Chapter 1927: Departure! Triumphant Return! (1/2)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The east and the west were far too distant from each other. Before this, the kingdoms around Arabia had a very limited knowledge of the Great Tang, many of them not even knowing its name. Many of these factions had also followed Arabia into the war of the northwest.

But through this war, these kingdoms had come to keenly understand the power of the Great Tang.

With a much smaller army, the Great Tang had crushed Arabia. The infamously powerful and supreme Arabian Empire had left the corpses of a million soldiers strewn across the eastern world, stunning all the other kingdoms.

And Wang Chong, who was the supreme commander of the eastern army, had killed both Khatabah and the High Priest, making him like the noon sun, an almost mythical existence in the western world.

More importantly, even though the Tang had defeated Arabia and taken Baghdad, their conduct was much less cruel and brutal than the Arabs'.

At least the Tang had not massacred the city!

The other kingdoms were much more willing to follow an empire like the Great Tang, just as powerful but much softer.

Wang Chong greeted the emissaries as the Nine Provinces Protector-General, receiving their letters of credence and then retreating to the inner hall.

”Have the officials from the Imperial Court arrived?”

Wang Chong took off his crimson court robe, exchanging them for casual clothes, as he looked at Zhang Que.

Generals were skilled at fighting battles and taking cities, but managing cities and regions required incredible patience and time. Thus, very early on, Wang Chong had requested the Imperial Court to send civil officials to govern the area.

Now, right before Wang Chong was about to return to the capital, the civil officials had all arrived.

”Milord, we will be setting out soon. Should we inform Lord Zhangchou and the others?” Zhang Que said.

”There's no need. I've already met with them,” Wang Chong indifferently said.

Before Wang Chong left for the capital, the six major commanders had already discussed their plans. Gao Xianzhi and An Sishun would remain to preside over Arabia. Tongluo Great General Abusi and his twenty thousand Tongluo would assist, primarily focused on dealing with rebellions and the stubborn Arab militia.

Wang Chong was the first to return to the capital. Once Arabia had been pacified and slowly convinced to yield to the Great Tang, Zhangchou Jianqiong and the others would follow.

But Gao Xianzhi and An Sishun would have to remain in Arabia.

One of Wang Chong's close guards interrupted the conversation, entering and getting down on one knee. ”Reporting! Milord, Secretariat Advisor Li Junxian seeks an audience.”

The two of them turned to look.

”Let him come in!” Wang Chong said.

Ever since the fall of Arabia, Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect had been extremely subdued. Even Wang Chong rarely saw them. Moreover, with so many things to take care of, Wang Chong did not have the time to worry about them.

He had not expected Li Junxian to come and visit right before his departure.

A few moments later, Li Junxian came in, dressed in his Confucian robes.

After all the battles he had been through, Li Junxian no longer possessed the appearance of a handsome and refined scholar. He was much thinner and paler, but he also seemed more energetic.

”Brother Li!” Wang Chong said.

”Your Highness!”

Li Junxian respectfully bowed.

”This one has come to send Your Highness off. Your Highness, thank you for giving Li Junxian and the Confucian Sect a chance to correct their mistake.”

Li Junxian spoke with sincerity, and there seemed to be another meaning to his words.

”What? You don't plan to return to the capital?”

Wang Chong frowned, immediately sensing something.

Wang Chong had believed that Li Junxian had disappeared because he was preparing to rebuild the schools Arabia had destroyed, but once that was settled, he would return to the capital with him.

But it now seemed that Li Junxian had no intention of returning to the Central Plains.

”No.”

Li Junxian shook his head and gave a rather complicated smile.

”Our Confucian Sect has erred too greatly, almost dragging down all the people of the realm. We no longer have the dignity to return to the Central Plains.”

There was a faint bitterness in his voice.

”A recognized mistake can be reformed, and nothing can be better than that. Brother Li, if it is because of this, there is no need to worry. Life is fickle, and who can say that they have never made a mistake? Moreover, the Confucian Sect has redeemed itself through its own actions. If not for your Confucian Sect's selfless sacrifice to prevent the center from falling, Khatabah would have succeeded,” Wang Chong said.

At the most intense moment of the war of the northwest, when Wang Chong was imprisoned by the High Priest's Forbidden Art Sea, the battle had reached an extremely dangerous moment. The Nine Dragon Army had been on the verge of being enclosed on both flanks and defeated. If Li Junxian and the members of the Confucian Sect had not thrown themselves fearlessly into the fray, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

”And most importantly, we won. I am confident that everyone who knows the details of that battle will welcome the Confucian Sect as heroes,” Wang Chong said.

”Heh, there is no need for Your Highness to comfort me. Even if our Confucian Sect returned as heroes, even if we obtained everyone's reverence and respect, deep down, I still cannot forgive myself.

”A mistake is a mistake. This cannot be changed. Those innocents slain in the border incident and the teachers killed by the Arabs were all because of my mistake. This cannot be forgiven.