"Lord Gao, congratulations! His Majesty is truly satisfied with you this time. Of all the Great Generals of the Tang Dynasty in the last ten-some years, you are probably the only one who can be made a Duke! "
Bian Lingcheng put away the imperial decree, a smile on his face as he strode over to congratulate Gao Xianzhi.
"In addition, Generals, the successive victories in these battles have greatly boosted the prestige of our Tang Dynasty. The Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Personnel have already decided on your rewards. I trust that it won't be long before the Bureau of Military Personnel sends over your rewards."
The Imperial Court had its own rules. The rewards for Gao Xianzhi, Cheng Qianli, and Feng Changqing were decided by the Holy Emperor and announced to the world through imperial decrees. As for the other generals, the Bureau of Military Personnel could decide on them.
"Many thanks, Milord!"
Gao Xianzhi lowered his head and respectfully bowed. At the same time, he spread out his hands and took the imperial decree from Bian Lingcheng's hands. Gao Xianzhi had never imagined that he would be made a Duke after several major battles. But Gao Xianzhi quickly calmed down.
"Lord Bian, forgive Xianzhi for being so bold, but why is it that Protector-General Wang Chong's reward still hasn't arrived?"
Gao Xianzhi raised his head and asked.
Buzz! The reception hall fell silent as Gao Xianzhi spoke, everyone turning to Bian Lingcheng and Wang Chong.
In terms of merit, Wang Chong was the true hero. If not for him, Gao Xianzhi and the Anxi Protectorate army would have already died at Talas. Moreover, in the successive battles, whether at Talas or Khorasan, Wang Chong had been the true commander. In terms of merit, Wang Chong was probably far more meritorious than Gao Xianzhi.
"Hahaha, look at how nervous all of you are! The Young Marquis is the new young War God of the Tang dynasty, and His Majesty deeply favors and trusts Marquis. How could His Majesty and the Imperial Court not know of his great achievements? But the Young Marquis had rendered far too great a service this time. He had killed Arab War God Qutaybah and wiped out one million Arab elites. This was a service that could not be surpassed. The ministers in the court, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Prime Minister, and His Majesty are all having a headache over how to reward Marquis. Right now, the debate in the court is quite intense. Marquis's reward won't be announced so soon, but it should be ready in a month or so. "
Bian Lingcheng said with a smile on his face. This time, it was sincere, without the slightest bit of falsehood.
He was truly afraid of Wang Chong. Wang Chong not only had an illustrious background and was favored and trusted by the Holy Emperor, but he also had a close relationship with Bian Lingcheng's superior, Eunuch Gao. He could order around Gao Xianzhi and hold onto his weakness, but he did not dare to do the same in front of Wang Chong.
Hearing Bian Lingcheng's words, the surrounding people immediately let out a long sigh of relief.
"Marquis, congratulations."
Feng Changqing suddenly stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Wang Chong.
"Marquis has rendered great service in this war, and even my lord was made Duke of Qi. Marquis is the true hero of this war. I am confident that the Imperial Court and His Majesty will reward Marquis even more handsomely."
The Anxi generals in the hall all nodded in agreement. Feng Changqing was correct. If even Gao Xianzhi, Anxi Protector-General, was made Duke of Qi, the Imperial Court and His Majesty would reward Wang Chong even more handsomely.
"Congratulations, Milord! Lord Feng is correct. The Imperial Court will definitely reward Milord handsomely."
The generals sincerely congratulated him. All of them were sincerely happy for Wang Chong. After all his efforts and sacrifices, he had finally been rewarded, and this was what Wang Chong deserved.
Wang Chong only faintly smiled. He had never cared about being conferred a noble title. What he truly cared about was defeating Arabia and obtaining victory in Talas and Khorasan.
"Lord Bian, you must be tired from your long journey. Why don't you go and rest? Yuanqing, take Lord Bian and take good care of him. "
Gao Xianzhi waved his hand and ordered.
"Yes, Milord!"
Xi Yuanqing hurriedly replied.
"Then I'll have to trouble Milord."
Bian Lingcheng hurriedly said. Wang Chong did not speak, and Bian Lingcheng could not grasp what he was thinking. Bian Lingcheng could see Wang Chong's calm smile, and his heart immediately began to tremble in fear. He did not dare to remain here any longer.
"Qianli, you should go as well."
Gao Xianzhi stared at Cheng Qianli and the other Anxi Protectorate army generals.
A few moments later, only Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, and Wang Chong were left in the hall. Only then did Gao Xianzhi turn to Wang Chong said.
"Wang Chong, now that only the three of us are left, do you have anything you want to say?"
From the very start, Gao Xianzhi had noticed that Wang Chong seemed to want to say something to him, which was why he had sent the others away. After a pause, Gao Xianzhi continued.
"Wang Chong, you might not know, but Eunuch Bian, he …"
"How much money did he want from you?"
Before Gao Xianzhi could finish speaking, Wang Chong interrupted him. Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing raised their heads in shock, only to see Wang Chong's profound gaze staring at them as if seeing through all their secrets and thoughts.
The hall immediately fell into an extremely strange silence. Neither of them had expected Wang Chong to say these words. The matter between Gao Xianzhi and Bian Lingcheng had always been a secret, and very few people knew about it.
"How did you know?"
Gao Xianzhi sternly said.
"There's no wall in the world that doesn't have a crack. As long as one is willing to investigate, one can always find some clues. Milord's path to promotion is inextricably linked to that Bian Lingcheng."
Wang Chong flatly said.
The two were silent for a very long time.
"Haaah!"
After a long while, Gao Xianzhi raised his head and gave a long sigh.
"Since Lord Wang already knows, I won't hide it. When I was young, I let my emotions affect my decisions and made this mistake. For the next ten-some years, I've been restrained by it, and I've never been able to shake it off. "
As they recalled the past, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing couldn't help but sigh.
No one could avoid making mistakes when they were young, and Gao Xianzhi had also been young, and he had also been impulsive at times. Gao Xianzhi had prided himself on his martial arts and the art of war, but even though he had served under Tian Renwan and Fomonlința for so long, even though he had made great contributions, he had never been given any important responsibilities. Left with no choice, the young Gao Xianzhi had used that move. But though he had become Anxi Protector-General, it had also left behind countless consequences.
"How much money did Bian Lingcheng ask for in the battle of the Shi Kingdom?"
Wang Chong put his hands behind his back and got straight to the point.
"Six million taels of gold!"
Feng Changqing's voice rang out at his ear.
"Buzz!"
Even Wang Chong couldn't help but widen his eyes at this number. For the Battle of Talas, he had requested reinforcements from the Imperial Court, but the Bureau of Revenue had only given him ten million taels of gold, and they had even hesitated for a very long time.
But for the battle of the Shi Kingdom, Bian Lingcheng had asked for six million taels of gold, almost as much as what Wang Chong had spent on the Battle of Talas. And it had to be realized that Wang Chong had used this money to hire an army of nearly one hundred thousand.
"Then what about this time?"
Wang Chong asked.
Gao Xianzhi was quiet for a long time. It was Feng Changqing who answered once more.
"Eighty million taels of gold!"
"Bastard!"
Even though Wang Chong had prepared himself, he couldn't help but widen his eyes and pale at this number. Eighty million taels of gold. Wang Chong and Gao Xianzhi had extorted 1.9 billion taels of gold from the Arabian Empire, and Bian Lingcheng had clearly learned of this, so he had immediately asked for eighty million taels of gold. From six million to eighty million, Bian Lingcheng's appetite had increased tenfold. If this continued, let alone Gao Xianzhi, not even Wang Chong would be able to satisfy this demand.
His appetite was getting bigger and bigger, and if this continued, even giving Bian Lingcheng all 1.9 billion taels of gold wouldn't be enough, and if Bian Lingcheng's appetite wasn't satisfied, he would immediately turn on him.
"This bastard, how dare he! Does he really think that the money we extorted from Arabia is his private property! "
Wang Chong was rarely enraged, but he couldn't help but fly into a rage at Bian Lingcheng's appetite.
"If I knew that he was so greedy, I would have killed him a moment ago!"
"Wang Chong, you can't!"
Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing paled at these words.
"Bian Lingcheng is the Palace Supervisor General, and he's also an emissary sent by His Divine Majesty. Killing him is equivalent to looking down on the Holy Emperor."
"Eighty million taels of gold is just his words. There's no concrete evidence. If we recklessly kill an Imperial Clan chief steward, it will be extremely disadvantageous to Protector-General and the entire Wang Clan. With a powerful foe at our side, we can't lose our composure because of a lowly person like him. "
The two hurriedly advised.
Wang Chong said nothing, but the rage in his eyes burned even brighter. He finally understood why Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing had invited him over. But not even the two of them had expected that Wang Chong knew more about their relationship with Bian Lingcheng than they had imagined.
"Leave this matter to me. A eunuch dares to make use of the Emperor's order. How dare he!"
Wang Chong's eyes spat fire.
"Wang Chong, you absolutely can't do this!"
Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were so anxious that their faces paled.
"Milords, be at ease. I won't kill him. I have my own ways of dealing with eunuchs like him!"
Wang Chong calmly said as he glanced at the two. Although his heart was burning with rage, Wang Chong had not lost his mind. There was no need to use brute force to deal with a eunuch like Bian Lingcheng. A greedy person like Bian Lingcheng, especially one who had been the Palace Supervisor General for so many years, would definitely demand more than just Gao Xianzhi.
There were bound to be other victims before and after Gao Xianzhi.
There was no such thing as an impenetrable wall. As long as Wang Chong could find an opening, no matter how capable Bian Lingcheng was, he wouldn't be able to escape his grasp.
Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing looked at Wang Chong. Seeing that he didn't seem like he was going to act rashly and immediately kill Bian Lingcheng, they sighed in relief.
After leaving the conference hall, Wang Chong quickly summoned Zhang Que and sent a letter to Yang Hongchang of the Yang Clan in the distant Western Regions. The Yang Clan had been in the Western Regions for many years and had flourished with branches and leaves. If Bian Lingcheng had any information, then the Yang Clan was the most suitable candidate.
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