said nothing, Zhang Que did not dare to ask.
The study was quiet as Wang Chong’s mind reeled.
But once his initial shock passed, Wang Chong quickly sensed something strange.
Wait! This isn’t a pure otherworldly invader!
Wang Chong slightly frowned as he looked at the arm.
He had fought many times with the otherworldly invaders in his last life, so he was familiar with all their traits and attributes.
While this severed arm was thick with the energy of the otherworldly invaders, there was clearly something different. A true otherworldly invader was completely decayed and would not appear as a human on the surface.
Wang Chong sensed that this arm clearly belonged to an existence between human and otherworldly invader, perhaps half-human, half–otherworldly invader.
What is going on here? Where did An Yaluoshan get this power, and how did it manifest in this half-human, half–otherworldly invader form?
Thunder boomed in Wang Chong’s mind. This discovery had shattered his initial understanding of the Yeluohe, and also shattered his initial judgment on how the future Youzhou rebellion would develop.
Moreover, if An Yaluoshan already had a connection with the otherworldly invaders, the nature of that rebellion changed completely.
Regardless, this was a brand-new development for the world!
“Pass on my order! Increase our spies in Youzhou, but without my order, all conflicts against the Yeluohe are forbidden,” Wang Chong solemnly said.
Zhang Que was alarmed by this order.
This was the first time Wang Chong had ever banned conflict with the Yeluohe. But he quickly got ahold of himself.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Zhang Que quickly withdrew.
In the study, Wang Chong gripped the arm and fell into a pensive silence.