Chapter 1735: Strange Activity on the Border! I (1/2)
Chapter 1735: Strange Activity on the Border! (I)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The heavens could not hold two suns, and a country could not have two masters. When there was a changing of sovereigns, the heavenly omens would become vague, and the stars would dim and make it impossible to read them. Only when the true sovereign appeared would their brightness be restored.
”No, a simple changing of sovereigns wouldn't cause such a major omen! This is an ill omen! An extremely ill omen!”
Master Yinshan muttered to himself, his face ghastly white.
……
Clap!
At almost the same time, countless fortune-tellers who specialized in divination using the Book of Changes, who had just settled down to perform some divinations, suddenly snapped the bamboo tallies in their hands.
(TN: The Book of Changes is associated with a divination method involving yarrow stalks, though the author uses bamboo stalks here for some reason.)
An old man with extremely turbid eyes bolted to his feet and hollered, ”Not good! Not good! Cui'er, pack the luggage! We're leaving tomorrow as soon as the gates open!”
This night was bound to be a restless one!
……
In the southwestern part of the city, the King of Foreign Lands Residence was brightly lit. Wang Chong was standing in front of a sandalwood table and examining a map of the Great Tang. His brow was tightly creased and his expression extremely solemn.
Zhao Fengchen had been defeated, and the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Imperial Army had come under the First Prince's control. The situation was extremely grim, and Wang Chong was well aware that the First Prince was merely waiting for the right time. The Rebellion of the Three Princes could begin at any moment.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a fierce gale ripped overhead, causing countless roof tiles to clatter.
”This is…”
Wang Chong put down the small red flag in his hand and looked up. He seemed to sense something, turned around, and slowly walked out of the hall.
The winds were howling outside. It was already very late, and everyone should have been asleep, but Wang Chong could hear numerous dogs barking.
Homes were lighting up as the residents were stirred into uneasy wakefulness by the barking.
An oppressive and anxious current was running through the city.
Wang Chong looked up and saw that the stars had dimmed, the dark clouds in the sky seeming even darker than usual.
Wang Chong had a vague inkling of what was happening.
Buzz!
A moment later, the Stone of Destiny's voice exploded in Wang Chong's mind.
”Warning! World Event! The Rebellion of the Three Princes has entered its final phase! The countdown has begun, the stars have dimmed, and the realm will change hands. User must expend any price to stop this rebellion. If the Sage Emperor dies, user will be deducted 1,000,000 points of Destiny Energy. In addition, if World Incident: Rebellion of the Three Princes affects user's 'True Dragon Plan', if Li Heng dies, then the True Dragon Plan will fail and user will be obliterated!
”Starting from now, user has only seven days to prepare! Begin!”
Wang Chong stood motionless outside the hall, the winds throwing his robes into disarray.
Wang Chong looked up at the dark skies and said to himself, It's finally begun! Nothing could be seen in the darkness, but Wang Chong could feel countless thoughts surging through his mind.
After crossing a path laden with fire and thorns, after throwing back one crisis after another, he had finally reached the most important turning point in the empire's history.
The course of history could not be stopped. Even though Wang Chong had tried his best, various factions had still managed to push that greatest rebellion in the history of the Great Tang so that it appeared at its proper time. This internecine strife that would utterly expend the strength of the country, leaving tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands starving, had finally come!
But unlike the him of the past, who had been a mere bystander, he now had the strength to fight, to change it all.
Whether it was the First Prince, Hou Junji, or those mysterious men in black, in this life, he would never let them succeed.
”Zhang Que!” Wang Chong called out, his back to the door.
A few moments later, a youthful figure emerged from the darkness and respectfully bowed.
”Your subordinate is here!”
”Pass on my order! Gather the soldiers!” Wang Chong coldly said, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, but suffused with inexplicable strength.
Zhang Que's body trembled, but his reply was without hesitation.
”This subordinate will go!”
Zhang Que was already withdrawing as he spoke, and a few moments later, countless messenger birds took to the skies.
In this night that was both calm and restless, the destiny of the empire began to change, slowly shifting toward a fierce and unpredictable direction.
……
The night soon passed, the moon and dim stars giving way to the sun.
As dawn broke in the east, for many people, another ordinary day began. None of them knew that the empire had already changed.
At the distant Beiting Protectorate headquarters…