Chapter 846: Consolidating Qixi! I (1/2)
Chapter 846: Consolidating Qixi! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Li Siye, upon receiving the order, immediately began to reorganize the Qixi army. The army valued speed and decisiveness, and whether in the last life or this, the Invincible Great General had always conscientiously carried out his duty. Besides that, the five thousand Wushang Cavalry armed to the teeth had thoroughly cowed the Hu soldiers.
”Xu Keyi, see what the casualties amongst the Hu are,” Wang Chong lightly ordered upon making a circuit of the battlefield.
”Yes, Lord Marquis.”
Xu Keyi immediately left with the order. In terms of administration, Xu Keyi was undoubtedly an excellent worker. It took only a few moments for Xu Keyi to return.
”Milord, of the Qixi Protectorate army, four Hu generals were killed. The Hu cavalry suffered one hundred and fifty deaths. As for heavy injuries… eight thousand seven hundred, and countless people with light injuries!”
Xu Keyi's voice paused and became much faster as he reported the last number.
This battle had successfully defeated and subdued the rebel Hu of the Qixi Protectorate army, but the cost had been unavoidably large. Eight thousand seven hundred heavily injured… Xu Keyi snuck a glance at Wang Chong, a little concerned that this news would be extremely disadvantageous for Wang Chong once it reached the Imperial Court.
After all, the Qixi Protectorate army only had a few tens of thousands of soldiers in total!
”Just one hundred and fifty soldiers… that's good enough. Xu Keyi, prepare a memorial reporting this matter to the Imperial Court!”
To Xu Keyi's surprise, Wang Chong was quite relieved at this report, even giving a long sigh of relief. Wang Chong knew what Xu Keyi was thinking and shot him an indifferent smile.
”Relax—it'll be fine. Just do as I say!”
Wang Chong had grown up in clan of ministers and generals, so he knew a great deal about how the army worked. Although eight thousand seven hundred soldiers of the Qixi Protectorate army had been heavily injured in this battle, a rather astonishing number, the Imperial Court would actually only care about the one hundred and fifty dead.
It would barely even pay attention to the heavily wounded!
In the military, 'heavily wounded' and 'dead' were two completely different concepts. The heavily wounded could recover once a certain amount of time had passed, but the dead could not be revived. One hundred and fifty dead to resolve the chaos of Qixi would leave both the Imperial Court and the Sage Emperor with nothing to complain about.
Wang Chong had planned this all out from the very beginning.
”Everyone else, follow me!”
Wang Chong waved an arm and led the rest of his subordinates to the Qixi Protectorate headquarters. The battle was over, so Wang Chong could put all his attention on that enormous structure.
I can finally get a good look…
In truth, he had passed the Qixi Protectorate many times, but the existence of Fumeng Lingcha had meant that he never dared to get close. The closest he had ever been to this massive building was the night of his battle with the Black Wolf Yabgu, but even then, Wang Chong had not been so close.
Wang Chong carefully inspected this massive edifice. It was more than ten zhang tall, the entire building constructed from bronze, refined iron, gold, silver, and Deep Sea Xuan Metal. While grandiose and gorgeous, it was also firm and steady. But Wang Chong's attention was more on the countless scars left by weapons on its surface as well as the scorch marks left by the flames of battle.
On this massive building, Wang Chong could see the deep marks of history, eroded by the long passage of time.
The Qixi Protectorate headquarters had not been built recently. In fact, one could trace it all the way back to the era of Emperor Taizong, many years ago. Fumeng Lingcha was also far from the first Qixi Protector-General. Generation after generation of border generals had presided over this place, each one leaving their own marks upon it.
After many years, the Qixi Protectorate finally welcomed another Han Protector-General.
”Su Shixuan, get the roster for the Qixi Protectorate. Inspect all the servants, maids, and laborers. Keep all those that pass muster and dismiss all those who can't. In addition…”
Wang Chong suddenly paused for a moment, a smile emerging on his lips.
”In addition, you can tell Xu Qiqin that she can come over.”
With these words said, Wang Chong strode like a shooting star into the center of the hall. The floor of the Qixi Protectorate headquarters was also made of metal, and it felt cold beneath his feet, but Wang Chong could also sense something else. This was the first time since he had reincarnated that Wang Chong had stepped into the famous Qixi Protectorate of the western border.
Wang Chong could sense that the marks of authority had been deeply branded into every inch of this building.
The tens of thousands of soldiers of Qixi, the nearby Qixi Armory, and the vital road to the Western Regions were all controlled from this massive building.
This was the first time in his life that Wang Chong had stepped upon this peak of supreme authority.