Chapter 714: The City of Steel I (1/2)
Chapter 714: The City of Steel (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
”It seems like quite a few people are watching the construction of our city, huh?”
Wang Chong looked up at the sky with a smirk.
”It's not just these spying birds. From the very first day, the number of Western Regioners, Turks, Tibetans, Arabians, Characenians, and Goguryeons that appear each day around the fief have been uncountable. They might disguise themselves as jewel merchants from the Western Regions, horse bandits, or Arabian weapon merchants, and they constantly watch and investigate. We've already driven away many batches, but they just keep on coming.”
As Zhang Shouzhi spoke, he glanced worriedly into the distance.
Wang Chong's expression was calm as he followed Zhang Shouzhi's glance. As expected, several li from here, a few small figures were standing on a hill, watching.
”Lord Marquis, why don't we gather the troops and drive these people away?” Zhang Shouzhi said.
”Haha, there's no need,” Wang Chong lightly said with a careless expression, waving his hand.
”When someone builds a city, people will always be watching. You can never kill them all. As long as the Tibetans, Turks, Arabians, and Characenians are intent on it, they'll send an endless stream of scouts to bring information. Let them be.”
Wang Chong's demeanor was relaxed, and his expression inspired confidence in others. Both the birds overhead and the scouts in the surrounding area were at best vexing mosquitoes. Since he had dared to build a city here, he wasn't afraid of anyone coming to gather intelligence.
”But, Lord Marquis, there is another piece of news that this old man doesn't know if he should speak about?”
Zhang Shouzhi hesitated, a look of apprehension in his eyes.
”Oh?”
With a flash of his eyes, Wang Chong turned around toward Zhang Shouzhi. After spending so much time with Zhang Shouzhi, experiencing life and death with him, he had developed the impression of Zhang Shouzhi as a straightforward and forthright man. He would never hesitate or be so filled with worries.
”What's wrong? What can't you say in front of me?”
”We can put aside the Tibetans, Arabians, and Turks. After all, those can all be expected, as our location is too special, wedged right in between all of them. But in this period of time, we've also discovered scouts from Beiting, Anxi, Qixi, and Longxi. Lord Marquis, this isn't good for us!” Zhang Shouzhi said, a deep worry shrouding his face.
The Beiting Protectorate, Anxi Protectorate, Qixi Protectorate, and Longxi's Big Dipper Army—only those of the Great Tang understood the meaning of these names.
Wang Chong's rise in the war of the southwest had earned him the attention of all the foreign countries, but if Beiting, Anxi, Qixi, and Longxi were also sending people over, then this was an ill omen.
Wang Chong's brow slightly furrowed and he instantly fell quiet.
Beiting was An Sishun, Anxi was Gao Xianzhi, Qixi was Fumeng Lingcha, and Longxi was Geshu Han. These people were all influential Great Generals of the empire who wielded considerable authority and status in both the military and the Imperial Court.
For an ordinary person to obtain the attention of just one of these people was extremely difficult, but Wang Chong had earned the attention of four at the same time.
The Regional Commanders incident!
With this thought, Wang Chong understood.
The four Great Generals usually kept to their own areas, rarely dealing with each other in private. In truth, the empire harshly forbade these powerful Great Generals from privately colluding.
But even so, these four all shared a common trait. In the Regional Commanders incident, Wang Chong had submitted a memorial that had thoroughly offended all of them.
In turn, these four had all submitted memorials to the court requesting Wang Chong's execution and causing him to be jailed in the imperial prison.
They're waiting for the opportunity to settle their grudges! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
In the Regional Commanders incident, he had been in the distant capital, protected by his clan. Not even Great Generals like Geshu Han or Fumeng Lingcha had many means of seizing him. But now was different. He was now in Wushang, establishing his fief and placing a city at the intersection of their four factions. With the temper of these four, it would be stranger if they simply allowed him to construct a city right under their eyes.
Although Wushang was close to the Silk Road, it also occupied a unique geographic position. Several hundred li to its left was the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, where the Tibetan armored cavalry could descend.
Five hundred li to the northeast was the border of the Western Turkic Khaganate, the territory of the Ishbara Khagan1. Although it was around five hundred li away, this distance was nothing for cavalry.
If one followed the Silk Road to the northwest for about one thousand li, one would find the Anxi Protectorate, ruled by Anxi Protector-General Gao Xianzhi.
This road was truly too important, so any movement to build a city on the Silk Road would receive the attention of all factions.
The Imperial Court had established the Qixi Protectorate in this area to fend off the Western Turkic Khaganate to the east and the Ü-Tsang Empire to the west. With the additional protection of the Anxi and Beiting Protectorates and the assistance of Longxi's Big Dipper Army, the Qixi Protectorate was completely capable of protecting the trade on the Silk Road.
But Wang Chong just so happened to have offended the Protector-Generals of these protectorates.
It was hard to say if these people might play some tricks while Wang Chong was constructing his city!