Chapter 474 - A Snowstorm of Letters!
Chapter 474: A Snowstorm of Letters!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Outside the ‘government office’, it was complete chaos. Only after coming outside did Wang Chong realize what a mess the capital had become.
The raucous and thriving capital had now become much quieter. There were fewer peddlers hawking their wares, and pedestrians were walking faster than usual. The topics of their conversations were no longer about buying and selling, but ‘Xianyu Zhongtong’, ‘Annan Protectorate army’, ‘Ü-Tsang’, ‘Geluofeng’, and other names that would have been impossible to hear several years ago!
The atmosphere was one of anxiety and concern.
It had been far too long since the Great Tang had suffered this sort of defeat. The loss of 180,000 elites was enough to affect the entire empire.
At this moment, it wasn’t just the common folk of the capital. Even the generals in the army, the ministers in the court, and the authorities on the border were watching this war.
All of this gave Wang Chong a sense of déjà vu.
“Young Master!”
He heard a familiar voice. Old Eagle was standing in the street outside the office, a four-horse carriage beside him. It was clear that he had been waiting for a long time.
But Wang Chong did not immediately board the carriage.
“Carry out my three orders!”
Wang Chong held up three fingers, his eyes looking forward with a most profound gaze, as if he was peering into the depths of space-time.
“First, immediately dispatch the guards of the clan to all the tea houses and restaurants of the capital. Hire all experts at or above the True Martial realm. Whether noble or lowly, strong or weak, cheap or expensive, hire all of them!” Wang Chong said.
Old Eagle froze for a second before replying, “Yes, Young Master!” Inwardly, he rejoiced.
More than half a month of imprisonment had not worn away at Wang Chong’s spirit. The youth before him was still that wise and composed young master in his memories.
Moreover, every time he issued a string of orders, it meant that something big was about to happen. It was clear that his young master was about to begin an operation.
“Young Master, does it have to do with the war in the southwest?” Old Eagle inquired.
When the entire empire was still clueless about the war in the southwest, Wang Chong and Old Eagle already knew. When the empire was still discussing what to do, Wang Chong was already beginning preparations.
Although Wang Chong had not stated why he was selling the spirit vein, Old Eagle could already guess.
Wang Chong did not nod, but he also did not shake his head.
Although his stance appeared ambiguous, Old Eagle, who had been serving at his side all this time and was very familiar with his thoughts, could already tell what he was thinking.
The war in the southwest had stunned the empire and left everyone gripped by terrible worry.
Xianyu Zhongtong’s crushing defeat had dealt a gigantic blow to the Han, who had always firmly believed in the unstoppable might of the Great Tang.
Although one person, much less a teenager, was limited in what they could do in a war, Old Eagle had always firmly believed that his young master would be able to do something.
Perhaps others might not, but his young master definitely could.
Such things had happened many times in the past.
“Second, summon the four great sword-smithing clans, all the sword stores and shops, and all the swordmasters and inscription masters in the capital! Tell them that the Wang Clan wants to buy all the weapons they have and all their production for the next three months!”
Old Eagle suddenly raised his head and looked at Wang Chong in shock. There were more than a thousand sword shops in the capital, and combined with the four great sword-smithing clans, buying their total production for three months would result in an astonishing sum.
“Yes, Young Master!”
Although he was flabbergasted, Old Eagle still immediately agreed.
“Third, summon Zhao Jingdian, Wei Anfang, Xu Qiqin, and Huang Qian-er. Tell them to meet me tonight at the Wang Residence.”
“Yes, Young Master!” Old Eagle immediately replied.
At this time, Old Eagle was completely without doubt. With these three orders, Wang Chong completely coincided with that extremely decisive youth in his mind.
There were some people that couldn’t be judged by their age, and these people would never allow their own circumstance to weaken their will. It was obvious that Wang Chong was this sort of person.
“Have the ink and paper been prepared?” Wang Chong asked, apparently unaware of the change in Old Eagle’s expression.
“They’re ready, Young Master, in the carriage,” Old Eagle deferentially replied.
Wang Chong nodded.
“Your Highness, please!”
Wang Chong turned around and extended his right palm to King Song, who had been standing behind him. King Song’s carriage was parked nearby. Upon receiving Wang Chong’s invitation, King Song appeared a little slow to catch on, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“Very well.”
Surprise quickly faded, and it took only a few moments for King Song to regain his composure. He nodded, raised the hem of his robe, and stepped onto the carriage.
Wang Chong followed behind, letting down the curtain of the carriage window before stepping inside.
“Let’s go!”
The carriage quickly took off. No one knew what Wang Chong and King Song were talking about within. A powerful energy had suddenly exploded from within, instantly severing even Old Eagle’s perception.
Old Eagle only knew that when King Song walked out of the carriage mid-journey, he had an extremely unpleasant expression!
After King Song left, the carriage became quiet once more.
“Half a month—there’s only half a month left at most! Whether I can succeed will depend on this half a month!”
In the carriage compartment, Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he quickly spread out a sheet of paper. Holding it down with a paperweight, he dipped the brush in his right hand in ink and began to write.
His first letter was to his father Wang Yan and his older brother Wang Fu. Xianyu Zhongtong was a typical defensive general, and he was one of those sticklers who lacked flexibility. He was only good at defending a city.
And his talents certainly did not lie in commanding 180,000 soldiers, much less against opponents like Huoshu Huicang, Dalun Ruozan, Geluofeng, or Duan Gequan.
In his last life, Xianyu Zhongtong had lost precisely to these people. The death struggles of those 180,000 soldiers had only managed to preserve Xianyu Zhongtong’s life.
To save the remaining 80,000 soldiers and preserve the vitality of the Great Tang, Wang Chong could only rely on his father and brother.
“To Father and Brother: From Wang Chong!”
Wang Chong lowered his head, his mind raging as his brush flew across the paper, writing line after line of weighty words.
No one other than Wang Chong knew the overall situation in the southwest. The lives of the 80,000 surviving soldiers depended entirely on the words in this letter.
Flapflap!
When the first letter was finished, a carrier pigeon took off into the sky, swiftly disappearing into the southwest.
After writing the first letter, Wang Chong immediately began on the second, third, fourth…
Some of these letters were bound for the southwest, others for the northeast. Some were going to places within the city, others without… Eagles and carrier pigeons received Old Eagle’s summons and flew down from the sky and onto the roof of the carriage. They then took the snowflake-like letters and took off.
Not even the nearby Old Eagle knew what was in those letters.
“Young Master…”
Seeing Wang Chong’s solemn and focused expression, Old Eagle gave a long sigh. Though his heart ached, he knew that it was wiser to not disturb him.
Although Wang Chong was only a teenager, Old Eagle inexplicably felt that Wang Chong would have to bear the burden of this incident alone!