荔枝影院

Chapter 1926: A New Technology for Wang Chong!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The Behemoths were simply too powerful. A single one was enough to threaten a city, and an organized army before their mountainous bodies might as well have been made of ants.

If these Behemoths had appeared at the Rebellion of the Three Princes, the damage caused to the empire would have been beyond estimation.

And there was no guarantee that a ‘Wang Chong’ would appear in every period of the empire, or that giant ballistae could be produced to deal with them. If this technology got out, a single person could unleash misery and death for all people of the world.

This was one of Wang Zhongsi’s greatest worries.

“Lord Junior Guardian’s words make sense. We must be cautious on this matter!”

The others turned grave. It was clear that they shared his concerns.

“If we want to prevent others from using it, the best method would be to destroy it. If nobody knows about it, nobody can use it to threaten the Great Tang and the Central Plains. Weapons that are overly powerful are not necessarily good things,” An Sishun said, his expression firm. His stance on the Behemoth forging method was very clear. Destruction was good enough.

“The Great Tang’s ballistae were first produced in Taizong’s era, and in the current reign of the Sage Emperor, there are nearly one hundred thousand of them. But these have not been distributed to the various Protector-Generals. Instead, they are kept strictly controlled and stored at the Qixi Armory. If not for this, the Great Tang would probably be in chaos, and there would have been countless casualties in the Rebellion of the Three Princes. Perhaps even the Arabs would have stolen the method to make them.

“If such a thing had happened, the Battle of Talas or this war might have ended with completely different results!”

Arabia had its Behemoths, and for the Great Tang, its Behemoths were the ballistae.

In this war, the most lethal and intimidating weapon against the Arabs had been Su Hanshan’s ballista army. Moreover, An Sishun had worked with Su Hanshan before, so he had an extremely deep understanding of their power.

“No! We can’t simply destroy them!”

Zhangchou Jianqiong’s brows furrowed together, and he pensively lowered his head.

“Water can both lift boats and sink boats. Whether it serves as a blessing to the realm or a disaster solely depends on how one thinks, on the person rather than the object itself. These items used to create Behemoths were paid in the lives of countless soldiers of the Great Tang, our hard-won spoils of war. To just destroy them is too great of a loss.

“And as you said, after creating those nearly one hundred thousand ballistae, His Majesty did not destroy them. Instead, he stored them at Qixi Armory. If not for these ballistae, do you still think we would have won this war?”

Everyone was instantly silenced. An Sishun opened his mouth to say something, but he quickly shut it again.

Zhangchou Jianqiong was right. None of them could deny the contribution of the ballistae, but it was also difficult for them to praise his words.

The air became rather awkward. No one had expected the matter of the Arabian Behemoth creation arts to be so divisive.

“If we don’t want to destroy these items but also don’t want the method to get out and be used by others, there’s only one method left. We need to find someone we can trust, someone completely devoted to the Great Tang and who would never betray us to the enemy. Let him control the Behemoth creation method and spread it in a small circle. Thus, this art can be used by the Great Tang if necessary while minimizing the danger it presents,” Gao Xianzhi proposed.

Buzz!

The atmosphere suddenly changed. Everyone simultaneously turned to a single person.

“Mm?”

Wang Chong had been pondering how to deal with this matter when he realized to his surprise that everyone was staring at him.

“What’s wrong? Why are you all looking at me?”

But in a rare sight, the group seemed to ignore Wang Chong’s words, looking thoughtful.

“It’s true. In terms of loyalty, I’m sure that no one else here can surpass the King of Foreign Lands!”

Zhangchou Jianqiong nodded as he voiced his agreement.

“Although it still seems rather improper to me, if it’s the King of Foreign Lands, I can consider it,” An Sishun said after a few moments.

“This... If it’s not about protecting the Central Plains, we Tongluo have never had an opinion!” Tongluo Great General Abusi declared. After a few moments of thought, he decided to add, “However, His Majesty has always favored the King of Foreign Lands, and I trust that His Majesty will not misjudge others. If it is the King of Foreign Lands, I have no objection.”

Everyone turned to Wang Zhongsi.

Wang Zhongsi was the Sage Emperor’s adopted son and was utterly loyal to him. He was the only one amongst them that had not yet expressed his stance.

Moreover, Wang Zhongsi was the previous generation’s war god, so he outranked the rest in terms of influence and status. His opinion was of utmost importance.

“If it is the King of Foreign Lands, it is naturally fine.”

Everyone was rather surprised to hear Wang Zhongsi’s words.

“We can start off doing everything as you’ve described, and the fewer people that know, the better. But this is an extremely important matter, so once we get back to the capital, we must request guidance from His Majesty.”

“Naturally!”

“That’s how it should be!”

Everyone agreed with Wang Zhongsi’s words.

It was one thing if they were destroying these items, but a completely different affair if they were choosing to keep them. They naturally couldn’t work around the Sage Emperor for such an important thing.

With these few words, the group decided how to handle the Behemoth creation art, upon which everyone once again turned to Wang Chong.

Though surprised, Wang Chong had come to his senses by now.

The Behemoth creation art was one thing. He was more moved by the trust they had in him.

Wang Chong quickly composed himself and said, “Everyone, thank you for trusting this Wang Chong so much. I will handle this matter appropriately.

“The Central Plains is in the middle of a transformative period, and Wang Chong privately also does not wish to destroy these objects that were used to create the Behemoths. These Behemoths might be very useful to the Great Tang, serving as an important strength to protect the Central Plains. In addition, once we return to the capital, I will strongly recommend to His Majesty that the Behemoth creation art be preserved.”

Wang Chong’s face was firm, his eyes sharp.

He would not conceal his thoughts or act humble. He had always been firm in his resolve and course of action.

But the others were very surprised to hear these words from Wang Chong.

They had all believed that with the Arabs defeated, there were no more external threats, but Wang Chong seemed to think otherwise.

Was there more danger to come in the future?

They glanced at each other in shock, but Wang Chong did not explain.

Wang Chong ordered the generals in the room to mark the instruments, platforms, and formations in the room, and then dismantle them for transport.

In the entire process, Wang Zhongsi and the others intentionally remained uninvolved.

At this moment, this mighty technology that had played such a major role in Arabia’s rise was Wang Chong’s concern. No one else could know how it was dealt with.

......

With the matters in the Temple settled, everyone turned their attention to another matter.

Even though they had killed Khatabah and the High Priest, and defeated the vast Arab army, the Arabian Empire still possessed an immense population and area, even larger than the Great Tang. It was easy to defeat and conquer it, but to actually incorporate the territory into the Great Tang was far from easy.

Even though Wang Chong had sent many soldiers to preside over the various areas, they still had many problems to deal with.

Five hundred thousand soldiers were far from enough to suppress such a massive empire. Bahram and his Sassanids were of great assistance in this venture.

With the help of the Sassanids and the armies of the kingdoms bordering Arabia, the Great Tang was finally able to take control of this western empire.

At the start, the various provinces of Arabia would still occasionally break out in rebellion. Arab militia would also occasionally organize and try to ambush Tang soldiers.

But as Wang Chong sent his soldiers to suppress these rebellions through force and, with the assistance of the Sassanids and other peoples, found the places that Arab dissidents gathered and scoured them clean, Arabia finally began to grow quiet.

Wang Chong began to be known as the ‘King of Slaughter’ in Arabia, causing all Arabs to pale in fear.

It was now three months since the conquest of Arabia, and everything was finally on the right track.

Now that affairs had been settled, the capital finally sent a decree requesting Wang Chong to return.

The day had finally come!

In the Arab capital of Baghdad...

“The Hijra Kingdom pays respects to the King of Foreign Lands and offers up this letter of credence! The Hijra swear eternal fealty to the Great Tang as a vassal kingdom!”

“The Medina Dynasty pays respects to the King of Foreign Land and offers up this letter of credence. Additionally, we offer a meager gift of a crate of gold. The people of Medina are willing to eternally share good relations with the Great Tang and become a vassal kingdom!”

“The Samanid Dynasty pays respects to the King of Foreign Lands. We swear eternal fealty to the Great Tang as a vassal kingdom!”

“The Ghazni Dynasty pays respects to the King of Foreign Lands, offering this letter of credence and three crates of jewels. We are willing to forever share peaceful relations with the Great Tang and serve it as a vassal kingdom!”

“The Buwayhid Dynasty pays respects to the King of Foreign Lands and offers this letter of credence. We are willing to forever serve the Great Tang!”

“The Seljuk Dynasty pays respects to the King of Foreign Lands and offers this letter of credence. We are willing to swear eternal fealty to the Great Tang and serve it as a vassal state!”

“The Ayubbid Dynasty pays respects to the King of Foreign Lands and offers this letter of credence. We swear eternal fealty to the Great Tang as a vassal kingdom!”

(TN: There is no such state as Hijra, as it refers to the Prophet Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina. Medina is one of the holy cities of Islam, second only to Mecca. The Samanids and Buwayhids were Persian empires that arose in Central Asia after the decline of Abbasid rule, existing from 819-999 and 934-1062 respectively. The Ghazni, or Ghaznavid, were a Turkish people who had their own Central Asian empire based in their capital of Ghazni, and their rise heralded the fall of the Samanids, existing as an empire from 977-1186. The Seljuks were another Turkic people who ousted the Buwayhids and came to dominate the Middle East and Central Asia, ruling from 1037-1194. The Ayubbids were the latest of all these groups, the dynasty founded by the famous Saladin in 1170 in Egypt after he abolished the Fatimid caliphate. The rise of the Mamluks and the Mongols ended the dynasty in the 1200s.)

On the day of Wang Chong’s departure, Baghdad was thronging with people. All of the various kingdoms and dynasties bordering Arabia had sent emissaries to offer letters of credence and gifts that Wang Chong could take back to the Tang capital in the hopes that they could form good relations with this empire.