An Yaluoshan's expression was fearful, and he looked like he was about to cry.
No one could lie in front of Zhang Shougui. In the Andong Protectorate, east of Youzhou, anyone who dared to deceive the Protector-General was already a dead man!
The Turks had fierce personalities and loved to fight, but in the northeast of the Tang Dynasty, whether they were Turks, Xi, Khitans, or Goguryeons, everyone paled at the mention of Zhang Shougui and feared him.
An Yaluoshan and Ashina? Shu Gan was naturally the same.
This was not because of Zhang Shougui's status, but because of the Andong Protectorate army that Zhang Shougui had trained and his thunderous methods!
The heavens were high, and the Emperor was far away. In the lands of Andong, Zhang Shougui's words were far more effective than the Emperor's!
"Hmph, brat, I don't know what you're talking about."
Zhang Shougui's complexion clearly improved at An Yaluoshan's words.
"But since Yaluoshan says there's no such thing, then there's definitely no such thing! The capital is at the feet of the Son of Heaven, and you actually brought people to attack my subordinates. If you don't give me a good explanation for this matter, don't blame me for being impolite! "
With these final words, Zhang Shougui narrowed his eyes and his expression turned icy. A tangible killing intent erupted from his body and locked onto Wang Chong.
"Boom!"
A massive bolt of lightning flashed through the sky. Zhang Shougui stood beneath it, his entire being like a demon god that had walked out of the underworld, inspiring fear in all who looked at him.
The surrounding temperature plummeted. In front of the Andong Protector-General, everyone felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
Wang Chong had clearly angered this Imperial Great General, and everyone could sense that today's matter would be difficult to resolve.
"Hahaha!"
Just when everyone was quiet out of fear, a burst of laughter broke the silence. Wang Chong looked at Zhang Shougui, whose mere mention of the name of Zhang Shougui made countless foreign races pale, and he felt no fear, only indignation and frustration.
As someone who had lived two lives, Wang Chong had long ago become indifferent to life and death. The only thing he cared about was the mission on his shoulders. Zhang Shougui's threat was meaningless to him.
"… Lord Zhang, do you know these four words?"
"What do they mean?"
Zhang Shougui looked down from above and coldly said.
"Obstinate and conceited!"
…
As soon as these four words came out, the crowd was in an uproar. Bai Siling, Zhao Yatong, Marchioness Yi, Wei Anfang, and the others all paled, but Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, and Ashina? Su Gan and the rest of the Underworld Continent people also had a huge change in expression.
No one in the Andong Protectorate dared to speak to its commander like this, not a single one! Not to mention a living person, even a dead person would not dare to do so.
Wang Chong actually dared to say to Zhang Shougui's face that he was' obstinate and self-opinionated '. To the people of Youzhou, such a thing was unthinkable.
"This kid …"
"How dare you say that in front of the Marshal!"
Even Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen could not help but feel a ripple in their hearts at this moment.
They didn't know much about the grudge between Wang Chong and An Yaluoshan, nor did they want to know. But at this moment, even though they were enemies, they couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for him.
The only person who dared to question the Marshal in person, other than the one who held the central divine artifact in the depths of the palace, was probably this young man before him.
"Hahaha, kid, did Wang Jiuling teach you to say that? Do you dare to say it in front of me again? "
Zhang Shougui's eyes flashed with cold light as he laughed in anger.
Ever since he had taken command of the army, he had always been a man of his word. Ever since twenty years ago, very few people had dared to speak ill of him to his face.
But now, a teenage boy was saying that he was obstinate and self-opinionated.
"Young Master!"
"Wang Chong, stop!"
Marchioness Yi, Bai Siling, Zhao Yatong, and the others felt their hearts tighten as they hurried to Wang Chong's side and tried to dissuade him, all of them worried.
Even though the Andong Protectorate was on the border, extremely far from the capital. But Andong Protector-General Zhang Shougui had never lacked for people to discuss him in the capital.
Although they rarely saw this Imperial Great General, they had heard many legends about him.
Zhang Shougui had never been a good-tempered person. His methods were tyrannical and he had never been a genial general.
In the empire, Zhang Shougui's methods were fierce and ruthless, and he was definitely second to none.
If he were an enemy, Zhang Shougui would definitely make them restless at night and have nightmares every day. For Wang Chong to infuriate him was not a wise move.
But Wang Chong waved his hand to stop them. An indescribable aura seeped out of his body, stifling their hearts and rendering them speechless.
The current Wang Chong was completely different from the impression they had of him.
Although Wang Chong had a temper in the past, he was extremely respectful in front of these people and rarely disobeyed them. Moreover, they were all older than Wang Chong.
But at this moment, although Wang Chong's appearance had not changed, his every movement exuded an aura that inspired reverence and might.
This was not the aura of a teenage scion of the capital, but it was rather similar to Zhang Shougui's aura.
A teenage child, even if he was a little clever, even if he had been born into a clan of ministers and generals, and his horizons far surpassed that of an ordinary person, did not have the right to speak to an Imperial Great General like Zhang Shougui, much less criticize him for being obstinate and self-opinionated.
But a legendary War Saint revered by the world in the apocalyptic era of the Central Plains had the right to say such words!
Zhang Shougui was not bad!
Like any Han, he had a loyal and courageous heart, a patriot who would serve the world and die on the battlefield. This was what he had done for the first half of his life.
Whether it was in defeating the Turks, pacifying Youzhou, subduing the Xi and the Khitans, or suppressing the Goguryeo Empire, Zhang Shougui's abilities and conduct were beyond reproach.
However, people would change.
The consecutive victories had changed Zhang Shougui. He had become incredibly conceited, and he would not listen to the 'words of disobedience' of others. When Zhang Shougui was presiding over Andong, not even the people closest to him, the old friends and comrades who had fought alongside him for decades, dared to say a single word that would displease Zhang Shougui.
Zhang Shougui was so arbitrary that all the decrees of the Andong Protectorate, no matter how big or small, came from him alone.
Zhang Shougui had absolute confidence in his own abilities, so much so that he would not listen to any words of advice.
'Proud soldiers are bound to fall 'was a phrase that described Zhang Shougui.
When some people lost, they would at most lose a single battle, but when some people lost, the entire world would have to bear the burden of their defeat.
Zhang Shougui had been too confident in his own abilities, so he had forgotten that he was also a human, not a god.
All humans would make mistakes.
The more outstanding Zhang Shougui was, the more skillful he was in leading troops, and the more skilled he was in battle, the more severe the consequences he would cause, the greater the calamity he would leave behind for the empire.
Later on, countless people had analyzed that rebellion of the Tang dynasty, which had affected the entire world. Almost all of the generals of the rebel army had come from Zhang Shougui's army.
Tian Chengsi was strict in managing his army, and his skill at leading troops was unparalleled in the world. His soldiers obeyed orders, were swift and composed, and could carry them out to a frightening level.
In terms of military accomplishment, the rebel army led by Tian Chengsi far surpassed the official army of the Tang dynasty!
However, even though the Tian Clan had been Lulong Commandants for generations, they did not have this sort of ability.
Tian Chengsi's skill at leading troops had come from Zhang Shougui!
Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen were not only skilled in martial arts, they were also skillful in leading troops, both brave and astute. Separated, the two of them could hold their own, and together, they could even defeat the Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han, who had subdued Ouzan.
If Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing of the Anxi Protectorate could be called the Twin Walls of the Empire, then Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen were no less than the Twin Stars of the rebel army!
It was just that the two of them had disobeyed the world, so no matter how talented they were, they could not be recorded in the annals of history.
There was also the rebel army Great General Cui Xide, who was known as the 'Lightning Cavalry' and whose ability to lead cavalry was unparalleled in the world.
In terms of ability to lead cavalry, although Sun Zhiming was also known as the General of Surprise Assaults, compared to the rebel army Great General Cui Xide, Sun Zhiming was like comparing a fluorescent light to the bright moon. The two were on completely different levels.
And whether it was Cui Qianyou, Tian Qianzhen, or Cai Xide, all of them had been promoted by Zhang Shougui. And their ability to lead troops, strategize, and tactics had all been taught by Anxi Protector-General Zhang Shougui.
And each of them was able to bring out their unique traits to the extreme.
This was like a strengthened version of Zhang Shougui with three heads and six arms. This sort of 'Zhang Shougui' was not someone that could be underestimated.
Zhang Shougui knew how to use people, and he only asked about their abilities, not their backgrounds. As long as they had the ability, he could use them all.
So An Yaluoshan and Ashina? Ma Gan had committed a crime in Youzhou and should have been executed, but Zhang Shougui had taken a liking to their talents and taken them into the Andong Protectorate.
And An Yaluoshan, influenced by what he saw and heard, had learned all of Zhang Shougui's methods. Thus, in the rebel army, there were not only Hu high-ranking officers, but also Han.
Thus, the rebel army was able to cause so much damage!
It could be said that the rebel army commanders who would cause trouble for the world in the future were all 'good students' of Zhang Shougui's. Even the invincible rebel army of Youzhou had been trained by Zhang Shougui.
That civil strife that would engulf the world in the future, shake the foundation of the Tang dynasty, and plunge the Central Plains into eternal damnation, had been caused by An Yaluoshan and Ashina. Ma Gan had been raised by the two of them.
But in the end, the source of all this was' Zhang Shougui ', the person standing before him.
It was he who had single-handedly caused the collapse and destruction of the Tang dynasty!
Zhang Shougui had been too outstanding!
But this excellence had not brought benefit to the world. On the contrary, it had led to the destruction of an empire.
This was truly a case of 'losing one's integrity in old age'!
Wang Chong had once thought that if someone could remind Zhang Shougui, point out his mistakes from the side, tell him that he was a man and not a god, he would also make mistakes. Then perhaps everything would have been completely different.
Alas, the Wang Chong of the past had not had the right, the strength, or the chance to stand before the Andong Protector-General, much less speak to him.
Now that everything had started over, he had finally obtained a chance. Even if Zhang Shougui wouldn't listen, he still had to say it.
"Has Lord Zhang heard of The Farmer and the Snake?"
Wang Chong sternly said.
"Hmph, are you trying to say that you're that snake?"
Zhang Shougui sneered. If not for the fact that Wang Chong was Wang Jiuling's grandson, Zhang Shougui would have never spoken so much to him.
"I just want to tell Milord that farmers can also make mistakes!"
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