"Milord, then do we still need to continue dealing with Wang Chong? Qing Ze has already contacted all the two hundred and forty thousand bandits and highwaymen on the Silk Road. In addition, should we continue with the order forbidding Longxi's vegetable merchants, grain, and fruits from selling to Wushang? "
A solemn voice suddenly interrupted the mood in the room. Next to Geshu Han, a burly bearded general with a beard of high status suddenly spoke up.
When Wang Chong had just arrived in Wushang, Geshu Han had given him a test by ordering Qing Ze to deal with Wang Chong so that it would be difficult for Wang Chong to establish a foothold in Wushang. The most obvious and practical method was to forbid the sale of grain, vegetables, fruits, and all other necessities to Wushang. The closest Wushang could get supplies from the Central Plains was Longxi.
'Of all the riches in the world, none surpass Longxi'. This was a saying that in the Central Plains, Longxi was the wealthiest. The land there was fertile and vast, making it the most convenient place to get supplies. In the capital, Wang Chong had promised that he would develop Wushang into a unique commercial hub on the Silk Road, a transit hub that would provide rest, supplies, and protection for the merchants traveling the Silk Road.
If he wanted to provide for so many people and the daily needs of the garrison, there was no other place but Longxi. As for Qixi, one only needed to think about the meaning of the word 'Qi'. It was already quite impressive that such a barren land bordering the desert could provide for so many soldiers.
It would be impossible for Wang Chong to obtain such a large amount of supplies from Qixi.
When the time came, Wang Chong would have no choice but to get supplies from the capital. And the journey from the capital to Wushang was a long one, and with the two hundred and forty thousand bandits and highwaymen on the way … one could easily imagine the result. But now that Wang Chong had been promoted to Qixi Protector-General, everything was different.
If Geshu Han dared to do this again, it would no longer be a minor 'test' but a direct declaration of war against Wang Chong!
The empire's Protector-Generals and Great Generals were all influential figures, and a battle between two Protector-Generals was no trifling matter. Even Geshu Han had to seriously consider the pros and cons!
Geshu Han said nothing. He raised his head and gazed at the blackened roof of Big Dipper City, a complicated look in his eyes.
The Tang dynasty of the Central Plains had been at peace for many years, and the power structure at the top level had already solidified. In Geshu Han's memories, the candidates for Protector-Generals and Great Generals had already been solidified. However, Wang Chong's appearance and his lightning-fast promotion completely broke this rule.
In a sharp and incisive manner that caught everyone off guard and made them completely unaccustomed, he had swiftly moved from the southwest to the northwest, all the way to the position of Qixi Protector-General!
Geshu Han's life had been full of ups and downs, and he had weathered many storms and waves, but he had never encountered such a situation.
"Dalun Ruozan, Huoshu Huizang, Duan Gequan, Dusong Mangpoje, Dayan Mangpoje, Agudu Lan … Although I still feel that the Imperial Court is lacking in consideration for promoting a seventeen-year-old Protector-General so quickly, he truly did rely on his own strength to reach his current position. Tell Qing Ze to withdraw! Those bandits and brigands have all been disbanded, and all the plans we've made have been canceled. Times have changed, and we can't challenge another Protector-General! "
Geshu Han gave a long sigh.
"Yes!"
A Big Dipper officer quickly left with the order.
… …
Beiting, Andong. The news that Wang Chong had been promoted to Qixi Protector-General had sent shockwaves through the political circles of the empire. At the same time, in the distant Ouzan Empire, the atmosphere was completely different from that of the Central Plains.
The massive royal capital was deathly still. In the core of the royal palace, blue smoke rose up from a furnace, enveloping the main hall. However, no one spoke. Everyone's eyes were focused on a single place. It was a golden, hollowed table that was around four feet tall. It was engraved with scriptures that exuded a mysterious aura.
On the table, a black messenger pigeon with golden eyes was cawing, freely looking around as if it couldn't sense the tension in the hall at all. But everyone knew that the strange and oppressive atmosphere in the hall was because of the news this pigeon had brought not long ago.
"Your Majesty, although Fomonlința has left, an even more formidable Wang Chong has come, and he has even taken over Fomonlința's position. I'm afraid that this is extremely disadvantageous to our Ouzan Empire!"
A voice in the hall worriedly said.
"In the war of the southwest, the destruction of Zhangzhung Training Camp, the miserable defeat at the triangular gap … if you add it all up, we've already lost more than four hundred thousand elite cavalry to this Tang Dynasty youth. The plague on the plateau still hasn't been completely stopped, and the dead and wounded have piled up into mountains and seas. Now, he's even become Qixi Protector-General. He's truly a mortal malady to our Ouzan Empire! And he's even built a city on our Ouzan Plateau! This is something that has never happened before! "
Another voice added.
In the past, the Ouzan Empire feared Zhangchou Jianqiong, Geshu Han, Fomonlința, and Gao Xianzhi, the four Great Generals of the Tang Dynasty. But now, another name had rapidly surpassed these four, becoming the most dreaded existence in the Ouzan Empire. This person was Wang Chong. Although the Ouzan Empire had lost in its wars with the Tang Dynasty, even having its strongest Great General of the Tang Dynasty push his way all the way to the royal capital, those had been regular battles, and it was clear at a glance where they had lost and where they had been weak.
No one had ever been like Wang Chong, using the plague in addition to regular warfare. Moreover, his ability to command troops in close combat had far surpassed any of the famous generals of the Tang Dynasty that the Ouzan Empire had ever encountered. Not only that, in the battle of Zhangzhung, Wang Chong had managed to avoid all eyes and ears, traveling a great distance to appear in the heart of the Ouzan Plateau, destroying the entire Zhangzhung Training Camp and the eight thousand Qinghai recruits in a single blow.
This made the entire Ouzan Empire uneasy, because there was no doubt that Wang Chong had a secret passage that led directly to the heart of the Ouzan Plateau. If they couldn't find this secret passage, it meant that Wang Chong could avoid all eyes and ears at any time, enter the plateau from there at any time, and then leave as he pleased.
This was equivalent to having a long knife pressed against your neck at any time, and you didn't even know where this knife was coming from, nor how to avoid it.
"Your Majesty, no matter what, we must find a way to get rid of this Wang Chong. Otherwise, we won't just be like we are now, unable to enter and leave the northeast freely. I'm afraid that the entire northern border will be completely sealed off by him."
Almost all the famous generals of the Ouzan Empire in the hall were looking at the figure at the top of the hall.
Up in the hall, the Tsenpo didn't say anything. He just listened to the discussions of the officials in the hall, and his thick eyebrows furrowed tighter and tighter, his heart abnormally agitated.
A great war, a great war … Get rid of Wang Chong!
How could he not know that he should do everything he could to get rid of that youth from the Tang Dynasty? But Dalun Ruozan had failed, Huoshu Huizang had failed, Dayan Pugyal had failed, Dayan Mangpoje had failed, and Dusong Mangpoje had also failed. Three of the empire's most formidable Great Generals and Prime Minister had lost to Wang Chong, and they had even lost the more than two hundred thousand soldiers that the Ngari Royal Lineage had accumulated over ten-some years, as well as countless cows and sheep.
That boy from the Tang Dynasty was still alive, but the Ouzan Empire was on the verge of collapsing from the losses it had suffered.
"Enough!"
Suddenly, a voice resounded through the hall. This voice was not harsh, but abnormally mellow. But the entire hall was deathly still, everyone keeping their mouths shut.
"Pass on my order to all the armies to stay far away from the northern border. No more battles are allowed in the northern border!"
This voice was neither loud nor soft, and it was tinged with an order. In all of the Ouzan Empire, only the Prime Minister, Dalon Trinling, could interject in front of the Tsenpo and issue such an order. As expected, the moment Dalon Trinling spoke, all the officials and generals in the hall became submissive, all their viciousness vanishing without a trace. Even the Tsenpo appeared much more relaxed.
"The empire has already lost enough soldiers in the northern border. Even Dayan Mangpoje died there and Dusong Mangpoje returned with heavy injuries. It's no longer suitable for another battle in the short term. Does Dusong Clan Head, Dusong Mangpoje know where he is? In addition, how are his injuries? "
Dalon Trinling held his hands behind his back, his narrow eyes suffused with intelligence as he turned his head to a tall and muscular figure in the hall.
"Many thanks for Prime Minister's concern. Ever since Mangpoje returned from the last battle, he went to the Great Snow Mountain Temple and has been kneeling there for a long time. Even now, he still has not returned, nor has he contacted us."
Dusong Gongjue bowed.
The Dusong Clan and the Dayan Clan were two extremely ancient clans that had been passed down through the generations of the Ouzan Empire. Dusong Gongjue was the current head of the Dusong Clan. Dusong Mangpoje was known as the Eagle of the Dusong Clan, the most outstanding individual of his generation, and also a Great General of the Ouzan Empire. When Dusong Gongjue heard that Dusong Mangpoje had abandoned his army and fled at the triangular gap, he had felt ashamed and humiliated. But when he saw Dusong Mangpoje's horrifying wounds on his return, Dusong Gongjue couldn't even bring himself to say a single word of rebuke.
It was obvious that Dusong Mangpoje had been through unimaginable dangers. If he had not reacted quickly and escaped, it would not have been just the tens of thousands of soldiers who would have died at the triangular gap. Even Dusong Mangpoje, the most outstanding representative of the Dusong Clan, a Great General of the Ouzan Empire, would have died at the triangular gap. That was something that the Dusong Clan would find hard to endure.
At the very least, Dusong Mangpoje had survived. This was the most important thing.
"I understand."
Dalon Trinling nodded. His face was devoid of emotion, but there was a glimmer of light in the depths of his eyes. Tens of thousands of elites had died at the triangular gap, and even the Dayan Clan's Dayan Mangpoje had died there. Right now, the one blaming himself the most was probably Dusong Mangpoje.
This was also why he had gone to the Great Snow Mountain Temple the moment he had returned and knelt there for a long time. Alas, Dusong Mangpoje would find it very difficult to fulfill his wish.
"Hualala!"
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