Chapter 1215: Returning to the Capital on Imperial Decree!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Emissary, is there any way to request His Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Tang, to slightly alter his orders and have the Young Marquis stay in Khorasan!”
Bahram stepped forward and used some of the Tang language he had recently learned, mixed with some Khorasani words, to plead with the official surnamed Wen.
Bahram was not the sort of person who would lose his cool, but all this was too abrupt. w.a.n.g Chong’s new t.i.tle and his transfer left him greatly unsettled, so he hoped to negotiate with this emissary.
The official with the surname Wen looked down from his horse, his brows creasing at Bahram’s request.
“Although I do not know what you are saying, the decree of the Imperial Court cannot be altered, and the words of the sovereign are to be taken seriously. Lord w.a.n.g, you should understand this principle as well!”
He at first spoke to Bahram, but then he aimed his last words at w.a.n.g Chong, his expression sharp and fierce. It was clear that he was placing all the blame on w.a.n.g Chong.
“Enough!” w.a.n.g Chong suddenly said.
“This is the decree of the Imperial Court and the decree of the Sage Emperor. Orders are as firm and as immovable as mountains. Great General, I know that you have good intentions, but the words of the sovereign cannot be taken lightly. The Great Tang is different from the Sa.s.sanid Dynasty. Once a decision is made, it must be carried out. As for Khorasan, I have already made ample preparations. With the coalition army overseeing and Lord Gao and Lord Feng present, even without me, this place will still be impregnable. Even if the Arabs attack again, it will not be worth worrying about. Moreover, with fifty thousand ballistae present, Arabia will never be able to succeed.”
From the moment they had breached Khorasan, w.a.n.g Chong had begun to think about how to establish a firm foundation and make it so that even without him, Khorasan would be able to remain stable and free from the hands of Arabia. All this was for the sake of creating the firmest stronghold on the front lines for the Great Tang.
After saying all this, w.a.n.g Chong turned around and headed through the crowd toward the three Confucian officials that the imperial decree had stated would take on his military authority.
“Milords, Khorasan is the Great Tang’s major frontline stronghold. As long as the strength of the coalition army is properly used and we work with the Sa.s.sanid Dynasty and the rebel armies, the Arabs will not be worth worrying about! After I leave, I hope that Milords will work in good faith and not sacrifice the lives of soldiers in exchange for achievements,” w.a.n.g Chong sternly said.
“Milord…”
Xue Qianjun looked at w.a.n.g Chong’s back, his heart quaking. w.a.n.g Chong had maintained an extremely calm att.i.tude up until now, his every word and action complying with etiquette and regulation. But Xue Qianjun, who had been with w.a.n.g Chong for so long, had clearly noticed that w.a.n.g Chong’s hands, hidden by his sleeves, were slightly trembling.
Xue Qianjun was keenly aware that w.a.n.g Chong’s mind at this time was in even greater turmoil than anyone else’s.
“Lord w.a.n.g, there is no need for you to trouble yourself over these matters. We have our own plans!”
The three mounted officials looked down on w.a.n.g Chong, no ripple of emotion on their faces.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
The surrounding crowd clenched their fists and softly cursed.
w.a.n.g Chong had been personally made the Young Marquis by the Sage Emperor and was the Qixi Protector-General. Even though he had been removed from this position, he was still the newly-t.i.tled King of Foreign Lands, a true Great Tang King, above all the other n.o.bility.
But these three officials and the official surnamed Wen showed not one hint of respect toward w.a.n.g Chong. This left everyone furious.
“Lord w.a.n.g, please! The decree of the Imperial Court cannot be defied. Lord w.a.n.g, please hand over your jade seal as quickly as possible and come with us!”
At this moment, several hors.e.m.e.n broke out from the group and rode toward w.a.n.g Chong. These officials from the Bureau of Rites looked at w.a.n.g Chong and made a gesture of invitation.
“You would dare!”
“Do you think Lord Marquis to be a criminal! To dare treat him in this way!”
With a harsh shout and the clattering of weapons, Li Siye and his men stared furiously at these officials from the Bureau of Rites. Everyone in the Great Tang capital knew that the Bureau of Rites was manned by King Qi’s men. For these men from the Bureau of Rites to accompany the Imperial Court’s emissaries, they clearly did not harbor good intentions.
The red-robed officials from the Bureau of Rites paled at this scene.
“Lord Marquis, we are only carrying out the will of the decree. We hope that Lord Marquis will understand the difficulties we are in and not make things any harder.”
w.a.n.g Chong said nothing, only coldly glared at the three. He had no idea what King Qi had told these officials, nor why they were so anxious to have him leave, but there was no doubt that they did not harbor good intentions.
w.a.n.g Chong stared at the officials and said, “Whether I leave or not and what time I leave are up to me.”
“But, Lord Marquis…”
The officials from the Bureau of Rites still tried to argue.
“Let me ask you, did the decree say that I should leave right now? Or is this a direct order from His Divine Majesty?”
w.a.n.g Chong stared at the group with an intimidating gaze.
The officials from the Bureau of Rites instantly grimaced.
The decree naturally hadn’t given a specific hour or time that he needed to leave, and the Sage Emperor would never issue an order for such a trivial matter as this. Forging an imperial decree was no trifling matter, and they would never even dare to try such a thing. w.a.n.g Chong ignored these men and turned back to Gao Xianzhi and Bahram.
“Lord Gao, it seems that I must leave. I leave Khorasan to you.”
“Understood. Be at ease. I will do my utmost to protect this place,” Gao Xianzhi gloomily said to w.a.n.g Chong. But at almost the same moment, a soft whisper could be heard in w.a.n.g Chong’s ear.
“w.a.n.g Chong, something we don’t know about must have happened in the Imperial Court, or else this never would have happened. You’ll have to investigate this on your own. In addition, if something happens that requires my help, notify me as quickly as possible.”
w.a.n.g Chong was momentarily stunned, and then he nodded his head.
“Many thanks, Milord!”
Gao Xianzhi gazed at w.a.n.g Chong’s calm and determined face, and sighed. A measly Advisor-in-Waiting was insignificant in the Imperial Court, and the unprecedented t.i.tle of King of Foreign Lands was clearly just an empty t.i.tle. He truly didn’t know how big an incident would have to take place in the Imperial Court for there to be such a targeted action against w.a.n.g Chong, stripping him of his military authority and granting him a de facto demotion.
A normal person would have already gone mad from anger, but w.a.n.g Chong had managed to endure, his actions remaining composed.
w.a.n.g Chong had no idea what Gao Xianzhi was thinking as he turned to Bahram. This transfer was far too sudden. Not only him, but his father and older brother had been transferred away. The ones who needed the most comfort at this time were Bahram and the other rebel leaders.
“Great General, this is an order from the Emperor, and I cannot oppose it. But I ask that you believe that as long as the empire has a garrison here, it will guard this place to the death. In addition, I am only leaving temporarily, not forever. Once I resolve this matter, I will naturally return to Khorasan,” w.a.n.g Chong sincerely said.
“Milord, there is no need for you to explain any more.”
Bahram gave a long sigh.
“I completely understand, and this is not something Milord can resolve. I just wish to say that no matter the time or occasion, Milord will always be a friend and ally of our Sa.s.san. Although Milord is not here, as long as your successor remains loyal to the alliance signed between the Great Tang and the Sa.s.sanid Dynasty, the Sa.s.sanid Dynasty will be loyal to the Great Tang and be its firmest ally in the west!”
“Thank you!”
w.a.n.g Chong nodded. He had been waiting for exactly these words. With these words, it didn’t matter if he left Khorasan or not.
“Lord w.a.n.g, is it enough?”
The official surnamed Wen spoke from atop his horse. He had been watching w.a.n.g Chong the entire time, but he had only spoken once had seen that w.a.n.g Chong had just about finished speaking with Gao Xianzhi and Bahram.
“Chong-er, the decrees of the sovereign cannot be defied. Think a little more positively. After all this, this is a decree from the Imperial Court,” w.a.n.g Yan said in his mellow voice as he walked out from the back and patted w.a.n.g Chong on the back.
“The war has already been won. That’s what is most important.”
w.a.n.g Chong’s big brother, w.a.n.g Fu, also walked over.
The sight of w.a.n.g Chong’s figure was of great comfort to w.a.n.g Yan and w.a.n.g Fu. As a clan of ministers and generals, the w.a.n.g Clan saw it as its duty to loyally serve the country. As a descendant of the w.a.n.g Clan, w.a.n.g Chong had faithfully carried out this duty. Nothing else was important.
“Father, your child understands!”
w.a.n.g Chong nodded. He took the jade seal symbolizing the authority of Qixi Protector-General and pa.s.sed it to the three middle-aged Confucian experts.
This small square jade seal captured the attention of everyone. All of them knew that this not only symbolized the authority of Qixi Protector-General, but also the leader of the coalition army. This jade seal in w.a.n.g Chong’s hand symbolized supreme authority and status.
“Lord w.a.n.g, there is no need to worry. We will manage this place well!”
The leading Confucian expert reached out and took the jade seal.
An official from the Bureau of Rites seized the moment to speak. “Lord w.a.n.g, it’s daylight. We should begin to move out now. Please come with us!”
As he spoke, he waved behind him, and then in a cloud of dust, a group of twenty-some soldiers clad in golden armor rode out. These were the dazzling Golden Guards of the Imperial Palace, and they had come to escort w.a.n.g Chong and the officials from the Bureau of Rites.
The Golden Guards.
These were the most respected guards in the Imperial Palace, and their duty was to protect the Son of Heaven. On the outside world, they also represented the Great Tang’s Son of Heaven, and since these officials had brought the Golden Guards with them on this journey, it was clear that they had made ample preparations.
Clangclang!
In a cold flash of light, the subordinates around w.a.n.g Chong pulled out their weapons and angrily stared at these guards.