荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

“What!?”

Wang Chong was shocked by the words of the Demonic Emperor Old Man. He had obtained the treasure map from Iron Cloak Li, and it was a map that had been passed down for several centuries, perhaps even as far back as the Daye era of the Great Sui. Ever since, countless martial artists had attempted to find the number one art of the world, but all of them came back empty-handed, the vast majority merely chasing shadows and groundless rumors.

Thus, it was later said that the supreme art had been totally lost.

Wang Chong had never imagined that his master and the Wushang Village Chief would make progress so quickly. Although he didn’t dare to be sure that the area they found was where the art really was buried, it was worth trying.

It had been many years since there had last been any news of a likely area in the martial arts circles. This alone was enough to raise one’s spirits.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man continued speaking.

“This time, I was planning to go with the Wushang Village Chief, but for this incident to happen is fine as well. Leave the capital and come with us!”

Even if Wang Chong’s cultivation were not a problem now, he would have still faced the risk of cultivation defect in the future. It had only been pushed up ahead of schedule.

Wang Chong stood in a daze, the suggestion taking him by complete surprise.

The Demonic Emperor Old Man took note of Wang Chong’s silence and immediately became rather angry. “What? In such a state, you’re still not willing to leave? The empire won’t die just because you’re not here. Just what is in this place that is worth your lingering around like this!?”

“Haaah...”

Wang Chong said nothing, but he sighed. He naturally understood the pains his master was taking, but at a time like this, how could he possibly leave? If he had not been reborn, perhaps he could have accepted his master’s argument, that without him, the Great Tang would continue to exist. But Wang Chong was well aware that this was not the case at all.

“Master, your disciple understands the efforts you have taken! But... can I have some time to think it over?”

Wang Chong gave a deferential bow.

The sight of the earnest Wang Chong made the Demonic Emperor Old Man feel like he had nowhere to vent his anger. This child was constantly thinking about the realm and the people. He felt very proud about his disciple for this, but he also felt extremely helpless before such an attitude.

“Fine! If you’re not willing to go, then I can’t force you. But your current state can’t be allowed to persist for very long. The dangers of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art are not as simple as you imagine!”

The Demonic Emperor Old Man jumped onto the wall, and at almost the same moment, whoosh! A letter flew through the air like a sharp sword toward Wang Chong. Wang Chong subconsciously snatched the letter out of the air, and as he glanced down, he saw that it was covered in his master’s handwriting. This was clearly the mantra and methods his master had used to suppress the unstable Stellar Energies in his body and delay the cultivation defect.

“Master...”

Wang Chong felt a surge of warmth, but his master had already vanished in a gust of wind.

......

As time went on, Wang Chong spent every day in the residence supervising the general situation, constantly dispatching men to observe Ü-Tsang, the Western and Eastern Turks, Arabia, Goguryeo, and the other countries, ready to guard against their attacks at any time. He was also keeping an eye on the progress being made with the hybrid rice and the warehouse construction.

Along the southeastern coast, countless boat-building clans were in such a building frenzy that they had even drawn the notice of the court. But just like the dynasties that had preceded it, the Great Tang did not place much emphasis on its navy. As long as Wang Chong was not showing any designs on the mainland, the important officials of court, including Li Junxian and his Confucian Sect, did not care what he did on the sea.

On the Sindhu side, the ore-excavating machines Zhang Shouzhi had built had long ago been put to use, and large amounts of Hyderabad ore were being excavated. At the same time, Wang Chong had also ordered for fortifications to be built on the Hyderabad Mountains to defend against any potential Arab assault. Now that Khorasan had fallen, the Arab army could advance into Sindhu at any time and directly threaten Wang Chong’s mining operations.

Everyone in the world knew about this precious ore. The Imperial Court of the Great Tang wanted to meddle in the mines, so Arabia almost certainly wanted to as well.

Fortunately, Sindhu was a land covered in miasma and ravaged by plagues and epidemics. Coupled with the fact that the Hyderabad Mountains were steep and difficult to attack, Arabia had still not decided to attack the mines. Besides that, Wang Chong had written a letter to Gao Xianzhi in the distant Western Regions asking him to occasionally take his Anxi Protectorate army and intimidate the Arabs so that they did not act recklessly.

Right now, Wang Chong was extracting large amounts of ore from the mountain every day, seizing every moment available to him. He was well aware that this sort of blessing could not persist for long.

At the same time, one batch of Sindhi after another was entering the Great Tang and being sent on ships to the promised land. All of this was done quietly and without drawing anyone’s notice. Wang Chong knew, however, these Sindhi and the hybrid rice that was being sent with them would be the hope for the entire world in the future.

“What’s the status of the soldier recruitment?”

Wang Chong’s study had returned to normal by now, and he was seated on a sandalwood chair.

Su Shixuan bowed and said, “Your Highness, everything is proceeding according to plan. We have already recruited many Khorasani and Western Regioners at the triangular gap, as well as many Great Tang elites. However, Su Hanshan not long ago sent word that it was not easy to keep an army greater than one hundred thousand at the triangular gap, and he wanted to send some of the troops to the base in the lands of Greater and Lesser Balur. Otherwise, we might risk drawing the suspicion and displeasure of the Imperial Court.”

Wang Chong said nothing, only silently nodded.

Su Hanshan had a very sharp intuition in this aspect, making him not just a naturally skilled strategist, but also an extremely skilled political operator. The triangular gap was extremely close to Qixi, and though it was not considered the territory of the Great Tang, it was still on the borders. The garrison of twenty thousand soldiers had already drawn the attention of the Imperial Court, and as more and more were garrisoned, the Imperial Court would become more and more concerned. Once the number exceeded one hundred thousand, then even if the triangular gap was a ‘no man’s land’, the Imperial Court would not be able to tolerate it and would start making trouble for Wang Chong.

Su Hanshan had noticed the opportunity presented in this. He would send more than half of the soldiers and distribute them across the two forts in the lands of Greater and Lesser Balur, and then train the soldiers in rotation. This preserved the dignity of the Imperial Court while also allowing for the recruitment of as many soldiers as possible to deal with any future mishaps.

Together with the Anxi Protectorate army, they could also intimidate the Arabs who had paused at Khorasan for now.

“In addition, we’ve continued to recruit soldiers through the clan alliance, targeting the soldiers disbanded by the Imperial Court, the retired prefectural army soldiers, Imperial Army soldiers, mercenaries, and even martial artists from the sects. We’ve also dispatched many people to seek out martial artists with potential,” Xue Qianjun said with a bow, unaware of what Wang Chong had on his mind at this time.

The room instantly fell silent, a thoughtful look appearing on Wang Chong’s face. Ever since that incident, his mind had been greatly broadened. Since the Imperial Court was unsalvageable and the Confucian Sect was controlling the Imperial Court into disbanding as much of the army as it could, all Wang Chong could do was build up soldiers through his own methods.

Even if Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect succeeded in completely altering the shape of the Great Tang, he could come back at any moment to pick up the pieces and stabilize the situation, returning peace and safety to the people of the realm. But to reach this goal, the one hundred thousand soldiers stationed at the triangular gap were far from enough.

Wang Chong had calculated that if he wanted to preserve the Great Tang in the worst situation, he would need to prepare a force of at least five hundred thousand elite soldiers. In the Great Tang, this would undoubtedly be seen as fomenting a rebellion, and if this got out, it would probably end in his execution. But Wang Chong no longer cared. Since he could no longer travel the same path as the Imperial Court, he would protect the Great Tang and the Central Plains through his own methods.

As for individual glory, just as his three venerable seniors had said, even if the entire world cursed him as the Demon King of Slaughter, it was nothing to worry over.

These soldiers definitely could not be trained in the Central Plains, and the triangular gap was already his largest training ground for soldiers. The other places were all occupied by countries like Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, or the Turks.

“Soldiers can’t be raised in the Central Plains, so I can only do so overseas. But where could I possibly raise five hundred thousand soldiers overseas?”

Wang Chong slowly raised his head and muttered to himself. But he quickly composed himself.

“Su Shixuan, bring that map over!”

A few moments later, a map that was four feet wide and six feet long was unfurled on the desk in front of Wang Chong.

This map was a combination of Ü-Tsang’s map of the continent and the information Wang Chong had obtained through his own scouting parties and various military maps, creating a new map of the world. This map contained almost every place that he knew of, and even the islands with the Meteoric Metal ore were clearly marked out. This was truly a unique product.

Wang Chong slowly scanned the regions of the map. Around him, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, and Xue Qianjun followed Wang Chong’s gaze.

Finding a proper place to train soldiers was easier said than done. Wang Chong scanned the map from the lower left corner to the upper right. Finally, his eyes settled on a group of islands on the upper right corner of the map. In a flash, Su Shixuan, Xu Keyi, and Xue Qianjun noticed Wang Chong’s eyes light up.

“This is the place!”

A name suddenly resounded in Wang Chong’s mind.

The Ten Eastern Islands!

These were the ten islands closest to Goguryeo and the islands closest to the entire continent. Most importantly, Wang Chong clearly remembered that Miyasame Ayaka was from this place. Wang Chong’s number one assassin had long ago returned to the Ten Eastern Islands to deal with a matter, but he had still heard no news from her.