"Anyone who dares to move against Marquis will first have to step over my corpse!"
They didn't care about any emissary of the court. Wang Chong was a meritorious minister of the Tang Dynasty. Anyone who dared to use the method of escorting prisoners against Wang Chong, against Wang Chong, would be their enemy. Upon seeing this sight, the faces of the Chamberlains of Chamberlains of Imperial Insignia warped. Their eyes were bloodshot, and it was clear that they were willing to risk their lives for Wang Chong.
Even though they knew that attacking the Golden Guards was tantamount to rebellion and only death, this was the first time the Golden Guards had ever dared to do such a thing.
"What are you doing! Put away your sabers! "
Wang Chong waved his hand, and though the soldiers were unwilling, they still put away their weapons.
"I've already given you the jade seal. With this jade seal, you can mobilize all the soldiers of Qixi. I hope that you will treat it well. Let's go! "
Wang Chong pulled over a warhorse and mounted it. He did not delay any longer.
Khorasan was the westernmost barrier of the Tang Dynasty, and as everyone watched, Wang Chong led his army away. He had left almost all his soldiers in Khorasan, even Li Siye, the King Gangke, and Su Hanshan. Wang Chong had only brought Xue Qianjun, Xu Keyi, Cheng Sanyuan, Zhang Que, and ten-some Wushang Cavalry with him as he left Khorasan.
… …
Flapflap!
The moment Wang Chong left Khorasan, countless messenger pigeons began to fly out from Khorasan. Wang Chong had been made King of Foreign Lands, but he had also been stripped of his military authority and summoned back to the capital. He had been made an Advisor-in-Waiting, an apparent promotion but an actual demotion. This news seemed to grow wings, rapidly spreading to the entire Tang Dynasty and the surrounding kingdoms.
"What! How could such a thing happen! "
Upon receiving this news, the distant Beiting Protector-General An Sishun stood up from his throne, a look of extreme shock in his eyes.
Although he and Wang Chong had clashed before, he would definitely be happy to see Wang Chong suffer. However, this matter was completely different. He had made such a great contribution, but he had been demoted. This kind of thing could happen to Wang Chong, and it could also happen to anyone else in the military.
"Impossible! I want you to check again. I want to make sure that this information is accurate! "
At the same time, the land of Longxi trembled as if there was an earthquake. Wang Chong had killed more than one million Arab cavalry in a series of major battles, pushing this powerful kingdom to the west of the Cong Mountains all the way to the east. There had never been such an achievement since ancient times.
But in the end, he was stripped of his military authority. This left Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han in great shock.
At the same time, in the northeast and southwest of the Tang Dynasty, all the generals and commanders were stunned by this unexpected news. All of the Great Tang seemed to be shaking like a tsunami.
The countries bordering the Tang Dynasty were also stunned by this news. But unlike the Tang Dynasty military, when Wang Chong was summoned back to the capital, the Western Turks, Ouzan, Goguryeo, Nanzhao, and all the factions that had once clashed with Wang Chong breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Hahaha, High Priest, you truly have a divine foresight. There's no need for us to do anything. The Tang Dynasty will have its own internal strife. Given enough time, we will rise again and break Khorasan!"
In the distant Baghdad, Arab Emperor Mutasim III spread open his arms and heartily laughed as music began to resound.
This was the best news he had heard in a long time. Upon receiving the news that Wang Chong had left Khorasan, Mutasim III almost immediately summoned all the musicians of the court and all the civil and military officials to a grand celebration.
Although only Wang Chong had left, Khorasan still stood tall, the Sassanid Dynasty and its hundreds of thousands of soldiers still standing in a distant standoff with the Arabs. But to Mutasim III, although Khorasan was still powerful without that youth, it no longer had the capital to contend against the Arabian Empire.
It wouldn't be long before he could lead his army east and once more destroy the Sassanid Dynasty, recapture Khorasan, and restore its former glory. He could even gather more soldiers from Khorasan and launch a campaign against the Tang Dynasty in the distant east.
"High Priest, We will immediately gather soldiers. In less than three months, We will definitely flatten Khorasan!"
Mutasim III heartily laughed.
"No! Now is not the time! "
An elderly voice came from behind Mutasim III. The High Priest, dressed in a black robe and wielding his scepter, stood behind Mutasim III. These simple words were spoken neither too loudly nor too softly, but they instantly caused the entire hall to fall silent, and even the music to dim.
Countless pairs of eyes looked at the High Priestess. No one understood what the High Priestess meant.
"High Priest, that brat has already left. Do you mean that I should still wait?"
Mutasim III put down his wine cup and stood up from his throne, confusion on his face.
The time had come, and he truly did not understand why the High Priest wanted him to wait.
"There is no need for Your Majesty to worry. Your Majesty will naturally understand in a little while!"
The High Priest indifferently said, his voice heavy with mystery.
Mutasim III furrowed his brows and was puzzled. However, it was also at this time that a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.
"Reporting!"
An Arab Imperial Palace guard gripped his saber and swiftly strode in with his head lowered.
"Your Majesty, an envoy of the Tang Dynasty requests an audience!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, Mutasim III was dumbfounded. Arabia and the Tang Dynasty were at war. At this moment, nothing could surprise him more than this news. The officials in the hall glanced at each other in dismay. No one knew why the Tang Dynasty had sent an envoy at a time like this.
Only the High Priest standing behind Mutasim III had a faint smile on his face, as if he had already expected this scene.
… …
Time slowly passed as Wang Chong, Xu Keyi, and the others set out on a light carriage, traveling with the officials from the Bureau of Rites and the ten-some Golden Guards toward the capital.
For several days, no one spoke, all of them silent. The only sounds were the galloping of horses and the bleak wind. The officials from the Bureau of Rites and the ten-some Golden Guards tactfully put some distance between themselves and Wang Chong's group, the two sides even feeling a little awkward when they exchanged glances.
After passing through Samarkand, Talas, the Cong Mountains, and the Western Regions' Suiye, they quickly entered the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
Before they knew it, another five or six days had passed. During this period of time, every day was extremely long for everyone. And from the moment they left Khorasan, Wang Chong had remained silent. No one knew what Wang Chong was thinking, but when they saw Wang Chong's appearance, they all felt their hearts ache.
"Marquis, everything will be fine. The Imperial Court must have made a mistake. Once we return to the capital and investigate everything, the Imperial Court will naturally give the jade seal to Marquis."
Xue Qianjun finally couldn't help but step forward and softly comfort Wang Chong.
"That's right, Marquis. Perhaps the situation isn't as bad as we think. Once Marquis meets His Majesty, everything will vanish like the clouds and rain."
Xu Keyi and the others also stepped forward.
It had been several days since Wang Chong had spoken, and everyone could sense that Marquis was in a terrible mood.
"Haha, do you think that I'm worried about military authority?"
To everyone's surprise, Wang Chong smiled and shook his head.
"This … is that not the case?"
They glanced at each other, but none of them said the final words. Wang Chong shook his head. It was probably not just Xue Qianjun and Xu Keyi who were thinking about military authority. Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing were probably thinking about it as well. But no one knew that this was not what Wang Chong was worried about. Truly, the Imperial Court's mobilization had thrown his plans into disarray, catching Wang Chong by surprise. But to Wang Chong, even if he had to hand over military authority, he had already taken care of everything.
Khorasan had more than ten thousand Tang Dynasty ballistae under Su Hanshan's command, the high and thick walls, and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers garrisoned in the city. Moreover, Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing, the Twin Walls of the Empire, were there to assist him. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Moreover, Bahram had promised that as long as the Tang Dynasty did not change its agreement with the Tang Dynasty, the Sassanid Dynasty and the rest of the army would forever be firm allies of the Tang Dynasty.
With these things, whether or not Wang Chong was present, Khorasan was basically safe. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Wang Chong was truly pondering the matter behind the imperial decree. This matter was far too unusual, and Wang Chong needed to understand what was going on.
"Has there been any news from The King of Song?"
As these thoughts flew through his mind, Wang Chong quickly turned to Zhang Que.
"No. We still haven't received a letter from them."
Zhang Que gloomily said.
Wang Chong froze, his brow creased in a gloomy frown. If there was one person who understood the cause and effect of this apparent promotion and could tell him in detail, it was undoubtedly The King of Song. But … Wang Chong had no idea what had happened in the capital while he was managing Khorasan.
"Then what about my Big Uncle?"
Wang Chong continued. This time, he had sent a total of two letters to the capital. One was to The King of Song and the other was to his big uncle.
"Lord Wang said that he was also investigating this matter. When the incident occurred, he just happened to have been transferred elsewhere, so not even he knows what happened that day."
Zhang Que sternly said, his head drooping even lower. The journey from the Western Regions to the capital was very long and would take a very long time, but this was no trivial matter. Thus, Zhang Que had chosen a smaller but faster hunting falcon from the Sassanid Dynasty. But in the end, he had still not obtained the information he wanted.
"I understand!"
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