After tempering the last WuZi Steel sword, Wang Chong emerged from the cave. Ignoring the summons from the Imperial Court, he boarded a carriage. Instead of going to the Wang Clan Residence, he took a turn on Vermilion Bird Street and made his way to the Minister of War's Residence.
A large signboard painted black against a red background had the words' Minister of War 'written on it.
This was Zhangchou Jianqiong's new office.
Ever since Zhangchou Jianqiong took office, the entire Minister of War's Residence had been replaced with people from his southwest branch. Through this method, Zhangchou Jianqiong had firmly controlled the entire Minister of War's Residence.
But when Wang Chong arrived, the atmosphere in the Minister of War's Residence was gloomy and grave. Anyone who passed by could sense the oppressive and oppressive air.
Almost everyone in the Ministry of War's Minister of War's residence had their heads lowered.
Zhangchou Jianqiong had been the Protector-General of the southwest, and now that the southwest had been defeated, one hundred thousand of his 180,000 soldiers had died, and nearly one million civilians were about to be plunged into misery and suffering at the hands of Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan.
As soldiers from the southwest, one could easily imagine the pressure they were under.
Although no one said anything, as former members of the Annan Protectorate, all the blame was placed on them.
There was almost no one in the Minister of War's Residence who didn't know who Wang Chong was.
The moment Wang Chong appeared at the gate of the Minister of War's residence, though no one knew why he had come, someone quickly came to welcome him.
In the deepest part of the Minister of War's Residence, Wang Chong saw Zhangchou Jianqiong, his head bowed. He appeared somewhat dispirited, haggard, and tortured.
"Milord!"
Wang Chong straightened his clothes, walked over, and bowed.
"You've come …"
Upon seeing Wang Chong, Zhangchou Jianqiong's eyes lit up for a moment, but they soon dimmed. He lowered his head dejectedly.
Given the Wang Clan's standing, as well as the relationship between Wang Chong, Yang Zhao, Zhangchou Jianqiong, and Consort Tai Zhen, Zhangchou Jianqiong should have been as passionate as fire. But at this moment, Zhangchou Jianqiong really wasn't in the mood.
It was also not a good time to entertain guests.
Right now, the entire court was focused on the southwest. It seemed that Zhangchou Jianqiong had luckily escaped this calamity. But in truth, only Zhangchou Jianqiong knew that all the pressure and blame was on him.
Recently, during morning court sessions, even the gazes of the civil and military ministers would occasionally fall on him, and they seemed to be very unfriendly.
Zhangchou Jianqiong understood what the officials were thinking.
If he had not insisted on entering the capital, such a major incident would have never occurred in the empire's southwest. Moreover, although he was currently the Minister of War, strictly speaking, the affairs of the southwest had nothing to do with him.
But Xianyu Zhongtong was someone he had recommended, and the southwest was his territory. One hundred thousand Tang dynasty elites had died in battle, and the army led by Li Zhengyi had been ambushed.
It was he who had entrusted the wrong person, and he had an unshakable responsibility for this calamity.
This invisible pressure was enough to make one crumble, and what was even more crushing was that even Zhangchou Jianqiong himself believed that this was his fault.
In the current situation, not only was his position as Minister of War unstable, even his territory in the southwest, his foundation in the Imperial Court, was about to be completely lost.
Zhangchou Jianqiong was exhausted from both inside and outside, and he didn't even have the energy to deal with Wang Chong.
"Milord, are you worried about the southwest?"
Wang Chong walked over and sat down across from Zhangchou Jianqiong.
"Haha, what other matter could there be?"
Zhangchou Jianqiong bitterly smiled.
In his view, Wang Chong's question was completely unnecessary. Perhaps even an idiot would understand that he was in a precarious situation. Mengshe Zhao and Ouzan had actually joined forces. This was something he would never have dared to believe even if he were beaten to death.
But it had really happened.
He had only just left, and now, Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huizang had pulled the rug from under his feet.
His position as the Minister of War would probably not last much longer.
"Milord, since you are worried about this matter, why don't you leave the Bureau of War and personally take part in the southwest?"
Wang Chong said.
"Leave? I am the Minister of War, and I have to manage the affairs of the Imperial Court. How could I leave to fight on the front lines? In the three hundred years since the founding of the Tang dynasty, when have you ever seen a Minister of War personally go to war? "
Zhangchou Jianqiong said.
In his view, Wang Chong's suggestion was nothing more than a joke.
If he, the Minister of War, went to the front lines, who would be in charge of the affairs of the Bureau of War? A snake had its own path, and a rat had its own path. The two were completely different.
"The rules of the Imperial Court cannot be abolished, but if Milord were to forcefully leave, who in the court would dare to stop him? The eyes of the entire court are focused on the southwest. If the problem of the southwest can be resolved, who would dare to criticize Milord? "
Wang Chong said.
Zhangchou Jianqiong's eyes became dazed. If leaving the capital could resolve the problem of the southwest, why wouldn't he want to go? But …
If he had gone before the collapse of the Tang dynasty, he might have been able to, but now … even if he went, what use would it be?
"No! Wang Chong, you don't understand. The rules of the Imperial Court cannot be abolished. As the Minister of War, I cannot leave the capital. "
Zhangchou Jianqiong struggled for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.
The defeat in the southwest was irreversible, and he had climbed to his current position with great difficulty. With so many people watching, he could not allow anything to happen to him.
The Annan Protector-General had nothing to do with him, but at the very least, he could still sit on the position of Minister of War.
"Eh …"
Wang Chong had been observing the changes on Zhangchou Jianqiong's face this entire time, and when he saw it slowly turn callous, he couldn't help but give a long sigh.
Zhangchou Jianqiong knew the southwest like the back of his hand. Whether it was Gelofeng, Dalun Ruozan, or Huoshu Huizang, he knew all of these people like the back of his hand, including their style of marching.
If he had the help of this former Annan Protector-General, he would be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort, and he would have a greater chance of stopping the war.
However, his last attempt had also failed!
The current Zhangchou Jianqiong was no longer the Zhangchou Jianqiong of the past. His desire for power had completely overcome his Imperial Great General.
He was no longer the tiger of the empire!
Wang Chong was somewhat disappointed, but also somewhat relieved.
In the end, he could only rely on himself.
"Milord, I've come this time to bid you farewell!"
Wang Chong clasped his hands and got straight to the point.
Since he had already confirmed that he could not count on this Tang Dynasty Minister of War, Wang Chong no longer hesitated.
"Ah!"
Zhangchou Jianqiong softly gasped, his body trembling. He raised his head to look at Wang Chong, and for the first time, he revealed a look of shock.
"You're leaving the capital!"
"Yes!"
Wang Chong indifferently said.
"Wang Chong has already gathered one thousand elites and will be leaving the capital in the next few days for the southwest!"
Wang Chong spoke these words in an indifferent and calm manner, without the slightest fluctuation in his voice.
The room was quiet, but there was a sudden change in the atmosphere.
Zhangchou Jianqiong stared blankly at the youth in front of him, and then he seemed to understand something, his gaze on Wang Chong completely changing.
He could not be any clearer about the situation in the southwest. If Wang Chong were to go now, there could only be one reason!
Zhangchou Jianqiong looked at Wang Chong, a hint of respect in his eyes for the first time.
He had heard many things about Wang Chong, and he had also heard of the reputation of the Wang Clan's Qilin son. But this time, the feeling was completely different.
Zhangchou Jianqiong opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to stop him, but in the end, he decided against it.
The situation in the southwest was extremely precarious, and he was like a drowning man. As long as there was a sliver of hope, he would not reject it.
"What do you need me to do?"
Zhangchou Jianqiong said, his eyes rapidly clearing.
He was the previous Annan Protector-General, and now that Wang Chong was going to the southwest, everything was clear.
"I need something from Milord. If Milord believes me, I need a token from Milord, a token that can control the Annan Protectorate army, including Lord Xianyu."
Wang Chong said.
His expression was firm, and even when meeting Zhangchou Jianqiong's gaze, he did not show the slightest timidity.
Wang Chong's words made Zhangchou Jianqiong feel like he had been stabbed. His pupils constricted and his expression turned extremely grave.
A protector-general was a high-ranking official of a border. Although he was the Minister of War, he could not completely control a protector-general. As the saying went, when a general was on the move, there were some things he could not do.
But Wang Chong's guess was correct. He truly did have a token that represented his status and could control the 180,000 soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army.
This was also the method he had agreed upon with Xianyu Zhongtong before leaving his post.
If not for this, he would not have so easily left the southwest and handed the position of protector-general to Xianyu Zhongtong.
This matter was extremely secretive. Other than a few people at his side, almost no one else knew of it.
"What is Milord still considering?!"
Wang Chong observed Zhangchou Jianqiong's expression, and before Zhangchou Jianqiong had even said anything, he knew what he was thinking.
"The war in the southwest has already reached this stage. Does Milord still think that there is another way?"
Wang Chong's voice rose a few octaves.
If Zhangchou Jianqiong was still concerned about his reputation at a time like this, then he would not be worthy of being called the Tiger of the Empire.
"Ah!"
After a long sigh, Zhangchou Jianqiong finally made his decision.
"I hope that my decision will not be wrong!"
Clack!
His right hand lightly tugged at his robe, Zhangchou Jianqiong pulled off a heavy black-gold token and held it in his hand. But Zhangchou Jianqiong did not immediately hand it over.
"Before that, answer a question for me. That Lion City in the southwest … did you really already predict it?"
"Yes!"
… …
Zhangchou Jianqiong gave a long sigh and said no more. He handed over the black-gold token.
"Do you need me to do anything else?"
"If Milord is willing, please send me a few more generals!"
With these words, Wang Chong left the Minister of War's residence.
After leaving the Minister of War's residence, Wang Chong returned straight to Deflecting Blade Mountain. After so many days of training, it was finally time for him to head south.
"Rumble!"
Standing at the summit of Deflecting Blade Mountain, the earth quaked and fierce gales began to blow. Zhao Jingdian led the charge, leading one thousand fully-armored clan experts in an orderly formation as they rode their warhorses toward Wang Chong.
Smoke and dust billowed into the air. Following closely behind, thousands of mercenary experts rushed over like a roaring tide. The leader of the group was an eight-foot tall man who looked like a giant. He was extremely eye-catching, and the huge sword on his back that was taller than a person was even more terrifying.
In the entire Tang Dynasty, probably only Li Siye possessed such an astonishing physique.
The rumbling echoed for a hundred li, and even the students of the Kunwu Training Camp were alarmed. But Wang Chong acted as if he did not see or hear.
All of his attention was focused on the large army in front of him.
"The journey to the southwest is fraught with danger. If you want to back out, there's still time!"
Wang Chong stood on the summit, his expression solemn. His gaze was not on the one thousand clan experts, but on the hired experts who had been summoned.
The wind howled, but no one said anything. All of them had uncaring expressions on their faces.
Hiring experts had always been like licking blood off the edge of a blade. If it was safe and there was no risk at all, wouldn't everyone become hired experts?
In their view, Wang Chong's words were superfluous.
Hired martial artists only needed to pay money. The greater the danger, the greater the reward. As long as they could satisfy this requirement, they didn't need to consider anything else.
"Hmph!"
Wang Chong sneered. Without any pre-battle mobilization or encouragement, he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the sky.
The unstoppable and sharp WuZi Steel sword exuded a cold light in the dark clouds.
"Move out!"
With an earth-shattering order, Wang Chong rode the White-hoofed Shadow down Deflecting Blade Mountain and toward the southwest.
Behind him, a rumbling sound could be heard as the dense army descended like a tsunami.
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