Teacher Zhan was now more than eighty years old and had once been a classmate of Wang Chong's grandfather, Wang Jiuling, Wang Bowu. But even so, the Grand Preceptor's temper had always been fiery. Wang Chong was just one of Wang Jiuling's grandchildren, yet he dared to contradict him in the Imperial Court. This was simply preposterous!
Sensing the Grand Preceptor's rage, the entire Imperial Court fell silent.
Just by contradicting the Grand Preceptor, the entire court would probably criticize Wang Chong the next day. Everyone had originally believed that Wang Chong would at least show some restraint. But they had all underestimated the rage in Wang Chong's heart. Ever since returning from Khorasan, Wang Chong had been suppressing his anger.
The Confucians had completely disregarded the state and blindly suppressed the militarists, completely enraging him.
And there was one thing that they had all been wrong about.
Wang Chong had never been a person who coveted fame and honor!
A calamity was about to descend, and Wang Chong had done all he could to create the best environment for the Tang Dynasty to welcome the coming calamity. Now, all his efforts had been for naught. Let alone becoming a King, even if he reached even higher, what meaning would it have?
When the calamity arrived and the Central Plains were destroyed, what difference would it make whether one was a noble or a commoner? What meaning would there be?
"What my grandfather taught me was that the world should be for the common good, that the country should come first, and that the country should be protected and protected. It was not to abandon the public good for personal reasons in the Imperial Court, to flaunt one's seniority and be disrespectful!"
Wang Chong harshly said to the Grand Preceptor.
"Boom!"
The entire hall quaked at Wang Chong's words. Everyone was stunned by Wang Chong's words. Ever since Grand Preceptor Zhan had entered the court and become the state preceptor of the Tang Dynasty, no one had ever dared to contradict him or speak to him in such a manner. And no one had dared to act like Wang Chong and publicly criticize the Grand Preceptor for abandoning the public good for personal reasons and for being disrespectful.
At this moment, even Gao Lishi was stunned beside the Dragon Throne.
On the other hand, Wang Chong's Big Uncle Wang Gen's heart sank, and chills ran down his spine. If this continued, the feud between the Wang Clan and the Grand Preceptor would be set in stone.
"Stinking brat, you, how dare you!"
Hearing Wang Chong's words, Old Grand Preceptor Zhan was so angry that his entire body was trembling. Even his three strands of beard were trembling, and his lips were turning purple. He had lived his entire life as a noble and respected person. When had he ever suffered such humiliation? Given Grand Preceptor Zhan's personality, there was no way he could accept this. However, it was precisely because he had never encountered such a thing before that even though he was trembling with anger, he couldn't find any suitable words to scold. For a moment, even his face turned purple from anger.
"Hmph, Grand Preceptor, I am the King of Foreign Lands of the Tang Dynasty, and I enjoy the title of nobility no less than yours. Is he just a brat in your mouth? In this imperial court, there were only the emperor and his ministers. Where did this brat come from? If I say that you're sacrificing the public for private reasons, are you convinced? "
Wang Chong coldly snorted. Not only did he not retreat, he even took two steps forward.
Perhaps it was because the impression that Wang Chong had given others was that he was always amiable, never retorting even when people were pointing fingers at him. As a result, he gave others the impression that he was a junior who was easy to talk to, easy to bully, and without a temper. But now, when Wang Chong was enraged, his eyes were as intimidating as lightning.
As an Imperial Great General, Wang Chong had trained himself to command millions of soldiers on the battlefield, and no one could compare to his aura of steel and fire. Not only that, not even Wang Chong had realized that when he was enraged, the enormous aura of the War Saint of the Central Plains had unwittingly and naturally began to exude from him.
The officials were intimidated by Wang Chong's gaze, and they involuntarily took several steps back.
"King of Foreign Lands …"
Gao Lishi frowned imperceptibly when he saw this scene in the main hall. By publicly contradicting the Grand Preceptor, Wang Chong had offended all the civil officials. This would not bode well for Wang Chong in the future. The condemnation of the civil officials could drown him.
Gao Lishi subconsciously glanced at the Holy Emperor. The Holy Emperor's eyes were half-closed, his face expressionless, and he had no intention of trying to stop Wang Chong.
The Grand Preceptor was so angry that he couldn't speak. He could only extend a hand and point at Wang Chong, his fingers trembling. But the Grand Preceptor was even more enraged than Wang Chong.
"The country comes first, and the people are of utmost importance. The military goes to war for the sake of the common people. Without the prefectural army system, do any of you know what the consequences will be?!"
Wang Chong's gaze swept over the officials in the hall, his eyes bloodshot. They were all rotten Confucians! They believed that they were doing this for the sake of the common people, but it was precisely because these Confucian civil officials had shaken the foundation of the empire. They had expended a great deal of effort in this western expedition to reach Khorasan and establish the coalition army, but a few Confucian scholars of the court had destroyed it in a single day.
This sort of crippling of one's own limbs and martial arts was simply unprecedented.
In the 37th year of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Han went on a northern expedition. His army of 200,000 was besieged at Baideng and was in dire straits. In the end, he had to use a honey trap to escape from the Xiongnu. In the 14th year of the Great Sui Dynasty, Great Sui fought with the Turks and was defeated. The Turks marched down and the entire Sui Dynasty had no more soldiers. It was too late to recruit soldiers and had no choice but to send a princess to make a marriage alliance. This was a great humiliation. Later on, they rested their strength and divided the Turk Khaganate into two, the Eastern and the Western Turks. Only then were they able to avenge this humiliation. "" In the 14th year of the Great Sui Dynasty, the Great Sui Dynasty was defeated by the Turks. The entire Great Sui Dynasty had no more soldiers.
"Every dynasty has raised armies. If they won every battle, there would be no problems, but if they were defeated and had no more soldiers to back them up, they would immediately face the danger of shaking the foundation of the empire and being reduced to ashes. In history, because there was no system of prefectural armies, some small kingdoms would even have their capital cities invaded by barbarians. The barbarians would destroy the kingdom, and the barbarians would even establish their own dynasties. It was precisely because of this that Gaozu and Taizu of the Tang dynasty learned from the lessons of the previous dynasty and established the prefectural army system. Emperor Taizong even personally taught the sons of the nobles in the capital, allowing the Tang dynasty to flourish in martial arts, resulting in today's powerful and prosperous army. Later on, the Tang dynasty relied on an endless stream of soldiers to constantly suppress the Eastern and Western Turks, the Goguryeo Empire, the Xi, the Khitans, the Ouzan, and Mengshe Zhao, and even later on, when they advanced into the Western Regions. Only our dynasty can rely on a mere army of six hundred thousand to accomplish such a feat!
"In the eleventh year of Gaozu's Tianxian reign, the Ouzan, the Eastern, and Western Turks attacked each other. If not for the timely reinforcements from the prefectural armies, the empire would have long since fallen into ruin!"
Wang Chong's voice was so deafening that it shook everyone in the hall. His eyes were blood red, and he appeared to be in a towering rage! If Wang Chong had only been angry, no one in the hall would have paid him any mind. After all, this was the Taihe Palace, and no matter how great one's achievements, no matter how high one's rank, one couldn't act recklessly.
But although Wang Chong was in a rage, every word he said was reasonable, and the examples he cited were all well-founded and well-documented. All of them had been recorded in history and were indisputable. At some point, even Grand Scribe Yan Wenzhang, who had been sitting on the side, swiftly writing down the words of the officials, couldn't help but stand up and look attentively at Wang Chong.
Even he had to admit that Wang Chong's words were not without reason.
"… To think that dissolving the prefectural armies is tantamount to shaking the foundation of the empire! Grand Preceptor, it seems to me that your eyes have been blinded by greed, and you've gone senile! To think that you would even make such a proposal. Grand Preceptor, I advise you to retire!! "
Rumble! Each of Wang Chong's words was like a thunderclap, causing the Grand Preceptor's body to stagger back several steps, almost unable to stand steadily.
"King of Foreign Lands, you, you dare … You're truly infuriating me!"
The Grand Preceptor's face was ghastly pale, and Wang Chong's' retire 'had caused his blood energy to surge, and he almost fainted.
"Grand Preceptor!"
"Grand Preceptor!"
The Grand Preceptors paled in fright and hurriedly rushed forward. Several civil officials rushed to the left and right to support the Grand Preceptor.
"Wang Chong, you're impudent! Is this how you speak to the Grand Preceptor?! "
At this moment, no one was happier than King Qi. With a flap of his robe, King Qi walked out of the shadow of the coiling dragon pillar, his face brimming with 'righteousness'. He stared at Wang Chong and rebuked.
"The Grand Preceptor is of old age, and he has worked tirelessly for the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. Is there any civil and military official in the court who does not admire him? Even I have to respectfully address him as' Grand Preceptor '. If something were to happen to the Grand Preceptor, would you be able to bear the responsibility?! "
King Qi turned to the Holy Emperor on the dragon throne.
"Your Majesty, this subject wishes to impeach the King of Foreign Lands for disrespecting his elders! The Tang Dynasty is governed by benevolence, righteousness, and etiquette, and respecting one's elders is the foundation of the country. For the King of Foreign Lands to speak so rudely to the Grand Preceptor, this subject proposes that he be stripped of his noble title and punished as an example to the rest of the country. "
The mood in the Imperial Court instantly turned strange. Everyone in the capital knew of King Qi's character, and even the civil officials did not like him very much. In their memories, King Qi rarely appeared on the scene, usually ordering his subordinates to make trouble for him. This was probably the first time he had personally stepped onto the scene to impeach another official.
"Hmph!"
Wang Chong only sneered at this sight.
"Your Majesty, this subject also has a memorial. This subject wishes to impeach King Qi for dereliction of duty. The Imperial Court is the place to discuss politics and deal with the affairs of the state. As an Imperial Prince of the Tang dynasty, King Qi has an exalted status, but in his twenty-some years in the Imperial Court, he has never paid attention to outside matters. The first suggestion he has made in his life is actually about this lowly subject showing no respect for his elders and respecting one's elders. King Qi is of mediocre talent, ignorant, and incompetent. This subject believes that King Qi is not worthy of such a heavy responsibility. This subject requests that Your Majesty strip King Qi of his noble title.
"You!"
King Qi suddenly turned his head, his heart exploding with rage at Wang Chong. As the saying went, those who spoke too much were bound to slip up. King Qi had always cherished his reputation, and if he could have his subordinates handle it, he would never appear. Thus, even though he had done many things in private over the years, no one had been able to do anything to him. But now that he had finally found a chance to denounce Wang Chong, Wang Chong had seized on this point and made a countercharge. He had truly been caught off guard.
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