The Human Emperor

Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Wang Chong opened his eyes and once more looked at the chessboard in front of him. Everything on this board corresponded to a place in the capital, and the images of the Eastern Palace, Taiji Palace, Taihe Palace, Eastern Gate, Western Gate, the Imperial Palace’s Main Gate, and all the outer gates of the capital flitted past his eyes. But Wang Chong still did not comprehend.
Hou Junji was one of the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Lingyan Pavilion and one of the Great Tang’s finest War Gods. Trying to find his weakness was no easy matter.
Hou Junji would not wait. He was too conceited, so conceited that Wang Chong was just a junior in his eyes and not an equal foe.
So Wang Chong knew that he would make the first move.
Time slowly passed, and as Wang Chong continued to inspect the chessboard, his expression grew graver and graver. Suddenly, as Wang Chong’s gaze passed over the southeast corner, he noticed a group of black pieces and froze.
King Qi!
It was like a bolt of lightning streaking across his mind.
Right now, the Imperial Palace was engulfed in darkness that prevented even Wang Chong from sensing anything within. In these circumstances, Wang Chong could not gather any definite information from there, making it even more difficult to predict the plans of the shrewd Hou Junji.
However, while Wang Chong couldn’t predict Hou Junji’s thoughts, it was different for King Qi.
In the Rebellion of the Three Princes, it wasn’t just the three Princes who rebelled. King Qi also created difficulties. The Ghost King can control the First Prince, but he can’t control King Qi. He would never miss out on this period of turmoil, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
The First Prince was merely ambitious, while Hou Junji was conceited. But when it came to conceit, King Qi was entirely the Ghost King’s equal. This could be seen in how he had battled with King Song for many years. More importantly, King Qi and the First Prince were only collaborators. While this most conceited King of the Great Tang might have appeared to listen to the First Prince’s orders, the reality was entirely different.
This was the only factor in the Rebellion of the Three Princes that the Ghost King could not control. Rather than keeping watch on the Imperial Palace, it was better to keep watch on King Qi!
A cicada could predict the coming of autumn, even before the first cold wind. Once King Qi began to move, it meant that the Rebellion of the Three Princes was about to begin.
With these thoughts in mind, Wang Chong looked up and tapped his fingers, already knowing what he should do.
“Pass on my order! Tell Miyasame Ayaka to keep a close eye on the King Qi Residence! Inform me the moment he leaves!”
“Yes!”
……
Around one hour later…
“Reporting!”
A gust of wind blew in as a Golden Guard rushed inside with stunning news.
“We’ve just received word that King Qi has left his residence with the eight-thousand-some soldiers of the Penal Court and his one thousand personal soldiers, a total of nearly ten thousand men. He’s making his way to the Imperial Palace now!”
“What?!”
……
Gallop! Hooves thundered outside the King Qi Residence as nearly ten thousand soldiers gathered. At the front of this army was King Qi, his eyes bright and his body adorned in golden dragon armor.
“Is everyone ready?” King Qi suddenly said from atop his snow-white stallion.
“Your Highness, everyone is ready to move out. We await Your Highness’s order!”
The Three Elders of the Northern Sea and all the advisors from the King Qi Residence bowed.
“Haha, soldiers are raised for a thousand days to be used in a single moment, and for this king, that moment has finally come! Everyone, hear my order! Move out for the Imperial Palace!”
Clang! King Qi pulled out his sword and pointed it at the Imperial Palace.
Roooar!
A heaven-shaking roar responded to his call.
Boom!
A few moments later, King Qi and his vast force of cavalry charged forth in a seething tide of murderous intent.
“Haha, the winner is king and the loser is scorned. Once today is over, I’d like to see who can stop me!”
King Qi sinisterly chuckled as he urged his horse into a gallop.
……
It was just a few moments later that another Golden Guard rushed into the hall of the King of Foreign Lands Residence.
“Your Highness, King Qi is moving very quickly. He’s leading a force of pure cavalry and is already halfway to the Imperial Palace!”
In the nervous air, everyone looked to Wang Chong for orders.
Wang Chong said nothing, his eyes staring at the chessboard as countless thoughts flew through his mind. A moment later, Wang Chong raised his head, revealing his dazzlingly bright eyes.
“Pass on my order! Prepare to move out!”
Rumble! The entire King of Foreign Lands Residence began to seethe with activity, that long calm finally breaking.
Creee!
A few moments later, a firework shot up from the estate and exploded into the darkness. The dazzling flower of light could be seen from far in the distance, and in the darkness, there were truly countless eyes waiting for that bright flame.
In this era where horns and drums were the main method of signaling, only Wang Chong would use a firework for this purpose.
It’s finally begun!
As the dazzling light reflected itself in these countless eyes, the inconspicuous residences in all parts of the city suddenly flew open. Twenty-man units emerged from these houses, mounted their horses, and began to rapidly ride toward the firework.
Gallop!
The many hooves striking the ground made it sound like a downpour was taking place as these countless men converged.
At the same time, in the King of Foreign Lands Residence…
“Kill!”
Countless ghostly figures charged out of the residence, and those Eastern Palace spies hidden in the shadows didn’t even have time to dodge before they were slain, their battered and bloodied bodies dropping to the ground.
“Run!”
Those Eastern Palace spies with extremely fast reactions instinctively sensed that something was wrong and fled like madmen.
But a storm of arrows howled through the air, piercing through all obstacles and bringing down these fish before they could escape the net.
A few seconds later, the area around Wang Chong’s residence fell silent once more. Countless bodies now rested on the cold ground, and the scent of blood wafted through the air. But this had merely been about clearing the road. Those cavalry charging out from the estate didn’t give those bodies a second glance.
Neigh!
The cavalry took up orderly formation and quickly rode away, vanishing into the night.
……
A few moments later, on Vermillion Bird Street, one of King Qi’s cavalry rode up to the front of the army and up to King Qi.
“Reporting! Your Highness, we’ve just received word that the King of Foreign Lands has left his residence and is heading our way with his soldiers!”
The surrounding air seemed to freeze.
“Your Highness, the King of Foreign Lands is coming for us!” the Three Elders of the Northern Sea blurted out.
“What do we do? Should we advance or retreat to the residence?”
“Hahaha, what are you afraid of?!”
To their surprise, King Qi chuckled and gave a fearless reply.
“That was then and this is now. That brat is just a cornered beast making a last-ditch effort. Do you really think he can contend against us? Forget him and advance at full speed! Let’s get into the Imperial Palace!”
Clang!
As King Qi spoke, a bright halo spread out from his feet and to his entire army.
Everyone knew that King Qi was a despicable tyrant, but this had caused many people to forget that he was also a peerless expert!
“Hyah!”
King Qi urged his horse on, and with the power of the halo, that flood of steel grew even fiercer, surging with even greater speed toward the Imperial Palace.
Behind King Qi, thundering hooves indicated that countless horses were converging from all sides.
“Everyone, advance at full speed!”
Wang Chong was riding the White-hoofed Shadow, and as he spoke, clang! The earth trembled as a dark halo erupted from beneath Wang Chong’s feet like a storm.
Wang Chong’s halo expanded with astonishing speed, sweeping across the entire capital like a multidirectional tsunami.
Boom!
As Wang Chong’s halo spread out, those soldiers riding in from various parts of the capital felt their bodies lighten up, and the distance between the forces of Wang Chong and King Qi began to rapidly shrink.
Creee!
A harsh cry resounded through the skies. As Wang Chong pursued King Qi, a white-clawed gyrfalcon’s sharp eyes had been watching this entire time.
With a shake of its wings, it picked up speed and flew over the walls, into the Eastern Palace.
Kim U-Seok, having just received the report, respectfully reported to the Ghost King, “Milord, it was exactly as you predicted. Once King Qi left his estate with his army, Wang Chong truly began to gather his own troops!
“He’s doggedly chasing down King Qi and is only about five minutes away from the Imperial Palace!”
Buzz!
Upon hearing Kim U-Seok’s words, everyone else in the hall turned to the Ghost King in admiration.
If there was one person in the hall who had won everyone’s sincere admiration, it was the Ghost King. Even the Second Prince and Third Prince looked at this man in disbelief.
They had had very few interactions with the Ghost King, but it seemed that even though the Ghost King had not left the Eastern Palace, the entire situation was under his control. Everything was developing exactly as he had imagined.