Chapter 244: Zhangchou Jianqiongâs Ambitions!
Miyasame Ayaka could clearly sense the changes Wang Chong was undergoing, but with her intuition, she knew better than to ask about it.
"Gongzi, the situation seems to have gotten a little troublesome now. It looks like the Goguryeons are on their guard against us," Miyasame Ayaka frowned worriedly.
No matter how secretively the two of them operated, the Goguryeons werenât fools. With so many people disappearing without a trace, they couldnât possibly not suspect anything.
"Un." Retracting his Little Yinyang Art, a dark shadow appeared on Wang Chongâs glabella for a brief instant before reverting back to normal.
"Hehe, thereâs no need to think too much into it. Weâll just have to deal with everything that comes our way. Even if the Goguryeons do suspect something, they have no way of finding how those people died and where they died. Thatâs also the reason why I chose to strike only after they left the base.
"This will hinder them from finding out whether we know where their base is, or in fact, they might even think that itâs a coincidence,â Wang Chong said.
Decades of successfully keeping undercover had made the Goguryeons complacent. They felt that it was impossible for Great Tang to catch onto their traces, and they had absolute confidence in the ingenuity of their disguise.
They had men operating both in the open and in the dark, and those in the open wouldnât do anything that would defy Great Tangâs law. Even if the Great Tang were to deploy men to spy on them twenty-four hours a day, the only conclusion they could derive was that they were law-abiding citizens.
On the other hand, those in the dark disguised themselves as merchants, nobles, bodyguards, and such. They frequented the Goguryeon hotels, taverns, and gambling den to liaise among their group, and they usually remained reticent, avoiding speaking where possible. Even if they had to talk in public, they would make sure that they only spoke in the tongue of the Central Plains.
As such, it was impossible for the royal court to uncover them and their secret base.
This was because their secret base wasnât even in the cityâs west, the territory of the Goguryeons.
This elaborate scheme was what the Goguryeons were most proud of and confident about, and it made full use of the thought gap of the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments.
But to Wang Chong, he felt that the pride and confidence they had built up over this period of time could be exploited to his advantage instead.
No matter how many men he killed, as long as he kept out of the other partyâs base, he didnât fear the other party finding anything out. Even if they had their suspicions, there was little possibility that they would relocate.
"But with these suspicions, they would surely be more guarded. It wonât be as easy in the future,â Miyasame Ayaka provided an alternative opinion.
The Goguryeons possessed immense influence that exceeded most powers in Great Tang. One would be a fool if one were to take them lightly.
"Guarded? So be it. Theyâre in the open while weâre in the dark. Do you think that we canât defeat them with our strength? Donât forget, we still have many trump cards yet to be used!" Wang Chong chuckled light-heartedly.
Miyasame Ayaka was stunned momentarily before understanding what Wang Chong meant. Indeed, Wang Chong wasnât alone!
Knowing that Miyasame Ayaka understood his intentions, Wang Chong didnât elaborate too much on it. Instead, he bent down and began searching the one-eyed fattyâs body. Soon, he managed to find two silk boxes.
Each of the two silk boxes was filled with a golden ginseng of four-hundred-year maturity.
"As I expected! Almost every one of these Goguryeons has a ginseng on them!"
While this wasnât the first place Wang Chong had encountered such a situation, he couldnât help but be impressed by Goguryeoâs extensive resources. Their wealth in this aspect was indeed exceptional.
These kinds of ginseng of several hundred years of maturity were extremely rare in the Central Plains, but every one of these Goguryeons actually had at least one each. As long as one was a Goguryeon warrior, he would almost definitely have this kind of ginseng.
With such resources, it was no wonder why the Goguryeon empire was so capable at grooming experts.
Shutting the two silk boxes, Wang Chong placed them in his embrace.
"Right, gongzi, what is... âGoguryeonâ... âclubâ?" a doubtful voice asked suddenly.
Hearing Miyasame Ayakaâs words, Wang Chong staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
Cough cough! âMiyasame Ayaka, what did you just say?" Wang Chong looked at Miyasame Ayaka with a bizarre expression and nearly choked on his own saliva.
"My Koguryoan isnât too proficient, so I am only able to interpret each word individually without knowing the meaning..." Miyasame Ayaka frowned deeply in thought as she tried her best to recall what had been spoken.
"But if Iâm not mistaken, what gongzi just said should be âGoguryeon clubâ right? What does it mean? Why did that person become angry? Is there such a saying in the Central Plains?"
Miyasame Ayaka was perplexed. When Wang Chong went out, he said those two words and that one-eyed fatty was instantly provoked and immediately came chasing over. This left Miyasame Ayaka with a very deep impression.
"Th-this..." Seeing Miyasame Ayaka asking him with such a serious expression, Wang Chong felt incredibly awkward.
His first reaction was that Miyasame Ayaka was intentionally teasing him, but seeing the expression on her face, he realized that she was asking the question in earnest!
How in the world was he supposed to know what Goguryeon club meant? In any case, itâs just a slang word used to scold another in another space-time continuum, and Wang Chong was only picking it out to use. He didnât expect it to be so effective, hooking the Goguryeon club in an instant.
He wasnât thinking too much back then, so he forgot that there wasnât such a saying in this world.
How was he supposed to explain slang to the other party?
"Haha, Iâm just spouting some casual insults. We still have some things to do so letâs move on..." Not daring to linger any longer on the topic, Wang Chong quickly found a reason to excuse himself.
Miyasame Ayaka stared at Wang Chongâs departing back with a perplexed look, but as though realizing something, the lips beneath her veil slowly curled up into a slight smile.
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While Wang Chong was hunting down the Goguryeon warriors one by one, on another side of the capital, the contention over Zhangchou Jianqiongâs appointment was gradually reaching its peak.
After a month of silence, one of the most influential ministers in Great Tang, the eldest son of Duke Jiu, Wang Gen, made a stand on the royal court, expressing his full support for Zhangchou Jianqiong in taking over the position of Minister of War.
This was the very first time an influential official was expressing his support for Zhangchou Jianqiong openly.
After a whole month of farces, everyone thought that the chances of Zhangchou Jianqiong being initiated into the royal court were slim. However, Wang Genâs statement had rekindled the flames of hope, and this could possibly be a turning point.
As everyone in the royal court knew, Wang Gen, as a grade-1 official engaged in politics, had always proceeded carefully around major matters. He rarely took the initiative to make a stand, especially in the face of great uncertainty.
As such, Wang Genâs expression of support caught many peopleâs attention, and they viewed it as the will of the entire Wang Clan and King Song.
Ever since Duke Jiuâs retirement, everyone thought that the Wang Clanâs influence had been on a steady decline. However, after the âregional commanders incidentâ, there was no one who dared to underestimate the Wang Clan anymore.
On the contrary, in everyoneâs view, after that incident, the Wang Clanâs reputation and prestige had soared to a new peak, exceeding even that of Duke Jiuâs era.
This was because the Wang Clan had won the support and respect of another faction âthe military!
Duke Jiu had involved himself in the military and participated in wars before, but in the end, he couldnât be considered a military man. As such, despite his accomplishments, Duke Jiu still possessed little support from the commanders and generals of the military.
But the regional commanders incident had brought Wang Clan the respect of all Han commanders and generals.
As such, no one dared to take Wang Genâs expression of standing lightly.
Not to mention, King Song was also a powerful ally of theirs. With the support of this faction, Zhangchou Jianqiongâs circumstances immediately changed.
"Hahaha, Yang Zhao has indeed made a move. With the Wang Clanâs support, thereâs a sixty percent chance Iâll be able to enter the central politics!... Indeed, I hadnât wasted my effort helping them in the regional commanders incident!"
In the faraway Southern Protectorate Manor, dressed in heavy armor before a campfire, with a letter that came from the north in hand, Zhangchou Jianqiong roared in laughter.
âTrain a soldier for a thousand days just for that crucial moment.â Be it Yang Zhao or the Wang Clan, Zhangchou Jianqiong had indeed expended much effort on them. It was about time for him to reap the fruits of his efforts!
"Congratulations, general!" Hearing Zhangchou Jianqiong words, a huge uproar exploded around him. One after another, elite soldiers and commanders got to their knees and lowered their heads, expressing their sincere joy for Zhangchou Jianqiongâs situation.
In truth, Zhangchou Jianqiong hadnât been wasting his time away by the borders for the past few decades. After spending much time as the Southern Protector-General, he had managed to win himself a huge group of loyal and powerful experts.
Every single one of the subordinates before him would willingly lay down their lives for him, and on top of that, they were all experts that could easily shake a region with their might.
They were his most prized asset!
With these people, even at a place like the capital, he would surely be able to stand his ground firmly, unlike some of the previous Ministers of War who could be considered to be âin name onlyâ.
"Xianyu Zhongtong, after I leave for the capital, the seat of the Southern Protectorate Manorâs Protector-General will be yours. Make some preparations; youâll be following me to the capital later on. If you wish to sit tightly on the position of the Southern Protector-General, there are some people you must get acquainted with. This will prove to be highly beneficial to you in the future!" Zhangchou Jianqiong said suddenly, turning around to look at an honest-faced, full-bearded and muscular man.
"Yes, my lord!" the uniformed Xianyu Zhongtong replied gravely, lowering his head.
Zhangchou Jianqiong nodded in satisfaction.
Xianyu Zhongtong wasnât really a capable person. Rather, his strength was that he was a loyal and reliable commander who could perfectly carry out every instruction issued to him, a typical defense commander.
It would suffice as long as Jiannan was fine, so Xianyu Zhongtong would probably do well as the head of the Southern Protectorate Manor.
But of course, what was most important was that Xianyu Zhongtong was his man.
As long as the Southern Protectorate Manor was under the control of his man, the 180,000 elites stationed here could be considered to be in his grasp, and they would serve the foundation of his influence.
Thus, Xianyu Zhongtongâs capabilities truly didnât matter at all to Zhangchou Jianqiong.