Chapter 451: Zhang Shougui!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
At present, Li Siye could be described as the most powerful person at Wang Chong's side. As he would become the Invincible Great General in the future, his strength could be easily imagined.
But even the high-tier Profound Martial expert who had killed Black Dragon Zhao was insignificant before that sudden and majestic energy.
In this moment, Li Siye, Elder Ye, Elder Zhao, Wang Chong, Marchioness Yi, and all the rest felt a fierce unease.
"Forget him. Li Siye, Elder Ye, kill An Yaluoshan!" Wang Chong suddenly yelled.
For this operation, he had mobilized almost all the strength of his clan and didn't mind paying any price. And just a moment ago, everything seemed to be going smoothly. Although he had let An Yaluoshan escape from Drunken Sparrow restaurant, he hadn't been able to completely escape. He had quickly surrounded the Youzhou soldiers, so now, An Yaluoshan couldn't escape like he had at the restaurant.
But right when he was about to succeed, Wang Chong suddenly felt a fierce danger. And in that moment, Wang Chong suddenly understood something.
The reason An Yaluoshan and those Youzhou soldiers had not attacked first was not merely that they were intimidated by Li Siye's strength. While Wang Chong had been buying time for his forces to arrive, An Yaluoshan had also been buying time for someone to arrive.
And now, that person was here.
Whoosh!
Li Siye, Elder Ye, and Elder Zhao, three Profound Martial realm experts working together, had come with a momentum that could overturn the world, could topple mountains. The three had hesitated a little, but Wang Chong's voice caused them to hasten their assault.
"Impudent!"
A shout thundered over the world. That voice seemed to arise from several dozen li away, but it took only a blink of an eye to reach the courtyard.
Boom!
It was like a boot had slammed down, and for a moment, the earth shook, seemingly causing the entire capital to sway.
Under everyone's eyes, a flood of golden Stellar Energy surged out from beneath An Yaluoshan's feet. This Stellar Energy was wild and domineering, yet it was also imbued with supreme majesty. It completely dispersed the attacks of Li Siye, Elder Zhao, and Elder Ye.
And the rest of the energy sent the trio flying.
"!!!"
At this sight, much less Wang Chong, Zhao Jingdian, or Marchioness Yi, even Li Siye, Elder Zhao, and Elder Ye were flabbergasted.
Li Siye had singlehandedly destroyed the Dragon Bandits while Elder Ye and Elder Zhao were distinguished generals of the older generation. Though old, their strength somewhat diminished, they were still formidable. No ordinary person could deal with them.
Only an extremely rare existence could singlehandedly send the three of them flying.
And no mediocre person could possibly reach this level.
In the space of a second, countless thoughts flashed through the minds of the trio. But they were not given much time to think. The winds howled as a golden figure dropped down from the heavens, crashing into the courtyard.
Upon seeing this golden figure, all the Youzhou soldiers cheered. Wang Chong's side, on the other hand, was dealt a severe shock.
"Not good!"
Wang Chong's complexion instantly turned nasty. Although he had never met that person, hearing the cheers of the Youzhou soldiers was enough for him to immediately guess at the man's identity.
And it was at this moment that Wang Chong suddenly realized that he had made a massive mistake.
From the moment he had heard An Yaluoshan's name and found out his location, Wang Chong had only one thought. At any cost, he wanted to kill this future calamity, the chief culprit behind the destruction of the Central Plains. Before he had even begun to mature, he would resolve this danger.
But it was also at that moment that Wang Chong had forgotten about someone: Zhang Shougui!
The Andong Protector-General, one of the supreme Great Generals of the empire!
……
Besides An Yaluoshan, the only people in Drunken Sparrow restaurant had been An Wenzhen and An Xiaojie, so he had always believed that An Yaluoshan had come to the capital alone.
Even when he came to this courtyard and saw Cui Qianyou and Tian Qianzhen, Wang Chong had remained undeterred. At most, his objective now included these Youzhou soldiers.
With his strength and the Wang Clan's power, he could easily wipe them out in the capital.
But from start to finish, this had just been his wishful thinking.
An Yaluoshan had not at all come to the capital alone. As a member of the Youzhou army, An Yaluoshan was not so bold or capable as to desert his garrison and travel to the distant capital.
There could be only one reason for his appearance.
The one who wanted to come to the capital was not him, but the empire's Andong Protector-General, Zhang Shougui. An Yaluoshan had just followed him.
As for why Zhang Shougui would appear here…
As Wang Chong looked through the memories of his last life, he suddenly understood.
Zhangchou Jianqiong!
Zhang Shougui had only appeared in the capital because of Zhangchou Jianqiong.
As the Annan Protector-General, Zhangchou Jianqiong, for the first time, had relied on military status to enter the court. He had succeeded in becoming Minister of War and he now outranked Zhang Shougui.
This 'unexpected' success had dragged in Zhang Shougui.
Zhang Shougui was also an Imperial Protector-General, a Great General, and in terms of seniority, achievements and prestige, he was above Zhangchou Jianqiong.
If even Zhangchou Jianqiong could use his status in the military to enter the court and become Minister of War, why couldn't he?
In his daze, Wang Chong suddenly understood.
Zhang Shougui wanted to become the Prime Minister!
Wang Chong knew this, the world knew this, and the Sage Emperor also knew this. Twenty years ago, Zhang Shougui dealt a mighty blow to Ü-Tsang, giving him some hope of being appointed Prime Minister. Alas, he ran into Wang Chong's grandfather.
His grandfather was far more senior than Zhang Shougui, and he also had greater prestige in the military. And in terms of achievements, they weren't even comparable.
At the time, his grandfather had stated1, "Zhang Shougui is still very young. He has just defeated Ü-Tsang. In the future, while he is in Youzhou and achieves even more, what will Your Majesty reward him with then?"
These words had been spoken in a private conversation in the Four Quarters Embassy, but because they concerned Imperial Great General Zhang Shougui and the position of Prime Minister, they had been leaked to outsiders.
But Wang Chong knew that this was not the true reason.
However, Zhang Shougui had still developed a grudge against the Wang Clan over this matter.
Annan Protector-General Zhangchou Jianqiong's entering the Bureau of Military Personnel had also affected Zhang Shougui. Thus, in his last life, not long after Zhangchou Jianqiong became Minister of War, Zhang Shougui entered the capital.
This had happened in his last life, and in this life… it was clear that it had happened again. And it was happening right in front of his eyes.
It was for this reason that An Yaluoshan and the other Youzhou soldiers had entered the capital.
As these thoughts came to the surface of his mind, Wang Chong finally understood everything.
But understanding did not give Wang Chong relief. On the contrary, it only made his heart sink further.
Because Zhang Shougui had clearly come to stop him!
"Everyone stop! Anyone who dares to move will die!"
Zhang Shougui, his hands held behind him, seemed to shake the world with his voice. In a flash, Zhao Yatong, Bai Siling, Xu Gan, Chen Burang, Sun Zhiming, and Fang Xuanling all seemed to have their breath taken away by Zhang Shougui's pressure, and none of them dared to move.
The intense battle suddenly transformed into deathly stillness. Both the Youzhou soldiers and Wang Chong's forces did not dare move an inch. They were all awed by the renown of this mighty and famous Andong Protector-General.
A man's name was like the shade of a tree2!
In the Central Plains, in the Great Tang Empire, Zhang Shougui's reputation was second only to the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian, Wang Zhongsi. He was a cornerstone of the empire and wielded considerable influence.
And as Wang Zhongsi retreated into the palace and gradually took leave of the border, passing on his authority to the Big Dipper Great General Geshu Han, Zhang Shougui seemed to be trending toward becoming the supreme figure in the military!
In terms of authority and status, he was even above Hu Great Generals like Gao Xianzhi and Fumeng Lingcha!
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1. Historically, Zhang Jiuling, who Wang Jiuling, Wang Chong's grandfather is based on, urged Emperor Xuanzong to not appoint Zhang Shougui as Prime Minister because Zhang Shougui had only defeated the Khitans, so "what will you reward him with when he destroys the Xi and the Turks?"↩
2. This is a Chinese saying that means that a man's reputation can protect the people under him, just like how the shade of a tree can shelter others.