The Human Emperor
Page 265Chapter 265: The Unfathomable Old Butler!
In that instant, the area around the saw pit turned silent.
The figure which had just appeared left everyone's mouth agape with shock.
They had experienced King Sosurim's immense might personally. Even a collaboration between Ma Yinlong, Old Eagle, Solitary Wolf, Steel Arms, and Li Lin couldn't stop him, and he managed to break out from their encirclement.
The incredible master archer whom King Song assigned to Wang Chong could kill a True Martial realm expert with every single arrow, but King Sosurim was able to catch his arrow bare-handed.
And yet, such a powerful person actually had his armor of Stellar Energy shattered so easily, and was currently clutched by his throat.
"Ol-old butler?"
Seeing the silhouette by the street, astonishment was suddenly reflected in Li Lin's eyes. The person who saved Wang Chong was no other than the old butler who was often by King Song's side.
"How could this be?" Li Lin muttered to himself. He had never known that the old butler by King Song's side was actually such an astounding expert.
"Lad, is this fellow the Goguryeon chief spy you were looking for?" The old butler nonchalantly ignored the dumbfounded crowd and turned to Wang Chong instead.
In his hands, King Sosurim was howling in fear, but he was unable to do anything at all. He found that he couldn't even lift his own arms.
On the other hand, seated on the back of his horse, Wang Chong wasn't any less astonished than the others.
He didn't know that the old butler would be so ridiculously powerful. In that momentary encounter, Wang Chong couldn't even sense his presence at all.
All of the sudden, the old butler suddenly felt like an enigmatic existence to him.
"To think that King Song would dispatch him!" Wang Chong muttered to himself. Even though Wang Chong was astonished, he wasn't really surprised by this turn of events. That was because he was the one who requested it.
For this operation, he had requested for King Song to dispatch an expert to assist him should the need arise.
It was just that Wang Chong didn't expect that person to be this old butler.
"Yes, it's indeed this person. I'll be depending on you, then." Wang Chong swiftly regained his calm and smiled.
Err err!
Hearing those words, King Sosurim's face was streaked with fear. Releasing frightened moanings, he mustered all of his strength to struggle. But, kacha! The old butler tightened his fingers and snapped the other party's neck.
Peng!
The old butler flicked his wrist before dumping King Sosurim's corpse onto the ground, right before Ma Yinlong and the others.
"Lad, I've already killed the man for you. You should settle everything else yourself."
Leaving behind these words, the old butler clapped his hands and left, as though he had just done something completely insignificant.
"Thank you, elder." Wang Chong bowed respectfully as he watched the other party leave. Only then did he leap down from his horse.
"He's dead!"
"He's really dead!"
"Unbelievable! We almost let this fellow get away!"
The group stared at King Sosurim's corpse with complex emotions. This fellow was cunning and vicious, possessing the traits of a wolf and a fox.
In the past fifteen years, he had been an unrivaled existence in the capital, causing destruction as he pleased... But now, he was lying lifelessly on the ground with nothing, but fear on his face.
Those who had once lived under the fear of King Sosurim could even more vividly feel how difficult it was to slay this Goguryeon chief spy.
"This matter... has finally ended!" Looking at the corpse on the ground, Wang Chong released a long sigh of relief.
On top of preventing the future assassinations and damage he would cause, killing King Sosurim also preserved Great Tang's dignity and honor.
It sent a stern message that the Central Plains would not allow any foreigners to act as they pleased on its lands.
【Congratulations to user for killing King Sosurim! For unraveling the assassination plot of the Goguryeon Empire, you are awarded 20 Destiny Energy.】
That anticipated message finally sounded in Wang Chong's mind, and a hint of a smile slowly appeared on his lips.
However, at that moment, a shocking incident occurred.
【Congratulations to user for killing 1581 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 1582 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 1583 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
--
【Congratulations to user for killing 1588 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 1589 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
【Congratulations to user for killing 1590 soldiers of the Goguryeo Empire!】
Amidst a frenzied wind, great energy gathered from the surroundings and seeped into Wang Chong's body. In that instant, Wang Chong felt his Bane of the Battlefield aura rising to new heights. At the same time, the Goguryeon death toll also increased by 10.
"Hm? Killing King Sosurim is actually equivalent to killing ten Goguryeon warriors?"
Wang Chong was taken aback.
This was the first time he realized that killing a high-tier commander could translate to a higher death toll for ordinary soldiers.
"Uncle, I'll leave everything else to you," Wang Chong said.
This was a huge merit. With this, as long as he could raise his cultivation up to the required level, he would surely be promoted. It would no longer be a dream for him to rise above the others and become an esteemed Marshal.
The clopping of horses sounded in the distance. Wang Chong chose to leave before those from the patrol squad and the city defense squad arrive.
------
Boom!
When the corpse of the culprit, King Sosurim, who had caused a huge storm in Great Tang by slaying many officials fifteen years ago appeared in the capital, it caused a huge uproar.
The royal court swiftly put up notices to confirm the authenticity of this matter.
When the offspring and family members of those victims of that tragic incident back then learned of this matter, they immediately broke down in tears.
Due to this incident, the Wang Clan won the gratitude of nearly every single official in the capital, and many even personally paid a visit to the Wang Clan to express this.
As such, the Wang Clan earned greater prestige and support from the populace and officials.
In fact, due to this incident, the Sage Emperor made an exception and summoned Li Lin, who led the operation, and Ma Yinlong, Steel Arms, Old Eagle, and Solitary Wolf from the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments back then to the royal palace to reward them.
This incident also caused a stir amongst the foreign tribes and Hu in the capital.
King Sosurim, known as the “Fox of Goguryeo”, despite his anonymity in the Great Tang, was a well-known figure among the Hu.
After the things he had done, his influence had been immediately pushed to the peak.
There was no doubt that he was the greatest spy in Great Tang's capital. As such, his death had left many shocked.
A rare peace settled upon the capital for a period of time.
Even the fierce Goguryeons had decided to lay low and live their lives silently for this period of time.
------
"Damn it!"
To the far northeast of Great Tang, across many mountains and rivers, toward the east of the Eastern Protectorate Manor, in Hwandu City of the Goguryeon empire, a figure smashed his fist onto the table.
"Wang Chong, I'll remember your name! One day, you shall pay the price for your actions!"
The figure clenched his jaws and bone-chilling hatred burned in the depths of his eyes.
------
Time passed swiftly, Regardless of the uproar outside, after the event with King Sosurim, Wang Chong lived his days both peacefully and lavishly.
"Chong-er, eat more, eat more! How hard must you have worked to grow so thin? These are the sea cucumbers your father had General Zhang from Lingnan deliver over. They are very nutritious, so eat more."
His little sister wasn't around, his father and big brother were deployed elsewhere, and his second brother was in the death prison. Thus, Wang Chong tried to spend as much time as possible with his mother. However, after hearing her words, his outstretched chopsticks paused for a moment.
"General Zhang? Lingnan?"
Wang Chong glanced at the luxurious meat drizzled with rich soup on the fresh sea cucumber in his bowl in astonishment. His mother might not have noticed anything was amiss, but Wang Chong instantaneously realized something.
His father rarely sent anything back home, especially sea cucumbers such as this. With just a few bites, he could tell that this was no ordinary sea cucumber. These were top-grade jade sea cucumbers!
Other than its succulent texture, it was said to be able to lengthen one's lifespan and nourish one's body, allowing one to return back to one's youth. This was the favorite beauty product of the consorts in the royal palace.
Initially, Wang Chong thought that his mother had gone out to purchase this. After all, with the huge revenue from the Wootz steel business, the Wang Clan had become rather affluent and could afford this kind of luxury as well. However, from the looks of it, that wasn't the case.
"But father doesn't have any friends by the name of General Zhang, not to mention, Lingnan?"
His mother might not be well-versed in the affairs of the military, but how could Wang Chong possibly be ignorant of it? After his previous life, he had a good grasp on his father's connections and subordinates.
Putting aside how there weren't many people whose name went by Zhang in the military, he knew that his father had never been to Lingnan. So how could he possibly have connections there to have sea cucumber delivered here?
General Zhang, General Zhang... This is obviously Zhangchou Jianqiong!, Wang Chong thought.
Zhangchou Jianqiong wanted to enter the central political arena, and the Wang Clan had done him a huge favor this time. Wang Chong knew that the general was currently on his way here, but to think that he would send a few boxes of sea cucumbers over before even arriving here...
He... sure is incredible, Wang Chong smiled after he knew the origin of the sea cucumber.
If his father had been here, such gifts would probably not have been accepted.
However, Wang Chong was different. Knowing that it was from Zhangchou Jianqiong, he felt even more reassured.
"Chong-er, what's wrong?" Madam Wang asked in surprise.
"It's nothing,” Wang Chong replied, recovering from his thoughts, before burying himself in the food.
Judging from the time, Zhangchou Jianqiong should be arriving in the capital very soon, Wang Chong thought.
Jiannan was extremely far from the capital, but Wang Chong was certain that Zhangchou Jianqiong would surely trudge on regardless of day or night, so his traveling speed couldn't be gauged through normal standards.
It was a crucial moment in the selection of the Minister of War, so he had to be present at the scene himself.
Alright, it's about time for us to meet anyway!, The thought flashed across Wang Chong's mind before he started gobbling down the sea cucumbers again.
This meal was indeed sumptuous!
It's getting too hard to differentiate the military ranking of the characters due to lack of precise terminology. Thus, from this point onward, do take commander and general with a pinch of salt. Neither represents a rank higher than the other, though I'll try to keep it clear by the context.