Wang Chong gave a knowing smile. Fomonlința was currently in an awkward situation. The one who had the greatest hope of helping him, and the one who held the most weight, was King Qi. In truth, before the incident, King Qi had truly spoken up for him and the other Hu generals in the royal court.
But Fomonlința's letter was far too lethal, especially the words' prime minister '. It had made Fomonlința the target of public criticism. In the entire Tang dynasty, countless people had their eyes on the position of prime minister. The Andong Protector-General, Zhang Shougui, was known as the second most powerful figure in the empire. He had wanted to take this position ten-some years ago, but even now, he was still stationed in Youzhou, fighting against the Goguryeo Empire.
The person who was most similar to Fomonlința was the previous Annan Protector-General, the Tiger of the Empire, Zhangchou Jianqiong. However, even someone as ambitious as Zhangchou Jianqiong only dared to covet the position of Minister of War. Moreover, in Wang Chong's impression, the current prime minister of the Tang dynasty was that he had concealed his strength and was far more frightening than anyone else.
He was also the most underestimated and frightening existence in the empire.
Even now, Fomonlința probably didn't know what sort of existence he had offended.
With these people around, how could Fomonlința dare to covet the position of prime minister? Wang Chong could only say that while Fomonlința was very intelligent and crafty, he was still a Hu, far removed from the royal court. His ability in politics was far less outstanding than his ability in military affairs.
He had underestimated this entire matter.
Politics was not so easy to deal with!
"Mm. Since Fomonlința still has hope, we should deal him a fatal blow. It's about time. Tell The King of Song that he can hand over Dayan Mangpoje's head."
Wang Chong indifferently said.
"Understood!"
Xu Keyi smiled at these words. Fomonlința was still fearless and hopeful because of his past military achievements, especially when he had just made a great contribution to the triangular gap not long ago. However, when he took out Dayan Mangpoje's head, everything would be different.
Hualala!
A few moments later, a messenger bird soared into the sky, flying through the skies of Wushang toward the capital.
…
Several days later, when the discussion of Fomonlința in the capital was still in a stalemate, the fatal blow finally arrived. The Lord of Wushang, the Young Marquis of the Tang dynasty, the Son of Heaven's disciple, Wang Chong, had submitted a memorial to impeach Fomonlința for making false reports and stealing his military achievements.
In addition, the Imperial Censor had impeached Fomonlința. The five thousand deaths of the Qixi Protectorate, the death of General Pulan He, and the Ouzan White Braves and Dayan Mangpoje had not attacked the Qixi Protectorate from the Ouzan Plateau, but from the rear of the army. This was the true reason why the Qixi Protectorate had suffered so many casualties.
And those White Braves and Dayan Mangpoje had been released into Wushang by Fomonlința, who had neglected his duty. These people had even fiercely attacked the City of Steel, but they had been stopped by Wang Chong's army.
Not only that, the entire world knew about the Regional Commanders incident and the grudge between Fomonlința and Wang Chong. The Qixi Protectorate's' carelessness' in allowing the White Braves and Dayan Mangpoje to enter the pass seemed like a coincidence, but everyone could see the truth with a single glance.
The combination of these two matters immediately caused a massive uproar in the Imperial Court!
The impeachment of Wang Chong was one thing, but Wang Chong had been personally made the Young Marquis by His Majesty, and he had even been granted a courtesy name and given the fief of Wushang. One could easily imagine the favor he had received. His impeachment was a heavy weight to Fomonlința. Dayan Mangpoje's head was especially fatal.
In the battle of the triangular gap, the Ouzan side had two commanders. One was the renowned Eagle of the Plateau, Dusong Mangpoje, and the other was the commander of the Qixi Protectorate, Dayan Mangpoje. Fomonlința had clearly stated all of this in his report.
And as more intelligence was revealed, more information about Dayan Mangpoje was revealed. This was the Asura War God of the plateau, second only to the Imperial Great General Dusong Mangpoje, a revered Brigadier General of Ouzan. His weight in Ouzan was far greater than anyone could imagine.
As one of Ouzan's two highest-ranking commanders, Dayan Mangpoje had not died to Fomonlința, but to Wang Chong. This was enough to explain the problem. Most absurd of all was that Fumeng Lingcha had not mentioned a single word of this enormous achievement in the memorials he had submitted to the Imperial Court, completely erased from the report.
Not even a fool would believe that there was nothing fishy going on in the battle of the triangular gap.
If Wang Chong's impeachment could be said to be one-sided, then as the great clans stepped forward to corroborate Wang Chong's words, the dust finally settled. Wang Chong's construction of Wushang's City of Steel had dragged many of the great clans onto his chariot.
At the battle of the triangular gap, many of the scions of the great clans had been in the miniature City of Steel in the rear, mingling with the craftsmen working on the construction. They had clearly seen what had happened at the battle of the triangular gap.
In normal times, when Fomonlința was still Qixi Protector-General, no one would believe their words, but now, they had taken Fomonlința's life.
"Bastard!"
When Wang Chong's memorial was submitted to the Imperial Court, the Holy Emperor finally flew into a rage. The entire capital and all the officials trembled at the Holy Emperor's rage, their faces pale. Fomonlința knelt on the throne, his face ghastly pale, sweat pouring down his face, his heart like dead ashes. He had never expected that things would take such a turn.
"Wang Chong …"
A thought flitted through Fomonlința's mind. He finally realized that he had completely underestimated that youth in Wushang. He had completely lost this battle. Colluding with the Fourth Prince to participate in the War of the Princes, stealing military merit and falsely reporting military intelligence, abusing his position to avenge a personal grudge, luring the enemy in … With these three matters added together, his career had been completely ruined.
Fomonlința was swiftly arrested and imprisoned. For an Imperial Great General and Protector-General to be imprisoned was a precedent set by Fomonlința. It was obvious that Fomonlința's actions had thoroughly infuriated the Holy Emperor. Otherwise, someone of his status would never have been imprisoned.
Although Fomonlința's punishment had not yet been decided, everyone knew that Fomonlința was truly finished.
… …
"This matter is finally over!"
Wang Chong was in Wushang, and it was only a few days later that he received the news. An Imperial Great General like Fomonlința was far too high a status, and moving him was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. In order to move him from the Qixi Protectorate headquarters, Wang Chong had expended a tremendous amount of effort, spending nearly three months.
But despite the time and effort, the dust had finally settled. Without Fomonlința holding him back, Wang Chong could finally carry out many of his plans in the Western Regions.
"Li Siye, inform the great clans that the second City of Steel on the northern border of the Ouzan Plateau can begin construction," Wang Chong said.
"Yes, Marquis."
"Yes, Marquis."
With a vigorous voice, Li Siye put on his armor and quickly left.
… …
While Wang Chong was busy opening up the situation on the northern border of the Ouzan Plateau, in the distant capital, a completely different situation was taking place. The fact that Fomonlința had lied about military intelligence, colluded with a prince, and defrauded the sovereign was already a foregone conclusion. For this reason, Fomonlința had been temporarily imprisoned to await future punishment.
But this was not the end. On the contrary, it had given rise to an even greater problem.
A country could not go a day without a sovereign, and a border army could not go a day without a general. This was especially true for Qixi, which lay between the Ouzan Empire and the Western Turkic Khaganate. If such an important place was not guarded by a Great General, once Ouzan returned or the Western Turkic Khaganate sent its army, Qixi would be completely lost.
This was also why many old officials had stressed that Fomonlința should be treated leniently, allowing him to continue to lead Qixi to atone for his crimes.
Fomonlința's imprisonment had given rise to an even greater problem.
"Your Highness!"
A magnificent carriage stopped outside The King of Song Residence. The door was pushed open, and The King of Song walked out. The old steward, dressed in an azure robe, hurriedly walked out to welcome him.
"Mm."
The King of Song replied, his head lowered and his brow furrowed.
"Is it still because of Fomonlința's successor?"
The old butler's heart thumped and he immediately asked.
"That's right!"
The King of Song sighed and stopped.
"Although no one in or out of the court is talking about it, undercurrents are surging in the shadows. Everyone is getting restless. Everyone hopes to become Qixi Protector-General. This position might not be as illustrious as that of Prime Minister, but it's still an important role in the military. More importantly, it's a position of real power. In addition, according to the information I've obtained from the Bureau of Personnel, the Holy Emperor has already summoned the Minister of Personnel to the palace. If everything goes as expected, it won't be long before the Qixi Protector-General is formally chosen. After all, the role of Great General Bian Long is different from that of the Imperial Court. It can't be delayed for too long. "
"Then has Your Highness thought of a suitable candidate?"
The old steward bowed.
"Haaa, if I had, I wouldn't be as vexed as I am right now."
The King of Song sighed.
"The Qixi Protector-General is no small matter. This is a high-ranking official on the border, and he commands tens of thousands of elite soldiers. He must resist Ouzan to the west and Ouzan to the east. This person must have abundant experience in military affairs and be able to hold his own. Wang Yan could have been an honest and straightforward person. His style of battle is extremely steady and solid, and he has led an army for more than ten years. In the war of the southwest, if he hadn't arrived early, Erer's Lion City would have already fallen, and the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Annam Protectorate would have been completely wiped out. In this aspect, Wang Yan's ability to command is even more outstanding than Xianyu Zhongtong's. One could say that after the war of the southwest, Wang Yan is completely capable of being used. "
The old steward frowned. "Then what is Your Highness hesitating for?"
"Haaa, if only it were that simple. According to the rules of the Imperial Court, the position of Protector-General must be at the peak of the Saint Martial realm, a Great General. In this aspect, Wang Yan is far from enough. However, he's skilled in the Mighty Miracle God Formation, so this aspect makes sense. But have you noticed that the army of the Qixi Protectorate is almost entirely made up of cavalry? "
The King of Song sighed.
The old steward froze, momentarily speechless. Qixi was made up of cavalry, but Wang Yan led the army. His defense was steady and steady, combining offense with defense, defending with offense, and attacking at the same time, all of this was built on the foundation of infantry. In truth, if one carefully examined the war of the southwest, one would realize that the Annam Protectorate had cavalry, but not many of them.
The two hundred thousand soldiers of the Annam Protectorate, including Wang Yan's army, were mostly infantry.
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